I recently discovered that an old friend was killed in the Anbar Province of Iraq. His name is Captain Robert Secher, and he was a good man. Rob is the Marine on the right. I borrowed this picture from Captain Secher's online guest book. I hope the big guy on the left doesn't mind.
I haven't been able to get Robert out of my head since the day I read of his death. I finally gained enough composure to write a letter to Robert's dad in Germantown, Tennessee.
A few days after I sent the letter and some roses, my phone rang. It was a Memphis number. It was Robert's dad. He was all Memphis. He is 84 years old and a gentleman. He thanked me for the letter and told me how much the letter meant to him and to Robert's mom. We chatted for several minutes. He told me stories. I could have listened to him forever.
I am honored to have known Robert Secher. I am also relieved to know that our military is populated with good men like him. Robert planned to write a book upon his return from Iraq. I was so twitterpated when Robert's dad called that I forgot to ask him if the family plans to write the book for Robert. I hope to find that out. In the meantime, Rob's dad released several of Rob's emails home to Newsweek magazine. The link to Robert's article is above.
You mean the world to me and to my family, Robert. Pax Per Potens
