BEL AIRE, KS, USA U.S. Army SGT, TROOP A, 3D SQUADRON, 61ST CAVALRY, FORT CARSON, CO BAGHDAD, IRAQ 04/29/2007
Alex came into this world early and unplanned, and also left early and unplanned. In between were 21 years of a life lived on the edge. When Alex was 13, he described himself in print. “I’ll start out with what I do best. I have a sense of humor. Another thing I do is not give up. I’m also a good leader. Another good trait of mine is honesty. My strongest thing I do is be a Christian.” He finished this project by saying that “I’m a little unusually good at writing poems”.
Between ages 15 and 18, Alex enjoyed a life with few boundaries. Wherever he went a party broke out. He said ‘yes’ to many experiences not approved of by mom and dad. Each day was lived to its fullest with apparently little regard for the future. Alex enlisted as a way to get back on track and as a fulfillment of a boyhood dream.
None of Alex’s poems made it back from Iraq. Those composed before he deployed showed a now young man in his search for the meaning of life. Through his military experience he searched for and began discovering those time honored values embraced by maturing individuals. His unplanned exit continues to leave a void and a regret of ‘what could have been’.