Touched

A little over a month ago Noah's school sent home a paper about how the kids were going to do a pen pal program with a group of soldiers overseas. I have to admit at the time I though "that's nice" but not much more than that. I had no idea how it would affect Noah personally or our family.

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from Noah's principal, Mrs. Belangia telling me that in Noah's letter to his soldier he had told him about what had happened to Kai and asking if he had ever had anything tragic happen to him. (Because they are at war and sensitive material can affect them more profoundly they had to approve all correspondence first through the SGT of the platoon. ) Mrs. Belangia had received an email back from the SGT and wanted to read it to me first before and make sure it would be OK to read it to Noah. Thus began our acquaintance with SGT. Rob and the Platoon. With his permission I've decided to share our emails. I think the story is best told through them.

Poor Noah! I know all the kids are ours now, but please pull him aside and tell him something for me, and us...... He's a good, strong little man, and he's here to make sure his mom and dad stay happy, and not sad. We have put his name on one of our helicopters, and he gets to fly high in the sky, REAL close to Kai in heaven........Noah's name is in the clouds EVERY day, and Kai sees it ......our Platoon has made sure .....nobody will forget, and God hugs our helicopter with Noah's name on it each time we fly......so Noah gets a hug from Kai every day!!!!! our Platoon loves him, and says a prayer for him, Kai hears it and we will pass it on each day. And tell Noah, he won't die ....not with a Platoon of soldiers, and medics on his side. Please tell him this, and make sure his family knows........ I'll send pictures of the bird bearing his name, and more as I can!

Hello, and greetings from ---------------. So, as promised, I attached pictures of the MEDEVAC bird bearing Noah's name, and a shot of his name soaring in the sky at 10,000 feet. Tell him, from SGT -------- and I.........."Noah, you were up soooo high, that Kai could see you, and hear you! Every time ------- and I fly, you will be up in the same Heaven that Kai is.......He kept us safe as we flew over some very bad places, because he saw YOUR name on our helicopter! Noah, you have the DUSTOFF motto now, so you too are a savior from the Heavens, an Angel of Mercy."

The mission in fact that we flew was in support and protection of -------- AND -----------of ----------. We followed them all day, and kept them safe. Noah's bird flew V.I.P. all over ----------, with Kai as our watcher!!

Dear SGT Rob & the Platoon

I wanted to take the time to thank you for adopting Noah. Since your original email I have run the gamut of emotions. The most overwhelming one being, gratitude. I'm not sure I can express what your thoughtful actions have meant to me. Every time I think about it or share with a friend we all end up crying, but it's a good thing, to cry from someone else's kindness.

Let me tell you a little bit about Noah. Noah is your typical ten year old. He’s mischievous and funny. His nickname is Mr. Coolman. (He gave it to himself. ) He once wore 6 shirts to school because he wanted to see if he could get his friends to laugh when they noticed he took off yet another shirt. He loves playing with his Army guys and Legos, the Wii and watching TV. A week after Kai passed we got a puppy, Blaze, and she is his buddy. She's a great companion.

What he wants to be when he grows up has ranged from Army guy to a Sniper to an FBI agent to a Police Officer. He loves guns and tanks. Simply put, he's uniquely, Noah.

I think the Lord often puts people in our lives at the times we need them the most. We are how He accomplishes his purposes here on earth. Your compassion and tenderness to someone you’ve never met is but a small example of your greater commitment to the country you defend. Thank you for your service to us as a nation and your kindness to my son.

We look forward to getting to know your platoon better. I know with a leader like you they are in good hands. May God bless and keep you safe. We have added your Platoon and your families to our nightly prayers.

With most sincere thanks,

Kathryn Moster

P.S. Please feel free to share any or all of this email with the Platoon.

Mrs Moster,
Your email touched me in so many ways.......Before I became a Flight Medic in the Army, I was in fact a New York City Police Officer. I worked closely with our SWAT teams, and have some close friends who are in Federal Law Enforcement, (Secret Service, DEA and U.S. Marshalls). I was working on September 11th, and was in fact at Tower 2 when it fell. We all lost friends that day.
Young Noah's aspirations to become an officer or a soldier, or a Federal law enforcer is incredible! They are unique choices indeed, and as you spoke of, he is indeed uniquely Noah. I can only tell you what I'm sure you already know, he is a strong, strong young man. Tell him he has the support of our Platoon, and moreover, he has their respect as well. To have seen what he has seen, and felt what he has felt, but still, even in juvinile imagination; choosing to become such a hero - amazing! He is our honorary Platoon mate, and we will keep a place for him in our formation.
I hope the pictures we took of his name on our aircraft get forwarded to you. They would make a perfect addition to Kai's Corner. Noah was up at 10,000 feet.....he was in Kai's arms, and Kai saw his brother there. I know they spoke, even through just a name written on a machine at war, my crew and I felt the power. You may call it kindness, or commitment, but in MEDEVAC we call it our honnor.

I'm trying to talk one of our guys, the real clown of the group, to wear 6 sets of body armor in tribute to Noah's gag .......it's working, slowly, but I will break him down! Pictures to follow if I can make it happen.......fingers crossed!!
I am endeavoring to get some things special to our Company, and Platoon together for Noah. A unit patch, and MEDEVAC crewmember patch that we wear.....some Army gear, and hopefully a manual on our tanks...(that one I may be doing a favor for.....), but in any event, know that his story - in fact your family's story, touched us, and has given us new commitment to our daily task.

I'll close this email with what we say to each other daily, "you don't say thank you to your family, instead you stand with them when they need it most" Never any thanks needed for us, it is our pleasure, and our honnor to know noah, and for ALL that he, and the school is doing. THAT kindness you have no idea, means so much, that we can never repay it in ten lifetimes.
Be well, and stay safe, thank you for the prayers and thoughts,
SGT Rob.
P.S. We promise pictures and more to come for Noah, his school, and all of you soon!!!!!!!!

SGT Rob-
Thank you for the pictures. Adding them to Kai's Corner is a great idea. We got them and Noah was excited to see Afghanistan from so high. He was equally impressed to hear about your mission to fly air support for ---------- and ----------. We were driving in the car today and listening to the news on the radio when they mentioned ----------. Noah said "Hey! Isn't that who they flew around?" He's been eager to get information about your platoon! We haven't been able to figure out what DUSTOFF is. The name for your platoon? He thought the idea with the body armor was great! I think he had actually forgotten that little stunt because after I read the email I sent to you he decided to give it another go around. This time he only did 5 shirts because he said it was hot.
I wanted to ask your permission to do something. I have a blog and I wanted to put copies of our emails on it. It's a closed blog so you can only get on it by invitation. (I'm sending you an invitation so you can check it out if you want. You do have to set up a google account but that's free and they're good about not sending any spam.)Please know if you are not comfortable for any reason I won't be put out but I didn't want to post anything from you before asking.
Here's why, I'm from a family of 10 children. The typical question that follows that statement is "All from the same parents?" Yes. 7 boys and 3 girls. I'm the 7th child, last girl. 7 brothers. 4 older and 3 younger. Need I say more? Anyway, most of my family live out west and I'm in the east so it's the easiest way to keep them up to date on my little family.
I'm not surprised you felt Kai up in the sky. What you don't know is Kai loved to make paper airplanes. He would make and fly them at church and home and his room was decorated with them. He had always loved paper airplanes but about a month before he passed away I got him this big book with 50 different planes you could fold and make. All the paper had cool designs on it and he loved making them. (They were way too hard for him to manage on his own so I ended up making them under his supervision.) The bad thing was, they wouldn't fly worth squat, coincidentally on the morning of the day Kai died his Dad taught him how to make "the best paper airplane", having been a former 8th grade science teacher he knows a little about aerodynamics. A paper airplane is the one symbol that adorns Kai's grave stone. For us, that airplane has come to represent the idea that, life is short. How short we never know, so appreciate your loved ones. Take the time to be there for them. Don't put off until tomorrow.
Doing what you do, having gone through what you have, I'm sure I'm not telling you something you haven't already figured out. Know that with all our hearts we pray for your platoon and your families while you are away.
Kathryn

Kathryn -

Thank you for the email. It touched me more than you will know. I teared up, and that is something I do not often do. Stoicism and courage, it is what we must display daily, and it is what we by default become. After seeing so much loss, and being a part of so many, so many farewells, we just learn to shut it off. Not today, not when I read your note.Flying in a Blackhawk is like taking the wind, and making it do what you want. When you put the power in, the wind just lifts you, and floats you upward......could a paper airplane have motor and direction, this is what it would be! "Noah" has been quite high over the last few days, and he has soared over ---------....I know Kai has seen his brothers name, and felt him race against him in the sky. He will remain on our bird until we are gone, and then he will come back to the states, and fly above his own land, letting Kai know he's home.

I can not tell you what an honnor it is to be able to be a part of your family like this. To make a young man smile after so much pain, to make a family beam with pride because their hurt is now such a strength. This is why we fight, and why we are as strong as we are, because people like you, and Noah, even Kai; show us we have to. Our honnor, our pleasure.

DUSTOFF - It is a time honnored term used for ALL MEDEVAC units. Spread out it actually means, Deadicated Uhesitating Service To Our Fighting Forces. In Viet Nam, one of the very first MEDEVAC pilots, Major James Kelly, flew his UH-1 Huey into a hot combat zone. The Maojors aircraft took many hits, and his systems became disabled. The ground unit radioed him to depart as the area was not secure. Major Kelly responded with the words that adorn the U.S Army School of Aviation Medicine, and the words now famous in all of air medical evacuation; military and civilian. When that Infantry Captain told Major Kelly to depart, the Major did not leave, but instead landed amit hot rounds and keyed his radio...........he replied "WHEN I HAVE YOUR WOUNDED". This is what we do, the supreme sacrifice each of us in MEDEVAC will make for our Brothers and Sisters.
Major Kelly evacuated 7 soldiers on that run, and a total of 15 more on two more flights in his wounded bird. He continued his service, and saved the lives of more than 100 Soldiers in Viet Nam before he was shot down and killed. Dedicated Unhesitating Service To Our Fighting Forces.... DUSTOFF!

I'm sure Noah will enjoy that small piece of Military and MEDEVAC history. Itt always gives me chills, and makes me proud to do what I do, and unaffraid to give all in the name of my fellow Soldiers if I am called to do so. (P.S. it makes for GREAT book report/school paper subjects........only the cool kids know about stuff like that! Or should I say Mr Coolman was it?)
As for the blog, fell free to share some of the emails, but there are a few including names, and pictures with locations that perhaps are better kept between one source. Emails like this one, and the pictures of Noah's aircraft ....please, by all means share, and I trust your judgement will allow you to decide on the others to share.
Tell Noah, as a member of our Platoon, he has high standards to meet daily! He has not to BE the best at what he does, but must TRY HARDER than all the rest to become better. Our Platoon is always learning, and always pushing each other to surpass what we individually did the day before. We love each other, and trust in ourselves no matter what we are up against. Our Platoon is known as "------ Heard", because we will never be alone, and where we are one, we are all. A heard. Noah is a part of the strongest heard, and will never be alone. ---------- HEARD!

The heard will read the email you sent, and we will respond in kind for you, your family accross the States, and the loved ones and friends you have at home. It is what we do, and it is what Kai would have learned from Noah to do.

Thank you for your prayers, your thoughts, and your honesty, even about things so painful. You are not alone, and know that The Heard is with you always.
SGT Rob