Hey, there, sailor. I wanted to start off with thank you, for everything that you do. I hope you get thanked so much on a regular basis that it actually becomes something you expect, but never get tired of hearing. You signed your name on a dotted line at 18, and to a lot of people that's just the same as signing any agreement for just any employer in the civilian world. What does it actually mean? It means your life is not your life. You've agreed to be yelled at, moved around, called underway whenever your commanding officers deem necessary (even when you just got back from being underway a week ago), to deploy to wherever you're told to go, for however long necessary, and to live by a code of morals and ethics that sadly America has seemed to lose sight of. You're tired. You work 12 hours a day easily, not always the same hours day to day, and your living quarters can either mean your assigned apartment on base or a tiny bunk in a small ship. You're called away from family and friends. You're agreeing that at some point you have to write your will before others your age will need to, because your signature means that you walk into danger when everyone else runs away.
So thank you, for giving up partying with others our age, drinking until you puke, using whatever cool drugs people our age use when they go away to college, and any other normal activity someone who's a young adult should be able to enjoy. You did it to keep your nation safe, even the idiots who run around insulting your uniform and this country, crying out anarchy. They have the blessing to be ingnorant because men like you keep them safe enough to spout their nonsense. And for that I will have a never ending respect for you, even if we don't know each other.
I also want to say I'm sorry for those same idiots. And also because you may feel lonely or homesick more than you let on. I'm sorry you're in danger and I'm sorry for the reason behind the dog tags you wear around your neck. I'm sorry for any girls that may have left you, not considered you, or who have cheated on you because your job means you travel a lot. Men like you, who do this for a greater purpose than just the glory, deserve people who love them and are willing to wait. Being raised by military parents, that knowledge was innate in my household and I can't help but get angry when I hear of men and women in the military who are cheated on. Cheating in general is low, but that is lower than low.
So, Dear Sailor:
I promise if you can look past distance and past wrongs done against you, I would like to know you. I'd love to write to you about nothing or anything. I'd like to wait to hear from you when you're underway, even if it means waiting months until you get a signal. I'd like to pray for you everyday, but three times a day if not more when you deploy. I'd like to give you something to look forward to besides dry land when you get to come home. I'd like to be someone you can confide in, vent to, laugh with, and even cry with. I'd like to be that person you deserve to show you not only why others didn't work out, but also how good men should be treated. I'd like to have a chance. Because there must be endless girls lining up to see you and date you, though you may not know each of their intentions. But there are so few men like you I'd like to give my time and my all to. And regardless of whether or not you see this, I'm praying for you. May Saint Michael protect you.
Sincerely,
A Civilian Girl
