Bob McCarty Writes

Below is Part Eight of a series of posts I’m sharing with readers of this blog. A change of pace from my usual writings on humor, politics, culture and capitalism, this series represents the first few chapters of a book I’ve been writing for several months. It draws from my background in the Air Force as well as from my experience in politics and public relations. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

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SCRATCH OFF

By Bob McCarty

Copyright © 2008 Bob McCarty, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, publication or broadcast
or other use of this document without the express permission of Bob McCarty, L.L.C., is prohibited by law.

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The front-page headline of the Effingham Daily News Sunday edition was typically divided into thirds: Above the fold of the broadsheet newspaper was the lead story – usually something of national or international importance with colorful graphics to catch the eye; below the fold and to the right, a story of local importance – often a feature story – intended to drag readers to an interior page of the paper that just happened to be laden with advertisements; and the remainder of the front page consisted of news and feature briefs designed to catch the attention of readers and cause them to “dive” into the newspapers interior pages to find the stories – and, coincidentally – see more ads.

Unlike her story the week before, Schramm’s interview of Kastens occupied the newspaper’s prime real estate in this edition, published Saturday, April 15, 2007: Front page. Above the fold.

Under the headline, Father of Fallen Hero Vows to Keep Promise, the story read like the prototypical small-town newspaper’s ultimate front-page story. Accompanied by a chronology of photos reflecting Josh’s maturation from childhood in rural America to posthumously-honored war hero, the story read as follows:

By Judy Schramm
Daily News Staff Writer

It was the last thing Larry Kastens expected to see that day, April 3, as he walked out the front door of his rural Effingham home: A blue sedan with government plates. Its occupants brought with them news that his son, Tech. Sgt. Joshua L. “Josh” Kastens, had been killed in combat in Iraq earlier that day. It was news no father ever wants to hear, news no father ever will forget.

Kastens, 23, a 1998 graduate of Effingham High School, was a nine-year Air Force veteran. Initially serving as a life support specialist assigned to an air rescue squadron, he reached his goal of becoming a pararescueman – or “PJ” – after only two years of active duty.

According to his father, a longtime Effingham resident and King Chemical employee since 1979, his only child had discovered his calling in life many years earlier and died doing what he had always wanted to do.

“Josh saw a television news report that showed bodies of American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Somalia,” the elder Kastens explained, “and he asked me why the other soldiers didn’t save them. Four years later, he told me he would be joining the Air Force after graduation.

“He saw something in the teamwork and camaraderie of the military and, at the same time, he saw his job in the Air Force as an opportunity to save lives.”

Josh died nine years later after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds during a mission to rescue Capt. Dave Jones, an Air Force pilot whose plane went down near Tikrit, Iraq, after suffering engine failure.

Though Josh is gone, his memory is alive in the form of a promise his father made to him via letters exchanged during his second and most-recent deployment to Iraq.

“Josh told me to remember the promise I had made to him in a letter last summer,” his father explained. “Josh had asked me if, in the event he didn’t return from Iraq, I would do everything within my power to prevent the United States from settling for defeat against Muslim extremists. Of course, I told him I would, never thinking I would have to fulfill that promise.”

It was a tall order for one man. Especially, one man in a small town like Effingham. Asked how he planned to fulfill that promise, the father couldn’t offer specifics.

“I’m going to do everything within my power to fulfill that promise,” he said. “I know one man like me, working alone, can’t overcome the type of evil we’ve seen displayed by Islamic terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. If others join me in this cause and let the president and their members of Congress know how important this effort is, then I know I can keep the promise I made to my son.”

[Editor’s Note: It is the policy of the Effingham Daily News to respect the privacy of family members who’ve suffered the loss of a loved one by not interfering in their lives during the period immediately following their loss of a loved one. If, however, the staff of this newspaper is contacted by an individual expressing interest in sharing his or her feelings, the editors will, on a case-by-case basis, consider interviewing such an individual. It was the latter circumstance that prompted us to pursue the story above.]

King Chemical owed Kastens more than six weeks of vacation time. Having not worked for almost two weeks following Josh’s death, Kastens decided to return to work, hoping it would take his mind off his loss. Unfortunately, his decision turned out to be the wrong one. With the encouragement of co-workers, Kastens decided before ending his shift to use at least a handful more of his vacation days to try and sort things out.

On television that night, the presidential election race was in full swing. Morning show hosts reported that a surprising number of Americans – nearly 70 percent according to a recent poll – had reached the conclusion that the nation needed to immediately withdraw its troops from the Middle East and let the Arabs work out their differences in whatever way they saw fit.

Presidential candidates, front-runners and wannabes alike, were literally waving white flags of surrender in order to win votes.

Citizens on the street followed suit.

“Too many have died already,” said one Chicago man, a middle-aged iron worker, interviewed by a network news reporter outside a delicatessen. “We need to get outta there now!”

“Let the Arabs fight it out amongst themselves, said another man, this one wearing a Brooks Brothers suit and walking in, of all places, the financial district of New York City.

“How could he have forgotten the events of Sept. 11?” Kastens thought to himself as he watched with incredulously.

Two others – a teacher’s aide interviewed in a Houston supermarket and a college student on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah – followed. Neither voiced support for President Franklin G. Hart’s goal of completing the mission before withdrawing troops.

Then and there, Kastens realized the magnitude of the battle that awaited him as he struggled to fulfill a promise – the promise – he had made to his son. He also realized failure was not an option.

After watching a seemingly endless parade of anti-war, pro-withdrawal messages appear in the form of news stories and stump speeches, he decided the best way to attack the problem was by writing letters to those elected officials who were, presumably, being paid to represent his interests in Washington, D.C.

Among the members of the Illinois delegation – all Democrats – charged with representing him in Washington, D.C., were the following:

Rep. Robbie “Red” Mauk of Altamont – The red-headed son of Irish immigrants, “Red” was now serving his fifth term as representative of the Illinois’ 19th Congressional District;

Sen. Charles L. Slott – A “fat cat” career politician from Naperville, he never feared the type of coverage he received as a “regular” on the front page of the decidedly-liberal Chicago Sun-Times; and

Sen. Bing Lee – The American-born son of Chinese immigrants who spoke fluent Chinese, he owed much of his professional and political success to corporate interests across the nation who valued his presence and input during international trade sessions.

During a seven-hour marathon session in front of his desktop computer, Kastens typed and retyped a letter several times until he felt like it made sense without being too confrontational. When he finally finished it at 3 o’clock Tuesday morning, the body of the letter read as follows:

I’m writing this letter today for deeply personal reasons.

Several months ago, my son, Air Force Technical Sergeant Joshua L. Kastens, asked me in a letter from a base somewhere in Iraq to promise him one thing: In the event he didn’t return from Iraq, he asked me to promise him I would do everything within my power to prevent the United States from settling for defeat against Muslim extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere. I responded by sending a letter back that, of course, said I would honor his promise.

Then, on April 1, 2007, Josh and a fellow Pararescueman were shot while performing a combat search and rescue mission in Iraq. Sadly, my son died of his wounds, but not until he and his partner had completed the rescue of the downed pilot they had been sent to save. (See the attached newspaper clipping for details.)

After burying Josh, my only son, at a cemetery in Effingham thirteen days ago, I now have to honor the kind of promise a father hopes he never has to keep. Not knowing how or where to begin, I decided to write this letter to you and to the other members of the Illinois delegation in Washington D.C.

Please help me honor the promise I made to my son by telling me you will stand by President Franklin G. Hart and oppose any and all efforts to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East before the mission is completed successfully.

Promise me you will support the mission for which my son, more than 4,000 other courageous Americans and an even larger number of freedom-seeking Iraqis paid the ultimate price.

Promise me you will do everything possible to ensure we complete the mission of restoring Democracy to Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran before we withdraw U.S. troops from the region.

Finally, I ask that you promise me you will work hard to convince your colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to do the same.

I look forward to your reply and trust you will do the right thing.

Respectfully,

Gerald R. Kastens
R.R. 6
Effingham, IL 62401

After he was satisfied with the content of the letter, Kastens customized the address blocks and salutations, printed and signed copies of the letter and addressed corresponding envelopes to each politician. After stamping and licking each enveloped, he left them on the kitchen table as a reminder to take them to the post office the next day.

He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all, he had finally taken the first step – albeit a small one – toward fulfilling the promise he had made to his son. How would the politicians respond? Only time would tell.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 Bob McCarty, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, publication or broadcast
or other use of this document without the express permission of Bob McCarty, L.L.C., is prohibited by law.

>> Part Nine <<

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