In Honour Of Veteran's Day

This story was emailed to me by a very close friend who also happens to be a soldier in our U.S. Army. I knew I had to hang onto the story, and put it on my blog for Veteran's Day.

Sometimes The Little Things We Take For Granted

Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt, fertilizer, and some grass seeds, so he can have the sweet aroma, and feel the grass grow beneath his feet.
Sometimes we are in such a hurry, we forget about the little things that we take for granted. Upon reading this, please say a prayer for our soldiers who give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.


Naturally, I tend to be skeptical of anything I read on the Internet. People like to make things up. So, I researched this story on Urban Legends, and indeed it is true. The following story brought tears to my eyes.

The photograph displayed above is genuine, and shows Warrant Officer 1 Brook Turner tending a plot of grass with a pair of scissors at a military post north of Baghdad. The picture was taken by Staff Sgt. Mark Grimshaw in mid-July 2004.

According to the Salem Stateman Journal, Turner asked his wife to send him some grass seed because he missed the green he was accustomed to in Hawaii, and before that in Oregon.

Kim Turner was happy to send her husband a little slice of home. She bought a packet of grass seed and a small hoe and mailed them with other goodies in a care box.

Brook prepared a spot behind the single-side trailer he shares with a few other soldiers, lining the 3-foot-by-7-foot area with large rocks, and adding some dirt.

As soon as the seed arrived, he planted it. He knew keeping the seed moist would be a challenge in the 125-degree heat.

His fellow soldiers teased him about his failed project, but he was determined to grow a patch of grass. He talked with some Iraqis civilians authorized to be on post, and arranged to buy some sod. He purchased seven 1-foot-by-3-foot patches.

Turner watered his lawn three times a day. He used a 5 gallon jug he filled in the bathroom, where the camp has running water.

Every morning, before reporting to duty, Turner and his fellow soldiers walk barefooted through their little patch of grass. Starting their day walking on U.S. SOIL.


God Bless all the men and women who have served, and who are currently serving, to allow me and my family to live safe.