A letter from Dave

We received our first letter from Dave this week. It brought both joy and heartache, and was a true blessing to read. He told us that what is keeping him going is the great love he feels from his wife, his family and God.

Here is a portion of the letter:
"I have seen His hand at work many times already. Even the non-believers have stated that they have experienced a miracle. Indeed, it was a miracle that we took zero casualties when my squad was ambushed."

Dave added more detail about the ambush in a letter to Kelly. His squad was out on patrol. (They go out looking for weapons caches and IEDs.) A ways up the road, four gunmen in two separate houses started firing automatic weapons. At first, due to the distance, it sounded like firecrackers and kicked up dust all around and between the guys.

Dave said he could hear the bullets whizzing past him. Acting on adrenaline, he jumped aside into some barbed wire, and barely felt it at the time. The guy in front of Dave was hit in the chest where his Kevlar vest protected him. The guy behind Dave was grazed in the back of the leg. The lieutenant fell down, which saved his life (don't know exactly how, those are Dave's words).

The Marines began returning fire, but the other guys had an escape route planned, and took off in a truck.

Dave's company has suffered several casualties, but no deaths. Four of those casualties were the result of a suicide bomber.

Dave's closing advice to all of us were to cherish each other, because life is too precious to be taken for granted.