This is Sgt. Jim Brereton of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry,
10th Mountain Division somewhere in Afghanistan. He is a friend of mine and was a student at Ashland, and good enough for government work, as they say, but what always struck me about Jim was his character and the fact that he was a lover of his country and not only because it was his, but because it was good. This is not a man who needs to prove either his manhood or his patriotism—he has been in Injun Country before—but here he is, again, chasing down bad guys. As Lincoln said, "God bless the soldiers."
Jim is still safe - as can be expected - and is serving the last three months of a one year tour in Iraq. He has had his "bell wrung" on more than one occassion by both IEDs and direct fire from the bad guys.