Dear Editor:

Sunday, January 28, 2007

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a delegation of six other congressional Democrats, showed up in Afghanistan today to speak with President Karzai about future plans for his country. This plan includes lots of money and more troops.

My daughter is among the 3,200 soldiers with the 10th Mountain, 3rd Brigade being kept an additional four months in Afghanistan. It was time for my daughter to come home. Her year was up. She is tired, physically and mentally. She misses her family. As she was stationed in S. Korea her previous tour, by the time she does get home (safely, we pray) she would not have seen her younger brother and sister in almost two years.

Ms. Pelosi, I hope you and the rest of the Congress and Senate, yes even all of the citizens of this great country, appreciate the sacrifice my daughter and our family is making. I know my daughter is very proud of her country and is willing to serve, even if that meant being sent to Iraq. If my daughter needs to stay four more months to help reach our goals in Afghanistan, so be it. I have many, many pictures of the people, especially children, of Afghanistan, she has sent me over the past year. She says the country is beautiful, as are the people.

But after these four months, I want her to come back to the US. I do not want her to go to Iraq. Please, Ms. Pelosi, do what you can do to keep any more troops from going there. Especially those who have already served in Afghanistan.


My daughter is the bravest person I know, bar none. She has a very dangerous job I can't discuss. She has often stated she would stay 'as long as needed in the Middle East in order for her younger brother and his friends NOT to have to sign up or be drafted'.

Please bring my daughter and all of her fellow soldiers home soon.

Most sincerely,

Kerri Drylie

(This letter to the editor was printed in the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday, January 30th, My Word. A copy was also sent to Ms. Pelosi and President Bush)