I had dinner with a dear friend of mine this evening. Her name is Alice. As we talked, she looked at me and said, "You're going to be recording history." I paused for a moment; she was correct. We finished our meal, and drove back to her house. She showed me the upstairs room she was redecorating. I watched as her eyes sparkled with excitement. Discussions of paint, furniture and the details that will eventually add that deeply personal touch. As we walked downstairs to the front door, I stopped and looked at her. "This is it." We hugged, and as I went to leave, she expressed our friendship with two simple words, "Thank you." This was my evening of good-byes.

To know Alice, is to understand the strength of commitment to self. She is not one that was born to an easy life. She has been challenged, spent time on the streets, but has overcome her past, living each day with a smile and finding something positive even in the most challenging of situations. She has a spiritual core and a depth to her being, which she draws from. She is a reminder of the place where we all need to be... to empower ourselves in the moment, and let the morrows be.

We live in a time of uncertainty and change. Our views of the world and ourselves challenged every moment. Even history itself seems to have come into question. We send our men and women across the globe, to pursue a mission which we at home debate. And those that are sent, become our topic, as the discussions rage to anger and discord. Those that serve become the victims of our verbal fights; those at home living far removed from the realities that war brings. This evening I discovered that Alice loved pink. A simple pleasure that will seem distant in the days to come.

As I sit here writing this last evening before I deploy, I reflect on the many events that have brought me to this place. This is my point of departure, as I step forward on one of the greatest journeys of my life. I carry no weapons, and seek only to observe, telling the stories of these men and women with my camera and my words. What I promise is truth, both good and bad, of the events which I witness. To have you smile when they feel joy, and cry when I feel their pain. To bring these soldiers journey alive in your hearts.

I close this evening with some final words of thanks. To all that that have shared their thoughts and well wishes with me through your emails, I am deeply touched. They are words that fuel my commitment to the stories yet to be told. Finally, to my friends and family, thank you for all that you have given me in my life. I could not step forward without you all in my heart. History awaits.

RSS feed: http://www.beloblog.com/KGW_Blogs/afghanistan/index.xml

Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

---