My Son Returns from War in Afghanistan

Last July, I wrote about my wife and I seeing our 1LT Army infantry son, Christopher B. Lee, deploy to Afghanistan with his unit, the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) from Fort Hood, Texas. I received many wonderful responses from readers, one of which actually had a cousin who was part of the same deployment. It is hard for a parent to see their son off to war. The worry about his safety slowly wears on you. Every time Afghanistan was mentioned on the news, my ears perked up to hear what has happening. In one of his first e-mails Chris sent from Afghanistan, he wrote: “But you don't have to worry about me . . . I am sure my platoon will do fine and I trust my guys. However, the likelihood of me getting some real trigger time is almost a certainty in this Area of Operation which is fine with me, because I didn't come here to hand out candy.” No, I guess the Army didn’t send the 1st ID there to hand out candy. Once he got his feet wet as a platoon leader, Chris started sending hair-raising e-mails about his experiences. He talked of the “fun” he was having on patrols calling in air strikes on Taliban positions, and meeting with Afghan elders. The detailed e-mails didn’t leave me or his mother with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and I wish he had toned them down a bit for his mother’s sake. He wrote that the steep terrain, coupled with the heat and high altitude, made walking with a heavy rucksack and his equipment challenging. One soldier constantly lagged behind until Chris “motivated” him by throwing a rock that bounced off his Kevlar helmet to get his attention. He then followed up with a stern counseling session on why everyone had to pull their own weight as a team in order to fight and survive. Then in October, his e-mails abruptly stopped. While attending a friend’s birthday party, my Blackberry signaled I had an e-mail. Mr. Jim Kippenhan, the reader who told me about his cousin being assigned to my son’s unit, wrote to inform me that Specialist Steve Fortunato had been killed in action. I wrote the retired Chief Petty Officer back sending him my condolences, and called my daughter-in-law to see if she had received such a notification. She had not. About 10 days went by until an e-mail from Chris finally arrived. He wrote that there is a communication blackout whenever a soldier is killed in action. The army doesn’t want a parent or spouse to hear the devastating news except from official channels. Specialist Fortunato and two other soldiers in his battalion were killed by a roadside bomb. Chris was assigned to take care of the remains of one of the other soldiers, and flew to Bagram Air Force Base with the bodies and their personal effects in order to have everything ready for transport to their grieving families. For a 24-year-old kid, Chris was growing up rapidly. West Point gave him direction, but war and death gave him insights. Chris got his mid-tour 15 days of R&R and managed to come home during Christmas. He was sullen when he announced he would be returning to Afghanistan to perform a staff job at his headquarters. He wanted to get back into the fight. My wife, his wife and I couldn’t be happier. After about a five-day process flying through different bases, now-Captain Lee returned home to Fort Hood, Texas. His wife, Katie and daughter, Avary, were there to greet him. The last thing they needed was dad and mom around to interfere with them making up for lost time. Katie kept photos of Chris all around her home so their 18-month-old daughter would recognize her dad when he returned – and she did. During Chris’s deployment, the 1st ID and supporting elements suffered 30 soldiers killed in action. Soldiers were awarded four Silver Stars, 139 Purple Hearts, and 790 Bronze Stars (67 for Valor). These brave soldiers sacrificed life and limb for their country, and may God bless Specialist Fortunato and the rest of them.