'Stand Behind Us'

Army Sgt. Mark A. Maida
Jan. 17, 2005 (to his girlfriend)

Hey honey,
Sorry if my cursive isn't that great anymore. Great!! stationary by the way. I just talked to you earlier today twice actually, once on the internet and once on the phone. I'm listening to NBT on my IPOD while I write this letter. Man they make me want to drink Jack Daniels mmmmm. I'm seriously considering taking a bath in Jack when I get home so get ready. Everyone's spirits seem pretty high which is nice.
It would suck if everyone just walked around with their heads down. We've come so far baby just a little farther to go then I'll be back home with you. I think about that day all the time, I know you do to. I love you so much. I think about all the fun we're going to have. I also think that if we can make it thru this then me and you can make it thru anything. There's a reason I am here. I haven't figured it out yet but I will. If it's just to make others smile then so be it. I have faith everything is going to work out just fine. Me, You, my family, we are so strong it doesn't matter what they throw at us. I love you so much baby and can't wait to wake up to you by my side every morning.
Love you Baby,
Mark

Maida, 22, of Madison, Wis., was killed May 27, 2005, from injuries sustained in an explosion in Diyarah.

Army Spc. Bradley J. Bergeron
(promoted to Sergeant posthumously)
Dec. 3, 2004 (from a journal entry)

We arrived at camp Victory. This was the camp that everybody talked about. It was supposed to be one of the biggest camps and have a lot to offer the soldiers. After our arrival, we received keys to our rooms. Our living arrangements consisted of trailors that were approximately 50' by 12'. It was divided into three rooms. You accessed each room at the front of the trailor. Each room had 2 beds, 2 big cabinets to put your stuff in, and 2 night stands. We had electricity and window units. It was a pretty decent setup. We stayed there for about a month, then we moved to Camp Cooke. A couple guys and myself stayed a week longer at Victory than the rest of the company. When we went to leave Liberty to go to Cooke, my transmission in the Bradley gave out about two miles outside the camp. That was the best week I've had out here. We didn't have anything to do and nobody to bother us. That was the calm before the storm, because as soon as we got to Camp Cooke we went on a mission and haven't stopped yet. On days when we aren't doing missions we're on QRF (Quick Reaction Force). QRF consists of waiting at your vehicles in case someone outside the camp needs assistance. It lasts 24 hours. If you don't get called out, it's not bad cause you just hang out or go to sleep, but you don't get to go to your room. As far as a day off, that might happen once every week or two. The missions consist of traveling through small villages and farmlands looking for IEDs, weapon caches, or anything that looks suspicious. We also send the dismounts to clear houses if we get intel that a house has people we are looking for or it has weapons and bomb making material in it. So far, our company has been lucky.

Bergeron, 25, of Houma, La., was killed Jan. 6, 2005, by a roadside bomb in northwest Baghdad.