EVEN AS I START I KNOW THAT I WILL NOT HAVE THE COURAGE TO SIGN THIS LETTER.
PERHAPS IN A FAR DIFFERENT FUTURE THAT IDENTIFYING NAME OR INSCRIBED SIGNATURE WOULD BE CONSIDERED BUT WE BOTH KNOW THAT OUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, THE WIDER COMMUNITY AND NOW OUR REGIMENTS WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND. THEY WOULD BY DEFAULT FAIL US. THAT FAILING IS NOT INHERENTLY THEIRS BUT NEITHER IS IT IN ANY WAY OURS TO ASSUME.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO PUT IN WORDS THAT YOU ARE AND ALWAYS WERE MY MUCH SOUGHT COMPANION AND HERO.
YOUR AMAZING EASE WITH WITH OTHERS REGARDLESS OF AGE, RANK OR SITUATION WAS A SOURCE OF WONDER TO SO MANY AROUND YOU. YOUR QUIET WAY OF ENSURING THAT WORTHWHILE GOALS WERE INVESTIGATED AND THEN ACCOMPLISHED WAS INSPIRATIONAL. BUT EVEN THEN YOU DEFLECTED THE RESULTING THANKS AND PRAISE. IT WAS THAT SELFLESS DEMURRING AND DEFERENCE THAT I SO ACUTELY RECOGNIZED WITH A RATHER FEARFUL COMPREHENSION.
AS YOU KNOW OUR MOMENTS TOGETHER BECAME THE GREAT TOUCHSTONES OF MY LIFE. I FIND MYSELF BEREFT OF WORDS CAPABLE OF EXPRESSING WHAT YOU MEANT AND WHAT YOU CONTINUE TO MEAN TO ME.
NOW AS WE INDIVIDUALLY MOVE TO ANSWER THE CALLS OF OUR COUNTRY AND THE EMPIRE I SEND YOU MY ETERNAL GRATITUDE. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT I WAS ABLE TO SEND IN YOUR DIRECTION SOME REFLECTION OF WHAT YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND SHARED TIME MEANT.
WITH ALL MY HEART … TAKE CARE DEAR FRIEND.
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