Smells of Costco lasagna wafted through the kitchen—not quite chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but you get the idea. It was a Christmas party with twinkling lights and the din of holiday conversation filling in for Yuletide carols.
Jack Frost wasn’t anywhere nearby, but Dale Johnson was. This past president of Breakfast Rotary whispered in my ear, “Have I got a story for you!”
Johnson invited me to the Breakfast Rotary’s Dec. 23 7:30 a.m. meeting at the Santa Maria Inn, where St. Joseph High School graduate (class of 2003) 1st Lt. Jake Bradfield would be “the program.”
The handsome, 6-foot-4 Bradfield, resplendent in his dress blue uniform and combat jump boots, had served almost a year in Afghanistan, most of it, I believe, as the commander of a platoon of guys with hard-core combat skills like Ranger and Special Forces training and paratrooper experience.
Bradfield had put together a wonderful PowerPoint presentation slideshow about his experiences in the Middle East. A cavalcade of photos and descriptive detail showed us his platoon members, the harsh landscape, the mountains, and the Afghan people.
His running commentary gave his audience of about 100 a glimpse into the life of an American soldier serving in Afghanistan.
About being a paratrooper, he commented, “Sky diving is nothing like jumping off a plane in the middle of the night, with all your gear.”
Jean Luc Garon, current president of Rotary, told the paratrooper-platoon leader the club is sending a check for more than $3,000 to the USO.
“They do good stuff,” Bradfield replied.
I was gobsmacked when the lieutenant’s Dad, retired Army guy Clay Bradfield, told me that many, many parcels, cards, gifts (including money)—care packages, if you will—sent to our troops in the Middle East are from companies, clubs, and individuals in Santa Maria. There is a steady flow of warm socks and warm wishes from the Central Coast.
Bradfield’s comments on the daily grind in a war zone helped the audience understand why the packages from home are so appreciated. Bradfield mentioned the “bone-crushing, mind-numbing exhaustion” that is part of life in outposts in Afghanistan.
“There are maybe two phones in the area for 80 guys, and the phones work only one or two days a week,” he said.
That’s why the packages and cards from home mean so much to the troops serving overseas. They are a connection to home, hundreds of thousands of miles away.
Lt. Bradfield also talked about Afghan tribal culture and about the general anonymity of the Taliban. You can’t tell who they are just by looking. The harmless-looking fellow who shakes your hand with a pleasant smile today may tomorrow detonate a device that takes your life.
“War costs money, but it is paid for in blood,” Bradfield said, reminding us of the loss of life that is part of fulfilling the U.S. mission. At the slideshow finale, Bradfield had the words, “We do it all for you.”
Friends and supporters waited in line to bombard the young soldier with hugs and handshakes.
The Pentagon would be hard-pressed to find a more articulate, more imposing, or more impassioned spokesperson than Lt. Jake Bradfield to tell a soldier’s story.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 6, 2011.
