Letters to the Editor

Historic Mission Ahead-Cape Codders among the many brave Americans fighting for freedom in Afghanistan

To the Editor:

We celebrated our freedom and observed our nation’s Independence Day as  hundreds of brave men and women from across Cape Cod who answered our President’s call are voluntarily serving in our Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.

Like the thousands of brave Americans fighting for our freedom, Corporal Andrew Coville and Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos believe in our mission and are proud to serve and protect our country.  Andrew and Nicholas graduated from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in June 2006.  They spent that summer at Marine Corps Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC. By September, they had earned the title of United States Marine. They trained and fought together in Anbar, Iraq and are currently fighting a fierce battle in southern Afghanistan as part of an historic 10,000 member Marine Expeditionary Brigade ordered into action by President Obama to secure Afghanistan and free its people.  (Photo right: Nick and Andrew together at Surf City in North Carolina when they returned from combat operations in Iraq last fall.)

“Each American who has served in Iraq has their own story.  Each of you has your own story. And that story is now part of the history of the United States of America—a nation that exists only because free men and women have bled for it from the beaches of Normandy to the deserts of Anbar; from the mountains of Korea to the streets of Kandahar.  You teach us that the price of freedom is great.   Your sacrifice should challenge all of us—every single American—to ask what we can do to be better citizens”. - President Barack Obama

Southern Afghanistan is similar to the dangerous Anbar province in Iraq where American troops have fought bloody battles in cities like Fallujah and Ramadi. It is comprised of a massive, desolate desert dissected by a single river and surrounded by a strip of populated agricultural land.  Enemy forces are active throughout the country but the major stronghold is in Helmand which is home to the world’s largest opium-poppy growing region and borders Pakistan where the Taliban is reportedly supplying money and recruits.

In a speech given to Marines at Camp Lejeune, NC before they left for war in Afghanistan, President Obama said “Each American who has served in Iraq has their own story.  Each of you has your own story. And that story is now part of the history of the United States of America—a nation that exists only because free men and women have bled for it from the beaches of Normandy to the deserts of Anbar; from the mountains of Korea to the streets of Kandahar.  You teach us that the price of freedom is great.   Your sacrifice should challenge all of us—every single American—to ask what we can do to be better citizens”.

Take a moment to be proud to be an American, to reflect on our Commander in Chief’s words, and to honor our heroic troops who are spending their summer fighting for us—and each other—in the hottest, dirtiest, and most dangerous places in the world. 

Our enemy consists of adaptive and experienced fighters so the battles will not be easy.  But freedom will be won…and our troops—including Andrew and Nicholas—will eventually all come home.

Sincerely,

Steven, Lisa, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Ashlynne Xiarhos
Yarmouthport
Proud Marine Corps Family of 0351 Corporal Nicholas G. Xiarhos

P.S.    Our Troops love to hear from home. It helps them stay connected and know that we support them and know that they are in our thoughts.

Andrew and Nicholas’s Mailing Addresses in Afghanistan:

CPL Coville, Andrew
2D LAR BN DETA
Charlie Co, Wpns Plt
Unit 73526
FPO AE 09510-3526               

CPL Xiarhos, NG           
2/8 WPNS CO
Unit 73245
FPO AE 09510-3245