Winning One for the Troops!

Editorial by Dave Clarke, Kewanee Star Courier

13-year-old Karlene Hergert, of Galva, dedicated her performance in
the Galva Freedom Fest Talent Show, Sunday afternoon in Wiley Park,
"to Tommy Wallenfeldt and all the rest of the guys in Iraq," before
winning the trophy for Best Overall with her signing (interpretation
with hands) of the moving "Letters from War," recently released by
Christian singer/songwriter Mark Schultz. By the time she was done
there were literally people crying in the audience.
Way to go, Karleen!!

Here are the lyrics:

Letters From War
by Mark Schultz

She ran to the mailbox
On that bright summer day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away

He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had
Thats why I'm here today
And at the end he said
You are what I'm fighting for
It was the first of the letters from war

She started writing
You're good and you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday
Bring him home
Bring him safe

She wrote everynight as she prayed

Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read

It said "I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding
And that's when I saw him
He came back to me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son

He asked me to write to you
I told him I would oh I swore

It was the last of the letters from war

And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing and wrote every night just to say

Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand

He said, "Mom I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again."
He ran in to hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war

Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home