The Young Terrorist

        There was a violent encounter between a group of terrorists and an army detachment in Mindanao. The terrorists succeeded in wiping out the group of soldiers whom they had ambushed. As the youngest of them was doing the search. He found an unamailed letter in the pocket of a young soldier. Curious to know the content of the letter, he opened it and hurriedly read it.

Dear Mother,
        Please forgive me for leaving you and my brothers and sisters. Don’t ever think that I am a bad son. I had to leave our family even it was against my will because I wanted to improve our family’s life situations. I just want to earn and help my brothers and sisters get an education. I know that what you earn as a vendor is too meager to support our family. That’s why I joined the army.

        As a soldier I have encountered many hardships. Death walks with me everyday. But I am not afraid, for I know that God will protect me. I do my job faithfully and well. That was what you taught me.

        Yesterday, I received my first salary and I’m sending you a postal money order for one thousand five hundred pesos. With the amount, you can buy a sack of rice, a few cans of sardines and pay the tuition fees of Lita and Caloy. I should have sent you twice this amount but I’m not sure if it won’t be lost the mail I’ll sned you the rest after you have answered this letter.

        How’s everybody? Is terry still no. 1 in her class? Does Dan give you anymore problems? Tell Baby she’ll have her dream doll when I come home. Tell the others that we’ll go shopping and eat out when I return. Just pe patient.
        Give my love and regards to them all, and of course to my dearest Cherry. Tell her I miss he. I’ll write her soon.

        Please take care of yourself, Ma. Don’t work too hard. And please don’t worry about me. I shall be home this Christmas. Perhaps.

The young terrorist was beside himself with grief for the first time in his life. Deeply touched by the soldier’s letter, he felt un upheaval, an internal turnoil. As he looks at the young lifeless soldier, he saw himself in him. He began to reexamine his own choice, his ideology, and his own life-style. This event, this tragic encounter arose deep stirrings within him. For the first time he was confronted with the “enemy”- the war. But now, it has put on a new face. The impersonal enemy became an enemy with a name, a person with the same aspirations as he. He remembered his own family, his mother trying to make both ends to meet to feed his little brothers and sisters.

        This encounter revealed to him a universal and a personal aspiration and cry for help. The cry kept ringing in his ears.

        At the break of dawn next day, he headed for twon with the letter in his pocket. As he dropped it into the mailbox, there was only one thought in his mind. Then, slowly he walked toward the camp of the 23^rd Army Detachment.

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 Reaction:

        The man in this story is a member of a terrorist group. They had a violent encounter with an army detachment in Mindanao. One of these soldiers whom they had ambushed touched his heart because of the unmarked letter in the pocket. The letter written by the ambushed soldier was full of love to his mother as well as to his brother and sisters. The hardships of life he experienced forced the soldier to enter the military but the eagerness of this soldier to help his loved ones improved their life became futile. It is because the soldier died before he can mail the letter with a money order inside which will help the family. The young terrorist was full of grief for the first time. He was deeply touched by the soldier’s letter. As he looks at the young lifeless soldier, he saw himself in him. He began to reexamine his own choice, his ideology and his own life-style. He remembered his own family, his mother who had sacrificed a lot to feed his little brother and sisters. As he mailed the letter of the young soldier he realized that his family needs him, slowly he walked toward the camp of the 23^rd army detachment.

        The story does not have a happy ending for the soldiers who sacrificed a lot to protect our native land.

        Some soldiers entered the military to earn a living, for those who cannot afford to continue their studies, they go to the military. It is because they believed that when they are in the military, they will help their family with that small amount, their salary. Some parents also are very proud of their son or daughter who are in the military. Once you entered, you can continue your studies at the same time, protecting the country.

        They said that, if you are a military your one foot is already on the grave. But some, it is a dream wearing a uniform and carrying respect to the young and old alike.

        For the terrorist, maybe when they were still young, it was already inculcated in their minds that the soldiers are their enemies. It is their environment, their enemies. It is in their environment, their parents or friends who convinced them to be a terrorist thinking that if they kill a soldier, it will make them powerful. Only little they know that the soldiers they killed are also like them, have families who are leaning and depending on them. These wrong doings of the terrorist must come to an end; Hope that peace and love will reign in their heart. If this happens, no more war, instead we will have peaceful and prosperous life.

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