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letter, and see more information, click link below each letter. To my three daughters, What a change 17 months can make! Alexis, by the time I waved good-bye to you, I was so busy being proud that I guess I never really appreciated just how much this would change our lives. Somehow, it seemed so unnatural to be dealing with powers of attorney and wills for teen-agers. 
Seaman Apprentice Jason Knight, assigned to the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, based in Washington, D.C., was a member of the military honors detail for the funerals of some of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Knight, who has been in the Navy less than a year, is the son of Theresa Lee Borsello, a nurse in Marcus Hook, Pa. Dear Mom, Let me first tell you how much I miss you. We’re in this war and it scares me. It hit me incredibly hard when we buried those who died in the Pentagon. I actually started to cry, even though I wasn’t supposed to. We’re supposed to stand tight for the duration of the ceremony. But seeing the families, seeing them cry uncontrollably, just kills me. One funeral we did was for a former Ceremonial Guardsman. I felt the pain of that family.
 Nicky Ronda and her husband, Aviation Electronics Technician (AW) Alexander Ronda, have been married four years and have three children. Nicky operates a preschool out of the couple’s home in Virginia Beach, Va., and is pursuing a degree in psychology. Alexander, assigned to the flightline on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, has been in the Navy for three years and recently re-enlisted.To my husband and the love of my life, Alexander: Although we are not together now, I know it won’t be forever. I am so proud of you and your dedication to the service and our country. I am proud to be your wife. Every moment of every day, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Honey, there are so many times when I wish you were here. I get this overwhelming sense of emptiness, but then I focus on why you and all the other service members are out there, and I think of all the people whose lives will forever be affected by our country’s tragedy. Then I realize how lucky and how fortunate I am to be married to such a wonderful man.
 Tonya Kennedy and Gunner’s Mate 1st Class (SW) John Carter met online and had been dating only a few months when John got deployment orders to the Arabian Sea aboard the guided missile destroyer Russell. Tonya, who lives in Chehalis, Wash., works for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Honey, It is very important for me to express to you how much you really mean to me. I wish I could do this in person while gazing into your eyes. But since we are physically separated by endless miles, I must express it in letter form.
 Sara Gain met Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Glenn A. Gain in 1996 when Glenn was stationed at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif. Eight weeks later, they eloped to Las Vegas and got married. The couple transferred to Virginia Beach, Va., three years ago, where Sara is a full-time college student and Glenn is assigned to VFA-131, an F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadron. Glenn has been in the Navy six years and plans to re-enlist. The couple has one child, a 2-year-old daughter named Keita.My Dearest Love, As you are gone, try not to be sad. Your presence to your family and friends is missing, but your being at sea gives comfort to a great many. An Irish blessing goes, “ May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.” I will wish this for you, as you are always in my prayers and never too far from my thoughts.
 Connie Ashman, a certified medical assistant in Kirkwood, N.Y., has four children. Her son, Fireman Edward Ashman, has been in the Navy for a little less than two years. The “baby” of her family is now assigned to the amphibious assault ship Bataan.Dear Ed, I know you don’t need to be told, but it bears repeating that you are in my thoughts and prayers daily. I think about your phone call to me on 9/11 and how proud I am of you and the man you’ve become since joining the Navy. Having you gone for your birthday was a little hard, but it was celebrated where I work.
 Andrea May, an eighth-grade math teacher in Savannah, Ga., met her fiancee, Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class (AW) Kevin Gutshall, online a year and a half ago. The couple got engaged about seven months later. Kevin, whose father had a long Navy career, was born in Key West, Fla., and has been a sailor for 13 years. He deployed in September with VFA-86 aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.Kevin, When we became engaged in February 2001, I knew that you would be deployed in September of the same year. I was ready for the separation. but it took on a whole new meaning with the events of Sept. 11. I am so proud of your job and what you do to defend our country. I know it is hard for you out there, but you are such a strong person. I know you are giving 110 percent of your effort to the job at hand.
 Valerie and Navy Fireman Jason Rhoads were friends for years before they became romantically involved and got married 18 months ago. Jason enlisted almost exactly three years ago and is now deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. The couple has a 7-month-old baby, Deakon.Hey Baby, I just want to let you and the world know how proud I am of you and of how you and other service members are working day and night, far away from your families and friends, to protect and ensure the freedom and ability to live without fear for all Americans. Our pain and suffering will, in the long run, bring joy and peace to us all.
 John Kruse is a former Army officer whose nephew, Hospitalman Chris Reider, is aboard the amphibious assault ship Pelelieu with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. John’s wife, Michelle, is sister to Chris’s father, Greg Reider, a former Marine gunnery sergeant and Vietnam veteran. Chris, who has been in the Navy about a year and a half, is headed home to San Diego with the 15th MEU after duty in Afghanistan.Dear Chris, I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you and how much I appreciate your service to our country in this time of trouble. Be careful out there, as careful as you can be. Take care of those Marines you are entrusted to protect.
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Laurie Pocsi, a single mom and certified public accountant in Wayne, N.J., has three daughters in uniform. Nuclear Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Adrian Pocsi Hill, 24, is assigned to the carrier Enterprise. Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Alexis Pocsi, 23, just left Naples, Italy, for a new assignment on the amphibious assault ship Saipan. Marine Sgt. Lauren Pocsi, 21, passed up a college scholarship to join the Corps and plays bassoon with the 3rd Marine Air Wing Band at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. Laurie also has a son, 19-year-old Richard, who gets “a fair amount of kidding” from his sisters for being the only sibling not in uniform.
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