Soldier's diary sends mother on mission of her own

Soldier's diary sends mother on mission of her own
By Luke Duecy
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BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The diary of a local corporal killed in Iraq sent his mother on a painful but inspiring journey.

The 37 pages helped the mother of Jonathan Santos walk through her son's final days and ultimately led her to an unexpected discovery.

"My brother went off to Vietnam," said Doris Santos, "but he came home. So (I thought) Jonathan would come home. I thought he'd come home."

But he never did. On Oct. 15, 2004, an improvised explosive device took his life. And just like those before him, he became another statistic, or so his mother thought.

In the days that followed, a large trunk arrived on Doris' doorstep. It contained all of her son's personal belongings. Inside were his beret, his lucky Shrek doll and several videotapes he'd shot in Iraq.

But something unexpected caught Doris' eye -- a little green book.

"I told my family, 'look at what I found. He kept a journal,'" she said.

There were 37 entries inside, one for each day Jonathan spent in Iraq. He wrote about his first days in the country and time spent couped up in the barracks.
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