Fallen Marine Sgt. William Stacey's last letter, "it was all worth it"

Fallen Marine Sgt. William Stacey's last letter, "it was all worth it" became famous. Today, the LA Times brought back his story but it is a story that has been told one way or another since this country was born out of the actions of others willing to lay down their lives for it and their friends.

They live for their families but they die for their friends. It is something that we never seem to fully acknowledge. This country sends them as a whole to fight on foreign lands. Some believe in the reason they go, some don't, but when the men and women they serve with are in danger, they are ready to lay down their own lives to save them.

If we say they did it for their country, that is only part of the story. The most magnificent part of the story is how deep their love is.

Christ said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) but Stacey wrote how he was not just willing to do that, but to lay down his life for total strangers so they could have a better life.

They serve no matter who is president at the time or which party controls congress. They serve in good economic times as well as bad. They serve in times of peace just as they serve in times of war. They are less than 1% of the population today and veterans are about 8% with disabled veterans the percentage is even lower yet this country keeps finding excuses to not do the right thing for them. A beautiful letter home from a Marine gets the nation's attention proving we do care. So how is it we never seem to prove it all the way?

William C. Stacey dies at 23; Marine sergeant from Seattle
'If my life buys the safety of a child who will one day change the world, then I know that it was all worth it,' Marine Sgt. Will Stacey wrote in a final letter to his family.

By Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times July 1, 2012

At Marine Sgt. William Stacey’s burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Albright, center, speaks with Stacey’s loved ones. From left, parents Robert and Robin Stacey, sister Anna Stacey and girlfriend Kimmy Kirkwood. (Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press / March 13, 2012)

Multi-star generals attended his Arlington National Cemetery funeral. His name adorns a fighter jet. His words echo in the halls of Congress.

Since Marine Sgt. William C. Stacey, age 23, was killed Jan. 31 on a remote hillside in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a letter he wrote to his family has gained much attention from politicians and the news media.

"It's quoted by liberals, conservatives and generals and people across the political spectrum. They use it in different ways. But I think Will would be proud of them all," said Robert Stacey, Will's father and interim dean at the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences.

The letter was intended only for Stacey's family. It was opened shortly after two Marines appeared outside the Staceys' Seattle home as Will's sister, Anna, was heading to school. Will's mother, Robin, was already teaching her UW history class. Robert Stacey said that before a word was spoken, the family knew why the Marines were there.

"My death did not change the world; it may be tough for you to justify its meaning at all," wrote Will Stacey, who left behind college baseball at Shasta College in Redding to join the Marines in 2006. Military personnel often leave behind a final letter for their families in case they are killed.

"But there is a greater meaning," Stacey continued. "Perhaps there is still injustice in the world. But there will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home country to come to his. And this child will learn in the new schools that have been built.... He will grow into a fine man who will pursue every opportunity his heart could desire."

"He will have the gift of freedom, which I have enjoyed for so long. If my life buys the safety of a child who will one day change the world, then I know that it was all worth it."
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