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| Volume XXV, Number 8 | June 11, 2004 |
Dear Seminole Tribe of Florida,
My platoon and I want to thank you for your support and your patriotism, especially in the hard times that this country is going through lately. Sometimes it’s difficult to put a face on a war that’s taking place halfway around the world, but I’m happy to have the opportunity to give you a little insight into the lives of a few of the soldiers here.
We arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan on March 24, and spent a week or so there, sleeping in communal tents, while we prepared to go to our smaller camp in the east. The compound in Kandahar is not at all what we expected when we pictured Afghanistan a few weeks ago. There are hundreds of military personnel there, a whole community, with a gym, a PX, a barbershop, and local Afghani vendors selling everything from DVDs to antique Russian weapons.
We were pleasantly surprised that we had access to computers and telephones and were able to call and email home to let our families know we had arrived safely. Of course, these things are in high demand, and the average wait to use them is about an hour. It was definitely worth it to be able to hear the happy voices of our wives, children and parents back home who didn’t expect to hear from us for at least a month.
Since we have been here, my platoon and I have been working closely with the local civilian contractors. We are maintaining the important relationships that help keep our camp running and in turn, put money into their economy and keep the tribal warlords in the area pacified.
It’s very interesting to see the differences in our cultures. I have talked extensively to a few of the Afghani interpreters here about their marriages, relationships, and customs and shared about our American culture. They seem to be just as fascinated by us as we are by them. I hope to learn a lot more while I’m here and I think our exchanges with the Afghanis will help open minds about accepting and appreciating peoples’ differences, on both sides of the fence.
I will write again soon when we are settled in our camp. Thank you again for your support. It helps to know there are folks on the home-front that, regardless of whether or not they support the war, who do support the soldiers.
Sincerely,
Sgt. Juan D. Maya
ACO. 2/27th, TF 2/27, 3 BCT
APO AE 09355-9998
All members of the AF platoon: Oswaldo Alvarez, Joseph Box, Marcus Gersten, Michael Long, Juan Maya, and Nathan Unger.
Dear Editor,
Do you offer credit line for players? If so, can you email or fax an
application to me?
Nick Guarino
nguarino@comcast.net
Dear Mr. Guarino,
Sorry, but no credit is offered at Seminole casinos.
Edward Jenkins
Director of Gaming/Compliance and Regulations
Virginia,
I just want to congratulate you and your staff for an excellent work
you did on the Commerative Issue of The Seminole Tribune.
I have had the opportunity to share it with friends, especially educators
in our local communities of Okeechobee and Moore Haven, and they all
gave me raving comments about the book, without my asking or even thinking
about it.
We gave it out at Brighton during the Pull Out School Open House. I haven’t
had a chance to read over all of it myself but these people sounds like
they have and I’m sure they will use it as an educational resource
book.
Sincerely,
Louise Gopher
Dear Seminole Tribune,
We would like to extend our thanks to everyone that has helped in our
time of need, including the Big Cypress board and council representatives
and the chairman’s office. We especially would like to thank
The Seminole Tribune for posting the full page stories and pictures
of Henry John Billie for everyone to enjoy.
Here are a few other things that people may not know of Henry John; when
the new Hollywood reservation first opened up, there wasn’t any
kind of law enforcement, but Henry became an Broward sheriff deputy while
being the manager for the Seminole Okalee Indian Village
In the early-1960s, vandals focused on the village’s wildlife and
began destroying property and Henry John took to patrolling the grounds
at night, with a panther on a leash.
Again, thank you for the memories on film.
Sincerely,
The family of Henry John Billie
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