One of the best ways to battle the US soldiers' boredom and the frustration is mail. Supply lines to are running well, so mail deliveries have become a regular part of the routine. Letters and packages from home can be the best therapy. "You are down all during the day doing details, doing what you got to do and then at the end of the day when you get mail call you just get a big smile on your face," said David Vaugn as he unloaded a package filled with snacks and an audiotape from his wife and daughter. The mail arrives as much as a month late and often battered and ripped from the arduous trip. But its condition, no matter how bad, makes little difference. Most of what family and friends send are items you would expect: food, books, cigarettes. Others are less obvious. Almost every box, for instance, includes baby wipes. Clearly not being used for their intended purpose, it turns out they are the best way to stay clean without the luxury of showers. Shouts of joy can be heard all around camp as soldiers pull out the light blue and pink bags. The same goes for packages of lip balm and foot powder, which are often more exciting than Tootsie Rolls and Cheetos. In the end however, just getting something is more important than what it is. "I was feeling a little down this morning," said Corporal Daniels after reading a letter from his girlfriend, "so now I am back up. I could go a couple more weeks." In a war, a quick connection with life at home can bring lasting benefits. (Agencies) | 郵件是驅散美軍士兵郁悶情緒和挫敗感最好的良藥。部隊的郵件遞送系統(tǒng)運作良好，因此戰(zhàn)士們總能定期收到自己的郵件。來自家中的信件和包裹是士兵們最好的心靈慰藉。 士兵戴維說："白天的時候都是做些雜七雜八的瑣碎活，心情糟透了。只有到了晚上，得知自己收到了郵件，臉上才會呈現(xiàn)出燦爛的笑容。"他邊說邊打開自己的包裹，里面裝著一堆零食和妻子女兒的一盤錄音磁帶。 這些郵件通常需要一個月才能送到，經(jīng)過一路的顛沛流離，它們早已經(jīng)"衣衫襤褸"。但對于它們的主人來說，這些都是不重要的。 家人和朋友寄到戰(zhàn)場上的東西大部分都很常見：食物、書籍、雪茄。不過還有一些你可能就想象不到了。比如說，幾乎每份包裹里都有嬰兒濕巾！顯然，大兵們并不是刻意要使用這些東西，但對戰(zhàn)場上的人們而言，洗澡太奢侈，用這個總算還能保持個人衛(wèi)生。當士兵們打開這些淺藍或粉紅的包裝時，駐地上空就會回蕩著陣陣歡呼聲。能受到同樣禮遇的還有潤唇膏和足粉，其受歡迎程度甚至超過了蛋卷和奇多脆。 說到底，能收到包裹的意義已經(jīng)超過了東西本身。下士丹尼爾在讀完女朋友的來信后說道："今天早上我覺得很郁悶，但現(xiàn)在又重新振作起來。我想這些東西能讓我再支撐好幾個星期了。" 身處戰(zhàn)場，任何能讓人重溫昔日家庭生活的東西，哪怕這種東西只能勾起一絲的回憶，都足以帶給人們揮之不去的幸福感。 （中國日報網(wǎng)站譯） |
Updated: 2003-04-07 01:00
