The American Spectator

p> IN HIS OWN WORDS br> I would like to express my deep gratitude for the Special Report ” A Pat Tillman for Wall Street ” written by Paul Beston on November 29, 2004. I am the father of Dimitri and both I and his mother are learning new things about our son, from letters he has written, from his friends in New York, and now from his friends in the Marines. One letter that he sent on November 2, 2004, to a Michigan GOYA (Greek youth organization) in thanking them for packages sent to him and his unit, was just sent to us. I am attaching a portion of it, typed from his handwritten letter, which further supports the article that Paul wrote for him. /p>

In the midst of our deepest grief, we are appreciative of the honor your paper bestowed on him. The legacy of my son and so many other fine young people, who really show us what heroism is, needs to shine as a bright beacon for all of us who take things for granted.

p>Thank you immensely for your contribution to him. br> — Chris Gavriel /p>

…..I moved to a small apartment next to Central Park in New York City and began the long hours of the “grind” of Wall Street. I remember those years as some of the best of my life, surrounded by close friends and good times. So how, after all this, did a guy like me end up in Iraq? The answer is pretty simple when I look to the young Marines at my right and left. I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to do something, no, give something, to deserve all the good things we, as Americans, enjoy and sometimes take for granted as we move through the years of the good lives we lead under the safety and freedom of our flag. Everyone lost something on that terrible day of 9/11. I lost my close friends, brothers you might say. Guys I grew up with, team mates, pals, mentors, and confidants. I watched the towers fall, helpless, from a block away in the streets of New York and made a promise before God that I would do all I could to keep something like this from happening again. I left a job I loved, said goodbye to a circle of close friends and joined the Marines, the perfect place for a guy who wants a front row seat to the sweeping changes the world is currently experiencing. No man can know just exactly how much his effort has changed the world out here, but together we have chased much evil away from power and have shown those who, for one reason or another, hate our way of life, that we are a nation of people who refuse to live under the threat of terror. We are out here for the things we miss most, green grass, football games, flowers, and the fresh cool breeze of home. Most importantly, we are out here for you, the people who make our land so special.…

p> em>Semper Fidelis br>