Letter from Jim Rost's Sister

Rolly -

Your book arrived about an hour ago.  I immediately turned to the chapters about Jimmy.  It was very moving to read those chapters in the book, even though I had read them in draft mode last year.

Right now I am so emotional that I feel like I can hardly catch my breath.  And I remember that that was the way I felt for months after Jimmy was killed. I would start to wake up each morning, and at a certain point, when I was awake enough, I would feel like someone had punched me in the stomach and knocked all the air out of me. The power of your written words has made me feel like that again.

But the feeling is not completely the same; it is different now, too.  There is something about reading a book that talks about my brother Jimmy's life that is very powerful.  I know that those chapters about him are a permanent memorial that someone could read 50 or 100 years from now.  So Jimmy will never be forgotten; the story of his life will always be there.  That is a new and wonderful feeling to have about Jimmy.  Again, thank you for taking the time and effort and talent and love to write about him.

After I finished reading the two chapters about Jimmy, I went to Amazon and ordered copies of the hardcover version of the book for my 2 children and my two grandchildren. I will leave it to my daughter and son-in-law to decide when their children, now 9 and 6, are old enough to read the book. My grandchildren do know already that my brother, their great-uncle, was killed in Vietnam. They were at the Vietnam Memorial last year when I read a list of names ending with Jimmy's.

On a lighter note, I was uncharacteristically quiet on the day when I met with you, David and Mary 2 years ago.  At some point that day, I felt like I was talking too much and needed to be quiet and listen to everyone else.  I have tried, not too successfully, to do less talking and more listening since you wrote that about me.  Reading again about how my quietness reminded you of my brother has given me a new determination to be more like him in that way.

I will read the whole book, just not today.

Again, many, many thanks to you.

Joan