Posted on 11/19/2004 8:23:25 PM PST by Dubya
Gary Qualls had put the letter from Louis down and tried to busy himself.
It had been hard to read the letter from his son, and he couldn't reply, not right then.
There's a lot going on here, Louis wrote. The next month will be some of the most serious combat the war has yet to see. Well, I'm right in the middle of it. I think I'm truly scared.
Dad, I need your prayers and your advice more than ever.
It was Tuesday, and Gary Qualls had returned to his house in Temple after a long weekend of hunting with an old Army friend. The trip had been a temporary distraction from worrying about his 20-year-old son, a Marine lance corporal from a reserve unit in Grand Prairie.
But distractions were always temporary. Reminders of Louis were everywhere - on CNN, on the front porch where his 1979 Harley-Davidson was parked, in the photos of Louis wearing his Temple High football uniform.
I know you've always been there for me. I just can't wait to come home. I want you to know that whatever happens in the next weeks, I have always looked up to you and I always will.
I love you and look forward to seeing you soon.
Your son,
Louis.
Louis joined the Marines after graduating from Temple High in 2001. It was hardly a surprise. He was all-boy, learning to shoot a rifle at a tender age, competing in martial arts, riding his Harley with his dad.
In high school, he wore the Air Force blue uniform of the Junior ROTC, carried the flag in the JROTC color guard, played linebacker for the Wildcats, ran track and made good grades too.
"He had a good pair of hands and he was quick on his feet," his dad said. "He played defense very well."
He was a squared-away kid in high school, quiet and attentive, according to his JROTC instructor, retired Lt. Col. Sid Thurston.
Mostly, he wanted to be like his dad. Gary had served in the Army and the National Guard for years and raised two sons almost entirely by himself.
"He had the vision that he wanted to serve in the military," Thurston said. "He looked up to his dad as an influence in his life."
In July, Louis got orders to mobilize with 85 Marines from Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines. They said their goodbyes to family and friends on a hot morning outside the reserve center in Grand Prairie, then boarded buses.
"As soon as the mission came up, his hand came up," said Lt. Col. Roger Garay, the battalion's inspector. "His heart was in it."
Gary proudly told Louis' commander that day, "Sir, you give that boy half a chance and he'll give you everything he's got."
Those in Louis' unit were sent to Iraq to drive the heavy trucks for the infantry, but they did a lot more. In letters and e-mails, Louis told his father of house-to-house searches and how humbling they were.
"He told me, 'I thought I had a few problems when I left here,' " Gary said. "These people were so poor, they had dirt floors and a sheet hanging in the corner with a can for a toilet.
"He realized how lucky he truly was. He gained a lot more respect for life."
With less than three months of a seven-month tour behind him, Louis sent his dad an e-mail recently in which he said, cryptically, that he would be tied up for three or four weeks and wouldn't be in contact for a while.
"I knew where he was," his dad said. "Fallujah."
That was why the letter that came on Tuesday meant so much, a surprise card that Louis had picked up in a store on post, the kind with heartfelt words about sons and fathers.
About an hour after Gary read the letter inside the card came a knock on the door. Louis' younger brother, David, answered it. He came into the kitchen, where Gary had the refrigerator open.
"Dad, there's three Marines on our front porch and they want to talk to you," he said.
Gary knew why they were there. Fallujah.
"All I could do was stand at my door and say, 'No, not my baby.' "
There was a long silence as he remembered.
"Then I let them in."
Texans in Iraq
• Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Qualls, 20, of Temple died Tuesday as a result of enemy action in Fallujah, the Defense Department announced Thursday.
• Qualls was assigned to the Marine Corps Reserve's Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines, in Grand Prairie.
• Qualls was at least the 110th Texan to die in the war in Iraq. Chris Vaughn, (817) 390-7547 cvaughn@star-telegram.com
© 2004 Star-Telegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dfw.com
So very sad. Just breaks my heart when another hero is taken from us. My heartfelt prayers for his family. May God comfort them in their time of sorrow. RIP Louis, your country loves you and thanks you for your ultimate sacrifice to help keep us safe here at home. We will never forget you!
Dear Lord,
Please hold the hearts of this family in your ever loving arms in these trying days. Let them feel your mercy and welcome their son into your care and everlasting love and let them know that their son will be with you forever. We sing your praises and ask for them your peace. In your son's name we pray. Amen
(This hits close to home. I live in Killeen, about 20 miles from Temple and my son is a Navy Corpsman scheduled to go to Iraq sometime this spring. As I weep for their son, I feel guilty for praying for mine. Any Freeper ideas on how to help this family I would greatly appreciate your ideas)
God bless this Marine,Louis Qualls,and his family.
With a heavy heart, I will pray for this family.
Eternal Father.....
Semper Fi MARINE!
+memory eternal+
Prayers for this Marine and his family.
Prayers for the family.
Thanks
May God Bless this family.
Lance Cpl Qualls was laid to rest today. I went to the funeral but I stayed outside to pay my respects. There was a large turnout eventhough the rain was heavy. The Local ROTC paid there respects at the Local High School.
God Bless and God's peace to this fine young man's family and friends. He is loved and missed so terribly
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