2004-10-25

The following email was waiting for me when I arrived at work today. This man was a good friend. He and I would sit and talk for hours about Iraq, religion and his family. Sometimes I want so much to return and make a difference there.

Ethan,

My name is Capt Jonathan Kehr. I am the Marine Contracting OIC at Blue Diamond Ramadi. I have been here for three weeks and have gotten to know Doc Addy as our interpreter and as a friend. Regrettably, we learned this morning that Doc was shot and killed last night outside his home in Baghdad

He was a great man and I am sure he will be taken care of by those above. I am LDS as well and would like to share a short story with you. I had an Arabic Book of Mormon and prayed one morning to know who to give it to. I felt inspired to give the book to Doc. This was odd to me because my stake President told me that the Church asks that we not proselyte to the Muslims. That very morning at work he had in his hands the Book of Mormon you gave him.

This opened a short dialogue which led to another day my giving him an extremely short timeline of the prophets and Jesus and how Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon fits in. He showed me your book and told me what a good friend you were to him. I feel sad as he is my first Iraqi friend, and to lose him to this war is a waste. But I believe in the resurrection and the atonement and know we will see him again.

hope to meet you someday and would like to laugh together at how he does the "Godfather" impersonation. I will try to send the book with his personal effects to his family. I pray for your peace of mind and spirit. May the Lord bless you as you continue your service to others.

Humbly your brother in the gospel,
Jonathan Kehr