Scott Beebe, Winnacunnet High School class of 2000, is a lance corporal and a military intelligence analyst with the Marine Corps' 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. His unit was deployed on Dec. 1 to relieve the 15th MEU, currently in Afghanistan, and his ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, is currently in the Pacific Ocean headed for the Persian Gulf.

His communications, such as the following e-mail to his parents, Tom and Susan Beebe of Hampton, will appear occasionally in these pages.

Dec. 24, 2001

Dear Mom and Dad,

How are you? I was thinking just the other day that around this time last year I was on leave, at home with you guys, enjoying the warm fireplace and eating great home-cooked food. In contrast, this year I'm on ship in the middle of the ocean, going to who knows where, eating bad food, and living with a bunch of Marines. Oh well, this will just make every other Christmas that much better.

Everybody has up Christmas decorations all over ship now, and it's enough to make it at least a little festive here. At night, the lights are out in some passageways and the little white and colored Christmas lights give off a warm glow. A lot of schools have sent Christmas cards to some people here on ship, myself included. It's good to know that people realize what we're going through out here and they are making their children understand what's going on and why it has to be like this.

We get television on ship, and all they seem to show now is scenes of Christmas and families together doing what families do. I have some really good friends on ship, and we try to keep each other happy so that we stay sane, but there's still no replacement for family. When we are all together as a family, that's one of the best feelings in this world. It's like coming in out of the cold and wrapping up in a big warm blanket. Whether it's Christmas time or not, I just hope that other people realize how special it is to have a family and to be able to be with them.

Love You Guys,
Scott