这些家信有的是用铅笔写的,有的是用钢笔写的,还有的用电子邮件发送到远方的。虽然书写的方式不同,但士兵们在信中的诉说都在人们的意料之中:渴望家乡的佳肴;抱怨(伊拉克的)天气;想念家里的孩子。然而,顷刻之间,随着一声枪响或一次爆炸,这些家信被彻底地改变。它们不再是对每日生活的诉说——它们成了突然逝去的亲人留下的纪念物。这最后的家书成了丈夫、妻子、父亲或母亲在那些孤寂黑夜里的全部寄托;这最后的家书可能是孩子对妈妈或爸爸仅有的记忆。这些家书向我们展示了伊拉克战争中富有人性的一面。人们总面临冒险:一场冲突会变成一个血腥事件,会导致一串(死亡人员)统计数据。美国陆军一等兵杰西·奇文斯对此早有认识,他写道:“当你们将士兵派上战场时,我提醒你们知道他们不只是一些人员数字。”杰西的遗孀梅利莎·奇文斯与《生活》杂志分享这些信时已完全理解了这句话的含义。梅利莎和这里记录的其他士兵的亲属想让你了解这些士兵。他们想让你知晓他们的绰号或小名,了解他们的兴趣与爱好,理解他们对国家的忠诚与奉献。他们想要你和他们一样地了解这些战士。杰西·奇文斯美国陆军一等兵2003年5月1日,奇文斯驾驶着70吨重的坦克行进时,河堤突然坍塌,他落入幼发拉底河溺水身亡。奇文斯曾给他的妻子梅利莎、5岁的儿子达科塔和另一个尚未出生的孩子写过一封动人的长信。(这个男孩现已在家中妈妈身边的摇篮里,将取名卡森。)奇文斯曾请梅利莎不要打开信封,除非他阵亡了。“请在我不能生还时再读这封信”,他写道。“请把信收好,希望你永远都不必读这封信。”杰西·奇文斯时年34岁。下面是他原信的节选。(此文中的信已经缩短,但拼写及标点仍保留原样。)Some are written in pencil,some in pen,others typed and sent across the miles by e-mail.In so many ways,what soldiers say in their letters isn’t surprising:the longing for home cooking,complaints about the weather,the deep feeling of missing a son or daughter.And then,in a moment,with a gunshot or an explosion,the letters can be transformed.They are no longer recitations of the day’s events-they become remembrances of a relationship suddenly ended.For a husband,wife,or parent,the last letter is what they cling to on the loneliest nights.For a child,it might be the only memory of Mom or Dad.For us,the letters give the war in Iraq a human face.There is always a risk that a conflict can become a bloodless thing,a list of statistics.Private First Class Jesse Givens realized this when he wrote“I ask that when you send soldiers into battle that they are not just numbers.”And Melissa Givens,Jesse’s widow,understood this when she shared her letters with LIFE.She and the others pictured here want you to know these soldiers.They want you to know them by their nicknames.They want you to know them by their hobbies and passions.They want you to know of their commitment to their country.They want you to know them as they knew them. Some of these letters are written in pencil, some in pens, and others in emails. Although the way of writing is different, the soldiers’ statements in the letter are all expected by people: longing for food in their hometown; complaining about (Iraq’s) weather; missing children at home. However, in the instant, with a gunshot or explosion, these letters were completely changed. They are no longer statements of daily life - they are the memorials left by the sudden death of their loved ones. This last letter became the full sustenance of the husband, wife, father, or mother in those lonely nights; this last letter may be the child’s only memory of the mother or father. These books show us the human side of the Iraq war. People are always at risk: a conflict can become a bloody event that can lead to a string of (death) statistics. U.S. Army First Class Jesse Kevins had known this for a long time. He wrote: “When you send the soldiers to the battlefield, I remind you that they are not just some numbers.” Jesse’s widow Melissa When Chives and “Life” magazine shared these letters, they fully understood the meaning of the sentence. Melissa and the relatives of the other soldiers recorded here want you to understand these soldiers. They want you to know their nicknames or names, understand their interests and hobbies, and understand their loyalty and dedication to the country. They want you to understand these fighters just as they do. Jesse Kevins United States Army First Officer On May 1, 2003, when Chivins drove a 70-ton tank, the river bank suddenly collapsed and he fell into the Euphrates river and drowned. Chivens once wrote a touching long letter to his wife Melissa, five-year-old son Dakota and another unborn child. (The boy is now named Carson in the cradle next to his mother in his home.) Kevin had asked Melissa not to open the envelope unless he was killed. “Please read this letter when I cannot survive,” he wrote. “Please take the letter and hope that you will never have to read this letter.” Jesse Gevins was 34 years old. The following is an excerpt from his original letter. (The letter in this article has been shortened, but spelling and punctuation remain as they are.) Some are written in pencil, some in pen, others typed and sent across the miles by e-mail.In so many ways, what the soldier say in their letters Isn’t surprising: the longing for home cooking, complaints about the weather, the deep feeling of missing a son or daughter.And then,in a moment, with a gunshot or an explosion, the letters can be.They are no longer Recitations of the day’s events-they become remembrances of a relationship suddenly ended.For a husband,wife,or parent,the last letter is what they cling to on the loneliest nights.For a child,it might be the only memory of Mom or Dad.For us,the letters give the war in Iraq a human face.There is always a risk that a conflict can be a bloodless thing,a list of statistics.Private First Class Jesse Givens realized this when he wrote“I ask that When you send soldiers into battle that they are not just numbers.”And Melissa Givens,Jesse’s widow,understood this when She shared her letters with LIFE.She and the others pictured here want you to know these soldiers.They want you to know them by their nicknames.They want you to know them by their hobbies and passions.They want you to know of their commitment To their country.They want you to know them as they knew them.