By chance, Boy Scout meets guardsman he sent packages in Iraq

[Barrett808]

HYANNIS, Mass.— A chance encounter on Sunday brought together a soldier who served in Iraq and the 12-year-old Boy Scout who sent him packages and letters from Cape Cod.

Dylan DeSilva of Brewster was at Hyannis Marina on Sunday raising money for his non-profit charity, Cape Cod Cares for our Troops, which sends items like chocolate, magazines and toiletries to soldiers in Iraq. He has sent 150 of the packages since November,

At the same time, 33-year-old National Guard Tech Sgt. Dennis Barrett of Hyannis, who has been home from Iraq for two months, was eating at a restaurant at the marina.

Barrett had received packages and letters from DeSilva while stationed at Camp Anaconda, 42 miles north of Baghdad.

Neither knew what the other looked like when DeSilva walked into the eatery in search of a hot dog. Someone told him a soldier was there, pointing out Barrett. They spoke briefly, but didn't exchange names.

It wasn't until later, when DeSilva asked Barrett to sign a T-shirt another soldier had sent him from Iraq, that the boy's mother recognized Barrett's signature.

(more)

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050502/APN/505020535

[Newsjock]

1. "Chance encounter" my hiney

No, I have no evidence, but I am confident that even the slightest bit of investigation into this non-story would reveal that it was all arranged.

[RamboLiberal]

5. I'm sorry some here at DU are so cynical

It's a small world sometimes - I've certainly have had chance encounters and meetings like this. Most of us have.

This is just a little story in a hometown paper.

And isn't it amazing - I bet most people in U.S. now know someone serving in Iraq.

[Selteri]

2. May be a concidence... but that really is a bit of a push. N/T

[dArKeR]

3. I met an Oregon National Guard yesterday too and...

it wasn't anything like I thought it would be. Now, more than ever, I'm convinced:
1, the Media Whores and aWol Adm. are cherry picking their point of view
2. they are intimidating, punishing, threatening... our soldiers and guard into speaking what only they want to hear and into not speaking publicly.

This guy was so cool and so knowledgeable. He's been to 23 countries. He loves every country and people he's been assigned to. He thinks American people are not knowledgable. He said if more Americans traveled to other countries America wouldn't be in the situation we're in now. As he studied history, he says America is going down the tubes for what is going on in Iraq but he said it's ineviable and sited the history of the Roman Empire. He's a car salesperson and also rattle all these facts about vehicles poor gas mileage...

I didn't ask him if he was threatened into expressing 'official' lines when in the guard. It's my own conclusion because I get 80% this type of response from guard/military I know and meet.

[Name removed]

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