35 Responses to:
MEET YOUR NEW PEN PAL

# 1. 3/13/12 6:29 AM by Tom Dey - Springwater, NY
Just 7 month since the enemy took his lower body. Sure puts into perspective my broken leg 15 months ago. His physical (and mental) therapy is grueling and takes support and a special personality; he clearly has both. I'll write a brief letter of thanks for his service and that I appreciate his sacrifice. That done, I feel a peculiar guilt over my transition to convinced we should leave politicians' wars unwaged. We should pound the snot out of any enemy that attacks or threatens us - or choose to not engage. We've been half-way; wars must be declared, all or nothing.

# 2. 3/13/12 7:57 AM by Durwood - Canandaigua
You make it sound like he is the only wounded warrior deserving our thanks and letters.

# 3. 3/13/12 8:06 AM
And the occupy Rochester bums think they are patriots.

# 4. 3/13/12 8:12 AM by Leslie - Rochester, NY
I will send a letter today. This is the first I've heard of him and his family. He is MY war hero. Thanks Bob.

PS And hell yeah, let's do a big welcome home party!

# 5. 3/13/12 8:25 AM by Tom - Rochester
Too Bad this has to happen. Looks like we will not be pulling out troops until after the election. Obama is more interested in looking good at the expense of the brave American military. With 100,000 troops, civilian conntacts, logistics, munitions manufacturing etc the unemployment numbers would go up; some have that total at aalmost 1/2 million.

# 6. 3/13/12 8:26 AM by Debbie - Silver Springs, Fl
How sad. My heart aches for this young man and his family. Thank you Matthew Leyva for your service. I pray for you and your family. Bob, I want people to know that many of these men and women come home and also suffer from PTSD. The media focuses on those coming home either killed or with physical injuries. We do not hear about what they go through mentally. I think many do not want to know. They see that they come home and then the story ends there.

# 7. 3/13/12 8:27 AM
Thanks Bob, and may God Bless this young man.

# 8. 3/13/12 8:28 AM
And after you send your well wishes to this hero write to your federal representatives and tell them that you wish to join a group that would see the arrest of any federal politician for child abuse for sending children to fight our wars.

The only reason these wars are so easy to start is because our leaders have an abundant supply of children who never should be sent to any war that doesn't DIRECTLY threaten our country.

These BS wars that politicians entangle us in should be off limits to any American under the age of 25. It has to be that age because no man over 30 would buy the line of crap the politicians use to justify the war.

Stop the child abuse of stupid wars!

# 9. 3/13/12 8:57 AM by Mike Paparone - Rochester, NY
Hi Mr. Lonsberry,

I was just wondering if there is a way to send a video message via smartphone? Thank you for your service on the radio.

Michael Paparone

# 10. 3/13/12 9:25 AM by Mark - ER
The tragedies of this "war" they don't want us to hear about. We don't want to fight it like a real war, so let's stop wasting good lives and get out!

# 11. 3/13/12 9:33 AM by kittynana - Lewiston NY
Someone who deserves to have children and now can't. Breaks my heart and makes me resent even more those who go around dropping their seed wherever and into whomeever they can and expect us to pay for it.

# 12. 3/13/12 9:45 AM by DD
My card will go out today. Thanks for providing this information. I hadn't heard about the young man until I read your column.

You made every reader's ailment seem small today.

And lastly, #2 is a donkey's ass.

# 13. 3/13/12 10:15 AM by roy b. - swain,ny
you mentioned on your radio show regarding raised beds for your "country land". That is well and good but they do tend to dry out very fast during dry spells. You will have to water quite often. I live up on the hill near your "country land" and I had the same problem with wetness due to the soil which is mostly clay. I have a big garden and so what i did was dig ditches around the perimeter of my garden to draw away any ground water. It works very well. You throw the dirt from the ditch back onto the garden space. Thus building that up at the same time. I have had a garden here now for over 10 years and no problem with water. Hope this helps. Of course, you are at the bottom of the hill too.

Editor's Note: thank you, sir. how deep did you make the trenches, and did you dig them with a shovel or with what?

# 14. 3/13/12 10:24 AM by Porter Rockwell - Lake Bonneville
I wish someone could tell me, definitively, just what the hell we're still doing in Afghanistan. Either we blow the enemy to hell in all directions, or we wipe that dog turd of a country off our boots and take our heroes and our money and leave them all to rot in the cesspool they've created and apparently have no intention of ever cleaning up.

What possible good is being done over there? The world is too PC for war nowadays. Good is no longer able to triumph.

# 15. 3/13/12 10:28 AM by Billy-Bob
You come across as very bitter re: the congressional nominating process. You are left out as a potential nominee as well as playing a roll in the nominating process. That is your real issue. But you don't seem to grasp that you have to be able to raise lots of money just to run and even more than lots if you expect to win. The parties want to win not just run. Sorry but that leaves you out in the cold..

Editor's Note: corwin and scozzafava

# 16. 3/13/12 10:29 AM by William
# 3. 3/13/12 8:06 AM And the occupy Rochester bums think they are patriots.

Patriotism is defined in many ways. Throwing the tea into Boston harbor wasn't patriotic when we were under British rule, but now right leaning religious zealots define themselves by that one act.

# 17. 3/13/12 10:37 AM by drawlr - slc, ut
Tragically, without disparaging the soldier's love of country, this is what it means to be duped by government propaganda.

The following quote is from a man who knew whereof he spoke: “Naturally the common people don't want war; ... That is understood. ... [T]he people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” - Hermann Goering

# 18. 3/13/12 10:48 AM
The occupiers are against Crony capitalism. Why are you morons for it. You should thank them as they believe in democracy. Do You?

# 19. 3/13/12 11:41 AM
Yes indeed bobby boy...latch on to somehting that can make you look good. A lot of us are going to write to your sponsors in the Cuse to get you off the radio. As you can read on Syracuse.com, everyone has you pegged as a liar, biggot, homophobe and yes jerk.

# 20. 3/13/12 11:56 AM by donna - rochester, ny
Bob, It was my privilege to write a letter to this hero. Thanks for telling his story.

# 21. 3/13/12 12:34 PM by Dave - Henrietta
Bob, you've been discussing the ethics of taking the appliance rebate recently. Now I'm questioning my own ethics. I've always taken the tax credits for owning my own home. Also, years ago I accepted a regents scholarship after doing well on the test. I didn't do anything to earn any of this. Are these on the same ethical level?

# 22. 3/13/12 12:40 PM by Marty - Tax-me-very-much, NY
Time to walk away, and do not leave anything behind. Not even a McDonalds wrapper. And the last one out turn off the lights. No more anything for them. $$$ shut off right NOW. I heard a report that B.H. Obama would not leave until the Taliban was crushed. Well this is not the way to do that. We have tried killing them with kindness. that did not work. So time to kill them with something else.

Now we have to think about one or more of our guys getting beheaded by these cavemen.

"ALL IN or ALL OUT"

# 23. 3/13/12 1:00 PM by nobody special - Greece, NY
Has anyone thought to alert the Post Office regarding the stacks of mail this guy will receive? And may I suggest, his family has also lost greatly, namely the future they had planned. A note just for them will go a long, long way.

# 24. 3/13/12 1:09 PM by roy b. - swain, ny
bob, you asked how deep did I dig the ditch around the perimeter of my garden. 12-15 inches is adequate. Any deeper and you run into clay. The runoff goes into my pond. I also must say that amending the soil helps too. I use anything that I find in the woods. Leaves, rotting wood, wood chips, etc. Any material that is organic. When I first started tilling the soil, I had nary a worm! Now, I have lots! And you know what worms leave behind don't you? Nitrogen!

# 25. 3/13/12 1:38 PM
May God bless Matthew and his family, and may my letter join ythousands more.

Makes the geographical name "Lake Afghanistan" sound all the more appealing.

# 26. 3/13/12 2:07 PM by Diane - Utah
Years ago our school through Adopt a Soldier, sent care packages and letters to these men serving across the oceans. You would not believe how great the response was from these letters Kindergarteners wrote and the rest of the school. We gave parents the option to support the soldiers, but couldn't do it through the PTA as they are "against war" etc. etc. etc....The men and women in uniform loved the simple things that were sent and parents said it was so good for their families to do a small simple act of kindness such as this. I will write today!

# 27. 3/13/12 3:27 PM
#14 is right on the money. We need to get out and get out now.

# 28. 3/13/12 5:47 PM by Some Guy
I'm going to do my patriotic duty to support the troops by voting for the candidate that will get them out of these absurd, undeclared wars. There's a reason Ron Paul has more military donations than all other candidates COMBINED.

# 29. 3/13/12 7:04 PM by Sandy - Rochester, NY
I had a friend in high school that went to Vietnam. While walking accosts a rice patty they came under fire. My friend ran for cover behind a tree. In doing so he stepped on a claymore mine. He lost both legs and his intestines are in a plastic bag. So I know something of suffering this young soldier is enduring.

# 30. 3/13/12 8:31 PM by SUE - rochester ny
Bob, This column touched me like no other that you have written. How lucky and blessed we are to live our lives here, and how dare we complain about anything.Look at the photos of this young man online... I am shocked at the lack of response from your readers.Only 16 comments??? If this were about the spoiled Kodak retirees losing their dental benefits...you know you would havemany times more responses... God Bless Matt and his family.

# 31. 3/13/12 10:06 PM by Laura - Hamlin NY
I just wrote a letter which is going out in tomorrows mail. I am shocked at the number of people who said "No"

# 32. 3/14/12 6:28 AM by Poplar Beach
Bob, your WSYR interview with Matt yesterday; I don't believe anyone could have handled it as well as you did.

Editor's Note: it was an honor to speak to this young man. i'd like to meet the people who raised him, and the girl who is standing by his side. the lot of them are gold to the core.

# 33. 3/17/12 10:10 PM by Stacy - Bridgeport NY
Matt is my son in law....I want to thank you for this. Matthew and Raelynn are amazing young people and I couldn't be more proud of either of them if tried. When you see him in the media you are seeing the real him...his determination is very real. He's not the only soldier that's endured what he has..unfortunately it's more common than most of us know but his drive is exceptional and is what makes him my personal miracle and hero every day along side my daughter who is absolutely my inspiration. So thank you again for your comments....they deserve a heroes welcome.

# 34. 3/17/12 10:28 PM by Stacy - Bridgeport NY
This is in response to the #2 comment about Matt not being the only wounded warrior...you're absolutely right. He's not by a longshot but any awareness of what our service members are enduring is a good thing. Our family experienced the horror of this first hand and trust when I tell you that my heart goes out to ALL of our American heroes and they ALL deserve our thanks and recognition but make no mistake about it he is truly special not because he was wounded but because he's still him and is determined to move on. That's what makes him amazing.

# 35. 7/3/12 6:33 PM by Rene Sochia - Cicero, NY
Hello Everyone...I am Matthew's mom, Rene`. I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful cards and letter's that have been sent to my son and daughter in law over these past months. I was with them in San Antonio when the letters started coming in. Matthew was so surprised by how many people cared. You all amaze me, and thank you from the bottom from my heart. As for the comment about Matthew being the "only wounded soldier". You are correct, he's not the only wounded warrior...he's one of many. Many that I watched day after day at the Center For The Intrepid. I am so proud of all of the men and women that have fought for our country and our freedom..they lost a part of themselves, but they have not lost their fighting spirit. My sons story is one of many and I am grateful to Mr. Lonsberry for taking the time to write my sons story.

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