'Last Letters Home' -- Nov. 7, 2004

  -- A weekly feature on This Week.

This Week previews "Last Letters Home," an HBO documentary inspired by the final letters from U.S. soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq. They are poignant, full of pride and regret, but most of all, they are heartbreaking.

"Mom, I know this will be very late, but I hope that late is better than never. The happy idea of home and family keeps us all going. I look around me, the people I've spent the last 5 months with -- lived, slept, ate, fought with -- they don't know my whole story … about my loving family and wife, and I don't know their complete story either. Everyone knows, however, that each one of us has a story and a home and a mother. And for that reason, we share an unspoken kinship that carries us together through each day. I have fought the good fight. I have stayed the course. I have kept the faith. Love, Leonard."

"Hi, Mom and Hugh: Um, greetings from Iraq. I just wanted to write you a letter to let you know that I'm fine, and I'm thinking about you. I am definitely looking forward to being out of the military. It was good for what it did for me. I don't regret it, but it's time to go. I am proud to defend my country, but I don't want to be defending it constantly for the next 10 to 15 years. I am not an idealist who thinks I can change the world, but I can still be doing some sort of good. I miss you and love you very much."

"Dear Mom, Dad, Mark, Charity, and Timmy: As always, it's wonderful to hear from all of you. I just wanted to give a quick update on my life. The police station I work at is in the worst part of Baghdad. I work the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am. … It's very frightening. It's like being in the worst ghetto you could ever imagine. At night, in the dark, I hear gunfire all the time. It's so unnerving. Please pray for me. This is no cakewalk. I love you all so much. I'll try to write more again soon. Love, Michelle. P.S. -- I'm a specialist now. I got promoted."

"Last Letters Home" airs this Thursday on HBO.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien:

O'Brien: "When John Kerry called President Bush to concede the election, the call apparently lasted less than five minutes. The phone call would've been even shorter, but for the first three minutes, President Bush was talking into the wrong end."