Because at the end of the day, we are all family…
by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker
Got an email the other day that I thought was worth sharing with you guys. We have a lot of great commenters on SLAMonline. And I know there are some inter-commenter beefs and some people who don’t like other people, or whatever. But I look at SLAMonline as a family — maybe a dysfunctional family, but a family. Not everyone gets along, but at the end of the day we’re still a family.
Anyway, I got an email the other day from our longtime commenter who goes by the handle “James the Balla.” I’ve seen him post hundreds of times on SLAMonline, probably even interacted with him from time to time, but I had no understanding of him as a person until I got this email. I asked him if I could run it here on The Links and he said he was cool with it. To me, this email was a great reminder that even though we might not even really know each other, we’re all real people with real lives and things we have to face…
Hey Lang,
“James the Balla” here. I have been very busy and not on the site much recently, the main reason being I am about to deploy to Afghanistan. I am actually writing this letter inside of a tent, LOL. But to get to my main point, I wanted to shoot an e-mail off for a couple reasons. The first being that since I won’t be able to watch many games, if any at all, my Lakers will be without my fan support. And if I do get any games, they will all be in French (I am going with a French Battle Group and Brigade). And there is something like an 18-hour time difference between Ontario and Afghanistan. So the only place to catch up on everything will be your site, which I look forward to.
Second, the site is awesome, even in the long, boring months of summer. I have been reading for a long time now and have almost every SLAM, from number one to the most recent. So that is where this e-mail became something I wanted to write.
Two months back I found myself writing letters to people (family and friends) who are close to me so that if something ever happened to me they would know how I truly felt about them and could share some memories. I haven’t gotten that far with them; I will finish them when I get back from my last bit of training here in Alberta.
But something that has been a big part of me since I was roughly 13 or 14 years old has been SLAM. It’s when I started ballin’, started hanging with my friends who are now my brothers, and it’s when I started reading every article in SLAM instead of just looking at pictures. So one thing I am writing out in my journal that my Mother will get if the worst happens to me over there (it won’t, but sh*t happens), is the small section I am writing about SLAM. In the event of my untimely demise (I have always wanted to say that lol … and I think that is how you say it? lol) I figured that I enjoyed my SLAM’s so much that it would be cool to hand them back to SLAM and let someone like Moose or someone who doesn’t have a lot of SLAM’s get the chance at having them. Win them in a contest or whatnot. They would only be going to waste in one of my family members basements if I didn’t figure out what to do with them anyways. So that is it, nothing crazy. But if you get any e-mails from a Susan S., she is a very nice woman lol!
James S.
James, thanks so much for your email. Whenever you get a chance, please hit me up and let us know how it’s going, and I’ll share it with folks here on the site. Good luck and stay safe, and we’ll be thinking about you.
Oh, and while I and everyone looking to collect back issues of SLAM are all grateful for your offer, I think everyone will agree with me when I say I hope we never get to see your SLAM collection.
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Moose – dad said I can have the car this weekend so you’re bussing again
JTaylor – our doctor keeps telling me to remind you to take your meds
Lang – if you say “Hawks” more than 3 times a day, I’m telling mom
Cheryl – you should probably ignore the dating requests unless you want to move to Kentucky
You almost make me want to root for a Lakers three peat.
Thanks for all the love guys and hopefully I have time this season to get on and become the Kobe guzzling, Laker fanatic ya”ll have come to hate : D. Much appreciated!! Fam. p.s. I will take a nice photo with some SLAM mag’s I am bringing with me when I get a few months in and get situated. I am hoping the KAF market will sell SLAM lol.
I shed a tear.
You will be fine, brethren.
We all salute you, and we salute your bravery and courage.
Shout out @Lang Whitaker.
Shout out @SLAM.
Also, as Jackie Moon would say.. EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY!
The thought of a reunion.. wow.
You are my dude.
I would love to see what everyone looks like.
Especially Jukai.
Cheryl, too.
Most definitely.
Lol.
@Lang – Since we’re fam now….can I please borrow a few dollars (thanks dad?!) got a wedding coming up in January 2011. I’m organising some surprise fireworks for my bride to be!
We’re having TWO engagement parties though (one is a gift!) so there’s costs floating around all of that. Plus the honeymoon in vanuatu….. $$$ to burn……. not so much.
My brother in law was just talking about these two dogs he and my sister had to get.
She liked them, so naturally, he also liked the dogs.
@Mike C:
Prophetic.
@Dacre:
I’m sure I would be astounded.
Nor do I wish to be.
The Philosopher would be the (unmarried, i guess) cousin who hangs around and picks fights with people when he wants to but when you talk to him one-on-one, he’s actually a good dude (jk man haha)
PS: To those guys dissing French soldiers, don’t forget that France is the country of the Légion Étrangère – those guys would skin most special ops forces with their bare hands (I’m not French, just saying).
PPS: Uncle Eboy stop melesting the young’uns.
Keep your head up.
“Every day above ground is a good day.”
(Detective Mel Bernstein, Scarface)
Pat – Nope, the dragoons are Pet. We are are replacing the Bde HQ’s and we are going with the Van doo’s. I have learned some French, Dinde Farve is Turkey and Stuffing… say it with the swedish chef voice and it becomes funnier and funnier the more you are in the field.!!
Again … thanks everyone. I will get Lang an e-mail or two duing the tour. With a nice picture or two. And I won’t get greedy but if Lang wants to throw the picture I have in mind up on Links lol, that would be amazing!!! Edmonton for some beer now before next ex.
my man!!!! Well, not really!!!!!!
your comments regarding kobe, the lakers, and lebron before and during the playoffs used to crack me up. stay up!
Good luck James, best wishes.
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