Dear Editor,
Every country is connected to one another. Thus, everyone in the
world affects Americans. If you don’t believe me, check the tag on
your jeans which might read,
”
Made in China.
”
At 21, it’s difficult to comprehend how much we influence Iraq
and how much that country has changed ours.
Dear Editor,
Every country is connected to one another. Thus, everyone in the world affects Americans. If you don’t believe me, check the tag on your jeans which might read, “Made in China.”
At 21, it’s difficult to comprehend how much we influence Iraq and how much that country has changed ours. I don’t and never will understand why Jeramy had to die so young, but I do understand some of the ways he influenced and changed the world.
After attending college for the past four years in Chicago, I’ve realized that best friends are a treasure. Janelle Tyson and Thea Johnson have been my best friends since I was 4 years old. We grew up on
Laurel Drive, which is two blocks from Jeramy’s house. I got to know Jeramy when he dated Janelle in high school.
When you’re a teenager, sitting in people’s driveways becomes a common use of leisure time. Jeramy and Christopher Johnson, Jeramy’s best friend, used to hang out with us on Laurel Drive. We would talk, laugh, and listen to music. They would mimic the lyrics written by the band, “Disturbed,” and they introduced me to one of my loves, country music.
Those two boys taught me two words, which quickly became a part of my everyday vocabulary. “Ripper” and “banch” were used to describe our friends and some of the things we did. Jeramy and Chris, for example, would catch a ripper fish and banch over to Laurel Drive to tell us about it. You always knew when Jeramy was coming because his bug was so loud.
Pranks are another part of teenage life. Jeramy was very good at pulling them off. One time, when we were out at Coyote, he managed to put ketchup in my friend Kim Yetter’s drink. She and I sought revenge and went on a toilet-papering rampage. We successfully covered his car in about 30 toilet seat covers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the smartest idea because he got my car back tenfold.
On Monday night I spoke with Aimee Santos who is my dear friend and Jeramy’s cousin. She kept hoping that she would wake up from the nightmare of losing her cousin. I know that all of us wish we could wake up and have Jeramy back in Gilroy. I also know that God must have needed an extraordinary angel in heaven. Jeramy changed my life, the lives of my friends, and changed the lives of people in Iraq. He fought for the freedom of Americans and for the freedom of Iraqis. If you don’t live for the future, there’s no point to living at all. He lived for the future and changed the world.
Shannon Derry, Chicago
