Dear Chelsie,

First and foremost, I want to say that I love you and am extremely proud of you. I know things haven't been easy and there are a lot of dumb people around you, but I have watched you grow ever since you joined the army to become someone I truly look up to.

After basic training, it was like you were a whole new person. Smart, strong, independent, loud, determined, everything a good leader should be. Being a soldier isn't easy, but you do it as if it's nothing and I admire you for that. I hope whenever I join the army I can be a leader that makes you proud.

This is the first deployment I've dealt with since dad retired from the army. And I know it's not the same because your job is different than his but I still worry about you a lot. We may not have always gotten along in the past, but you're my big sister and you've been there for me through some hard times.

No matter how much you annoy me sometimes, you are my best friend. Holidays aren't going to be the same without you home and I can tell you I'm not looking forward to them as much as I usually do. I hope you can still text a lot because life would be really boring without you sending me memes all the time and I hope you come home safe.

I can't wait to see you home again so we can play Minecraft together and talk about how annoying dumb people are. Try not to do anything stupid while you're gone because I will have to punch you if you do. Be safe while you're gone because we all love you and are impatiently waiting for you to come back home. I love you, Schwester and I'm so proud to be able to call you my big sister. I'll see you again in March.

Love, your little sister