U.S. soldier Ryan Poetsch, stationed in Pakistan, wrote back to encourage the football team vs. Penn State Saturday

I am writing this to you today from the frontlines of the fight for freedom. My name is Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ryan Poetsch. I am an Ohio native and am currently sitting on the border of Pakistan at Forward Operating Base Tillman, named in honor of Arizona State great Pat Tillman. I am a 13-year veteran on my third deployment. Throughout my tours, I have had some rough times. I wrote Coach Tressel in 2005 when I was having a tough fight and in fact lost a couple of great soldiers and men.

I felt the need to write this to you and see if maybe you could post this for the team or just pass it out to them as they prepare for battle with Penn State. It is hard for us to catch every game while over here, but thanks to American Forces Network we are able to see most of the games. The ones I can't see, I track on the Internet. Talk about a tough way to watch a game!

Anyhow, my point in writing this is to tell the players and the University how much they mean to us out here fighting everyday. Just yesterday, I was walking back to my hooch when all of the sudden it started raining down rockets. Again, I found myself thinking about my life and how was I so fortunate for the things I had. Everyday is a struggle, an internal battle for which there is no real explanation.

I imagine to myself that the team and coaches feel this in a similar way week-to-week throughout the season. I just wanted to let the players know that no matter the pain, no matter how nervous, or scared you might be at any given moment, you have an internal strength that can pull you through. In your veins runs Scarlet and Gray blood with which there is no quit, no stopping. It makes you relentless and powerful, more so than your opponent.

If on Saturday you go out there and lay it all on the line, every ounce of who you are and what you believe, you will walk out of that grand stadium a winner. I don't know how to explain to you how badly I want to be there with all the rest of my 105,000 plus Buckeye friends to cheer right along with you. I just wanted to let you know, that even thousands of miles away in the toughest, hardest fighting part of the world I will be giving 100 percent of myself for you and all my fellow Buckeyes.

I am proud to be a U.S. Soldier, proud to be a citizen of our great country, and I have to say, I am Damn proud to be a Buckeye. Thank you for your time and remember, leave no doubt as to who is the best on that field.

God Bless The USA, and God Bless The Ohio State University.

SFC Ryan Poetsch

101st ABN DIV

FOB PAT TILLMAN

Afghanistan