May 15, 2023
*The letters of Corporal Jacob Durham on the Cedarville Tennis Regiment*
Dearest Nana,
It has been a while since I have written to you last. The battles have been raging forth and my time of rest has been little the past few weeks. There is much to speak of Nana, many important things have happened recently that are worth noting.
Coach Alan Edlund and wife Kathy
First and foremost, our fearless grand leader Coach Edlund has faithfully served our regiment for the last 29 years. Many legends upon the battlefield have served under his leadership and we are eternally grateful. Unfortunately, he has notified us that his days of battle are over and that his time of much needed rest with his wife back home has come.
Although this was a heavy report for our ears to handle, we support our leader into the next chapter of his life. With this news we have recently heard of our incoming new fearless grand leader for our regiment, Coach Karl. We look forward to new tactics and strategies from a different perspective as we seek to destroy all enemies that come along our path.
Since the last letter I wrote to you, we have had nine additional battles to conclude this season of war. Of those nine, only in one did we come away victorious. Within those battles, there were high and low moments for each of the members of our regiment, but through it all we grew closer as a regiment and built long lasting relationships. The sad news is that we have not only lost our fearless grand leader in our coach, but we have also lost our general, Toshi. Our dear friend had his morals smack him across the face as he is now seeking further education to no longer take life, put to preserve it as a medic. He must now face the trials of medical school, but he knows that our thoughts and prayers will always be with him.
With him gone, new members will come to join our regiment as we seek leadership from the team elsewhere. To this I look forward, but for now, our party will go home for a short time and rest as they continue to develop their skills before we return, more ready than ever, to win the battle before us.
Continue to pray for us, as I know you always do.
All of my love always Nana.
Love Corporal Jake
March 12, 2023
*The letters of Corporal Jacob Durham on the Cedarville Tennis Regiment*
Dearest Nana,
It has been too long since I have written to you, but the time I have to write such detailed accounts of our battles is limited. In the wake of a singular loss to Thomas More in a close battle ending 3-4 overall we made the necessary adjustments to crush our most recent four opponents. To do this we took an incredible long journey out of the bitter cold windy valley of Ohio to the sunny and beautiful mainland of Florida.
We left the cold wasteland at the darkest hour (12 am) and drove through the night and most of the next day (into Saturday) until we arrived in paradise. The next morning we honored the Sabbath by attending the local church of First Baptist Church of Kissimmee and had a lovely service. After serenading in the Florida sun for a while, it was time to begin our preparations for the match the following day.
The next day, Monday, we fought the local village of John Carroll. We beat them in a close battle 4-3 with General Toshi leading the way with a singles and doubles victory (along with Major Nate). Private Penn and myself, Corporal Jake, also helped clinch the match with singles wins. Also Ryan Mecurio and I won our doubles match to help us attain the high ground with the initial doubles point.
On Tuesday we had a day of rest where we were able to sleep to our heart’s desire and then marinate in the beauty provided by Disney Springs. There we were able to bond with each other as we gazed through the local shops and bought only the most essential accessories to our survival.
On Wednesday we set out to begin our next skirmish against Covenant College. They were a tough foe, but after all of our men worked to win an initial doubles point, General Toshi and Corporal Abe and Corporal Ryan all won crucial singles matches. Corporal Ryan had a massive comeback after losing the first set 1-6 winning the second set 6-2 and winning the deciding 10 point tiebreaker 10-8. This pleased us to the highest degree as our youngest member stepped up his game for the sake of his comrades.
The next morning, Thursday, we met our foes at an early hour (8 am), to begin in our hardest and most brutal battle. Our day began with a doubles win from General Toshi and Major Nate and Corporal Ryan and I to set ourselves in an advantageous position. From there Major Nate won his singles match 6-3 4-6 10-4 (tie break) to inch us closer to the W. Next, General Toshi once again led the team by securing the match 3-6 7-5 10-1 (tie break). And then it all came down to me. I lost the first set 7-5, I then barely won the second set 7-6 (8-6), and then pulled out the 10 point tiebreaker 10-5 to lead our team to a victorious battle. This was the most special moment in battle for me Nana. The whole team rushed the court and nearly tackled me at the conclusion of the fight.
After this, on Friday we fought our final conflict against the Saint John’s rebellion. We squashed the rebellion 6-1 with every single match going our way (except for my personal match...which I lost). We won all of our doubles matches and General Toshi, Major Nate, Private Penn, Corporal Abe and Ryan all won their singles matches to conclude our expedition to Florida in a “profitable” manner as one might say. (Shout out to Private Gee who also aided in our victory by winning our #3 doubles match with me)
After our “profitable” week, we now travel back to our homeland where the sun is weary, the wind is thick, and where our skin will return to dullness. This was a much needed expedition, and I cannot be more thankful for the brothers I got to fight side by side with as I and all of us have been able to grow closer with each other.
I also want to shout out the praise to our Grand Commander Coach Edlund who has led us thick and thin year in and year out as this is his final expedition to Florida with us. Thank you for your steadfast service to our nation, you have done well.
Nana, you have taught me the importance of living a life of honor. This week it is my prayer that we have fought honorably, not for ourselves but for the name of our heavenly Father and for our fellow teammates.
Continue to pray for us, as I know you always do.
All of my love always Nana.
Love, Corporal Jake
February 8, 2023
*The letters of Corporal Jacob Durham on the Cedarville Tennis Regiment*
Dearest Nana,
This week has been very hard on our troops and yours truly, but we leave the battlefield with our heads lifted high. In the course of two days we had three hard fought battles against the local tribe of Dayton and the savages of the west, namely Illinois Wesleyan and Greenville. The first of these battles was a fight against the local tribe of Dayton, which was too strong for us to overcome. They possessed weapons that we did not even know existed. After one short night of rest, we pressed on into the west on our faithful quest, knowing that pests (the savages) were waiting for our best, hiding in their nests. But we came prepared with our vests (it being quite cold) and filled with the utmost amount of zest. After the morning fight some of us had to return to the heat of battle after only having five minutes of rest in the bunker, yet out of everyone in our regiment in all of the battles we faced on this singular day, I alone was the only one to return scarred by beauty and horror of battle, as we obliterated the savages of the west. After a few days' time, I have been brought back to fighting quality as we now continue to train for our upcoming battles.
But now you may ask, “Who are “we”? Who are these men that make up this grand regiment?”
It brings me much sorrow to report that we have lost some of the bravest in our ranks.
Starting with the notorious
Colonel Cole “show up, put in the work, and leave” Moss. He has put in his fair share of “work” and in doing so, he had to leave us.
Next I will speak of
Major Timmy O’Brien, he was last seen trying to find words that rhymed with “scumple” for our regiments newest cadence; it has been too long since we have seen this dear brother
I hold a special place in my heart for
Lieutenant Philip Brumbaugh, we both held a dear place in our hearts for writing our family back home and cheering for our beloved Bengals back home. Unfortunately he has died and will not be seen again by this regiment.
And last, but certainly not least, we no longer have with us
Captain Dawson Poling. Our dear brother lost his marbles and was always gone “in La La Land”
Despite this dreadful news, my good Nana, we have acquired three new persons to our regiment. First, Private Penn – He has brought a vocabulary amongst our regiment that many are unfamiliar with, yet at the same time are quickly adopting. Next, is Corporal Ryan — He is a ginger. And last, and certainly least, Private Gee — He does not prefer to waste his time in zoos, yet he somehow prefers his dwelling place to be as cold as the waters of Alaska.
Not to mention our returning members, namely General Toshi, Major Nate, Sergeant Nathan “Goblin”, and Corporal Abe, who I will speak more of in later letters.
In conclusion, we won two of our three battles this week. After losing many key players to our regiment, we have gained all the more. I am excited to return to the battlefield with these dear brothers in arms.
Pray for us, as I know you always do. All of my love always Nana.
Love, Corporal Jake
Jake Durham is a junior from Statesville, North Carolina. He is Dean's List student as a Biblical studies major and is in his third season with the Yellow Jackets.
