Christmas is over, and in many ways, we're glad. Christmas without Seth left a lot to be desired. As the four of us sat and opened presents, there was a hole that couldn't be filled. We talked to Seth on Christmas morning when he called about 10 AM. It was 7:30 PM his time and he was planning to watch a movie and go to bed. He had the entire day off as the officers manned the towers allowing the enlisted men to have the day free. Seth opened presents in the morning, watched some movies, ate a decent meal of turkey, lobster and shrimp and generally did not much of anything. Talking to Seth is a double-edged sword. It's good to hear his voice, but leaves you feeling so empty. The pictures below are from a disposable camera he sent home this week. When we picked up the pictures at Walmart, Jan couldn't look at them because she started crying. She waited until we were in the car to take a look and cryed the whole way home. Upon arriving home we had a Christmas Card from Seth that I'll put on the Blog soon. As I read it to Jan we both cryed. In both our conversation with Seth and in the card he continues to sound good and seems to be keeping a positive outlook.......We know though that he just wants to come home and we also know that that day will arrive soon. Enjoy the pics.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Most recent family letter
Here's the latest family letter:
Dear TF Normandy Family Members,
I apologize for this being delayed. It seems I say that too often. I hope everything finds you all well for the holidays. I know your loved ones are missing you very much this holiday season.
There was such a great response to the letter from the soldiers at Bagram, I have again included a letter from them. In the future, we are looking at possibly including letters from the individual companies or platoons. These “soldier letters” are created by the companies or platoons together and are specifically for you back home.
Everything continues to go well at BAF and at Ghazni. Thanksgiving was a big success with all the trimmings, both at BAF and in Ghazni. In fact, in Ghazni some local officials even brought us some turkeys to help us celebrate. The only problem is they were still alive so we didn’t have time to prepare them for dinner. There are plans now to use them for Christmas. At Bagram the officers and senior NCOs stood guard duty for the day. This allowed us to give some of the lower ranking enlisted the day off. We plan to do the same thing on Christmas day.
On December 7th, the Afghans had a historic day. The first democratically elected president was inaugurated to office. And more importantly, there was virtually no violence to mar the inauguration. Several of our units supported security for the inauguration by helping local police with Traffic Checkpoints along the main roads to Kabul. At Bagram we conducted surge patrols near the base as part of the extra security required by the presence of Vice President Cheney and Secretay of Defense Rumsfeld at the inauguration. Two days before the inauguration our patrols helped to discover rockets that were aimed at Bagram. They were safely disarmed. This incident serves as another example of the contribution that our Soldiers are making to the security of Bagram. Several of our Soldiers even had the opportunity to have breakfast with the Vice President. All in all the inauguration was a great success.
We have been receiving additional heavy weapons and vehicles to better support our missions at Bagram and Ghazni. New armored vehicles have been provided for the Soldiers patrolling at BAF. The heavy weapons will be divided between Ghazni and BAF. We have also received some additional protective items to help us against IED’s and new body armor gives greater protection to the arms and sides. This was issued to us at the same time it was issued to all the active duty units.
In Ghazni we have started to get more and more rain. On occasion, it has turned to snow. One of our patrols had to return to base because they could not get through the mountain passes because of the snow. We are actually tracking the rainfall to compare it to previous years to see if the drought might be lessening. Ghazni Province needs water almost more than anything else.
The weather in Bagram is getting colder but we still have some nice days. A new system for manning towers and conducting roving patrols is providing a little relief from pure tower duty. Some of our Soldiers rotate between towers and roving patrols during their shift, providing them with some variety during the day.
Rotations of units between Ghazni and BAF are almost complete. There will be one more rotation after Christmas, and then we should be stabilized for a couple months.
As we prepare for the holidays, I want to thank you all for the support you have been giving your loved ones over here in Afghanistan. There has been such a great outpouring of support from you all, it reminds us all of how great America is.
Take care, may God bless you and your family and God Bless America.
LTC Blake C. Ortner
Battalion Commander
From the Soldiers at Bagram
Dear Family Members:
At Bagram Air Field, we have been very busy since the last letter. Various dignitaries here for the inauguration of President Karzai, including Vice President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, recently visited us. Their visit necessitated increased patrolling in the area as we searched for rocket sites and any anti-coalition activity. Thankfully, the visits and the inauguration went off without a hitch. The local villagers are starting to be more helpful, and we have been finding weapons caches and rockets before they have a chance to use them on us.
When not guarding the perimeter, we have been taking advantage of the time to conduct training at the Urban Warfare (MOUT) site, which allows us to practice searching buildings and taking hostiles into custody. The training is very realistic thanks to the use of simunitions, which are like paintballs specially made to work with our rifles. The site has sound effects, as well as cameras and microphones to record our training so we can review it later. This training is both valuable and quite enjoyable to the troops who need a break from the monotony of guard towers.
Several platoons have rotated up from Ghazni and everyone is adjusting to life here. The amenities are certainly nicer here, and the schedule is far more challenging, but we make do as best we can with the mission we are given. The new MWR building is now complete, thanks to the efforts of several of our soldiers who volunteered their limited time to construct the phone and computer areas. We are now waiting for the base contractors to install the computer and phone lines for it to become operational.
With the holiday season upon us, the number of letters and packages rolling into BAF for our soldiers is astonishing. We are all very grateful, and it makes missing our families during the holiday season slightly more bearable. Know that we miss you all, and wish you all a very happy holiday season.
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
The 3-116th at Bagram Air Field
Monday, December 13, 2004
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Recent article in local on-line paper
A Lovell was coaching the freshman boys' basketball team at Wilson Memorial High School last night when the Hornets opened their season.
It just wasn't the same Lovell that accepted the job in August.
Seth Lovell took the job as head coach for the freshman squad. It was the first step toward accomplishing one of the dreams of the 19-year-old Fishersville man.
"He always had it in his head he was going to be a basketball coach," said Seth's twin brother, Eli, last week.
But when Stuarts Draft came to town last night, it was Eli, not Seth, calling out the plays and huddling his players during timeouts.
And while Eli was trying to figure out how to defend the Cougars, Seth was busy defending something a little more important - his country.
Seth is a member of the Virginia Army National Guard. In May, 2003, as a high-school senior, he signed up. So did Eli. The brothers looked at their decision as a way to help pay for college.
But Seth had another reason. In September he was asked why he enlisted in the National Guard.
"I was a mediocre student. Mediocre athlete. I wanted to challenge myself at least a little bit. Do something worthwhile," said Seth, who is a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry based in Lexington.
Following a semester in college - Seth at James Madison, Eli at Bridgewater - the two headed for basic training in early 2004. This past summer, Seth got word he was being deployed to the Middle East. In early September, he boarded a bus at Staunton's Thomas D. Howie National Guard Armory and was off to Fort Bragg, N.C.
A month later he was on a plane to Germany and, from there, Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where he's currently stationed. He'll be there for a year.
One of his first jobs after arriving in Afghanistan was to help secure election sites in the country. Recently, Seth's family received an American flag that the soldier carried with him during one of those missions.
That caused a few tears to flow in the Lovell household. As did the absence of Seth at the Lovells' Thanksgiving dinner and the annual cutting of the Christmas tree last week.
Said Eli, "The holidays are always tough."
And that goes both ways.
"He has his ups and downs," Eli said of his twin. "But he keeps a real positive attitude."
Before college, the two hadn't been apart for longer than two nights. Even that first semester, they made sure to see each other at least once a week. And they talked on the telephone every day.
While Eli misses Seth, he knows that it could just as easily be him in the Middle East. Eli is a member of a medical unit based in Charlottesville. Gov. Mark Warner has declared that the unit, as a whole, can't be deployed overseas. They're needed stateside to assist with emergencies, like hurricanes or other natural disasters.
Still, individual members of the unit can be drawn out for deployment. While Eli doesn't think he’ll find himself in the Middle East, he knows it could happen.
For the time being, Eli remains in the Valley. After all, he has a job to do.
Seth's deployment created an opening for a freshman basketball coach. Even though he was taking 18 credit hours at Bridgewater College, Eli asked for, and got, the job.
"I kind of thought this would be a way to keep me connected to my brother," said Eli, who spends his spare time watching his girlfriend, Katy Herr, play basketball at Bridgewater and sitting in for Seth when his brother's girlfriend, Brittany Campbell, takes the court for her senior season at Wilson Memorial.
Eli knows his coaching gig is temporary, calling himself a long-term substitute. He's merely holding a spot for his brother. When Seth gets back to the United States next fall, he will be in charge of the Xs and Os for the Hornets' freshman team.
While Eli can't wait for that day, for now, he's enjoying the role of coach.
Said Eli, "I'm having a ball."
Almost a puppy!
It's been awhile since I posted......lots going on and nothing going on at the same time. Seth continues in the towers and patrolling when needed. He's currently doing five days of patrols in the area around Bagram. When that finishes he has four more night towers and then goes back on days. He's been complaining of sleep problems and problems with his stomach. Mayber a combination of crazy hours and stress? I'm hopeful that a return to a more normal(?) schedule will make him feel better. We spoke to him Saturday afternoon (late Saturday night his time) and he told us that for 10 minutes today he was a happy guy. While on patrol his squad purchased a puppy from an Afghan national for $1.00. Seth sat in the Humvee for about 10 minutes holding the puppy before the LT told him that he couldn't turn a blind eye to the dog....it was against regulations and Seth had to return the dog. Holding a puppy.......what a wonderful feeling for 10 minutes in a crazy world!
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