Email from Seth

Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this e-mail finds you all doing well and enjoying the fall season back at home in the states. Fall is my favorite time of year in Virginia, so I am without a doubt missing home like crazy right now. As Eli informed you all in his e-mail we are moved in and living fairly comfortably right now. In my close to five years in the military these are the best living conditions I have encountered. I guess that is only fair considering the job we are being asked to do. These last few weeks since the beginning of my leave have flown by. Sometimes I take a step back to just think about everything, and I constantly find myself in disbelief that I am back here in the middle east. I find many things that are very similar to my time in Afghanistan, I also find that there are many differences. One difference that is a very comforting one is that I have Eli with me to deal with all of this. When I was in Afghanistan I was fresh out of basic, nineteen years old, and I had to join a company that had been living together for close to four months. The first couple months of the deployment were a very lonely and challenging time for me. This deployment is better for numerous reasons, but the number one reason is that I have Eli here to help deal with everything. A deployment is full of ups and downs, and the downs will be much easier with my brother by my side. It is nice having a roomate that you already know you can get along with. A lot of people have asked Eli and I what we need, and I will tell you two things that will help the most with this deployment. The first is letters (or e-mails), Eli and I love to hear updates as to what is going on at home. A quick e-mail from time to time really means a lot. The second thing that Eli and I could use is your prayers, beyond that there is nothing we need. I will e-mail often to keep everyone informed, and also because it feels good to communicate with people back home. Know that Eli and I are comfortable as can be in our situation, happy to be here getting our time started, and anxious to return to you all. Everyday we think about home and about our return when we can spend time with all our amazing family and friends that we are so blessed to have, until that time think about us and pray for us, take care and I look forward to keeping in touch with all of you,
Lots of Love from Iraq,
Seth

The end of the Blog as we know it............

I'm making a change. It won't be easy, but if I'm going to survive this year it's got to be done. Jan and I are different. I crave information and Jan feels that mental health is sometimes best served by not knowing too much. I read about Iraq, I surf the Internet for stories about Iraq, I watch CNN for stories about Iraq.....I'm driving myself crazy and becoming bitter in the process. A woman I work with at school is one of those people who is always forwarding cute email stories.....you know, the inspirational stories that tell you to brighten someone's day by forwarding this to five people within the next half hour. I never do so I'm sure I'm screwing up my karma. Anyway, she sent one about a carrot, an egg and a coffee bean asking which one are you. I'll give you the Reader's Digest version. When placed in boiling water something happens to each one. Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
I think it's pretty clear, I'm the egg.....I've allowed my heart to harden and I've become bitter. This is not the way I want to be. So I'm going to change and the Blog is going to change. I'm going to stay away from political posting...everyone who reads this blog knows my political leanings anyway. Why continue to hash it. I'm going to stay away from the news and focus on loving and supporting my children and my wife.
This blog has been my therapy, but I'm not sure the therapy is going well. Continue to read my blog, but don't look for the rantings of an angry man anymore. I'll post what news I can (keeping OpSec in mind) and post pictures and videos as they come in. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on my sanity.

Sunday morning email from Eli

It was so nice being able to talk to you all for a little bit the other day. I can't wait until we can figure this skype thing out completely and figure out good times to talk and see each other! Gotta love the technology. Coach Byars wrote me the other day and was telling me about some of his war stories, and when I wrote him back I said, "this definitely ain't your daddy's war!" which is so true. The living conditions over here have vastly improved from even just a few years ago, so I guess we picked an okay time to come over to this awful country. There are a ton of Iraqis that work on the base and so far my opinion of them has been....smelly and polite. You can always get a huge whif of BO when walking past a group of Iraqis, but they are always very polite to us. Its weird because I always think, "I wonder where their loyalty lies and what they really feel about us?" I hope you all had fun with Colby...Seth and I loved the reunion video! I am sure they were two very happy dogs. Send more video sometime because we got that very smoothly and thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to hear your voices again! Have a good rest of your weekend as it is just early Sunday morning back in Virginia. I have a short break and then have some briefings this afternoon. I LOVE YOU!

Colby/Abby Reunion

Katy came to Staunton this weekend to visit family. Jan and I kept Colby and I brought Abby over to our house while Brittany was working. Jan took a little video with her camera so we could send the boys the reunion. It's easy to see we're not pros at this. Got an email this morning from Eli that they had received and enjoyed the video.....

Plug for Skype

Seth called me today! I was on planning when the phone rang. Although the caller ID said unavailable, I answered anyway. I make it a habit not to answer my cell if I don't know who is calling....I figure they can leave a message and I can choose if I want to talk at a later time. Today, however, I answered since I never know where the boys will be calling from. Seth was calling from his computer to my cell phone using a program called Skype. It was crystal clear, with just a little delay! Seth was so pleased to be sitting in his room, calling home, without standing in line. Technology....ain't it wonderful!

From Al Asad and ramblings about mail

What a surprise....performing my daily ritual of shaving while checking email and looking at the on-line newspaper, I find that I (and probably most of the people who read this blog) have an email from Eli. Seth and Eli are boots on the ground, although it sounds more like butts in the bed from Eli's letter. Hard to believe that a move from Kuwait to Iraq could be a step up in the world, but Eli makes it sound like it is. When we got their APO address we immediately started a box for the boys. A trip to Wally World and the Cheese Shop set us back a couple of bucks and now I have this huge box sitting in the living room that takes two people to pick up. We know that the boys don't need all the stuff we're sending (and can probably get most of it at the PX) but this isn't really about them! It's about making Jan and I feel good! We'll send this giant box since we can't hug the boys and have them over for dinner.
Here's Eli's email for those of you who didn't see it:
Dear friends and family,
Well, after three months Seth and I have finally made it to the wonderful country of Iraq. Kuwait was awful, and so Iraq does not seem so bad in comparison. We spent 11 days in Kuwait, the highs were usually in the 120s, it was windy so you got sand where you did not want it to be, and it was so bright it took you several minutes to get used to the light every time you stepped out of the tent. We lived for 11 days in tents sleeping on cots and three of those days we spent in the field sleeping on the ground. We saw lots of wild life; herds of camels everywhere, side winders (desert snakes) that were 8 ft. long, and while out in the field I woke up in the morning and rolled up my poncho I had been sleeping on to discover a black scorpion the size of a mouse. We showed it to one of the locals who said it was the second most poisonous scorpion in Kuwait. It sent a shiver up my spine, but Seth put it best when he said, "at least it did not sting you and now its just a good story to tell."
In Kuwait there was sand everywhere, nothing green, just vast expanses of sand.
One of the first things we saw upon arriving to Iraq were trees, so everyone got very excited. Now, Iraq, much like Kuwait, is mostly just sand, but the temperature in northern Iraq is a little cooler and every little bit counts. Also, we're not living in tents and out of bags, so all things considered....Iraq is wonderful!
Seth is currently asleep beside me as we just finished getting all moved into our room, and he is in awe at our living conditions here in comparison to his harsh conditions while in the mountains of Afghanistan. We have two-man rooms with internet and tv and ac, none of which he had on his previous deployment. The chow hall is as big as a college defact with tons of different choices. Its pretty incredible seeing this base, the second largest air base in Iraq.
Seth and I have both been up for over 24 hours as we spent all of yesterday travelling. I got my first experience flying in a C-130, and I did not enjoy it. We have some briefings this evening and I am getting ready to join Seth by taking a nap. If this e-mail is just a bunch of rambling and nonsense, just know that I am running on low fumes. I will be sure to send more e-mails later and send pictures. Both Seth and I will have access to e-mail. We'd love to hear from you! I miss you all and keep myself sane by daydreaming about when I will be back home!

Love,
Eli

Boots on the Ground

Rumour has it that Seth has boots on the ground in Iraq. Apparently they sent the group in three waves, Seth in the first and Eli in the third. Eli should be on the ground shortly. Jan talked with Eli today and she noted high spirits and ready to get started. We now have an APO address for the boys and I've emailed that to everyone in my address book. If you didn't get it and want it, send me an email.

News from Kuwait...........

I talked to both boys over the weekend. I talked with Seth on Saturday and Eli on Sunday. While both seem to be doing well, Eli did note that everyone is just a little run down trying to adjust to the time change and the heat. They will be doing field training for the next three days before heading to Iraq. OpSec keeps me from telling exactly when they will be heading to Al Asad, but Eli did note that their next contact with us will probably be from Iraq.

Web Cam Success

No word from the boys for a couple of days. Brittany has heard briefly from Seth, and Katy has had some brief contacts with Eli. Jan talked to them earlier in the week, but I haven't had any contact. They are still in Kuwait doing some training and doing some sitting around. Eli has been sick....not sure if it's a reaction to the smallpox vaccine or something else. On the plus side, Katy and I talked to each other on Friday afternoon over the computer while seeing each other on the web cams. We're using a program called Skype....an internet phone service that gives you free calls from computer to computer. All you need are speakers and a microphone. Jan and I had purchased web cams for everyone and the cameras work with Skype. Now all we need is to get the boys to their final destination and get their internet set up on the base. Hopefully the connections there will be fast enough to support what we've been able to accomplish here at home.

Angry Man

I'm an angry man...My wife has pointed out to me that I can't go through the next year as an angry person. But I'm angry that we live in a society that as Cindy Sheehan points out, more people are concerned about who the next American Idol will be than about how many American soldiers and Iraqi citizens are dying each day and each week in this war against terrorism that is supposed to make us safe, but is making the world less safe each day. I'm so mad that I'm forgetting to use punctuation! I'm mad that we live in a society that is more concerned about O J Simpson, Brittany Spears and stupid reality TV shows, than the eroding personal freedoms foisted upon us by little George and his band of merry men and their politics of fear. I'm angry that there is a silent majority in this country that is allowing the wacko fringes of both parties to drive our national politics.
But most of all.....I'm angry that I would be one of those people I descibed above if my own sons weren't trapped in little George's grip.

Jim Webb's Bill Defeated

Jim Webb's bill concerning rest time for troops has been defeated by a 56-44 vote _ four short of reaching the 60 needed to advance. this all but assures that Democrats will be unable to muster the support needed to pass tough anti-war legislation by year's end. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., was seen as the Democrats' best shot because of its pro-military premise.

Webb's legislation would have required that troops spend as much time at home training with their units as they spend deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Members of the National Guard or Reserve would be guaranteed three years at home before being sent back.

Most Army soldiers now spend about 15 months in combat with 12 months home. Republican opposition stated that the military should make decisions on deployments, not the legislature. Let's be honest....with little George's war and the surge, the military's hands are tied! Our military is stretched to the breaking point and only an act of Congress can help.

Somewhere in Kuwait..............

Jan talked to Eli yesterday while she was at school. Kuwait is seven hours ahead of us, so when Jan talked to Eli it was early evening for the boys. After 8 hours of sleep, sand volleyball and a wonderful meal in the chow hall, everything is great. Eli was especially impressed with the chow. Lot's of fresh fruit and vegetables. Something I don't understand. Kuwait is east of Iraq and is seven hours ahead of us. When the boys transit to their duty base in Iraq (moving to the west), they will be eight hours ahead of us. How can that be? Everything else in that country is kind of screwy..why not the time? And another thing....is it Kuwiat or Kuiwait..I've seen it spelled both ways.

Rest is Bad?

Senator Jim Webb (D, Virginia) recently proposed legislation to require that troops receive the same amount of time at home as they spend deployed. In other words, if a soldier is deployed overseas for 13 months, he must have 13 months at his home base beore his next deployment. Democrats believe they have the 60 votes to pass this legislation, but not the 67 votes to overturn a little George veto. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Sunday reported that he would advise little George to veto this legislation. He called it a back door attempt to draw down troop levels.
In a mildly related issue, former Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked what is the greatest threat facing the United States. His answer is illuminating:
"People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the greatest threat we are facing?"
Al-Qaida governs no Islamic nation and poses no military threat to the integrity of the United States or any Western nation. At worst they are capable of theatrical mass murder.........But little George and his band of Chicken Hawks are doing real damage to our military and our American way of life with his politics of fear and his war for profit! Who's the danger?

Down the Rabbit Hole

After approximately 25 hours on the go, the boys have arrived in Kuwait. In the best of times, Eli is not on good terms with flying. He recently had his smallpox vaccination, which appears to have contributed to even less tolerance for the big silver can with wings. Needless to say, he didn't enjoy the flights to Amsterdam and then on to Kuwait. On the flight to Kuwait they flew over Bhagdad. It was night and Eli reports they could see the lights of the city and several fires. Welcome to progress! They will be in Kuwait for a short period of time before heading into Iraq. Eli is looking forward with trepidation to the flight into Iraq. Combat landing on a C-130 involves staying at a high altitude until you are over the base, then rapidly spiraling down to landing. The idea is to avoid flying low over any airspace other then the base. Our anxiety level has taken a quantum leap. It was easy having the boys in Mississippi and avoiding thinking about the future. Now the future is here. They'll be in Iraq shortly and it's a physical feeling. Stress is now a daily part of my life. You would think it would be comforting to know that thousands of other families have lived through the same thing....it's not. It's personal.

Are we meeting our objective......what is the objective

The spin has started....the surge is working...the surge isn't working.....return for success...return with our tails between our legs. I think the important thing here is General Pretraus couldn't answer an important question posed by Senator John Warner (R, Virginia.) Warner asked if what we were doing in Iraq is making America safer. General Pretraus tried to answer that what we are doing is the best way to meet our objective. Warner again asked if America was safer. General Pretraus said he didn't know.....I thought making America safer WAS our objective. Watch the video:

Sorry....that's OpSec!

Have you ever heard someone say, "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." A humorous way of dealing with secretive information. The Army is concerned about security....rightfully so. It's referred to as Operational Security - OpSec. Lots of things are considered OpSec, especially troop movements. We don't want the bad guy to know when troops are moving, how they're moving and where they're going. Sometimes, OpSec is carried to the extreme. When Eli reported for duty back in June he was questioned by an Army Intelligence Officer about my Blog. That in itself raises a couple of questions.....how did they know I had a blog - tell me Army Intelligence has nothing better to do than monitor blogs on the internet. Oh I don't know, maybe they could be trying to find out where Bin Laden buys his batteries for his digital camcorder! Anyway they were concerned that I may violate OpSec and they pointed to a blog entry when Seth was in Afghanistan. I reported that Seth was on QRF....Quick Reactionary Force. This is a bunch of guys sitting around in a hanger at Bagram Air Force Base. They're ready to jump on a helicopter and head to any trouble spot quickly...hence the name Quick Reaction Force. According to Army Intelligence, that violated OpSec.
For my children's sake, I'm paying very close attention to OpSec.....all that to lead up to the fact that Seth and Eli will leave country very, very, very, very soon....wink, wink. I can't say when, where or what the long and torturous path to Iraq will be - but know that they will no longer be in country. Kick the prayer level up a notch or two...I know I will.

Same Old Story.........

Little George's Return for Success policy of a gradual draw down of troops is an insult to the intelligence of every American. He failed to make a case for continuing to place American soldiers in harm's way and failed to provide any new plans for ending this war. We know that unless Congress suddenly decides to act Congressional, this war will drag into the next president's watch. Anybody could have predicted that Little George would call for a token withdrawal....he has to try to appease angry voters. For him to pretend that the withdrawals are the result of progress on the ground is shameful! Read the Democratic response here!

Seth's Home away from Home

I've been messing with putting video's on the blog. I'm practicing for when Seth and Eli send video's from Iraq. I know some of my readers are in the Augusta County Schools and you probably won't be able to view these video's at school due to limitations on streaming video....catch these at home.

What the well-dressed soldier is wearing...

The War as we saw it

"The War as We Saw It" was an Op Ed piece in the New York Times last week. It is a lengthy read, but worth the effort. See it here. This opinion piece was written by seven grunts....Infantry soldiers with boots on the ground. Their opinion of the war is quite different from Little George's or General Pretraus. This is not an anti-military, anti-war opinion piece. It is an anti-policy piece....well thought out and well written. I encourage each of you to take a few minutes and read this.
Today is was announced that two of the authors were killed in Bhaghdad when a truck they were driving went off a bridge. Conspiracy theorist will start filling the internet with interesting stories. I'm just sad two more American Soldiers have died fighting this worthless war.

Join the Guard....get your education paid.....

This is the body of a letter I recently sent to Jim Webb our state senator:

I have twin sons serving in the Virginia National Guard. This letter concerns an unfair issue with National and State Tuition Assistance. Eli and Seth joined the Guard on the same date and completed basic training, Seth in Infantry and Eli as a Medic. Eli was not deployed and completed four years of college receiving state and federal tuition assistance graduating from Bridgewater College. Seth was deployed to Afghanistan out of basic training. Both are now deployed to Iraq. Neither son plans to reenlist. Due to rules governing tuition assistance, Seth will no longer receive aid unless he reenlists. Current rules state that tuition assistance is not available if you have less than two years left on your enlistment period. He is being penalized for his two deployments. Instead of being rewarded for giving over two years of his life in service to his country he is penalized! If he had never been deployed, he would have finished college receiving state and federal tuition assistance. Eli had the good fortune to finish college before his first deployment. Seth was not so fortunate and will now incur more loans to finish his education once he completes serving his country.
This is an issue that demands attention and I want to know what can be done to bring this issue to the forefront.

I look forward to hearing from you on this issue.

Sad Ride Home

I woke from a dead sleep last night at 1:00 AM. Call it psychic energy. It was midnight in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Seth and Eli would have just said goodbye to Katy and Brittany. I could feel the pain from 850 miles away. The blessing in having to leave a little early to get back to school was not witnessing my beautiful daughter-in-laws anguish while saying goodbye. Katy and Brittany will be driving home today not knowing when they'll see their husbands again.

Family

This evening we walked across to the beach and took pictures....lots of pictures as we prepare to say goodbye to Seth and Eli. After pictures we enjoyed Seth and Eli's favorite meal....Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and Beef Enchiladas - the meal they always ask for. After dinner a game of "Oh Shit"....ask and I'll tell you what that is. I can't believe that it's time for Jan and I to head back to Virginia tomorrow morning. My stomach tells me it's true. After a couple of days of feeling good, my stomach is hurting - I think I'll just be sick to my stomach for the next year.

Live Oaks in Gulfport

The Gulf Shore is populated by these magnificant trees with several of them surrounding our condo. We've been speculating about what they are and if this is the way they look naturally. Jan had a conversation today with a Gulf Shore resident who filled her in about the trees. They are called Live Oaks because they keep their leaves all year long. They're evergreens. They don't have leaves like the oaks we know although they are related. The woman told Jan that they don't have beautiful blue water around here like some parts of the Gulf, but they have the live oaks.....they really are incredible trees. She talked to Jan about Hurricane Katrina and noted that this area will never be the same. She told Jan that Beach Road used to be the home of old antebellum homes, some 200 years old. These homes will never be rebuilt because of the cost and the cost of insurance. Taking their place seems to be giant condos....like we're staying at. According to this woman, the live oak is a protected species and contractors can't remove them. She noted that they're constantly battered by gulf storms, but continue to survive and thrive. Could I draw a parallel between Live Oaks and Little George's impact on our country? We've been battered by Little George and his band of friends, but I have to believe that our country is going to survive and thrive as we move away from the George years. Sometimes I just can't resist..............

Weekend Warriors and the need for a draft

The August 23, 2007 edition of the Reveille reports that the Army National Guard is working on a system to give soldiers a more stable deployment schedule. According to the Camp Shelby paper guard units are now being scheduled for 400 day deployments that will occur four years apart. The Guard is now saying up front you will be deployed and depending on when you enlist in the cycle you may be deployed two times during you six year commitment. Throw in your 2 year commitment to the Active Ready Reserve and you could conceivably face three deployments. So much for "Weekend Warriors" who want to serve their communities during times of need as advertised on TV. Is it any wonder that the Guard is having trouble meeting recruitment goals?
The latest edition of Newsweek has a well written article about why we need a draft. Written by a former Marine Corp Officer who served in Iraq and lost comrades in Fullujah he makes an interesting case for the draft. While picking up the pieces of soldiers and humvees hit by an IED he watched an MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle drive by. It was owned and operated by a private contracting company. He said it made their vehicle look like a Pinto in a Ferrari showroom. MRAP's cost five times more than the most up-armored Humvee. He said it became clear to hime that America's greatest strength, it's economic might, was not fully engaged in Iraq. "People need a personal, vested, blood or money interest to maximize potential." Contractors have MRAP's, but not marines....According to the author of this article, until the wealthy have a vested interest, until the sons and daughters of the politicians and the upper class are sitting in poorly armored humvees the best gear won't get paid for. Eighteen months after the marines asked for MRAP's the vehicles are finally being delivered, but at half the number the Pentagon has promised.
This war on Terrorism needs to more discomforting to the average American than just bad news on the TV! Maybe then we won't let a president railroad us into an unnecessary war and maybe we'll have a Congress with a little backbone. Maybe diplomacy will be used before guns!

Together

A couple of quick pics of the kids, just happy to be together here in Gulfport. We enjoyed a fine local diner last night...Lookout 49 recommended by a person here at the condo. Great food if you ever get to Gulfport. First time I've ever had steak and mashed potatos with a ham creole sauce - very tasty! Seth opted for the cajun trio...gumbo, shrimp jumbalaya and crawfish ettouffe. Jan and Brittany had some dish with lobster and shrimp in a hot sauce. Eli and Katy weren't quite so adventuresome opting for the alfredo with shrimp. A great evening! Josh and Lillian will be joining us Friday. A great time is being had by all!

Reporting Live from Mississippi!

We're Here! Katy and Brittany arrived in Hattiesburg Tuesday afternoon and hooked up with the boys around 5 o'clock. They left Camp Shelby around 10 in the evening and spent the night at a local hotel. Jan and I arrived in Gulfport about 9:30 this morning after flying out of Richmond. We've hooked up with the boys, we're at our condo and have already walked on the beach and gone swimming at the condo pool. We're looking forward to a relaxing evening out...good food....and great company! The devestation from Hurricane Katrina is evident everywhere. I got very excited whtn I saw the Olive Garden sign beside our condos only to realize that the building wasn't there....just the sign. As you drive down Beach Drive (Route 90) you see more empty lots than buildings. Many things that were here two years ago are gone, leaving empty lots and broken buildings. I've taken a few pictures so far and will be taking many more. When I have a little more time I'll get a few onto the blog. Until now, we're enjoying the moment with our sons!

Breaking News.....

ABC News is reporting this morning that Little George has made a surprise visit to Iraq. He is at Al Asad Air Base where Seth and Eli will be posted. Of Course, George is anticipating the September reports to Congress on progress in Iraq, which by all accounts will be mixed leaning toward very little in the way of political progress by the Iraqi Government. Count on George to put the most positive spin on the report while the opposition (which is almost everyone in the United States) to put on a negative spin. The good news in this is the place George picked to visit. It isn't an accident that he picked Al Asad in the Anbar Province. It's one of the few places in Iraq where genuine progress has been made. It's relatively quiet and safe right now. If it's good enough for Little George (who isn't about to put himself in harm's way) I guess it's okay for my sons!

Taking a Break

Eli forwarded a couple of pictures yesterday. See yesterday's entry for a couple more pictures. Eli's enjoying the original Hooah Power Bar in his MRE....kicked back and enjoying lunch. Seth's demonstrating that this isn't your father's war as he relaxes with his cell phone talking to Brittany while on a short break from training. The boy's are heading to Iraq with lots of electronic equipment. IPOD's for music, photos and videos, laptops with webcams, digital cameras and digital video cameras. We don't know what kind of communication we'll have with them until they actually get there, but we're hoping to use the internet and get web cams working....something we haven't had a whole lot of luck with so far.

Last Training Exercises

Seth, Eli and friends were up this morning at 0230 hours for a six mile road march. Just a little something to get the day started on the right foot! The only thing to smile about is that training is about finished. Labor day will be spent qualifying on the 9 mm range. The 9mm is the side arm the soldiers carry. The day will start early and last a long time as the Army gets this one last chance to train our Virginia boys for their mission.
The picture to the left shows Seth after a fun afternoon of manning the 240 gun in the turret of a humvee as they cruised the dusty roads of rural Mississippi....Seth noted that he flashed back to Afghanistan and the fun of eating dust while manning the turret there.