Seth's ASV Buddies

Dear Family and Friends,
One of the great things about the military is the fact that it is a microcosm of American society. You meet people with very diverse backgrounds, from very different parts of the country. When I was in Basic Training my best friend was a guy named Vince Navaro. He was an African American from the Bronx. He joined the military because he had just had twin boys, and didn’t have the money to provide for them. He confided in me that he had sold drugs for some time, but he needed to do something good for his family. I had a lot of respect for Vince, and appreciated his honesty with me. My other friends included a firefighter from Washington State, a student from Illinois, a Haitian immigrant who was trying to become a citizen, and a carpenter whose parents were both from Puerto Rico. These are just some of the many interesting people that accompanied m e through Basic Training. While the National Guard is not as diverse because it represents one specific State and an exact region in that state, you still encounter people from all different walks of life. We are serving with an active duty battalion from the 101st Airborne Division, so our unit has recently become more diverse. Since one of the most important aspects of my life over here is the two other soldiers that I ride with in the ASV I figured I would briefly fill you all in on their stories.

SGT Neil Wood (Truck Commander) – SGT Wood is in his mid thirties, and has been in the National Guard for fourteen years. He has been to Cuba, and the Sinai on previous deployments. He lives in Waynesboro and works at the Target distribution center. His father owns a hunting club in Nelson County, which is where SGT Wood spends most of his free time. He is a very straightforward guy, who is not big on talking. He is quiet, yet assertive when he wants to be. He is a diehard Republican, and gets all riled up when I start talking about Hilary Clinton. He is married and has two young children. He is a good guy and a good sergeant who takes care of his soldiers.

PFC Bill Docherty (Gunner) - Bill is an interesting story. He is a member of the active duty 101st who have been assigned to help support our group. He is thirty-eight years old, and just joined the National Guard last year. He joined after congress authorized moving the minimum age up from thirty-five. He had previously worked in carpeting and flooring for twenty years, and said he needed a break. He jointed the army because it was something he always wanted to do, and he needed a change in his life. He is very intelligent, and is very handy when dealing with the ASV. He is from PA just north of Pittsburgh. He now lives at Ft Campbell in Kentucky with his wife and two teenage children.
And of course there is me, SPC Lovell, the driver.
For me the best thing about the military is the men that you serve with. You go through so much that it is impossible not to grow close. We have sat in our ASV for hours on end during convoys and talked about just about everything. While we are all very different people, there is one main thing we share in common. We love the military and our country, but we are ready to see this war end and get home to our loved ones. For SGT Wood and I that day will hopefully come some day at the beginning of this summer. Bill is here for fifteen months since he is Active Duty, so his time here will continue once SGT Wood and I leave.
I hope this e-mail finds you all doing well and enjoying the start of November. I will continue to keep you all updated as to how things are going over here in the beautiful country of Iraq. I have recently added a number of names to my e-mail list, so I wanted to mention that if you haven’t already, you can see pictures and news about Eli and I on my Dad’s blog at www.lovellsoldiers.blogspot.com. Take care and I look forward to talking to you all soon,

Lots of Love from Iraq,

Seth