Back safe and sound

The latest email from Iraq:

Dear Family and Friends,
I just returned from my longest trip outside the wire, and also my most stressful trip. We provided security for a transportation unit that was helping to move a company from a small forward operating base near the Syrian border, to a larger airbase in Al Taqaddum, which is close to Baghdad. During the eight days we spent over sixty hours in the vehicles, one of the days saw us in our ASVs for approximately fifteen hours. During the trip we saw a lot of the country, including a couple of trips through downtown Fallujah. I spent the majority of the trip driving, but also spent time as the gunner, and even spent a couple of trips as the truck commander. It was a tiresome trip that seemed to drag on, but it was a good experience. It was an opportunity to see some parts of the country that I haven’t seen, and spend one last extensive mission out with my squad. Our time here in Iraq is coming to a close, and the activity in our motor pool is evidence that the end is near. The unit replacing us already has soldiers on ground here, we are beginning to pack up our equipment, and by next weekend we will be moved out of our room and moved into tents. In the next week or two I will be completely pulled from running missions, and start the long process of waiting for the end. This next month will slowly crawl by, due to the fact that it is impossible not to concentrate on time. When we first arrived in Iraq the end seemed so distant, that it was nerve racking to even think about it. We just concentrated on each day, and each mission. However now that the time is so short, it is impossible not to dwell on the end. The next couple of weeks will slowly go by, and before I know it Iraq will turn into a distant memory. This is a memory that will stay with me the rest of my life, and one that I will never regret having.
While things are going quite well here in Iraq, this past week has reminded me of the distance that I have to suffer from my family. Two different events have affected the people that I love the most. As I’m sure many of you know a student from Wilson Memorial High School was tragically killed in a car accident. I did not know this student well, but the tragedy was still very upsetting. The loss of a life is never easy to swallow, but when it is someone who is young it is even harder. This event has greatly upset my Mom, and has added to the stress that she has been forced to endure throughout this year. I want so badly just to be able to give my Mom a hug, to give some relief to her sadness. It is hard not being able to get a hug from your Mom on a regular basis, it is even harder not being able to give her a hug when you know she needs one.
The bad news did not stop there. Upon my return I found out that Brittany’s grandmother (Todd’s mother) was in the hospital suffering from septic shock. Brittany was very upset by this news, and was having a hard time dealing with it without me home. This morning Brittany’s grandmother passed away. I had to talk to my wife on the phone, listen to her cry, and I had to do this with the knowledge that I was not there for her. I can’t even explain how badly I wanted to be there to give her a hug, to cry with her, to help her deal with this. Brittany was close with her grandmother, and this has not been easy on her. A deployment is tough for many reasons. Today the reason that is at the front of my mind is the fact that I am not around to give comfort to those who I love the most. In a little over a month I will be able to give my Mom and Brittany long overdue hugs.
I hope this email finds you all having a good weekend. Thank you all for the continued love and support, I will look forward to talking to you all soon, and before to long being able to see you all as well, take care,
Love and Peace from the Middle East,
Seth