A Picture's worth a thousand words....

A parting shot and remembering history....

I don't recall exactly how the saying goes, but it says that those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat history or repeat mistakes. Seth and Eli have been in the Guard for about five years. I say that we learned early on that nothing is definite in the Army until it is over and done...I say that....but I apparently don't believe it. I always get excited when they tell me something and I always believe what they say. They're getting their parting shot. Expecting the boys to arrive in Woodstock at 2:00 PM we left a few things undone until this morning. Plenty of time to get up and get a some stuff done. Seth called at 7:00 to report that they were already in Virginia and would be arriving at Woodstock around 11:30! I'd love to write a few more words, but I gotta go!!!!!!!!!!!

Returning to Woodstock

Seth and Eli and the rest of Company B return to Woodstock, Virginia tomorrow. A place that saw many tears last spring will see them again....different tears, better tears. Here's a news release about their return:

Press Release 04/22/08: Charlottesville Troops Returning

Updated: April 24, 2008 10:56 AM

News release issued April 22:
Charlottesville, Leesburg and Woodstock area Va. Guard Soldiers return from Iraq

Soldiers from infantry companies headquartered in Charlottesville, Leesburg and Woodstock assigned to 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team returned to the United States April 20 and 21 after serving in Iraq and Kuwait since September 2007. The Soldiers flew into the demobilization station of Camp Shelby, Miss., and will conduct a number of different administrative activities to transition from active duty back into traditional National Guard status prior to returning back to Virginia. Approximately 150 Soldiers are assigned to each company.

The units will spend four or five days at Camp Shelby, but the exact arrival date for their return back to Virginia has not been determined at this time. The Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office will issue a follow up advisory once the return date has been set.

All three infantry companies were assigned to convoy escort duty in Iraq and had numerous enemy engagements via improvised explosive devices, small arms fire and complex ambushes. A and B Companies operated in Al Anbar Province or Multinational Division West. A Company operated and in some of the most dangerous areas in Iraq to include Fallujah and Ramadi, and B Company operated in hot spots west of the Euphrates River and the far western portions of Iraq near the Syrian border.

C Company provided convoy escort in Multi-National Division North and operated in some of the more recent danger areas around Mosul and Kirkuk. Nine of the 10 Soldiers wounded in action from the battalion were from C Company. The battalion had no fatalities.

In addition to the three infantry companies, the Battalion is made up of approximately 100 Soldiers from the Winchester-based Headquarters Company, approximately 125 Soldiers from Fredericksburg-based D Company and approximately 125 Soldiers from Fredericksburg-based F Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion. These three units will return to the USA in the coming weeks. Additional information about their return will be provided once the units have landed at their demobilization station.

Additional Background Information on 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry

The 3rd Battalion, 116 Infantry, also referred to as Task Force Normandy, was alerted Feb. 3, 2007 for mobilization and overseas deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This alert came 19 months after the battalion returned from Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The battalion entered active duty in late June 2007 for mobilization training prior to leaving the United States.

In the span of four months, the unit was able to staff and equip the battalion for the mission, calling upon Soldiers and equipment from 42 different units across the Commonwealth to form the largest battalion task force the Virginia National Guard has mobilized in support of the Global War on Terror. The battalion numbered nearly 800 Soldiers when the embarked upon their mission.

The battalion's deployment was also the first time a Virginia National Guard rifle battalion ever deployed from Virginia with the new organizational structure of the Army's new modular brigade system.

The battalion deployed with its Headquarters Company, three rifle companies, (A, B and C Companies), a special weapons company (D Company) and a forward support company (F Company).

While at the mobilization station, Camp Shelby, Miss., the battalion was unexpectedly forced to accelerate the deployment timeline for two of its six companies. Due to urgent needs in Iraq and in support of the troop surge, A Company and C Company were required to accelerate their training timeline in order to arrive in theater to begin combat operations.

Both A and C companies successfully completed six back-to-back collective training exercises with no rest in between.

"These exercises were physically and mentally intensive ranging from mounted combat patrols to urban warfare," said Lt. Col. John Epperly, commander of 3rd Battalion. "This is significant because the change from light infantry to mounted warfare represented a significantly new way of fighting for these Soldiers and one which they had never been trained in previously Fire teams and squads were re-organized into gun truck crews and trained in new tactics, techniques and procedures for mounted convoy escort. Under intense time pressure, both A and C companies validated for deployment and departed the United States on time under the new schedule."

Upon departure from mobilization station, Task Force Normandy deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait. The three rifle companies were assigned to convoy escort duty in Iraq. Each rifle company was assigned to a Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and provided convoy escort to an area of operations ranging from 750 to 1,000 square kilometers.

Headquarters Company, D Company and F Company were assigned to Security Force (SECFOR) missions in Kuwait. D Company provided protection to the strategically important deepwater port at Ash Shuaybah. F Company provided port security at Kuwait Naval Base and protection to ammunition sustainment operations and re-deploying coalition forces at Kuwait Naval Base. The Headquarters Company provided command and control to the battalion's port security missions as well as the Area Reaction Force for all of southern Kuwait, an area that covered over 6000 square kilometers of battlespace known as SECFOR South.

"During its time in Kuwait and Iraq, 3rd Battalion was integral to the success of several operations, events and activities," Epperly said. "The units stationed in Kuwait made significant gains and innovations in securing critical infrastructure vital to the war effort in all of southwest Asia."

For a period of over 8 months, Headquarters Company, D and F companies, in concert with Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons 5 and 21, provided joint security to the two strategic deepwater ports in Kuwait. "These ports were absolutely critical to the entire coalition war effort in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan since over 95% of all supplies coming into theater used these ports," Epperly said.

While securing these ports, the battalion searched over 100,000 vehicles and 300,000 people without disruption to the ports. The battalion's local combat patrols around the port facilities logged over 10,000 vehicle hours without a serious incident. The battalion also secured the loading and unloading of over 8,000 combat vehicles as several brigade combat teams flowed into and out of Iraq.

The Headquarters Company provided an Area Response Force for all of southern Kuwait. Soldiers provided personal security detachments for distinguished visitors and aerial quick reaction forces for both the President's and First Lady's visits. They worked in a joint security environment with Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons 5 and 21 as well as the Air Force's 586th Expeditionary Warfare Group.

D Company provided fixed site security and a Quick Reaction Force for the Seaport of Debarkation at Ash Shuaybah, Kuwait. This is the theater logistics center of gravity because over 90% of supplies for the warfights in Iraq and Afghanistan flow through this port. Delta's mission had strategic implications. They also worked in a joint security environment with Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons 5 and 21 as well as the Air Force's 586th Expeditionary Warfare Group.

F Company provided fixed site security and Quick Reaction Force for Kuwait Naval Base. Their mission secured the Naval Base where all ammunition enters the theater. Further, they secured the deployment and re-deployment of five Marine Expeditionary Groups. They also worked in a joint security environment with Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons 5 and 21 as well as the Air Force's 586th Expeditionary Warfare Group. F Company worked closely with Navy Inshore Boat Units to provide seamless sea and land side security for the Naval Base.

Touchdown in Mississippi

The boys landed in Mississippi last night shortly before midnight and arrived at Camp Shelby around 2:00 AM. With a 4:30 AM wake-up call there wasn't much time for sleep and after 72 hours on the move in the same clothes I'm sure showers came before sleep. During the next few days there will be medical exams, shots, financial paperwork, counseling and other good things to prepare them for returning home. The process of becoming a civilian again begins. Company B will be returning to Woodstock on Saturday. We'll have times later this week.
Last night, after getting the phone call that they had landed in Mississippi, Jan began to cry. It wasn't just tears of joy......there is a profound sense of sadness for all those families that continue to endure the sacrifice and for all those families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Our joy is tempered by the knowledge that this war continues to rob our country of so much. While we celebrate the safe return of our children we mourn for damage done to our country and our military.

No news is good news?

Have you ever sat on pins and needles....of course you have - everyone has had the experience of "expectation." Waiting with bated breathe....I didn't have a clue where that expression came from but it's something I've used growing up so I did a little research.
Shakespeare is the first writer known to use it, in The Merchant of Venice, in which Shylock says to Antonio: “Shall I bend low and, in a bondman’s key, / With bated breath and whisp’ring humbleness, / Say this ...”. Nearly three centuries later, Mark Twain employed it in Tom Sawyer: “Every eye fixed itself upon him; with parted lips and bated breath the audience hung upon his words, taking no note of time, rapt in the ghastly fascinations of the tale”.

The term means a heightened sense of expectation so intense that it becomes a tangible feeling....I never knew I was such a literate person to go around quoting Shakespeare and Mark Twain, but now you know how I feel! I'm waiting with bated breath and assuming that no news is good news. If the boys were hung up somewhere I'm assuming we would have heard.
Keep posted for breaking news! I hope soon!

Homeword bound?

Details are few and OpSec requires that specifics are not available, but look to the sky! We have it on good authority that Seth, Eli and the rest of the 3-116th will be in Mississippi sooner than you know!

Cartoon from our paper

John McCain and the New GI Bill

Having built his own career on his service and suffering in Vietnam, he surely must be aware that the new generation of vets receives nothing like the assistance made available to those who served with him in Viet Nam or in Korea or in World War II -- because the landmark bill (pushed by progressive liberals by the way) has not been updated for many years. The current level of benefits doesn't cover even half the cost of state college tuition for most soldiers. The original bill included full college tuition, books and spending money as well as no down payment, low interest house loans.

Sens. James Webb of Virginia and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska wrote the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, whose cost is estimated at less than $4 billion, or approximately one-tenth of 1 percent in the total expense of the current war. They have gathered 53 co-sponsors, including nine Republicans and three of the four other Vietnam veterans in the Senate, but they need 60 to defeat a likely filibuster by conservatives who've never served.
Incredibly, McCain has so far refused to add his name to the sponsors. His excuse is he has not had any time to read the bill during the past year or so. He has time to glorify his contributions as a member of the "Greatest Generation" but, he has no time for today's soldiers. He has no time to insure that they have the same benefits he had when he returned from Viet Nam. McCain called Obama an elitist for his comments last week about rural Americans and their gun and church. If anyone knows the meaning of elitist surely it's John McCain.

Barney Fife in Iraq.....

I can't help it, but I keep picturing my boys as Barney Fife in Iraq. They continue their paid vacation in the big sandbox awaiting word on departure. All mission equipment has already been turned in including ammunition for their weapons. They still have their weapons, still have to have their weapons with them at all times - they just don't have any ammo. I have this picture of Barney fumbling in his pocket for his bullet and trying to get his gun loaded. I talked to Eli this morning. He said he tried to take some pictures of the inside of their tent this morning because it looks like it snowed during the night. They had another huge sand storm last night and continuing into today. The sand and dust finds it's way into the tents and coats everything. It may be a paid vacation, but it's at the Bate's Motel!

Email from Seth...Pics from Eli!

Two pictures from Eli. The top picture is a sandstorm at Al Asad. Seth and Eli's tent is the second one on the left side of the picture. The second picture is out on the small arms firing range on base...Seth and Eli helped run the M-4/M-9 qualification range three days in a row and this was their crew. The following is an email from Seth:

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this email finds you all doing well and having a great week. Things here are going well, we are just waiting for the word to fly. We recently celebrated over a month in tents. The tents were never comfortable, but at first they were welcome. They signified the beginning of the end, the last stage before leaving Iraq. However as the weeks have passed the tents have become more and more disliked. They are an oven during the day, and with over thirty smelly guys living together in close proximity, the heat is the least of our worries. Not only has the heat and stench drastically increased from a month ago, but we have been having problems with mice in our tents. One soldier went through his rucksack the other day to organize his clothes, and to his surprise he found a mouse in the bottom of his rucksack along with many signs that the mouse had been there for some time. We still find it hard to complain since we are so close to getting out of here, and we know that people have it much worse. But the tents are slowly starting to wear on us and our patience.

We don't spend our days sleeping in, because as soon as the sun starts to come up the canvas tent starts heating up. However we have found creative ways to fight boredom over here. Instead of spending half an hour at the chow hall we spend over an hour. We sit and talk, make sure to eat plenty of ice cream and enjoy each others company. We spend a lot of time in the air conditioned MWR rooms watching movies, reading books, playing ping pong, and just hanging out. As the sun goes down and the temperature starts to cool off everyone slowly migrates back to the tents. In the evening the tents are illuminated from the glow of numerous laptops. I shower every evening to rinse off the days dust and sweat, and then get into bed looking forward to another day, and another day off the final count. The only problem is, with the delays of soldiers getting out of country, no one is exactly sure what the count is. I sleep good with the knowledge that I am a day closer, whenever that day is ,

Take care and have a great rest of your week,

Lots of Love and Peace from the Middle East,
Seth

Hold the presses....John McCain detests War!

During a campaign stop in Jacksonville, Florida, John McCain spent some time talking about war. He said, "I detest war. It might not be the worst thing to befall human beings, but it is wretched beyond all description. Only a fool or a fraud sentamentalizes the merciless reality of war." Good to know that McCain detests war, because at other times he sounds like he's very much in favor! Take his answer to a question about supporting Bush when he said we may have troops in Iraq for 50 years....."Make it a hundred...That would be fine with me." Or his now famous attempt at humor: "You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran? Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." Or how about his statement when he appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart: "I had something picked out for you, too - a little IED (improvised explosive device) to put on your desk." Who makes fun of IED's when our soldiers are being blown to pieces? So the question is: Is McCain a fool or a fraud?

The war touches Fairmont Drive

Nineteen American Soldiers won't return home after last week's events in Iraq. While Bush and Bush wanna-be John McCain talk about the success of the surge and staying the course in Iraq, nineteen soldiers were killed last week. That week now becomes the deadliest of 2008 for our soldiers. Our across the street neighbor stopped by this morning to tell us that her nephew was killed last week in Iraq. Like Seth, he married last year before heading overseas. Another life lost, another family devastated, a young bride left to wonder about a future that will never be fulfilled.

A blog comment from LTC John Epperly

The following is a comment that was left on a blog entry. I appreciate LTC Epperly's comments and send my appreciation to him for a job well done! I know how I've worried about my boys - he's had the duty of worrying about 810 boys. I'm sorry I won't get to shake his hand at the homecoming but I offer him my public, heartfelt thanks.

My name is LTC John Epperly and I am your sons' battalion commander. Several of my Soldiers have blogs that I read when I can to see how things are going for my Soldiers. It’s a great window in daily reality. As you put your blog to bed, please know that I have truly enjoyed reading it. You have given our Nation and Commonwealth two very fine young men. Thank You for your sacrifice in these past months. I know the worry you must have felt. I have two sons myself. I’ve worried over all 810 of my troops for many months and by God's providence we'll ALL be returning home soon. I'll miss you at their homecoming in Woodstock as I still must bring out the last of our companies a couple weeks later. But, I wanted to thank you for your support. May God Bless you and your family!

PS Don't look now, but there will be an airplane coming over the horizon soon...as promised.

John

April 12, 2008 2:45:00 PM EST

Cue the music.................the theme music from Welcome Back Kotter....John Sebastian singing "Welcome Back:"

Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out
Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about
Well, the names have all changed since you hung around
But those dreams have remained and they've turned around

A swell of patriotic music - Perhaps "I'm Proud to be an American" or something equally capable of bringing tears to your eyes.

The music screeches.....remember old 45's and 33's when you didn't quite get the needle lifted cleanly..............and then

The Foundations singing:
Why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down and mess me around
And then worst of all you never call, baby
When you say you will, but I love you still
I need you more than anyone darling
You know that I have from the start
So build me up, Buttercup, don't break my heart

Break our hearts they did! We learned early on during basic training that the Army likes to mess with you. We developed a saying: Nothing is definite until it's over! The Army strikes again. The countdown on my computer says "Bye, Bye Iraq!...Today is the Day!" I have to reset the counter because the Army says Today isn't the Day. Seth and Eli's departure has been delayed by a week. They had their change of command ceremony, the guys were pumped and ready to leave, and "hold on there - just a minute....not yet!
Why do you build me up buttercup baby
Just to let me down and mess me around!

Putting a blog to bed

I started blogging in October 2004. My blog was titled "American Soldier" and it chronicled my son's experiences while serving in the War on Terror in Afghanistan. Seth and Eli joined the Virginia National Guard in the spring of 2003 - their senior year in high school. Their motivation? A surge of patriotism after 9/11, a firm conviction that giving back to their community was a good thing, a blief in the commercials that you can be a weekend warrior while helping your community, state and nation in times of need. The commercials show citizen/soldiers fighting forest fires, assisting during floods and huricanes. Cool stuff for an 18 year old boy. I still remember my wife telling the boys that, bottom line, you need to be prepared to fight a war. The recruiter countered that the Virginia National Guard hadn't been deployed outside the state of Virginia since World War II. The boys joined against the wishes of their mother, but I have to admit I was proud of their decision.
Long story, short....Seth and Eli enjoyed one semester of college before heading off for basic training - Seth in Infantry and Eli to be a combat medic. Seth returned from basic training in June of 2004 and by September was on his way to Fort Bragg to prepare for deployment to Afghanistan with the 3-116th Infantry of the National Guard. My blog was born - therapy for the soul. When Seth returned from Afghanistan I thought my blogging days were over, but in the spring of 2007 word came that both Seth and Eli would be deploying to Iraq...the blog was revived under the new name, "American Soldiers."
The boys have less than 48 left in Iraq. They will depart sometime this weekend, spend a couple of days in Kuwait then about a week in Mississippi before returning to Woodstock and home. I'll put my blog to bed....hopefully for good. But the question nagging me now is what to do with my blog? It represents a part of the Lovell family history. Can it stay on the internet forever? My oldest son, Joshua, printed out all the pages when Seth returned from Afghanistan and put them in a nice binder - a kind of keepsake for Seth. I tried my hand at self-publishing this past Christmas when I published some of my father-in-laws art into a hard-covered book using a web site called "Blurb." With little effort I turned out a beautiful 40 page book of his art called "A man, a pencil and a piece of paper." Blurb can automatically turn your blog into a book....the problem....my blog would need a 400 page book and would be prohibitively expensive. You can see my problem. As I continue to update my blog covering the return of the 3-116th to Woodstock I'll be thinking about how to put my blog to bed. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Email from Eli

We've had some boring days and some busy days lately...today was one of the boring ones. Seth and I just found out that we could bring our personal laptops to the MWR computer room, so I thought I would make the trek and send you some pictures. Yesterday, Sunday, Seth and I went with a group from our Company to visit a part of the base that, according to myth, was a location mentioned in the bible. The place is called "Abraham's Oasis" and there is a plaque there that gives a history of the area and of Al Asad Air Base. The inscription on the plaque is written in both English and Arabic, and a section of it reads, "According to Arab legend, Abraham, the patriarch of the Hebrew Bible, the Qur'an, and other Islamic writings visited the Oasis at Al Asad on his journey from Ur to Haran (Gen 11:31; Stories of the prophets...) According to legend he stopped at the oasis, drank from its water, and bathed himself. He and his family camped here for a short time before moving on to Haran."
There is a lot more, but I was typing all that while reading it off of some pictures I took of the plaque, and that was getting tiring. It was a cool experience and fun to get some of the history of the base. The base was built in 1985 by Yugoslavian contractors. We also got to see some of the old base and the bobmed barracks and Iraqi fighter jets. I took pictures, but this e-mail can only fit two pics on it. We also hiked around the area of the Oasis, which is full of a variety of date trees, which resemble palm trees. The other thing we walked to was a mass grave, erected for civillians and military during the Iran/Iraq conflict. We spent about two hours on this tour and then went to the Gospel service on base...a service that is very stereotypical gospel, lots of yelling "can I get a witness?" and "can I get an amen?" and very upbeat music. Seth and I love it! We then enjoyed some pizza at pizza hut and spent the evening getting some things together for our platoon party on Tuesday, which we have the Chuville MWR rented for.

It won't be long now until we are home, and it is hard to believe. The end is in sight, and it seems close, but at the same time it still seems far away. Its been over a year now since this deployment became a big distraction to our lives, and we've been gone for close to 10 months now, so what little time we have left when considering all that seems like no time at all. Seth and I are both glad we had this experience and proud of the fact we served our country, but boy oh boy are we ready to get this behind us and be with our family! We always joke that we make good soldiers, but we make even better civillians. I hope you all are doing well and we will see you soon!
Love you all!
Eli

No News is Good News!

Everything you read about blogging and maintaining your own web page tells you to update regularly.....after all, who wants to read the same thing over and over....beware! - you'll lose traffic if you don't continually post new content! As far as I'm concerned, no new content is a good thing. I honestly have nothing to post about other than the fact the the countdown on my computer is progressing in a good, efficient manner. Seth and Eli are spending their last days in Iraq and by next weekend will be on their way home. The question I've been asked by many is "Will they have to go back." My answer - "I don't know." I'll pray that they don't and I'll pray for an end to this war because I grieve every time a soldier leaves his family and heads off to war. I read the other day that we now have soldiers who have spent more time in a war zone than soldiers did during World War II. I also read in our local paper that for the first time since polling began to ask this question, over 80% of Americans think this country is headed in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, those responding were more concerned about high gas prices than the war. The war has begun to take a back seat to other, more pressing concerns. That thought makes me one of the 80% who think we're headed in the wrong direction.