In the ASV and Home Sweet Home

I'm passing along two pics from Eli. The first shows Eli in his ASV ready to rock and roll and the second shows home sweet home.....middle door. Not much to look at, but all the comforts of home.

Distractions........

Everyone needs distractions from the stress and strain of everyday life. For Jan and myself it was a weekend trip to Williamsburg with good friends. We visited with Josh and Lillian, ate too much, went to a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater (where I won the award for the stupidest solution to the mystery) and walked around the historic area. For Katy and Brittany the distraction involved a quick trip to Denver to hang out with Jan's sister. Brittany drove to North Carolina last Wednesday and they flew flew from Greensboro to Denver returning on Sunday. How do Seth and Eli distract themselves from the horrible reality they live every day? Apparently by playing Halo 3. For those of you who live in a cave, Halo 3 is the newest and best war game for the X-box. Apparently you distract yourself from war by playing war.....a novel concept. Now this isn't just sitting in front of your TV playing by yourself or with a friend. Getting 150 feet of Ethernet cable allows you to wire four cans together and now you can play with up to 16 people from the comfort of your own little room while your friends are happily bedded down in their own rooms.
We talked to Eli this morning and all sounds well. Their room has become a place where friends hang out.....just like home. One of the things I miss most about the boys being gone (and I'm not talking about being in Iraq....I'm talking about being grown, married and having their own places) is all the friends dropping by and hanging out on the stoop. The patio used to be a happening place....now it's quiet. But the tradition apparently continues in Iraq. Seth and Eli have a way about them that draws people to them. Maybe that's their role in this war...just to make the people around them feel a little normal as they hang out together and have some fun. Maybe instead of picturing them as soldiers I'll picture them on a mission trip - building relationships with their fellow soldiers and bringing a little piece of down home hospitality to their can.
Eli forwarded some pictures this morning. Look for them on the blog later today.

From a son to a mother.....

Eli recently sent an email to Jan....the message was don't worry, be happy! Here's a few excerpts:
I don't want you to worry about us....I know that is impossible, but you have to trust that we are safe. I just finished reading "Ghost Soldiers" which is about the American POWs at Cabantuan POW camp on the Phillipines. There is a letter in the book from one of the prisoners back to his parents, and in the letter it reads, "you don't have to worry about me because with all the prayers everyone is sending me there is no way I could be anything but safe." So, don't worry about us. We're experiencing things and doing things most people will never have an opportunity to experience or do.
I am proud of the fact that I am serving my country, even though I do not agree with this war. I will come home a very proud combat veteran, and even though this whole military experience has had its ups and downs, I know it is something I will never regret.

Back to my old ways............

It wasn't too long ago that I declared my blog a news free, politics free zone. I've tried....really I've tried. You don't know how I've struggled with keeping my mouth shut. To tell you the truth, I think it's helped my disposition and improved my already sunny outlook on life. So I'm reaffirming my goal of staying a politics free blog. I won't be bashing Little George anymore and I'm going to avoid delving into the relationship between Dick Cheney and Barrack Obama (although it really is hard to stay away from comments about the ultra-conservative poster boy Dickie and his gay daughter and black relatives.....I mean so much good material there.) The news, on the other hand.....I just have to pass along two items.
The first is the activation of an additional eight National Guard Units for deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq. This involves approximately 25,000 citizen soldiers. The good news is Robert Gates commitment to keep deployments of National Guard soldiers to twelve months. The interesting part of this story was the data that as of this summer approximately 185,000 National Guard Soldiers have served in Afghanistan or Iraq. About 28,000 of those soldiers have served more than one deployment (they're talking about Seth.) With that many soldiers being deployed it really is past time for our leaders to look at compensation differences between regular army and National Guard, including educational benefits.
The second item is the news that an independent study questions billions spent on bomb-resistant vehicles for Iraq and Afghanistan. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington wonders if the military is buying too many in a rush to correct earlier shortfalls. I wonder if any of these people who work at this center and conducted this research has children driving around Iraq? Who could seriously question the value of these vehicles when they have cut casualties by 80%. I say send these people to Iraq and have them drive around in soft vehicles for a couple of weeks and see if they still think we're spending too much money protecting our soldiers! All you need to do is compare the picture at the top of this post - Seth as a gunner in Afghanistan - and the picture of the ASV a little further down on my posts and you will see the huge difference in vehicles. Easy to see why our soldiers are safer. And that's a good thing! Apparently the world is full of idiots and the only work they can find is conducting useless research.

The Email Mailbag

We rolled out of bed this morning to the sound of the computer(phone) ringing. Always a delightful way to start your day when you get an opportunity to talk to one of your sons! Seth was taking a break from answering emails and called home to catch up on news and wish us "top of the morning!" Seth said he had over fifty emails that he was answering. Being in and out of the base he falls behind on his correspondence. The emails from friends, family and a few strangers mean a lot to the boys. Seth noted that he had even gotten an email from somebody that goes to grandma's church.
Eli is due back on base today and Seth will be leaving tomorrow for a quick out and back.
Seth reflected on his time in Afghanistan after spending some time going back through my blog and looking at pictures. When he was in Afghanistan he was in a "soft" humvee acting as a gunner in an exposed turret. He notes that the ASV is heavily armored and the gunner is never exposed. In addition they wear so much body armor that they never wore in Afganistan.....oh my have times have changed.

Volleyball and tears.......

Somewhere along the way, Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline which was released in 1969 has captivated a new audience. It's become a favorite party song of a new generation as they sing along shouting "So Good! So Good! So Good! after Neil sings "Good times never felt so good." Picture forty or so people in a garage, singing Karaoke, a mixture of twenty-somethings and old married couples. When Seth and Brittany married this past summer before Seth's deployment we held the rehearsal party at Keith and Betsy's. Rain forced us inside and eventually we ended up in the garage with the karaoke machine going full blast. One of the highlights of the evening for me (and there were many highlights) was singing Sweet Caroline with our friends (the old married couples) and Seth and Eli's friends. What a wonderful bittersweet time as we watched Seth and Brittany sing and dance and enjoy their friend's and family.
Last night Jan and I went to the Volleyball game at the high school. During the warm-up music the team played Sweet Caroline, complete with the singing and dancing. I had to fight back the tears - who would understand an old man sitting in the bleachers crying to Sweet Caroline? I just wanted to be back in Keith and Betsy's garage!

milblogging!

American Soldiers is now listed on milblogging.com. Milblogging.com currently has 1,832 military blogs in 32 countries and Seth and Eli's story is now listed on their site. I occasionally get random emails from people who have read their story. What an interesting place....the world wide web. If you go to Milblogging.com and put American Soldiers or Lovellsoldiers into the search box you get Seth and Eli's story!

Faith and a trip to Baghdad

Our dear friends Fred and Laura work at the Massanetta Springs Conference Center. This Presbyterian Conference Center has been an important part of my children's faith journey. All three boys attended the middle school conferences, worked at the middle school conferences and Joshua has led workshops as a adult. When Seth and Eli left for their deployment, Fred and Laura asked them to think about the scripture lesson that would be used for this summer's conference. Eli wrote to Fred not long ago, and Fred shared his email. I know Eli won't mind me sharing part of it with you:

I have read the bible verse several times and have been doing a lot of thinking about it. I think there are several things in the verse that you could work with, but I think the main theme is faith. The pharisees lack of it and the paralyzed man and his friends abundance of it. I think in this world where so often you hear, "seeing is believing" that faith is a very hard thing to come to terms with. In my spiritual journey I have questioned many things, but the main one has been my faith. I sometimes ask myself, "how do I know that God exists?" I have really learned though over the years that I find God in the intangible things in my life and that I dont have to physically see to believe. I see God when I see people going out of their way to be kind and help other people out, I see God in my relationships with other people and the love that is so prevalent in my life. I see God in all the blessings I have, which have become more visible to me over my years.

Faith is still something I struggle with all the time. When I was travelling to Baghdad I was terrified at first. However, I kept praying and I would say, "Dear Lord, help me let go of this fear I am holding on to, help me have faith in you and your plan for me, help me have confidence that you will watch over me and protect me. Give me faith so that I may not be scared any longer. Help me realize that no matter where I am, you are always with me." I said that prayer over and over again during my 9 hours into Baghdad, and then again as I returned to Al Asad. Everytime I leave the wire I say that prayer, and it has amazingly reduced my anxiety levels and my stress. That is another way I can see God, in the calming and reassuring factor that prayer has on me.

Road Rage Potential?

Here's Seth's latest email....to understand why Seth is pleased with his squad's new name, you have to understand his love of pigs. I don't know where it came from, but Seth has always liked pigs. In fact, during the one art class he took in high school, he made a pig statue, a pig pin for his mother and numerous drawings of pigs! Here' the email:

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this e-mail finds you all doing well and continuing to enjoy the autumn season. The weather here has not cooled down much, but it will soon enough. While the weather here is hot, it is not nearly as bad as the humid scorching days that we endured while at Shelby. My recent trip off base went well, it was another good experience. We went up to a base up north that is at the Syrian border. Myself and the squad I work with are feeling more and more comfortable every day with the job we are doing. While we were out this last time we had a group discussion and decided on a squad name. Every group that goes out has a name to use as their call sign over the radio, we have decided that our new squad name is going to be "War Pigs!" I was pleased with the decision, I think it will work well. We are looking into getting t-shirts made as well as patches for our uniform. I like my squad a lot and enjoy spending time with them. We work well together and also make sure to have a lot of fun. I'm going to share just some random events and thoughts from my last two patrols:

While unloading some road barriers for the Iraqi Police alongside a road we had two Iraqi men in a truck come up to our location. They stopped their truck and got out of the vehicle. They spoke enough broken English that we could understand them. They wanted to pass us, because they lived on the other side of where we were dropping off these barriers. However because of the amount of military vehicles that were doing this work it was impossible for them to pass. They explained to us that earlier in the day they had left their home and had been stopped at a checkpoint for two hours, now they were heading home and had to wait again. It took us another two hours to complete our work, the Iraqi men sat their helpless because this was the only way to get to their house.

As our convoy moves down the highways no cars are allowed to pass us, and the cars coming in the opposite direction are forced to move off the road. If these vehicles do not comply we are authorized to use force to make them comply. Our convoy sometimes moves as slow as 20 mph due to the heavy loads that are sometimes being moved. The traffic piles up behind us and to the sides of the roads as we move by.

This is their country, but we are the law. I understand their frustrations and feel for the people. Just as they cheered when Sadaam fell, I am sure they will celebrate when the United States leaves their country. It will be a nice day for these people when they can drive down the road without worrying about running across a convoy, when they can drive without being constantly stopped and searched at the checkpoints that frequent the roadsides of this country. Next time you get caught in some traffic due to construction or a slow stoplight just remember, it could be a lot worse.
Take care and I will talk to you all soon,
Lots of Love,
Seth

Early Morning Phone Call

Seth called this morning to report back in from his recent trip. They've been to the Syrian border and back to pick up a disabled vehicle and empty fuel trucks. Seth reports that parts of this trip reminded him of being in Afghanistan with the empty, rugged, and trackless travel. He said parts of the trip reminded him of movie scenes of endless dessert with miles of dunes. They spent the first night in a Forward Operating Base then traveled the next day to a Marine outpost on the border. After picking up the vehicle they returned to the same FOB for another night before returning to Al Asad. Seth was a driver on this trip. He thinks he won't be going back outside the wire until the end of this week. Eli will be leaving Tuesday for a mission. When I asked Eli the other day if he and Seth would ever go out together, he reported that the Commander's sentiment was not to send them out on the same mission. Eli wants to go out with his platoon, the guys he trained with in Mississippi and he has the Platoon Leaders support. Eli feels that he will get to go out with Seth as long as they don't travel in the same vehicle.

Finally....some pics

I'll let the pics speak for themselves......

I thought it might be helpful to put some maps on the blog. This map to the left is the Middle East that will help orient you to the entire area and Iraq's position to its neighbors. The map above is more of a close-up of Iraq. The boy's are in the Anbar province and you can see where that is in relation to Baghdad. The third map shows an unnamed lake and the Euphrates river. Seth talked about traveling over the dam, seeing the lake on one side and the river on the other side. If you put your mouse over the maps and click you will get an enlarged picture.

Back outside the wire - an email from Seth

Dear Family and Friends,

I can't tell you how nice it was to return from five long days outside the wire and find so many e-mails awaiting me. I had planned on sitting down and writing a lot of individual e-mails to people, but as it turns out my squad got picked for another multi day mission kicking off tomorrow. I will be gone for between three to five days. One of the nice thing about going outside the wire is that it makes me appreciate Al Asad and my little room a lot more.

My last trip outside the wire was a good experience. It was a joint mission with the unit that we are currently replacing. I felt like I learned a lot, and our squad is more than ready to take over. We have learned more in these past few weeks then the whole entire time down at Shelby. During our mission I saw some interesting parts of the country. Part of our route took us along the Euphrates River, and then to a place called the Haditha Dam. We crossed over top of the Dam with our convoy, and saw a very beautiful lake on the one side, with the Euphrates on the other, it was quite a sight. Around this lake was quite a number of seagulls, which I never thought I would see in Iraq. Overall it was a good mission and a good learning experience.

I am getting ready to get my haircut by my own personal barber (Eli), then I am going to take a shower, watch a movie (also with Eli), then go to bed. I have an early wake up tomorrow because of our mission. I will e-mail more later, until then take care and I look forward to talking to you all soon,

Love, Seth

Back on the Roller Coaster.......

Just when I thought we could relax a little with both boys inside the wire, Seth calls to report that he going back out for a three-day mission. Didn't he just return from spending five days outside the wire? I'm pretty sure this isn't good for my heart! Jan and I do relax a little knowing that they're at Al Asad, then the stress builds when we know they're out and about in the Iraqi countryside. Back into waiting mode....waiting to hear he's returned.

Home again

Eli called us last night about 9:00 PM. He had just returned from Baghdad and was reporting in safe and sound. As Jan and I were getting into bed I made the comment that she should sleep well, knowing that her boys are home. She kind of put me in my place when she noted "They're not home, they're in Iraq."
Many of you are on Eli's mailing list so you got an email this morning. Even for Eli, he feels home because he has Seth with him. You have to enoy the small things and take confort where you can. Just like this blog is my therapy, writing is Eli's. He's always been a prolific writer and going in we knew we would get details.
Here is Eli's email for those of you who haven't seen it:

Dear friends and family,

Seth and I have now been at Al Asad Air Base in the Anbar Province of Iraq for a little over two weeks....where does the time go? Talking about time, I just returned several hours ago from a four day mission to Baghdad, and I did a lot of thinking about time. April 12th, 2007 is a date that sticks out in my mind, and tomorrow will be exactly 6 months from that date. Why April 12th? That is the day I got the phone call that I was deploying to Iraq, and for half a year now this deployment has been at either the back or forefront of my mind. Seth said it best when he said that a deployment reaches far beyond the actual dates you are gone. It affects you before you deploy; knowing in the back of your mind that the day when you leave home is fast approaching. It also affects you when you return as you need time to get readjusted to a regular lifestyle. Also, tomorrow will be 14 months that I have been married to my wonderful and amazing wife, Katy! One more time issue, in exactly one week from today, Seth and I will have been on this deploment for exactly four months.....a third of the way towards coming home!

As I mentioned I just returned from spending four days in Baghdad. I went on a convoy security mission supporting KBR (a civilian contracting agency getting rich over here) trucks that were taking supplies to Baghdad. On the way into Baghdad we drove past Fallujah and out the window we saw a group of about 10-12 college aged Iraqis dressed up walking down the street. They were smiling and laughing and paid the heavily armed American convoy they were walking beside very little attention. We, of course, paid them a lot of attention as our gunners followed their every move through their night scopes. A little while later we were forced to stop at an intersection to let another coalition convoy pass, and from where we were stopped our gunner spotted what looked like a restaraunt. I leaned up from my seat to take a look (you can't see much from my seat in the back) and sure enough there was a little neon sign with arabic writing and we could peer into a little restaraunt and see people sitting around enjoying food together. These two scenes seemed very normal to me, and I don't know why I found that strange. Maybe because I was literally only several feet from these scenes in a heavily armored security vehicle equipped with an automatic grenade launcher and a .50 cal machine gun, I was carrying an M-4, 9 mil, and a kinfe and wearing body armor? Seemed a little odd to me that there I was, and there they were paying no attention to us at all. An interpreter we worked with at Mississippi had told us that we will run into Iraqis who act as though we are invisible and will pay us no attention. She said they will just go on with their day to day lifes because that is the only way they stay sane...by acting normal. She also reminded us that we (America) have been in her country for over four years now, so people have to act normal because heavily armed convoys are the norm.

The weather is still up in the upper 90s and low 100s over here, but it is slowly cooling down. The evenings and mornings are pleasant. We actually had a thunder storm the other day....thunder, lightning, heavy rain, the whole shabang! This morning at 3:30 am as I was carrying my things back to my room it was drizzling rain and about 70 degrees outside, I closed my eyes and pretended it was fall weather in Virginia I was experiencing. It almost worked until my boot got stuck in wet sand! As I got close to my room I could not have been more happy to be returning to....home? Our buddies over here do not allow one another to refer to anything over here as home, but for me and for the next eight months, my little "can" as it is referred to, is home. When I got to my can I was very happy to see Seth had returned from his mission where he was out for five days supporting marine engineers. I miss Seth when we are apart because he is what helps make our can home. My #1 roommate is Katy but since Seth and I did room together for most of our life he is a pretty good substitute.

I hope everyone is doing well. Seth and I were woken up this morning by our squad leader pounding on our door telling us to get all our mail out of their can because it was taking up too much room.....so, thank you to all who have sent letters and packages, they are greatly appreciated! Take care and continue to stay in touch.

Love,
Eli

Great Day!

One of our favorite musical groups is called "Eddie From Ohio." They sing a song called "Great Day." In fact, Jan and I were listening to them last night and to that song in particular. This morning on the way to work, Seth called to report he was back at Al Asad after five days outside the wire. They escorted construction equipment and operators to a dam project and provided perimieter security. Hearing his voice first thing in the morning made it a Great Day indeed! I'm sure Seth will be doing one of mass emails soon and I'll get it on the Blog as soon as possible.

When is a little communication too much communication?

It is so wonderful hearing from Seth and Eli on a regular basis and I've been introduced to the world of Skype and web cams....wonderful things. And even though I wouldn't change a thing, sometimes knowing what the boys are doing on a daily basis is hard on the heart and the stress level. Seth is getting ready to go outside the wire for an extended mission and Eli will be leaving on another mission soon. While they're gone they'll be out of touch and we'll just wait to hear about a safe return to Al Asad. Seth's mission may be lengthy so patience will be required....patience and faith.

Completely Random

I know this is completely random and has nothing to do with life today, but I was surfing the net a little (I have a student teacher right now) and found this pic on the Bridgewater College web site. Katy and Eli were the mixed doubles tennis champions last year at Bridgewater College. It looked like a good pic to throw on the blog for everyone to see.

pogie bait and other stories

Eli skyped this morning (boy does that slow down the morning routine)and we chatted for about half an hour. They've finally gotten their trunks that were shipped ahead about a month ago. That means Eli will have his USB cable for his camera and I'll start getting some pics to post on the blog. We got a blow by blow description of how they are rearranging their room to allow more space including a blow up love seat they're thinking of getting. It's always facinating talking to the boys as they throw all these acronyms around expecting us to know what they're talking about. Most of the time I just nod my head and say something appropriate. Sometimes I just have to ask "what did you say?" Today, Eli was talking about getting some plastic drawers to keep their pogiebait in. He said they like to take extra poptarts, drink mixes and other pogiebait from the chow hall to keep in their room. I couldn't resist and just had to ask what pogiebait was. A "pog" is a person other than a grunt. These are people on the base that never go outside the wire. These are the office workers, the communication people, the people who work in the motor pool. Pogs sit around the base eating junk food and getting fat. So, by definition, pogiebait is junkfood.
Eli talked a little about his trip to Baghdad. The trip was about 8 hours and jammed into an ASV with all your gear makes for a long, uncomfortable trip. Eli talked about his gear including all his body armour, night vision goggles, communication gear and a myriad of other things. They even have a place to plug in their Ipod so they can listen to music while traveling. Along those lines I read an interesting article in the local paper the other day talking about the cost to outfit a soldier. During WW II it costs about $170 (adjusted for inflation) to outfit a soldier. Of course, they got a uniform, bedroll, canteen and a weapon. The WW II soldier carried about 25 pounds of gear. Today it costs between $28,000 and $60,000 to outfit a soldier. The wide price range is due to equipping soldiers differently depending on their assignment. Today soldiers have advanced body armor, anti-ballistic eyewear, fire retardant uniforms, night-vision eyewear, thermal weapon sights and other hi-tech gear. All in all, they put on roughly 75 pounds of gear. Eli carries an additional 30 pounds or so of medical gear.
Eli had a couple of briefings today and training on traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Most of you probably received Seth's email today. For those that didn't see it, here it is:

Dear Family and Friends,
Things here in Al Asad continue to go well, the weather is hot, but it is supposed to begin cooling down in the next couple of weeks. The unit that we are replacing has informed us that there is a winter over here, and it is not much fun. They said the temperature will get into the 30s and 40s during the day, but the worst part is that it rains a lot. The rain turns all this sand and dirt into mud. I'm not looking forward to the rain, however I am looking forward to a little cooler weather.

Eli recieved a package in the mail from Katy with some Haloween decorations, some candy, and some movies. One of the movies is a scary one, and Eli and I have decided that we are throwing a Haloween party. It won't be much of a party, but we've already let our friends know that we are going to eat candy and watch a scary movie in our little room, everyone said they will be attending, so our room could get a little cramped. When we are at home Eli and I love to entertain people, so we decided it shouldn't stop over here. We have taken out our bottom bunks to make more space for ourselves, and guests, and today we are going to purchase a TV to enable us to have people over to watch movies. The time you spend with your "battle buddies" (as we call them) is some of the best time you have over here. I look back fondly on my time with all my friends in Afghanistan and all that we went through. I know it will be the same here.

As for training and our mission, things continue to go well, I'm sure you all heard that Eli took a trip to Baghdad. It was a good experience, and not a bad trip. We will be spending lots of time driving and we will have some very long days. The unit that we are replacing is still here, so we are still in the transition phase. We have not fully taken over command, and our unit is still doing a lot of training on all the new equipment we are getting. Thats all the news for now, I hope this e-mail finds everyone doing well and having a good week, take care,
Love, Seth

Back inside the wire

While I still can't give details (OpSec, you know) Eli is safely back inside the wire. He called us last night around 11:30 PM to report in. He called us first, knowing that would be a short call (Jan and I both need our beauty sleep) then called Katy and talked to her for about an hour and a half. We had a conference call with Brittany and Seth this morning with Eli in the background. Eli apparently hasn't slept all day after getting back to Al Asad at 6:30 AM. He said he was a little too wired to sleep so he worked out, went out to lunch with some friends and just hung out in his room. We didn't get any details about his trip other than it went fine.
Seth talked a little more about the Armored Security Vehicle he'll be driving. He described it as a tank and a humvee having a baby. He'll be going out sometime this week on a short day mission to get driving experience.

Armored Security Vehicle

Seth has been training to be a driver on the Armored Security Vehicle. This is the vehicle that is used for convoy security. Seth said that it's hard to drive due to limited visibility, but I'm thinking it looks like just the kind of vehicle I want my boys in! Seth won't drive all the time, but will be used as a driver from time to time.

Early morning phone call

Jan and I had a phone call from Eli this morning and in the process learned something new about Skype. I had been playing with the settings on Skype and set it to forward calls to my cell phone. Eli tried to call my computer this morning, and Jan didn't get to it soon enough. She thought she had lost the call, when my cell phone started ringing and sure enough it was Eli calling through his computer to my cell phone. We had a great conversation with Eli on speakerphone while Jan and I sat at the dining room table eating our breakfast. The call didn't cost Eli anything, but it deducted money from my Skype account. The phone call costs about 72 cents this morning...worth it at twice the price. OpSec doesn't allow me to be specific but Eli will soon be leaving Al Asad on his first mission. When you're behind the wire there isn't too much to worry about, but venturing outside the wire makes life a little worrisome. We won't rest easy until we hear from Eli again which won't be for a couple of days.

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.

Can't Wait

We got a wonderful card in the mail today from Seth and Eli...one of those musical cards that plays a song when you open it. The Jackson Five....I'll be there...just call my name and I'll be there.
Family....always there no matter how much distance separates us.
Here's a video from an August 25 news report on the comeback of Gulfport, Mississippi:

Almost Done

I took these pictures off the FRG Website. FRG stands for "Family Readiness Group." This site provides families with updates and photos of the 3-116th. Each company has their own site and soon each platoon will have a site. Eli has been asked to be the FRG Officer for their platoon - a logical choice given his ability to talk and write. He's been taking lots of pictures - they call him for the "Kodak moments." When we get together in Mississippi I'll get all his photos and be able to post some of them here. The photos here are ones I took off the FRG site for Bravo Company. You can pick Seth out waiting his turn for Marksmenship Qualification. If you click on the picture you can enlarge it and see his smiling face.....actually, he's looking a little bored! The other photo is Bravo Company....Seth and Eli's company.
Jan and I took a walk with Eli last night. Or at least it seemed that way. Jan and I had just set out for our usual evening walk over at the Rehab Center. This is a beautiful walk around the lake and down through the woods that we enjoy. Right at the start of our walk Eli called. I put him on speakerphone on the cell and we walked and talked during the entire walk. When we were finished I thanked Eli for walking with us. They had just returned from five days at the FOB (a mock forward operating base where they can practice real life situations.) They had spent the week doing MPC - mounted patrol convoys. Eli had been pressed into service as a humvee driver since they are short of drivers and he has his humvee license. He is licensed to drive the humvee ambulance and I guess if you can drive one humvee you can drive another. They did a lot of scenario practice and Eli noted that when the 50 cal gun fired from the top of his humvee it shook the entire vehicle. Seth was manning the 240 in the humvee in front of Eli's so he got to watch Seth in action firing the big gun. The 50 cal is a mounted machine gun and as Eli has said the 240 is just a BIG GUN! Imagine how that shakes the humvee.
They leave Sunday for five more days of training at the FOB. Training will be over at that point and we'll be a few days from our time at the Gulf. There's no departure date set in stone, but the boys feel it will be the week after leave. They have been told that they'll go to Kuiwait first and probably spend about two weeks there before heading to their destination in Iraq. One step at a time.....looking forward to spending time in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Update from Mississippi and pics

Hello to all,

I am attempting to send an e-mail and some pictures, but the internet is acting a little crazy, so if you receive this e-mail more then once, or not at all, I apologize. For those of you that do not receive it, ask a friend or family member who did receive it if they could send it to you. Things here are going like one would expect, tiring and hot and full of things that make you scratch your head and go..."huh?" We have been doing lots of training since I returned from Texas. Just to give a quick overview

1. CIED 2 and CiED 3, which consisted of five days of learning counter measures to IEDs, implemented explosive devices. There was some classroom time, but a lot of it was practical exercise which consisted of driving around in humvess through urban and rural terrain doing vehicle maneuvers, coming into contact with "IEDs" and reacting appropriately and promptly. We had a night convoy one of the nights, and then one of the days we drove around all day in the humvees doing lanes, but for the morning part of the training we had to drive "tactically" which meant the windows of the humvess were up. The humvees we have to use at Camp Shelby have no air condition, the ones in Iraq do, we drove around in temperatures above 100 degrees with our windows up, all our gear on including gloves! This one made me scratch my head and go...."huh?" These were some long days.

2. The hardest three days we've had since we have been here was squad live fire. We had a mile long course where we had to do squad movements in full battle rattle, so a lot of running, getting up and down from the prone position, and crawling. The lane lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, but I felt like I had put in a full days work after just that short time. We had targets we fired at the whole way through. We did a walk through one day with no rounds, the next day with blanks, the third day we used live rounds. I was assigned to Bravo team and so at one point during the lane we came into contact with a bunker and my team had to run about 200 meters doing a left flanking movement up a hill while Alpha team (consisting of Seth) laid down suppressive fire, and then myself and another Specialist sprinted another 100 meters over the bunker and threw a simulation grenade into the bunker and then cleared it. A medic clearing a bunker? Scratch your head....I did.

3. We did weapons zero and qualification of our M-4s along with NBC qual which is firing with your gas mask on, and we did night qual. Seth and I were both a first time go on all of the qualifications. Seth also qualified on a M-240, which is simply a "big gun."

4. Land Navigation was fun, but the worst part was it started at 3:00am so you were up at 2:00am to get bussed over there. We used the new GPS systems which are fascinating things, and for our practical exercises we were put into the swamps of Camp Shelby and made to find three locations that, when we finally got there, had a sheet of paper with numbers that you had to record to prove you made it there. We traveled in pairs and returned with mud up to our knees. We then had to find locations all around base driving in the humvees with the GPS systems. The technology is pretty amazing.

We've had plenty of other things going on as well, but those are the main things. Tomorrow starts MCP (mounted convoy patrol) which I will be a driver for because we are short drivers and I have a humvee license. We will head out to the FOB (forward operation base) tomorrow to sleep in tents while we do MCP, which will last five days. After that we have our final event which puts everything we've done so far together.

Only a little over two more weeks and I will be enjoying the Gulf of Mexico with my wonderful family for a few days of leave before we ship! I can not wait!

The attitude here has done a complete 180. When we got here everyone was saying "we hope we stay at Camp Shelby as long as possible because it will keep us out of Iraq." Now everyone is saying, "get us the hell out of Camp Shelby and over to Iraq!"

Hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy the pictures! Take care.

Love,

Eli


ps. I saved this e-mail as a draft as I was having problems, and I tried to send it this evening and was unable to send it with the pictures, so I sent a few to Dad and he'll be posting them on the blog, so that's how you can view them.

Extreme Smoker and Mandatory Fun

That's how Seth described the last two days....Extreme Smoker! Imagine putting on all of your clothes, a couple extra sweatshirts and carrying a book bag filled with bricks. Then picture yourself walking, running, falling to the ground, jumping up and running some more. Now do all this in 100 plus heat! You get the idea. The last two days have been spent practicing field maneuvers. As they move down the road they practice engaging an enemy, taking defensive and offensive positions and most importantly disengaging from the enemy. As they move forward shots are fired and they practice over and over how best to respond to each scenario. The idea is to make their actions second nature....training kicks in and they respond. Of course they're dressed in full battle rattle the entire time in the Mississippi heat and humidity - an extreme smoker! Tuesday they completed this exercise with no ammo in their guns, yesterday they used blanks and today (Thursday) they will be doing it as a live fire exercise. Jan can't imagine why they need to be shooting real ammunition and just hopes they'll be careful. On Friday Seth will be on the 240 Range. This is a mounted large caliber automatic weapon that he used in Afghanistan. THEN......it's a mandatory fun outing. The platoon is going to the mall for an outing. Everybody must attend, hence they're calling it "mandatory fun." Seth and Eli have both said that ordinarily they wouldn't be looking forward to spending four hours at a mall, but given their current circumstances they'll gladly go......the thinkning is dinner and a movie! Life is good! Exreme smoking and mandatory fun!

Tough Day for Virginia

Two Virginia Soldiers have been killed in the War on Terrorism and one soldier died preparing for the fight. A Virginia soldier has been killed in Afghanistan (remember that war?) and another has died of an IED in Iraq. A third soldier from the Virginia National Guard died in Wisconsin while training to deploy to Iraq. He apparently contracted a bacterial meningitis during training and died. All other members of his group have been tested and found free of meningitis. I was talking to someone the other day and mentioned Seth's time in Afghanistan. They wondered if we were still fighting there......It's a sad comment when we have soldiers being killed in a war people don't even remember we're fighting. Who weeps for these soldiers other than their families and friends.....

Guess he didn't want to go......

According to the Associated Press an Iraq-bound Kentucky soldier and two guns missing from Camp Shelby

The AP reports that authorities are searching for a Kentucky National Guardsman who disappeared from Camp Shelby, Mississippi, while he was training for a deployment to Iraq. Officials say two guns are also missing. Private First Class Ryan Longnecker was at Camp Shelby with the Kentucky National Guard's Battery B, Second Battalion, 138th Field Artillery unit. Post spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Doril Sanders says Longnecker was discovered missing on Monday. Sanders says a nine millimeter pistol and M4 semiautomatic rifle were also unaccounted for. The Kentucky unit has been training at Camp Shelby since early June. The troops will be headed to Iraq within the next two weeks.

Video of Al Asad Sandstorm

The following is a video from You Tube from the air base that Seth and Eli will be posting to......enjoy the Sandstorm

Middle School all over again

To say that there are some fundamental differences between Seth and Eli would be an understatement. Seth is a man of few words.....Eli can talk to anyone about anything. Seth is the Reader's Digest Condensed Version.....Eli is the whole story with lots of appendixes. Eli is neat....Seth....well, Seth can be a slob. When they were little as a Christmas present they got plastic tubs filled with paper, markers, scissors, crayons and a variety of others things to get their creative juices flowing. After one month, Eli's tub was still organized and neat. Seth's was a jumbled mess filled with anything and everything, including a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Seth and Eli shared a bedroom. You can see where this is going. Eli's closet was full of hanging clothes organized and cross referenced by color, style and munufacturer. Seth's closet is the entire house - wherever his clothes happen to fall. This diffenence in neatness led to some knock down drag out fights and eventually to the construction of another bedroom in the basement. When Seth and Eli stopped sharing a bedroom peace reigned at the Lovell household. True, we lost a den as well as gaining a bedroom......Seth's mess flowed out of his downstairs room into the den making both rooms uninhabitable for most people. But that was the price we were willing to pay so the boys wouldn't have to share a room.
When we talked to the boys this weekend we learned that room assignments had been made for their posting to Iraq. You guessed it....Seth and Eli will be sharing a room. Does the Army really know what they're doing? The living quarters sound fairly decent. Seth noted that his time in Afghanistan involved some questionable living conditions....he froze, he sweltered, he didn't have much room, the roof leaked. Conditions at the air base they will be stationed at sound much better. There are apparently six men to a hut with three bedrooms. Seth and Eli will share a bedroom. The base does have some ammenities including internet hookups and cable TV. Soldiers must purchase their internet connection and cable TV from a private contractor on the base if they want this kind of access. Seth and Eli will definitely get internet access.
The boys have finished CIED training (Counter Improvised Explosive Device Training.) They spent a fair amount of time on this as they should since this is the single biggest threat to our soldiers. Personally, I don't know how you counter this threat other than staying as far away as you can from anything that looks remotely suspicious. The base sounds big and safe. Seth and Eli will be involved in convoy security which will take them off the base, but when there they should have many of the comforts of home.

Norris the Chaplain

Norris Burkes is an Air Force Chaplain and free-lance writer. He pens a spiritual column that is carried by our local newspaper and I admit I'm on his email list. I receive a copy of his column before it printed in the paper and I get occassional emails about his other activities. I enjoy reading his column because he readily admits his failings and his failures to be the person that God wants him to be. He seems very real to me....not one of those writers who presents as perfect and perfectly in touch with God. I was touched by his latest column and wanted to pass it on to those of you who read my blog:

This month I met a chaplain who refused to pray for an Air Force general. If
that shocks you, I think I should add I greatly respect him for it.

I suspect some of you are saying what my mom used to say, "You'd better explain
yourself PDQ."

It happened, or perhaps I should say it didn't happen, in Leesburg, Va., last
week where I attended a conference for Air National Guard senior chaplains and
chaplain assistants. It had been a good week, but by week's end, most of us had
one hand on our luggage and one foot pointing toward the door.

Suddenly from the back of the room, someone called the room to attention, "Ten
hut!" and a man walked in who had most of us seeing stars -- three of them in
fact, all on his collar.

The man was Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, and he is the director of the Air
National Guard. This is a rank so high it makes me want to type this column from
a standing position.

However, during the next 30 minutes, McKinley demonstrated spiritual warmth that
nearly made us forget about his rank. He solicited our ideas and made good notes of our remarks. For all of
this, he received a sincere standing ovation from us.

At the conclusion of his speech, our senior chaplain voiced a prayer request. He
asked us that if we would commit to daily prayer for the general, we should
remain standing. If not, we could take our seats. No doubt, this was a
well-intentioned request, but it gave me some pause.

On the one hand, given the scriptural admonition to pray for those appointed
over me, prayer was certainly an appropriate strategy. But on the other hand,
doesn't honesty demand I admit this glib request wasn't likely to be met with
any kind of regularity?

After all, my regular prayers are reserved for people I know best, and in that
category, my grandson outranks them all.

I felt my knees flex as they challenged my integrity. Would I, could I sit?

Well, if you follow this column because you think me a spiritual hero, you've
not read enough of my columns. Nothing doing. I stood with the herd.

Everyone stood. Everyone, that is, but Chaplain Stan Giles. Stan had decisively
taken a seat.

Upon hearing the request, he had commenced an integrity check. He knew what we
all know about our prayer habits.

He knew most of us find it easier to ascent to casual requests for prayer than
to take prayer seriously. We promise our prayers to people as casually as we say
"bless you" with a sneeze or "have a great day" with a gas station purchase.

From his chair, Stan seemed to be reflecting on his prayer commitments, and he
knew he had neither the time nor the stamina to regularly pray for someone he
didn't know. His prayer list was full.

Truthfully, I admire Stan for his nonstanding stance. And I suspect the general
would admire him, too. Because at the end of the day, the people I want praying
for me are the people who know me best and who have real integrity in their
prayer life -- people like Chaplain Stan.

Last night I had a what can only be described as a panic attack. Jan had fallen asleep and I continued to read for awhile. Thoughts of Eli and Seth intruded along with the news of the day about four more soldiers killed in Iraq by an IED. Seth and Eli's recent training has been about dealing with IED's. All these thoughts rattled around in my brain with a force that I couldn't stop. I prayed to God to remove these thoughts from me, to help me relax and know that everything would be okay. Reading Norris Burkes column today I thought about all the people who have told us they are praying for the boys, their wives and us. I know what my prayer life is like and how every day problems and activities drive my time. I don't always follow through on things I say I will do. I know some of those "We're praying for you" statements are statements of intention only. I also know that our family is surrounded by a great host of wonderful family (church and otherwise) who do hold us in their prayers and thoughts. I know that whatever happens in the next year we will be supported by our family and our God....Thanks to all the people who continue to read this blog (and thanks for Tylenol PM.)

Live from Mississippi

Seth hasn't had access to email while at Camp Shelby, but he does have his laptop, printer and digital camera....all resulting in a lovely letter from him this week with a couple of pictures. The quality of his picture isn't great on my blog as I scanned it from his letter, but it does show smiling faces. Eli is on the left, Seth on the right and the soldier in the middle is a friend of theirs from the area, Phillip. The heat we're all experiencing on the east coast is equally oppressive in Mississippi. They have been having heat and humidity making training in full battle rattle difficult and a little dangerous. The group has suffered several heat related injuries. They usually stand down in the middle of the day to avoid the worst of the heat. They have had several night training exercises which also helps to avoid some of the heat.