Some of my favorite lines in a recent e-mail from Josh...
"I found this song on itunes - it is on O.A.R.'s new album. The song is called War Song and it is a serious song about places like this godforsaken hellhole, but the first line makes me laugh so hard, b/c it is so true. It is... OH MY GOD, TELL ME THIS WON'T LAST FOREVER. haha Isn't that what I said? I told everyone about it and now I just randomly sing it out. I should write songs. haha.
"I am going to bed. I cleaned my room today. It was so dirty. I even mopped with baby wipes. haha.
"Just to let you know that these sixty something year old women KBR workers stopped me in one of the many chow halls I have been in the last 48 hours and said we just have to tell you, you are so cute. What a bunch of nutties. haha."
Showing posts with label Messages from Josh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Messages from Josh. Show all posts
06 November 2008
02 November 2008
Baci In Action
So, I was in the gym, there was an incident and I had to get ready fast and be on the truck yesterday. I am wearing my vest but underneath is my sweaty pt shirt. haha. Normally I would have on my ACU top or ACU combat t-shirt. I did not have time to fix my helmet and it got all askew in the hubbub. You can't tell because my vest is kind of covering it, but my pants are falling down-even with wearing my pt shorts inderneath because I had no time for a belt. haha. Notice the unlaced boots with shoelaces hanging all about. I just look like such a Gomer Pile. haha. Sgt. Gridley thought was the best part for some reason-the shoelaces. The whole thing turned a serious evening into something funny. haha.
30 October 2008
When It Rains, It Pours
From Josh... "It did something that it has not done since April here - in any measureable amount - it rained. I mean pitch poured. You couldn't leave the b-hut or you would be instantly soaked. I forgot how much I hate when it rains here because it makes everything smell so much worse and it seems to stay damp forever. It finally dried out this afternoon. It is back to being sunny today, but I think it is only making it into the 60s. It does not get light until 530 which is a big deal because it used to get light at 400 and now it is dark by 530 at night. We wont change time so come Saturday, we will be 9 1/2 hours ahead of you all. So excited that there is only 2 more days in Oct. This month took forever. We are all afraid that Nov. will be long too."
There was a bombing today in Afghanistan too. As Josh said, Afghans killing Afghans, but he wrote to let us know he is fine.
There was a bombing today in Afghanistan too. As Josh said, Afghans killing Afghans, but he wrote to let us know he is fine.
21 October 2008
The Four Letter S-Word
Anyone want to take a guess... SNOW! It has started to arrive in Afghanistan, just along the mountains, but it is coming. Josh writes, "There is snow on the mountains again. Every night it snows a little bit, enough to coat the top of the mountains, but by mid morning all the snow is gone. It still gets to warm up there during the day." Of course, Afghanistan isn't the only place that is seeing snow. We are actually in the forecast for a light, light coating (possibly) overnight. I guess what is most exciting about this is that we have returned to the Fall/Winter here in NY, and Josh left when there was snow on the ground... so we are approaching his return.
Josh is away right now on a mission/job, though he is stationed at another FOB, not moving around the country. They do not have internet connections for each of the soldiers, but there is a computer station where he waits in line to write. Things are going well for the most part. He has some evening duties, so he is adjusting his sleep schedule accordingly. He has been visiting the gym each day as well. Which according to some people, they thought he needed it... Josh writes, "This guy from this other platoon who is with us here at Phoenix said the other day that I must have taken up running and biking in the gym because I was getting heavy before the deployment. Was I getting fat before we left?? I did not thinks so; I mean I carried a little more weight before we left, but I do not think I was heavy. Do you? Be honest." NO, Josh, not at all!
I missed the monthly posting for the 19th of the month. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, three months from now, Josh will be home, safe and sound. We have not heard anything on a return date. Everyone is hearing something different. The replacements are supposed to arrive late next month, but we are not sure how long it will take for him to leave Afghanistan. Of course, the route back is long and complicated and he won't come directly home. The will "demob" somewhere in the US, possibly Ft. Bragg or possibly elsewhere (anything closer would be better)! My 19th of the month treat was a sports massage following the marathon. It worked it's magic.
Josh is away right now on a mission/job, though he is stationed at another FOB, not moving around the country. They do not have internet connections for each of the soldiers, but there is a computer station where he waits in line to write. Things are going well for the most part. He has some evening duties, so he is adjusting his sleep schedule accordingly. He has been visiting the gym each day as well. Which according to some people, they thought he needed it... Josh writes, "This guy from this other platoon who is with us here at Phoenix said the other day that I must have taken up running and biking in the gym because I was getting heavy before the deployment. Was I getting fat before we left?? I did not thinks so; I mean I carried a little more weight before we left, but I do not think I was heavy. Do you? Be honest." NO, Josh, not at all!
I missed the monthly posting for the 19th of the month. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, three months from now, Josh will be home, safe and sound. We have not heard anything on a return date. Everyone is hearing something different. The replacements are supposed to arrive late next month, but we are not sure how long it will take for him to leave Afghanistan. Of course, the route back is long and complicated and he won't come directly home. The will "demob" somewhere in the US, possibly Ft. Bragg or possibly elsewhere (anything closer would be better)! My 19th of the month treat was a sports massage following the marathon. It worked it's magic.
17 October 2008
Traveling Through Salang Pass
This is an e-mail that Josh sent to Barry School this week. It is a pretty good update of what he has been up to.
"Hope you all do not mind my messages, but every once in awhile our battle rhythm is slow...I try to keep busy during the down time by going to the gym, watching movies or AFN-American Forces Network but the treadmill gets old and I get tired of the chuckleheads in there. How many times can you really watch Wedding Crashers and as far as AFN goes I have seen the same Kristie Alley made for TV movie where she goes crazy and keeps foster kids locked in her basement four times since being here. I seriously think AFN is a subsidiary of Lifetime Television. I am really not a fan of Lifetime to begin with, so AFN is kind of a drag. So, I pass the time and get my kicks out of sending e-mail to folks to pass the time. Lucky you guys. haha. Feel free to delete on receipt. I will never know. haha.
"So last week was a really big week for a geek like me. haha. Our platoon is at times tasked, in addition to our other duties, to conduct long range convoy operations. We have been all over. I have been as far east as Jalalabad, as far south as Helmand and Khandhar-a couple of times. Last week, we were tasked with a long range to go to Konduz which is about as far north as you can go in Afghanistan before hitting all the other "Stans". What was great about this trip is we were going to get to go through the famed Salang pass which goes through the Hindu Kush mountains. Kabul is a little over a mile high. The top of the pass reaches just about 11,000 feet. It is a slow and steep climb. Lots of switchbacks and sheer drop offs. At the top of the pass is a 4KM long tunnel that is barely two lanes wide. It has no lights and no ventilation. It was built by the Soviets during their time here. Awesome. Good ol' 24 was a champ climbing the mountain pass. However, I noticed several Soviet tanks were not so lucky as we saw several of them at the bottom of canyons hundreds of feet below us. After seeing these, the platoon sgt. would follow up each time by telling me, "Now, Baci remember I have kids." I mean I was not planning to ruin anyone's day. The tunnel was wild. Due to the lack of any ventilation, smog just hung in the air. When we would pass another large vehicle, the truck would scrape the walls and the other truck b/c it was so narrow. In the middle of the tunnel, you reach the apex of the pass and then start the descent down the other side. More switchbacks and sheer drop offs, more reminders about children back home. When we got to the bottom of the pass, we conducted a tactical refueling drill which is really a fancy way of saying "watch Josh run around as fast as he can with huge fuel cans full of diesel fuel and put as much fuel in the truck as he can before the Lt. decides we have been stopped long enough". As I was refueling, I looked up at the gunner in our truck. His face was completely black from all the smog in the tunnel. What a trip-literally.
"For some reason there was an unusual amount of livestock in the road on this trip and it kind of became a running joke. We almost hit a goat, a sheep, and a camel. You think a deer does serious front end damage. I can not imagine what a camel would do-but there he/she was just running across the road in front of us, and they say an eleven thousand pound vehicle can't stop on a dime. haha. It was great to see the Hindu Kush mountains and go through the Salang Pass after reading and hearing so much about it.
"My other big nerd moment came over the weekend. I grew up literally "Inside the Beltway". My Dad worked for the government. Members of Congress and Senators lived in my suburban town-not the Obama, Clinton, or McCain kind-just average 9-5 congressman and senators. I even profited from it. I had a little lawn mowing business when I was in junior high and I would tool my little mower all around the neighborhood cutting lawns and word of mouth got me a job mowing a senator's lawn. I thought this was so cool. I mean he could have had a huge lawn business cut his lawn but he had this gangly kid cut it with his Craftsman mower. haha. In reality, I think he was too cheap to hire a big lawn mowing business but he was my best paying customer-a whole twenty bucks. Woohoo. Extra cheese on the pizza tonight! Politics was just a part of life. So, when they asked people who would be interested in meeting with a group of NY congressman and woman I was game, plus it got me out of some work. Don't judge. haha. Anyway, one of them was our Congressional Representative-Michael Arcuri. When they asked for people who were willing to meet with them, it really meant that they needed you to pose for pictures, but I didn't care. There was one congresswoman from Nevada in the group and she got up in the turret behind a gun and started swinging it around wildly and posing for pictures. She kind of made everyone a little nervous. haha. This is the link to one of the pictures and articles written about the event. http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/arng/27bct/newsletter/keepingtabs_37.pdf
The others in the pictures are other guys in my unit. As you are looking at the picture, the man directly to my left is SFC. Adams, my platoon sgt. He is the guy I am driving around all the time and warns me about his kids. haha. The vehicle in the background is a Cougar. If you could see the whole grill-you would say yeah that does look like a Cougar. I don't drive that, but it is a new vehicle-so we pulled it out to impress the good congressmen/woman. I think a more effective display would have been to put my patched up truck out there. haha.
"It has gotten a lot cooler here over the last week. I finally had to put away my PT shorts/short sleeve PT shirts and break out my Army issued high speed PT jogging suit. haha. It still reaches the high 60s/low70s but the mornings and the late afternoons/early evenings are really cool. For obvious reasons, the b-huts are non-smoking. I am a non-smoker but 95% of the personnel in my platoon are smokers and lots of socializing in our downtime for our platoon goes on in the smoke shack-a small open air pavillion structure-just outside of our b-hut. So now I am finding I have to bundle up pretty good at night if I am going to stay up on current events in our platoon, unit, and on the FOB. There is more gossip in this place than a junior high cafeteria-no lie.
"Hope you guys are all doing well.. It is almost the weekend! That really doesn't mean anything to me, but the upside to that is that Monday is never a downer. haha. Have a good one. Josh"
"Hope you all do not mind my messages, but every once in awhile our battle rhythm is slow...I try to keep busy during the down time by going to the gym, watching movies or AFN-American Forces Network but the treadmill gets old and I get tired of the chuckleheads in there. How many times can you really watch Wedding Crashers and as far as AFN goes I have seen the same Kristie Alley made for TV movie where she goes crazy and keeps foster kids locked in her basement four times since being here. I seriously think AFN is a subsidiary of Lifetime Television. I am really not a fan of Lifetime to begin with, so AFN is kind of a drag. So, I pass the time and get my kicks out of sending e-mail to folks to pass the time. Lucky you guys. haha. Feel free to delete on receipt. I will never know. haha.
"So last week was a really big week for a geek like me. haha. Our platoon is at times tasked, in addition to our other duties, to conduct long range convoy operations. We have been all over. I have been as far east as Jalalabad, as far south as Helmand and Khandhar-a couple of times. Last week, we were tasked with a long range to go to Konduz which is about as far north as you can go in Afghanistan before hitting all the other "Stans". What was great about this trip is we were going to get to go through the famed Salang pass which goes through the Hindu Kush mountains. Kabul is a little over a mile high. The top of the pass reaches just about 11,000 feet. It is a slow and steep climb. Lots of switchbacks and sheer drop offs. At the top of the pass is a 4KM long tunnel that is barely two lanes wide. It has no lights and no ventilation. It was built by the Soviets during their time here. Awesome. Good ol' 24 was a champ climbing the mountain pass. However, I noticed several Soviet tanks were not so lucky as we saw several of them at the bottom of canyons hundreds of feet below us. After seeing these, the platoon sgt. would follow up each time by telling me, "Now, Baci remember I have kids." I mean I was not planning to ruin anyone's day. The tunnel was wild. Due to the lack of any ventilation, smog just hung in the air. When we would pass another large vehicle, the truck would scrape the walls and the other truck b/c it was so narrow. In the middle of the tunnel, you reach the apex of the pass and then start the descent down the other side. More switchbacks and sheer drop offs, more reminders about children back home. When we got to the bottom of the pass, we conducted a tactical refueling drill which is really a fancy way of saying "watch Josh run around as fast as he can with huge fuel cans full of diesel fuel and put as much fuel in the truck as he can before the Lt. decides we have been stopped long enough". As I was refueling, I looked up at the gunner in our truck. His face was completely black from all the smog in the tunnel. What a trip-literally.
"For some reason there was an unusual amount of livestock in the road on this trip and it kind of became a running joke. We almost hit a goat, a sheep, and a camel. You think a deer does serious front end damage. I can not imagine what a camel would do-but there he/she was just running across the road in front of us, and they say an eleven thousand pound vehicle can't stop on a dime. haha. It was great to see the Hindu Kush mountains and go through the Salang Pass after reading and hearing so much about it.
"My other big nerd moment came over the weekend. I grew up literally "Inside the Beltway". My Dad worked for the government. Members of Congress and Senators lived in my suburban town-not the Obama, Clinton, or McCain kind-just average 9-5 congressman and senators. I even profited from it. I had a little lawn mowing business when I was in junior high and I would tool my little mower all around the neighborhood cutting lawns and word of mouth got me a job mowing a senator's lawn. I thought this was so cool. I mean he could have had a huge lawn business cut his lawn but he had this gangly kid cut it with his Craftsman mower. haha. In reality, I think he was too cheap to hire a big lawn mowing business but he was my best paying customer-a whole twenty bucks. Woohoo. Extra cheese on the pizza tonight! Politics was just a part of life. So, when they asked people who would be interested in meeting with a group of NY congressman and woman I was game, plus it got me out of some work. Don't judge. haha. Anyway, one of them was our Congressional Representative-Michael Arcuri. When they asked for people who were willing to meet with them, it really meant that they needed you to pose for pictures, but I didn't care. There was one congresswoman from Nevada in the group and she got up in the turret behind a gun and started swinging it around wildly and posing for pictures. She kind of made everyone a little nervous. haha. This is the link to one of the pictures and articles written about the event. http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/arng/27bct/newsletter/keepingtabs_37.pdf
The others in the pictures are other guys in my unit. As you are looking at the picture, the man directly to my left is SFC. Adams, my platoon sgt. He is the guy I am driving around all the time and warns me about his kids. haha. The vehicle in the background is a Cougar. If you could see the whole grill-you would say yeah that does look like a Cougar. I don't drive that, but it is a new vehicle-so we pulled it out to impress the good congressmen/woman. I think a more effective display would have been to put my patched up truck out there. haha.
"It has gotten a lot cooler here over the last week. I finally had to put away my PT shorts/short sleeve PT shirts and break out my Army issued high speed PT jogging suit. haha. It still reaches the high 60s/low70s but the mornings and the late afternoons/early evenings are really cool. For obvious reasons, the b-huts are non-smoking. I am a non-smoker but 95% of the personnel in my platoon are smokers and lots of socializing in our downtime for our platoon goes on in the smoke shack-a small open air pavillion structure-just outside of our b-hut. So now I am finding I have to bundle up pretty good at night if I am going to stay up on current events in our platoon, unit, and on the FOB. There is more gossip in this place than a junior high cafeteria-no lie.
"Hope you guys are all doing well.. It is almost the weekend! That really doesn't mean anything to me, but the upside to that is that Monday is never a downer. haha. Have a good one. Josh"
16 October 2008
Josh Meets Our Congressman in A-Stan!
This was from an e-mail Josh sent over the weekend... "So, then guess what happened this afternoon? Michael Arcuri, with a whole bunch of NY Congressmen/women came to Phoenix today. (CO) was responsible for taking him around. They asked if anyone wanted to meet him, so I said I would. I got my picture taken with them - look in the newspaper a million people took pictures. I also got the CO to introduce me to him. I was the only one there from his district. haha. I was such a geek because everyone was so put off by the whole thing and I thought it was cool.. haha Can you believe it? You will have to tell the (P's). I know they love him. . . It has been a great day."
When I spoke with Josh after the marathon, he was still so excited about the opportunity to meet him. I think most importantly, it was a reminder of home for Josh.
Here is the Keeping Tabs newsletter that the 27th BCT writes, including a picture with Congressman Arcuri in the center and Josh in the front row! (Missing that smile though!)
When I spoke with Josh after the marathon, he was still so excited about the opportunity to meet him. I think most importantly, it was a reminder of home for Josh.
Here is the Keeping Tabs newsletter that the 27th BCT writes, including a picture with Congressman Arcuri in the center and Josh in the front row! (Missing that smile though!)
03 October 2008
Deployable Entertainment featuring "This Old B-Hut"
First and foremost... He's Fine... You may see some news appearing at some point today or later this weekend, but I have heard from Josh both via e-mail and phone (at 4 a.m. this morning) and he is fine. That is the extent of what he could tell me.
And now onto the "Deployable Entertainment" portion of this post - This Old B-Hut! Josh sent me the following in an e-mail overnight. This Old B-Hut is a video on YouTube that was created by some very entertaining soldiers in Afghanistan. Some might think they had a little extra time or too much time on their hands, but as Josh says below, it is for real... those are his living conditions. The following is Josh's take on the video.
"I think they say they are from Nebraska, that would have been a few rotations before us. It is so funny. It was actually filmed at Camp Alamo right down the street, but we live in exactly the same hut, right down to the paint color, plastic windows, and the crappy a/c units. It is hilarious. I love the part about the linoelum. A b-hut is supposed to last 24 months and I am sure that most of the huts we live in have been around since 2002. So you can imagine how crappy ours is. haha. It is so funny. You have to watch it. Ilove the part about the wall lockers how they were offered to the afghanis and they refused them so they put them back in our huts. haha I would not be surprised if that was true. We finance all the building of all the ANP and ANA barracks and they are mcmansions compared to what we live in. haha. I have found about eight million places where we could cut costs and easily bail out the economy without further cost to us, and I would start with their mcmansions. haha."
Although it was the middle of the night, I had a nice conversation with Josh. As he mentioned on the phone and in an e-mail to me, "it is finally October and yet it still feels like we have so much longer to go. boo. It is like it is Thursday, close but not close enough."
And now onto the "Deployable Entertainment" portion of this post - This Old B-Hut! Josh sent me the following in an e-mail overnight. This Old B-Hut is a video on YouTube that was created by some very entertaining soldiers in Afghanistan. Some might think they had a little extra time or too much time on their hands, but as Josh says below, it is for real... those are his living conditions. The following is Josh's take on the video.
"I think they say they are from Nebraska, that would have been a few rotations before us. It is so funny. It was actually filmed at Camp Alamo right down the street, but we live in exactly the same hut, right down to the paint color, plastic windows, and the crappy a/c units. It is hilarious. I love the part about the linoelum. A b-hut is supposed to last 24 months and I am sure that most of the huts we live in have been around since 2002. So you can imagine how crappy ours is. haha. It is so funny. You have to watch it. Ilove the part about the wall lockers how they were offered to the afghanis and they refused them so they put them back in our huts. haha I would not be surprised if that was true. We finance all the building of all the ANP and ANA barracks and they are mcmansions compared to what we live in. haha. I have found about eight million places where we could cut costs and easily bail out the economy without further cost to us, and I would start with their mcmansions. haha."
Although it was the middle of the night, I had a nice conversation with Josh. As he mentioned on the phone and in an e-mail to me, "it is finally October and yet it still feels like we have so much longer to go. boo. It is like it is Thursday, close but not close enough."
25 September 2008
Wise Old Uncle... Pretty Smart Aunt
Josh sent me the following e-mail this morning after some "deep thoughts" involving yesterday's arrival of TJ and Ella.
Josh also called this morning and we chatted for a nice amount of time. I hadn't spoken to him in 19 days, so it was really exciting. Even better was that I had taken the day off to "recover" from yesterday's adventures. (I did manage to babysit all of the nieces and nephews on my side, along with visiting the newest ones yesterday!) Since I was off, I had more time to talk with him, and fewer interuptions.
He is doing well for the most part. Each day is frustrating. A lot of "broken promises"... still no day off. A lot of "rumor has it" that ends up just being rumors. He continues to keep everyone entertained and trys to make light of every situation. Several have asked him or commented "what are we going to do when we don't see you everyday?"
He said for the most part, this is the beginning of the end of their time there. We do not have any information on when they might be home. No one really knows, as we have heard a large range of time. From what we know, the replacements are "on schedule" so we will keep our fingers crossed.
"Holy smokes, how many is that? Dominic, Jonathan, Hailey, Cassie, Francesca, Cody, TJ, Ella, plus one on the way. Nine all under five. That means starting in 2021, we start attending high school graduation parties like it is our job. Instead of publishing a guidebook on the amenities of the various maternity wards, we can publish a book on high school graduations. We can have features on the best place to park, average length of ceremonies, who has the best punch, which bleachers are the most comfortable and which you should bring a cushion to. haha. It is so weird because this whole crowd and future crowd members will learn about 9/11, but never have experienced it, they will ask us what it was like, where we were? We are living history and could possibly be interviewed as primary sources for school projects - ugh we are old. haha. Either a woman in the No.2 office or an African-American in the No. 1 office will not be groundbreaking and they will ask us what the big deal was. Their first cars might be hybrid/ethanol/electric hand me-downs from their parents. Can you imagine us plugging our car into the wall? They will do it, and they will not think twice about it. I can imagine them forgetting to plug it in, and calling each other for a ride to school, because the car is dead. "You forgot again!" "If you can not be responsible enough to plug it in, then maybe you are not ready for a car!" Haha. It would be the equivalent of us being teenagers and riding around on E, taking a chance that it wouldn't run out of gas. Who am I kidding? I would forget to plug it in. haha. Oh well... I love you to the moon and back a thousand times. See we are not that old. We weren't alive when they went to the moon. Except you were born after space shuttles left the earth and I was three when the first one went. So, that makes me the wise old uncle, and you not the as wise but still pretty smart aunt. haha."
Josh also called this morning and we chatted for a nice amount of time. I hadn't spoken to him in 19 days, so it was really exciting. Even better was that I had taken the day off to "recover" from yesterday's adventures. (I did manage to babysit all of the nieces and nephews on my side, along with visiting the newest ones yesterday!) Since I was off, I had more time to talk with him, and fewer interuptions.
He is doing well for the most part. Each day is frustrating. A lot of "broken promises"... still no day off. A lot of "rumor has it" that ends up just being rumors. He continues to keep everyone entertained and trys to make light of every situation. Several have asked him or commented "what are we going to do when we don't see you everyday?"
He said for the most part, this is the beginning of the end of their time there. We do not have any information on when they might be home. No one really knows, as we have heard a large range of time. From what we know, the replacements are "on schedule" so we will keep our fingers crossed.
19 September 2008
A Friday Laugh!
I received quite the e-mail from Josh this morning. It gave me a much needed laugh - the laugh out loud, pee your pants kind! I will share as much as I can, though unfortunately I can't share it all and therefore, it may not come across as funny to you. If you can picture anything about where they are living/their current situation/how loud the interior of the humvees are, you'll get a good sense of why it was so comical.
Our nephew Dominic was spending the night with my parents a few weeks ago and they put together a package to send to Josh. Dominic decided to add something special to it.
"I did get your mom's package with Dominic's rock. haha. It has been sitting on my little home shelf with the pictures and other things. haha. I meant to say something too about his name. You can pass it on that I am really impressed with his name - it starts with a capital letter and all the other letters are lower case. So many kids come from pre-school spelling their names all in caps. boo! And it goes from left to right - a stunning feat really. haha I guess the kids in killawog are lot smarter than the kids in c-town haha. Tell him i want a rock that says Forrest on it. haha. I don't want any toilet paper from Jonathan. haha." (Jonathan was successfully potty trained recently!)
And of course the wait continues for the Pisciotti twins to arrive...
"When is Diane going to have her babies? I am tired of waiting. I am just kidding. I told everyone that Franny was over three feet tall and everyone laughed at me. Winner winner chicken dinner. I get a prize. What do I get?"
Good thing Josh is in Afghanistan, otherwise Diane might be kicking him in the shins right now. There was a brief discussion on if Diane had them on September 17th what they might name them. Brian being a 7th grade Social Studies teacher thought that some connection to Constitution Day should be made.
"You can tell Brian the whole dining hall was decked out like it was the Fourth of July - streamers, banners, red white and blue table cloths, balloons, on and on. Someone was like what the hell is today? And without missing a beat, I said, 'It's constitution Day.' haha. Everyone was like geek! haha."
Where's the beets?!
"(Soldier across the hall) is back and now (another soldier) is in his room 24 hours a day and they play World of Warcraft - some computer game into the dead of night. Dwight (Schrut - aka the Beet Farmer) plays it on 'The Office'." (One of our favorite, if not very favorite shows).
The life of a driver...
"(New soldier) got to the truck, and he starts yelling at me... 'You guys are bullshit-this is bullshit. I am not a driver(like it is some dirty word). I already put in my time driving.' -blah blah. He has been here a week. I said listen you need to shut up. I have been driving for almost six months. I have driven almost six thousand miles in country, in this patched up piece of shit, so go to your truck and sit and spin.
"We lead out today because I was the only veteran driver, and the third truck driven by (soldier) completely went straight when two other trucks in front of him turned right. How hard is it? He says it is because the power steering went out. Uh... (soldier) is huge and my power steering has goes out too and I have made all the turns. He was not paying attention.
"And then (another soldier) went to (two higher-ups) after the mission and said I was horrible driver and that he couldn't keep up because I was setting too fast of a pace. The pace was 40 on a hardball on a Friday (in other words... their weekend + during ramadan + middle of the day= no traffic). So now later today, I cannot go more than 35. Why we were out, I blew two lines of something, so we had to go right to maintenance along with (soldier) and his "power steering" problem."
A window-licking good time...
"We had to go to (base) yesterday among a million other places, and Sgt. (Soldier) was like 'you, (Soldier 1) and (Soldier 2) will all ride with me. I am not sure who is going to do what, but one of you will be a window licker (= sitting in the back seat).'
"I never ever never get to window lick and I was like I would love to sit in the backseat.
"Sgt. (Soldier) said, 'fine, I will make (Soldier 2) drive and (Soldier 1) gun.' "
Later on, Josh wrote...
"I don't have a headset in the back, so its not like I can comment. As it was, after (base) we had to go to this other smaller american fob down the street from us, and I was the only one in the truck that knew the directions on how to get there. I was like are you guys serious? So, I had to shout the directions to (Soldier 2) from the backseat - that was humorous."
Working 7 days a week... Most people probably don't realize that other than Josh's leave, he has not had a single day off since he arrived in Afghanistan.
"Even today, they split up the missions so the new people could have some "down time". So (Soldier 2) had off in the am, and (Soldier 1) has off in the pm. Guess who has to do both? I guess I should be flattered."
"Today was supposed to be our scheduled day off -- haha -- that did not happen again for a combination of reasons: (someone) that doesn't give a crap + (another someone) with no testicular fortitude + (many people) running (acronym) = no days off ever. haha. Do you like all my math equations?"
And last, but not least...
"ps. no frost here, but big dust storm!"
In other news...
It's the 19th of the month!!! Eight months down!! For me, I am guessing that the next month will fly by, with the arrival of the twins and the marathon ahead for me. I hope that Josh can live vicariously through those moments with me. We were so excited for September to arrive and I constantly say, "Oh my, it's only September (insert any date)" This month has seemed to drag on.
All I have left to say is . . . TGIF!!
Our nephew Dominic was spending the night with my parents a few weeks ago and they put together a package to send to Josh. Dominic decided to add something special to it.
"I did get your mom's package with Dominic's rock. haha. It has been sitting on my little home shelf with the pictures and other things. haha. I meant to say something too about his name. You can pass it on that I am really impressed with his name - it starts with a capital letter and all the other letters are lower case. So many kids come from pre-school spelling their names all in caps. boo! And it goes from left to right - a stunning feat really. haha I guess the kids in killawog are lot smarter than the kids in c-town haha. Tell him i want a rock that says Forrest on it. haha. I don't want any toilet paper from Jonathan. haha." (Jonathan was successfully potty trained recently!)
And of course the wait continues for the Pisciotti twins to arrive...
"When is Diane going to have her babies? I am tired of waiting. I am just kidding. I told everyone that Franny was over three feet tall and everyone laughed at me. Winner winner chicken dinner. I get a prize. What do I get?"
Good thing Josh is in Afghanistan, otherwise Diane might be kicking him in the shins right now. There was a brief discussion on if Diane had them on September 17th what they might name them. Brian being a 7th grade Social Studies teacher thought that some connection to Constitution Day should be made.
"You can tell Brian the whole dining hall was decked out like it was the Fourth of July - streamers, banners, red white and blue table cloths, balloons, on and on. Someone was like what the hell is today? And without missing a beat, I said, 'It's constitution Day.' haha. Everyone was like geek! haha."
Where's the beets?!
"(Soldier across the hall) is back and now (another soldier) is in his room 24 hours a day and they play World of Warcraft - some computer game into the dead of night. Dwight (Schrut - aka the Beet Farmer) plays it on 'The Office'." (One of our favorite, if not very favorite shows).
The life of a driver...
"(New soldier) got to the truck, and he starts yelling at me... 'You guys are bullshit-this is bullshit. I am not a driver(like it is some dirty word). I already put in my time driving.' -blah blah. He has been here a week. I said listen you need to shut up. I have been driving for almost six months. I have driven almost six thousand miles in country, in this patched up piece of shit, so go to your truck and sit and spin.
"We lead out today because I was the only veteran driver, and the third truck driven by (soldier) completely went straight when two other trucks in front of him turned right. How hard is it? He says it is because the power steering went out. Uh... (soldier) is huge and my power steering has goes out too and I have made all the turns. He was not paying attention.
"And then (another soldier) went to (two higher-ups) after the mission and said I was horrible driver and that he couldn't keep up because I was setting too fast of a pace. The pace was 40 on a hardball on a Friday (in other words... their weekend + during ramadan + middle of the day= no traffic). So now later today, I cannot go more than 35. Why we were out, I blew two lines of something, so we had to go right to maintenance along with (soldier) and his "power steering" problem."
A window-licking good time...
"We had to go to (base) yesterday among a million other places, and Sgt. (Soldier) was like 'you, (Soldier 1) and (Soldier 2) will all ride with me. I am not sure who is going to do what, but one of you will be a window licker (= sitting in the back seat).'
"I never ever never get to window lick and I was like I would love to sit in the backseat.
"Sgt. (Soldier) said, 'fine, I will make (Soldier 2) drive and (Soldier 1) gun.' "
Later on, Josh wrote...
"I don't have a headset in the back, so its not like I can comment. As it was, after (base) we had to go to this other smaller american fob down the street from us, and I was the only one in the truck that knew the directions on how to get there. I was like are you guys serious? So, I had to shout the directions to (Soldier 2) from the backseat - that was humorous."
Working 7 days a week... Most people probably don't realize that other than Josh's leave, he has not had a single day off since he arrived in Afghanistan.
"Even today, they split up the missions so the new people could have some "down time". So (Soldier 2) had off in the am, and (Soldier 1) has off in the pm. Guess who has to do both? I guess I should be flattered."
"Today was supposed to be our scheduled day off -- haha -- that did not happen again for a combination of reasons: (someone) that doesn't give a crap + (another someone) with no testicular fortitude + (many people) running (acronym) = no days off ever. haha. Do you like all my math equations?"
And last, but not least...
"ps. no frost here, but big dust storm!"
In other news...
It's the 19th of the month!!! Eight months down!! For me, I am guessing that the next month will fly by, with the arrival of the twins and the marathon ahead for me. I hope that Josh can live vicariously through those moments with me. We were so excited for September to arrive and I constantly say, "Oh my, it's only September (insert any date)" This month has seemed to drag on.
All I have left to say is . . . TGIF!!
16 September 2008
A Running Update - Part I
Josh and I can both update everyone on our running. While in Afghanistan, Josh's Lt. organized a 9/11 Memorial 5k event. Due to missions, they were unable to attend the ceremony that was held on 9/11, so he was glad he had the opportunity to participate in the run. He said, "it was eerily quiet as everyone ran", and assumed that like him, most people were deep in thought.
Back home, my training continues for the Chicago Marathon. On Sunday (September 14), I spent the early morning hours putting in my longest training run... 22 miles. It took a little over 3 hours and 50 minutes, which considering the humidity, it was a decent time! It was a tough run, especially the last mile, but I kept at it. After this week's running, I will officially be through the bulk of the training, and will enter the rest and taper phase. My long runs will be reduced each week, as will my weekly mileage totals. It is exciting to think that I am finally at this point... the homestretch. 26 day to go!!
In other news, Josh received his new iPod shuffle. He sent this to me in a recent e-mail... "I have bought some music on itunes, but not knowing what is on the radio right now and the fact that the connection is so bad (when you go to play the sample of song it rebuffers the stream about every three seconds and you can never quite get it), you are buying blindly and I have made some horrible decisions. haha."
We heard about Josh's new group of kindergartners and they are a good group so far. Right now he has 18 students, but one will be leaving soon. Pending the arrival of any new students, he should return to a class of 17 -- a great number for the grade level!
Josh has recently become more vocal about things happening in Afghanistan and other events in the world. After "trying to figure it all out", he concluded with, "Oh well. I guess I really can not solve that problem today."
Back home, my training continues for the Chicago Marathon. On Sunday (September 14), I spent the early morning hours putting in my longest training run... 22 miles. It took a little over 3 hours and 50 minutes, which considering the humidity, it was a decent time! It was a tough run, especially the last mile, but I kept at it. After this week's running, I will officially be through the bulk of the training, and will enter the rest and taper phase. My long runs will be reduced each week, as will my weekly mileage totals. It is exciting to think that I am finally at this point... the homestretch. 26 day to go!!
In other news, Josh received his new iPod shuffle. He sent this to me in a recent e-mail... "I have bought some music on itunes, but not knowing what is on the radio right now and the fact that the connection is so bad (when you go to play the sample of song it rebuffers the stream about every three seconds and you can never quite get it), you are buying blindly and I have made some horrible decisions. haha."
We heard about Josh's new group of kindergartners and they are a good group so far. Right now he has 18 students, but one will be leaving soon. Pending the arrival of any new students, he should return to a class of 17 -- a great number for the grade level!
Josh has recently become more vocal about things happening in Afghanistan and other events in the world. After "trying to figure it all out", he concluded with, "Oh well. I guess I really can not solve that problem today."
04 September 2008
"The Wheels on the Bus..."
Well, it's the week after Labor Day, so we know that it means - the start of another school year! It has been a flurry of activity in the neighborhood. All of the kids have been getting in their last dose of summer vacation, which has meant the laughter and screaming from the neighborhood kids has been at an all time high in the past few days. The warm weather and sunshine had them enjoying their last "freedom rides" on their bikes! On Wednesday, as I left for work, the bus drove through the neighborhood and I'll admit - I cried and I don't even have kids, let alone ones that are heading off to school. It made me think of Josh's first day of school when he started at Barry, how I took a picture of him, and how every year, his excitement grows for the start of the year.
It's hard knowing that Josh is missing out on this big moment in a job that he absolutely loves. At the same time, this hopefully marks the start of the final school year that will be interupted with the National Guard/Army trainings and deployment. This is now his 7th year of teaching where he has had to leave either for a long weekend of training, basic training, annual training, or in this case a deployment at one point or more throughout the school year. The 2009 - 2010 school year will be exciting. He'll get a full year in the classroom, the first time since the 2001 - 2002 school year when he was in Bogata, Colombia.
Being in Afghanistan, Josh has had a very eye opening experience. In any difficult situation, we all learn (intentionally or not) about our strengths, weaknesses, what we are passionate about and what we may or may not want to do down the road. I have mentioned from time to time on the blog, and some of you know from knowing Josh before the deployment what his intentions were for enlisting in the Guard - to help his country. Josh saw 9/11 from another continent and when he returned he thought it was his duty to serve. Though it does not alter Josh's committment to his truck, platoon, unit or the mission in Afghanistan, Josh will openly admit that the Army "isn't his thing." He is very grateful for the opportunity to serve and how it challenged him. Perhaps if he had a different job or role, something where he feels he would make a bigger impact, then it might be different. As he said in the post from last week, "If nothing else, I taught this one village how to get in a line one behind the other. My great contribution to the war on terror and counterinsurgency. haha. I would like to introduce modern toiletry products such as antipersperant. I searched more than one individual with the "dam has broken" sweaty pits. haha. Personnel searches-definitely drew the short straw on that one."
Through his time over there, he has discovered how much he misses and truly loves, and I mean LOVES, his job as a teacher and especially a kindergarten teacher. Not that it was ever a question before he left, but on several occassions in the last few months, something to the effect of "I have a job I really love at home" has been expressed in an e-mail or phone conversation.
Our oldest nephew, Dominic, headed off to Kindergarten this week and Uncle Josh sent him a special e-mail. I think this epitomizes his love for children and why he does such a remarkable job in the classroom.
Dear Dominic,
It is Uncle Josh. I just wanted to write you and tell you that I am so proud of you. That means I think you are a great person and I really like the things you do. You are going to be an amazing Kindergartener. I know you are going to be a great friend to everyone in your class. I know this because you are such a good brother to Jonathan and Cassie. I know you are going to be a big help to your teacher. I know this because you are big help to your Mom and Dad. Kindergarten is so much fun. You are going to learn a lot and have a lot of fun doing it. I know Kindergarten is fun because I teach Kindergarteners just like you! I know you will make great choices at school. I can not wait to hear about all your Kindergarten adventures. I am sorry I won't be able to visit with you after your first day of school, but I was wondering if it would be OK if Aunt Darci and I meet you for lunch at your school one day after I get home? When I come for lunch I am going to be really hungry, so is it okay if I eat your lunch too? I am just joking with you! haha Have a great time on the first day of school. I know you are going to do a terrific job! See you in a little bit.
Love,
Uncle Josh
It's hard knowing that Josh is missing out on this big moment in a job that he absolutely loves. At the same time, this hopefully marks the start of the final school year that will be interupted with the National Guard/Army trainings and deployment. This is now his 7th year of teaching where he has had to leave either for a long weekend of training, basic training, annual training, or in this case a deployment at one point or more throughout the school year. The 2009 - 2010 school year will be exciting. He'll get a full year in the classroom, the first time since the 2001 - 2002 school year when he was in Bogata, Colombia.
Being in Afghanistan, Josh has had a very eye opening experience. In any difficult situation, we all learn (intentionally or not) about our strengths, weaknesses, what we are passionate about and what we may or may not want to do down the road. I have mentioned from time to time on the blog, and some of you know from knowing Josh before the deployment what his intentions were for enlisting in the Guard - to help his country. Josh saw 9/11 from another continent and when he returned he thought it was his duty to serve. Though it does not alter Josh's committment to his truck, platoon, unit or the mission in Afghanistan, Josh will openly admit that the Army "isn't his thing." He is very grateful for the opportunity to serve and how it challenged him. Perhaps if he had a different job or role, something where he feels he would make a bigger impact, then it might be different. As he said in the post from last week, "If nothing else, I taught this one village how to get in a line one behind the other. My great contribution to the war on terror and counterinsurgency. haha. I would like to introduce modern toiletry products such as antipersperant. I searched more than one individual with the "dam has broken" sweaty pits. haha. Personnel searches-definitely drew the short straw on that one."
Through his time over there, he has discovered how much he misses and truly loves, and I mean LOVES, his job as a teacher and especially a kindergarten teacher. Not that it was ever a question before he left, but on several occassions in the last few months, something to the effect of "I have a job I really love at home" has been expressed in an e-mail or phone conversation.
Our oldest nephew, Dominic, headed off to Kindergarten this week and Uncle Josh sent him a special e-mail. I think this epitomizes his love for children and why he does such a remarkable job in the classroom.
Dear Dominic,
It is Uncle Josh. I just wanted to write you and tell you that I am so proud of you. That means I think you are a great person and I really like the things you do. You are going to be an amazing Kindergartener. I know you are going to be a great friend to everyone in your class. I know this because you are such a good brother to Jonathan and Cassie. I know you are going to be a big help to your teacher. I know this because you are big help to your Mom and Dad. Kindergarten is so much fun. You are going to learn a lot and have a lot of fun doing it. I know Kindergarten is fun because I teach Kindergarteners just like you! I know you will make great choices at school. I can not wait to hear about all your Kindergarten adventures. I am sorry I won't be able to visit with you after your first day of school, but I was wondering if it would be OK if Aunt Darci and I meet you for lunch at your school one day after I get home? When I come for lunch I am going to be really hungry, so is it okay if I eat your lunch too? I am just joking with you! haha Have a great time on the first day of school. I know you are going to do a terrific job! See you in a little bit.
Love,
Uncle Josh
To all of the teachers, especially the Barry Staff and Donna, Brian and Nikki, good luck with the start of another school year!
To all of the students, make Mr. B proud and know that he wishes he was there with you!
26 August 2008
Light at the end of the tunnel...
I got this right when it came in my e-mail . . . It is 12:30 here in the morning. We just finished for the day. There has been some activity but I am fine, in case you see anything in the news. But I have big news for everyone. We just came from midnight chow, and what should appear before our wondering eyes in large groups in the dining facility but people in very clean and nice uniforms with strange unit patches on their shoulders. Could it be... We approached them and asked the question, "Hey, Are you guys from Illinois?" Yes, that is right... The advanced party from Illinois has arrived. We all took turns shaking hands and giving big hugs. haha. We were so happy, because although they are not here to replace us, it means there is light at the end of the tunnel. And it means they are actually coming. People kept saying I have never seem you smile so much. haha. Now I am very tired and I am going to collapse into bed, happy. I just wanted to share the good news.
23 August 2008
When Life Hands You Lemons...
Good Morning, I just received this e-mail from Josh... and had to share! Enjoy!
"It is so hot today. BOO! We were out on a Humanitarian Aid drop, and (soldier) and I were pulling security at the entrance conducting personnel searches and crowd control for the villagers who were picking up the aid. Man, those Afghani woman are certainly gaining a sense of independence even if they are still wearing their burkas. They were so fiesty and nasty. It was like they all had listened to a Kelly Clarkson CD before they showed up and got all fired up. One of them gave me the finger when I told her to step behind the cone. Then she kicked the cone. I made her go to the end of the line. That behavior is uncalled for. I had the terp explain that she was going to get her rice and flour too, but if she pulled a stunt like that I was going to give her stuff to someone else. I felt like I was back in the classroom. I could sense eye rolling behind the burka but what can you do. She behaved herself the rest of the time, but seriously worse than a little kid. The men on the other hand must have listened to a Bob Marley CD b/c they all showed up smelling strongly of pot. haha I told them all to get a line one behind the other, and they all get in a rank instead of a file. The terp said that is the only kind of line they know b/c that is how they used to line people up to shoot them. Well, that just makes you feel bad, and then you can understand why the lady is so grouchy. If nothing else, I taught this one village how to get in a line one behind the other. My great contribution to the war on terror and counterinsurgency. haha. I would like to introduce modern toiletry products such as antipersperant. I searched more than one individual with the "dam has broken" sweaty pits. haha. Personnel searches-definitely drew the short straw on that one.
"Things of course are silly here. There are so many officers without enough to do. Majors seem to be especially bitter and the most likely to exhibit behavior that is too big for their britches. I am always getting in trouble. haha. You know if I am getting in trouble you can imagine what kind of trouble other people are getting in. haha. It is only 1:00 PM and I already got in trouble for being too loud-I was laughing haha, exhibiting horseplay-it was added to the offense of laughing too loud, wearing my sunglasses on my head-a common offense for me, my uniform being dusty-we have being driving around all morning, not washing my hands long enough before going into the chow hall (there are sinks outside that you have to wash your hands in before being allowed inside) apparently I was well outside the 20 second mininum-a new rule, and finally I got in trouble for saying that this place was-stupid. I said this after I was yelled at for not washing my hands long enough. haha. I don't care, it is so funny. (soldier) and (soldier) is like this place blows, and we all get a chuckle out of seeing what offenses people get in trouble for. I want to write Obama and tell him he does not need to send any more troops to Afghanistan-he just needs to make the ones that are here all work everyday-haha. I went to the gym in the middle of the afternoon because we were on a night cycle a couple of weeks ago and the gym was packed and I was like do any of you do anything-why are you here. haha Oh well, just a few more months. God love the great state of Illinois. Be sure to give those Guard boys a big shout out when you guys go to Chicago. haha. Tell them to hurry up. haha. I feel so bad for them. I just want to be like brace yourself-it is going to blow. haha
"The other drivers and I started taking stickers/wrappers off things like gatorade, cigarette cartons, and bottles, and starting putting them on our trucks. We call them our sponsors. When we finish a mission we all get on the radio and say I would like to thank my sponsors GoJo, Gold Bond, and Gatorade. We all joke that our dream is to drive the Guard Car. haha. Of course we all talk in a NASCARese accent. I said the other day, "they offered me the Army Strong car and said heck no, I'm holding out for the Guard car-Dale and I are tight-he just don't know it yet." Of course I am the funniest at it. haha. When someone gets in trouble for going to fast on the FOB or hits something else when we are out and about, I get on the radio and I say Oh my God, we just lost power bar AND gatorade b/c you couldn't drive right. haha. I am sure eventually we will get in trouble for the stuff tacked onto our trucks, and have to take it off, but it is funny for now.
"Jokingly, one day I did this 'inflight' brief before this mission. I called us the Camp Phoenix Taxi Service. Now it has turned into this big thing, and now they make me do an inflight brief before every mission. I say "Greetings from the cockpit. Just finishing up some paperwork before we push back from the gate. On behalf of Camp Phoenix I would like to welcome you aboard flight ____ with roundtrip service to _________. Our flight time today is roughly ____ depending on traffic patterns and potholes. We expect sunny skies with light to moderate insurgent activity (the level of activity changes based on our intel brief for the day). We are proud to be codeshare partners with KBR who are providing our meals today. On the menu is chicken or chicken. (this is funny b/c that is all KBR serves in the dining hall is chicken.) In the event of insurgent activity, you may use your seat cushion how ever you see fit. (this always gets a big chuckle). Due to budget cut backs and rising fuel costs, there is no movie, blankets, or beverage service other than warm water on today's flight. I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. Flight attendents prepare for cross check and departure." haha. Always the comedian. This guy from BDOC-(Base Defense Operations Command) came up to me the other day and said, "Are you the in-flight brief guy? We think it is so funny!" What can I say. Maybe the Phoenix Gallivanter will interview me. haha. Big Dreams"
"It is so hot today. BOO! We were out on a Humanitarian Aid drop, and (soldier) and I were pulling security at the entrance conducting personnel searches and crowd control for the villagers who were picking up the aid. Man, those Afghani woman are certainly gaining a sense of independence even if they are still wearing their burkas. They were so fiesty and nasty. It was like they all had listened to a Kelly Clarkson CD before they showed up and got all fired up. One of them gave me the finger when I told her to step behind the cone. Then she kicked the cone. I made her go to the end of the line. That behavior is uncalled for. I had the terp explain that she was going to get her rice and flour too, but if she pulled a stunt like that I was going to give her stuff to someone else. I felt like I was back in the classroom. I could sense eye rolling behind the burka but what can you do. She behaved herself the rest of the time, but seriously worse than a little kid. The men on the other hand must have listened to a Bob Marley CD b/c they all showed up smelling strongly of pot. haha I told them all to get a line one behind the other, and they all get in a rank instead of a file. The terp said that is the only kind of line they know b/c that is how they used to line people up to shoot them. Well, that just makes you feel bad, and then you can understand why the lady is so grouchy. If nothing else, I taught this one village how to get in a line one behind the other. My great contribution to the war on terror and counterinsurgency. haha. I would like to introduce modern toiletry products such as antipersperant. I searched more than one individual with the "dam has broken" sweaty pits. haha. Personnel searches-definitely drew the short straw on that one.
"Things of course are silly here. There are so many officers without enough to do. Majors seem to be especially bitter and the most likely to exhibit behavior that is too big for their britches. I am always getting in trouble. haha. You know if I am getting in trouble you can imagine what kind of trouble other people are getting in. haha. It is only 1:00 PM and I already got in trouble for being too loud-I was laughing haha, exhibiting horseplay-it was added to the offense of laughing too loud, wearing my sunglasses on my head-a common offense for me, my uniform being dusty-we have being driving around all morning, not washing my hands long enough before going into the chow hall (there are sinks outside that you have to wash your hands in before being allowed inside) apparently I was well outside the 20 second mininum-a new rule, and finally I got in trouble for saying that this place was-stupid. I said this after I was yelled at for not washing my hands long enough. haha. I don't care, it is so funny. (soldier) and (soldier) is like this place blows, and we all get a chuckle out of seeing what offenses people get in trouble for. I want to write Obama and tell him he does not need to send any more troops to Afghanistan-he just needs to make the ones that are here all work everyday-haha. I went to the gym in the middle of the afternoon because we were on a night cycle a couple of weeks ago and the gym was packed and I was like do any of you do anything-why are you here. haha Oh well, just a few more months. God love the great state of Illinois. Be sure to give those Guard boys a big shout out when you guys go to Chicago. haha. Tell them to hurry up. haha. I feel so bad for them. I just want to be like brace yourself-it is going to blow. haha
"The other drivers and I started taking stickers/wrappers off things like gatorade, cigarette cartons, and bottles, and starting putting them on our trucks. We call them our sponsors. When we finish a mission we all get on the radio and say I would like to thank my sponsors GoJo, Gold Bond, and Gatorade. We all joke that our dream is to drive the Guard Car. haha. Of course we all talk in a NASCARese accent. I said the other day, "they offered me the Army Strong car and said heck no, I'm holding out for the Guard car-Dale and I are tight-he just don't know it yet." Of course I am the funniest at it. haha. When someone gets in trouble for going to fast on the FOB or hits something else when we are out and about, I get on the radio and I say Oh my God, we just lost power bar AND gatorade b/c you couldn't drive right. haha. I am sure eventually we will get in trouble for the stuff tacked onto our trucks, and have to take it off, but it is funny for now.
"Jokingly, one day I did this 'inflight' brief before this mission. I called us the Camp Phoenix Taxi Service. Now it has turned into this big thing, and now they make me do an inflight brief before every mission. I say "Greetings from the cockpit. Just finishing up some paperwork before we push back from the gate. On behalf of Camp Phoenix I would like to welcome you aboard flight ____ with roundtrip service to _________. Our flight time today is roughly ____ depending on traffic patterns and potholes. We expect sunny skies with light to moderate insurgent activity (the level of activity changes based on our intel brief for the day). We are proud to be codeshare partners with KBR who are providing our meals today. On the menu is chicken or chicken. (this is funny b/c that is all KBR serves in the dining hall is chicken.) In the event of insurgent activity, you may use your seat cushion how ever you see fit. (this always gets a big chuckle). Due to budget cut backs and rising fuel costs, there is no movie, blankets, or beverage service other than warm water on today's flight. I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. Flight attendents prepare for cross check and departure." haha. Always the comedian. This guy from BDOC-(Base Defense Operations Command) came up to me the other day and said, "Are you the in-flight brief guy? We think it is so funny!" What can I say. Maybe the Phoenix Gallivanter will interview me. haha. Big Dreams"
19 August 2008
Seventh Heaven!
Important news first... a much needed e-mail from Josh. As everyone is probably seeing in the news this morning, there was some activity in Afghanistan over night.
He did share this in the e-mail that I thought I would share with all of you...
"Myself and some of the other drivers stick together alot. We have kind of formed our own driver's union. haha. We all exchange tips and advice. It really is starting to get cooler and cooler, especially at night. The big motorpool has twelve snowplow kits waiting to be installed on trucks, so that can not be good. haha. We lost all our parking, due to some new construction on the FOB, so we have been busy acquiring real estate much to many of a Sgt. Major's and Colonel's frustration. haha I continue to perform death defying driving in our truck. Although driving through dust, over rocks and through poop water is losing its novelty. haha. Just a few more months. haha."
Josh has said on numerous occassions that the terrain is what makes for an interesting ride, as well as the narrow, narrow "roads". His truck escorted a "VIP" one day and the individual was a bit shocked at the conditions. As Josh wrote, "He called me a kid all day and referred to me as 'Driver'. I felt like Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. He panicked rather easily and I felt like I was a kid with a permit and my parent was allowing me to practice driving. He would let out gasps and grip the door handle, and more than once I heard him banging the floorboard as he was trying to brake. It was rather entertaining... told me I did a fine job - big hand shake."
Today is the 19th!! SEVEN months down!! WOOOOOWOOOO!!!! As I have shared with some people, I treat myself to something "special" on or around the 19th of each month. As I receive gift cards or certificates for local spas, salons, etc., I save them for these occassions. With the semester/school year gearing up, this month's treat was greatly appreciated.
He did share this in the e-mail that I thought I would share with all of you...
"Myself and some of the other drivers stick together alot. We have kind of formed our own driver's union. haha. We all exchange tips and advice. It really is starting to get cooler and cooler, especially at night. The big motorpool has twelve snowplow kits waiting to be installed on trucks, so that can not be good. haha. We lost all our parking, due to some new construction on the FOB, so we have been busy acquiring real estate much to many of a Sgt. Major's and Colonel's frustration. haha I continue to perform death defying driving in our truck. Although driving through dust, over rocks and through poop water is losing its novelty. haha. Just a few more months. haha."
Josh has said on numerous occassions that the terrain is what makes for an interesting ride, as well as the narrow, narrow "roads". His truck escorted a "VIP" one day and the individual was a bit shocked at the conditions. As Josh wrote, "He called me a kid all day and referred to me as 'Driver'. I felt like Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. He panicked rather easily and I felt like I was a kid with a permit and my parent was allowing me to practice driving. He would let out gasps and grip the door handle, and more than once I heard him banging the floorboard as he was trying to brake. It was rather entertaining... told me I did a fine job - big hand shake."
Today is the 19th!! SEVEN months down!! WOOOOOWOOOO!!!! As I have shared with some people, I treat myself to something "special" on or around the 19th of each month. As I receive gift cards or certificates for local spas, salons, etc., I save them for these occassions. With the semester/school year gearing up, this month's treat was greatly appreciated.
12 August 2008
Returning to the Afghan Life
Josh is getting back into the swing of things in Afghanistan, though things seem different now. When he returned two of the other men in his truck had just left for their leave, and therefore things were not "normal". ("What is normal?") Josh's truck was not in the same condition as he left it. After taking the time to make sure everything was "just so" day after day, returning to anything but that was a bit frustrating for him. He called me on Saturday and he had it back at the maintenance hut getting it "tweaked". The other two men had also returned from their leave. We have learned that moods, motivation, and morale change drastically after leave, and in a variety of ways for each person. Some return more depressed than others, while some come back and have a new outlook and perspective on what really matters, using the proximity to returning home as motivation to just finish their job.
Oddly, as close as they are to China, the opening ceremonies were not aired until August 9 for them. He was hoping that some of the duties would coincide with an opportunity to watch some of the Olympic games.
In an e-mail late last week, he wrote, "It has been cloudy or smoggy, not sure which one for the last two days, but it helps to kill some of the sun's intensity, but it is still wickedly hot." Wickedly!
Josh and I purchased some items while he was home that finally arrived for him last week. It's amazing to think that those 9" plastic fans we buy for college that barely blows enough air are now such a relief in the place where he is. He loves his little fan. The person who will move into his room when he leaves will be in for a treat. There is no way that Josh can bring everything home, not that he wants to at all. He decided that he will leave his things - fan, the rug, chair, etc. for the next group to use. Anything to make things a little easier on them.
In news from home, I ran in the Tromptown 1/2 Marathon last Thursday evening. A nice 13.1 mile run through country scene (and smells) of DeRuyter, NY. It kicked off the Fireman's Field Days. My cousin Deanna drove me and cheered for me along the way. I crossed the finish line with Deanna, my parents, Donna, Dominic and Jonathan watching. They didn't recognize me at first. I think it was because of my lightening speed. KIDDING! I finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes, well ahead of what I thought I would do it in and before it was dark, so I was very happy. I am training with flat runs and this was full of rolling hills, so needless-to-say I was very pleased. Josh sent a very nice e-mail to me before the race too which was a great extra push, letting me know that he would be right there running with me. As soon as I returned home, I e-mailed him with the news, and added, "It wasn't the same without you, but I talked to you a few times out there. And I imagined you running by my side... Not too many smells of cow poop either."
Oddly, as close as they are to China, the opening ceremonies were not aired until August 9 for them. He was hoping that some of the duties would coincide with an opportunity to watch some of the Olympic games.
In an e-mail late last week, he wrote, "It has been cloudy or smoggy, not sure which one for the last two days, but it helps to kill some of the sun's intensity, but it is still wickedly hot." Wickedly!
Josh and I purchased some items while he was home that finally arrived for him last week. It's amazing to think that those 9" plastic fans we buy for college that barely blows enough air are now such a relief in the place where he is. He loves his little fan. The person who will move into his room when he leaves will be in for a treat. There is no way that Josh can bring everything home, not that he wants to at all. He decided that he will leave his things - fan, the rug, chair, etc. for the next group to use. Anything to make things a little easier on them.
In news from home, I ran in the Tromptown 1/2 Marathon last Thursday evening. A nice 13.1 mile run through country scene (and smells) of DeRuyter, NY. It kicked off the Fireman's Field Days. My cousin Deanna drove me and cheered for me along the way. I crossed the finish line with Deanna, my parents, Donna, Dominic and Jonathan watching. They didn't recognize me at first. I think it was because of my lightening speed. KIDDING! I finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes, well ahead of what I thought I would do it in and before it was dark, so I was very happy. I am training with flat runs and this was full of rolling hills, so needless-to-say I was very pleased. Josh sent a very nice e-mail to me before the race too which was a great extra push, letting me know that he would be right there running with me. As soon as I returned home, I e-mailed him with the news, and added, "It wasn't the same without you, but I talked to you a few times out there. And I imagined you running by my side... Not too many smells of cow poop either."
05 August 2008
It's the 5th of the Month!
Well, it's August 5th, so Josh's unit has been in country now for 4 months. Of course, we had just under a month where Josh was not involved in the day to day business over there. Sometimes I still wish we had that time. I realized that after this weekend's action over there and Josh sending his "I'm fine" e-mail how hard it is to get back into that mindset of hearing that information or waiting for those e-mails from him.
Josh shared the following in an e-mail this morning . . .
"I know people are going to ask because they just extended those marines 30 days, but we have not heard anything about extending us. As far as I know, we are on time arrivals. Everyone needs to remember that the marines were just supposed to be a quick fix, there was not going to be anybody replacing them. They were supposed to come in clean it up and move on. Ithink they had to extend them b/c they no one in place to replace them. The news article and the rumors around here are saying that units expected to go to Iraq at the end of the year and the beginning of next year will be coming here instead. The illinois unit that is coming to replace us is bringing nearly three thousand troops ( i read it in a press release)."
I finally dropped off the camera disks to Walgreens today -- woohoo! I will be picking them up on my way home and posting them tonight!
Josh shared the following in an e-mail this morning . . .
"I know people are going to ask because they just extended those marines 30 days, but we have not heard anything about extending us. As far as I know, we are on time arrivals. Everyone needs to remember that the marines were just supposed to be a quick fix, there was not going to be anybody replacing them. They were supposed to come in clean it up and move on. Ithink they had to extend them b/c they no one in place to replace them. The news article and the rumors around here are saying that units expected to go to Iraq at the end of the year and the beginning of next year will be coming here instead. The illinois unit that is coming to replace us is bringing nearly three thousand troops ( i read it in a press release)."
I finally dropped off the camera disks to Walgreens today -- woohoo! I will be picking them up on my way home and posting them tonight!
31 July 2008
The Missing Piece and Catching some Zzzzzzzzs
So, in all honesty, I went home tonight from work and said that before I did anything I was going to post the photos from Josh's time at home. I had both disks (about 300 photos to upload) and went to connect the camera to the cable and didn't find the cable. I continued to search for the cable for a half an hour or so, literally searching the entire house until I realized that the cable was not in the house. It was not in Cortland and not in New York state either. I was beginning to think that maybe I took it to Virginia and left it in the hotel room. All of which then triggered, the real location of it... Josh's laptop bag which of course... IS IN AFGHANISTAN!!! Yes, the cable that I need to download my pictures is now a half a world away from me. I remembered that I had packed it in the laptop bag when we went to Virginia so that I could download all of the pictures to Josh's computer, so that he would have them to look at while he was there. Unfortunately, that never happened and I never retreived the cable cord before he left. OOOPS. So, I will drop off the disks tomorrow on my way to work and have them loaded to a CD to download on the computer tomorrow.
Last night, I woke up at 12:15 a.m. and noticed that the computer screen was blinking with an IM! It was Josh!! He had started writing at 12:00, so I said "hi". I woke up 8 minutes later, after saying just that one word to answer his question if I had fallen asleep. I then "disappeared" which triggered him to ask if I had fallen asleep again. My response was "No, I was in the kitchen eating a brownie." I really thought that might help keep me up. It was 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. there and he had been up for a bit. We continued our conversation for a bit and then I woke up at 4:15 a.m. this morning. I just couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to carry on a conversation. It was a bit comical to read this morning, with the timestamp added in.
Later today, I received a lengthy e-mail from Josh. It's been a slow couple of days. He said that it is hard to believe that he hasn't even been back a week yet and that the leave feels like a dream. Here are some bits and pieces of the e-mails I received this week ...
"I started to make a tear a ring a day chain counting down the 100 days until Thanksgiving which begins August 19th. haha. I figure by turkey day, they will be almost here. Thanksgiving was just a good day to pick. haha."
Clearly, this will explain some of what Josh did while he was home. "Well, I am really sorry but I broke down and bought a little TV for my room. It was 79.00. I used the debit card. The PX has a new debit card system. It is just like the one in the PX's in the states, so it was secure. It is so nice to have it in my room connected to the cable." (We have had several conversations on how secure or unsecure some of the card systems are over there, so I thought it was entertaining that he rationalized the whole purchase!)
"My little tv is great. I got to watch part of the TODAY show and some other shows. The bad thing is that it does not have a headphone jack and even when it is on volume one it is still pretty loud. You know it must be if I can hear it clearly on 1. Everyone says that it is not too loud and it does not bother them, but I still just watch in the afternoon or late morning, depending on when we are around."
This was my favorite e-mail from the week, and it was the entire e-mail . . . "I LOVE YOU"
Also, Josh's Mom sent me this in an e-mail forward today and I thought it would be a nice addition to the blog...
Last night, I woke up at 12:15 a.m. and noticed that the computer screen was blinking with an IM! It was Josh!! He had started writing at 12:00, so I said "hi". I woke up 8 minutes later, after saying just that one word to answer his question if I had fallen asleep. I then "disappeared" which triggered him to ask if I had fallen asleep again. My response was "No, I was in the kitchen eating a brownie." I really thought that might help keep me up. It was 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. there and he had been up for a bit. We continued our conversation for a bit and then I woke up at 4:15 a.m. this morning. I just couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to carry on a conversation. It was a bit comical to read this morning, with the timestamp added in.
Later today, I received a lengthy e-mail from Josh. It's been a slow couple of days. He said that it is hard to believe that he hasn't even been back a week yet and that the leave feels like a dream. Here are some bits and pieces of the e-mails I received this week ...
"I started to make a tear a ring a day chain counting down the 100 days until Thanksgiving which begins August 19th. haha. I figure by turkey day, they will be almost here. Thanksgiving was just a good day to pick. haha."
Clearly, this will explain some of what Josh did while he was home. "Well, I am really sorry but I broke down and bought a little TV for my room. It was 79.00. I used the debit card. The PX has a new debit card system. It is just like the one in the PX's in the states, so it was secure. It is so nice to have it in my room connected to the cable." (We have had several conversations on how secure or unsecure some of the card systems are over there, so I thought it was entertaining that he rationalized the whole purchase!)
"My little tv is great. I got to watch part of the TODAY show and some other shows. The bad thing is that it does not have a headphone jack and even when it is on volume one it is still pretty loud. You know it must be if I can hear it clearly on 1. Everyone says that it is not too loud and it does not bother them, but I still just watch in the afternoon or late morning, depending on when we are around."
This was my favorite e-mail from the week, and it was the entire e-mail . . . "I LOVE YOU"
Also, Josh's Mom sent me this in an e-mail forward today and I thought it would be a nice addition to the blog...
Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq , stationed in a big sand box.. He asked his wife to send him dirt ( U.S. soil), fertilizer, and some grass seed so that he can have the sweet aroma, and feel the grass grow beneath his feet, When the men of the squadron have a mission that they are going on, they take turns walking through the grass and the American soil -- to bring them good luck.
If you notice, he is even cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors. Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that we take for granted. Upon receiving this, say a little prayer for our soldiers that give and give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.
For Josh, it is already August 1st, so Happy August, Josh! Another calendar month down. Check back this weekend for photos provided that there are no issues with my attempt to upload!
25 June 2008
Truck Troubles and Hot Heat
Josh shared the following in an e-mail to me today. He sounds like a completely different person when talking about the truck - very mechanic sounding. I can say that because he has even admitted that he is learning quite a bit from the mechanics.
"My truck had a bad day. It needs a new tire-two of the lugnuts/bolts completely sheared off-combo of heat and mechanic over torquing, two new ball joints, and the battery is shot. Can you believe I just got new brakes two days ago? My second set since being here. Haha. They said they will need to be replaced in less than a month. Can you imagine? All of the stuff that needs to be repaired happened in one day. The good thing is it never broke down. It was so hot today. Somebody said it was 120, which I doubt, but close. The heat just hits you like a wave from a furnace."
In other news, we are very excited about the nomination of Lt. Gen. Dunwoody, as the first female to be a four star General in the Army. The news hits close to home, as she was a Class of 1975 graduate of SUNY Cortland! It has been the buzz around campus, and of course, something exciting to share with Josh from home.
If Josh were home right now, he would be celebrating the end of the school year this week. In recent school news, Mr. Amante, his principal, is retiring, so Josh will return to a new principal from Ithaca City Schools, but a Cortland resident. There was a nice article featured in the Cortland Standard last week on Mr. Amante.
"My truck had a bad day. It needs a new tire-two of the lugnuts/bolts completely sheared off-combo of heat and mechanic over torquing, two new ball joints, and the battery is shot. Can you believe I just got new brakes two days ago? My second set since being here. Haha. They said they will need to be replaced in less than a month. Can you imagine? All of the stuff that needs to be repaired happened in one day. The good thing is it never broke down. It was so hot today. Somebody said it was 120, which I doubt, but close. The heat just hits you like a wave from a furnace."
In other news, we are very excited about the nomination of Lt. Gen. Dunwoody, as the first female to be a four star General in the Army. The news hits close to home, as she was a Class of 1975 graduate of SUNY Cortland! It has been the buzz around campus, and of course, something exciting to share with Josh from home.
If Josh were home right now, he would be celebrating the end of the school year this week. In recent school news, Mr. Amante, his principal, is retiring, so Josh will return to a new principal from Ithaca City Schools, but a Cortland resident. There was a nice article featured in the Cortland Standard last week on Mr. Amante.
20 June 2008
A little shout out to Barry...
First of all, wholey moley...all the packages of stuff you guys have been collecting arrived this evening. I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for contributing such great stuff for us and for the children we see on a daily basis. They will love it. We love it. I especially appreciated the zip drives, as apparently everyone in the Army is supposed to have one now, but it something they never issue. I must have missed the memo that was passed out in triplicate four times about picking one up. I mean seriously, a zip drive. As an infantryman, I had to memorize the Infantryman's Creed. The Infantryman's Creed has strong one liners like "I am the Infantry, I am my country's strength in war." or "I am the Queen of Battle" (I know, a little weird, but apparently artillery gets to be the King of Battle, so we had to settle for queen.) or "I am the heart of the fight wherever, whenever", and oh by the way do you have your zip drive? I mean who knew. So, that was a great find in the box. Also, the one female supply clerk that we have attached to our unit, just about fell over when I passed off the copy of the Glamour magazine to her. So, put your hands together for whoever threw that in. I seriously thought she was going to pass out. I especially want to thank Rick Miller for boxing all that up and sending it off in the mail. I really appreciate. You guys are the best!
We will be passing out all of that great clothing real soon. I found some kids in one village, that I really would like to give the bulk of it too. They are terrific. As many of you know, at night we wear Night Vision Googles or NVGS. They are attached to our helmet by something called a rhino mount, because it looks like a rhino's horn on your head. The NVGS can be stowed in an up position until you are ready to use them. Then you can swing the rhino mount down and it brings the NVGS to your eyes. I make it sound a lot less awkward and not as uncomfortable as they are. It is a piece of equipment, you hate until you actually really need to use it, and you are like man I get it, I completely see the point behind all that. Walking with them on, does not even begin to compare with driving with them on. Anyway, we were in this village, as it started to get dark, and I mounted my NVGs on my head in order to be prepared. The kids thought it was some sort of video camera. They begged me to lower it in front of my face, and when I did they thought that was the cue for the camera to start rolling. Well, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph it was like a Dance Party, American Idol, and WWF rolled into one. The boys were all striking body building poses yelling that they were John Cena, the girls were all singing Britney (I am sure The Prophet Mohommad is rolling over in his grave on that one), and the rest were just dancing fighting and nudging each other so that they would be seen "on camera". When I put them back on my head, they all stopped, and said oh mister, mister...please" So, I sent them all over to another truck and told them that that truck had candy and made a run for it. Don't feel too bad for them-they were the lead truck that day,and they had driven really slowly all day and chosen way more difficult routes than necessary, so we all know what they say about paybacks.
I am sure many of you have been watching the news and have noticed that there is quite a bit of activity here in this corner of the world as of late. This was expected, and something we have prepared for and trained for. The Taliban like to launch a "Spring Offensive" every year. It usually lasts from April to September, and then as the weather changes, they go back to hiding out. I think people are sometimes surprised by the violence here. With that being said, please take everything you hear on the news with a grain of salt. Everyone I have met here wether they be US, a coalition partner, or a member of the Afghan National Army or Afghan National Police is working as hard as they can with the resources they have been given. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we draw courage and strength from them everyday. Sister Michelle, my fourth grade teacher, would be amazed at how quickly the Hail Marys roll off my tongue. I was always a little slow at prayer memorization. I mean who can concentrate on afternoon prayers when you are one amen a way from lunch. It is the support of you all that carries soldiers like me and allows us success. You will never know how much we appreciate it.
In another news...I did watch Michelle Obama interviewed on The View in the chow hall. It was on all eight televisions. BOO! I have nothing against the junior senator's wife from Illinois, I just have only seen The View in Saturday Night Live sketches. It just seemed like an awkward programming choice for a post with over 85% men. Unfortunately, for the first five minutes, I really was not sure who she was because TV watching is few and far between. A little embarassing, I know.
Finally, today is Friday, and I am not going to lie to you all-the Kindergarten Team at times has been known to have a meal or two at the big Burger King on an occasional Friday. Today, I found myself at one of the larger American Bases here in Afghanistan that happens to have a BK. So in honor of the Kindergarten Team, I had my lunch at Burger King. Although, I did not have to race back to school by 1:15, only to fumble with the back door only to remember that I had to go in the front door which forces me to pick up my kids with a LARGE soda in my hand. It wasn't nearly as fun because A) my wife did not show up to surprise me to eat with us like she sometimes does, and B) I got yelled at by three different people in about three consecutive seconds b/c my sunglasses were on my head, which apparently next to not having a zip drive is the worst sin you can commit in today's army. I hope you guys have a great weekend and a great summer. Josh
We will be passing out all of that great clothing real soon. I found some kids in one village, that I really would like to give the bulk of it too. They are terrific. As many of you know, at night we wear Night Vision Googles or NVGS. They are attached to our helmet by something called a rhino mount, because it looks like a rhino's horn on your head. The NVGS can be stowed in an up position until you are ready to use them. Then you can swing the rhino mount down and it brings the NVGS to your eyes. I make it sound a lot less awkward and not as uncomfortable as they are. It is a piece of equipment, you hate until you actually really need to use it, and you are like man I get it, I completely see the point behind all that. Walking with them on, does not even begin to compare with driving with them on. Anyway, we were in this village, as it started to get dark, and I mounted my NVGs on my head in order to be prepared. The kids thought it was some sort of video camera. They begged me to lower it in front of my face, and when I did they thought that was the cue for the camera to start rolling. Well, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph it was like a Dance Party, American Idol, and WWF rolled into one. The boys were all striking body building poses yelling that they were John Cena, the girls were all singing Britney (I am sure The Prophet Mohommad is rolling over in his grave on that one), and the rest were just dancing fighting and nudging each other so that they would be seen "on camera". When I put them back on my head, they all stopped, and said oh mister, mister...please" So, I sent them all over to another truck and told them that that truck had candy and made a run for it. Don't feel too bad for them-they were the lead truck that day,and they had driven really slowly all day and chosen way more difficult routes than necessary, so we all know what they say about paybacks.
I am sure many of you have been watching the news and have noticed that there is quite a bit of activity here in this corner of the world as of late. This was expected, and something we have prepared for and trained for. The Taliban like to launch a "Spring Offensive" every year. It usually lasts from April to September, and then as the weather changes, they go back to hiding out. I think people are sometimes surprised by the violence here. With that being said, please take everything you hear on the news with a grain of salt. Everyone I have met here wether they be US, a coalition partner, or a member of the Afghan National Army or Afghan National Police is working as hard as they can with the resources they have been given. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we draw courage and strength from them everyday. Sister Michelle, my fourth grade teacher, would be amazed at how quickly the Hail Marys roll off my tongue. I was always a little slow at prayer memorization. I mean who can concentrate on afternoon prayers when you are one amen a way from lunch. It is the support of you all that carries soldiers like me and allows us success. You will never know how much we appreciate it.
In another news...I did watch Michelle Obama interviewed on The View in the chow hall. It was on all eight televisions. BOO! I have nothing against the junior senator's wife from Illinois, I just have only seen The View in Saturday Night Live sketches. It just seemed like an awkward programming choice for a post with over 85% men. Unfortunately, for the first five minutes, I really was not sure who she was because TV watching is few and far between. A little embarassing, I know.
Finally, today is Friday, and I am not going to lie to you all-the Kindergarten Team at times has been known to have a meal or two at the big Burger King on an occasional Friday. Today, I found myself at one of the larger American Bases here in Afghanistan that happens to have a BK. So in honor of the Kindergarten Team, I had my lunch at Burger King. Although, I did not have to race back to school by 1:15, only to fumble with the back door only to remember that I had to go in the front door which forces me to pick up my kids with a LARGE soda in my hand. It wasn't nearly as fun because A) my wife did not show up to surprise me to eat with us like she sometimes does, and B) I got yelled at by three different people in about three consecutive seconds b/c my sunglasses were on my head, which apparently next to not having a zip drive is the worst sin you can commit in today's army. I hope you guys have a great weekend and a great summer. Josh
14 June 2008
He's fine . . .
Many of you may be waking up to some "Breaking News" from Afghanistan. Josh is okay. He sent his family and I an e-mail this morning at 6:22 a.m. (our time).
"Real quick-quite a bit of news from this corner of the world that you will be waking up to in a bit-just wanted to let you all know that I am fine and snug as a bug in a rug. haha. Love, Josh"
"Real quick-quite a bit of news from this corner of the world that you will be waking up to in a bit-just wanted to let you all know that I am fine and snug as a bug in a rug. haha. Love, Josh"
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