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...

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!

Back in Afghanistan

Josh completed his return trip to Afghanistan. He departed the US on Tuesday, July 22 in the evening from Atlanta and arrived in Afghanistan late Thursday evening. He was then transferred back to Camp Phoenix on Saturday afternoon and back to work on Sunday. He was greeted with several packages and other pieces of mail when he arrived. Things are slowly getting back on track for him. Everyone's leave is staggered, so his truck will be "normal" again for a short time before the fourth member of the truck leaves.

Including travel time, Josh was "out of commission" for 27 days. It took him seven days to get from Camp Phoenix to Cortland and 5 on the return trip.

He has called a couple of times since he left. Mostly, I heard from him at each new location along his travel path. He did send an e-mail this morning, indicating that he felt popular as everyone was excited to see him and kept telling him how good it was to have him back. He was able to sleep through the night the last two nights, so he feels that he is back on the regular schedule. It continues to be very hot there. When he was in Kuwait on his way home, it was 120 degrees!

I promise to post the pictures soon from the visit. This posting is being added from the comfort of my bedroom and the pictures require the other computer... that is downstairs... in the room... that is a mess! Soon...

Hmmm... What could be up?

SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE ! ! ! ! !

(I'll post the pics later tonight, but for now... this might explain the lack of updates!)

Josh was granted leave from Afghanistan and was HOME in the USA from July 6 - 22!!!!! It's was a long adventure. It took 7 days for him to get from Camp Phoenix to Cortland, but seven fewer days of being out and about or in the field.

Why did we keep it so quiet? With the many changes that we have experienced in the Army, we did not want to get people's hopes up and then have the Army "change plans." It obviously was not a quick trip home and the itinerary changed several times in the days and weeks prior to his arrival. It honestly gave Josh and I something to talk about each of the few times that he called. We would share our newest ideas for "surprise tactics" amongst family. And actually, now that I remember, I, myself only found out a few weeks before hand. It's was a hard secret to keep, but certainly worth the excitement and joy that everyone experienced during his visit!


And What to My Wondering Eyes Did Appear?!?! . . . coming through the security gates at Ithaca's airport! (July 6, approximately 10:40 p.m.)

We know that the 13th was a difficult day for our US forces in Afghanistan and we are sure that some of you were a bit concerned by the death of the 9 US soldiers. As you know now, Josh was a safe and sound on US soil.

Boilermaker 2008 - July 13 - Utica, NY

I ran the Boilermaker 15K on Sunday, July 13. It was a wonderful run, and even better having Josh there to cheer for me. He even made a sign - "I travelled from Afghanistan to cheer for Darci - 5815!" It certainly was a conversation piece, but to Josh's surprise it actually reconnected him with his old first seargeant from the company. He (first seargent) changed units prior to the deployment. While running, he saw Josh's sign and actually ran back to him after he realized who Josh was. Hopefully, it didn't throw off his time too much. Again, it was a great run and I finished it in approximately 1:29:06, though due to a timing snafu at the starting line, I may never know my official net time.

The Boilermaker is a very well-known 15K run. In fact, the top 10 males were all from Kenya or Ethopia. Even more well-known is the Post-Race Party, held outside of one of Utica's breweries. We skipped the party to head back to Cortland for our next adventure of Josh's leave.

Visiting Virginia - July 13 - 17

Immediately after the Boilermaker, we travelled back to Cortland for a quick shower and then off to Virginia to visit with Josh's family.

Meeting Takoda . . .

We stayed in luxury for this visit - The Ritz-Carlton! We can thank the military/government discount for that one! It was wonderful - such wonderful treatment - and great soap!!!

Eventhough the Washington, D.C. area is home, we certainly played the tourist part rather well. On the 14th, we visited the Newseum... We highly recommend this site to anyone visiting the area. It's right along Pennsylvania Avenue and provides a great photo op of the Capitol Building. Here are some photos of the Newseum.

Thanks to Jen's connections, we landed a great tour of the Pentagon on the 15th. This was no ordinary Pentagon Tour. Unfortunately, due to obvious reasons, photography was not allowed on Pentagon grounds. We did see the interior 9/11 Pentagon Memorial which is located at the exact location of the impact. Looking out the windows, we could see the finishing work on the exterior Memorial that will be dedicated this September 11.

Our friend Wendy also came to visit on the 15th. Her birthday was the 18th, so it was a wonderful early present for her.

On the 16th, we headed off to the Baltimore Aquarium. What a sight! It was my first visit to both Baltimore and an aquarium... quite exciting and such a great day. We'll be planning a return trip to Baltimore for a long weekend once Josh returns.

We met with Josh's new principal on the 18th. It was a great opportunity for the two of them to chat and for Rosero to reassure Josh of his position, grade, and what might come upon his return.

Some pictures are worth a thousand words . . . and then some . . . Here are the reactions of friends and family who saw Josh for the first time since January and/or March . . . Excuse the "quality" of some. They might appear to be blurred, but some reactions were a bit quick to capture!


We know that many of you did not know about this or have a chance to see Josh while he was home. The two weeks were really important for us to see each other and you can only imagine what another round of "farewells" could be like in this situation. We continue to appreciate everyone's support and encouragement through this time.


As Josh said before he left, this goodbye is necessary in order to say hello again.


Six months down as of Saturday, July 19. Stay safe, Josh. We all love you!

Happy 4th of July!!

THANK YOU TO OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN!!!

THANK YOU JOSH!!!!!!!!

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

An Early Wake-up Call

It's my first day of the long weekend - aka vacation. For the last month or so, I have literally needed to peel myself out of bed at 7 or somtimes 7:30, eventhough the alarm goes off at 5:30. Today, a phone call woke me up at 5:25 - it was Josh (2 pm his time). (He had actually called yesterday at 6 am, but I never even heard the phone!)

He sounded wonderful. Seemed to be well rested and doing well. I gave him the scoop on the local neighborhood children and upcoming kindergartners - reporting who had what teacher for school next year. Our nephew, Dominic, was screened for kindergarten the other day and did very well, making Uncle Josh very proud of him.

He said it is VERY HOT over there and that our 90 degree heat would actually seem cool to him. It helps that over here he could wear shorts and tshirt and would lack the 60 or so pounds of body armor.

He is excited that is July. As you all know, a lot has happened the past few months and he said that knowing it is a new month just helps. He says hello to everyone and continues to thank everyone for their support and encouraging words.

A special thank you to some of my co-workers and their families. My friend Hailey had a covert candy drive with some other people from work and her family. She shipped him four ten pound packages full of candy to share with the Afghani children. A continued thanks to St. Michael's School in Annandale, VA as they raised money to purchase phone cards for Josh's group - which continues to keep Josh connected to us via phone, as well as many other soldiers and their families.

When you don't want to connect the dots...

When Josh called last Thursday and indicated that he was fine and the unit was fine, I knew that something had obviously happened to one of the other units; however, Josh could say no more. Late yesterday, the news of two more NY Guard troops killed in action was released - both of which were killed in the attacks that Josh "referenced" in the phone call, but could not share details about. They were from the Jamestown Unit in Western New York and fell under the 2nd Squadron, 101st Calvary Unit, same as the Geneva Unit. Ours thoughts and prayers go out to the families, friends and fellow soldiers of the fallen.

Here is a breakdown of the 27th Brigade Combat Team and where the soldiers are from. You will see the Ithaca Unit listed as Company D (Delta Company) under the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry. Hence his mailing address, Delta Co 2-108th INF.

Synonyms for "fine"

Well, okay, all right... He's fine. These days the news seem to carry something from Afghanistan quite regularly. As noted in recent posts, it's the "spring offensive," so we anticipated this being a hair-raising time; however, I don't think we expected it to be so active over there.

I did to speak to Josh on the phone today. Both he and his unit are fine. He said to remember that the media has their way of making things appear more intense or worse than it really is, though he did say things have not been very good over there.

Saturday morning was a rough time as I woke up to news of Task Force Phoenix being involved in an IED attack. Fortunately up to that point, Josh had always been able to write or call before the news broke. It was a couple of hours before I heard from him that day, which was excruciating to watch the time tick and not know, but certainly not the devastating news that three families from the Geneva unit received. Three NY Guardsmen were involved in that IED attack from the Geneva unit. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their familes, friends and fellow soldiers during this time.

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.

Another "I'm fine"!

As you may have read or heard in the news this weekend, there was another IED attack in Afghanistan which killed five soldiers this weekend. While the nationalities of the soldiers have yet to be identified, Josh's task force - Task Force Phoenix - was identified as the U.S. led coalition that was affected. Thankfully, after a few hours of seeing this news myself on Saturday, Josh called. He is fine! We expected this time of the year to be a bit rough, but it seems as though this month has been especially busy over there.

In other news, Josh continues to appreciate all of the goodies and items that everyone is sending his way. He did indicate that he is well stocked on many items and I will post his "overstock" list as soon as I get it from him.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and support.

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