We heard from the lad yesterday. It was Thanksgiving and he called about 8am (our time - 7pm his). Not a lot to report of a military nature. He had just completed his third day off in a row. Actually, the first two days they did some maintenance of vehicles and weapons. But Thanksgiving day was just fun. He said the D-Fac was all decorated with ice sculpures and that the food had been off the hook. He had spent a little time in the gym and had gone to "movie day" all three days. He said that they had some stuff coming up that would be pretty exciting (I think that means dangerous), but that he couldn't tell us about it right now.
After 15 or 20 minutes of trying to hear him over one of the worst connections we have ever had, we said farewell ... hoping that he could get onto another phone a couple hours later. That didn't happen. As I hung up the phone I thought, "I listened to astronauts talk from the moon in 1968 with greater clarity. Why can't we get a phone that works for our soldiers in Iraq?" Then I remembered that this was Thanksgiving and that just wasn't the right attitude. I occurred to me that I had just talked to my son who was in a war zone half a globe away, and he was safe. Even though we couldn't capture what he was saying very well, we could hear him. I wondered how many parents would gladly have traded my "scratchy" connection for their "no" connection, and for those who have paid the ultimate price for Iraqi freedom, their "never" connection. Needless to say, I quickly shelved my complaint and took up the spirit of praise for which the day was intended.
What a great setting to a wonderful Thanksgiving day. We baked turkey, deep fried turkey and then ate turkey ... 37 lbs. of turkey. Now that wouldn't be a big deal if we had 40 dinner guests. But there were 8 of us. Do the math. That's enough turkey to make you gobble. Our oldest son was the deep fry master - complete with a marinade injected bird. Both of our daughters made pies. And Mom did her usual tasty, juicy bird AND a pie. It was a feast! We laughed around the table until we cried - literally. While we missed our extended families, and those far away, it was a GREAT day - concluded with our traditional movie trip. Nothing says Thanksgiving like "Bond - James Bond." As we went to bed last night I said to my wife, "We have WONDERFUL kids - all four of them." We have much for which to thank our God ... and we do!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Breaking News - Noah's Ark Discovered ...
I will get to the breaking news at the end of the blog, but first - a few updates. Kyle called Saturday morning and is doing well. He was beginning a break of two days off. He exclaimed to his mother with some animation in his voice ... "Mom - we are in the desert! I mean the REAL desert complete with camels walking by. For a young man who didn't know that camels existed outside the zoo, this has been an amazing adventure.
As I mentioned in the last post, his platoon is back on the FOB. Their departure from the COB, however, was not without incident. As a part of typical company pride, some of the guys in his company wrote some welcoming phrases around the COB to help the incoming company feel at home. The slogan "Delta sucks" was apparently the most popular graffiti that was penned on various surfaces of the COB. But when someone from Kyle's platoon left a brown steamy greeting in the shower, the brass said enough. For that reason, several of the guys in his company (and platoon) are currently under investigation. He is frustrated by both the stupidity exhibited by some of his platoon mates, as well as the increased scrutiny of the subsequent investigation.
He also shared of the ongoing fascination with desert pigeons. Young military men are so creative and intrigued by nature. If you are face to face with Kyle's mother, she can fill you in concerning their research and development. One discovery that sounded particularly interesting was the discovery of a luminescent pigeon (disclaimer - no pigeons were harmed in any way as a result of this experiment). A glow in the dark pigeon, however, gives new meaning to the term "rare bird."
Now for the lead story ... apparently Kyle's team has interest in archeology as well as taxonomy. Last week they were on patrol and spotted a very old looking wooden structure on the top of a hill. They decided to investigate the structure to see if it might be a weapons cache. What they discovered was amazing! They found Noah's Ark. That's right - Kyle heard it right from a couple of his team mates. I didn't realize that he had so many biblical scholars on his team. They discovered some old pottery and made the determination that it came from the Ark era. Wait until the scientific community gets word of this. To think that, after all the centuries of exploration and research by the biblical, historical and archaeological communities, the Ark would be discovered by some soldiers looking for IED's ... its just mind boggling (disclaimer - anyone who believes they actually found Noah's Ark ... contact me for details concerning a bridge I'm auctioning on eBay). Kyle knew better, but why spoil the fella's fun ;-)
More to come ...
As I mentioned in the last post, his platoon is back on the FOB. Their departure from the COB, however, was not without incident. As a part of typical company pride, some of the guys in his company wrote some welcoming phrases around the COB to help the incoming company feel at home. The slogan "Delta sucks" was apparently the most popular graffiti that was penned on various surfaces of the COB. But when someone from Kyle's platoon left a brown steamy greeting in the shower, the brass said enough. For that reason, several of the guys in his company (and platoon) are currently under investigation. He is frustrated by both the stupidity exhibited by some of his platoon mates, as well as the increased scrutiny of the subsequent investigation.
He also shared of the ongoing fascination with desert pigeons. Young military men are so creative and intrigued by nature. If you are face to face with Kyle's mother, she can fill you in concerning their research and development. One discovery that sounded particularly interesting was the discovery of a luminescent pigeon (disclaimer - no pigeons were harmed in any way as a result of this experiment). A glow in the dark pigeon, however, gives new meaning to the term "rare bird."
Now for the lead story ... apparently Kyle's team has interest in archeology as well as taxonomy. Last week they were on patrol and spotted a very old looking wooden structure on the top of a hill. They decided to investigate the structure to see if it might be a weapons cache. What they discovered was amazing! They found Noah's Ark. That's right - Kyle heard it right from a couple of his team mates. I didn't realize that he had so many biblical scholars on his team. They discovered some old pottery and made the determination that it came from the Ark era. Wait until the scientific community gets word of this. To think that, after all the centuries of exploration and research by the biblical, historical and archaeological communities, the Ark would be discovered by some soldiers looking for IED's ... its just mind boggling (disclaimer - anyone who believes they actually found Noah's Ark ... contact me for details concerning a bridge I'm auctioning on eBay). Kyle knew better, but why spoil the fella's fun ;-)
More to come ...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Getting Shelled ...
Greetings Friends and Family. I was on the phone with M (our daughter) when the cell showed an incoming call. I pulled it away to see that it started with 1-996-XXX-XXXX. I recognized !!!that as our soldier so I said farewell to M and switched over. After opening pleasantries, I asked "What's new?" The reply came back, "Well, other than we just got shelled by mortars, nothing big." WHOA NELLIE!!! He said it so nonchalantly I couldn't believe I had heard him correctly, so I asked again. Sure enough, they had just been fired on in their FOB.
To make sure I was understanding correctly, I looked to Wikipedia for some help ... "A mortar is a muzzle-loaded indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocity, short range, high-arching ballistic trajectory." In other words, it lobs exploding munitions into the middle of your home. As we were talking I could hear someone talking over the PA in the background. K took a break from our conversation to listen. I asked what they said and he replied, "I'm not sure, but I'm sitting next to my team leader and he's not moving, so I think I'm okay to talk." We had another 20 minutes together on the phone, uninterrupted.
His housing has changed. He said they they are no longer in one large tent. Instead he is staying in "CANS". That probably is an acronym for something, but he described them as container units with 2 cots inside. He is staying with "Garcia". It appears , however, they Kyle will not be moving north in January as previously reported. Now he is saying that they will probably remain in their current for the entire deployment (318 days remaining). In fact, he says that they may move some of the troops who are currently up north down to his location. That will make an already over crowded situation even worse.
The other news was that Kyle has received a Brigade coin as well as the Battalion coin I mentioned in the last blog entry. I asked, "How many other guys in your platoon received that?" He replied, "None." Sounds like he continues to do well and distinguish himself as an exceptional soldier. So much for now ...
To make sure I was understanding correctly, I looked to Wikipedia for some help ... "A mortar is a muzzle-loaded indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocity, short range, high-arching ballistic trajectory." In other words, it lobs exploding munitions into the middle of your home. As we were talking I could hear someone talking over the PA in the background. K took a break from our conversation to listen. I asked what they said and he replied, "I'm not sure, but I'm sitting next to my team leader and he's not moving, so I think I'm okay to talk." We had another 20 minutes together on the phone, uninterrupted.
His housing has changed. He said they they are no longer in one large tent. Instead he is staying in "CANS". That probably is an acronym for something, but he described them as container units with 2 cots inside. He is staying with "Garcia". It appears , however, they Kyle will not be moving north in January as previously reported. Now he is saying that they will probably remain in their current for the entire deployment (318 days remaining). In fact, he says that they may move some of the troops who are currently up north down to his location. That will make an already over crowded situation even worse.
The other news was that Kyle has received a Brigade coin as well as the Battalion coin I mentioned in the last blog entry. I asked, "How many other guys in your platoon received that?" He replied, "None." Sounds like he continues to do well and distinguish himself as an exceptional soldier. So much for now ...
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
FINALLY!!!!!
Okay, its been 2 weeks and 6 days and we finally received word today on Kyle's whereabouts. Apparently there has been an increase in hostilities toward American soldiers so the FOB has been "blacked out". That means limited if any communications with the outside. Cell phones were passed in and all communications was limited to the Base computers. That means time restrictions and no uploads. For that reason, there will be no photos until further notice. The hostilities, for the curious, came in the form of IED's. If I was understanding correctly, Kyles group, unit, company ??? found two recently.
Their current living situation is that his entire unit is in one large tent with no AC. He said the temps are still hot in the day time, but very cold at night (he said "freezing" but that might have been figurative). He did say that the rainy season is not far off and that they have already received one rain storm. Believe it or not, they have managed to get the xbox 360 setup despite the impoverished billet.
When they first arrived back at the FOB they were limited to tower duty ... 6 hrs in the guard tower and 6 hrs off. He didn't enjoy that so much. Since that time they have been attached to "Bravo Company" and are now doing patrols (if you call me directly I can tell you the location of most of their patrols). He simply doesn't understand that, from our perspective, the tower duty is just fine and patrol represents risk. Try explaining that to a trained soldier in the US Army ... "Boots on the ground ... Call to duty ... and so on". He said that they are currently still doing patrols in up armored Humvees, but they are slated to get an MRAP soon. He has applied to be "dismounted" which means that he gets out of the nice safe vehicle if they encounter trouble. Again, not the news we were looking for. What could be so bad about sitting behind the wheel of a rolling fortress with the AC blowing while the rest of the fire squad does the rounds? Alas, boys will be boys ...
He continues to get the positive attention of his ranking officers. His CO put in for Kyle's promotion to E-4 (Specialist). Only after reviewing Kyle's file did he realize that Kyle is a full 8 months shy of the minimum time served for promotion. His comment to Kyle was something like, "You mean you've only been in for 10 months? You are really squared away." If he gets the E-4, he will soon be eligible for Corporal (E-5). I guess even the Army has an eye for talent. It is good to know that, despite his "creative" and fun loving side, he is fully capable of getting down to business. I know that he pushes himself harder than most and loves the challenge of new material. He is currently training Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army personnel.
Their current living situation is that his entire unit is in one large tent with no AC. He said the temps are still hot in the day time, but very cold at night (he said "freezing" but that might have been figurative). He did say that the rainy season is not far off and that they have already received one rain storm. Believe it or not, they have managed to get the xbox 360 setup despite the impoverished billet.
When they first arrived back at the FOB they were limited to tower duty ... 6 hrs in the guard tower and 6 hrs off. He didn't enjoy that so much. Since that time they have been attached to "Bravo Company" and are now doing patrols (if you call me directly I can tell you the location of most of their patrols). He simply doesn't understand that, from our perspective, the tower duty is just fine and patrol represents risk. Try explaining that to a trained soldier in the US Army ... "Boots on the ground ... Call to duty ... and so on". He said that they are currently still doing patrols in up armored Humvees, but they are slated to get an MRAP soon. He has applied to be "dismounted" which means that he gets out of the nice safe vehicle if they encounter trouble. Again, not the news we were looking for. What could be so bad about sitting behind the wheel of a rolling fortress with the AC blowing while the rest of the fire squad does the rounds? Alas, boys will be boys ...
He continues to get the positive attention of his ranking officers. His CO put in for Kyle's promotion to E-4 (Specialist). Only after reviewing Kyle's file did he realize that Kyle is a full 8 months shy of the minimum time served for promotion. His comment to Kyle was something like, "You mean you've only been in for 10 months? You are really squared away." If he gets the E-4, he will soon be eligible for Corporal (E-5). I guess even the Army has an eye for talent. It is good to know that, despite his "creative" and fun loving side, he is fully capable of getting down to business. I know that he pushes himself harder than most and loves the challenge of new material. He is currently training Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army personnel.
One bit of information - Kyle was given a "Battalion Coin". This is given for exceptional in service. If I understood this correctly it was given to him with some formality including a chaplain and someone with a little brass. He was being modest, but it didn't sound like they just passed these out to everyone.
He did say that his AT&T phone cards cost him more than they do in the US (go figure - it's not enough that they stand in harms way... they get charged extra by the phone company for the privilege of doing so). For that reason, if you are looking for a Christmas gift to send, that would be a good one. Also, he mentioned to two of his ranking officers haven't received any packages. For that reason, my wife is putting together a couple care packages. Let us know if you want to be a part.
That's all we got ... more to come ...
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Please dont' give up ...
(324 days of deployment remaining)
If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know that it has been some time since I have updated it. That is not because I have become bored with the project, or have lost sight of the value of it. It simply springs from the fact that we have not heard from him in 2 weeks and 5 days. In parental timekeeping that seems like an eternity. Please don't give up on checking in with this blog. As soon as we hear something, you will read something.
In the mean time, might I suggest the old practice of writing him a letter. I know that in his BCT, Kyle really looked forward to reading from those who loved him back home. In this electronic era, we have all but lost the patient art of placing pen to paper. And the ability to wait for the reply is all but gone. This might be a good opportunity to break out your "Bic", pick up your paper and write a letter which Kyle will be able to carry around with him as a present reminder of those far away. If you wish to do so, you know how to get hold of me for contact info.
Many of those who read this blog are people of faith, i.e., family members or church family. If you are a person of prayer please pray for:
- Christian friends for Kyle. BCT was full of them, but his deployment has proven otherwise.
- Scriptures that will come alive for Kyle in his personal devotion time.
- Iraqi's who might be willing to hear the Good News from Kyle.
- A quiet spirit on the part of his immediate family ... this translates into peace for the long stretches of silence from the middle east.
- Kyle to stay busy. "An idle mind is the devil's playground." Too many soldiers with too little to do never turns into anything good. Trust me on this!
If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know that it has been some time since I have updated it. That is not because I have become bored with the project, or have lost sight of the value of it. It simply springs from the fact that we have not heard from him in 2 weeks and 5 days. In parental timekeeping that seems like an eternity. Please don't give up on checking in with this blog. As soon as we hear something, you will read something.
In the mean time, might I suggest the old practice of writing him a letter. I know that in his BCT, Kyle really looked forward to reading from those who loved him back home. In this electronic era, we have all but lost the patient art of placing pen to paper. And the ability to wait for the reply is all but gone. This might be a good opportunity to break out your "Bic", pick up your paper and write a letter which Kyle will be able to carry around with him as a present reminder of those far away. If you wish to do so, you know how to get hold of me for contact info.
Many of those who read this blog are people of faith, i.e., family members or church family. If you are a person of prayer please pray for:
- Christian friends for Kyle. BCT was full of them, but his deployment has proven otherwise.
- Scriptures that will come alive for Kyle in his personal devotion time.
- Iraqi's who might be willing to hear the Good News from Kyle.
- A quiet spirit on the part of his immediate family ... this translates into peace for the long stretches of silence from the middle east.
- Kyle to stay busy. "An idle mind is the devil's playground." Too many soldiers with too little to do never turns into anything good. Trust me on this!
By way of explanation - we have never owned a flag (always in rentals or parsonages - poking holes not recommended). For that reason, I went out today and got a flag to honor our vets and our soldier.
More to come ... I PROMISE!
More to come ... I PROMISE!
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