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.

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 ...