We heard from Kyle yesterday. It was the best connection we have ever had. He was talking on an AT&T phone which costs quite a bit more, but it actually works. He said that he has about 40 hours worth of phone time on the other phones. The other phones are Internet based phones, I'm sure, as they have a lengthy delay and spotty transmission. We decided that it would be okay to share those 40 hours worth of phone time with someone who didn't have enough frustration in their life. We will stick to the more expensive AT&T. There is much to be said for "building a better mouse trap" ... the bedrock of capitalism.
It's football season (and when I say football I am referring to the "pig skin - grid iron" variety, not the round, black and white ball variety) in Iraq. Apparently soldiers who have no one around to say, "shouldn't you be working, doing homework, mowing the lawn", take much pride in their flag football. Kyle said the "P.O.G.s" (pronounced "poegs" - Professions Other than Grunt - a derogatory term for anyone other than an infantrymen) live for this stuff. They have professionally made uniforms with team colors and everything. As Kyle described the scene to me it was with a definite sense of, "these guys really need to get a real job." I asked, "Have you played much?" He admitted that he had played a little, but that he preferred the more adult game of sand volleyball. "Beside that", he said, "we are WAY too busy working to spend much time playing” (another implied dig at POGs). I have a high school friend who is now serving in Iraq as a much senior officer in another branch of the service. Hope she is not reading this ;-)
He mentioned that they have a PT (Physical Training test - not something one does into a cup) coming up. These are more important than you might think, at least for Infantry - POGs not so much. He was telling me about a guy in his platoon who has not successfully passed a PT test since BCT and was just demoted because of it. So this soldier is now a buck private after over a year of service. Kyle is on a slightly different track.
His call came in about 11pm their time. He was supposed to be out on patrol, but the power steering broke on their up-armored Humvee. Kyle said, "Dad, can you imagine trying to steer a 12,000 pound vehicle without power steering? It's a bit of a chore." I agreed. For that reason, their vehicle was in the shop and he was off early. Their patrol was intended to last until 4am.
I want to explain the two photos at the top of this blog. These are very poor pics of a really cool challenge coin (go to Wikipedia if you don't know the history of "challenge coins") that Kyle carries with him. This was a gift to Kyle from our daughter-in-law's brother-in-law (wow, that was a lot of hyphens in one sentence ... dare you to keep track of that). We well call him "J" for simplicity. "J" gave this beautiful memento to Kyle before his deployment. It depicts the "full armor of God" which is described in Ephesians chapter 6. I was given an identical challenge coin for by a police officer as a token of appreciation for my service to the police department. I told Kyle that I would carry it with me the entire time of his deployment and would pray for him specifically every time I touched it in my pocket. I believe "J" is doing the same. I tell you about this as a reminder of the way in which you can support Kyle, and all of our armed forces personnel, as they serve in harms way. As you scan past this blog entry in the future, please remember to pray for Kyle and others when you see these photos. More to come ...
It's football season (and when I say football I am referring to the "pig skin - grid iron" variety, not the round, black and white ball variety) in Iraq. Apparently soldiers who have no one around to say, "shouldn't you be working, doing homework, mowing the lawn", take much pride in their flag football. Kyle said the "P.O.G.s" (pronounced "poegs" - Professions Other than Grunt - a derogatory term for anyone other than an infantrymen) live for this stuff. They have professionally made uniforms with team colors and everything. As Kyle described the scene to me it was with a definite sense of, "these guys really need to get a real job." I asked, "Have you played much?" He admitted that he had played a little, but that he preferred the more adult game of sand volleyball. "Beside that", he said, "we are WAY too busy working to spend much time playing” (another implied dig at POGs). I have a high school friend who is now serving in Iraq as a much senior officer in another branch of the service. Hope she is not reading this ;-)
He mentioned that they have a PT (Physical Training test - not something one does into a cup) coming up. These are more important than you might think, at least for Infantry - POGs not so much. He was telling me about a guy in his platoon who has not successfully passed a PT test since BCT and was just demoted because of it. So this soldier is now a buck private after over a year of service. Kyle is on a slightly different track.
His call came in about 11pm their time. He was supposed to be out on patrol, but the power steering broke on their up-armored Humvee. Kyle said, "Dad, can you imagine trying to steer a 12,000 pound vehicle without power steering? It's a bit of a chore." I agreed. For that reason, their vehicle was in the shop and he was off early. Their patrol was intended to last until 4am.
I want to explain the two photos at the top of this blog. These are very poor pics of a really cool challenge coin (go to Wikipedia if you don't know the history of "challenge coins") that Kyle carries with him. This was a gift to Kyle from our daughter-in-law's brother-in-law (wow, that was a lot of hyphens in one sentence ... dare you to keep track of that). We well call him "J" for simplicity. "J" gave this beautiful memento to Kyle before his deployment. It depicts the "full armor of God" which is described in Ephesians chapter 6. I was given an identical challenge coin for by a police officer as a token of appreciation for my service to the police department. I told Kyle that I would carry it with me the entire time of his deployment and would pray for him specifically every time I touched it in my pocket. I believe "J" is doing the same. I tell you about this as a reminder of the way in which you can support Kyle, and all of our armed forces personnel, as they serve in harms way. As you scan past this blog entry in the future, please remember to pray for Kyle and others when you see these photos. More to come ...
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