I missed him again. Don't know how I manage to be away every time Kyle calls, but I do. He does, however, really enjoy talking with Mom and she takes great notes on their conversations. I probably have more information to share with you because he talked with her. I forget just about everything.
The sad news is that he will not be coming home for a mid-tour leave. He "went into the hole" for his leave between BCT/AIT and his assignment in Colorado. For that reason, he doesn't have a lot of leave accrued. He could go into the hole again, but that would only borrow against his time home after his deployment. He decided he would rather have some considerable time with us at the end of his time in Iraq. As much as we would love to have him home sometime this winter, even more we want to spend some serious time with him next fall. For that reason, and because there was a shortage of leave time for his platoon, he voluntarily gave up his leave. He said that nearly everyone in his platoon has a wife and kids to come back and see. He felt that it was more imperative that they get home than it was for him. I appreciate that kind of attitude. This call has a lot to say about his attitude.
Mom is really good to send "fun" stuff to Kyle. Kyle said that he takes and hides the stuff he really wants to keep, and then the rest of it he makes available for other soldiers to use/have. I think he feels like he stands a better chance of keeping the stuff he really wants if he is generous with the other stuff. One of the "fun" items that has become community property is "A Barrel of Monkeys" (the old kids game from my childhood). Kyle says that whenever someone is having a bad day Kyle says to them, "Go play with the barrel of monkeys, cause nothings more fun than a barrel of monkeys." The recipient of these witty words always laugh, and begin immediately to have a better day. And sometimes they even go play with the monkeys.
Another care package items is a crossword puzzle book. Kyle never worked crosswords at home, but he works them often in Iraq. He will take a seat outside his CAN (pictured above) and work the puzzles. Whenever another soldier walks buy and laughs at Kyle he responds, "I just keepin' my mind sharp. What are you doing to keep sharp." At that point he flashes that winsome smile and the other soldier can't help but laugh.
He was telling his mother that he loves going out on patrol. He said, "Mom, its like being at the zoo. You never know when you are going to come across wild goats, wild dogs, donkeys or camels. I love it." It takes a great deal of mental strength to maintain a positive attitude in a setting like his. We couldn't be more proud.
Almost forgot the best news of all. His deployment has been shortened. It looks like he may be coming home a couple months early. More to come ...
The sad news is that he will not be coming home for a mid-tour leave. He "went into the hole" for his leave between BCT/AIT and his assignment in Colorado. For that reason, he doesn't have a lot of leave accrued. He could go into the hole again, but that would only borrow against his time home after his deployment. He decided he would rather have some considerable time with us at the end of his time in Iraq. As much as we would love to have him home sometime this winter, even more we want to spend some serious time with him next fall. For that reason, and because there was a shortage of leave time for his platoon, he voluntarily gave up his leave. He said that nearly everyone in his platoon has a wife and kids to come back and see. He felt that it was more imperative that they get home than it was for him. I appreciate that kind of attitude. This call has a lot to say about his attitude.
Mom is really good to send "fun" stuff to Kyle. Kyle said that he takes and hides the stuff he really wants to keep, and then the rest of it he makes available for other soldiers to use/have. I think he feels like he stands a better chance of keeping the stuff he really wants if he is generous with the other stuff. One of the "fun" items that has become community property is "A Barrel of Monkeys" (the old kids game from my childhood). Kyle says that whenever someone is having a bad day Kyle says to them, "Go play with the barrel of monkeys, cause nothings more fun than a barrel of monkeys." The recipient of these witty words always laugh, and begin immediately to have a better day. And sometimes they even go play with the monkeys.
Another care package items is a crossword puzzle book. Kyle never worked crosswords at home, but he works them often in Iraq. He will take a seat outside his CAN (pictured above) and work the puzzles. Whenever another soldier walks buy and laughs at Kyle he responds, "I just keepin' my mind sharp. What are you doing to keep sharp." At that point he flashes that winsome smile and the other soldier can't help but laugh.
He was telling his mother that he loves going out on patrol. He said, "Mom, its like being at the zoo. You never know when you are going to come across wild goats, wild dogs, donkeys or camels. I love it." It takes a great deal of mental strength to maintain a positive attitude in a setting like his. We couldn't be more proud.
Almost forgot the best news of all. His deployment has been shortened. It looks like he may be coming home a couple months early. More to come ...
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