Perpairing to come home!

I had a great chat with my smart and beautiful wife the other day and she came up with the suggestion that we should start to perpair for my coming home. When I went to basic training I had a hard time getting back into the husband/father roll and it made for a not so easy relationship between us. I was very selfish and was hard to stop that mind set anfter 6 months of not having them around. Eventually things got better and then I had to go overseas and now we are in the same boat with me coming back but I am determaned not to fail this time as a husband and father. I want to be as prepaired as I can be for the coming home in just a few months. We are going to work on things through e-mails and phone calls and so when I get home we can make that as painless as possible. We are very open to suggestions and would love to hear from others about maybe what they have done or would do in the situation. Anyway I was so glad to hear her tell me all of her concerns which means we are one step ahead of the last time this happened.She is such a wounderful woman and God as truely blessed me with the greatest gift in the world. I love you honey and can not wait to get home and be able to haold you in my arms and spend time with you and Katelyn as much as I can before I have to go back to working again. I will be doing alot of praying and reading to stay as focused on this goal as I can. I promise this time honey I will not fail you and show you just how much I truely love you and how important you and Katelyn really are to me.

War Isn't realy War any more!

I was thinking lately about the war I am supposedly fighting right now in Afghanistan and all the hype I hear about it getting worse over here and it makes me mad. Everyone is saying it is getting worse and the numbers are higher but it is really about the election and not the war. If there was a pole done and people that are talking all this hype about it actually came over here and fought the fight would find out that this is the season for Afghanistan to get alittle more dangerous. The media runs this war and we can not do anything with out there hands and cameras in it. The military is so scared to get in trouble with the medias eyes that we are doing things with hugs and kiss's and not going in and taking care of the bad guys like we all were trained to do. I think that both of the guys running are going to use this war and that is going to decide what happens for the next 4 years of my military career. I personally do not like either of there veiws and they should be over here if they are going to use the war here to win there election then they could talk about what they want to do with the war. Other wise they are just talking alot of BS and alot of people are going to fall for it but not me. They say McCain served well that is good but has he served this war because all wars are differernt and you can not win a war you have no clue about. And Obama has visited troops in the war also good but has he gone outside the wire and got a first hand veiw of what the conditions are like or just words from other soldiers and media. If there was less media in the war we would have less boys and men dieing. Soldiers are so affriad to shot the weapon they were trained to use for fear of being on CNN and going to prison that it has made for an Army full of sissy soldiers instead of super soldiers. I would love to retire from the military but with the way things have been running it looks like things are going to get a lot worse because the media and polotics seem like they know more than they soldiers foighting the fights right now.It would be awsome for the media to post the good things that are going on over here I have been here and have not fired my weapon once since I have been herein the last 6 months. I feel wanted here and safe and the people here like what we do for them. Where is that media and plublicity for the war that we are in nowhere because bad media is good for ratings and that is the publics fault to because we tune in more for the bad stuff than the good. Well I am done venting but I just want to say one moe thing to my In-Laws if you could be over here you would be proud and maybe change your mind about what the military deos because yes I carry a weapon but it is like a missions trip and the people are very happy to see us like a paraide every day when we leave and come back fron the wire kids and adults waving and cheering the whole way. Safe is what I am here and I am glad that I do what I do here but they should really try to show the good evry now and then for what we do over here. Well Thanks for taking the time to read this and maybe it might open your eyes to the BS you might be seeing on the TV all the time. Pray for the soldiers that they all try to get home safe and do not forget that we are here so you can live and be free there. I love being a soldier and doing this for my counrty even though I miss my wife greatly and my daughter so much but I manage and will see you girls sson.

Vacation to Qatar!

I had the chance to go on a four day pass to Qatar which is an Island off from Saudi Arabia. I had to be at the LZ( landing zone) for the helicopter pick up at 0200 and that sucked. We got picked up around 0500 and got to BAF aroound 0600 and had to wait at the air field till 0730 till the roads opened up again because they close the roads for people to do there running in the morning. That is the dumbest thing I ever heard in a combat zone before but what ever right. So we get there and find out that we are leaveing for Qatar around 1400 the next day. There are so many rules for BAF(Bagrahm Air Field) it is rediculous salute on the FOB wear PT belts at night even if you are in your uniform who ever heard of that in a combat zone. Anyway so we get to the PAX terminal and wait till like 1600 till we finally leave on a C-17 (ARMY plane) and it takes till 2000 to get to Qatar and really it was 1830 ther and the humidity was at like 100% my eyeballs hurt it was so hot even at night. We go through customs which was really fast and then we sat for around 2 hours till we finally got our briefingand was told we could start our day 0 tomarrow since it took so long for them to get us in. So that was vey cool of him to do and we got to get our things and go to the barrics and then the guys and I decided to go check out the pool and then hit up the top-off which is the bar and grill on post. The poll was so nice to ust swim and hang out they also had a hot tub there by the pool too and a Chilis right in front of it too. I don not really drink but it is ok anyway they only have a 3 beer limit and I do not like beer. They had music and bowling lanes and pool tables so it was a cool place to hang out at. We got up the next day and hit the pool right away and did that most of the day and ate at Chilis with there endless tostitos and salsa I bet ther hated us for that. It was nice to get waited on though so we ate there quite a bit. We also checked out ther Big gym which had a hugh gym part to it with everything you could ever want and more for a gym. They also had bikes to rent for free a mini golf coures for free a room with computers and phones to use for free a spa, adairy ueeen wich also served protein shakes, a video rental store for free, a game room for video games, and a movie theater. I was like the greatest thing i have ever seen on a base before. The next day we decide to sign up for the off post water sports in the persain gulf for $25 so the guys and I did and we had a blast. They had jet skiis, a bannana boat, and a viper raft. They cooked us lunch and we got to swim all day. The food was good and they had Hummus which is my wife and her mothers favorite dip. I will wwarn all of you though you would think that all water is cool and refreshing but no not the Presain Gulf it is the total opposite. It felt like swimming in warm maple surup but not sweet very very very salty. But never the less we had lots of fun and it was the only thing we ended up doing off post we spent the rest of the time at the pool and the USO and we still had a blast till we had to come back oh and the day that Stine had the runs he didn't have fun that day but the rest of us did(sorry Stine). On the way back we hadto be at the Pax terminal by 0200 and were ther till 0500. And got to Baf around 1130and were told we had to be ready at the Pax terminal ther at 0345. So we went to our tent and it was like 100 degrees so I went to the MWR movie theater and slept through 2 movies and yes I called my wife everyday I was on vacation and flying. Anyway I finally went back to the tent around 2300 and these guys had the light on in the tent so after an hour of listening to them talk I asked them to turn out the lights and use ther flashlights if they need too. At that piont I really didn't care what ther rank was and they did it anyway with no questions asked. Then around 0200 an announcment came over the loud speakers that we all had to go to the main road and pay our respects to the fallen soldiers then they cancaled it. So we all went to the PAX and waited ther till around 0630 and went to the chopper and layed ther on the runway till around 0900 till the clouds cleared. Apparently these choppers can not fly in clouds who knew. Afetr that the chopper would not start so we waited till around 1100 till we got a new chopper and headed out. We made a stop and let some people off then we made another stop to get fuel. That is when the second chopper wiht us broke down and we waited for it for 3 hours til around 1430 then we left ther and got back to Methar Lam around 1500 and I went straight to sleep I was so tired. All and all I had a great time and would do it again but the traveling really sucked you would think with it being R & R they would fly you at a decent time like mid morning or early afternoon. Oh well live and learn and I got to visit a new Country and had fun although I would have rather gone home but that is a hole other story. I will post pictures of the trip on here when I get time to do so.