Ferris Bueller's day off

Well, I didn't skip school, and all the fun happened on Sunday but i think knowing no one had to get up Monday morning for work allowed a ton more fun. We started early in the afternoon and went well into the night. I took this weekend as a chance to have some real fun and cook some good food. I made my own burgers with the same ingredients as last time but we had more burgers to make so i upped the amounts. I had fresh corn on the cobb. I shucked it myself. We had some grilling bean. I also made some Bacon wrapped shrimp. Yes you heard me correctly i found some jumbo shrimp and center cut bacon. I skewered them and grilled them with butter. Oh yeah they are even better than your imagining. Well after the kids went to bed the adults enjoyed time. I loved hanging out with my kids all day and my friends all night. We had great stories to tell. We listened to great music from Vannila ICE, to Billy Joel, to the Eagles and even Bell Biv Devoe. Yeah we were having a great time. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Pack it up pack it in, let me begin, i came to win battle me thats a sin.

Yes, House of Pain Rocks!

I begin the packing process now. I picked up my gorilla tote from my unit today. Its just an over sized footlocker. We will be filling these with items we will need in Iraq but wont need before. This is where we pack; desk lamps, rugs, ball gloves, paper, sheets for a twin bed, pillows, the stuff that is odd to carry over seas but we will still need. I have amassed some good gear so far. Thank you to all who helped. Still have a ways to go. Hopefully I can collect all I need. I am an over planner so I'm sure i will pack and repack twenty times. I can only hope that all i pack is used. i hate extra unused gear. It just extra weight.
A few other things i will be taking are gloves, decent socks, an electric razor, a digital camera. I hope to post while in Iraq with pictures of everything.

Thanks again.

Office Space

New laptops are here! The cases and fun stuff are here. Huge thanks to the parents DAD and MOM, Jessica loves her new computer. Thanks to Jerry (Mr. Smith) for the computer messenger bag and ammo pouches. It all fits perfectly. Trust me I intend to put all of it to good use. Its helped out with getting ready to go and all the blogging.

Its 69 days left and I am sitting at my desk this morning with no desire to complete any task that i normally do. I guess the looming all encompassing task that awaits is starting to make all else seems trivial. Yes i know i cant blow off work but when people complain about promotions or emails or that people are drinking too much sugar or creamer in their coffee i want to scream. I know i have complained many of times about people who use the wrong tense in their emails, or who leave the subject line blank or the voice mails i get where some jerk listened to the whole recording only to hang up once it actually started to save their message. But Damn people, i know gas prices suck, i know they are high, but did any of you stop driving? did anyone take a bike instead of hoping in their SUV? NO. Don't complain about the things that your not willing to change. If you want someone to use the correct grammar in an email you should correct them in a nice way. maybe they are too damn stupid to know they are looking like a giant dork. if you want lower gas prices, WALK. I hate how my price of bread has gone up 30cents in 3 months but you know what i don't care. I can sacrifice in many other areas. How many of us complain about gas but have cable. There is $40-80 bucks a month. How many of us drink beer? I cant imagine how much that would be but i can easily say its $100 bucks a month. So there..... there is 140 bucks for the average American of luxury that they could, but wont, give up to ease the pain at the pump. Stop complaining. i know we all do it out of reflex but as anyone who has had a major life changing event happen would say, its not that important. Raising your kids to be good people, being kind to your fellow man, providing a roof and food and love.. those are what matter. Those are the values and constants that should permeate our thoughts..... not whats the current price per barrel.

Okay there was my rant about gas and the trivial pursuit of man.

Thanks again we love everything.

76 days

So I have 76 days left and if you count today as already done 75. I made some changes to the blog to spice it up a bit. I added links to the items I hope to have before i go. I racked my brain and tried to think of what would have made my life easier last time i was in Iraq. Some items i had like the Wiley-X's (thanks dad) and they worked great, some will be new like the gloves, but i know i have used things very similar to all of the items and they will be better than taking nothing. Again i am not asking that anyone purchase these items. If you choose to do so i appreciate that beyond comprehension, but if it comes July I will buy each of these myself. I have also added a few fun things. Please note the poll, the different colors, and even the quote at the bottom. More to follow. thanks again to all who read.

Last Drill

So this past weekend was my official last drill weekend for at least a year. I was both happy and a little sad. Happy because drill weekends can suck very bad. A lot of drill weekends are boring. The ARMY doesnt always have lots of money or ways to train soldiers on a basic Saturday and Sunday drill. Many weekends you spend your time just walking around trying to look busy. Happy because now the answering of the same question "when you leaving" is over. Sad because i will miss the soldiers and friends i made at the 705th. I have been in the same platoon and the same company, hell even the same squad for over 10 years. There are only a handful of people left at the 705th who where there when i first walked in. People have transferred units, gotten out of the ARMY or just stopped coming altogether. I will miss the soldiers i have trained. i have seen many of them click off years and get older. I have seen many drink too much and puke. i have seen many find out that being a good soldier isn't just showing up to drill. I have had yelling match's, i have had my butt chewed out. You name it Ive done it at the 705th. I went Christmas parties with these people, grill outs, weddings, funerals, and the occasional ambush. I have laughed, cried, fought, and hugged. I have bleed next to them, done things I'm not proud of next to them. Now even though a few will travel with me, i leave the 705th behind. Sgt. Groman thanks for listening, i have seen you grown from a 19 year old wide eyed kid to a 21 year old NCO. Good luck in all you do. When i come home I want my first steak to be grilled by you. SFC Cook, thanks for helping save my life. Thanks for showing me a different style of leadership. Sgt. Fisher WHODEY!
I still have a few days where i will need to return to the 705th but there will be no goodbye's or goodluck's. Guess i will have to change my license plate?

Here we go again!

Yes as im sure you know i am being deployed.....again. Yes back to Iraq, 12months, driving truck, hauling fuel. That should answer some of the basic questions i get. Why me.... I don't know. Bad luck, Karma, maybe its fate. When i left last time i wasn't done. I had some fight left in me. I consider it to be much like a referee stopping a fight after only one good punch. This time though, i get "one more round."

No im not excited or happy about going back. I am ready and able to finish the job i started 5 years ago. I do not want to go back. Do not confuse my dedication to duty for a desire for combat. If i could put down my rifle and walk away i would. I cant, that is not me. I am not the guy who lets others stand in harms way. I may not be kicking in doors, or jumping out of planes, but each soldier in modern combat is 100% equal when it comes to danger.

I leave behind a lot as i travel this time. My wife Jessica has the monumental task of taking care of 3 kids by herself, all while praying each night for a phone call or email that proves i lasted one more day. My boys Roman and Shamus are too young to understand anything more than "dads at work" but a lack of understanding doesn't shield them from the pain and anger of not having their father around. Marissa will understand the basics, im gone, to war, im fighting the bad guys. The real understanding will elude her for many years.

I will not MOB till later July so we still have time to see everyone and say the good byes and do the fun things we all want to do for the ... possible last time. I will be at the family reunion, i will have a party at my house before i leave to give one last chance for family. I do train for quite some time in June so it will not be as easy for me to prepare everyone as i would have hoped. I will MOB at Fort McCoy, its in Wisconsin. We train there for some time then we are off to Iraq. No, i don't know any exact dates. Last time Fort. Knox was very close to home so many visits were made by family. McCoy is 9 hours of driving so a weekend trip is out of the question.

Here are a few reason why this blog will exist. 1. To provide a lasting history for my family and children to remember what those who wear the uniform have done. 2. To keep family and friends informed of mine and other soldiers wish lists and needs lists, care packages are the greatest thing a soldier can get. 3. To allow for my own thoughts to be expressed to the world without censorship.

If i post a list or URL of an item it is not me asking for anyone to purchase this item. It is a way of silently answering the question i get all the time "what do you need?" "is there anything i can do?" I love you all, some things are just out of my hands to control. Last time a family sent me a personal DVD player and very warm socks and gloves. This family did not know me. They sent the package addressed to a soldier's name they got off a list of deployed soldiers. They sent letters and other items like DVDs and small items. When i look back its not the monetary impact it had, it was easily a $250 dollar care package, but the emotional impact. They just cared enough to find out what soldiers want/use/enjoy and felt that they cared enough. They didn't say if they supported the war. I didn't care. Their (the couple) son i think he was 10 or so wrote a letter describing his hero, who was his grandfather that had fought in WWII and how he wanted to be a hero like him. The political views of the war had not tainted this child's view of those who will stand up and fight when asked to. I do not ask that anyone do this because i chronicled this story, but i ask that for any soldier if you feel as these people did, please send the package. Your soldiers do not ask for your money or gifts, if you send a letter, it can have the same impact. Understand that there are many fighting men and women without a great support network like I have. Last time my abundance of letters and packages was distributed amongst all of my close buddies. We all enjoyed the classroom letters, the food, the magazines, and the wedding notes. There will be much to follow but all i ask is that you read with your mind open and an ARMY pt shirt on. If you don't know what that last comment truly meant just call my father.