Address While at Fort Dix

Here is the address for John while he is at Fort Dix.

SSG Buckley John 5605
Doughboy Loop Building 6038
Alpha Company MRB 353 Trans CO
Fort Dix, NJ 08640-9001

399 and a Wake up

Okay, so its finally here. That day no one wanted to come but everyone knew they couldnt stop. I had to get on the plane today and say good bye to my family. That is the hardest thing to do. My wife, mom and dad were on hand to do the good bye's. Lots of tears, lots of hugs, lots of kisses. I had to leave no matter how much no one wanted me to. Its not too bad. I have done this before and i know that it will be over before we know it. We had a decent day at the airports. the flights werent too bad, short but cramped. I miss my wife more than ever. Its hard to explain to someone how you feel. I love her and miss her but she will have to be strong, i will have to be strong.

Thank you dad for the amazing video. Thank you mom for the ride to the airport. Thank you Jessica for everything you do.

Just in time

Well,

Its the last day home. All the items people were sending me have arrived. They all fit perfectly. Its amazing how some things just work. I have been home for the last two weeks and it has been the best. My basement was finished in so my wife has a perfect place for my boys to play. My basement was done previously but a flood actually blessed us with the opportunity to redo and move up into some much more our style. Thanks Ken and Jeff and everyone at Tumblison Construction Services. They were family but besides that we felt like regular customers. No corners were cut, no detail missed. Thanks again. Now its just packing.
Yeah packing is the hard part, all you do is put clothes and stuff into bags but it makes the end seem much more final. When the uniforms go into the duffel there is no more waiting, no more hoping it just might never come. Its here. Im fine with it I guess but i know my wife hates seeing me pack. I always wonder if i should pack this item or that, I never really know what to expect.

Well i wont blab just yet...... wait yeah I will, my Brand new Dell laptop has made all this prep for not. My charger stopped recharging on Friday. SO i had to call dell and since im under warranty they will ship me one. What time will it arrive you wonder. Ohhh about noon on Monday the time I land in Chicago. yes that mean i take my laptop with me to Buffalo but my charger will not be with me. just my luck...

Oh yeah also once my basement was finished it was about 7-8pm at night all is quiet and I flush our toilet upstairs and what do I see? Water coming out from under the base of the toilet. Yes my toilet was leaking. So I had to shut down the bathroom, the only bathroom in the house, and I had to run to Walmart and get the wax ring to re-seal the toilet to the drain pipe.

Its all fixed. I rock. I will miss my basement, my wife, my kids and everything I do on a normal basis.

Farewell............To Arms!

Well this weekend was a special one for me. My father, mother, and sister organized a huge picnic party to send me off with flare. It was great. i want to thank everyone first off for being there despite the heat. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to offer your support. I also want to thank everyone for all the care package items i saw. WOW you all did an amazing job. Its like you all know me very well or something. The Jerky in all forms will be enjoyed more than you know. The wipes are some of the most handy things to have in combat. Huh that's weird one thing the ARMY doesn't issue to the individual soldier is TP. I cant wait to use each and every item. Just what i saw will make a huge difference.

The party was great. I got to see my whole family. It was a like a family reunion if the family started with me! I saw all sides of my family enjoying corn hole, I saw Roman, Jacob, Brayden, and Shamus, all Buckley boys all together for the first time. The next gen was there in force. I finally got to see my little sister Lauren. The twisty's will be great in a pinch.

I got to see my father and my wife's father together for the first time ever. My parents finally got to meet my wife's parents and not just through email. I got to enjoy the company of my favorite relatives all at once.

Like i said"when i come home we will do this again but with a lot more beer."

Thank you again to everyone who came and supported me. thank you all for the care package items. Thank you mom, dad, and mel for your effort and time. Thank you to Father John and Sister for your prayers.

Its sad that war is the reason we all come together but I feel proud to know I have a family that will support me through anything God might put in my path.

Thank you and I love you all.

Not just the magnet on the car!

I want to say in this post that true support is not just that magnet most people have on their car. No just because you have the yellow ribbon it does not mean you support us troops. Nice try but there is a lot more to it than that. I am not saying also that you have to spend all day and night and tons of cash buying everything a soldier might need, either. I am saying that true support means doing at least one thing that requieres your time and or money. Maybe its sending a package to a name you can get from the VA. Or its writing a letter to your co-workers nephew that is in Iraq. That is the real support the soldiers need. Your car magnet may help you sleep better but it does nothing for us, the soldiers.

I want to talk about a couple that has truly go above and beyond in their support. Many people are doing amazing things for me and i love you all. I want to put a spotlight on these people for a reason. I wont use any names but this couple is from NewMexico and came across this blog on just a chance. I would like to believe God sent it to them. Maybe they needed it or maybe God thought I needed it, but either way they have changed my outlook on the rest of humanity. These wonderful people have sent me items that will make my life easier, more enjoyable and all together better once I am in Iraq. The couple took my list that I posted on this blog and went crazy. The pictures i post here will be from the Camera/Camcorder/MP3player/voice recorder/webcam they sent. I have already found it very handy in preserving the events that are preceeding my departure. They also sent many other items that trust me will be a part of my everyday uniform and life.

I would consider the best item i have recieved is a knife sent to me. The gentelmen of this couple is retired military and he parted with something that i consider a priceless item. This knife im sure has come in handy in many situations, i know that if i ever need its services it will be by myside. Thank you to this couple. They have never met me, they have never even spoke to me outside of email. All things happen for a reason and this is a great thing. I am interested in the reason. I may never know it, but im sure it will come to me.

I want to say thank you again. godplezur@aol.com Thank you!

Last month

Okay, so its this month that i leave. Yes July is finally here. That is both good and bad. Good because i can finally start the preparations that have been eating at me. Bad because well that means each day is another day closer to that big jet plane. Yeah they song leaving on a jet plane, or big ol' jet air liner, what ever you choose yeah i listen to them all. Its weird all i want is to leave and get things over with and all everyone else wants is for me to never leave. I guess a big part of me wants to finish what i started last time. A big part of me wants to get the fight on again and kick some butt. A big part of me wants to do what i have been training for for the last ten years. I want to do my job and complete my mission. No matter what happens i have chosen this life and i don't regret any of it. I know it is horrible to be away from your family and the chance that i might not come home alive is always there but i feel the best when i can say i am a soldier in the United States ARMY. When asked i will stand on the wall and defend against all enemies forgein and domestic. Yeah if you think about it soldiers don't care why they fight, if America had to fight a war against Canada for maple syrup or whatever i would do what i was ordered to do. When things break down like that this war makes much more sense. We elect these people to office meaning we trust their judgement and we gave them the power to send us to war. Why do we then complain about the choice they make? I am a soldier and a father and a husband but only one of those is at the will of someone else. I choose to be soldier to follow orders without hesitation for reasons that might object with my own beliefs or reservations. I hope i come home unharmed but i would rather if something were to happen that it happen to me instead of my soldiers. I take 10 or so people to war ages ranging from 21 to 45. I am expected to bring each home in one piece. Its a huge task when a man steps back and looks at the task as it applies to life. During this next year these grown men and women will look to me to make decisions that could get them home or get them killed. I trust in my training i trust in my experience. I trust that God, man, and all those in between have given me the skills i need to be the great leader these soldiers deserve. I hear "but your only in the reserves" or " your not infantry" Well that may be true but the enemy doesn't discriminate who they kill by branch of service or MOS. The terrorist kill Americans. All Americans. I seem to keep babbling on here not really having a point to this post. i guess i just need a sounding board to get these things off my chest. I hope this last month is the best i can make it. I am going camping, having a big party, spending time with my friends and family. Please if you support the troops make that magnet on your bumper more than just an after thought. Support the troops actively. Vote for who you truly feel will do the best for the whole country. That includes those of us who are called day and night to defect the country. Keep in mind as you go to the polls that the job of the president is to be our commander and chief. That job should not be taken lightly. This person has the ability to send our men and women across the world to fight and die for his will if he so chooses. Please make sure when you vote this man you vote for has worn the uniform before. That will be the only way you know that when a soldier goes to a forgein land and dies, it is not in vain.