I'm Outty!

This has been an unpleasant  insane day at work.  And it's only Thursday!  Normally that would mean there is one more day to the work week, but in my case that is not the truth this week.  You see, the U.S. Army has this program called the Yellow Ribbon Campaign.  When a soldier returns from Iraq or Afghanistan he or she is supposed to attend a class on suicide prevention.  I never did, and I got out.  But, I went back into the Reserves before my original contract was up.  So my name was still in the system.  So, now I am required to attend this class.  But the campaign is really more than just a suicide prevention class.  The also have people who can give information about all sorts of Veterans Affairs benefits.  Some examples are financing to assist with school, medical information, mental wellness information, and more.  Therefore, I will be getting on a plane at 7 a.m. local time tomorrow morning to fly to beautiful, sunny Orlando, Florida!  It is supposed to be 75 degrees there tomorrow!  That's so much better than the mid-forties we have here today!  Of course, I'll just be gone for the weekend, but that's okay.  The whole trip is paid for, as well.  With that, I must say a large thank you to our American tax payers.  It is not wasted monies, as I know I will get useful information and assistance from this trip.  I also thank you all for supporting the troops.  American, British, Italian, French, Japanese, it matters not.  You may not agree with the idea behind the war or how it is being handled.  But I must say that whatever the reason, I served and am serving as a proud American who loves the FREEDOM the so many before me died for.  Thanks and God bless.  See you all next week!!

Yellow Ribbon Days

I served in the U.S. Army.  And as is their custom, they provide you with an all-expense-paid trip to any of the war zones they have become involved in.  Well, I joined the army in July of 2001 in order to get money to pay off $50,000 in college loans.  I was in Basic Training on September 11, 2001.  I had just unloaded a truck load of hand grenades with a soldier named Minoya.  I was hearing rumours to the effect of an airplane had crashed and over 10,000 people were dead.  I thought that was a bit of a stretch considering I was unaware of any plane that could carry that many people.  It was about 6 p.m. (New York time) when we were finally briefed on what had occured at the Twin Towers.  Naturally, I was horrified.  I remembered being amazed at the the sky scraping buildings as a small child visiting the Big Apple with family.  My first memories of the buildings was nearly 30 years ago when I first became a NY Giants fan.  What a heart-dropping thought of so many innocent people losing their lives over nothing less than unjustified hatred.  So one event lead to another.  Soon we were in Afghanistan.  Then Saddam was accused of having "WMD's" or Weapons of Mass Destructrion.  My brother got to spend the first year in Iraq from the end of 2002 to the end of 2003.  Then I got to follow in March of 2004.  I was serving with the 27th Main Support Battalion out of Fort Hood, Texas.  But they were restructuring the army to make Brigades deployable without the rest of the division.  So a new unit was formed just to support the 5th Brigade Combat Team (5th BCT).  I was sent to be a part of 515th Forward Support Battalion (FSB).  We deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division.  I was fortunate enough to get chosen to be part of SPO or Support Operations.  So I got an office job with air conditioning in 140 degree heat.  My job was to track parts being shipped from the U.S. and Germany and other countries for repairing our vehicles and other equipment.  As you can see in the pic, I have a head light for an M998 HMMWV Hummer on my desk.  That was my vehicle that I drove a Captain from Kuwait to Baghdad in.  It was the absolute worst year of my life.  It was the first Christmas that I spent away from my family.  Even when I lived in Texas, I traveled to North Carolina for Christmas with my family.  My work day started about 8 a.m. and I was often still at work at 10, 11, or sometimes even past midnight.  It wasn't always because of work.  Oddly enough, I was not afraid of dying or getting killed.  My biggest fears were having to kill someone else or having to die alone.  Several times a week, and at times even daily, we would get attacked with mortars, RPG's or rockets.  But I must say that God was looking out for me.  I spent an entire year over there.  But I got to come home safely to my family and the ones I care about.  And that is my prayer for those still in Iraq and Afghanistan today.  That God will bring them home safely to their families.  SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!

Support Our Troops

No, today is not Memorial Day. Nor is it Veterans Day. It is not V-J Day or V-E Day. It is none of those special days we have set aside to remember those who have fought for, and have even given their lives for, our freedom. No, this is just another ordinary day. We go to work, we walk our dogs, we watch television, we go shopping, we buy groceries, and do all the things we do every week in our every day lives. But our soldiers are still in Iraq. They are still in Afghanistan. Our news stations regularly announce death and destruction in these wars, but often it becomes just another far and away news story for the simple fact that we have heard it day in and day out for the past eight years.

Well, today is not just another ordinary day for those over there. Each day is lived on a wing and a prayer that God will protect each of them and bring them home safely. Today's blog is a tribute to our soldiers, our airmen, our marines, our sailors. I, now, take a moment of silence for the fallen........and offer a salute to those who still are fighting for us today, our HEROS.

(The above photos are actual photos taken by soldiers in Baghdad, Iraq.)