Back Home

Ok, so I have been home for almost a month now. I am glad that I am back home even if I do have a lot of jobs to do around the house. I have been enjoying the fact that I can spend a lot more time with the family. I have been going with Jason to his soccer practices and games. For the past two games the coach has even needed me to help assist with coaching the second team on game day (we split into two teams so that all kids get a chance to play). I know nothing about coaching and even get most of the kids names wrong but it is fun. Jason is loving soccer. He likes to play on defense but we are trying to get him to play more offense because he is a good player.

Well, I will try and get more posting up as I can.

Ok, so I know that it has been a long time since I updated. Well a lot has happened and I have been kept very busy.

Lets see if I can recap all that has been going on:

April: I participated in both Operation Red light and Operation Swift Sword. Both turned out to be very dusty but we got through them just fine.

May: I was getting ready for R&R leave. I was very ready to go home for a little while. I spent 15 days at home doing chores, eating out and just plain relaxing.

June: I returned from leave on June 1st. 3 days later on the 4th I participated in Operation Iron Choke. Unfortunately when I returned from this mission I found that I had received a Red Cross message. Michelle's father, Peter Benner, was in bad shape and not expected to last much longer. My unit was very helpfull and got me out of Iraq as fast as they could. I was back in the U.S. and in Maine within 24 hours of receiving the message. Peter passed before I could get back to Maine but Michelle was there with him. I spent the next 15 days in Maine before having to return back to Iraq. I am now awaiting my roommate's return which will end the almost 6 months of not having a roommate which has been so nice.

It does not look like it will be very long before I get to enjoy the U.S. again as we will be redeploying soon. I know that once I get back that I will spen a lot of time enjoying the weather and being with family.



This is us getting ready for Operation Iron Choke.

Here is a picture on the way back. Notice the guys in the center.

This is the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. We took a day trip to the coast to get out of the house.

This is Jason near one of the inlets.

This is an Araqi Army soldier that we moved for Operation Swarmer.



This is what the back of our helicopter looked like for Operation Swarmer.



We had a CW4 retire while we were here. It is traditional to soak the person with water on their last flight. We were able to get the fire department out for an extra special soaking.



On a recent mission we landed in a field to pick up soldiers. We gave the rest a good dust bath on the way out.

Random Pics

Inside the cockpit. We had fun putting up all of the GPSs. We did this for a picture for a guy that is getting ready to retire.















This is my CHU (Container Housing Unit). We have two people per CHU but they will fit up to 4. They are small but they will do for over here. If you look on Google Earth, you can actually see the sidewalk between the two CHUs.















A freak hail storm that we had. The storm must have picked up all of it's moisture while over the ocean because as the ice melted it smelled like fish.

Thank a soldier

There are those in society that do not believe in the war that we are fighting. They stand up and protest anything that has to do with the military and those that lead our country. They will blatantly discredit the soldiers who have fought and died so far from their families even though they have never served for their country.

I might not like what they say. I may not believe in what they believe in. I may never want to think of them as a friend. But I still serve for them.

Why do I do this? I do this because I believe that they should have the freedom to say what they believe in. I serve so that every American can have the freedoms that they enjoy right now. I will stand up and deploy to a country that is half way around the world from the family that I love so that they can enjoy these freedoms.

I will sacrifice my freedoms so that others can enjoy theirs. I will endure the hardships of a remote country so that others will never have to. I will celebrate my holidays, anniversaries, and even my child’s birthday, never getting to see their faces for a year, so that others will never have to do the same.

Not many people understand the sacrifices that the men and women of the armed forces go through. Those that serve will have a view of the world that many people will never understand. Those that see a service member will never fully comprehend what that person has done for them.

The next time you see a soldier do something for them to let them know that you appreciate all they do. All it takes is a simple thank you to help remind them that the people back home appreciate all that they do.

Great Advice

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

" He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Blah, blah, blah. Insert funny story. Blah, blah, blah.

Just a little dust...

Ok so everyone saw the fog from the other day. Now here is some dust. The previous day we had some stiff winds which led to a dust storm. We have yet to have the ones that you see in the pictures, thousands of feet high and dark as night.

This one left a nice coat of dust on everything. We spent some time when we first moved in weather proofing our CHU. It looks as though it has worked. We had very little dust come in to our living area.

This is the third storm like this that we have had since we have been in country. I do not look forward to any that are worse than this. Needless to say that we had very few aircraft off of the ground.

Music to sooth the savage beasts...

There was a video of Kenny Chesney playing "No soes, No shirt, No problems"

If I had enough money to never have to work again I think that I would find a nice little place in the islands and sit on the beach every day. I watch this video and think about how great it would be to just sit back and relax on the sandy shores. To look around and not see much of anyone else. I love the crystal clear waters and the white sands, it seams so relaxing...