| usma1956..........Going Home....please read this email from a friend |
Feb 18, 2008 1:17 pm
468 Views | Family and Friends,
In less than 23 hours my tenure here in Iraq will come to a close. In
less than a day I, and many others, shall board a transport and head to
Kuwait and then ultimately back home to all of you.
To be honest it's almost surreal, all we've known for the last 15
months is this place called Iraq. We've experienced so many highs and so
many lows. We've endured (regardless of locale) days on end of mortar
and rocket fire. Countless days of "Big Voice" wailing "Incoming,
Incoming, Incoming". Running for cover, waiting out the impacts, holding
one's breath; listening for the sirens or yells of Medic. We've endured
the almost constant thunder of IEDs, RPGs, Car and truck bombs, the
staccato of small arms fire. If someone had asked me in June or July if
th ere was any hope of turning this thing around I don't know what I'd
have told them.
For those that traversed the roads, trails and fields of Iraq there
was the constant threat of IEDs, RPGs, suicide bombers, small arms fire,
land mines, Houses rigged to explode and all the indigenous people
looking for a way to escape the violence, the sectarian murders, the
foreign fighters, and the ever present criminal element.
Something happened in June, I (and many others) don't know what it
was, cannot quite put our finger on it, but something changed. Good
people in Iraq started to stand-up, good people began to join with us.
The back of Al Qaida began to break. We achieved a tipping point of
sorts, the Iraqi Security forces, long berated for a lack of ability
began to take a pre-emptive role in security operations. Good people
starting coming forward and telling coalition forces where the bad guys
and their tools of war were hidden. We began to roll-up mid and high
level AQI and Special Groups leadership, and the more we did, the more
the good people of Iraq came forward with even more information.
There are countless thousands of Iraqis on the streets of the country
from Baghdad to points west and north. 24 hours a day, seven days a week
the people of Iraq provide us the freedom of maneuver we have been
looking for in our effort to hunt down and capture (or kill) those that
want nothing but chaos for this country.
Along the way, the manner and method our troops employed in the
operating environment evolved as well. Instead of standing for anyone
particular person and or group we began standing for everyone. We
planted ourselves squarely in the middle of those who would do one
another harm. We became the arbitrators and the honest brokers. We (the
coalition), in the eyes of the Iraqi people, became the "go to guys". In
their effort to end the violence and create an environment conducive to
rebuilding and pursuing a "normal life", t he Iraqi people began a grass
roots movement of running the evil out and governing themselves. There
is a litany of things, large and small that turned the tide in our favor
last summer, far too many for me to elaborate on here. Suffice to say it
was all contingent on the efforts of our youth and the quality and
character of our leadership.
Our men and women committed themselves to the fight every day. When
they lost a comrade they mourned the same, donned their armor and
weaponry and marched back out onto the streets and fields. While small
when compared to previous conflicts, our losses where, in the end,
debilitating. Our sacrifices took their toll on our soul(s); we will
never be the same.
In our fifteen months we have lost nearly 900 Soldiers, Sailors,
Airmen and Marines; we've endured over 10,000 wounded in action. So many
sent home for the last time, so many others sent home less than they
left. And countless others that will bear the emotional scares of this
war for many years to come.
Great progress has been realized over the past year. All attributable
to the sacrifice, courage, devotion, persistence and spirit of the
American Soldier and Marine. Many of us questioned the resolve,
determination and character of our youth. Many of us wondered if we
possessed the depth of moral courage to close with evil. Heck, there was
a time when I wondered if we could find it in ourselves to simply
squeeze the trigger. All those doubts have been addressed, every
question answered. I truly pity anyone foolish enough to confront the
might of our military and the resolve of our men and women in uniform.
Everything we have accomplished has been made possible by and through
the support we've received from all back home. In ways too many to
count, you lifted us each day, you sustained us; you encouraged us. You
gave us something to set our sights on; the prospect of once again,
coming home.
There is so much to say, so many people to thank, so many to give
thanks for. To each of you who receives this you have either inspired
me, taught me, led me, loved me, sustained me or thankfully made me
laugh when I needed it. We, yes all of you included, have achieved a
great thing here in Iraq. We shall talk of it for years to come and
thank God it appears there will be time enough for it. For now suffice
to say, I'm coming home and I owe it all to you.
With great love, respect and admiration,
Neil
(usma1956) Posted By: ROLL William C 1956 | |
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5 Comments | |
| Are you a water and lemon drinker out in public??? |
Feb 12, 2008 11:42 am
653 Views | this is unbelievable and scarey. I always got water and lemon until I saw this in an email I received.
You can pull up the info on U/TUBE unless I am denied again. They wouldn't accept this the last time...I thought I had gotten it through. | |
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9 Comments | |
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| The Washcloth....Hysterically funny C&P...Don't miss this one. |
Feb 6, 2008 1:46 pm
736 Views | The Washcloth
This has to be read, laughed at and passed on. There is not a woman alive today who won't crack up over this!
I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's
office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am.
I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45 am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare.
As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort.
So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable.
I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment. I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in.
Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in Paris or some other place a million miles away.
I was a little surprised when the doctor said, "My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?"
I didn't respond.
After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal . Some shopping, cleaning, cooking.
After school when my 6 year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, "Mommy, where's my washcloth?"
I told her to get another one from the cupboard.
She replied, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it."
NEVER going back to that doctor ever!! | |
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11 Comments | |
| With apologies to Blondes everywhere...cute c&p joke |
Feb 5, 2008 9:32 am
622 Views | WINTER BLONDE
As a trucker stops for a red light, a blonde catches up. She jumps
out of her car, runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door. The
trucker lowers the window, and she says "Hi, my name is Heather and
you are losing some of your load." The trucker ignores her and
proceeds down the street.
When the truck stops for another red light, the girl catches up
again. She jumps out of her car, runs up and knocks on the door.
Again, the trucker lowers the window. As if they've never spoken,
the blonde says brightly, "Hi my name is Heather, and you are
losing some of your load!"
Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down
the street.
At the third red light, the same thing happens again.
All out of breath, the blonde gets out of her car, runs up, knocks
on the truck door. The trucker rolls down the window. Again she
says "Hi, my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
When the light turns green the trucker revs up and races to the
next light.
When he stops this time, he hurriedly gets out of the truck, and
runs back to the blonde. He knocks on her window, and after she
lowers it, he says...
"Hi, my name is Kevin, it's winter in IOWA and I'm driving the
SALT TRUCK!" | |
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9 Comments | |
| Update on Son and famly. |
Jan 30, 2008 12:54 pm
630 Views | Thank you my friends for your wonderful response to my request for prayers for my son and family. I am happy to report he is getting better, slowly but surely. His Daughter is fine. She feels great. Of course it is hard to keep her down. She is definitely going to be our “free spirit”.
Since my request, I have had a relapse. The doctor tells me most people with this particular type of bug seem to have a relapse. Part of my trouble is it is hard for me to lie around and do nothing for very long. I see something that needs to be done and before I realize I shouldn’t do it, it’s done! LOL
Several wondered on my blog if pneumonia was contagious. YES…I was around the granddaughter at Christmas and then again the first several weeks of January. The first doctor I asked in the ER, said you HAVE it. What does it matter how you got it. It matters, won’t go around my angels again if they have a cough/cold. LOL
My personal doctor said I had definitely gotten it from the family. And to think I taught my children to share. Giggle.
Please forgive me for not posting a response to each of you. I didn’t feel like keeping up with the posts when you started and now…. it would take forever to individually thank you. You all are the most wonderful, caring group of people. I feel blessed to be in SFF with you. Thank you again. Hugs,
Barbe | |
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10 Comments | |
| URGENT ......... Prayers needed for son, please |
Jan 27, 2008 8:59 pm
1773 Views | Just received a call from my daughter-in-law. She was at the hospital where she had just taken my son. He now has pneumonia!!!!! This is unreal. First his middle daughter, then me and now him.
She will call me back once she knows what they are going to do as far as keeping him there and the treatments.
Please pray for his healing. Also pray for the understanding of his employer. He just started a new job on January 21, 2008.
Please also prayers for the family would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Barbe | |
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44 Comments | |
| A FEW SOUTHERN JOKES ....received in email---enjoy. |
Jan 26, 2008 9:59 am
451 Views | Alabama
A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck. "Where's Henry?" the others asked.
"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.
"You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back?" they inquired.
"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"
Louisiana
A senior at LSU was overheard saying... "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana .." When asked why, he replied he'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world.
Mississippi
The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"
Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?"
The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got his license number."
Georgia
A Georgia State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-75. The trooper asked, "Got any I. D.?"
The driver replied, "Bout whut?"
North Carolina
A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it.
Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.
The man replied, "I have a flat tire."
The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"
The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. Hey, it don't make sense to me neither."
And this from South Carolina
"You can say what you want about the South, but I ain't never heard of anyone retiring to the North! | |
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2 Comments | |
| Pastor's As/s Out Front.....C&P....in the style of DanDee |
Jan 22, 2008 11:43 am
472 Views | The Pastor's As/s
The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and it won again.
The local paper read: PASTOR'S AS/S OUT FRONT.
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.
The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S AS/S.
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey.
The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.
The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST AS/S IN TOWN.
The bishop fainted.
He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.
The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS AS/S FOR $10.
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.
The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER AS/S IS WILD AND FREE.
The bishop was buried the next day.
The moral of the story is . . being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery. even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life. Stop worrying about everyone else's as/s and you'll be a lot happier and live longer! | |
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5 Comments | |
| Day in the life of Ms ER Queen & granddaughter update |
Jan 20, 2008 3:37 pm
663 Views | Today was another day in the life of Ms ER Queen......I spent the early morning in the ER checking on my upper respiratory infection. It seems I have bronchitis and a touch of pneumonia...go figure....Came home with the usual stuff to knock that out. I didn't understand how I could have pneumonia since I had the shot. The ER Doc said there are different types of pneumonia and the shot only protects us from one type. Learned something new today. I also have an infection in my left eye and have to use drops in that 4 times a day.
I have been in bed all day. Wasn't as restful as I hoped with the coughing and hacking and the left eye sticking together. Guess it is better I am single....I would have scared some poor fellow off. hehehe
I told the kids today that sometimes I don't think about things when I should. I have missed a golden opportunity. The arm bands, I should have been saving them, taping them back together and making a chain for my Christmas Tree. LOL....The photo would make a nice cover for my book "ER's I have visited by Ms Southern Belle" or "Ratings of ER's I have visited by the ER Queen". Anyone have a better title feel free to jump in. grin
My granddaughter with pneumonia is better. No more sign of pneumonia, but she still has a cough. Thanks for all the prayers. They certainly work. | |
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14 Comments | |
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