Only In This Place

240105NOV06

Could one walk out of a third-world combat zone and into a chow hall and have to wonder "Who's going to carve the Thanksgiving Lobster?"

Thankfully

230225NOV06

At This Rate I'll Post About Five Times While I'm Here. I have to get over this thing where I don't write until I have the time to sit down and write a masterpiece. That's simply not going to happen while I'm here. Not only that, there are a lot of good stories to tell.

We own one of the crappiest, most violent spots in the country. Some days we win, some days we lose. Then again, no matter how many people we kill or capture, a day with a casualty still feels like a loss. The guys we've put on birds to hospitals already range from coming back to rejoin the fight, to going home to face major physical obstacles, to a flag-draped casket and grieving family.


A fellow LT asked me what I'm thankful for. I was caught off guard, but took some time and gave him a thoughtful response:

I'm thankful for my beautiful, healthy baby boy.

I'm thankful for a strong woman who loves me far more than I deserve.

I'm thankful that after a year my Dad has the rod out of his leg and is on his way to recovering as he sees fit.

I'm thankful for a solid band of brothers to work with and rely on day after day through this fight.


There is, of course, so much, much more. The best way to deal with holidays here is just to ignore them, for the most part. On the other hand, that's also my preferred method when not deployed for dealing with my birthday and most other special occasions. Not necessarily advisable.