Updates From The Sandbox

Well , I'm starting to get back to my old self again. That pneumonia really knocked me for a loop. Still don't have alot of energy but I'm able to get off the couch and move around and get some things done. Just have to move slower since I still get winded easy.
Brendan called today which happened to be the first day of Easter Break for the kids so Teresa and Jesse were able to talk to Brendan for quite some time. It's the first they've gotten to talk with him since he's left. Of course the connection was fine for them. The minute I got on the phone we got kicked off line. Getting used to it by now. Not unusual to be knocked off line 4-5 times before we finally give it up.
Brendan just got back from an 18 hour mission yesterday and his back is killing him. Imagine walking around for 18 hours with 50-80 pounds strapped to your back. He'll get back and get a few hours sleep and then up again for guard duty for another 8 hours then maybe another 1-2 hours sleep.
The press can print all the warm and fuzzy stories they want about how welcoming the Iraqi's are to our troops but that sure isn't the case where he's at. The civilians and the Iraqi Army are both pretty hostile to our men. There is always an underlying current of resentment and anger. The people we think we can trust could easily turn around and stab them in the back.
The food they get where they're at is nothing like what they got at the main base. He was served bologna sandwiches 2 days in a row. I NEVER bought bologna for the kids growing up. It is just so nasty!! So , Momma sent out 2 boxes of microwavable foods so he has an alternative to bologna. When Dinty Moore looks good you know the food there is bad. Too bad I can't make him my famous enchiladas. Well , I'm sure I could but after 2 weeks it wouldn't be edible.
Brendan sent money for Jesse's Birthday so we went to Gameworks on Saturday. The noise gave me an instant headache so Tom and I gave the kids money and walked down to the apple store to buy a new keyboard. After that we ate at Max and Erma's which was much better food than they had at Gameworks. The kids joined us before running back to play more games. Gameworks was full of kids yelling and running from noisy video game to video game. There's also a large bar where parent's were getting wasted and trying to block out the noise. Kids had fun so thanks to Brendan but I'll never step foot in there again!
I'll be taking the kids to the Wright Patt Air Force Museum tomorrow. We haven't been there in years and I don't know why. It's only a half hour away and it's free except for the IMAX movies which are a reasonable price. They have a new Iraq War exhibit which I'm anxious to see. I need to run out and get batteries for the camera. Don't want them to die before I take pics of everything there!
So , back to Brendan. He seems in pretty good spirits. He says he always tries to stay in a good mood. Your time is what you make it. Laying around bitching all day just makes the time that much harder. He has a routine he likes to stick with and PT is always part of it. The worst part of this whole thing is the time spent away from Caiden. Brendan's father died before he was 2 so he has no memories of his father. That weighs heavy on him and he is worried that Caiden won't remember him. It's hard to see Caiden on the webcam and see him sitting and trying to talk. By the time he comes home for good he'll be walking. There's so many milestones he's missing but they're being recorded for him which is the best that we can do. Sure wish we could fly over there and get a hotel and have him come and visit us.
The heat is already getting bad and summer isn't even close to being there yet. It was 85 the other day and he says the heat was so intense. You figure all that sand just absorbs the heat and throws it back up. The soldiers that have been there before say it's like being on the equator. You feel like you are touching the sun. Add to that all the clothing and gear they have on and I couldn't even imagine how miserable it is. I'm sure I would pass straight out!
He's hoping they'll have the internet up and running soon where they're at. Not sure which he wants more at this point , internet to webcam home or a decent shower. What they have now is nothing more than a trickle of water. There's no electricity so at night you can't read or write or anything. Not sure what the timeline is on getting that up and running. I took the kids camping alot so he's used to going primitive so it's not the toughest thing on him.
They've run into a few minor incidences but for the most part things have been uneventful. I know he just wishes he'ld get back to an infantry unit. He got stuck with a tank unit and he's not doing the things he was trained to do. The unit is also really bad at handing out promotions. You pretty much have to reach the time limit to get your next rank. Pretty discouraging when there are men who are busting their ass and wanting to prove themselves. What's the point in it? Most of his buddies have already ranked up and Brendan is stuck waiting for the 14 months to come up. He wants to be with a gung ho unit and that's not what he's gotten. Worse yet , when he does get back to an infantry unit he'll be behind since he hasn't been working with them all this time. He had one buddy who he worked out with all the time and now he got moved. I think most of the men in his unit have been over there 3-4 times and they are tired and just want to do there time and get out. Hard for a soldier whose wet behind the ears and who's just wanting to kick ass and take names to fit in with a group like that.
7 more months until he gets leave and 10 months before he's scheduled to come home. Who knows how long he'll be back before he gets shipped somewhere else. Wish it all would end but our future sure isn't looking too bright. Suicide bombings are increasing in Pakistan and North Korea shooting missiles.....can't we all just get along??