A Bit Of This And That

Brendan spent the day with more training. When and where they will be going is , as always , anyone's guess. For now he is happy to have a phone and to be able to call his wife. I still haven't been able to get any response from him on IM but Rachel keeps me updated. Sorry Mom's of small children but wives will always outrank you so you might as well let it sink in now. She also received a letter from his buddy Sandusky's Mom. He is in Taji and doing well. She also confirmed what has been passed on to us that many towns are still in bad shape there with raw sewage in the streets and poor conditions. I believe "Don't drink the water" goes for there as well. There is still unrest among different groups , especially the Shiites. Fighting and killing each other over religion....just never ceases to amaze me how absurd the idea is.
So Obama has said the war in Iraq will end in about 18 months. Of course you then read the fine print that shows we'll still be there but we'll be "training" and other such things. Don't even get me started on smoke and places it shouldn't be blown. Not sure what us "leaving" Iraq in 18 months will do to Brendan's tour. We were under the impression that , rather than spending money to train and send new troops over for a few months that those already there would have to stay longer. Then again Afghanistan is such a mess they might not have anyone to replace them with anyway since they'll all be in Afghanistan or Pakistan or what other country we'll be invading at the time. What can I say? I support our troops but I'm still the tree hugging hippy at heart.
One last note , I saw a survey today that said some 30 odd percent of folks think we shouldn't leave Iraq. Of those people who think that , show of hands , how many of you are willing to go over there or send your children over there? Anyone? Hey , look at the bright side , over there you'll at least still be able to exercise your 2nd amendment rights.

And now for your "Aaaawwwwwwwwwwwww" moment of the week.......

Matty T and Caveman

Photos Of Soldier's Coffins Again Allowed

Many people have been working hard to get Bush's decision to ban photos from being taken reversed. Their hard work has finally paid off.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/us/26web-coffins.html

Camp Liberty

Rachel heard from Brendan in the wee hours of the morning. For now they are at Camp Liberty. For how long before they head out to their mission is unknown as are most things in the military. Here is a link to some pics of Camp Liberty. http://1-22infantry.org/pics3/liberty.htm At least I see a couple of green palm trees in the pics. Hopefully they'll be there long enough to get a couple of nights sleep in a real bed. They have internet there so maybe I'll be able to get some videos from Brendan soon. Here's another website I found that gives a brief rundown of the camp. Not sure the date this was posted so not sure how up to date it is. http://www.iraq-up-close-and-personal.com/camplibertyiraq.html
This is the website of the 1st Cavalry that Brendan is serving with. http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/

Lasty , here's a video covering both camps Brendan has been at. It's 2007 video but gives you an idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WCk1PMdbD0

Off To Iraq

Brendan was given about 45 minutes notice that they were pulling out and heading to Iraq. He was able to talk to me less than 2 minutes which really sucks but I'm glad I got to talk to him before he left. Odds are we won't have any word from him for a few weeks. I think the reality of the war just hit him in that moment they announced the pull out. I can't even imagine the feelings soldiers must go through as they are packing up. Life is now going to be completely different than anything they've ever imagined. That ever present feeling that they must always be alert of everything around them for the sake of their lives and other's. A sense of fear that you can never quite shake.
Rachel has started a yellow ribbon campaign of sorts. She went to her local florist and they gave her 2 ribbons for free to tie around the tree and mailbox in her yard. She's asked friends and family to do the same and send her pics. She's working on something for Brendan for his return. May have to tie the ribbon around the tree stump in the front yard. All the wind storms this year have taken care of most of our trees.
I found a website that sells charms and bracelets for deployed soldiers. Add that to my list of projects I have stacked up to concur. Will probably make my own just need to order the charms but they had italian charm bracelets at a really reasonable price.
As for me those of you who know me know I can get a bit worked up emotionally. The doc adjusted my meds and they seem to be helping somewhat. Just need to keep myself really busy. We're working on Jesse's room remodeling this week. I've got a massive pile of art projects , as well. You name it , curtains to finish , quilts to finish , a million cross-stitch projects....none of which I really have any desire to touch but will need to. I know they tell you not to watch the news while your kids are over there but that's all I can do. Just to hear any news or catch a quick glimpse of Brendan in a news reel and know he';s ok. War sucks!

Bryan Smitke Update

Brendan's brother , Bryan , popped up on his Facebook last week. First I've seen activity on there for quite some time. It was quite a relief to hear from him. He says he's doing well. He was taking a break from battles in Afghanistan and surely is never going mountain climbing ever in his civilian life.

Map Of Iraq

How many of us can even find Iraq on the map? Have to admit I wasn't exactly sure until Brendan left. Figured it would be a good idea to know exactly where in the world my son was.

New Update

Well, it appears Brendan actually has his orders this time. Can't give you any details here for his safety but if any of you are not on Rachel's update mailing list please email me and I can forward you the information given. I'm hoping to have his mailing address before he leaves as we most likely won't hear from him for awhile.