What should I name him?

There have been quite a few posts on this BLOG questioning my stand on robots. Okay, there have only been two....but relatively speaking two is quite a few...but I digress. So I have decided to put the issue to rest once and for all; I am not anti-robot. In fact, I have a secret plan to get home early: I am building a robot to take my place here in Iraq (see photo). It really is a great idea, because unlike me, the robot does not need sleep or food. You are probably wondering how I overcame the whole problem of intelligence. Well, let me tell you, that was the
easy part....it is made out of a fence post, and has almost as much metal as a sack of hammers, so I really didn't have to do anything and it was already as smart as I am. Now if I could just get it to type...........

Rich, this one's for you!

Paul was blessed with two brothers. One is named Robert he and Paul are 14 months apart and have been very close all their lives. Robert is the current holder of the coveted “Funniest Uncle in the Universe” award given annually by our children; he has held this title 6 years running. Paul’s other brother is named Richard. Richard is in Iraq too. I am not sure where in Iraq he is because he hasn't been allowed to tell us but he has been in Iraq since last June.
Richard and his family have been thorough a lot this past year. He received his official deployment orders one week shy of getting released from the National Guard and just weeks after his dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His unit was deployed about 1 year ago. For the first 6 months they were training somewhere in the southern United States and although he wasn't in Iraq he was far from the comfort and prospects of his home, family and career of choice. I know this was discouraging for him and overwhelming for his wife Gina who did not sign up to be a career army wife. He left for Iraq just days after his dad's funeral. It was tough but we were so grateful that all three of the brothers were together and in attendance in taking care of all the affairs that need attention at such a time.
If all this wasn't enough, Gina just welcomed their 4th child, a little girl to their home. She was born right before Christmas and while Gina had lots of support and love around her, Richard wasn't able to be there.
So a salute, to good men and women who go when they are called, not because they are supermen or want adventure or are even exceptionally patriotic. They go simply because they honor their commitments. And an even bigger salute to those wives and mothers and loved ones left behind who face holidays and birthdays, soccer games and parent teacher conferences, sacrament meetings and pack meetings with heavy but hopeful hearts. All who look forward to that happy day when they are together again.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year to all! Rachel sent pictures of some of the cool stuff that everyone got to do for New Years! Jared and Liz you looked great at Times Square...well Liz did anyway. Paul and Jordan....I was going to say you looked great out in San Francisco, but to be honest, you looked kind of blurry....were you on a helicopter?

So anyway, not to be outdone, I will tell you what we did for New Years: Newt (one of my planner buddies) and I left work an hour early and walked over to the PX (camp store). I bought a razor and some shaving cream, Newt didn't get anything....he was just looking. Then we walked back to the hooch. Sometime on the way back 2005 became 2006.....there weren't any fire works but we did hear a few explosions off in the distance. Obviously I win for the "coolest new Years" trip....you know you wish you could have gone to the PX too.

I don't have any pictures of the PX, but I do have these pictures of me at one of the many palaces here. This palace is unbelievable....the photos do not do it justice, but the marble and the wood in side this thing would probably bring in enough money to feed several small countries for a year. This building in the photo is only one of many that make up this palace. These buildings are built on man made islands on a lake. The lake is man made too. A man would really have to be beyond feeling to build something like this for his personal comfort and enjoyment (and there are many more just like it) while so many around him are living in poverty.

Well, I hope everyone had a great holiday, and that this new year is all you hope it will be.

Merry Christmas

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! On Christmas Eve I had to go "somewhere" to do "something" (I’m sorry I can’t say more than that, but I promise it is not as exciting as it sounds). Anyway, I was able to film a bit of the countryside over here. It is amazingly green, relatively speaking, here in the winter, and I thought you all might enjoy seeing what it looks like. I also tried to take my own picture, but as you can see the vibrations of the helicopter made it a little difficult.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera out when we passed over some villages that probably have not changed for a thousand years. The little mud brick buildings, grain fields, and shepherds with their flocks reminded me of the way it must have looked when Christ was born. At first I thought how cool that was, but then it made me sad to think that in a world as rich as ours many people still live in such poverty. I hope that maybe in some small way the work we are doing here will give these folks a chance to change their lives for the better.

Thanks to everyone who has left comments, it is good to hear from home and loved ones! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Editor's note: I am having some problems uploading the movie. Keep checking back. Rachel

With the help of my little brothers, here is the video.

For the Boys

Last night we were treated to a USO show. I have always thought the USO thing was nice, and have great respect for people like Bob Hope who have done so much for that organization, but I never fully understood the impact that the shows have on the troops. I am here with a bunch of guys who have been slugging it out for the past year 24 hours a day 7 days per week. During the show, I saw guys who I have not seen smile one time since I’ve been here, laughing out loud. You could literally feel peoples spirits rise…it was amazing. Al Franken was the MC….he was fantastic. I forget how funny he is. He really was great….he did not push any kind of political agenda; the show was all about the troops. This is his sixth tour with the USO and the third one in a row in Iraq. It really is good to know that there are people who are willing to give of their time…especially during this time of year…to do something for these kids over here.

Staff Sergeant Williammee

This is Staff Sergeant (SSG) Williammee, you can tell by the patch with the 1 on it that he has seen combat with the Big Red 1 (1st Infantry Division). Technically he works for the officers in the plans shop, but in reality he is more like a baby sitter....he tells us when it is time to eat and when we should sleep. If he didn't do that we would probably go for a few days without eating or sleeping.

A good example of what I mean happened today. (I have to preface this by telling you that we have had some of our ballistic eyeglasses stolen from the gym in the past week) SSG Williammee told us we needed to go do PT (physical fitness training), so Mitch (MAJ Jones) and I changed and headed to the gym. On the way SSG Williammee stopped us and said "hey sir, let me see your ballistic protection glasses." So Mitch and I handed them over to the Staff Sergeant. He put them in his pocket and, "okay, see you when you get back."

He is always looking out for us and never complains.....it makes me proud to know someone like him. His wife is in the hospital today having an operation....I found out from someone else, he would never tell us himself....and yet he is still looking out for us, and never asking a thing for himself.

So anyway, say a prayer for SSG Williammee and his family, and be thankful there are guys like him who quietly serve us all and ask for so little in return.

Hurry Up and Wait

Well after a long flight and endless lines we made it. To give you a taste of life for me for the next little while, I will explain a bit about life in the army. Whenever the Army moves(deploys), one of the most important things that happen is the formation of endless lines. Lines to get a briefing, lines to fill out paperwork,lines to get shots, lines to call home (if your lucky), lines to eat,lines to use the latrine (rest room), lines to get in line to eat or use the latrine.... But the great thing is that after a satisfying day of standing in line you get a really great place to sleep (see picture). I have the added benefit of being a field grade officer, so my living is better than most (as you can tell from the photo). But I digress, I was talking about the lines....the ability to wait in line is why we won World War Two. The German's know nothing about lines, I've lived there, and believe me, lines are not a part of the culture. I've seen little old ladies knock over toddlers in an attempt to be first to buy the "Bock Fish Mac" at Mcdonald's. So I guess what I'm saying is that we have this whole war thing under control.....I know, I've seen the lines.