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.
posted by R-Eight at 5:30 AM
6 Comments:
Hello! I stumbled upon your blog and just had to send you a salute. Thanks for serving your country Sir! I was over there a long time ago with Eco 3/7INF 24th ID. Sorry... I wish that we could have stayed and finished the work there so men like yourself wouldnt have to do it. Anyhow.... God bless. Im in germany now, very close to frankfurt. If you should get a layover here or something, please look me up! I owe you a beer!
Hey Dad, I love you. I hope you're safe. I miss you.
Wow, a video and everything! Thanks for giving us a first hand look. Aside from the difficulty of the assignment for you and all the men with you, it's amazing for us at home to feel so connected. Thanks for making that extra effort.
Happy New Year! You're in our prayers. Love, Donna
Cool video! I was surprised to see the green fields. I guess they are irrigated? What do they mainly grow? It reminded the kids and me a bit of St. George.
Santa brought me 1776, about the Continental Army's campaigns from the siege of Boston to the battles of Trenton and Princeton (and the setbacks in between). If you haven't read it yet, we'll send it to you. I was very impressed with the ingenuity of Henry Knox, and would like to read more about him and about the rest of the revolutionary war after Trenton/Princeton. If you have suggestions, send them on.
We are very proud of you and your willingness to carry the torch that was lit at Lexington and Concord. The sacrifices you and your fellow soldiers make likely cannot be comprehended by those of us who have not served but every day reap the rewards of peace and prosperity that our military secures. Sara returned yesterday and reports that your family is doing very well.
Steve,
I would love to read the book. I would love to recommend further reading, but unfortunately my knowledge of that era is not very deep. We were required to study the Civil War - indian wars - the World Wars - VietNam. For my electives I focused on ancient conflicts (Pelopenisian War - Chinese Sun Tzu era stuff).
Paul
ooops...I mean "peloponnesian"
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