Drum Roll Please!

Before the big news, I'll tell you that Daniel had never heard of the "stuff" I referred to in the previous post. He said they're doing other "stuff." There you have it, straight from the horse's lips.

He did tell me they had gotten word that the official "Welcome Home" ceremony will be at Rose Barracks in Vilseck on November 25th - that's something to be thankful for!

"Stuff" is going on

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25934531#25890214

Daniel called yesterday (middle of the night for him). He said he was just getting back from patrol. He just said "stuff" was going on.

2nd Cav news from Diyala

Go Ghost Riders!



Later in the day ...

I talked with Daniel this morning (evening in Iraq) and he had just eaten and was fine. I'm assuming this story does not pertain to his health.

Ba'qubah news

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25683424/

Auf Wiederscreiben

German - Till we write again.

Due to potential security problems which I as a distant and not military informed person could leak, I have decided not to post anything unless there is something newsworthy and clearly not potentially injurious to the forces (ex - "They're back in Germany!").

Sorry to those who read faithfully, but you'll have to wait and have dinner with Daniel and catch up on all his stories, once he's back :)

You'll "knee"d to wait

The hubby had knee surgery Friday and is recovering. My posting will be a bit sparse until he is fully recovered.

2SCR at Warhorse on July 4th

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-07-04-iraq-july-fourth_N.htm
Any of your guys in these pictures?

Hot and Tired

I can tell when Daniel is calling on a refit day, before he goes out or after he's been on a mission. Yesterday he called after a mission. He was exhausted and you could hear it in his voice.

He said the Internet had been out and they have been busy. He was also incredibly jealous that his friend Alan with the 101st Airborne is on his way back to N. Carolina. They had a shorter tour, ostensibly easier duty and now not only is he leaving Iraq, he's going stateside. Daniel has Germany to look forward to after deployment. I'm still not sure what he's griping about. I loved Germany, but then again I didn't experience it with the military.

They have been told mid-August to let everyone know to stop sending packages because they don't want to have to re-route them. I will post that date as soon as I have it.

Water Woes

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25626397/

As if war in your country isn't enough to worry about ...

News from across the pond

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7482307.stm

No, it's not just being married to a Brit that makes reading the BBC interesting. There is a different perspective to English journalism and oftentimes it is refreshing to read that the efforts of our men and women are positive, that Patreus is working his voodoo in a way designed to win hearts, not just wars and that for our investment of lives and money, the people of Iraq have a brighter outlook.

Daniel reported they had an "interesting" op, helicoptering in to an area that hadn't been "visited" for a couple of years. They did so on intel of weapons cache and "bad guys." He couldn't tell me what had transpired, but said we might look for it on Stryker News soon.

Ultimate subjugation

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25565855/

Think globally, fingerprint locally

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25550354/

I am not surprised by the information in this article; we have been ignorant too long of what is taking place right under our noses.

Coin Explained

Getting a “coin” from another unit is like getting a token souvenir. The coins are a gift from another unit. Military members tend to collect them and display in a case or on a rack. I hope he saves that coin and brings it home some day.

Thanks to Mary A.! Semper Fi

Thanks also to the comments posters!

Loud and Clear

Daniel says:
Hmmm yes, we got another shipment of water finally, and we took the Iraqis off of our power supply, go figure, the generator works better when they aren't scunging half of it for themselves.

He phoned this morning. The water was gratefully received and they are scheduled to receive 2 new generators.

Part of the problem with the old generator was they had authorized a small amount of use by the neighboring Iraqi (house?). They had hooked up and were using far more than allowed, hence some of the problems. While they wait for the new ones, they at least have moderately more consistent electrical for themselves.

The new lens in the package that arrived today and Daniel is absolutely in love with it. He has posted some pictures on his myspace, mostly what I will refer to as beefcake pics of his squad, but I suppose they can't help it; they're buff by profession.

Daniel was given a squadron coin which he thought so impressive, he took pictures of it. Other than being really nice, he wasn't sure what it was for, but thought receiving it might carry promotion points. Any military out there care to ding in with a comment?

Make some noise

The situation has been updated! Thanks to all.