Round 3

This week is the 3rd round of antibiotics that I am taking. I had the luxury of visiting a couple of doctors on Monday and they both had different opinions. The first doctor was my mother's doctor and he said that I might have pneumonia and I need to have x-rays taken to see. So, I went back to the VA to have them look at me and well, I didn't want to pay for the x-rays when the VA will do it for free. So after I get the x-rays taken, the VA doctor said that everything looks fine and there is a slight noise coming from one of my lungs, but it is still probably bronchitis.

Now I am taking these good antibiotics for the next week to hopefully kill whatever is in me and I can go on with a peaceful life that I once had a couple months ago. Oh wait, there will probably be no peaceful life because the Republicans screwed up and now I have a Democrat governor and Nancy Pelosi will soon be the House Majority Leader.

On another note, I was able to get a photo of Cpl. Michael Lasky. Lasky was killed in Iraq on November 2nd in a town that I operated out of last year.
He volunteered to go back.


Cpl. Lasky left behind his wife Jessica and 1 year old daughter Liberty.

Lost Another Lima Brother

Today I just found out that a Marine in my platoon last year, who was a replacement while in Iraq, was killed on Thursday. Here's all I could find online in a statement:

Cpl. Michael H. Lasky, 22, of Sterling, Alaska, died Nov. 2 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lasky was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve’s 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

I did not know that he was already sent back to Iraq. I am just in disbelief that another Marine I knew and worked with, died in Iraq.

Halp us Jon Carry

Here is an addition to my previous entry and here is the link to the story: Guard unit in Iraq sends up Kerry comments

I hope this brings some joy and laughter to your life as it did mine.

Still In The News

Yep, the Washington Post is still covering news of Lima Company. So if you like to check on the current status of my company, here is a link to the article that just covers problems the unit is dealing with as it is still adjusting to being home.

When the War Comes Home

My favorite part is the lovely comments people leave at the end of the article. So, make sure to check that out also check out the photos with audio commentary. The link is a paragraph or two down and on the right. Or you can click this.

In other news of this lovely world of politics and my opinion...

Senator John Kerry spent most of the day refusing to apologize for comments made to a student rally in California on Monday night when he told them this about education: "That if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

My opinion in the matter, if you care, he's a jackass.

Chugging Along

Last week I found out that I probably have had bronchitis for the last 3 weeks. Well, that is what the doctor told me on Tuesday anyways. I finally got tired of coughing so much and just feeling really horrible at times, so I did go to the VA to be checked out. They just gave me 3 doses of antibiotics and I am feeling a lot better now, but I still cough occasionally. I thought 3 doses was kind of small, but that’s what I get for going to the VA I suppose.

Some good news to report, I guess having a lot of stress and being sick helps you lose weight. For almost the past month, I just have had no appetite and now I weigh 14 pounds less than last month. Not the way I wanted to go about losing my post deployment weight gain, but it will work I guess. And classes, well I had to miss several the last couple of weeks because I was sick and now I am trying to play catch up so that I can still bust out some good grades.

Starry Night

The other night, I had to make a trip out to John Bryan State Park to do a physics lab in regards to the constellations. Unfortunately, the moon messed up my plans because it was almost full and I could not see very many stars. Nonetheless, I did not want to leave quite yet because it was a clear night and rather warm for this time of year. So I just laid on my car hood gazing up at the stars and listening to some good country music. This brought back memories of when I was at sea a couple years ago. I would just lie on the flight deck at night and just be amazed by the number of stars I could see. Also, when I was in Iraq last year, I did this as well. There were many nights of sleeping on roofs or up on firewatch in the middle of the desert. I would gaze up on the stars and would usually see about 3-4 shooting stars before I went to sleep.

All of this brought me a peace that I have not had in a long time. In Iraq, I looked at the stars a lot because it gave me an escape from the war I was living through. Being able to just ponder God’s amazing creation of the heavens made me feel at peace. Well, the other night when I was doing this, it brought me that peace that I was looking for and it felt really good. I stayed out there for about an hour before I left.

If you have never really taken the time to get away from the city and go somewhere to gaze upon the stars for a while, I strongly recommend it. It has always helped relaxed me and I just forgot how much I miss doing it.

When Speaking to a Combat Veteran...

I found this letter the other day and I thought that it was relevent.


WHAT NOT TO SAY TO A SOLDIER AND HOW TO HELP THEM ADJUST

1. Please do not ask "did you shoot anybody?" This is not a question that is easily answered. If they were involved in firefights, some will have horrible images left of the dead, if they were not involved in firefights, they feel you will instantly label them as weak.

2. Most do not feel like heros once returning home and have a hard time with all the "thank yous" and hero fanfare. Jason did not feel like a hero. As one soldier put it, I am a hero to my wife, but as soon as I tell her about the dead women and children then I will instantly go from hero to monster. I will never be able to tell her anything.

3. Instead of thank you offer a "Welcome Home". When Jason got off the plane in DSM a woman saw him in his uniform and asked if she could give him a hug and kept saying thank you to him. He was a little confused but gave her a hug. He had no idea what the thank yous were for. He was in Iraq only to keep himself and comrades alive, nothing else.

4. The body never lies. Jason had a hard time adjusting to the fact that a M-16 was no longer attached to his side. He kept brushing his hip looking for it. It will take awhile to adjust to their protective equipment being removed. Loud noises will cause reactions, fire crackers sound like small arms fire, which in Jason's case caused him to automatically go into low army crawl into the garage and take cover and position himself to aim back at the enemy. Please be sensitive to these things. Do not make them feel stupid or crazy, just let them know they are safe and you understand why they reacted this way.

5. Some will never talk! This is essential to healing the mental wounds. Find a quiet space and tell them that you truly want to help and as hard as it may be to hear their story. Do not tell them to put it away or forget about it. When Jason finally did speak about the things he saw and did he was crying out for his chaplin. A neutral party that understood where he had been. Most will not go to the VA hospitals, but Vet Centers are located in most major cities that offer support groups and is conducted by combat veterans. They know more than anybody. Please locate these centers in your area.

6. Flash-backs do happen and leave the soldier confused afterwards. Just try to help them back to present time and again do not make them feel crazy.

7. Survivor guilt - Jason questioned why he had not died, but yet soldiers standing to the left and right of him had. This is normal in any traumatic situation that leaves survivors. Again vet centers are available to help talk through these feelings.

8. Do not discuss whether you argree or disagree with this war unless the soldier has made his statement first. Please remember, most of the soldiers fighting this war are Reserves and National Guard, this was suppose to be a weekend job...., so they were just as confused when they were called to duty. But the reason they go may not necessarily be because they agree with the situation, it's because their battle buddies need them to be there to help keep them alive.

9. Most soldiers will have a hard time admitting that they are experiencing PTSD. It starts in boot camp, they are taught to be tough physically and mentally, this a hard mind-set to break. If we keep PTSD in the news and on the minds of Americans, it should be common knowledge that no one comes home from a war unwounded. Adjustment and counseling should be mandatory to help them reintegrate back into their civilian lives.

10. Please do all you can to bring awareness to this disease which has been around since every war. Soldiers need our help, and yes it is true that some of their rights are taken away once joining the military and free speech is one of them. They rely upon you and me, the ones they are willing to die for, to stand up for them and fight for their rights.

In memory of Spc. Jason Cooper 4/16/82 - 7/14/05 and the 88 Iraq veterans who took their lives after returning home in 2005.
www.jason-cooper.memory-of.com
One proud Mom,
Terri Jones

A Miserable End for a Miserable Week

Well, last night they took my uncle off life support and he died shortly thereafter.

I got back to Dayton late last night and I do not know what I should feel about all of this now other than the fact that it is better for him to come off that damn machine. Apparently, he has been on it for most of last month and only wanted to be on it for a week. He has been unresponsive for most of that time as well, though the doctors told us he was able to hear us.

It was so hard to talk to him while seeing him in that condition.

My flight home was the worst ever. Screaming babies, missed flights, and of course my luggage which is somewhere out there. And to add to all of this misery, I have some kind of sickness for the past 2 weeks which is getting worse. It is rare for me to get sick except with a cold or something, but now this.

Going Out West

Well, I was able to snag a military discounted airfare to Washington state for tomorrow evening. My mother is already there and has told me that my uncle is on life support and does not look too good. I do not know what to expect or know how I am going to react to all of this. Definitely not looking forward to it all, but I am glad that I am able to go. I will be staying there until Saturday.

On another note, I would just like to thank all my friends. Lately, I have been going through a lot of crap and have been able to talk to a lot of people about some of it. This has really helped me and I have never been able to do this before. Also, there are a few of you, who I have never met, who have actually helped me as well with your stories or words of encouragement. Thanks again.

When It Rains, It Pours

Last night, my mother called me to tell me that my uncle is in critical condition in the hospital; the doctors give him 24 hours. I don't know how to react to this news. I am already hurting from some other stuff going on and now this. My mother wants to fly out to Washington state to see him and wants me to come with her. I really want to, but I have problems with missing some tests in school and the plane ticket is over $600.

Outside my immediate family, my uncle is really the only other family I have. Through the years, he and his wife have supported me in so many ways with my mission trips and life. He always brought a smile to my face with his constant humor and high spirit of life. Now he lies in a hospital, on the other side of the country, waiting to die and I cannot be there with him right now.

I don't know what to do. Sometimes, I feel like giving everything up and leaving.

My New War

There is some kind of saying out there that says you never know what you have until you lose it. I thought to myself about this after my deployment to Iraq and swore that I would do the most with my life that I can and cherish everyone because life is short. There were a lot of good men who did not come home and I feel obligated to make sure I live my life as best as I can for the ones who cannot. This may sound weird, but it is just how I honestly feel.

Recently, I lost someone in my life that I cared a lot for, but for some reason or another, I have a very difficult time showing emotion and affection. Ever since I got back home from Iraq, I feel distant from everyone. I feel that I don't fit in anywhere and I cannot open up to anyone, my friends or my family. Basically, I shut out a lot of people to my emotions because I'm afraid that I will lose them and I can't bare to go through that again.

I have realized that I have this problem and I am trying desperately to fix it. In the process, I really do try to make an effort but sometimes come up lacking and this has caused other people around me pain. I am truly sorry for that.

Right now, I am hurting and going through a lot of stress. I find myself sleeping just a few hours then waking up and just laying in bed for hours, waiting for the sun to come up and my day to begin. Even though I am so tired, I just cannot sleep. My eating habits have me eating very small meals before I get full and sometimes not wanting to eat at all. I feel this intense pressure building up inside me and all I want to do is scream or cry. There are many times that I feel like quitting school and volunteer for another tour in Iraq. Why you may ask; it is because life for me is easier in Iraq than here. True, I have people trying to kill me, but all I have to worry about is staying alive and watching my friend’s back. That is buried deep within instinct and comes easy to do. Whereas here at home, you have the wife or girlfriend to deal with, kids, school, traffic jams, forgetting a birthday, or even just a slow line at the grocery store would upset some people.

This is one of the most honest and emotional posts I have written in a very long time. While in Iraq, it was nice to put my thoughts down on paper and share them, than for me to tell people. This comes much more naturally to me and easier than talking about my feelings. I ask for your prayers while I am going through this hell per say. A country song says this:

If you're going through hell

Keep on going, Don't slow down

If you're scared, don't show it

You might get out

Before the devil even knows you're there

That is what I am trying to do. I also ask that anyone who knows me and sees me often, to please try and challenge me to be more open because I don’t want to hurt anyone else or go through life sealed up and dead on the inside.

This is my new war…

Whitewater Rafting

Last weekend, I was able to experience the rapids of the Gulley River in West Virginia. That is me in the front wearing a brown fleece. This was the first time I have ever done this and thoroughly enjoyed it, though the water was freezing cold. Moreover, I never fell out; I was told that I would probably fall out a few times. Never did, but did come close a few times. I really do not see how people get hurt doing this stuff. Our raft guide did not like me taking pictures, with a waterproof camera, during the rapids, but I tend to not listen when I really want to do something. (the photos came out horribly)

In addition, we were able to experience “The Mystery Hole.” After paying a small admission charge of $5, we ventured down into “The Mystery Hole.” Let me just say this, it was one of the most retarded things I have ever witnessed and experienced; we paid too much admission charge. Plus, due to their rules, no cameras were allowed to take photos inside, so I have this photo taken outside “The Mystery Hole.”



Just imagine what a white trash trailer park would do for a local attraction and that would set you up mentally for how dumb this thing was.

Road Trip

Tomorrow morning, I am leaving for Arkansas to visit Josh, Sabrina, and Aaron. Unfortunately, this will be my first and only road trip for the summer. I know a lot of people don't like to take long road trips and be by themselves, but I look forward to the open road (12 hours) for some time away. I get to listen to some good music and just think about somethings.

I do look forward to seeing my buddies this weekend and hopefully seeing a Mae concert with them; Joel always talks about how good they are, so now I get to experience it myself.

Silver Star Award Ceremony

Last Sunday, Lima Company had a ceremony to award two Silver Stars to two Marines in Lima Company; one in person and the other posthumously. The Silver Star is the US military’s third highest for military valor and the highest that any Marine in Lima Company has received. I know both the men who received the awards and would like to let my readers out there to read the story in the Columbus Dispatch:

Two Lima Company Marines to receive awards for valor

Or you can watch it on the news here: WBNS-10TV

Drill With Columbus SWAT

I know, this is way overdo...

A few weeks ago, my unit had the opportunity to train with the Columbus SWAT. It was a unique experience for the SWAT to teach us their methods of clearing buildings. Though their method is geared towards a more civilian use, I believe that we can take some of the things we learned and apply them for a military purpose. In addition, we had an awards ceremony in which a number of Marines were awarded a bronze star and commendation medals. You can read about them here: Columbus Dispatch.

In other news, a number of people have expressed interest in my newly painted apartment. Well, here are a few photos I have taken of my room; I still need to add some things to my walls like pictures and stuff, but this is a good start for a first time.

Before



After

I really like having a mini fridge in my room; keeps the roommates out of my stash. And if anyone is interested, the paint color I chose is called Soba from the Martha Stewart Collection. To answer some questions, yes I did pick out everything myself and curtains cost too much money.

Impact

Recently, I returned from a trip to Hillsdale, Michigan for a weeklong summer camp with my church's youth group and about 600 other teenagers. It has been many years since the last time I was able to make this trip, but it was good to be able to go and see some old friends, make some new ones, and really just to get a refreshing from God. During my stay, my job duties included security (go figure) and team leader. As a team leader, I had a group of 12 teenagers in the 16-18 age group, I had a great time trying to coach my team during the games; though we finished around 8th.

Now, trying to do security at night was not all that fun. There are always some guys who think it is cool to get out of their cabins at night and try to make it across the lake to the girls' side to prank them. For the most part, they mostly fail except for a few individuals who like to get out at the wee hours of the morning and cause me to lose sleep. This does not make me a very happy person to be around. On the last night, I went to sleep at 6AM till 8AM when we had to pack and leave. The reason being, some guys got out, which we knew they were but did nothing to stop it, and they tried to cause some trouble. All they did was run around the woods until about 1:30AM. For the remainder of the night, I just patrolled around camp in a speedily golf cart.

On a side note, I have been adding some new photos to my flickr and will continue to do so. Some people thought that I was back in Iraq, rather these are old photos from last year that I thought were inappropriate to post at the time. So, enjoy.

He Rides Again

Yep, that's me riding again after my motorcycle accident, except this bike is probably a little too small for me.

Also, it has been awhile since my last post due in large part of laziness and I recently moved to Meadowrun Apartments behind Wright State. In preparation of moving, I had to put in a number of hours of painting, furniture shopping, and cleaning. I will post some before and after pictures, of what I have done to the place, later on.

As for school, I recently finished the spring quarter and decided to take no classes during the summer; rather just sit back and enjoy my break. I am proud to say, that for the 1st time ever, I made the Dean's List at Wright State; got 5 A's and 1 B. Hopefully I can contiune with this pace during the fall quarter.

I look forward to getting settled in more and posting more frequently. Though, I still feel like a part of me can't settle in completely.

A part of me is still in the desert.

Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company

Last night, at a special viewing for families and Marines, I was able to watch our company's documentary. I just wanted to let everyone know, that if you wonder what we all went through, then you need to watch this film. It is very powerful and emotional. After it ended, hardly a word was said while everyone exited the theater. This film does a great job leaving out the politics and just showing who we are and the guys we lost. So remember, tomorrow night (Thursday 25th) at 9PM on A&E.

If you can't watch it tomorrow night, then here are some additional airings:
Friday, May 26 1am
Saturday, May 27 8pm
Sunday, May 28 12am & 1pm
Monday, May 29 8am & 2pm

Mark Your Calendars

EDIT:

Here is a preview: click here
Additional information is here

The release of my company's documentary is coming next week.

Additional airings of the documentary are:

Thursday, May 25 9pm/8C
Friday, May 26 1am/12C
Saturday, May 27 8pm/7C
Sunday, May 28 12am/11C & 1pm/12C
Monday, May 29 8am/7C & 2pm/1C

Thompson Cigars

Al Kemp, a cigar expert, writes a Cigar Blog and his blog recently did a post, written by Greg Hoffman - online marketing manager, using a couple of my pictures from Iraq. Make sure to check it out here:

http://cigarblog101.blogspot.com/

I am a loyal customer to Thompson Cigars and would recommend anyone to try them out if you like a good cigar every now and then. They have a large selection of cigars and accessories available. Plus, they have some of the best prices that I know of. In addition, my squad leader, Sgt. Taylor, wrote to them during our tour in Iraq and Thompson Cigar sent us a large box of cigars. That was a fantastic thing to receive and allowed some guys in our unit to relax a few nights at the dam while smoking a cigar.

One Year Ago Today...

Today is the 1 year anniversary that Lima 3/25 took our first KIAs in Iraq; SSgt. Goodwin and Cpl. Derga. They are missed and will never be forgotten. Pray for the families going through this hard time.

100,000

100,000 is such a large number when you think about it; $100,000 or 100,000 people or 100,000 miles.

Recently, my photostream, on flickr, has been viewed over 100,000 times! I am just amazed to sit back and think about it; that is a lot of people looking at my photography. So, if you aren't one of them, you better jump in on the action and see what it is all about.

On a side note, I recently got my car back from the repair shop. It is running nicely with a younger engine and a younger clutch that came with it. Unfortunately, I can't avoid hitting anymore animals. I recently ran over another cat that was suicidal (5 so far) in my rental and nearly missed a opossum last week. I don't know what the deal is with animals and my vehicle.

Oh, and another thing, I am healing very nicely from my motorcycle wounds, though the scars don't make me happy and I start physical therapy, on my shoulder and knee, at the end of this month. If anyone knows a good place to buy a sportbike or knows someone, by all means let me know because I am in the market for another motorcycle.

In case you haven't seen my face lately...

Recently, I was involved in a little motorcycle accident. I was not paying attention and looking off to the left when traffic in front of me was stopping. Then by the time I looked forward and saw all of this, it was too late and I ran into the back of a Jeep Liberty. I pretty much just ran into the back of the Jeep then fell over to the left; no flipping over or anything crazy. Right after it happened, I just got up and was kind of in a daze. The guy I hit came out and was worried about me, but I’m a pretty tough guy and so we just moved the bike off the road. By that time, another man, who is a paramedic, pulled over when he saw what had happened. At this time, my chin is just dripping all kinds of blood and my forehead was not looking too good, so the paramedic did a nice bandage job on my face. They all thought that I should go to ER right away, but I said that I would be able to drive myself, so the guy I hit, drove me home and I drove myself to ER. Oh, in case you all were wondering, I was not wearing my helmet; it was too nice a day for that!

Unfortunately, the bike was totaled, but that's what insurance is for. As for me, I suffered only a laceration on my chin, banged up forehead, bruised left knee, scrapes on both knees and hands, and just recently found out that I did break a small part of my left shoulder blade. Nothing too much too worry about when you are on some nice painkillers.

Before ................................................................ .....After

Raccoons: Part 2

I know this post is later than what I wanted to post it, but I was waiting on the auto shop to see what the extent of the damage is and it just got even more. Right now, they are going to replace the radiator, A/C condensor, and some body work. Come yesterday, they were going to replace the head gasket, but it looks like the engine might have some more problems, so they decided to go ahead and replace the WHOLE engine!

I still can't understand how a little raccoon did all of this. A cool part about the engine being put in my car, it has only 8000 miles! I also get to drive around for another 1.5 weeks in a cool '06 Grand Prix, so overall, it isn't a bad deal. Well, except for the fact that I will proably have to pay higher insurance premiums in the future and pay a couple hundred bucks for the deductable and my car could be a total loss.
Fricken animals in the road...

Raccoons....

I don't know if I have this attraction or my vehicles have it or not, but for some reason when I drive, animals get this thing were they just want to wander in front of my moving vehicle. I don't know, maybe they are suicidal I just keep ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time when a animal wants to have an assisted suicide by wandering around on a road waiting for a fast moving vehicle to squeeze the life out of their body.

I don't know.

All I know is that somehow a fricken raccoon has caused over $3000 of damage to my car. How you may ask, well as I was leaving Springfield and heading west on Route 4, on Sunday night, a raccoon ran out in front of my car and I didn't even have time to think about stopping before he got whacked. I really did not put much thought into what just occurred because well, I really don't care about some animal running out in front of my car and it was a small animal. A few miles down the road, I look down at my gauges and noticed that my engine was really overheating, and that's when I realized that the raccoon has just produced an angry response from me and jacked up my car. So, I decided that I need to take the next exit and stop my car as soon as possible, but just right before the exit, my car just shuts off and that's when I realized that I now have a major problem on my hand. That is also about the time that I had evil thoughts toward that raccoon and would like to cause further harm to it but cannot since, well, it is already dead.

So, there I am, parked on the side of the road, on an exit ramp, waiting for my car to cool down and inspecting the damage. At the same time, making some phone calls to find the closest car shop and secure a ride home after I drop off my car. And this is just the beginning. Stay tuned, more to come tomorrow.

Animals are Evil

More to come tomorrow on why I think animals are out trying to get me.

First Drill

This weekend will be the first time our whole company will drill since our deployment to Iraq last year. I am looking forward to seeing some of the guys this weekend. I hear that there will be some news coverage there as well as a team of filmmakers working for A&E about a documentary about my unit. The documentary is expected to come out around Memorial Day.

With that, here's some pictures from my spring break trip last weekend. Enjoy...

Marine Firefight Investigated

Here is a story that I found very interesting considering I once walked and fought in the same streets where these Marines have fought.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,91337,00.html?ESRC=marine-a.nl

This story also invoked great anger towards the reporter who is reporting this bs.
IED followed by enemy small arms fire; so what did the reporter expect the Marines to do? Just take cover and take a few minutes to determine who is the enemy and who is not when in fact the enemy blends into the local populace a lot of times, while the whole time taking small arms fire. I don't know what the hell the media is doing with reporting this war.

"Military officials will try to determine whether the Marines positively identified or tried to identify the enemy and whether they determined there was hostile intent, as they are supposed to do."

This is the best statement out of this story; I guess IEDs and small arms fire don't really count as hostile intent.

Spring Break 2006

With the end of my 1st quarter back to college, after more than a year, I must say that I did pretty well. However, I did have to drop a stats class, and it was a rough start for me getting in the habit of homework and studying. In the end, I finished strong and was able to pull a couple of A's out of my classes and hopefully a B in my financial management class.

With that, my spring break started this morning at 10:15 AM; that's when I finished my last exam. Now I am preparing to leave for my spring break! Nothing too wild, like with what is on TV; rather going to Kentucky, this weekend, with some friends to hang out in a cabin with no running water or electricity. One thing we will have plenty of is weapons! Seventy acres to roam around in the wild shooting, clay pigeons with shotguns, and honing my pistol shooting skills. Who knows, maybe a squirrel might "accidentally" get in my way. Just a little side note, I am a combat lifesaver.

Things Times Four

Alright, I think I am well over due for a post. Now, I am not normally a fan to post these type of posts, but then again, I have never been tagged before, not just once, but twice. So, here I go...

Four jobs I've had:
* Fox's Pizza Den - Assistant Manager & delivery driver
* Vector Marketing Salesman - I sold Cutco cutlery
* The Cooker Bar & Grill - bartender & server
* Team Leader in the Marine Coprs infantry

Four movies that I can watch over and over:
* Band of Brothers - it's like one long movie
* Braveheart
* Fight Club
* Zoolander

Four places I've lived:
* Fairborn, Ohio
* Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
* USS Tortuga
* Haditha, Iraq

Four TV shows that I love:
* Mythbusters
* Fox News
* The OC
* Star Trek TNG

Four places I've vacationed traveled to:
* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
* Germany - several cities
* Manchester, United Kingdom
* Lima, Peru

Four of my favorite dishes:
* Sweet & Sour Chicken - not that crap from a buffet either
* Biscuits & Gravy
* Chef Boyardee Ravioli
* Montgomery Inn Ribs!

Four sites I visit daily:
* mail.yahoo.com
* Flickr
* Wright-Patt Credit Union
* Everyones' Blog

Four places I would rather be right now:
* My own place
* Germany
* Somewhere else in life
* The open road on my motorcycle

Four bloggers I'm tagging:
* Staven
* Larry
* Jennifer
* Rachel

A Million Miles Away From Home

Someone left me a comment about this song and I liked it, so I just wanted to share it with everyone who reads my blog. So, please check it out and leave a comment for Bob Stewart.

A Million Miles Away from Home was written on August 8, 2005, Ohio's official "Day of Mourning" following the deaths of 14 Marines from Ohio. Factored out over the population of the United States, it would be the equivalent of more than 350 Americans dying in a three-day period. I wrote "A Million Miles Away from Home" to help me grieve the loss.

Bob Stewart
740/594-3843
bob@bobstewartband.com

GQ's - This is Our War: A Soldiers' Portfolio

GQ is asking service members, serving in Iraq, for their pictures of the war. So, they created a forum for marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen to post their pictures and comments. Every month, the editors at GQ will select the best photo they receive and the winning photographer will be awarded a new Canon PowerShot SD450.

With that, I submitted some of my photos and as you know it, last week I received a email from one of the editors saying that I won the digital camera. Needless to say, I am really excited to hear that! And the very next morning, on my doorstep was my new camera; I love it! It takes some great pictures, small in size, plus great video - something my old camera didn't do very well. This is the link to the picture they choose.

In addition, I was also interviewed by Marine Corps Public Affairs, in New York City, for a Marine article. Here is also the link: click here.

PFC Jacob Spann

Yesterday I attended the funeral of Private First Class Jacob Spann. He was a Marine killed in Iraq last week in the city of Hit. The same city that my company lived in and built a firm base for about a month. Jacob was from Columbus and this offered me a chance to attend a funeral of a Marine, since I was unable to attend the funerals of our men.

It was a beautiful service. Many people talked about Jacob's life and I was able to get a glimpse into his life. It did make me sad to see such a young man die, though I know he did it for our country and another country's freedoom. There were about 750 people at the service and well over 100 cars in the funeral procession to the graveyard. He was honored with a 21 gun salute and afterwards, the people attending released dozens of balloons into the air. It was a beautiful and fitting service for a hero and I only wish everyone would see one.

Afterwards, the group of Marines from my company went to visit Sergeant Hoffman's grave to pay our respects to our fellow Marine.

FAFSA

Last night I filled out my FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid); this is the form needed to get federal grants and/or loans from the government for students going to college. Well, while I was filing mine out, I got really angry with the questions and information it was asking for. For next school year ('06-'07), I thought I was going to bank on some grants to pay for me education. The FAFSA asks for your tax information and such, but then it went on and asked for my combat pay, which is nontaxable, my food & housing allowance (nontaxable), and my investments.

I figured that since my combat pay is nontaxable, I won't have to claim it on my FAFSA, but nope, they like to know about every single dime I made and invest. This is what angers me probably the most. Why in the world am I getting screwed out of grant money because I invest my money?! I keep a couple of CD's just to make a little bit of money while I determine what to do with it. You know, I like to keep a little bit of cash handy in case of something that would happen and now I am being treated like I have all this money for college. I should be like a lot of other people; spend everything I make and carry large debts. That way, I would get free grant money from the government! I think this is stupid because I like to be a productive and wise citizen and keep a little cash handy. Oh, they also want to know about my savings and checking account balances. I really am pissed about all of this.

Oh, I can't forget my GI Bill benefits I get from the VA. FAFSA wants to know all about that and include it in with the money I make. Now, I served my country's armed forces for this money, and yet, I am getting penalized out of grant money because of it. I don't even have a job right now, and yet they expect me to contribute almost $10,000 for the next school year! All because I was sent to war, made some money, and saved a large amount of it.

This was something that just got me upset and wanted to rant about. Oh well, there's always more student loans I can take out to continue my higher education while someone who doesn't work and saves nothing, s/he can go to college for free.

Brokeback to the Future

To any fans of Brokeback Mountain and Back to the Future, this video clip is very funny.

Check it out and let me know what you think:

Brokeback to the Future

To end speculation, no I have not seen Brokeback Mountain, but I have seen Back to the Future; all 3 of em!

My New Toy!

After much searching far and near, I came across something of great beauty and speed. I now present you with my 2001 Yamaha YZF R600



I found this great piece of machinery at Integrity Cycles in Columbus. Probably paid a little bit too much than what I should have, but I don't regret it.

Washington DC

Last weekend, I made a trip to Washington DC, with another Marine from my company. The main reason of the visit, was to visit Arilington National Cemetary and pay our respect to our fellow brothers. We were also able to stay with another Marine that we went on a deployment together to South America. I had a great time meeting up with some guys there and even have a friend that is a staffer for a congressman. With that, we were able to get a private tour of the Capitol Building compliments of the Capitol Police. The officer showed us some great places around the Capitol, even some rooms that are not open to the public like the Senators' Restroom and the Senate Majority Leader's Private Balcony. The officer offered next time we visit, he can give us a more detailed tour if we contact him ahead of time and not just show up because the Capitol was actually closed to the public when we went through. We could even do a 2AM tour if we wanted!

Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see the Iwo Jima Memorial, but there's always next time. And next time, it will be longer than a weekend. Here are a few more pictures I took during my trip. As always, check out my flickr for all my great pictures.

Most Views

I was recently talking with a buddy and we got into talking about our flickr accounts and what pictures had the most views, or interesting, or favorites. So, in light of that, I will be making this post for my most viewed pictures on flickr with 3,140 views:

Sergeant McKenzie

If you ask me, I don't know why this is the most viewed picture because I don't think it is all that great.

2nd runner up with 2,970 views:

My Hand

This is a picture I took shortly after I let some Iraqi kids write their name on my hand.

Some Minor Changes

Just in case you haven't noticed, I put in the sidebar, to the right, my war stories. They cover pretty much the 9 months of my deployment including my company's predeployment training in California then 7 months in Iraq. So, if anyone wants to read up on them, they are now pretty easy to find. Also, right below them, I put several links to my friends' blogs. Enjoy...

Bill O'Reilly

If you missed the Late Show with David Letterman the other night when Bill O'Reilly was on, you missed out on some good stuff. Check out this link:

David Letterman vs. Bill O'Reilly

Off Active Duty

With Tuesday being my last day of active duty, it was also the 1st day of class as I continue with my education at Wright State University. I am glad that I am going back to school because I think I was starting to miss it, though I will also miss my salary from the Marine Corps; I guess that's why they have unemployment compensation available.

As for school, I took an easy load; a physics gen-ed, financial management I, and probably the most challenging class, quantitative business modeling (basically statistics, this will be my 2nd go at it). I also took a guitar class and a Army ROTC class; both of which are easy A's.