Mid Deployment

Well it's been a rough adventure so far, being away from home and loved ones. I was able to take a 15 day leave on October 26th and was happy to be able to spend time at home for a little while. It was just too short. I traveled from Iraq, to Kuwait, to Ireland, to Dallas, and then to Jackson. The return flight was the same stops as well. I now have just under 3 months left over here and the end can't come soon enough. I've gained a lot of knowledge while in Iraq. I've learned a lot about the movement and radio systems the Army has. I've also learned being separated from your spouse is very hard on you emotionally, physically, spiritually... We've hit the rainy season, and over here when it rains it definitely pours. It rained on and off for about 2 months. Everything turned to mud and it's very miserable. Now it's starting to dry up and get pretty cold with the highs only reaching around 60 degrees. Christmas is just around the corner. I've been able to get into the Christmas spirit even though it's almost depressing. I usually listen to my iPod while working on trucks and hum Christmas songs out loud. For all those who have to be away from their loved ones on Christmas, Kelli and I know what you're going through. May God be with you all through this Christmas season.

The Sandbox

Well, I'm currently deployed to Balad, Iraq. I believe the hardest day of my life was when I said goodbye to Kelli for a whole year. But the good news is that time is flying by. I started Mobilization on May 1, 2009 and will be back around May of 2010. I'm the Company Commo guy. I have my own shop and it's my job to make sure all of our vehicles have their communications up and running before they leave out on missions. We are currently doing Convoy Security, which means we provide security for civilian contracted convoys all over Iraq. The weather over here is absolutely miserable, especially when there's a dust storm.

New Years Buck!

Okay, so I didn't kill this buck exactly on New Years Day... It was on Saturday the 3rd, but close enough. I killed an old 8 pointer behind my paw-in-law's place. The front of his rack was broke off on one side but I didn't mind; He made up for it with a split brow tine and a kicker on the other side. I was the happiest man alive. I called the 8 pointer up with Primos "The BIG Can" at 6:15 AM (still dark). He came into the middle of my rye grass patch where he moved to the outer edge and rubbed a tree. He finally hung around long enough for light to hit and this is when I realized he was an 8 pointer. I shot him at 175 yards with a 30-06 using 150 grain bullet. He ran 25 yards and dropped dead. This is the second biggest Whitetail I've ever killed. I know, sad right?