Well, MJ finally made it to Iraq. I don't get to "talk" him much these days, but we do chat on Facebook. It amazes me that he is halfway around the world, and we can still chat.
Whats even more amazing, is he can chat with a bunch of us at once. He seems to be doing well, and thanks to one of the medics in his unit, we are getting a glimpse of life over there thru photos on Facebook. It is so nice to see where they sleep, eat, relax (even go to the bathroom). Sometimes we get more information than what we need :).
So, at this point, things are going well. He seems to have alot of down time. Getting ready to send a care package. The post office supplies flat rate boxes to mail over there. For $12.50 I got a pretty good size box to fill with whatever we want to send him. Whatever we can fit in the box for that price. Sending him some things to keep him busy, Skittles (his favorite) and some magazines. Also his sisters senior pic. I found some magnetic picture frames at the dollar store, which will be perfect for him to put on his locker and not take up to much space.
Apparently he is missing trees. His quote was "A tree here is like a kiwi back there, possible to find, but takes too much time to bother". Wish I could send him a tree!!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
MJ makes it to Kuwait
I was able to speak briefly with MJ this week. His unit is on hold in Kuwait waiting on orders to proceed into Iraq. They are living in a large tent, all of their belongings stored in a duffel bag. He does have access to phones, but very limited Internet.
He was caught in his first sand storm on Monday. Said it came out of nowhere. Filled his ears and eyes with sand. They spend most of their days right now inside. From the pics on Facebook, there is sand, sand and more sand. Did see some really cool pics of camels. Very large camels.
I think he will be glad to get to his destination and get settled in. I feel very fortunate to be able to stay in touch with him as much as I have. The time difference can be a challenge, but I am fortunate to have a job where I can answer the phone whenever he finds the time to call.
He was caught in his first sand storm on Monday. Said it came out of nowhere. Filled his ears and eyes with sand. They spend most of their days right now inside. From the pics on Facebook, there is sand, sand and more sand. Did see some really cool pics of camels. Very large camels.
I think he will be glad to get to his destination and get settled in. I feel very fortunate to be able to stay in touch with him as much as I have. The time difference can be a challenge, but I am fortunate to have a job where I can answer the phone whenever he finds the time to call.
Friday, February 19, 2010
My oldest leaves for Iraq
Our family recently spent a long weekend down in Camp Shelby, MS. My oldest son MJ, barely 19 years old, is in the National Guard, and will be spending the next year in Iraq.
Just after his 17th birthday, MJ came to me and asked if I would sign a consent for him to join the Guard. I was very skeptical at first. This was my child. He could barely get himself up and ready for school on time. How did he think he was going to be able to serve and protect our country. Well, after some serious Q&A and soul searching (on my part), I finally gave in and signed the papers. 2 years later and he has made me proud.
He spent the summer between his junior and senior year of high school in boot camp. While most of his friends were enjoying the summer at the lake, or working a summer job, he was learning to be a soldier. After 8 weeks of my baby being away from home, we made the 4 hour drive up to Fort Knox to his graduation ceremony and to bring him home. He left a teenager, but returned a young man.
He completed high school and the very next summer, it was back to Fort Knox for AIT. Once again, we returned to witness his graduation and bring him back home safely. Then, in December of the same year, he left for Camp Shelby, MS, his final stop before being deployed overseas. 2 months of heavy training there, and we once again made a lengthy trek (8 hours this time) to participate in the deployment ceremony for 3,000 soldiers from the 278th. It was a sight to behold to see all 3,000 soldiers, standing in formation together, while hundreds of family and friends wished them well.
We were able to visit with him for a short time, but this time, when we returned home, it was without him. He was getting ready for a very important year in his young life. Going overseas to fight to protect his fellow Americans. I couldn't be prouder of him.
I last spoke to him a week ago today. He called me at 6am to let me know that he was in Ireland, waiting on a flight out to Kuwait where he would be for the next 2 weeks before heading on to Iraq. Mom, he said, Ireland is beautiful. He will see parts of the world I barely knew existed. He will experience life changing events. I will use this blog to follow his year in Iraq. I can't wait for him to come home!
Just after his 17th birthday, MJ came to me and asked if I would sign a consent for him to join the Guard. I was very skeptical at first. This was my child. He could barely get himself up and ready for school on time. How did he think he was going to be able to serve and protect our country. Well, after some serious Q&A and soul searching (on my part), I finally gave in and signed the papers. 2 years later and he has made me proud.
He spent the summer between his junior and senior year of high school in boot camp. While most of his friends were enjoying the summer at the lake, or working a summer job, he was learning to be a soldier. After 8 weeks of my baby being away from home, we made the 4 hour drive up to Fort Knox to his graduation ceremony and to bring him home. He left a teenager, but returned a young man.
He completed high school and the very next summer, it was back to Fort Knox for AIT. Once again, we returned to witness his graduation and bring him back home safely. Then, in December of the same year, he left for Camp Shelby, MS, his final stop before being deployed overseas. 2 months of heavy training there, and we once again made a lengthy trek (8 hours this time) to participate in the deployment ceremony for 3,000 soldiers from the 278th. It was a sight to behold to see all 3,000 soldiers, standing in formation together, while hundreds of family and friends wished them well.
We were able to visit with him for a short time, but this time, when we returned home, it was without him. He was getting ready for a very important year in his young life. Going overseas to fight to protect his fellow Americans. I couldn't be prouder of him.
I last spoke to him a week ago today. He called me at 6am to let me know that he was in Ireland, waiting on a flight out to Kuwait where he would be for the next 2 weeks before heading on to Iraq. Mom, he said, Ireland is beautiful. He will see parts of the world I barely knew existed. He will experience life changing events. I will use this blog to follow his year in Iraq. I can't wait for him to come home!
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