Memorial Day

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. And it is no longer just like any other Memorial Day.
Once, while watching the parade of veterans down the street, I thought that wouldn't it be nice that one day there would be no veterans of wars marching down the street? That the men and women in the parades served, but never saw?
Unfortunately, that isn't likely to be the case. This Memorial day there will be new graves to decorate, and the cause of death will not be only old age, but combat.
Back in October, I wrote about Jeremy Hodge. All of twenty years of age, whose grave will be decorated this day by family,friends, comrades and strangers. Another name in the roll call. Another man who is twenty forever.
A&E broadcast a documentary about the Ohio Marine unit, L (Lima) Company from Columbus. Watch it and then remember the men on Memorial Day.

I met a WWII veteran the other day. He had no clue about Iraq. His experiences of that war clouded his knowledge of this one. All he could say is that we are in another Vietnam. This gets so tiring. We are not in another Vietnam. The enemy over there are not communists intent on combining two fractured countries. There is no Hanoi, no Ho Chi Min trail.
There just isn't a comparision. This is a different war. Very different.

But one thing is still the same.

Soldiers die.

Five Months Later

Well....I have been back for five months now. January, Febuary, March, April and now May. And the transition to civillian live has been...well...different than I thought.
In Baghdad we were briefed on what to expect when we came back home. Now that I am here, I can see the briefers knew what they were talking about.
Today someone asked me about "over there" and it was hard to answer and after fumbling around awhile the answer was...well you'd just have to be there.
You can't understand unless you were there is the quote from an article I came across, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/13/AR2006051301312.html
A long article, but a good read.
The spring this year is very beautiful here in Ohio. The green is greener, the flowers seem to have bloomed more than ever and the sky seems so blue than ever before. A reaction to being home? I dunno. People have remarked that this is the best spring they have seen. I do know one thing, it beats dry, blast furnance air, dust storms and constant brown landscape.
Today it rained, just like yesterday and the day before. In Iraq the place would be flooded with so much rain. And the mud! It is very nice to walk across the yard and not have ten pounds of mud on your feet.
I went running one day and notice I didn't hear gunfire, explosions or helicopters flying over head.
One change from one year ago---the constant quiet I hear now.

I am fortunate. I came home whole. I don't wake up at night with sights that no human should see. I have stopped jumping at sudden noises (well mostly) and maybe in a while I will be able to ride in a car like a normal person.
It is so nice to be home.
Again. Thanks to all those who wrote to me, prayed for me and thought of me and the guys in the platoon. We came home and I think that you had something to do with that.
Until next time, see ya!