Naomi our little Lady

Naomi is 16 mo. old. She loves all girl things. This is not normal for us because Hazel was content to play superheroes and ninja turtles when she was this age. I had to post pictures so you all could imagine how much I'm enjoying her being such a girl.

Pictures are in!!!

First day back... What a great Valentines present.

More pictures to come....

He's back and adjusting well....

So far, John has made himself busy with doing alot of home improvements. I have a new kitchen faucet, a non wobbly kitchen table, kids who think dad is awesome because he can pass levels i can't on the wii, and alot of other things... We sure like having him home.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig... -Last email

Dear all,
It is with great pleasure I write this last email from Afghanistan. It
is also with a little sadness...

Deployment was an experience. That's is all I can say. I am
certainly looking forward to coming home. I miss my family...my wife
and my kids. I'm happy to say they miss me, too! It is time to come
home.

Now, let me tell you some of the benefits of deployment. I know, it
sounds like a strange thing to be saying after 9 months away...but
there are good things about deployment, too. I've learned a lot about
myself and about those with whom I've deployed. Some people will fall
into bad habits and do things they normally wouldn't do at home,
simply because they are free from the watchful eye of those that love
them. More people rise to the occasion and make something of
themselves. I have been surprised on many occasions to see bad men
becoming good and good men be moving better. People growing up and
realizing that there is way more to life than what they had with their
sordid pasts. People recognize a better way, and they flock to it.
Deployment allows for nearly unlimited access to them and their
stories...without the distractions of the world or a toxic
relationship. And I will miss seeing that.

I will not miss FaceTime. I am certainly glad for technology, but it's
time to really see my family! Having been on a mission, I thought
this would be similar. It's not. Saying goodbye to mom and dad for
two years was WAY easier than saying goodbye to my kids, some of whom
wouldn't know me when I returned, for 9 months. I love my parents,
but it's different.

Now, it's only been 9 months. It could have been worse. I like to
think I'm the same as when I left, but I know that's not true. We all
grow with the passing of time, for me it's no different. Trying to
give you the experiences I've had is not possible. Just like trying
to be there for Naomi's first steps... But I'm great full for the
support of all of you, my family and friends. I have a feeling that
the best is still ahead! I can't wait to see you all and I'll talk to
you soon...face to face!

John

Letters from John...

I know I haven't updated my blog in about 6 months but I would like to post all of John's e-mails on here for anyone to read. If you weren't aware, John has been deployed since May of 2012 and will be returning home to us in a few weeks... WE ARE EXCITED!!!! The emails will be posted in consecutive order so you'll see his most recent first... just scroll down or go to the last post that says #1.

LIfe at a VSP #6

12/23/12 

LIfe at a VSP  

I travel a lot.  I've been to every FOB (Forward Operating Base -

usually large) and every COP (Combat Out Post - usually small) that

falls in my jurisdiction.  Most of them multiple times.  This week, I

was requested at a VSP (Village Support Post - ridiculously small).

These are locations where a team of 12 Special Forces stay along with

a handful (there were another dozen here) infantry support stay.  That

is it.  No one else.  Just you, the team and the surrounding village/s

you support.  One of the SF guys broke a tooth and it needed to be

fixed.  They called and asked if they could pull it, but it sounded

like it could be fixed, so I volunteered to visit and help with the

"winning the hearts and minds" mission for a couple of days.  I would

see American Soldiers on the first day, Afghans on the second, then

come home.  Too easy.

Plans change...but I digress.  Let's start from the beginning, shall

we?  So there I was...the start to any good story...  The head medic

from the SF group on Sharana, where I stay, came and asked if I could

call the VSP, which I did.  After volunteering to go, the logistics

needed to be worked out.  Since I would be flying to a location that

we did not service, air transport would be arranged by the SF.

"Finally", I thought, "I get to fly in a Chinook!"

The Chinook is the large double-rotor helicopters that the SF uses for

transportation.  I had been wanting to fly in one since I got here.

Awesome.  The medic would work his channels and then call when

everything was set.  It usually takes a couple of days to get things

lined up, but he was trying for a quicker turn around because of the

situation and weather. So I waited for the call.

The phone rang.

"This is Captain Brady."

"Hey, this is Jason."  ...oh yeah, they are all on first name basis in

SF...my bad

"I've got some good news and bad news... The good news first: We have

you on a flight in one hour so we can beat this storm.  The bad news:

there's not room for your assistant.  Can you go alone?"

"Sure, no problem."  I mutter.  My tech is going to be heartbroken!

How could they have filled up such a large bird so quickly?  Oh well,

we have to move quickly...

"Great, I'll pick you up in 20 minutes."

After apprising my tech of the situation, he's upset, but is still in

good spirits.

"Don't have any fun while you're there", he says.

"Of course not", I reply, "I'm going to be spending all my time trying

to figure out how to work this equipment!"

The ride comes and we're off.  Driving to unknown parts of the FOB.

As we approach a new area, the driver is visibly confused.  We stop at

a gravel area about the size of half of an end zone on a football

field.  Hardly large enough for a Chinook.

"I think this is it", the driver states nonchalantly.

"You think?  Don't you guys fly out of here all the time?"

"No, to get you out fast before this weather, we found a small

contract company to take you.  They are the only ones flying right now

in this weather."

"I need to use the restroom..."  (I didn't actually say that...I have

to save face, of course, but I most certainly thought it!)

Ten minutes later a little tiny helicopter like those they use to

cover the news comes flying around the corner and lands there in the

gravel.  The pilot has one of those furry hats on with the ear flaps

hanging out like wings.  He looks the type just crazy enough to fly in

this kind of weather.

My suspicions of his mental status were confirmed when we took off.

The bird was only large enough for the pilot, two passengers and our

gear.  The other passenger was already on when it picked me up.  I

loaded my gear and sat in the back.  He motioned for me to put on the

headset that was dangling in the back.  I should have put my seat belt

on first...

"Are we ready to go?", the pilot asked.  This is a normal question for

a normal pilot to ask before take off.  He was not a normal pilot.  By

the time the question, traveling at the speed of light through the

wires, reached my ears, we were sideways.  I don't claim to know how

to fly helicopters, but as I was looking at the ground fly by as if I

were being dragged from a horse, I wondered to myself if I should have

taken a convoy...

Apparently he was trying to beat the weather...

I mentioned that this was a contract helicopter.  They have different

rules of flying.  He flew in a straight line to his destination

instead of following the routes of the commercial flights.  That

seemed safer to me.  He flew low to the ground and REALLY fast to

catch anyone wanting to do us harm by surprise.  That seemed safer to

me.  With all that, he still had the look of a crazy man....  That did

not feel safer to me...

Well, we made it safe and sound after traveling all over the AO (area

of operations).  I greet those at the HLZ (helicopter landing zone)

who are there to pick me up and we walk my equipment to the aid

station.  It's a thirty second walk.  This VSP is the size of a home

with a decent sized yard...because it was someone's house.  The SF are

just renting it while they are there.  We put my gear down and they

inform me that daylight hours are for site improvement.  That means,

while the sun is up and it's still warm, we do projects to improve our

living conditions there.  It's a good thing I spent those summers

working construction with Grandpa and all those Saturdays working with

handy dad!  While I was there, I built a sniper tower, two desks, a

few sets of shelves and put floors in two of the rooms.  Yes...I'm the

dentist...

At about 1800 (6:00 pm), the sun went down and it got cold...really

cold.  They decided it was time to do some dentistry.  We went inside

and I took care of all the people that needed work.  There were only

about six Americans that needed work, so things went pretty quickly.

As I was putting my stuff away, the head medic informed me that my

guard shift was the midnight to 0100 shift.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that", I chuckled.  "I thought you just said

my guard shift was from midnight to 1:00 am!"

"Yeah, you'll be with Nate.  He's a good guy."

Perfect, I feel better that he is a good guy...

Midnight rolls around and I head up to the roof.  I see Nate.

"Since there are two of us at night, one of us stays here and the

other goes to the gate.  You've got the gate tonight."

"Okay", I say, "I don't have any coms...how do I let you know if

someone is coming?"

"At this hour, no one should be coming.  If you see someone trying to

get in, shoot them."

Gulp!

No one came...lucky for me.  Had someone come, they probably would

have been lucky, too, knowing my pitch-black, midnight shooting

abilities!

The next day brought more projects.  To break it up, one of the guys

decided to take me on some driver's training.  He pointed to the four

wheel drive ATV with a .50 cal machine gun and asked if I knew how to

drive it.

"Long skinny one on the right?", I asked.

"That will do...let's go."

I started the engine and we drove out to the HLZ.  He told me to do

some cookies and test out the capabilities of the ATV.  After a few

minutes of what I thought were a successful run, he turned to me and

said, "You are going to have to learn how to DRIVE this thing...I've

seen these things up on two wheels before!"

Don't worry, mom, I didn't oblige him...

"Take a left here", he said.

A left looked like it would take us the opposite way of the post....it did.

As I left the HLZ, my SF turned tour guide companion decided to point

out all the homes of those he new in the village.

"That's where the Elders live...over there is the house of one of our

informants...that the police chiefs house..."

And that was how my driver's training went.  I feel trained.

I also got to watch a supply drop at 2300 (11:00 pm) one night, but in

comparison, that was just a regular occurrence.  A big airplane flys

by really low and out come a bunch of boxes on parachutes.  I also got

to go do dentistry on the locals that were around the area.  That was

pretty neat, since most of them had never seen a dentist.  The guys

all got to practice taking out teeth....yeah, I took them on

"dentist's training"!

The weather did not cooperate with air travel, so I ended up staying

there a week.  No showers, no heat...it was roughing it!  When the air

finally went green and helicopters were flying again, they got me a

trip back to Sharana...in a Chinook!  The experience came full circle!

 I must say, however, that the news helicopter was a lot more

"entertaining"....

The pictures are of the mud house we stayed in, followed by my "weak"

week attempt at growing a beard.  The next one is the ATV I was

telling you about followed by the first of many projects I completed.

If you can't tell...it's a desk.

I love you all and have a great Christmas!