Well another phone call from Baghdad tonight - it sounds like Jeff and his fellow 82nd Airborne soldiers will be coming home in March to form a new Rapid Action Brigade - called the 4th UA (unit of action)

They are being told that this unit will be a totally self sustained rapid action battalion - it will have its own support services, its own artillery etc etc Jeff unit will be the infantry portion of that battalion. They will come home -train and then redeploy back to Iraq or Afghanistan. He was not sure which yet.

Today his company took on some additional responsibility - one day a week they are going to be guards on the US Embassy - just in time for the election.

Today they were on patrol and heard a huge fire fight about a mile from their position. They climbed up on the roof of a building to see what they could see - he said it was extremely intense and lasted for 10 to 15 minutes - he was sure it was am American unit engaged as there were American helicopters flying over head and they were not shooting. He said it weird because they have this big engagement an you never hear anything about what it always was.

He is buying me a Persian rug and mailing it home - he has his eye on one in one of the markets and he can buy a rug for $200.00 that sells for a ton in the states. I sent him the money so he is happy to do it for me.

Today he got a case of Mandarin oranges in a care package from his grandmother. He always loved mandarin oranges as he grew up so his grandmother sent a case. He said he had been eating them all day.

I told him Karmen got 4 pair of binoculars donated from her work and that she though more were coming. He said the men in his squad would put them to good use.

I was able to ask questions about some of the photos he sent home (145 of them) There are some interesting comments that I need to put with these photos when I have time to add them to the web site for those that are interested to see them.

Well we talked about me helping find him a truck when he comes home so he has something to drive when he gets back to Ft Bragg - 4 underage drinking tickets (none while driving) kind of make insurance a little expensive :-)

My nephew said he was going to be redeployed back to Iraq or Afghanistan. He wound up in Hati. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> He's back from there now and is awaiting further orders down in Camp Lejuin (spell). Working on a case of mandarin oranges oughta keep Jeff quicksteppin on patrol for a few days. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Well I guess when you whine and complain long enough your kids start to lsiten - thats what I have been doing when Jeff only calls every 5 days - so tonight he called again - the first time since arriving in Iraq that he called two days in a row.

He was still talking about the big gun fight that took place about a mile down the road from them yesterday - it was the biggest he has heard and went on for 15 mionutes with helecopters flying over head. They were on foot patrol and went to the edge of the sector and climbed up on roofs to see if it came there way - it did not.

Today I sent him another box of Slim Fast Shakes a second box of beef jerky - I included a nice photo copy print of the picture of his squad on New Years Eve ( http://leerburg.com/baghdad3.htm) and told him to collect the names of the wifes, girlfriends and parents of everyone in that picture so I could send them all a copy of the photo (its a very nice photo) and a letter of fatherly advice about not gettng to complacent about his personal security when he is surrrounded by Iraqi's.

I reminded him of my years of nactocis search warrants and the fact that he must always expect the unexpected and never assume anything was what it looked like. It probably made me feel better saying this than it did him hearing it. But that whats sons are for - to humor their parents when they reach the mature age of 19.

He is talking more and more about the possibility of coming home at the end of March and the only thing that would stop him at this point is Donald Rumsfeld.

His unit is coming home to be the infantry portion of a new self contained unit that the Army is building in the 82nd Ariborne that can be deployed on a moments notice anywhere in the world. It will contain its own artillary, support unites etc etc so it will not have to rely on anyone else in the military if the call comes.

Once they train for 6 to 8 months then the entire unti will go back over to Iraq or Afhganistan in January or Feb.

As one parents opinion I will take 9 months at Ft Bragg and worry about what comes after later.

Hope this doesn't come across wrong -
I have a girlfriend who's husband is a SeaBee providing support to the SEALS. He just went over to Iraq a couple of months ago. He told her he can't send pictures and no one is supposed to have a camera or they'll get in trouble due to the media fiasco with those pictures with the Iraqi prisoners.

Ed - should you be posting pics? Even tho they're not inappropriate, is there the possibility your son may get in trouble?

Hope I'm just being paranoid. Maybe it's just because her husband's associated with the SEALS.
roz.

I belong to an Army wives board and people post pictures all the tme. You might now want to be too specific about exact locations though or travel plans. The only other thing to watch out for is giving too much personal info because somebody could target a soldier's family if they know he's gone. But somehow I think Ed probably has his personal security covered <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> .

---edited on account of political "quips"

Ken,
Save the political quips for another board. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />