And he's off to Afghanistan

[S&W Fan]

I hesitated to bump this but wanted to express my thanks for all your kind words. I've been a lucky for having 2 great sons, very different, but equally great. My older son really found his calling as a combat medic, he's been able to deal with the horrendous things he's seen over the years, is a great teacher (he's taught the Basic Combat Lifesaver course), loves emergency medicine, served in a leadership role on one of his deployments (he's an E5), has shared his experiences with many of the younger guys (he's 29) and is just a great son, brother, husband and I know he'll make a great dad.

 

[Donn]

I feel ya, SW. My son's been in 10 years too, done four tours, (3 in Iraq, 1 in Afghanistan). You get accustomed to it, but you never get used to it.

 

[thebeamanater107]

Looking forward to posting "And he's home" late in the summer.

You should hear the guy yell "we're going home" on the inside of the c130

I'm glad I'm done with the army... But if I ever got hit by a time machine and was 19 again at the recruiting office, I'd do it all over again.

"You're telling me I get to be underpaid, get little sleep, have politicians threaten my paycheck every time they max out the credit card, get yelled at, insulted, trained, poked, prodded and immunized for diseases I haven't heard of, get punished for stupid **** I didn't do, deploy to wars I don't agree with to fight for people who reject our idea of freedom, get college money after I pay for it, and serve with the best human beings I've ever met, AND call them my friends? Sign me up."

the original point and click interface, by Smith and Wesson

 

[WC145]

I feel ya, SW. My son's been in 10 years too, done four tours, (3 in Iraq, 1 in Afghanistan). You get accustomed to it, but you never get used to it.

Isn't it crazy how fast the time goes by? My boy will have 6 years in tomorrow, seems like just the other day we were discussing the pros and cons of signing up.

S&W Fan - Sounds like you raised them right, you've got plenty to be proud of and thankful for.

 

[Old TexMex]

On Sunday we took my older son to the airport after his brief visit. He came home on the 23rd, hadn't seen his new son that was born Oct. 11 since the 20th of Oct. He has been at Ft. Hood prepping for his latest deployment. The good news is that since he's with an aviation regiment (he's now a flight medic after almost 10 years as a combat medic) it's a shorter deployment than his previous times.

I rode with him, my daughter in law and grandbaby to the airport so she'd have some help with the munchkin and not to be alone on the way back to her house. Her mother was coming over for the afternoon to keep her company and mostly so she could nap & her mom could take care of the baby.

Looking forward to posting "And he's home" late in the summer.

Prayers for his safety, you must be proud and should be.
My #1 CWO is there, maybe they cross paths, he's a hooker, just left Ft. Hood for another tour...
Tell him to watch for Bones Nielsen.

 

[Harkrader]

We're with you, S&W Fan. Our oldest didn't listen to his USAF Vietnam Vet father and joined the USAF the month he graduated from the U. That was July, 2001. Four "tours" of Afghastlystan and Ikrak leaves us wondering about the definition of "stabilized tour." He was the only one of our children and spouse/fiances who didn't make it home for our celebrations.

Where was he? Perhaps he'll tell us when he gets back, but I have my suspicions.

Love your children and don't ever forget to let them feel it. We deeply hope yours, and ours, make it home safely.

 

[BC38]

Thanks to him for his service, thank you for raising a young man who is serving, and thanks to his wife & family for their sacrifice as well. Prayers for a safe return for him and all his fellow service personnel doing what many of us aren't able to do. God bless all of you.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Looking forward to posting "And he's home" late in the summer.

...as do I! You all have my thoughts and well wishes on this new years day.

 

[w-30dreamin]

A great big Thank You to your Son!

My best wishes.

 

[ArtyGuy]

Best of luck to your son. During one of my tours in Afghanistan, I was the Brigade Fire Support Officer for 10th Combat Aviation Brigade.