I received a call today from my son Ian in Iraq.

[Zorlac]

It was good to hear from him now that he's actually in Baghdad.

He says the weather is much nicer than Kuwait was, not nearly as hot.

He's basically guarding our JAG officers and providing security for the Iraqi court sessions.

He also said that there's CIA stuff he's working with that I couldn't/wouldn't want to know about. :huh:

He told me that one Iraqi defendant went into the court room all cocky and came out crying his eyes out after getting a death sentence, he says the Iraqi judges are tough!

He must be OK though, because he says the Iraqi girls are really cute, and they like to talk to the soldiers as long as there are no Iraqi men around.

I hope to see him on leave in December, and if all goes well, He'll be home next June, I guess that is if he doesn't reenlist, because he seems to really like it, and says the food is great!

Keep him in your prayers if you're so inclined, thanks.

Mark.

 

[gregory]

Tell you son thanks for serving. I am at the VA in Tucson right now waiting for my patient to come to the CAT Scanner, and all I can really say is we have THE best Veterans bar none because people like your son will stand up for what we all believe in.

My thoughts and prayers for you and yours,

Gregory.

 

[Wolfhound]

Awesome news for a Proud Dad ! There are few men who deserve the Respect that those who fight for our Country do . . . Please Thank Him for all of us !

 

[jekirby]

Prayers to be said. My cousin is 82nd airborne 1 brigade and has just returned after 13 mts at FOB Scania. Their job was guarding bomb disposal units, fire trucks, earth moving convoys and such. The stories that come from their end are strangely hopeful and are much more positive than the media leads us to be believe. Thanks to him and peace to you, sir.

 

[wfooshee]

Those calls are great! My stepson was in Baghdad most of 2004, made sergeant while there. (He's a Lt. now!)

He worked in a hospital and had access to the Internet, and we actually had a couple of Yahoo Messenger sessions a week for a while, webcams and everything!

A couple months before he came home they stopped allowing that, gave bandwidth as a reason, but I'm sure it was a security issue.

He brought back some fake Rolexes, but not enough for everybody. Said when he went back for some more the place was a crater. He also brought me a pocketwatch with Saddam's face on it, so cheap it won't run a whole day and is 10 minutes an hour fast while it does run!

We thank your son for his service, and as a proud dad myself, I know how those calls feel!

 

[ShawnKing]

Keep him in your prayers if you're so inclined, thanks.

Tell him to stay safe over there and come home soon!

 

[Wicked Webby]

Mark,

Glad to hear he is making the best of his time there.

Wishing him well on his journey and a safe return.

WW

 

[TheAxeman]

Mark,

Best of luck to Ian on his tour. Hope it is dull, quick, and uneventful. My thanks to him for his service and commitment and for treading where most others won't. Make sure you tell him that there are many of us here on sacred soil rooting for him and looking forward to his safe return.

Chris

 

[dsmack]

Mark ~

Please add my regards and gratitude for his service the next time you speak with your son. I hope and pray that his time on deployment will be safe and educational for him. The experiences he is having now will stand him in good stead the rest of his life, whether or not he chooses to re-up.

I work with a number of Reservists, many of whom have recently returned from various spots... they all tell much more positive stories than those you will read in the mainstream media.

We old fogies are able to sleep well at night because young men such as your son continue to be willing to step up to the plate! My time was 1962 - 65, long ago, but the challenges remain pretty much the same even though the venue has changed.

Axman ~ Every time I read in your signature line of your son's sacrifice, it chokes me up... God bless him! Thank you for your daily reminder.

Don

 

[spklbuk]

A special thanks to your son and to your family. Prayers sent.

 

[Tek]

Tell him to be careful and keep safe, so you'll get to see him for the holidays.

(FYI...when you send him care packages, Charmin or other soft toilet paper is always appreciated. Believe me, the government goes with the lowest bidder on everything. Anything is better than the 50 grit TP we had over there)

 

[TheAxeman]

Mark,

This MILITARY CARE PACKAGE KIT is FREE from the Postal Service and I found it very helpful when Jordan was deployed. It gives you everything you need to send stuff over there, boxes, big roll of Priority Mail tape, customs forms, etc....

 

[FJRBill]

One son is Iraq and one son in Afghanistan. Both came through their tours and came home. Now the oldest signed up for a second tour which will be over in Febuary. My youngest went to Germany and is being sent to Iraq next. Every time they go over there I hope it's the last time, but the oldest only see the reinlistment bonus. My prayers go out to anyone who has a son/daughter in Iraq or Afghanistan. You learn to accept it, but you never really relax until they get back state side.

 

[vabrzn]

Glad you were able to talk with your son. I'm sure it was a great few minutes!

 

[Low Level FJR Pilot]

We will be praying for a very uneventful tour of duty and safe return home to his family. Next time you talk to Ian, thank him for serving his country and making it safe for Iraqi's to have the same freedoms we here in America take for granted. He is already a hero in this veteran's eyes. :clapping:

 

[Zorlac]

Mark,This MILITARY CARE PACKAGE KIT is FREE from the Postal Service and I found it very helpful when Jordan was deployed. It gives you everything you need to send stuff over there, boxes, big roll of Priority Mail tape, customs forms, etc....

Thanks Chris, and everyone else. There is a group that meets at our local armory called a Family Resource Group (FRG) that's very helpful and a woman came to the meeting with postal mailing boxes, supplies and customs info. I was impressed! I then come to find out that she has NO family or relatives deployed, she's just a private citizen trying to help out!!

I'm starting to see that there's a lot more good in this world than meets the eye.

 

[boomerang]

Have him set up an msn or yahoo account so you can talk to him and use the web cam. It really made it easyier for me when my son was there. At least I could see him and know he was ok.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Thanks for sharing. It's good to hear people talk about positive experiences. Glad your son is doing well, and we will pray he stays safe. When you talk to him next, tell him we appreciate his service. God bless

 

[paste007]

Prayers, definitely.

Please thank your son from me, for his service, to protect our freedom.

Paste007