24 June 07

I thought today was going to be uneventful, but it turns out Iraq will never be boring. While on a dismount, I saw a lady with close to 30% second/third-degree burns on her body. It looked like they were wounds that happened at least a month or so ago. She had the bandages on her body, but you could see the gaps between them and the skin healing. One of the NCOs [non-commissioned officer] had to shoot a dog because it tried to bite him. The dog had a big hole, and something came out and dangled (I really couldn't tell if it was an intestine or liver or kidney). While I was in the aid station helping one of my guys, two civilian Iraqis had to be seen because they were in a car crash. One guy had a cut across his throat, and the other had massive injuries to the face. I helped out a little bit, but I like to play an assistant role if I'm there, because they have their routines and jobs they each do. When I got done helping with the guy whose throat was cut, I took off my gloves. Then I was told to hold the other guy's head, and it was covered with blood. Luckily I was able to hold him just right, so I didn't get that much blood on me. Note to self: Wear gloves until all casualties leave the aid station. I also found out we are going to stay 48 hours at a checkpoint, which sucks because all the cold water becomes hot on the second day; 24 hours is so much better, whatever. I talked to the chaplain a bit to see what his advice is about my wife's situation. He told me they could send me back, based on my family contingency plan is failing, but than I would be chaptered out of the army. This sucks; the delivery date is so close to when we should be going home (maybe 3 weeks earlier at most)—why can't I just go home early and help my wife He told me we should talk more when I get back from this checkpoint mission so we can brainstorm. I called Carissa afterwards, and she still isn't feeling well. She was supposed to go back to her parents' yesterday (she was staying with her cousin for a little bit), but she started to feel sick. Today, while we were talking, we had to cut the conversation short because she started to feel sick again and had to go to the bathroom. I hope the doctors she's seen before can help her out.

28 June 07

Where the hell did the time go I honestly thought today was the 24th. Well, we were out at a checkpoint for a couple of days. Sometimes it really sucks to be stuck in a truck for 48 hours, but being in that kind of position, you start to think and think and continue to think until you're back in your room, where you have some form of entertainment. While I was in deep thought, I saw a convoy pass by on the highway, and I kind of thought about the bigger picture; at first glance, being stuck at the checkpoint looked like we were being punished, but as I watched the convoys travel back and forth with supplies, you wonder, what would happen if we weren't here Would these guys have a safe route for the area we are covering Would it be laid with IEDs Sometimes while I was up in the turret, some of the guys passing by in their turrets would wave, like saying hi. It sort of made me appreciate what I was actually doing at that time. Then, between some of my thoughts, we started to have a debate, if wearing a rubber while having sex constituted that you were cheating if a person was in a relationship. Yeah, tell me about it—really stupid! But I guess that's what happens when people are totally bored. But I was on the side that any time there is sexual contact, it would be perceived as cheating. So we came to a compromise at the end; in any given relationship, if both parties are allowed to conduct the same activities without the other calling foul, then it would not be looked at as cheating. After that, I started to read some of the books I brought (of course it was during my off time). My wife sent me a really good one; it is called "Christian Family Guide to Parenting a Toddler." I read a lot of parenting books—I think it helps me out. I don't parent based on what the book says but how I personally feel about the situation; I suppose you can call them good helpful guides. It sort of helps me prepare for any given event I wasn't ready for. Hey, I found out we are done with missions on October 31. Hell yeah!—that's freakin' awesome. Of course, I won't be there for my son's birth, but as soon as I get to base, I'm leaving to go pick my family up in Texas. I'm going to try to surprise Carissa, leave a day earlier then what I tell her, drive to her parents' house from the airport, and show up in my dress greens at the door (with a bouquet of flowers, of course). I hope it turns out that way, because I think she would really like it. I forgot to mention that Carissa realized it was the traveling that was making her sick. She talked with her parents, and she decided the best thing was to stay over there, because they could help with Emily.