Third time's a charm

On Wednesday David called us (both home & cell), but we weren't home and didn't hear the cell phone ring.

Thursday he called again, but again we weren't home and didn't manage to pick up the cell phone in time.

So Friday (today) when he got off duty from walking post, he called when he KNEW we'd be home - 1:20 a.m. for us, 12:20 p.m. for him.

In between walking patrols and walking post (sounds like sentry duty?), David is studying hard for an oral & written exam he'll take at the end of the deployment earn his FMF (Fleet Marine Force Enlisted Warfare Specialist) pin. It's tough to study alone, as he's the only corpsman in his unit now. (Check out the FMF link to the left.)

He is very relieved to have been moved from his previous location. The group that is there now lost another Marine to an IED.

Dave said they are living in a stone house with dirt floors, but they have cots to sleep on, air conditioning (yea!), goat's milk to drink, and fresh meat to cook. And they've built a BBQ out of an old gasoline drum.

A new pair of feet is Dave's most urgent wish right now. He said his feet are really messed up with big blisters from walking patrol & post in old, dirty, stiff socks.

We are so looking forward to welcoming our "Doc" home again, and pampering him with fresh fruits & veggies, green salads, clean sheets, and being able to go barefoot if he wants! Just a few short weeks and he'll be back!

This deployment has been hard on David and Kelly, and on all of us who love them. Your continual prayers and good wishes have eased that burden tremendously. Thank you all!

Mutton, anyone?

Had a nice phone conversation with Kelly this morning (actually, ALL our conversations with Kelly are wonderful). David has been able to phone her much more often, which is really good news. Kelly says that he continues to sound upbeat and is definitely ready to head for home.

A really nice change for the guys is that they received a truckload of real food; chicken to barbeque and also frozen pizza that can be microwaved. (So I'm guessing that, duh, they must have access to a microwave; probably came in a box labeled: "Food Irradiation Device, Medium, One Each" and painted Olive Drab. More realistically, it was probably labeled as "Entrenching Tools."

Now I know that you are wondering about the title of this entry - I'm getting to that. As it turns out, the guys were out one day and "discovered" a sheep. No doubt, when you've lived on a ration of MREs for far too long, a sheep looks mighty like dinner at Grandma's. So . . . using euphemistic language, the guys pooled their culinary skillsets and provided a much-needed meal for the masses. Baaaaa baaaaaa . . . bye.
-- Kevin

Wake-Up Call

We had quite a surprise three hours ago. The phone rang at 1:50 a.m. and it was Dave, calling from Iraq. What a blessing, and a wonderful treat. Well worth the loss of sleep!

Dave sounded strong and in good spirits. He's making mental lists of things he wants to do, places to go, and people to visit when he gets home late next month. He and Kelly plan to make a trip to California and make the rounds (as time and energy allow). Yea! ! ! !

When he called, Dave had just finished his time on post (sounds like that means guard duty). They're doing 4 hours on, 12 hours off, plus walking foot patrols. He has also set up a mini Battalion Aid Station at their new location.

Dave again sends his thanks for all the wonderful packages, letters, motomails, and prayers. The location they're in now is even more remote than before. No mail coming in or going out at all, so no more packages. You can still send letters and motomails, and he'll get them when they get back to the big base.

Next Month!

Kelly received a phone call from Dave last week, and fortunately the connection held for a few minutes this time. Dave says that it is ok now to let people know that they'll PROBABLY be coming home in late September; unfortunately, this will probably be coupled with a fairly short turn-around and they may all have to go back in a few months.

Better news is that he and Kelly want to spend a couple of weeks in California in October! We may not let them go back. ;-)

His only request this time was that Kathleen and I send some jar cakes ( cakes baked in jars and sealed as if canning ) for his fellow Corpsman's birthday. So we put together a party pack and sent it off with the express wishes that his next birthday would be in much better surroundings.

Kathleen would like to include a few more pictures that Dave has sent so here they are. I hope you are all enjoying your summer.

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! ! ! !

Kelly just now called us, and Dave's company has permanently left the town where they've been since March. They've had many IEDs and numerous casualties in the past few weeks, but have now been moved to a much better place. We are so grateful, this sounds like a much safer location. Praise God!

The downside is that there's no mail going in and out of this location. They will only get mail when they can pick it up at the large base. Dave said it's best to stop sending packages now, but please keep the prayers, letters and motomails coming.

And now back to the pictures . . . .