Out on Patrol

While Dave's platoon was out on patrol Friday, they had to stop for supplies, so he had an opportunity to call Kelly. (With the time difference, it was 4:30 a.m. for her.) He said they haven't been able to shower for weeks, and he's pulling chunks of dirt out of his head (not sure what that means?). His back is hurting alot because they have to wear their 60-pound Kevlar vests and other gear all the time, and they're sleeping on wood planks, which means not much sleep.

Dave says the packages he's received have been wonderful, and the motomails and letters lift his spirits tremendously.

Of course, no water for showers also means no water for laundry, so he asked us to send cheap marine-green t-shirts, PT shorts, and white tube socks that he can wear for a while and then throw away.

Once again, Kevin gave me a wise perspective on the situation. He said that if Dave is talking about being smelly and dirty and tired and sore, that probably means he hasn't been having to treat wounds from bullets & bombs. Better to have some personal discomfort to think about than the loss of a wounded Marine that he might have been unable to save.

In addition to having her husband in a war zone, Kelly is having a lot of stress with her new job as a preschool teacher. Please keep her in your prayers also.