Never Forget

4 years ago from today, America received a big black eye. It was our wake up call. We have come together and united, from tragedy to determination in preventing another September 11th. But there is no getting away from tragedy, Katrina has shown us this in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. There are tireless heroes pouring out blood, sweat, and tears helping and saving the survivors.

Today, Patriots Day...let's remember.

The following link is a tribute of 9/11. It is not for the faint of heart, in fact, you will cry. I know I am not healed from this tragedy, I lost no relatives or friends from the 9/11 attacks. But I lost fellow Americans, and that hurts me just the same.

http://www.fdnylodd.com/BloodofHeroes.html

Just Waiting

I am all packed and ready to go.

The time seems to be still,
Nothing to do but wait.

My bills are paid, my laundry done, my room clean,
My truck clean, my letters sent, and my goodbyes done.

What to do with my time?

I drank three cups of coffee already.
I have read the news on the web.

I have no one really to talk to,
For everyone is busy with their lives,
Plus I already said my goodbyes.

I just wait.

I wait for Tuesday morning,
And take a plane far away.

I imagine stepping off the plane,
Feeling the humidity suffocating me.

It will be midnight when I arrive,
There will be hundreds of bags to search through on the desert floor.

I will go directly from picking my baggage up,
To processing into the base…no sleep at first.

I am not sure how I am going to carry all my equipment,
Chemical warfare suits, gas mask, first aid kit, sleeping gear, uniforms,
Four very large bags in total, plus a carry-on.

Oh well, I am not the only one doing it,
So I guess it can be done.

Well, I am still waiting.

I wonder what my little brother is doing right now?

He called me yesterday to harass me,
Said he would call back, but I guess he is busy.

He has done a deployment already.
Only 2 years in the military and already served a one year deployment.

I am 4 ½ years in the military,
Going on my first deployment.

I guess that is one of the differences between Army and Air Force.

A few people asked me if I was scared,
I don’t know how to really answer that.

I don’t feel scared, for I know about the place I am going.
It is not a bad place, and our mission is diverse,
And it doesn’t require myself to be in harms way.

I am a little scared only for being away for 4 months,
Stuck in one place.

I get bored easily, and my biggest enemy will be boredom.
I think the leaders have done a good job in making my new base more enjoyable.

They have 24 hour theatre, 24 hour chow hall, 24 hour gym.
I hear they even have an Applebee’s and a Baskin Robins!

I will get to meet up with some good friends I once worked with in Germany. That part will be fun, some good guys they are.

So I guess I will just wait. Nothing more for me to do. Maybe I will have another cup of coffee, and stare out the window. But first nature calls, I guess that first three cups have already made it to my bladder.

California Cowgirls

I love these girls...they are so much fun!!!

If you haven't seen them in action, you got to check out their next performance.

Visit them at www.californiacowgirls.com

You won't be disappointed!

Thanks Dustin for serving our country, you will be a brother-in-arms ALWAYS!!!

Who is she?

Well--I thought I was over this, but come to find out...I can't get away from this. If you don't know; I am a single guy. And with being single, many responsibilities seem to lay on my shoulders that I refuse to address. Such as...everyone wants you figured out, wants to know about your love life, and wants to know "who is that girl with him?" Well, I am here to tell everyone that you will never figure me out because I am a complex guy. You also should know that I do not have a love life, in fact, I avoid any love relationship that may or may not be possible. Also that "girl" is only a friend, or co-worker, or acquaintance. You see, it is in fact possible for a man and a woman to just be friends, nothing more. Maybe it is a generation gap where this concept seems to be misunderstood, or just not accepted.

Looking back, I think my last "official" relationship was when I was 13. I tried to slip her the tongue near the lockers, and she broke up with me saying I was moving too fast! That was my last attempt in pursuing a relationship. It is funny, because I was seeing another girl from age 11 to 13 off and on for three years. We only would hold hands, peck now and then, and share our lunches together. But we were known as boyfriend and girlfriend. It was simple back then, I didn't have to answer anyone's questions about my relationships because, everyone knew I was together with this girl. When that finally broke off, I tried another relationship. You know how that ended, no tongue by the lockers!

After 13, I started to gain some intelligence about women. I came to the conclusion at a ripe age of 13 that women are crazy. They want the world, and when you give it to them, it is the wrong color or you took too long. Well, I will let some other bloke try and love a woman...I will stick to just having fun with a woman. You see, being friends with a woman allows me to tell her she is fat when she asks, and tell her she should cook when I am hungry. Most men can't say those things, unless they want to resort to the wack shack. Me, I have mastered the art of being single for 13 years now.

Oh well, that may disappoint some people. Maybe someday I will settle down with someone special. But it won't be anytime soon. Especially while I am in the military, moving every couple of years around the world. But until then...Woman--get back in the kitchen!