Quote of the Day

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.
~ Alexander Graham Bell

No place is truly "God-forsaken"

As night falls on Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah silence and darkness covers the FOB. This assists the FOB to remain tactically quiet and unseen throughout the night. However, if you listen closely through the constant running of generator motors and air conditioning units you can hear a melodic sound off in the distance. (click here for full article)

In Rustamiyah, there is apparently a group of soldiers, who have formed a band (of sorts) and play Christian music to lift the spirits of the men and women serving there. As I read this article it reminded me of my time in Ramadi... I'm thankful that there are still guys like Maz over there, getting people together to play music, boost morale, and most importanly, praise the Lord. =)

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed... ~ II Corinthians 4:8-9

Picture of the day

This is a picture I took in Kuwait while I was outprocessing, on my way back to the States... As much as I love the US, I miss the Middle East... *sigh* Maybe someday I will go back, but not any time soon (for which my family and friends are thankful).

Remembering Baghdad

The Mosque on Camp Victory


Sunset over the BIOP from Camp Victory


The Perfume Palace on Camp Slayer


Sunset from a watchtower on Camp Slayer

I have been reading about the increase violence in Baghdad lately and it makes me so sad. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been (I know many soldiers and Marines who would like to argue with me on that point) and yet is an city of such poverty too - poverty such as the US has never known. Granted, I was inside the wire during my entire stay in that city, and so did not see most of the ugliness that is present there. Instead, I cam home with beautiful pictures of Sadam's palaces and playgrounds. Despite being awoken at ridiculously early hours at the sound of bomb blasts (actually, I think it was the violent shaking of my bed that woke me), I will always have fond memories of my short time in Baghdad.

So thankful for all my friends

Lately, I have just been amazed at how richly God has blessed me with friends. The older I get, the more spread out across the world they seem to be... but the distance (while I would love to erase it altogether) can never seperate true friends. It seems that no matter what I am going through, it is never as bad as it could have been because I have the support of so many people who truly love me. So, to all my dear friends world-wide, THANK YOU! I love you all so very much. =)

To kill or not to kill...

I love this country and the men and women who fight for her. What I don’t like are the many news stories that try to make our heroes out to be the “bad guys.” Yes, they are human, and they make mistakes from time to time. What I don’t get is the lack of gratitude I sense from the liberal media here. I am so thankful to each and every one of the men and women who have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan because I know that while they are fighting the enemy over there, I am safer here. I've seen many of our guys over there in their element. I've seen the dumb things they do to keep themselves amused while waiting for the next mission. I've come face to face with the egos of guys who actually kinda deserve to have big egos. And I've seen the commitment of guys who don’t necessarily agree with this war or the decisions of the current administration. Unlike our extremist enemies, our guys do not go over there with a desire for martyrdom. They hope to return to the USA in one piece. However, they join the armed forces, knowing that they might be called upon to pay the ultimate price.

I have been reading Lone Survivor, by Marcus Luttrell. It is the story of a SEAL team in Afghanistan in 2005. It is a rather incredible story, but I can’t help but think that if not for the bleeding-heart liberals and their friends, the U.S. media, 19 men would still be alive. I just don’t understand… we train young men to fight and kill, and then put restrictions on how and when, while the enemy has no such rules of engagement. We put them in a terrible situation and ask them to make impossible decisions. What ever happened to chevaunchee - total war? War was never meant to be a gentleman’s game. There was a time when anything went. Isn't that how we got the phrase “all’s fair in love and war”? Not anymore. Now we fight according to the "rules," while the enemy kills us by any means possible. And what gets me more than anything, is that even after we fight “fair” and capture and try an enemy in a court of law, the liberals STILL complain.

Going back to Lone Survivor, there were a couple of quotes that really spoke to this topic. At one point, several goat herders crossed paths with the SEAL team. The team had to make a decision about what to do with these guys. The following is the rationale used by one of the members:

If we kill these guys we have to be straight about it. Report what we did. We can’t sneak around this. Just so you all understand, their bodies will be found, the Taliban will use it to the max. They’ll get it in the papers, and the U.S. liberal media will attack us without mercy. We will almost certainly be charged with murder. ~Mike Murphy

I think it is sad that our soldiers have to think like that. It is decisions made like that that cost us lives. After things went badly, Marcus, the “lone survivor” reflects on how that decision has affected him and will continue to affect him for the rest of his life:

No night passes when I don’t wake in a cold sweat thinking of those moments on that mountain. I’ll never get over it. I cannot get over it. The deciding vote was mine, and it will haunt me till they rest me in an East Texas grave. ~Marcus Luttrell

The media can continue to bash the Bush administration all they want, but they should know this at least: they are not guiltless in the war; they also have blood on their hands.