A Home Among Heroes

Day One/Two
London

I first heard about Emily Prince through the Stars & Stripes (our only real source of "news" here, print anyway) maybe you've heard of her and her work "The American Servicemen & Women Who Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan (but Not Including the Injured, Nor the Iraqis, Nor the Afghans)" if not please Google her and check it out. She can tell her story better than I can, but the title says it all she has taken on the task of sketching all of the American Servicemen and Women... an amazing tribute to these fallen heroes. Needless to say I was intrigued, and when I learned that her work was showing at the Saatchi Gallery in London I knew we had to go. I remember telling Jennifer and Arne and a few others. I thought it would be pretty amazing to see the project and to see our friend SFC Isaac S. Lawson who was killed during our last tour.

I don't remember if it was Arne or Jennifer (sorry to both, this was full mid rumble of the deployment) who took a closer look at her website and noticed that a picture of Isaac wasn't there. There was a "frame" if you will that had his name and the dates of his birth and death, and that he was from Sacramento. So I went for a look around and saw that her email was posted on the web, so I sent her a message. We had very good correspondence, she really seems like a great person. I shared a photo that I had taken of Isaac and just days later she sent me her drawing. There I sat, lump in my throat, tear in my eye...not just seeing Isaac, but knowing this wonderful lady had jumped on the chance to draw him. At this point I let Ms. Prince know that my wife and I were going to London in April and were going to see her work. She apologized that Isaac's picture would not be there. I told her not to worry I would take my friend and show him his place among the heroes.

I want to take and do a better job on this and send it to her and maybe do something for the Family Newsletter that the Unit puts out, and in truth (as I sit her in tears {and proud joy}) this is one of the reasons that I was hesitant to start at the beginning. I hope that I have done all parties justice here, I know that Ms. Prince has done justice to all of our fallen brothers and sisters.

I have waited hours for the pictures upload, do without further ado.

One is of Ms. Prince's drawing of my friend Isaac.


Two is me holding him up towards his proper place among the heroes (they are lined up from the top by date) I couldn't quite get high enough but...
Three is me and Isaac.

I just want to take a minute to say some thank yous...

To Ms. Prince for her Herculean work. Bless You.

To all those who have fallen in this conflict, and to all those who have given their lives in the service of their country. We Shall Never Forget.

To all those who have served and supported those that served. United We Stand.

And to my friend SFC Isaac Shawn Lawson, not a day goes by when I don't think of you and the knowledge and strength you gave all of us. "Too Easy," you'd always say. Thank you.

"Too Easy."

Cheers,
g

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

"So what happened last night?" You may be asking dear reader...I was knackered (I still didn't get any sleep but...) and my mind wasn't really "in the game" as it were.

So apologies made, "Sorry."

Right now for it eh? Well that's the thing now isn't it, where to start? Should I go from the beginning and do a day by day (as much as I can remember) or go all out of sequence and have no idea what is what? Truth be told I don't even have all the pictures yet (I do have 374 but who is counting) and might have to grease my brain a little. I was thinking of going all Joyce (James, that is) and doing the "Stream of Consciousness" bit, but now I'm not really so sure.

I will put it to the people I suppose, and let you decide (although I must confess leaning a little bit more to the day-by-day way {but it might be in clumps of days, and it could very well get out of order}) but if nothing else this gets me a day or so to figure out what I am going to write.

Sorry no pictures tonight, the Semi is on right now and uploading takes too much bandwidth (at least in my mind.) Too important a match for The Reds to listen to choppy sound. "C'mon Liverpool!"

Cheers,
g

"Back in the Saddle, Again"

Yes dear readers, I am back. I wish I had more energy to regal you all with my adventures, but must admit that I am not really "on schedule" yet. Have no fear though, there is plenty to tell and it will be told. I just have to get my Iraq Legs back first. I did download all 374 of the pictures that we took with my camera though and will soon sit down to tell you all the tales of the days well spent away from here. But just not tonight...
More to follow, much more.
Cheers,
g

Time Out

There comes a time when we must all put the hands up in the form of a T, and say "Time Out." Well my time is drawing near, so don't know how much I will be here. But I couldn't go without saying, "See you real soon..." and I promise I should have plenty to say and plenty of pictures to show.
Time for a little R & R, with my love in one of the greatest cities on the planet...Liverpool. And no not the one in Ohio or Texas, the real deal in the UK. Gonna go watch the Mighty Reds and get away from all of "THIS" for a bit. And you know all the corny stuff, "Come back stronger" and "With a new lease on life" and whatever else.
Whatever right, but don't worry I WILL have a good time, of that I guarantee.
Talk to you all soon.
Cheers,
g

Green on a Brown Planet

Or something like that...

Anyway among the many many gifts that my wife has sent me (thanks again dear) is the Message Bean. I gotta admit i was a little skeptical at first, but it has become a big hit around the Compound. What it is a little jar with some soil and a pod thing in it. So keep adding water to the can and eventually the pod bursts from the ground. Okay so the can says that when it grows your message will appear. So you know me taking everything literally I expect the pod thing to burst open and either speak, "Feed me Seymour!" or to open up like a fortune cookie.

Well it didn't do either, but it sure has grown. Hardly anyone walks by without commenting on it. "How's our plant doing?" "What is that thing anyway?" "Is that a weed?" on and on. So since we are getting to the end of the Iraqi Spring (all two weeks of it) and headed into where it will have to be a pretty amazing plant to keep growing or it will pass away. So here are a couple of pictures.

Oh, and the message thing...well there is a little Heart burned into it, I can only guess that is that is the message. So no fortune cookie, but no man eating plant either...

Cheers,
g

"Time After, Time After, Time"

Or if at first, second, third, etc. you don't succeed try something else. We all know after all one of the definitions of Crazy is "Doing the same thing over and over and Expecting different results. So I am trying something different. Doing it right now so I have to wait and see if it works before I let the People know where to go.

This will continue to be the default place for videos and pictures but I just can't keep banging my head against the same wall (so many walls to bang against after all.) In the meantime I will post a picture from that night so that the People don't feel cheated.

And now to see if the something different thing works...Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWEqUx3rg0E

It just worked for me, and here's hoping it worked for you as well.

Cheers,
g

"Come On & Tighten Up, Do the Tighten Up Now"

"Hi, everybody... (we're Those Guys, from Baghdad, Iraq.) We don't only sing, but we dance as good as we walk."

So I know the People have been asking about the hair, and I really do have some decent pictures (just not with me right now.) So I thought in the meantime I would post something others of you have been clamouring for... more music!

This is the song we usually "Tighten Up" too (hence the quote/paraphrasing {and that is the perfect excuse if it doesn't really sound great}) and we did so again the other night for Sentinel Idol (Yeah. It is pretty much just like it sounds, except even with as little talent that showed up we probably had more talent than the American version. More originality for sure.) It was fun, we didn't win but we never expected to anyway. "I'm not doing this for me. No, I'm doing it for them. 'Cos they love me" (or there abouts.)

Hopefully it is enjoyable for you. Thanks to Arne! Quite the surprise to find the video there when I downloaded the pictures. You can see that my hair is longer as the lights don't reflect off the shaven head, "No shaved head, it's quite sane."



Cheers,
g