2010 HERE I COME!

2010 the start of a new year. My second New Years from home. 2009 had its ups and downs. For Robyn, she had her surgery and has lost over 120 pounds. She is doing so good. I know she has seen a big change in her life. She will reach her target weight in 2010 and should be able to maintain it.
Randi graduated as a paramedic, she has her own truck now and is doing great, very happy. RaDonna graduated nursing school and is working in the ED at Flagler. She is doing a great job. Rachel is taking classes trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up.

They have done a great job without me these past almost 2 years. I know they all have sacrificed in my absence. I am not the only one sacrificing, the entire family does.

I will be home soon. Thankful that we only lost one Soldier during these past two years. I know MAJ Pryor will be remembered every Christmas by all those in Mosul Christmas 2009. I have been very fortunate, had a warm dry bed, hot meals, warm showers, and A/C in the summer and heat in the winter. There are still FOBs in Iraq were there is no running water. Have been able to communicate with my family almost at will by either email, freedom phone, SpaWare phones or Skype, with internet in my CHU at each COB. The highest time of 2009 was when Robyn go her surgery and made it through without any complications and my 18 day R&R at home.

There have been times that I get frustrated with the internet or phones, then have to kick myself and remember, this is not that bad for being in a combat zone. For the most part, I have handled being away from family pretty well. Whenever I sit and think about home and family, it is hard and tearful. My daily calls with Robyn are a life saver. I have not kept track of the days we have not talked, they have been few and far between. Usually due to “River City”, at Al Asad, when a Soldier from there was killed they would turn off the internet and phones until the family was notified, called River City, and other times when the internet would be down. The two biggest times I was down was the loss of MAJ Pryor and when I did not get picked up for LTC.

2010 will be a good year, I will be home, back with my family, friends, and work. There will be some adjustments at home for both Robyn and me, we have both been independent for 2 years and will have to get use to being right there together again. I don’t look for that to be much trouble. I will have about 50 days leave when I get home, should give me time to settle in before going back to work. I have changed some, maybe more than I think. You cannot do and see the things I have seen and not be changed. It would have been devastating had I not had the experiences with the Rescue Squad, EMS and the emergency Department.

I am happy, proud, humble and honored to have had the chance to serve my country and fellow Soldiers. Barring any major war, this should be my last deployment. But I want to be clear, the real heroes are the Soldiers and Marines that go outside the wire each day and brave the IEDs, homicide bombers and other dangers. This war is not clear cut like fighting the Germans or Japanese. This enemy does not wear a uniform and is hard to identify. No matter what anyone says, our military has done an outstanding job defending our country! And let no one say any different. We continue to have the greatest military in the world. All give some, some give all!!

Pray for our country, pray for our troops

Randy
P.S. Can’t wait to get home!!