Check out the VAMC site to read my latest blog there about what I have been up to. I talk about our recent cruise and how I stayed Afghan-free during the entire time. You can get to it at www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2007/08/31/been-away/
Monthly Archives: August 2007
The Sandbox comes out on Sept 1st
The book put together by David Stanford and G.B. Trudeau of Doonesbury fame which features a collection of blog entries from over 90 different forward deployed troops, including myself comes out on September 1st. You can pre-order it or even just order it after the 1st of September RIGHT HERE!!.
I hope you like it as I have read several excerpts from the book and it looks really good.
Good article about the happenings in A-stan
Newsweek just published a pretty good article about the US actions in Afghanistan and how close we recently came to stumbling upon Bin Laden. Unless you have been there, it is impossible to understand how remote and scarce parts of the country are. It does not surprise me how we almost caught Bin Laden in this article and it would not surprise me if this ends up being the only way we ever do find him and his top people. Check out the article at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20430170/site/newsweek/page/0/
Another blog entry over at VAMC
Sorry I have been away for a few days. I took my lovely wife on a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas. I will be posting more soon. Anyway, you can check out a blog entry I wrote for the VA Mortgage Center site last weekend. You can find it at www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2007/08/18/the-new-and-improved-va-hospitals/
Military Motivator Blog
There are lots of great milblogs available on the web and I have mentioned a few of them on my blog here. I also have some listed in my blog roll. I follow about 8 of them consistently of which I try to read everyday. Recently I stumbled across one that is a milblog, but different than the rest. It is essentially a milblog of pictures.
I am sure you have seen those motivating posters around an office that have titles like “Ambition”, “Leadership”, or other motivating titles. They usually have nature scenes or sport scenes that correspond to the title that is on the poster. Well there is a blog now called Military Motivator that allows people to create their own poster which is military related and post it on their site. Many of them make fun of the Air Force, which the blog owner encourages, but for the most part they feature really good pictures from the military which are either funny, tear jerkers, or just highlights the military in general.
I have submitted one photo to the site, so we will have to see if it shows up. I will be going through many more pictures that I have to see what other ones I can come up with.
So check out militarymotivator.blogspot.com/ and I think you will be pleased with what you find.
2007 Airshow
This last weekend was the 2007 Niagara Falls Air Force Base Airshow. This airshow was the first one held here since 2004, so it was a big deal. Christine and Hunter were at a birthday party right near the airfield so they got to see all if it before joining us on the base. Jordan and I were at the base and had a great time walking around all the static displays, checking out the vehicles, aircraft, and of course weapons. The AF Thunderbirds were the main attraction, even through there were many air demonstrations prior to the t-birds taking the skies. It made for a great patriotic weekend and gave me a chance to show Jordan many of the aircraft that supported me in Afghanistan and some of the equipment I carried there. I have uploaded many photos on my site at www.bouhammer.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=2, or by clicking on the Pictures Section link on the left side of my website.
So my son doesn’t have to
One common feeling that most men (only perspective I have) posses after being in war is that “hey I am here so hopefully my son doesn’t have to be”. War is an ugly thing and as I have said before to many people and I have stated on this blog “the people that hate war the most are those that have had to be in it”. In fact they are probably the only ones qualified to have a valid opinion on it, but of course that is my opinion.
So back to the topic of this post, which is that once someone goes to war they hope and pray that is the last one and nobody they know ever has to experience the ugliness and horrors that war produces. Like I said, I will go so my son does not have to….
Well when the orders came down for the deployment that I went on, part of the decision for me to go was that because at that time I knew my brigade in NY was on tap to deploy in 2008 and since my son is in my unit I did not want to have he and I gone at the same time. That would probably be almost too much for a family to take. I know that would have been very hard on my other boys to have their daddy and brother gone at the same time. So I went to war and did my time and during that time the possibility turned into a reality. I have not been able to talk about this to too many people outside of the family because DOD had not officially announced the deployment of the 27th Brigade Combat Team yet, at least not until last week.
So as I was coming out of war, I was fully aware that my own son would be coming into the place that I could not wait to leave. Fully aware of the dangers, the stresses, and even the good times he will face. Another blessing of me going early is that I can school him on what to expect and help pave the way for him a little but by personally educating him on everything I can about Afghanistan, the place, the people, the enemy and the way of soldier life there.
Needless to say that since my return home and throughout this summer we have been trying to enjoy quality time welcoming me home and at the same time, quality time with my oldest son before he leaves. I try to take some one on one time with my two youngest and he does too. Of course he and I have enjoyed some great bonding time together also. For example, just he and I went out on my boat and we cruised around for a couple of hours enjoying my boat, the water and each other’s company.
So soon I will find myself back on this side of the tracks, wishing someone I care about the best, praying for their safety and sending them letters and packages. I will be sure to turn him onto the support groups available to him like booksforsoldiers.com and soldiersangels.com, along with sending him the things I know he will need and use over there. Until that day comes, which I don’t look forward to, I will just enjoy our time together as an entire family.