The correct blog with link

Today is a great morning where I have no patrols scheduled and for some reason I was having a hard time sleeping in, despite going to bed at 0200. Maybe it is the excitement that I just received Call of Duty 4 in the mail yesterday and I can actually spend time playing it today? After I got back from our mission yesterday, my guys were playing it on the 56 inch plasma big screen my company owns while I worked on debriefs. But, wow! Just wow! If you have not, you just have to check this one out. I plan on messing around with it some today. I would read a book too, but my glasses were destroyed in a small accident a few weeks ago and my eyes cannot handle reading without, let alone writing this blog which is already causing me a migraine. Brooke is supposed to be receiving my new glasses to send out to me next week some time hopefully.

We are still very busy although the intense combat of previous weeks has come to a thankful end. An embedded reporter for the Observer-Guardian (UK-liberal slant) wrote the following article after being embedded with the Squadron for the day. 2SCR is my higher unit; I am in 3rd Squadron. There are 4 companies in the squadron, one of which I command. The school in the article is in my area of responsibility and where it says Siebold, that was actually me. The embed just moved around with the squadron HQ, so Siebold was his escort to where I was at the school that day. Sam school from the earlier picture I posted. Anyway, this article is very good and sums up what I have been doing since we started in September and where we are now without me having to worry about revealing anything I should not. So please read to find out what I have been doing this whole time: Observer-Guardian Article.

Life is very nice between missions and I truly believe the morale of the Soldiers is up there quite a bit. We have figured out a lot so far, as veterans do, to make life easier and safer. The confusion of the initial months is finally over and we are feeling comfortable with our work.

Due to foreign countries like this one, intellectual property rights are largely ignored so I was able to watch most of Bee Movie. I plan on trying to rewatch the whole thing again today and I sure did enjoy what I did watch.

I get to talk to Brooke about every night and we correspond by email regularly. It sure makes the separation easier to have the contact but of course I miss her terribly. Brooke, as you guys know, is pretty fun to hang out with and I really miss that aspect of my life. Despite the illnesses, the kids are doing great. My mind is eased by the fact that Mom is there and that Brooke will be hopefully headed home for the holidays. I do not envy her that flight, nor do I know how she is going to actually do it without paying a servant or finding some house-elves. Dad, thanks for the regular emails. I will try to get back to everyone that has written today. I still have a bunch to do; like writing the family of a guy I lost, writing awards for the guys, and of course always analyzing my platoon leaders debriefs and planning for future operations.

Since I am guessing you would all ask me, all I can say about my opinion of the war now is that if the Army was twice its size, and troops here were doubled, combat support troops minimized, combat troops maximized...this war would be completely "won" in 12-18 months. As it is, the American Soldiers are incredibly heroic, hard-working, sincere young men who I hope their great nation does not let down as they make the small victories around here. I cannot say I am optimistic about the latter.

I love you guys.

Mike