Loss...

I'm heartbroken to say that Elicia lost her fight with cancer today. Please go and give some comfort to Reid and his three small children.

Ellicia died today. 3:20 PM. It was a long day, but the end was... peaceful. And heart-wrenching. She was told it was ok to go... but, she's stubborn you know... She's gone now. No more of the horrible hideous pain... for her. CONTINUE READING

Reid your wife's strength and courage to fight the good fight will not be forgotten.

Other than Sadaam's sentence being carried out there hasn't been much for me to blog about. I am stuck eating things with milk. The bean wants milk products - cereal, yogurt, cheese, etc. I also keep having the crazist dreams. Just weird off the wall crap with today being the first dream that was actually scary.

I dreamt that I was with my hubby, our friend's daughter and the dog in a house that wasn't mine but was mine. Next thing we knew there were tornado sirens so we headed towards the shelter when I remembered the daughter and I didn't have shoes so I went up to get the shoes and the section of the pier fell out from under me and I plummeted to the water below. The hubby was saying "I knew that was going to happpen." Apparently the people running the tornado drill did this stuff on purpose to keep people from going back to the house. I woke as I was falling towards the water with my heart pounding like I had just finished a marathon.

Earlier in the night I was caught in a major flood with a lady named Daisy that I worked with when I was in high school. Nothing scary on that one, but the weird dreams on weird crap have been going on all month.

So the boring pregnant lady craves dairy and has completely off the wall dreams. See what I mean about not being worth blogging about?

Annual Review

Another year older but I am not sure about the the wiser part. Overall I am happy with life, with my life. I have a great husband, a cool dog and soon a child. The only thing I wish I had more control over is work. I still want a job, I want to work in my field. But I have it pretty good and I am not complaining.

The hubby is baking me a cake today, my favourite - spice cake with cream cheese frosting. We are heading out to a nice steakhouse tonight. Other than that, its going to be a mellow day.

So I give this year's annual review an: A-

I'll take Oncologists for $500, please

Knowing a little bit about health care can be a bad thing. Trying to call and make an appt with a specialty doc today became another case of being a total and utter act of frution. First the doc they referred me to doesn't work at the clinic number they gave me. The staff there was nice and gave me another doc at the clinic that could see me and accepts Tricare, etc.

I call the referral folks and they are leary about changing docs because they are different specialties. I called the specialty clinic back telling them that I need to speak with my regular doc because of the specialty differences. This errupted into a conversation of what exactly I need. (I have had an elevated white count and differentials for two years, a pathologist says something looks infectious but that was about as descriptive as he got.) Then I find out my referred doc is a Radiology Oncologist where the doc the specialty clinic recommended is a Medical Oncologist. Tricare has them listed as something totally different than what the clinic says they are functional in. So who do I trust the clinic that deals with these docs every day and knows what they learned in school or what Tricare has online and via the referral help number?

So I had to put a call into my doc via her nurse to find out which specialty she wants. Because if she's sending me off to see someone with radiation experience only, "Wiskey Tango Foxtrot" will not be the only thing I say before asking when did I miss the cancer diagnosis?? (Don't go freaking out yet, my other differentials bits are totally normal, just my neutrophils are high.)

I just get frustrated that I know the difference between the two types of Oncologists but apparently Tricare doesn't even have them listed in the specialties they actually have.

Merry Christmas to all

A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS POEM
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
a lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light.
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam,'
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue… an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "Or prepare you a feast?"
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.

Author - Unknown (By me)

May the peace of the season be with you one and all.

Remember Me

Whether you are for or against the current administration, it doesn't really matter - just remember:




HT: Cheeseburger in Paradise

Pointless Protests

You have to go read Smah today. He's been very helpful to me in the past when the military medical system was toying with me and I read him often. Smash has a great post about prostesting without common sense. While at a holiday party....

"Protesters at the Pentagon?" One guy asked. "Where?"

"Right outside the Metro entrance, at the top of the escalator." I said. "They're out there every Monday morning, about seven o'clock."

"Just on Mondays, huh?" The guy mused. "I wonder where they are the rest of the week?"

"They probably make the rounds," his wife responded. "Maybe they're up at the World Bank on Tuesdays!"

"Well, I know where they are on Friday evenings," I offered.

"Where?"

"Protesting outside Walter Reed Army Hospital."

Jaws drop. Several people gasp. "They protest outside Walter Reed?" one of the woman asks, incredulous.

"Yep." I reply. "Well, to be honest, I don't think it's the exact same group of people. But there are protesters out there, every Friday evening; and the message is pretty much the same as the one at the Pentagon."

"That's just wrong!"

CONTINUE READING

Interview with Captain Charlie Benbow USMC

Columnist Tom McLaughlin, interviews Marine:

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a soldier working for CENTCOM in Tampa, Florida. He found my blog and asked if I’d be willing to interview a soldier with experience in the Middle East and post it. I said, “Of course,” and submitted fifteen questions. The other day, I got the answers posted below. It was my pleasure to exchange words with Marine Captain Charlie Benbow, Firepower Control Team Leader, 2nd Air / Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, II Marine Expeditionary Unit. He’s a veteran of four deployments in and around Afghanistan and Iraq. Right now, he’s stationed in Camp Lejuene, South Carolina. CONTINUE READING

Soldier Saves Man from Drowning

WEST HAVEN, Conn. , Dec. 5, 2006 — When Sgt. Kristi J. Artigue joined the Connecticut Army National Guard the summer before her senior year of high school, it was a chance to broaden her experiences.

“I’ve always been a risk taker,” said Artigue, 23, now a medic with the 141st Medical Company.

On Nov. 10, Artigue called upon the skills learned during her six years of National Guard service -- including a recent deployment to Iraq -- to help save the life of a man who may have drowned.
“I was passing by (Supersonic Car Wash, West Haven) after work when I saw my boyfriend’s car,” said Artigue. “I called him to say ‘Hi’, and he told me someone had had a seizure and fallen into the water.”

Her first reaction: call 911. Artigue told her boyfriend that he should call for emergency services, but because of the urgent tone of his voice, she pulled out of rush-hour traffic in New Haven and rushed to the scene.

When Artigue arrived, she found a group of people hanging onto the shore and forming a “chain,” trying to keep a man above the fast-moving water.

READ MORE

Thanks for nothing Ed

Alirght, alright he may be a bleeding heart liberal who desipises President Bush but you've got to give the man some credit for that Yale education of his...

TMZ.COM is a little miffed at Ed Norton's recent remarks about the swag dished out at the Osacrs, Globes, etc. Frankly Ed is right, when one just one of those baskets is as much as a regular person makes in an entire year or better yet what an E5 makes in a year (straight pay, not including entitlements) and they regift the crap to friends and relatives or keep it then there is something wrong, seriously wrong. The blurb says:

There'll be no swanky swag at the Oscars or Golden Globes, courtesy of altruistic Edward Norton. The awards have scrapped giving out gift bags -- which are usually worth up to $100K -- because the actor complained so much, and the IRS got wind of the extent of the freebies. Norton tells New York magazine: "Picking through $35,000 gift baskets is disgusting and shameful. My suggestion was to have the Academy commit to [charitable] contributions in the name of the winners." Yeah, right. Look for Ed sitting alone during this year's festivities.

Hey Ed if you want them to donate why don't the Hollyweirdos donate their swag baskets to ANYSOLDIER.COM? I bet you one of them would love a Rolex timepiece to arrive while serving in the Sandbox.

Well if Ed is sitting alone this year for not being a greedy bastard, then the man can sit on my lap...oh wait that's my fettish, sorry. Seriously, he shouldn't be sitting alone for that, he actually deserves a little kudos.

What? No, seriously what? I'm just right of center people...just right of center.

UPDATE: Hmmm...sad when people only use part of the quote. The United Press International has a more full quote of what Ed said, " A lot of people (in) our generation just said, 'I'm sick of this. It's not who we are -- it makes us look ridiculous and out of touch. If these evenings are going to be a celebration of our craft and what we express about what's going on in the world, then picking through $35,000 gift baskets is disgusting and shameful." ARTICLE Naughty, naughty...No present for you TMZ!

Brunch sickness, Kiddos.....And the Spice must flow!

Other than what Centcom has sent me, I haven't really been in much of a blogger mood lately. I've finally started to suffer from morning sickness. But mine seems to be brunch sickness - it comes during the brunch hour 10:30 to some where around 11:30 and only seems to depart after I eat something - a lot of something. I will be really happy when this part of preggo life is over. Oh and I want my boobs back. Yeah, my boobs not these gigantic things attached to me. I've always had a decent sized rack, but this is getting quite silly. I'd just rather have my boobs until the bean needs the oversized, clown like boobies I am stuck with at the moment.

Yesterday the DH and I spent the day roaming around the one of two decent shopping centers in Toto-town. After a small preggo freak out where I needed to be fed and was with Mickie D's we went and saw Apocalipto. The movie was pretty good. It was well filmed, visually pretty (The jungle is beautiful) and definately kept our interest. It was of course also very, very violent and full of gore. What we couldn't figure out was why this couple thought it was a brillant idea to bring their 5, 3, and 1 1/2 year old kids to this movie. Uhmmm, yep that's right some morons brough their kids to watch Mayan's get sacraficed and roll their head down the temple steps. Of course the eldest had to talk through most of the movie but hey we couldn't get too mad right? Being that Mel decided to write it in Mayan anyways, we just had to read the subtitles.

Even with my brunch sickness my love of curries, spice, Thai, Indian, wasabii, still exists. Yummm, the spice must flow! The bean likes spicey food and I like the bean for that! While I drooled over the DH's sushi and I had my little california roll just to satisfy the urge, I chose this great little dish at the Japanese place we go to. They are more like an all Asian place, but their main food is Sushi & Hibachi and the owner is Japanese. Either way I found a Thai dish with curry, coconut milk, peppers, onions and chicken all over rice. I blatantly refused to share, much to my husband's dismay. It was nice and spicey and really good. I am still really frustrated at having to give up beer, wine, coffee, most sushi, feta, brie and anything else that can give me food born cooties or harm the kiddo. I am still following the rules but dang the rules suck some days.

At least the little turkey likes spice....and the spice MUST FLOW!

Soldier sacrifices himself saving fellow Soldiers

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength.

McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on Dec. 4, belying his status as the youngest Soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox, Pa., who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four Soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad. McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio.

His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview, Texas, recalled what happened next.

“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade…It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.”

McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped.

“He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”

Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn’t know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered.

“He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant,” Thomas said. “He’s a hero. He’s a professional. He was just an awesome guy.”

Three of the Soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.

For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star, posthumously. His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.

McGinnis was born June 14, 1987, and joined the Army right after graduating high school in 2005. He had been in the Army 18 months and made his mark even before his heroic deed.

“He was a good kid,” said C Company’s senior enlisted Soldier, 1st Sgt. Kenneth J. Hendrix. “He had just gotten approved for a waiver to be promoted to specialist.”

He also appeared on the Nov. 30 cover of Stars & Stripes, manning his turret.

Besides his military accomplishments, McGinnis leaves his friends and family with memories of a fun-loving, loyal man.

Private First Class Brennan Beck, a 1-26 infantryman from Lodi, Calif., said McGinnis made others feel better.

“He would go into a room and when he left, everyone was laughing,” Beck said. “He did impersonations of others in the company. He was quick-witted, just hilarious. He loved making people laugh. He was a comedian through and through.”

While having a witty side, McGinnis took his job seriously.

“He was not a garrison Soldier. He hated it back in garrison,” Beck said. “He loved it here in Iraq. He loved being a gunner. It was a thrill, he loved everything about it. He was one our best Soldiers. He did a great job.”

Beck has memories of talking all night with McGinnis about where they wanted their lives to go, and said McGinnis always remembered his friends.

“When I had my appendix removed, he was the only one who visited me in the hospital,” Beck said. “That meant a lot.”

Another 1-26 infantryman, Private First ClassMichael Blair of Klamath Falls, Ore., recalled that McGinnis helped him when he arrived at Ledward Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany.

“When I first came to the unit…he was there and took me in and showed me around,” Blair said. “He was real easy to talk to. You could tell him anything. He was a funny guy. He was always making somebody laugh.”

McGinnis’ final heroic act came as no surprise to Blair.

Twisted Christmas Carols

I know I shouldn't make fun of the mentally ill but these were pretty humorous!


Subject: Holiday Carols for the Disturbed

1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are

3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas

4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....

6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the froggy can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle .....

With patience for Iraq’s democracy, ‘we can be successful’

Blogger Frank Warner interviews U.S. Army Capt. Eric Coulson, Commander of A Company, 321 Engineer Battalion, based in Ar Ramadi, al-Anbar Province, Iraq.

“I think there are as many opinions as there are Soldiers. Some are here to do their duty merely as Soldiers; others have a deep belief in the mission. I have no doubts about the need to build a democracy in Iraq, and have no doubt we can be successful given the time and patience to do so.”

Read the entire interview

Holiday Cheer

There are so many places and people of which could use a little help this time of year. Here are a few places that could use some help during this time of year and supports Service Members:

AnySoldier - Great place go, go now!

Soldier's Angels Germany - Willie in Germany is a doll. I've emailed a few times with her and this time of year they are looking for warm weather gear usually. New clothes like sweats, sweatshirts, gloves, hats, PJ bottoms, and T-shirts are great. They should be new and in sizes L, XL or XXL. She can always use ladies gear too. If you can't send clothes backpacks are another good thing to send them. As their goal is to give a backpack filled with goodies when an injured Service Member arrives at Landstuhl.

Holidays 4 Heros - This is another Soldier's Angels program called Holiday for heros. Please read the link for the specifics but either way just about anything ran by Soldier's Angels ROCKS!

USO - Need I say more? Its the USO! Hey any celebs read my blog go volunteer to go on a USO tour, okay? Hell even Jessica Simpson did and well I don't like her much but she went at least.

With Every Breath

With the Winter Holidays approaching, I thought I'd share a small Buddhist prayer:

With Every Breath
With every breath I take today,
I vow to be awake;

And every step I take,
I vow to take with a grateful heart--

So I may see with eyes of love
into the hearts of all I meet,

To ease their burden when I can
And touch them with a smile of peace.

From: Blue Iris Sangha

Welcome home Strykers!

Go look at some awesome photos of the welecome home of the 172nd Stryker BCT of Fort Wainwright AK. They spent 16 months (after being extended) in Iraq.

Welcome home Soldiers, welcome HOME!

PHOTOS

Lets Say THANKS!

Xerox has a little bit of fun going on for the Service Members down range. The program is called Lets Say THANKS. Its sends a card filled out by you (even by a few celebs) to Service Members down range. There's a great bit of choice of the cool card you can send just look at this one below:



If you have the time, quit reading blogs for about 5 minutes and go and send a card. Please?

Its beginning to look alot like winter

Well the winter storm that knocked me on my ass left a lot of snow in downtown KC, but not around here. We've salted the crap outta our sidewalk, so we are good on the slipage issue. As for the snowboots I have them and wore them when I walked to the PX to met the rental car agent. I am sore, you know those stiff muscle aches you get when you spend too much time doing crunches and your stomach cries everytime you breath. Well, I am sortta like that on my belly, right butt and thigh, right arm and shoulder. Basically where I tried to brace myself and fell on my ass.

Yesterday we traveled around Lowes, Home Depot etc to look at pretty lighted things to go in our front yard. We finally decided upon a snowman and polar bear that light up. I think the little polar bear moves too. We are spending today decking out the house in winter schnick schnack.

I love the winter holidays, and snow but I don't love that people here really don't know how to salt, how to drive or how to basically function when the white stuff falls on the ground.