Keeping watch

I have a niece, Pauline, and a nephew, Charles that have both been in Iraq for some time. They are both in the Army and I just couldn’t be prouder of them. Pauline will be coming home soon to her husband and little girl, but was able to go visit Charles before she left. How freaking awesome that she was able to arrange it.

She sent out an email to the family, with pictures. Here is some of the email (I changed some info…just in case). It is a little long, but worth the read:

I flew up to xxxxxx for the day to visit with Charles, I just wanted to send you all some pictures of our visit. Charles presented me with a certificate and a flag for my daughter Paula, (his first neice, she is 3 years old). The certificate reads as follows:

THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the State Department’s Provincial Reconstruction Team Headquarters in Mosul, Iraq on 26 August 2007 in honor of the men and women who have served and sacraficed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This flag is proudly presented to Paula (last name withheld)

Signed by:
Commanders signatures

So you might be wondering what we did on our visit. As soon as I got off the Chinook and headed to the xxxxx I saw Charles waiting for me, he had been so anxiously waiting, it was hard getting a flight to get there to see him.

One of my Battle Captains was flying that day and he let me sit in the jump seat with a head set. Sitting in the jump seat is always awesome because you can see the view of the sheep, the locals, and the small houses made of odds and ends. There are some mountains and patches of fields with growing crops, but for most of the flight it was just flat sandy land. The sand here is more like powder/dust/dirt, the color of sand.

My brother and I mostly just non stopped talked to catch up with each others lives. (For those of you who do not know, my brother is in the infantry, stationed in xxxxx, I saw him for the first time in 2 years in December for Christmas, I was really lucky to go up there again to see him before I leave Iraq.) We also enjoyed a cup of coffee together and stopped by the Bazaars, the items in xxxxxx cost alot less than at xxxxxx where I am stationed.

When it was time to go it was a sad moment for us. We did not cry in each others presence, but we knew what each other was thinking. We kissed each other’s cheek and wished each other safety. I will be leaving Iraq soon and my brother says he is happy because he will be at ease and not have to worry about me being out here anymore. I feel more so for him because he is infantry and his job is alot more dangerous than mine.

After we said our goodbyes he walked away into the night shadows to return to his place of duty. I could hear the helicopter blades spinning, cutting through the night sky and as I watched him disappear slowly into the darkness I thought to myself, “There goes the lone soldier, he upholds the army values with his Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage, and he is my brother.

God Bless the Infantry

P.S. Here are what the army values and what they mean to a soldier. I am sending them for my family and friends who have never read them.

Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers. Bearing true faith and allegiance is a matter of believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone. A loyal Soldier is one who supports the leadership and stands up for fellow Soldiers. By wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army you are expressing your loyalty. And by doing your share, you show your loyalty to your unit.

Fulfill your obligations. Doing your duty means more than carrying out your assigned tasks. Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team. The work of the U.S. Army is a complex combination of missions, tasks and responsibilities’all in constant motion. Our work entails building one assignment onto another. You fulfill your obligations as a part of your unit every time you resist the temptation to take ’shortcuts’ that might undermine the integrity of the final product.

Treat people as they should be treated. In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to ‘treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.’ Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to contribute.

Put the welfare of the Nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is larger than just one person. In serving your country, you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the effort.

Live up to Army values. The Nation’s highest military award is The Medal of Honor. This award goes to Soldiers who make honor a matter of daily living’Soldiers who develop the habit of being honorable, and solidify that habit with every value choice they make. Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do.

Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. As your integrity grows, so does the trust others place in you. The more choices you make based on integrity, the more this highly prized value will affect your relationships with family and friends, and, finally, the fundamental acceptance of yourself.

Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). Personal courage has long been associated with our Army. With physical courage, it is a matter of enduring physical duress and at times risking personal safety. Facing moral fear or adversity may be a long, slow process of continuing forward on the right path, especially if taking those actions is not popular with others. You can build your personal courage by daily standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable.

I love you all, I will be home soon with my loving husband and daughter and I will continue to keep you updated the best I can. Please continue to keep my brother Charles in your prayers.
Love Pauline

I hope that y’all can appreciate what not only these two are going through, but all of them involved in Iraq and Afganistan. Watch the news and stay up-to-date on what is happening there and else where in your world. Listen to all opinions (both left and right sides of the political fence) and make up your own minds as to what to believe in, but don’t EVER bash the folks in the military. Being former military myself, I have mad respect for them all. Even though I never had to serve in a war-type situation personally, we planned, exercised, ate, shit and breathed it as if it could happen at any second. You better be thanking God on a regular basis that these people are out there and are willing to leave their families and risk their lifes on a regular basis for our freedoms.

I am so proud of Pauline and Charles and of the military history in my family.

Allen (father) Air National Guard vet
Ron (brother) Naval Reserve - served in Kuwait
Brian (brother) Army and Army National Guard vet
Myself - Air Force vet - served during Desert Storm/Shield
Blain (husband) Naval vet
Mark (brother-in-law) Naval vet
Frank (uncle) Naval - Vietnam vet
Marvin (uncle) Naval - Vietnam vet
Pauline (niece) - Army - served in Iraq
Charles (nephew) - Army - serving in Iraq

and countless cousins and other relatives.

God bless and watch over them all!