"What will we do with out you?"
By JACK ARMY, Section Diaries
JILL and I have comms via Yahoo! Messenger. We get to chat about once a day or so. Some days more, some less. Needless to say, JILL worries about me. I worry about her, too, but she's not in a war zone, so it's not the same, of course.
Tonight (morning for her) we had a talk we hadn't had before. I don't know why, but it never came up. She knows that I'm proud to be here in Iraq and that I have wanted to come here for a long time and do my part. I think every Soldier thinks that way. We don't enlist to sit at home and watch CNN. We made that commitment because we feel a strong desire to contribute to the greatness of our country and our time.
When it is all said and done, I will not be one of the meek souls who sat idly by when the call went out for patriots to stand up and even to die if necessary. You can point out a lot of foibles in my character and failures in my past, but failing to be there when my country needed me is not one of them. Ok, now that I got that off my chest, here's the bit of our conversation that lead me to get up on my soapbox:
JILL ARMY: playing a bunch on yer games or just reading blogs and news?
JACK ARMY: blogs, news, studying some arabic, listening to music, reading books... JILL ARMY: just like home I guess JACK ARMY: that's when I'm not telling people what to do, going on patrols, planning patrols and other activities, supervising the functioning of the TOC and FOB, teaching classes to IA jundis(soldiers)... JILL ARMY: sounds like they are keeping yu busy... JILL ARMY: I thought you didn't go on patrols JILL ARMY: :o JACK ARMY: talking on the radio, checking Army emails, working on sekrit stuff, picking up or dropping off people and supplies at the airfield, giving briefings, having meetings... JACK ARMY: Oh, I go. Just not all of them. JILL ARMY: ugh JACK ARMY: It's not ugh. JACK ARMY>: It's my job. I'm a Soldier and we go on patrols. sheesh. JILL ARMY: it is for me!!! what will we do with out you? what will I tell the kids if you don't ever come home to us??? JILL ARMY: they already ask is daddy ever coming home JILL ARMY: [smallest sweetie] wants to know when your "going to get out of the computer" JACK ARMY: that I did my job. That I was a Soldier and I fought for our freedom and the freedom of oppressedpeople. That there are things in this world worth fighting and dying for, that while they will miss me, I'll be watching them from heaven... Tell them that I'll always love them and I know that they'll grow up to be wonderful, smart, beautiful women whowill not let our family's sacrifice go unnoticed. Make sure that they know that I do what I do because I love my job, my country, my family, my freedom... JACK ARMY: That's what you tell them. JILL ARMY: :(( JACK ARMY: oh, come on. JILL ARMY: :( JACK ARMY: ya know, chances are pretty good that I'll come home safe and sound. Odds are that I will be home in a year or so. JACK ARMY: That's what you need to focus on.
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