Death of a Friend

I heard a couple of days ago that a guy at a nearby FOB (Forward Operating Base) was killed in action, and, knowing that I have a lot of friends over here, asked for a name. The name I was told, at that time, was simply PFC Avery. Immediately, an alarm went off. I then began to look online for articles on who this particular Avery was and got a full name; Jeffrey A. Avery...more alarms. At this point, I still wasn't sure if this was the guy I knew and had hung out with in basic, so I needed a picture. Today, I finally got that picture, and, as it turned out, it was in fact, him.
I've been told that the loss of a friend in combat is a unique experience because we all come over here knowing not everyone is going back, wondering if it will be us, or the guy standing next to us. That statement is very true but what surprised me was that, other than being surprised and somewhat sad about it, it hasn't bothered me like I thought it would. Perhaps I'm still in shock, perhaps i've just been hardened to accept death as a daily part of life, I don't know. But what I do know is, well, nothing.
Nothing. Here, nothing matters; your dog back home, your car in the garage, or that fancy watch on your wrist. the only thing that does matter is everything. Everything being life itself in its rawest form, fighting, quite literally, for survival.
If you don't understand what I just wrote, you probably never will simply because you probably have a job where you sit behind a desk all day.
Some people say they run to live a healthy life. I say I run just to keep mine. If I don't, I die, or worse...I don't want to be the next beheading video.
I guess when it's all said and done that I have in fact learned something, that I do, in fact, know something; I want to live. Unfortunatly, I must first pass through hell.

New Schedule

Ok, so we don't really have a schedule here, but things are changing a lot...12 hr missions instead of 6 hr missions for one, so, ultimately, i'll have less time on the internet. However, I will try to blog, and facebook at least once a week, and i'll do what i can for aim and email everyday.
Mark
also, please tell me what you think of "Lost"

LOST (Rough Draft)

First off, this is a rough draft and it's still being revised. All comments appreciated and please tell me if you think something doesn't work.

Lost
We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

Never again will I get to see
my friends who gave it all for me
Friends who died there by my side
Friends who wanted to stay alive

We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

I am lost forever to myself
Forever found by no one else
Only by myself can I see
All my friends, my reality

We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

The only thing we've ever wanted
Was to go and be ourselves again
The only thing we've never gotten
Is to see our families and friends

We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

International Lovin'

Managed to catch this pic out at an IP station. Just thought I'd share it.

Full Gear

myself out an IP (Iraqi Police) Station in full gear. I look bigger than I am b/c of all the gear on my vest, and some extra protection under the vest. All in all, vest, about 40 lbs (maybe more); helmet, 4 lbs; pistol with ammo, 3 lbs; and rifle with ammo, 23 lbs. Also, vest has pouches which contain extra pistol and rifle ammo, as well as first aid and a stuff sack.

My Room

Being Noticed

So, yesterday morning, I got my breakfast and was heading towards my truck so I could eat when our First Sergeant saw me. The First Sergeant is the highest ranking enlisted person in the company. He says to me, "Did you order smaller uniforms last time we ordered uniforms?" I replied, "No, I got the same size as always First Sergeant." He then told me, "Next time we order uniforms, be sure to get a smaller size, you're losing too much weight for those to look good on you."
I've never been so happy to see my First Sergeant. Usually, if he calls you over, you just messed up super badly and your life is about to end; so him giving me an offhanded compliment like that really made my day.

New Room

Lowest Weight EVER!!

Okay, so I've been losing weight since high school where i weighed between 230-250 lbs. As of about 10 minutes ago, i weigh 183 lbs even...i'm so happy!! anyway, guess that's all.

How to kill an ipod

So, you want to kill an ipod? Here, apparently, is a fool proof way to do so.
First, lay ipod on desk, floor, etc. secondly, take M9 Beretta pistol, and hold approximately 6 inches over ipod. Now, drop pistol 6 inches to ipod insuring the pistol lands on the control pad.
Congratulations, your ipod is now dead. Not just knocked unconcious and will recover later. Utterly and completely dead with absolutely no hope of ressurection.

Of Iraq

IM me

Hey, if you wanna talk to me via AIM, I'm usually on between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. your time (Central time). Keep in mind, during that time, i will be in and out and probably only there for a total of 4 of those 9 hours, but that is your best shot to catch me. You can also try to catch me at any time of the day, you never know. Also, you can always just send a message to me and AIM will deliver it when i sign on.

Me

Here's some pics of my room, jail cell, whatever...notice how close the door is to my privacy barrier!!

Will Kill for Freedom

Okay, if you want a better explanation on why I chose this title, check out Soldier's Poem in the blog archive.

Soldier's Poem

For all the free people that still protest, you're welcome,
We protect you and you are protected by the best.
Your voice is strong and loud, but who will fight for you?
No one standing in your crowd.

We are your fathers, brothers, and sons,
wearing the boots and carrying the guns.
We are the ones that leave all we own,
to make sure your future is carved in stone.

We are the ones who fight and die.
We might not be able to save the world, well at least we try.
We walked the paths to where we are at
and we want no choice other than that.

So when you rally your group to complain,
take a look in the back of your brain.
In order for that flag you love to fly,
wars must be fought and young men must die.

We came here to fight for the ones we hold dear,
If that's not respected, we would rather stary here.
So please stop yelling and put down your signs,
and pray for those behind enemy lines.

When the conflict is over and all is well,
be thankful that we chose to go through hell.

Anonymous