Please see below for my T 13. Thanks!
Wow, the days run together… There’s not a lot going on here, except fighting the boredom. The worst part about this point in a deployment is dealing with the same people day in and day out. I wish that I could say that there is a lot going on here, and that being busy is helping the days go quickly, but the biggest enemy right now is boredom. The “newness†has worn off, and we have settled in for the long haul here, and that is starting to take its toll on me. My sense of humor and reactions have changed, simply because I have to control myself even more the longer I am here.
I have told people here something that I know that civilians will have trouble understanding, but I will try to explain it.
Nothing focuses the mind like going outside the wire. I know, Phoenix eats her guts when I go, as do a lot of other people, however (comma), from my perspective, it’s the best time here. It’s the most challenging, it is the ultimate test of whether I have trained my soldiers well or not, and whether we all have the discipline to succeed. We have been in this country for four years now, and every time a new unit comes in, they bring in another layer of bureaucracy. When we get outside the wire, all the worries about who did what when go away, and all I have to worry about is a 300 yard circle. So, as much as it causes everyone to worry back home, to me it is better to go fight an enemy that is trying to kill me than to fight boredom that can cause someone to snap.
Every day is the same, here, and that is part of the problem…
Carlo
I am eternally grateful for you and your soldiers for all you do and go through. You all deserve the utmost respect and honor. I pray you will all stay safe and be home soon.
I understand what you meant. My son talked to me about that. Doesn’t make it any better. Doesn’t make it any easier. Just stay safe.
I can understand wanting to cut the boredom and wanting to keep your wits sharpened. Yes, it does eat at me when I don’t hear from you in days… I just can’t help that. I just want you to stay safe and I won’t stop the worry until you are safely home on US soil. Your loved sugar… and that is where the worry comes from.
I understand, but only because I am a veteran.
Take care,
Stay safe.
Come home soon.
Carlo, you just do what you have to do and focus on yourself. We’re going to worry no matter what, because as Phoenix said, you’re loved. It comes with the whole package. Just smile once in awhile knowing you’re in our thoughts, and stay safe, babe.
Since I’m not a veteran, I’ll leave the advice giving to those ahead of me, who have the perspective of having been in your shoes, or having a close family member who has been thus.
But I’ll add what I can: thanks for what you’re doing.