So I am talking with one of my soldiers yesterday. He is a 23 year old medic from Colorado near Gunnison. He's a really cool kid that has a lot of the same interests as me, snowboarding, mountain biking, etc. He is Stop-Lossed for this rotation which means he was supposed to get out of the Army by now, but because of Iraq the Army is involuntarily keeping him for five more months. I ask him what he plans on doing when he gets out of the Army, and I'm ready for my reinlistment speech about how bad the economy is and how "I don't know" is not a good enough reason to get out. Then he surprises me. He tells me that since he's been in the Army he has saved up about $30K and is going to live down in his uncle's cabin in Mexico for the next year and kayak, scuba, mountain bike and fish. I think wow, that is really cool. After a year in Iraq, why not take a year to just chill out. He's young and single and why shouldn't he do that. Looking back from where I am now, I realized, that I never did take a break when I was younger. Ever since I could remember, I had ambition and I was in a race to grow up as fast as I could. I worked all through High School, went strait into the military and college. Spent my summers preparing for my military career and I've been working my butt off ever since. I can't remember ever just taking a break. For a split second, I envied him and regretted never taking a semester off to just bum around, back pack across Europe or ride across the US on a motorcycle or mountain bike. Then, I realized that I was fine with that. In fact, I can't believe how good I have it. I have the most beautiful woman in the world as my wife. She gave me the most awesome son I could ever ask for. Everybody says he looks like me so He must be pretty good looking. I have two beautiful daughters that both have stolen my heart. I can't just take a year off to go down to Mexico, but I don't want to. My wife and I both enjoy adventures together and now we have a son to enjoy them with too. Instead of looking back at all the stuff I didn't do, I am looking forward to the time I can backpack with my daughters, take my son fishing, and take my wife to some exotic places to race and camp in the mountains. I might not have done anything like live in Mexico and surf for a year, but if I did it would have been over by now anyway, so what. I sit here in Iraq looking forward to when I can be with my family again and start our new adventures.
Ok, I had a pretty good thanksgiving. I took my guys to the nicest mess hall in Baghdad today. I grabbed a takeout plate and went back out and guarded our trucks so my guys could enjoy thanksgiving inside. They had the place crazy decorated. They dressed the soldiers doing headcount like pilgrims. They had ice sculptures and mounds and mounds of dessert. They had smoked turkey and prime rib. I had to grab another takeout plate to fit it all. After we ate, we headed back to our big base and went back to work. I got to talk to my wife, my girls, my mom and dad, and brother and sister-in-law. I miss everybody, but I am not as bummed out as I was yesterday. I can't wait to come home on leave in January. I didn't run tonight. I'm still too stuffed. I'm proud of my mom and dad, though. They both ran a 5K today. You go guys!
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