Hey bro! Glad to know you are safely I.C. (I think)! This was a great post. Are all your posts now going to make me cry? It all started with the leaving the kids one, and I guess you are going to continue the trend. Great job, and nice to know what your REAL purpose there is. You may not have your own kids with you, but you can be "dad" to several hundred others. My young'un is on the high seas now (left port Sunday), so is excitedly off on his big adventure too. Got to let Mom say hi, too. Love, Sis

Hi,glad you are safe. Remember you promised to stay that way. Great post. Almost makes me change my mind about my vote. We love you and we are very proud of you. Love, Mom

Great to here you arrived safely. Pictures, stories, links for us to forward to our circle of influence to get the word out please. Thank you for your service.

Stay Safe, Bro. More'n likely, it'll be me that will be waving goodbye to you in less than a year.
Great point about the look in soldiers' eyes, never once did I see see a quitter, even when it was tough.

Buy the water helmet liner, it works.

Greetings Troop,

I returned from the "Cradle of Civilization" myself in April after 12 months in theatre (10 months in Iraq and a month on either end in Camp Arifsham, Kuwait)I know its hot like a mother but you are actually on the downslide temperature wise. The worst months are July and August. The downside to the drop in temerature is that the rain is on the way and all that fine dust becomes mud. I remember exactly the same young faces during my time in the the big sand box. Everyone has a job and are standing up to do it. Hopefully once the election passes, the doom and gloom from the left will subside at least somewhat. Hang tough and stay alert. Those of us at home are behind you, especially those of us who have been in your desert boots.

Making me cry is what you do best. The pundits think war is like a hollywood movie, it should be done in about 2 hours. You know very well there is no sense of reality there.
I posted on my blog today why we have to win. And of course, we will win. You stay strong and safe.
Rightwingsparkle

A good start GreyWolf. I am so proud of all of you. Keep your eye on the youngsters and let us know how they are doing. A very good start. God Bless and good hunting.

Subsunk

Looking forward to some first hand reporting from the scene!

That is a great post.
Don't stop telling us what you truely see.
I pray for our guys.
Keep safe. Keep talking.
Thanks

Good to hear you made it safely. Many of us refuse to believe the negative, but then again we're lucky to have MilBlogs to gather info from, and are grateful to YOU for that.

Stay safe, and keep these posts coming. Kinda like water in the desert. It's not just droopy over there!

It's good to know about the stand-up soldiers. Wishing we had more of that back here at home.

Now, about those droopy trees. They may not all be native to the area. I would guess that the ground is extremely hard, denying the root system a good hold, and not good at retaining the slight amount of rainfall to nourish the trees. So, they do the best they can.

I certainly hope a more democratic society has a better chance of taking root.

i would like to talk to you about either starting my own milblog or posting on your sight please send me an email about how to do so. i would rather post to this site but if that isn't possible then i will start my own.
my email is roberttruitt1980@yahoo.com. myself and a soldier of mine are currently in baghdad and have internet access that is not owned by the military so it would be harder for them to shut us down

Nearly all the citizens of this great nation support you guys. We love and honor your sacrifice and devotion to duty. You are the front line in this global war on terror. Building a fledgling democracy in the Middle East is a daunting taks but if successful would drive a stake in the heart of Islam's fundamentalist terrorists. God bless and come home safe. ed
Afghanistan 2001/2002
Iraq 2003

Just like to say, You people over there are all my HEROES. I did 5 years in the Navy and am a proud Veteran of the 3 tours and 4 years overseas. The press never has got it right from day 1. It's like how can you write about something you've never been through. Walk in my shoes brother then open your mouth. As a proud citizen of this country and a member of the American Legion I Salute you for your bravery and dedication.

Good to see the heat hasn't taken the fight out of you and the other dragon slayers. Take care, sir. You are missed.

I understand you’ve had problems accessing the site so I’ll mention that OneStat says your traffic hasn’t taken a major hit yet in your absence. I won’t make any claims about the quality, but we’re trying hard. You are missed.

(For the uninitiated, I’ll mention that I think Greyhawk may be able to post, and to receive emailed copies of comments on things he posted, even if the Uncle’s net nanny is blocking the site itself.)

I should proofread better before I click “Post.” “the Uncle’s net nanny” should have said “Uncle’s net nanny.”

Glad to hear you are keeping the faith (all of you !). keep safe and know that the American public (not the liberal left) prays for you daily,thinks of you more than that, and can never put into words how proud we are of you.

Check Six,
Greg
USAF vet.

Take care and blessing to you, the troops - and the families who wait for your safe return....

MJB
USAF '85-'92

Glad you safe and still logging, take care of the 'kids', as us old men say, they could be 40 and Id still call them kids. The brave wonderfull men and women that are much older than their years. I hate to see anyone mature that way and so fast. I did my service almost 40 years ago, and would be there now if I could.
Hawk, show them the ropes, its all a new school even to the old timers, only you know how to learn VERY QUICKLY. Teach them. God Bless you all.
Watch your 6.
Bro' Frog

Good to hear from you, Greyhawk. I really hope that you can tell all those young soldiers that there are many people who don't get their news from "big media" any more, and therefore don't swallow any of the crap that they dish out. Tell them please that there are thousands and thousands of us who know the value of what they do, that we know how hard they are working and that we know that there is lots of hope for the future of Iraq. That they are fighting hard for all of us to have a safer future and we thank them for it.
BTW, I saw an American General on Fox tv last night who said that despite all the damage that the terrorists are inflicting on the Iraqi police, that there are still too many men applying for police positions. These are people who want to see their country succeed, why can't CNN et al find the time to do a story on them?
A rhetorical question, I know the reason why.
Stay safe, and all the best to Mrs Greyhawk!

As a person who does not know any soldiers currently serving, I am humbled by Greyhawk's posting. I almost feel unworthy of comment, but I do feel compelled to express my family's love and appreciation for the men and women who sacrifice so me and my family can have a completely normal September day in the USA. My 5-year old son got a "red light" for rough-housing in kindergarten. My husband ate some dust on an excavator in the desert-- and secretly prayed that his bum knee never happened so he could go to Iraq. I went to work and read the newspaper about the R.O.P. (religion of peace) killing more schoolchildren in Darfur. There are no words to describe how I feel about the sacrifice our troops make, and how livid it makes me that Red Ted and their ilk are helping the enemy again, just like the 1970's. Please, Greyhawk, convey this message: the Americans that love this country also support the troops 100%. We know how much they sacrifice. And we will NEVER allow Viet Nam to happen again. Not in our name. Not EVER. God bless our troops. God help America.

I want to let you know how proud we are of you that are serving your company. There are some Americans who have no common sense but most Americans support what you are doing. We pray for you everyday. Keep up the good work and remember we are thinking of you guys.

I just wanted to add my fervent hope for your safety and success, along with that of all troops in Iraq.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences with us. We are many who believe that you will ultimately succeed in this most difficult and dangerous objective, and we know where to find accurate reports of the progress being made in Iraq.

I will visit this site every day and read both your reports and the comments.

Thank you all, for your well wishes

I just have one question.
Do the French have a term for "shower tent"?

Mrs. Greyhawk, I don't think they do. The closest thing they would have is "Cologne". :)

I love reading your post and want to tell you that a large number of people back in the land of the BIG PX are behind you. I know what combat is like and am very thankfull that you are safe (as) can be in that SAND BOX. Tell the Troops that we are praying for them. GOD BLESS AND KEEP AN ANGLE WITH ALL OF YOU.

Pittbull.

Thank you for the exposure to the hearts of our young men. The determination and the resolve to win the conflict and the hearts of a grateful nation (Iraq). My son is on his second tour and with each one we sent a beautiful/eager/nervous/determined/excited/anxious/well disciplined ....group of young heros to protect our country and build a better world. The youth of this military is breath taking to see, as you said no where else would you see this age group project the maturity and discipline. Thank you from a grateful and proud Marine Mom.
Jeri

An awesome story of the first couple of weeks in Iraq is the book A Table In The Presence by Lt. Carey H. Cash. It tells what God did in the life of our heroes as they went through Baghdad, and how their faith gave them courage.
Thank you so much U.S. Troops, you have impacted thousands of lives with your determination.
God Bless