In Closing

With the choppers flying overhead and the gunshots in the distance I know we made a difference here. The first day we got here we were welcomed with mortars. I was standing in the shower when two of them hit entirely too close for comfort. Now about a year later I am still here still breathing As I sit here and think of home I think how awesome it will be to get there, to see family and friends again, family, not people in uniform, who share love and caring with other members of the family. I do feel some sadness as I feel that I will never in my life see this place again. I do not want to ever come here again but it is sad that I will never see it again. I imagine that many people go their entire lives without saying that they will never visit a place again. I can say with some certainty that I will never visit here again. It is kind of sad.

I have shared with you the past 18 months of my life, the fears the trials the new found strength through faith in God. I appreciate the concerns, the letters and the comments to my family. I feel now for certain that I will make it home and will go back to normal, but I find it hard to remember exactly what normal is. I know that my words helped me through the tough times experienced and can only hope that in some way they helped other families of deployed soldiers with their fears. They say that fear is showing weakness I say that fear is acknowledging weakness and admitting that you have some weaknesses. I have no doubt that fear is real and have learned many things through this trip on how to deal with it. As the “greatest adventure” of my life comes to an end I think back on the time and can only say one thing for certain. He left home, he spends time away, but for a good cause, one thing is for certain “He is a real soldier”.