CHRIS' EMAIL

Chris' email -
Hi Mom, sorry I couldn't talk long on the phone this morning. I was working in the command post on the radios, Im glad you called. Everything is going ok. How are you and Craig doing? Talk with you later. Love Chris.

I called at 10:55 pm last night to talk to Chris. It's hard to get connected with him because he doesn't take his cell phone to work with him. By the time I got connected, he picked up the cell phone and said he was working and couldn't talk but would call me back. The Army works him to death, no days off. He sent me the email above after we spoke.

Monad's Mom

MISSING HOME

Chris is missing home. I called at 11:30 pm our time, 10:30 am there. He just finished breakfast and saved some of it for lunch. He doesn't get any days off. For supper last night they had meat loaf and rice with apple and cherry pie for dessert. They've been carrying concrete barriers to place on the roads. It's sunny there and very dusty. 110 degrees. They are trying to hookup some running water, but it isn't working. The water pressure is very weak. They're still using bottled water to wash. They get two gallons each to wash. There are 3 groups in there company. Chris is getting bored. He wishes he was back in the U.S. For fun they play video games, watch TV, and sleep. They aren't allowed to go out alone, they have to travel together. He received Mike's letter and was really glad to hear from him. I haven't been writing, just calling. I'd rather hear his voice, it makes me feel better. I just keep praying for him.

Thank you guys for your prayers for Chris and the troops.

Love you all, Monad's Mom

SPOKE WITH CHRIS AGAIN 09-09-07

Chris is okay. I talked to him at 8:10 pm, 7:10 am in Iraq. He was getting ready to go to breakfast at the base and pick up breakfast for 10 others. Last night for dinner they had fried chicken and salad, but no mashed potatoes or gravy. They have an air conditioned room, but still no running water. They use bottled water. At least we know that he is still okay. Thank you every one, just keep praying for Chris and the rest of the troops.

Monad's Mom

CHRIS CALLED BACK

Chris called back last night about 11 pm. His unit goes around in a truck, trailer and Humvee together. It's 110 degrees over there. They have an air conditioned room. They are eating well they had chicken, mashed potatoe's, watermellon and orange last night for supper. The Iraqi people don't live all that well, American's live a lot better. A total of about 15 personnel go out together, 9 in the Humvee and the rest in the truck. Chris is in the Humvee. His phone card ran out so we got cut off. The important part is that I know he is still kicking. Our prayers help him to get by and survive. Thank you everyone for praying for Chris and the other troops that we depend on. They work hard for us.

Monad's Mom

CHRIS IS OKAY

I called Chris at 8:24 pm it was after 7 am in Iraq. He was eating a big breakfast on the base. He was also picking up breakfast for nine other troops. He couldn't talk for long because he was busy and needed to get the food to the other troops. He's okay, that's the important part. My prayers and love to all of our military men and women.

Monad's Mom

SPOKE WITH CHRIS

Chris called last night before 11 pm. I tried to call him first but there was no answer. He can't take his cell with him when he's in the camp. The Iraq Army is going to take over their post and they are moving eventually to the Airport in Bagdad International Airport. He thinks he'll like that better than where he's at now. He drives around an air conditioned Humvee. They eat MRE's for lunch I guess along with the two meals they get from the base each day. I worry about Chris all the time and was really happy that he called.

Nanay

PRAYER FOR CHRIS

I believe in the Power of God on Highest
Prayer Request
According to the weather report, it is my understanding that it is 122 degrees in Iraq right now and the low will be 111 degrees. Our troops need our prayers for stength, endurance and safety. If it be God's will, give these men and women the strength they need to prevail.

Prayer chain for our U.S. military. Please don't break it. Please send this on after a short prayer.

Let us pray.
Please Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need.
Amen

TALKED TO CHRIS

I received a phone call from Chris last night a little after 10 pm. We spoke for little over 45 minutes. It's 110 degrees there, he's hot and sweaty. Their generated overheats. They live close to the neighborhood where they work. Chris doesn't think they are very intelligent people. There are only 70 people in his group instead of the usual 100 because some have moved to other areas. They don't have a cafeteria where they are. They are only eating twice a day, breakfast and supper, they pick up their food from the base twice a day. They had rice, corn and turkey for supper. They have to go to the base to do their laundry and instead of a shower they take sponge baths. They are about 15 minutes away from the base. He works six days a week and gets Tuesdays off.

He's missing home. He thinks about his grandpa alot. He doesn't like it much where he's at. He said he should be back here in May for a vacation for about 2 weeks and then return to Iraq for another 3 months.

Article about the 1-64th

Transition team joins Iraqi battalion in sweep
Fort Leavenworth Lamp
The 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army, their Military Transition Team and Soldiers from the US 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, cleared al-Jamea'a of caches, bombs and insurgents while helping ...

R&R Policy Change

Sounds like Chris will get 3 extra days at home....

From The Front Line Online:

The Department of Defense approved a policy change to the U.S. Central Command Rest and Recuperation Leave Program, increasing the time provided to military servicemembers for rest and recuperation in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, July 17. The policy change, signed by David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, increases the R&R leave period from 15 to 18 chargeable days for those servicemembers deploying to the OEF and OIF area of operations for 15 months. The amended policy became effective July 13, applies to military personnel only, and is not retroactive. Only servicemembers who took leave on or after July 13, may take 18 days of leave. Servicemembers will not be charged for their travel days. The R&R leave begins when the servicemember arrives at the commercial airport nearest their leave destination. Servicemembers serving one-year tours will continue to receive 15 days of chargeable R&R leave. The amended R&R policy came as a result of the recent DoD change to the rotation and mobilization policy increasing some theater deployments to 15-month tours.

Another Prayer for Chris

I'll keep praying forever. I ask God to have his good spirits surround Chris for protection. Keep him away from danger. Please God watch over him. Amen

Monad's Mom

"Boring" - That Was His Word

As Mom mentioned, Chris was able to get a cell phone. The first thing I asked him was whether that was "legal". Last year, they weren't allowed to use them, but he says it's ok this year. I found out that he and his company have been rather lucky. They are stationed in a neighborhood in which a member of Parliament used his own militia to drive out the insurgents/extremists. Chris said his company's missions are often humanitarian in nature (like delivering milk). Of course, that doesn't mean he can relax. Unfortunately, the militia group that drove out the insurgents doesn't get along with the Iraqi Police. He says the biggest task is trying to get these various groups to get along with one another. All-in-all, he says it has been kind of boring for them because his company has been detached from the 2nd Brigade, 3rd ID, and instead they've been working with the 1st ID. The articles you've seen me post here have typically been about the 2nd BCT, 3rd ID. I'm thankful Chris' company is doing a different kind of work. In a few days, Chris' company is going to be attached to the 101st (Airborne?). I'm not sure what that will mean for his next line of work. Also, they may be moving out of that mall in a few weeks because the Iraqi Army will be moving in.

Anyway, he seems to be in good spirits. He still doesn't have much internet access, so we'll have to keep updating everyone on his behalf. Thanks for all your prayers!

Political Progress Slow, But 3rd ID Buys Time

This article from SavannahNow.com tells how establishing security helps to buy more time for the Iraqis to establish fundamental things like communication between neighboring provincial governments, reconstruction, new schools.... A couple of quotes from the article:

"Third Infantry Division soldiers [that's Chris' division] are fighting an often-overlooked war in southern Iraq where, a ranking officer says, bullets give way to budget workshops...."

"Clearly the Iraqis feel the pressure of a clock as well," [Brig. General Cardon] said. "They widely acknowledge if we pull out early, things would be a mess, and they would pay a price."

The importance of economic and political progress in Iraq cannot be understated, he said. "If you can do this right, you don't need as much military power."

Thank you God

The power of God on Highest. Thank you God for my son's call. Chris called at 7:55 am this morning. He still lives in the broken building. They are 11 hours ahead of us. They don't have any running water there. They have to go to the base to get their food. They work about 10 hours a day, 6 am to about 4 pm. I can call him with his cell phone. Thank you so much for that. He's in a small town like Belleville. They eat pretty good - steak, lobster, and shrimp. They carry a camera with them when they go out. They use bottled water to shower. It's very hot there, like up to 118 degrees during the day. We talked for about 20 minutes. Thank you so much Chris for your call. Now I know I can call you if I need to.

Love you alot, Mom

Marne Torche - Making Progress

A Message From MG Rick Lynch:

Operation Marne Torch continues here. Our 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams along with the Combat Aviation Brigade have had magnificent success in this important mission.

So far, we have interdicted the shipping of explosives and accelerants on the Tigris River. The local population told us that all the boats on the Tigris were being used to transport the tools of terror to Baghdad. We have struck and destroyed over four dozen boats. We’ve observed secondary explosives that proved what they told us true.

Our troops have methodically cleared over 1100 buildings, a task that is fraught with danger but necessary in the whole scheme. In many cases we have been forewarned that buildings were rigged by terrorists beforehand. So, we have struck from the land and sky with precision weapons to keep our troops safe but still accomplish the mission.

We have killed five dozen of the enemy and taken for detention nearly 250. All of this has come as a result of close cooperation with the Iraqis who are more and more fed up with the al Qaeda thugs on their streets. The same Iraqis have pointed out where IEDs have been placed and this has helped save their lives and ours.

We have located and killed or captured the worst of the worst. Recently a group of people have come forward across our operations area and pointed out the storage areas of insurgent ammunition. We have found ammunition and material that is clearly tied to foreign influences and with them the men who used these tools for violence.

Along with the materials of violence, Iraqis have pointed out the leaders of insurgent groups. We capture these men and move them to areas where they are interrogated. In turn we gain intelligence that helps us to find still others. And all the time we keep careful records that will ensure that these people never pose a threat to America ever again.

So, our Soldiers are doing magnificent things and they will continue to make us proud. Marne Torch continues and other operations are planned. It has been tough and it will remain so.

For all our successes there have been dear sacrifices. Our fallen will never be forgotten and their loved ones are always in our prayers.

A message from Jackie (Chris' sister):

While I am anxious for my brother to return home, I am hesitant to agree that we should pull the troops. Now that we are in Iraq, I think it would do a great disservice to the Iraqi citizens to depart when their government and their military are not capable of holding their own. Progress has certainly been slow. If we expected it to be over quickly, then we have ignored the historical turmoil of this region. I don't know the answers to all the questions our politicians are raising, and as a sister of a soldier, I know I'm not objective enough to answer them anyway. I do want my brother to come home. But if we start pulling troops now....if we announce our exit strategy and deadline....before we are more certain of Iraq's security, I think that actually puts my brother and his fellow soldiers in greater danger.

The strategy that our Army is now taking - stationing smaller units in amongst the neighborhoods, living within the Iraqi communities - I believe is the right way to go about securing Iraq. My brother says that sometimes he is assumed to be Iraqi by some of the people. If anyone is able to build trust and rapport with the locals, it's my brother who has always managed to endear himself to those who cross his path. I suppose it helps that he has an ethnic look that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Anyway....I believe this strategy can have a very positive impact. Unfortunately, trust isn't built in a day, and I can only imagine that the people of Iraq are not quick to trust authority of any kind. This is a strategy that takes patience. It's hard to have patience. Every day I check the news. More than that, really. I refresh the Google News page about every hour, eager to know what's going on.

On a side note, I wanted to remind everyone of Chris' unit's prior success: In January 2005, 1-64 Armor deployed to Baghdad, Iraq where the battalion immediately began combat operations Tissa Nissan. The heroic actions of the Rogue Soldiers secured the most dangerous routes in Baghdad on a daily basis. The battalion enabled the Iraqis to vote in two elections including the historic National Referendum which provided Iraq with its first democratic government in the country’s history.

I am so proud of my brother. I still detest the Army recruiters, but I am proud of my brother.

Fort Stewart troops on offense in Baghdad

Excerpts from a Savannah Morning News article:

A buildup of U.S. troops in Baghdad is producing results, but it's too early to assess the lasting effect of President Bush's troop surge, a 3rd Infantry Division colonel said Thursday.

In a video news conference from Iraq, the division's chief of staff, Col. Mark McKnight, said soldiers from Fort Benning and Fort Stewart are on the offense in extremist areas where U.S. forces haven't ventured before.

"The mere fact we're going into areas that we've not gone into before (shows) that the surge is achieving the effects it was aimed to," McKnight said. "I know a lot of people want to rush to judgment on the surge, but we've only been operating with the total number of plus-up forces in our area for 30 days."

[The 2nd Brigade from Fort Stewart, 3rd Brigade from Fort Benning and Aviation Brigade from Hunter Army Airfield are under Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, 3rd ID commander.]

Lynch commands territory south of Baghdad, a largely rural area about the size of West Virginia where soldiers face Sunni and Shiite Muslim extremists. Third Division soldiers are rotating into smaller, less-fortified patrol bases to establish a presence in outlying areas. Living conditions are "austere," and luxuries such as air conditioning and Internet connections are lacking, McKnight said. Soldiers typically serve two-week rotations at the outposts before returning to larger, established bases.

Nearly all of the 3rd ID's 20,000 soldiers have deployed to Iraq.

It's spacious at least.

I noticed Chris posted this photo to his myspace site. And to think....yesterday, I complained about waking up with an aching back. Beneath this photo, Chris wrote, "surplus clothing racks make this forsaken store/bedroom a must."

MOM'S THOUGHTS

I know the Army is very lucky to have my son. I'm his mother and I worry 24 hours a day. I hope they take care of him and give him all the tools he needs. They should also let him communicate with his family once or twice a week. I always feel a lot better after I hear from him.

Thank you for all the young men and women in the military. I am praying for all of them. They should also take care of each other and stay alert.

Monad's Mom

3rd ID Soldiers Work Hard to Stop the Violence in Iraq

From a news station in Savannah, Georgia:

Violence can be seen every day in Iraq and that's something our troops are working hard to stop, one insurgent at a time.

Part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division is working in the Arab Jabour region of Iraq as part of Operation Marne Torch. "We have a mission to go in and kill or capture the insurgents that have been working in that region and having the ability to go into Baghdad and create spectacular attacks," Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division told us in a satellite interview.

And trying to keep the insurgents from terrorizing an entire country is a job 24 hours/day, seven days/week. But Col. Ferrell says there are a lot of things that our troops endure that you don't hear of on a daily basis. "Just in the last ten days, we have gone through a region that has not had a coalition presence...a US presence to say the least, in numerous months," he explained. "We've cleared over 370 structures going in and out of houses, identifying insurgents, identifying friendly forces, friendly individuals, we've even identified civilians, cataloguing houses, cataloging civilians on a day to day basis, identifying weapons caches, looking for where they may be storing these."

But he says acceptance among the Iraqi civilians toward American troops is growing because they are realizing that the troops are there to stay and Colonel Ferrell says he couldn't be more proud. "These soldiers go out and they take the challenge that we give them and they take the fight to the enemy," he said. "Their spirits are high, they know what they have to do, and they take it head on. I cannot be more honored than to serve with the soldiers that we have in our ranks today."

From the Third Infantry Division Homepage:

FOB Kalsu, Iraq – Fixed-wing aircraft dropped four precision-guided bombs on targeted sites preventing insurgents from entering southern Baghdad, June 16. This was the beginning of a major offensive operation dubbed Marne Torch.

The aircraft supported approximately 1,200 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers who are focused on the security belts surrounding Baghdad.

2nd Brigade Soldiers have the mission of defeating insurgent activity, denying the enemy sanctuary, and preventing terrorist elements from moving accelerants from the Arab Jabour area into Baghdad.

The brigade’s efforts in Arab Jabour are part of the larger operation recently announced by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Gen. David Petraeus, Multi-National-Force commander.

“Our Soldiers are well trained, and I am extremely proud of the work they have accomplished over the past several weeks in preparation for this operation,” said Col. James Adams, 2nd BCT deputy commanding officer.

MY SON

I like to see your picture. I feel alot better to see you kicking and I like to know what happened to MONAD!! Thank you so much to OUR TROOPS. I pray for all of you.

Judy and Colleen - Both of you are beautiful, caring and amazing. You two are a gift to the world. I'll always love you.

Chris, be careful, stay alert and be safe.

Love you always, MONAD MOM