Greetings,
I know it has been a long time, far too long. However, as I have said in the past if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all. I have simply had nothing to say. For the silence I am sorry. I have had a mulititude of thoughts and feelings since I have been back, but no nice way to say anything Ihave felt. So again silence. For all the well wishers, that have sent blessings, and thanks to me and my fellow soldiers thank you, thank you, thank you! For those who continue to sling mud my way... well (as I shall hold true to my word to Father Bob, I shan't sling it back.) but those bottom births know who you are.
Things in this world, are odd to me now, I am looking for as DJ puts it a grown-up job. But in all honestly I have no idea what it is I really want to do. 2006 did not seem the time for me to run for office, I couldn't in good conscious run for office when the war would be the center of the House elections, so I set my sights on 2008, and adjust the strategum accordingly. So in all honesty I'll start campaigning in early 2007.
MAJ K, and Thunder 6 are well, as are most of the men from the 184th IN. I am no longer an Intelligence Officer, the irony is that I learned the job so well under CPT Conkle, and now I have no desire to ever do it again. Funny how war works out that way. I continue to write (mostly my personal journal) but the flavor life once had is largely gone. I just wake in the morning and thank God (however I percieve him) that I am home with my wife, and that the soldiers I served with are home and alive. I often speak with Demon 6 about our time there and we laugh at some things and grow quiet over others, but it is a strange thing to speak of men I knew in the past tense, again on Memorial day one of the holiest days in my year, to remember the men of the 184th Infantry who did not return with us. Each of us remembers them in our own way. As for me, not a day goes by when I don't think of what we did there, my personal feelings of the war aside... we did some good things in our year there. It is more than just 11 months, 23 days, and 9 hours of my life. It was that most human of experiences, it was what seperated the weekend warrior from the true warrior. It was sobering and awe inspiring to be in the company of such wonderful and deeply human and genuine men. It truly was my honor to serve with them.
RDC
PS; It is not a coincidence that on this day, June 6th I broke my silence, and no it has nothing to do with the number of the beast (please!), it has everything to do with D-Day and how on that day the forces of evil knew that the clock on the wall was doing one thing... Counting down. On June 6th 1944 our world changed, and the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy had no idea how profound an impact they would have on history.
PSS; CPT Snyder of the 506th PIR, is a great officer and a great friend, he is doing great work in Iraq. I am proud to call him friend.