Some pictures from Rand

Rand with some Iraqi children



Rand at the market - look at how he has to go to market - carrying all his ammo and gun!



This must be Rand before the shower! He looks great!

December 15 2008

Life is good! Yesterday I spent a half hour TEXTING Rand and today I was able to do the same - yes, you read right, I was able to text Rand! Isn't technology wonderful? Rand said he felt like was back in the states for just a few minutes. For two days they are at a base for a well deserved break - getting real food and showers, plus being able to talk on the phone and the computer! He even sent some pictures that I will put the next blog.

Rand is doing great - he called last Saturday from the Satellite phone (another awesome technological wonder!) and each of us that had the privilege of talking to him couldn't get over how well he sounds! Its crazy that going to war has helped to find himself and come to "peace".

He says the area they are in looks just like the farm fields of Yuma, except there are mountains with snow on them. It is bitter cold - and these brave guys are sleeping in tents without heaters! They drive around looking for insurgents and then pitch their tents out in the fields. Lucky for the farmers its winter, so they don't have anything growing. Rand and his guys are able to buy a few items to supplement their MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) from the the farmers' markets. Rand says he is soo tired of eating MREs. Hopefully their packages will start catching up with them!

We also got a great treat on Thanksgiving Day - Rand was able to call! They were out in the field, carrying on as usual in the middle of nowhere. They didn't expect to have anything but MREs (again) for their Thanksgiving feast, when a helicopter circled around, landed near and brought them a full turkey dinner. Life is good!

December 9, 2008

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated Rand’s blog so I thought I better get to it! To catch up – Rand called on Halloween. They found insurgents in a building in the desert outside of a village. They were ordered to oust the insurgents and then Command ordered them to destroy the building. Command wanted to make sure the insurgents didn’t come back; when it was determined that an Abrams M1A2 (the main tank named after a famous general – see the picture) wasn’t available, they were ordered to use what they had at hand. Rand was able to us his M203 grenade launcher (see the other picture). Rand said it was much more fun to deploy it than doing it at School of Infantry. When the guys with Rand asked him why HE got to “pull the trigger”, he just pointed to the stripes on his sleeve. Of course all this was told to his dad because he "got" it.

Rand was also able to call us a couple of weeks later. We don't get to hear from him very often because he is "wandering" the desert north of Mosul (near the border of Turkey) searching for insurgents. He says it is freezing cold, but the country up north is much more beautiful than where they were before. We are always so grateful to hear from him to know he is safe!