R&R, Veterans Day and a Whole lot more!

So today we celebrate Veterans day, and all of the sacrifices American service members and their families have endured since our country’s inception. I want to take a minute to thank each of our family members and friends who have served so selflessly in the armed for forces for their country. Today the Battalion celebrated the day by having a mass re-enlistment ceremony where 8 Soldiers raised their right hands and took the oath of enlistment one more time. Additionally we had a Soldier receive the Combat Medical Badge for her actions in July when she saved the lives of multiple Soldiers after an IED strike on a vehicle in her convoy. It is times like these that really make me proud to wear the uniform and serve with the men and women of 2nd Stryker Brigade.
A few short days ago I returned back to Iraq from my R & R leave which I spent in Hawaii. I could not have asked for anything more than for the time Jes and I were able to share with one another over those 18 days. Over that time we were able to accomplish many things as Jessi has written about in previous BLOGS, but we were able to have a lot of fun in the process. Between the UH game, our camping adventures at Bellows and taking it easy on the Big Island were able to finally relax, enjoy each others company, and create many memories. Being deployed for 10 months and being away from a since of normalcy has been difficult for me so it was nice to be able to come home to my wife and stay in our home and visit our church family. Those few short days brought a since of peace back to my life and allowed all of the stress I was feeling to escape away leaving me feeling refreshed and ready to finish the remainder of the deployment. The single greatest moment of the entire trip was when I walked up the jet way to be greeted by my beautiful wife. The feeling and emotion can’t be put to words but a single word sums up how I felt…JOY… As I close I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your vigilance in prayer and unwavering support for us as we finish up the hardest 15 months of our lives. Your kind words, consistent prayer and love have been an inspiration to me as I drive on over here.