Lass than 30 days!

It is impossible to have a proper countdown when you are dealing with the military. Less than 30 days is about as specific as it gets. Brad was supposed to get R&R in Qatar before coming home but he will need to stay a few days longer in Iraq and train the incoming personal. No R&R for Brad, but we are going to be spending a week in Catalina!

I must say, I CAN'T WAIT to have my husband back. I have missed talking to him, calling him when I have a bad day, complaining about random mundane things, reading books in bed together, taking walks with the dog, BBQing, going to church then Greek food, so many things. It feels like he has been gone for a very long time, so many things have happened since he has left. Bradley got a job and is in a musical, Justus has been taking art classes in the evenings producing lots of great things, I have been gearing up to start Nursing school and teaching at a Montessori school...

Thursday Justus and I are going to a concert up in Bellingham. I was able to score tickets to a fan appreciation show for Death Cab for Cutie in their hometown. Justus is such a fun kid, he was quite excited about this show.

Brad mailed home a flag and letters for Ethan's 4th grade classroom. His class had all written letters to soldiers after I did a presentation about Brad and his work in Iraq. Brad replied to the kids in letters (ALL OF THEM) and then passed the letters on for other soldiers to keep. Most soldiers don't write back so he really wanted to make sure some of the kids received letters back and answered specific questions. They were quite excited about the letters and the flag. The flag came with a certificate about the mission it went on and the pilot who flew it. The pilot offered to come and talk to the class in May with Brad once he returns home. Some of the boys told me they wanted to ask him about what guns he uses... boys will be boys :-)

Brad was given an award and a gold challenge coin from Soldiers Angels, a non-profit group we have both been involved with for quite some time. If any of you have been in or around the military you know about the challenge coins. In uniform the soldiers are to always have a challenge coin on them. These coins are generally given to them for being a member of something with a specific emblem on it, or given as a token of appreciation. The history dates back to WWI when a flying squadron were all given coins as a token of their involvement and appreciation by their commander. This coin was carried by a pilot who was shot down and captured. He fled having lost all his identification and made it the French patrol. The only thing he has to attempt to identify himself was his challenge coin. One of the Frenchmen recognized the insignia and he was returned to safe hands. (Wow, that was quite a detour) SOOO, Brad was given an award and a challenge coin from the Soldiers Angels Organization. To receive that award you have to be nominated. Brad was nominated for his constant return on letter writing and his involvement with the DVD project. I have personally written probably almost 200 letters to different soldiers and NEVER received a letter back, Brad has so far written everyone back! He has been receiving letters from different people in the organization weekly the entire time he has been there.

So I am busy at the house getting it ready for the welcome home party. We will be doing an addition onto the house shortly after Brad gets home so there are areas I am not doing much to. Warm weather is on the way and I am excited for the kids to be out of school spending time with me gardening and at the beach!

DVD update and Brad is coming home soon!

Last report we were at 367 DVDs. Since then the momentum has really picked up. Brad has announced that he is at 700 DVDs. Random donations have been sent to him all the way in Iraq! I want to thank Stacy Monahan (her friends and church), Brad's mom Fyrne, Russ and Wanda and our UU church for the continued donations.

It seemed like 1000 was an unattainable goal initially but I think we will make it! Brad is set to come home soon (mid- May) and he will pass the project on. Hopefully we will be getting out of Iraq soon and the need for movies will not exist anymore! Some random soldiers will pack away with hundreds of DVDs when we do finally leave... Thank you all again for your support! Having mailed out hundreds of DVDs I know that it took a lot of people to make this happen. It reminds me of my favorite saying, many hands make light loads.

I have talked to Brad often, and he sounds good. He has personally been touched by multiple soldier suicides, that is an aspect I didn't think he would have encountered as much as he has. So sad.

I am busy working on the house so we can have a welcome home / Birthday party for Brad. We are planning a remodel this summer so I am trying to be mindful of not doing projects that will just be "redone". There are 6 of us living in a house that is too small so we are going to bump it out a little. I will be sendind invitations in May for the day long event!!

(from Brad)


This is the C-ram next to my POD shooting down a mortar that was coming at us. Very cool but loud. I love the Army!


(I have no idea what a C-ram is, all I know is that this disturbs me.)





Hello again from Joint Base Balad; March 4, 2009

So here I go again with my thoughts and observations about this adventure we call Iraq. So the big news around here is that Obama is saying we will be out by Aug 2010. It seems impossible based on the amount of work we have going on each day here that in just a year and a half we will all be gone.

Joint Base Balad is a place where they fix things that get broke in Iraq (including us). We are the main hub in the country and we are the busiest port cargo in the world (for cargo).

On Mollies urging I went and hit the different things that you can do to get fixed up. First stop was the barber shop, I have written about that before. Next stop was the Muscle Therapy Shop (Massage Parlor) head to toe massage from the buff Russian ladies. There are 5 of them working 12 hours a day tending to guys who come out of the field. My lady did not speak any English, which was fine. She was strong and fast and I left feeling sore and loose. Cost for this 1 hour work over was $32.00.

Next stop was the beauty shop; yes it is full of men, so what? In there I had a lady from the Philippines give me my first facial. I was scared and she told me that it might hurt if I was not tough. I thought wow; how bad can it be. The facial lady told me it’s amazing how deep the dirt gets imbedded in the faces of some of the Army and Marines that come in. She told me stories of getting, glass, metal and rocks out of their faces for them. This lady deserves a medal. Cost of a complete facial with back massage was $22.00. My next stop was over to the foot lady who was really pretty till I realized she was a he. S/he was already working on my feet when I figured it out and I thought; who cares the gender when you need help. You see, I broke a bone on the top of my foot the second week I was here running and as such, I have been limping for weeks. My feet are hamburger and needed to be worked over. So I rolled with it and I am glad I did. I asked her how long she had been in Iraq and she said 5 years with only 1 day off every 3 weeks working 12 hours a day. She was from an island in the Indonesia area and would be killed for being gay. So she has been sending money home and just living. She says that 97% of the soldiers are fine with her and gave good tips. To be honest, I was impressed with her and tipped her well. She is just a human wanting to survive this life and not hurt anyone. By the way; my feet felt great and the break is healing well.

So a bit of the odd personality things I have seen here. I have seen a few of the single ladies have found boyfriends here. It is not too surprising except that it is a war zone. I think it is impressive people can fall in love anywhere. Some people have hit the gym so much that you don’t even recognize them. A few guys are huge or have lost 30 or more pounds in the last 2 months. I find it interesting to see how people cope with stress. Some people have begun to live at the hospital and help unload the wounded. They are the weirdest as it is competitive in an odd way. They have to track their hours (for PTSD, infection control and other reasons) and when a group of them get together they ask each other how many hours have you got total. The more you have the cooler you are I guess. Is it human nature to compete at everything? It’s like when I run into other divers and they want to know how many dives I have logged or how deep I have been. Who cares? Well, they do because they want to judge you. 2 of the guys I work with daily have received notice that a divorce is waiting for them when they get home. Kind of sad but I think that some of these wives do a lot of thinking with their spouses deployed mixed with stress and it seems like the thing to do. I feel for them.

On to the DVD project progress. I am so pleased to tell everyone it is a huge, huge, huge success. We have over 300 titles now and everyone seems to love and use it. I am so happy about this. It has been so good to see so many people benefit from a simple idea. This really appeals to the Buddhist in me and I thank everyone who has helped me in this endeavor. We have outgrown our current cabinet in Outbound Cargo Office. I was worried about this but the managers (some of whom who told me this was a waste of time) have authorized a custom cabinet to be built to hold them all with room to grow. It will be custom made; 45” wide by 72” high and will hold about 600 DVD’s. Also, I made the official decision that all people should benefit from it and (with some grumbling from a few) have opened it up to TCN’s (Third Country Nationals). This will mean that guys like Neal and Abul from Nepal can take video’s out of the Port. Also, the folks from KBR can take them as well. I made this decision based on my belief that no one should be excluded from anything that makes time go by here in Iraq.

Some people have asked me about body armor and what that is like. The armor I have is really good and I think it would keep me safe if I was being shot at. The plates in it are very heavy but you can take a few off if you don’t need them (crotch and hip plates). It makes me feel like a turtle some times as I sit in my chair or drive with it. Due to the fact that I don’t go outside the wire I don’t wear it much. It is hard to sling my M-16 over my back with it on and I am not sure how long I could run in it on a hot day without passing out. Other than that it is not bad to deal with. The helmet is very modern compared to the last time when I was a Cop. It is heavy but very well padded and you can move all 7 of the pads around on Velcro. It fits very well and is held in place by 5 straps. You can run in it and it does not bounce around. I can answer the phone in it and I think it would protect me from most things the locals throw at us where I am. Overall I give the AF high marks for giving me the gear to stay alive here in Iraq. I am not too sure how other branches feel about their set ups.

So I am approaching the midpoint of the deployment and that feels good. Mollie always sends me fun boxes of things to make me comfortable. She is so amazing and kind. I wonder how she finds the time to do so much. She sends me pictures of my kids, tells me about issues and asks my opinion just like I am out of town for business. If I have a bad day then she lets me vent. All I can say is that I am so lucky to have her and want everyone to know what a terrific woman she is.

I guess that is about all I have for now. I keep working 12-13 hours a day and I am often mentally tired. I do get a few days off a month, about 1 every 6-8 days. I don’t really work hard physically but I have walked out of work feeling like chewed gum. My job back home will feel like a vacation. I have forgotten what an 8 hr day is like. I have forgotten what it is like to sleep at night. Can’t wait to get home and remember. Love you all! –Brad/Dad

DVDs at 367

56 DVDs came in from the Edmonds UU church - way to go, we are at 367 DVDs!

There is a storage unit being make to house most of the DVDs, it will hold 600 for the project.


I have been mailing out the DVDs as they come in. Mailing Lentil soup and mac and cheese among other things for the poor vegetarian! Brad will be coming home mid-May and it is quite exciting for us at home!

They asked Brad to stay on for 4 more months in Iraq, he said he almost started laughing. I imagine a lot of the guys will stick around. Some were impacted with job loses in the changing economy before leaving. Brad has 29 months left until retirement! I am grateful for some many things, thank you all for your ongoing support!

40 more! 311 DVDs

Brad received 27 more DVDs from Soldier's Angels, a non-profit group I am a part of where they pair civilians up with deployed soldiers for letters, care packages, pet sitting, you name it....

More rolled in from our church too, thank you Edmonds Unitarians! 13 DVDs

We broke 300~!!

DVD update 2-25-09 - 276!

Brad has sent out fliers around the base about the DVD program. He has been interviewed about the project and continues to be thanked by people who are really enjoying the program. As of right not it is a closet filled with 250 DVDs on the honor system with soldier sign outs. He has received donations from the soldiers there who brought movies with them and in the mail from friends.

Our church began a collection and the basket is filling up! Justus will be doing a skit on one of the Sundays coming up, should be fun! Thank you for helping and following along with this project!

244 DVDs
+22 Brad's boys
+ 4 Airmen
+ 6 me
= 276 DVDs

Looking ahead, Brad's birthday is on April 28th, I am going to be asking a lot of you to send him birthday cards since he will be spending it in Balad.

Good news for us! When Brad returns the 2 of us will be spending a few days in Catalina! We are going to scuba dive and relax so Brad can decompress some.... Airfare and hotel only ran us about $450 per person!!! Great time to vacation. If any of you have been there and have suggestions please drop me a line.

Also, if you are looking for his mailing address (it is a regular 42 cent stamp) it is at the bottom of the blog, he really enjoys getting mail!

The DVDs will be rolling in...

The Social Concerns group at our church is helping to get the word out about the DVD drive Brad is undertaking in Iraq. They have been generous enough to provide a collection site for the DVDs and post project information. Justus and I went and talked to the group about the DVD drive, they were so excited about it! We already made it to 230 DVDs! I am sure we can hit 1000 with there help.

Brad has reported that the guys are so excited (and quite impressed) that Brad pulled this off so far. So many of you have been generous with sending him care packages and DVDs, a huge thank you to all of you!

DVD update 2-16-09 244 and counting

145 DVDs
+ 20 me
+ 10 Jerral and Jen - thank you!!
+ 12 Senior Master Sargent Shute
+ 52 Soldiers Angels and other airmen
+ 5 from Max's Montessori teacher = 244 DVDs

So many of you are helping with the DVD project! A big heartfelt thank you!

Brad was recently interviewed in Iraq about the DVD project, I will post it once they publish it. The soldiers are excited about having the DVDs. Thank you all for your help!

Stevens Hospital doing an article on Brad-- I got a sneak peek

Many of you know Brad had to undergo multiple surgeries before he left for Iraq. After the experience he commented about his care on a survey card, some time later they called Brad for his story. Steven's Hospital interviewed us both shortly before he deployed. Here is the story...

When It’s More than Just Snoring

When Brad Sharp realized his severe snoring concerned his fiancée, he had enough reason to see a doctor. But when he learned he actually had sleep apnea and it had the potential to end his life and his 17-year Air Force career, Sharp had to take more drastic measures.

“Just like everybody else, you don’t know you have sleep problems until someone tells you about it,” said Sharp of Edmonds. “There’s a huge misconception about snoring, it doesn’t seem like something that’s indicative of any major problem, it just seems like it’s indicative of a hard worker, a virile man in some respects.”

According to Sharp, what convinced him to go to his doctor, Dr. Kevin Harrin of Mill Creek Family Practice, was that his fiancée had such a heartfelt concern about his snoring. His doctor referred him to Dr. McCoy at Stevens Hospital.

When he was referred to Stevens, Sharp questioned his doctor and was assured that Stevens was the place to go. After his experience at Stevens his perception of the community hospital completely turned around. “I was a little worried about Stevens because it’s not Seattle,” said Sharp. “I was hoping for it to be ok but it was fantastic. It’s so anomalous to be treated that well, across the board.”

In his initial consultation, Dr. McCoy presented the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask, a system that delivers a stream of air to the nasal passages keeping them open, as the main treatment option for sleep apnea. Sharp explained to Dr. McCoy that he would soon be deploying to Iraq and that the CPAP mask was not an option for him. In fact, he found out the Air Force considers sleep apnea an incurable problem. If Sharp had to rely on a CPAP machine he would likely be discharged from the Air Force. “I was up against a wall,” said Sharp. “I have put 17 years into the Air Force and I don’t want to lose all that service because I snore. It was huge; it was going to take away the biggest part of my life.”

The first thing Sharp needed to do was complete a sleep study but the idea of doing that created a lot of anxiety for him. “The anxiety level was off the Richter scale for me,” said Sharp. “I couldn’t have had any higher anxiety walking through the door.”

After coming to the Stevens Hospital Sleep Center, Sharp admits, “It was kind of unfair to the Stevens people because they had no idea how much anxiety I had and how quickly I would have bolted if just one person would have given me just one raised weird eyebrow. I mean, I was looking for a sign. But the Stevens technician was great.”

Sharp had a lot of questions about the machines, what was monitored and what it all was going to mean. Kristen Asterhan, the Stevens Sleep Center technician, took time with Sharp to really explain the process.

“I felt like I got a first rate education about what was going on,” said Sharp. “I had no idea walking through the door what was going to happen except that I was going to be hooked up to some monitoring equipment and sleep.”

After getting the results from his sleep study, Sharp felt like he had some validity. “There is a huge amount of anxiety because it’s happening when you are asleep,” said Sharp. “It’s the weirdest thing to be diagnosed for something that you have no cognitive idea of what it’s really about.”

Because of the Air Force, Sharp’s only option for treatment was a series of five highly unpopular surgeries. Adding to that, Sharp was scheduled to deploy to Iraq in five months which meant that he would have to face all five surgeries, which are usually spaced out over months, at the same time: adenoids, tonsils, soft pallet, uvula and nasal reconstruction. Dr. Mueller of Everett Ear Nose and Throat was hesitant but agreed, telling Sharp: “Look, I’ll do it because you’re young and you care… but if you want me to hit a home run you better be fit to bat.”

“We kind of pledged to each other that he was going to do his best and I was going to do mine,” said Sharp. “Lifestyle changes are key. I took up running, became a vegetarian and other things that contribute to a higher success rate.”

Nearly 75 stitches, an intense two weeks and 48 pounds later, Sharp recovered from the surgeries and was cured of sleep apnea, saving his Air Force career. Typically, these surgeries are successful in relieving sleep apnea in only 40 to 60 percent of patients. Sharp attributes his success to a great surgeon and his commitment to the necessary lifestyle changes.

After having the surgeries and enduring recovery Sharp believes that it’s important to share his story with others. “There are a lot of misconceptions about sleep apnea,” said Sharp. “People don’t really take it all that seriously and the spouses adapt to it over time. If your spouse is waking up more than twice a night, I’d say you have a problem and you need to get it fixed.”

Elections, the Superbowl and an email from Brad

Another election has come and gone in Iraq, relatively free of violence...it is a good thing...or is it. Brad said the mortar attacks are almost non-stop (those coming into the base). They are so prevalent that Brad gets very little sleep. We set up a series of code words for attacks. I imagine there is still a lot I don't know day to day.

On to Brad--- He sent an email, I am going to share it here.
Iraq life continued, January 28, 2009

So I find myself musing about different things while I am here in the great sand box. I hope you like reading about the funny little things I see and feel here. I hope as always that I am not sounding like I am complaining but this place is like no other.

I work from about 11pm to about 11 or 12 am. It is not too bad except that night is day here on Iraq. By that I mean we do most of our work at night as it is safer. Also, it is cooler in the summer months and that is better on us “poor Americans who can’t love the heat”. So, with that in mind I work the busy time of the day/night. It also means that if I walk outside my bunker I see the sun set and rise each day. It is odd but if it is overcast at all it turns everything a shade of orange. Not sure why it does this but it sure makes me feel weird when everything looks orange.

There is one thing that is hard to get used to. It is the noise here. Here are the noises that go all the time. I mean all the time, like 24/7. Phones, Radio’s (military), helicopters’, F-16’s with full after burners, cargo planes that never shut down their engines, huge generators, air conditioners, copiers, printers, talking, refrigerators, trucks, busses, doors slamming, forklifts, predator drones, sirens, explosions, controlled explosions, metal on metal, televisions, radios, and a host of other miscellaneous noises I can’t seem to identify. What you never hear; kids laughter, dogs barking, birds singing, people speaking softly, silence. I hear that one of the hardest things to get used to when you get home is the lack of noise. Sometimes it is so hard to sleep, think, and be calm but you can’t figure out why… then it hits you; I just need a moment without noise but it never comes. I bet the people who live just outside the wire hate all the noise we generate. I might if I lived there. Maybe that is a reason they are not so fond of our presence in their land? Maybe we are just too noisy? Final thought on this.. No colors but tan. Boy I could go for some green anything.

Here is the big news for me. I changed jobs here, which is a big deal because they don’t like to move people after the last rotation/bucket go home. I spent 5 of my last 7 weeks in the states taking all the classes to be certified as an Air Force Load Planner. Then, due to the critical nature of the job and my lack of real experience they decided to put me in to Inbound Cargo section. That was fine till they realized they did not have enough Load Planners (LP) so they moved me. Now, a load planner is the guy who looks at everything here that needs to be shipped and takes it from the cargo grid and plans it on the air frame. I also have to physically verify it is all air worthy and safe. This includes all the hazardous material, mail, human remains, signature service cargo, rolling stock, soldiers, passengers and anything else the AF may feel needs to be shipped on a plane. This requires that I be an expert on the air frames and not exceed a single plane limitation while utilizing its ability as much as possible. I also build a model of the plane in a drafting program and balance the aircraft so it will fly. Also, I prepare all the documentation for diplomatic clearances and for the people who fly it, control its movement, load it and ensure it is safe. I can assure you it is very stressful and hard, hard work. I have to work from 2 computers just to keep up and have 5-20 screens open at all time as well as 5-7 documents in front of me all the times. I have to be 100% accurate, because if I make a mistake with any 1 aspect it has a domino effect and can injure people or we could lose a air frame. When a plane goes down anywhere in the world they pull the load plan and the maintenance records in the first minutes of notification. We are on par with air traffic control as far as responsibility and stress. So now that you know what I do, you can imagine I did not want to have to do it with minimal training but what fun what that be? So here I am scared to death that I will screw up and making the best of it in a war zone. Now when I get this down I am the alternate Tender. The Tender is the guy who offers things for sale to the lowest bidder for air transport. We offer it by the pound to companies that fly here for other then military reasons and don’t want to leave empty. If they can make some money on the way out it is a win-win. Tender is about as hard as Load Planner so as you can imagine I am buried all shift. I miss the 40 hour work week over the current 90 hour week. Good news though, they will be cutting my work week back to 78 hours starting next Wednesday. I plan to use it to sleep and then sleep.

Food continues to be an issue. I don’t want to eat meat at all during this deployment but it is very hard. They have an amazing selection of good veggies if I could just figure out how to get to them. They have only had chicken and potato’s or rice for the last few meals. I am getting my on what Mollie sends me or what I can find in the break rooms. I am talking with my boss to see if anything can be done to get me some type of non-processed veggies. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Super bowl! Anyone who knows me knows I don’t really follow sports. I hate all the commercials and hype. Well the huge news is that they are going to let everyone here in Balad get 2 beers and watch the game on 5 televisions positioned in locations on the base. Guess who got stuck moving all the beer on planes into a Muslim country? Yep, we did get the job. Guess how much beer that is? 1,780 cases of beer for drinking during the big event. The General and his staff came to our holding area and got a photo with all the beer. Everyone is so excited. It cracks me up to see everyone acting like they are turning 21 on Super Bowl Sunday. Even if you are just 18 you get 2 beers. Can you imagine? Mollie and I have discussed this and I figure I am going to sell mine for about 10 dollars each if I can get away with it. Ha-ha!

I got a hair cut the other day. Who cares right? Well I do because it is like an outing to me. You go there and some Iraqi guy cuts your hair for about 30 minutes and does your ears and then gives you a nice neck message. Wonderful experience to have while in Iraq. Cost me $3.50 which he gets none of so I tip them $3.50 which is a lot for here. Man, you want to see a guy smile, just tip him 100% of the original cost. Best part of my whole day is seeing that genuine smile and gratitude.

Mollie signed me up for Soldier Angels program and I get lots of mail from people all over the country. These letters are often amazing, heartfelt testament to the goodness of people. I often pass them around our work area when they come then I take them to my pod and hang them on my locker. I write them all back and tell them how much I appreciate their taking the time to write me. Makes me wish I could meet them all and tell them thanks in person. This place is an island in the center of the Sunni Triangle and one of the most violent places on earth. Nice to have a piece of sanity in your hands to remind you that the world you knew is still out there waiting for you to return. Mail is a prize here even though we can and do get email. Real mail says that someone stopped their day and took time just for you. It gets put in the center of the room for everyone to see till you take it. You can feel the meaning of the process.

I have begun to notice that the flood gates back home are beginning to burst for many of us here. I think that the families hold back on everything due to the shock of the member leaving and then a few weeks go by and things build up then the member calls home and it sounds like all hell has broke loose as our love ones feel comfortable sharing all the things they felt bound to hold back. It seems true for just about everyone I work with. We already had to send one guy back due to family issues. Sadly we had one of our Security Police who protect me commit suicide right outside my door (just 22 years old) and one of our Senior NCO’s had to be taken to Germany for telling someone he was considering suicide after bad news from home. Now, don’t think we are all depressed because it is not the truth. Just some people are having a tough time so I try to keep my ears open in case someone needs to talk. Something to think about for sure.

Well, that is all for now. I will try to write more as time permits and I can get it out.

Brad/Dad

Brad broke his ankle

Brad broke his ankle a few days ago. He was running on the base and twisted his ankle. After pushed through with a few days of pain he finally had it checked out. The medical staff considered sending him to Germany but he knows that will only add more time onto the end of his tour. So he is staying put in Iraq tying to nurse the break. Please keep him in your thoughts!

DVD project going really well!

67 DVDs in Iraq
14 DVDs from Wedertz family
60 DVDs from Methodist Church
4 DVDs from Mollie
---
145 total DVDs
Thank you for your ongoing help! Only 755 more (I think we can do it!)

Brad said the soldiers are excited about the project but don't really think it can be pulled off, 1000 anyway. They are building shelves for the DVDs in one of the large offices and placing numerous DVDs in the community rooms where the soldiers gather and rest.

Brad making a difference in Iraq...Mollie making a difference at home (specifically in the bathrooms)

Let the bathroom projects begin! My dad, sister and I have put down new floors, trim, paint and changed out some cabinet knobs - you can see the bathrooms in progress here. I am so happy with how they are turning out!




Some "posed" shots of Brad at work. The are unloading pallet after pallet of beer for the Superbowl game. There is no beer allowed on base generally but the Iraqi government made an exception for Superbowl. Each soldier can have 2 beers. The donated supplies are Bud Light, Miller, Heineken and Guinness.

The DVD project

The DVD project is at 67 DVDs and counting (Brad has a goal of 1000, after all there are 30,000 soldiers on base there).

Thank yous to Fyrne, Ira, Karen and the Wedertz family for the DVDs. Additionally, we have 2 churches helping out! The Methodist church in Seattle where Gerrie goes (a lifelong family friend and my Godmother) and the Unitarian Universalist church in Edmonds (the church Brad and I go to).

THANK YOU all for your help in this endeavor.

We will keep you posted with the project, so far Brad said a lot of the soldiers are really excited about the influx of new DVDs for positive distractions!

1.20.2009

I have waited so long for today. With much anticipation, it is a new day, an electric beginning to what I hope proves to be a new foundation for government in our country. I watched the crowd of 2 million people fill the frigid National mall, it was emotionally overwhelming. I am encouraged with a cabinet that will do business in the light of day to reestablish trust again.

I await a cabinet that will support a president who want to "responsibly leave Iraq to its people" and "reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals". I feel hope today that I didn't feel yesterday. Let this day begin a new.

Mail time!! 1-18-2009

DVD count 50

Brad got 10 letters and 2 care packages today, he was so excited. Eight of the letters were from Soldiers Angels, a non-profit organization I am a part of that writes letters of support to soldiers. http://www.soldiersangels.org/ The care packages were from me, mostly DVDs for the ongoing project Brad is undertaking.

Pictures of Brad in Iraq

The sand bags outside his bedroom for added protection.

His small room, he gets one bunk and a locker/closet, 4 guys to a room (he only has one roommate right now).


Brad opening up the first care package we sent over. Books, Valentine candy, batteries, a poster from Max and Ethan, sanitizing hand wipes, mints, granola bars, and dry protein drink mix.

1-14-2009 email update from Brad

An email from Brad - 1-14-09

Well, I find myself wanting to share more about my time here. Hope you don't mind more random thoughts,I hope this reaches you in the best of times and that you are all well and happy. In one of my previous letters I said that I had come to terms with the fact that dust was just going to be on everything and I was just going to have to deal with it. The next day it rained...yep! So you know what happens when a ton of dust gets wet....yep, MUD! Lots and lots of mud. They have some very angry looking Iraq's going around with a huge vacuum truck and they suck up all the mud puddles. Mud....the other dust.

The burn pit has not shifted in a few days so it has been nice to not smell that putrid death smell. I will hate that smell for the rest of my life.

We got in some boxes from Girl Scouts. They were Valentine's that they decorated. They are super cute and say nice things in them like.."We love and miss you guys" Love Emma, and things like that. You can tell who the really lonely guys are by how they just sit with their back against the wall and read them over and over. We wish we could thank them but they don't want us to have the addresses of little girls. It is a sad world when a soldier in Iraq is dangerous to a Girl Scout in the US in my opinion.

We also got in some boxes of home made cookies. Wow, have you ever seen on the discovery channel when they show the sharks eating. It was kind of like that just with big smiles and laughs. About 2000 cookies gone in a few hours. I hope these letters don't sound too negative. There are a bunch on nice things here as well. One of them is laundry! You take it to a drop point and they weigh it and tag it. 72 hours later you come back it is all bagged up and clean and folded. Nice! Also, we have our own ping/pong table in the bay. I have not had time to play it but I will make time in the near future as I get better at my job.

I have found out that the weather seems to control the aggressive acts that happen. Bad weather is a bad time to be out. It is nice when it's sunny and clear and the wind is calm. Good time to be out side! (The Iraqi's use the dust as an advantage to attack, they run a better risk of attacking and fleeing).

I have had the opportunity to meet many people from other countries. We seem to get along very well as we are all non-natives to this country. I have a friend named Neil and he is from Nepal. He was recruited when his family was robbed of $5000.00 by the government before it was fired and he faced the possibility of being homeless. In his country he makes about $60.00 a month. Here he is making $760.00 a month. He has already gotten his 5k back and will work here till 2010 so he can live well when he gets home. He is often homesick and wishes he could go home now. He is a Hindu and misses the cow that the village has. He showed me pictures of the cow and it is very cute for a cow. He assures me it is a god and told me he would get 25 to life if he was to injure it. I assured him that if I ever visit that I would be very kind to the cow. It is interesting to visit with the various people here. They all have amazing stories as to why they are here and as you can guess they are mostly related to supporting family and needing income. They all are grateful for the "American War" and like their jobs. It is nice to work with such sort of happy people.

We also have a number of American workers here. They make about $50.00 an hour and keep it tax free. They live like we do and take the same risk we do so they seem like brothers in the effort and we get along well with them. There is another group of workers, the guys from outside the gate and they work with armed guards and barbed wire around them (these are "unprocessed" Iraqi's who come in for day labor). They have no cell phones, pagers, cameras, GPS devices, thumb drives on them and are just as likely to be hurt as we are. We don't talk to them but they always wave. I wave and smile back.

I love seeing all the planes that come in unless they are flying over my pod when I am sleeping. It is amazing to see the military machine in motion. Really amazing how much we get done in a shift. I find myself reflecting on if we could just use all this stuff to help the world in poverty.... well you know the answer to that. Sad.

I am considering going to the hospital and volunteering soon. You have to commit to it for a time and I am still not sure about my time. Also, after working 12-13 hours it is just nice to lock myself in my little pod and watch a DVD on the computer. Then drift off to sleep. I am just not ready for what I will be forced to see. I will keep you posted on/if I go do it.

I have not seen the Camel Spiders. It is cold right now so they are not out as much. I guess if you move sand bags around then they are on you. I don't really want a 6-12 inch spider that can run 10 MPH angry at me so no sand bag moving for this guy. We do have lots of small bugs, mice and baby birds around. Would be nice to see a dog or a cat sometime.

I have started my DVD project. I am asking people for them in the cases and not rated above "R" be sent to me. I am going to put them in the work centers so we can watch them on breaks and down time. Mollie has already found 40 of them for me to get started and I am hoping that others will mail them to me or give them to Mollie so I can share them here. If you find DVD's you won't mind never seeing again then please send them my way. Well, hope you enjoy hearing about life in Iraq,Miss you all so much,-Brad/Dad

---------From Mollie----------

Thank you all who have emailed / wrote Brad letters!! Nicole, Ellin and my family have all been super supportive this week. I appreciate all of you who have called me and made time to check in on me. I feel so supported!!!

DVD count: 46 mailed

7, 12 and 40

Brad is working 7 days a week, midnight to noon for 40 days, it is rumored that then he will have a day off. He's not counting. There is a large rotation still there doing training that are about to go home, the constant talk and excitement gets old.

It has been quite difficult to get fruits and vegetables regularly in Iraq for Brad. He works on the flight line so he cannot go to the chow hall for 2 of the 3 meals; he has to eat whatever they bring him. The individuals shuttling around the food are contract laborers with KBR (formerly a subsidiary of Halliburton). KBR has won contracts previously in the Vietnam War as well as World War II. These lower leveled employees are often Iraqi with limited to no English skills. He generally gets large piles of meat and white carbs, he only eats the white carbs. (I bet he is enjoying those protein drinks we sent him.)

Yesterday the boys and I went shopping for fruit leather. I was so excited to find a really yummy dried fruit and vegetable blend that is 100% natural. The kids and I ate it like candy and though it is high in fructose, it will help with the dietary transition.

Thus far I have gathered 40 DVDs. Brad and his office mates are constructing shelves for DVDs and books to trade within their group. I hope to send over more DVDs as I gather them so he can continue to take them to the community rooms. It is projects like this that help him manage day to day.

On a Mollie note, I totally underestimated what my experience would entail with Brad’s departure. I didn't anticipate finding myself paralyzed with bouts of depression and feeling more comfortable socially reclusive. As a usually very active person, I find a lot of my time is used in seemingly nonproductive manners, watching TV, daydreaming.... I have no idea how other women get through similar things, I should start to ask.

Brad's on a mission

I talked with Brad today. I shared with him that the church read a blurb from an email he sent to some friends in his Men's Group. I didn't know Brad was going to be part of the service. I was all strong....until they read the email, and the dam broke. I pulled it together until they asked the congregation to support me, Justus and Bradley through this tough time. It is really heart warming, so appreciated.


After the service I had staff and congregation come check in on me and wonder what they could do. I passed this along to Brad and he said, "man these guys need some DVDs". The limited escape of a movie really lightens the day for those serving. There are community rooms available for the guys to hang out in, they have modest TVs with DVD players. With 28,000 people on the base, movies are in demand. Brad said they watch them over and over and they scrath and skip but they keep playing them.


I have encouraged my friends and family to help me out and see what they can round up. Brad would love to outfit some of the community room with a fresh supply of DVDs. I will keep you posted and see how many I can send over. These guys don't even care if they are new movies, just something a little cheery.


Please let me know if you want to help out. I can mail out one box so you don't have to ship it if you are local.


This is so like Brad. It is innate in him to look for ways to make things easier on other people.


Thank you! and way to go Brad!