Back to Normal Life

I've been negligent regarding this blog while I returned home and spent a month on leave.
The month "off" was wonderful and was spent with family, friends, and horse! Now, I've been back at work teaching 6th-graders for 5 weeks. Yesterday, the kids were treated to Iraq pictures and stories of my deployment....and my friend with his working dog paid a surprise visit! (He is in an early picture on the blog. His job was to find missing Americans so they could be returned to families.) The students enjoyed seeing their teacher firing an M-4 weapon; working with scouts; and teaching communication skills; as well as they enjoyed seeing Tess, the working dog! My hope is that I sent the students off to their holidays with an understanding of the positive Iraqi people I shared with them and another motive to be thankful for their own lives in the USA!
It has been interesting to me the way that memories of time in Iraq pop into my head unexpectedly. It's amazing to realize that we can live in a 6X6 foot space for months at a time and wear identical clothing every day without thinking much about it. It's wonderful to have the varied scenery at home and a car to drive, with places to drive to.
Very little irritates me now...and I hope that remains. I did spend time reading church books in Iraq, which will benefit my outlook on the rest of my life.
I am eternally grateful for the low level of danger that we were able to live under at Victory Base. Many of my students at Baghdad Signal University were from "outside the wire" and returning to the borders of Iraq. I think of them often and wish them well constantly.
I am grateful for the experiences, and the new set of "brothers" I found who now are settled in their lives in Delaware, Washington, and Ft. Gordon, Georgia.
I plan to enter one more entry to this blog, then close it down as it has served its purpose. The last entry will include a few pictures, since I don't have access to them right now.
Thanks for watching as my unit members and I traveled this path.
Take care and continue thinking of the service members as they train and execute their missions all over the globe.
PS: While previewing the posted entry, I see links from some of my words. I have nothing to do with those links, and wish they were not inserted into my blog without my permission. Just wanted to make you aware of that.