Heroism

What a great summer it has been! The sun is shining and family and friends gather near to be together. Lately I keep pondering. I keep reading stories....following blogs...and just feeling plain out bummed. As I gather with my friends, family, and Jon's family I keep thinking how Jon must feel not to be able to do all these fun things that we have all been doing. I know and support his choice in the Army...but at times I feel bad talking about everything we have been doing all summer. He has missed so many things over the past few months: Parties, festivals, pool parties, amusement parks, beaches, birthdays, and just well spent quality moments. Today I sat with Chris talking about transition. As I looked around I wondered what others thought or the transitions that they have experienced in life. We all know Jon wants to be rambo deep down inside and is eager to earn his "purple heart." However, we just want him to be himself before he left without any injuries and transition very well back into life after this amazing journey. I pray for Jon everyday more than once for this specifically.
I also keep asking: Why is it that a soldier longs to earn the purple heart to be considered a hero? He was a hero to me as soon as I met him. Determination. Honor. Integrity. Strength. Courage. What labels a hero to others? Do we have heroes? Gerald Gillis recently wrote that our societal view of a hero is the fame and fortune of Hollywood. They get the lights and all the attention and rarely see the good will of people being seen. Or sports players who make millions and receive light for going to the Super Bowl. Why not our soldiers? Sleepless nights, horrible conditions, fear 24/7, risking their life, and fighting for ours. Soldiers come back with PTSD and some will never be the same because of the sacrifices they made. How many soldiers can you honestly name who have recieved light because of their heroism? Only six since the war on Iraq and Afghanistan began. How many of the six have you seen coverage on? How many do you know the names of? This shows me that our society doesn't value true heroism. But....we still have heroes. How about the pilot who landed the plane into the Hudson safely with a full crew of passengers? He got full coverage. Or those who contributed to Haiti Relief? Where is the coverage for the heroes who battle cancer, raise their children with one parent and get a career, those who work three jobs to support their family, who give up their time to do missions overseas, and most importantly those who are in uniform and are heroic than any other previous generation. Gosh I love his words and encouragement and that's what prompted this post. He truly has things well said.
I sit here thinking about all the opportunites that Jon has missed out over the past few months...but know that no matter what, he is doing what he's always wanted to do...and he will always be a hero in my eyes...along with every other soldier and veteran who has served the good ole' US of A!
Love and Prayers,
Kristine

Winning or Politics?

Good evening! I hope your week is treating you well. The weather has been absolutely stunning here in Buffalo! It's been awesome to enjoy a great summer for once without rain! I wanted to share something I listened to tonight on 99.5 Christian Radio. There was a gentleman speaking about our current war in Afghanistan. How everyone is so quick to blame Bush for starting this whole thing and throwing soldiers into Iraq and then over to Afghanistan. However, has anyone sat back and thought about Obama? This post may get to some of you based on your beliefs....but it really got to me while sitting in the madness of traffic on the Grand Island bridge this evening. Bush had sent our troops overseas to win! However, it seems that Obama has troops over there for a political war...not to win. If this is the reason (or as I am recently seeing it), then I feel like this is turning into the Vietnam all over again with the casualities so easily being lost. The Vietnam lost 58, 159 U.S. soldiers. It's been nearly nine years since this war began. I pray that Washington and Administration can see the real light to this war and quickly bring our troops home. The stories I have been seeing, hearing, and living, are just not right. If we have a purpose to be there...it needs to be to win. It seems like now if they shoot us, we shoot them back. If they bomb, we bomb them back. There seems to be no true fight other than politics...this may just be the "glamour" that I am only seeing from Media. Who knows?! Either way, I needed to vent.
Better news is that Jon is doing well and he will be home in three months! Ahhh...I cannot wait! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend. I hope to update as often as possible...however, teaching will be getting the best of me in the next coming months! Continue to keep Jon in your prayers as well as the rest of his batallion.
Love and Prayers,
Kristine

A Rough Start...

Boy Oh Boy! What a day it has been. I woke up to messages that alarmed me and news that scared me entirely! I cannot begin to tell you how gut wrenching it is to hear that the love of your life is in danger. I got a message this morning saying that KAF was under attack from insurgents. My immediate response is "Why?" However, I'm recently learning that instead of blaming others...to go forth and seek and praise God. So as I went about my daily routine, I thanked God for his abundant blessings in my life.
I could not stop thinking about Jon's safety. To know that I cannot pick up the phone, drive, or see him immediately in such a time of diar need...left me with uncertainty for most the day. Apparently there was an attack on Jon's base early in the middle of the night. I kept asking who, what, when, why and where? Thankfully Jon called home to let us all know that he was safe! :) Apparently they were all awakened to missle attacks in the middle of the night. I'm sure they knew that they were coming soon since there hadn't been one in nearly a week. Sure enough they arrived full force with a tractor full of explosives that breached the perimeter wall of the base. According to news reports, Talibans have attacked from the North end in the past. However, they attacked from the South lastnight. This is a huge worry and is now leaving new development and new precautions to take into consideration. The fire lasted nearly an hour and everyone at KAF took the steps needed to safety. Thankfully there were no captures or killings. Everyone in the 20th batallion is accounted for! I can only imagine what they think before they put there head to their pillow after a hard day at work : What went wrong? How did we do? How can we do better? That sort of thing. I will continue to praise God for his blessing and protection on Jon and the rest of the soldiers. I know that it has been a pretty emotional day for me and an ever stressful journey for them. This signals a pretty clear intent to not go "quietly into the night."
Love and Prayers,
Kristine

A Glimpse of Reality...

Good evening! It's been a few days since I posted last. It's been pretty busy. Enjoying summer and getting back into the routine of school starting up in a few weeks has gotten the best of me. I haven't talked to Jon since Monday. He said he was going to call yesterday...but here I wait two days later. I hope that he is safe and that everything is going well overseas. I keep hearing alarming stories and just keep praying that it will never happen to Jon. He was relieved to be back from his first mission last he spoke. Therefore, he is going to become very bored waiting for his next mission. There is not much to do, except go to class during the day and workout in the gym at night. Other than that it's entertaining yourself. Of course he has all his books, journals, DSi (such a kid at heart), and laptop but that does not do justice if you do only these four things hours on end. There are only so many books you can read and movies you can watch. Grrrr (as Jon would say) And to top it there is no internet. You never realize how dependent you really can be on such luxuries. I recently shared a conversation that there are alarming rates of suicide due to boredom. June marked nearly 59 suicides in the military because of this. There are two guys who are currently creating a video documentary and trying to spread the message across to all military about this alarmingly high issue taking place right now. I know Jon could think of enough crazy things to do to keep him busy. He has connected with a lot of soldiers who have now become friends. They are always hanging out together.
If you get a spare minute or twenty, write him a letter, send him encouragement, or send his good ole favorites: devotionals, verses, beef jerky, skittles, trail mix, starbursts, DSi games! Anything to keep his mind occupied for the next five weeks. I say five weeks because that is the time he should technically wait until the next mission. They have put a hault of the missions. However, they are taking volunteers for those soldiers who are willing to go out voluntarily. We have told Jon not to do it for many reasons. Little will he listen. His family thinks he'll listen to me....NOT SO MUCH! :) He is stubborn at times...and of course a typical male. So as I write...I think maybe he volunteered for a mission and that's why I have not heard from him? I have no idea.
I recently saw photography of the 20th batallion that I wanted to share with all of you. It gives us as outsiders a closer look at life in their their world. Soldiers are doing mission for 12-16 hours at a time with only a few hours of sleep until the next one begins.
Visit www.globalpost.com/dispatch/afghanistan/100725/full-frame-clearing-the-way to see the outstanding photography of Jon's batallion!
Please continue to keep Jon in your prayers. Last week four soldier's from Jon's batallion passed and come to find out, one of them taught Jon's class prior to him leaving for his mission. Only three months and two weeks until he is home...but hey who's counting??
Love and Prayers,
Kristine

Wise Words...

Good evening! What a busy and long week it has been! Busy in the normal day to day things, long in that I went quite a few days not talking to Jon! After my last post, he was just getting finished with his first mission. What an experience it was. He was excited to share that him and his unit were able to find a IED on a local road. For those of you non-experts in military terms, this is an Improvised Explosive Device. Hey it took me a long time to learn this stuff too...and I learned it on my own...well through various online sources. These are homemade bombs that the Talibans create and place throughout the country on bridges, roads, etc. I recently read an article that these IED's were being put into bags looking like candy in a city surrounded by children. How sickening. Jon's batallion have even found IED's in baskets and had one incident where it looked as if a corpse was laying on the ground. The enemies placed blood on the cloth so that when soldiers or local civilians went to grab the "body", they would get blown up. Again, thanks for my online 20th batallion sources! :) I don't think Jon would share that much information with me...ever!
I never realized how important and yet dangerous Jon's job really can be. How scary for local Afghanis who want a shot at a good life here on earth and are constantly being challenged with that on a daily basis. Anyhow, he has finished his first mission and has been sitting in a local unit near their mission for about two days waiting for a flight back to KAF (his original base.) So in the meantime he has been heading to an Army recreational facility so that he can get online and chat through skype. It has been a glorious two days. Not only because I got to talk to him...but I got a once again encouraging message in my inbox. Another sign from God.
On May 29, I was truly touched by a message that my pastor (Jerry Gillis) spoke on. It was Memorial Day. As he began speaking his eyes filled with tears and he read what his father had wrote. After leaving service that day, I kept thinking how I could get access to this information other than visiting http://www.thechapel.com/. His father truly has a way with words. I walked out heading home googling his father's blog, asking others, and just not having any courage to go up to our pastor and ask him. He's kinda famous in my eyes. So therefore, I got nothing. Two months later (yesterday) I get an e-mail saying Kristine I prayed for Jon today. Signed, Pastor Jerry! What a sign from a God and a great opportunity to get in touch with his father's story and blog. I was able to get Gerald Gillis' blog. What an amazing writer he is! Here is a special blog entry that was shared:

Since the sound of the first shots being fired at sunrise on April 19, 1775, in Lexington, MA, through the present-day sounds of battle being heard in Afghanistan, there have been an estimated 1,314,000 Americans killed in combat in service to this Nation.
Think of it this way:Twenty-two miles driving distance from Lexington is Boston's Fenway Park, with a capacity of 39,600 people. Fenway would have to fill to capacity a total of 33 times to equal the number of American war dead in our history. Thirty-three times! It would have to sell out every day in May, plus June 1st and 2nd, with different people each day, to reach 1.3 million total.
And that doesn't count the thousands upon thousands of wounded-physically and/or emotionally-who bled and suffered and came home changed forever. It doesn't count the grieving parents or the widowed spouses. It doesn't count the children left without a parent. It doesn't count the friends and classmates and teammates and unit buddies whose grief also adds to and pushes out those ripples of impact that spread far beyond the home address of the deceased. For every U.S. soldier, sailor, Marine, or airman who has fallen, for every white cross or Star of David in an American or foreign cemetery, many, many more have been touched.
Our fallen heroes are our collective loss. And, odd as it sounds, it is also our collective gain. We are free because of them. We can choose how we work, how we play, how we worship, whom we vote for, where we live, because of them. We have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in more than just the theoretical, because of them.
When Old Glory snaps in the breeze, proudly displaying its radiant colors and soliciting emotions that tend to constrict one's throat and moisten one's eyes, when taps plays and drives its somber notes into the very deepest parts of us, think of them. And their families. And those who are in harm's way, stil, in dangerous and far-away places.
But especially think of them. All 1,314,000 of them.
They gave us all they had. They've honored us, and made us better. "The last full measure," as Mr. Lincoln so aptly spoke at Gettysburg.
Now we pause to honor them. And to thank them. All of them. The thirty-three stadiums of them. May they rest in peace and may God bless.
-Gerald Gillis


How awesome, how incredible, how emotional. Gerald Gillis was a Marine himself. Today he is a writer. He recently published a book Shall Never See So Much. This book focuses on times during war. You can also follow his blog with updates continously and encouraging words. http://www.geraldgillis.blogspot.com/ -A Second Act.
I especially wanted to share this with the scary news of what has been going on the past few weeks right in Afghanistan. Four soldiers from the engineering company died last week. Yesterday, two more navy men were taken from the Talibans are either dead or being held hostage. July marks the deadliest month so far since the war began 8 years ago. We need to be thankful for each day we have and know that this is only our temporary home. Continue to keep Jon in your prayers. And thanks for everyones love and support during this difficult journey.
Love and Prayers,
Kristine

You Never know who You're Going to Meet...

What an interesting evening it was...or shall I say another sign from God! I was with friends lastnite at our local canal fest. As we sat talking I noticed a few guys in uniform hanging out. For those of you who don't know me that well...I tend to be well you know very approachable. I noticed these Army seargents in gear and felt that I needed to say "Thanks for your service." As I try to do whenever I get the opportunity. I never thought it was that important until I picked Jon up at the airport and heard everyone thank him. As I approach them with my kind words he returns and says well we cannot do it without all your support...so thanks to you guys too! We got to talking...and because I love to brag about Jon, of course I told them about him being in Afghanistan. When talking about missions and not knowing when we would hear from him again; he told me that there were a few sites that you can visit to stay updated on what is actually taking place where his engineering company is stationed. So this morning when waking up, that's exactly what I did! Sure enough...his batallion has a facebook page! Another reason why I love facebook! You can join their page and the commander updates with news every few days. It was interesting learning about the new bomb robot named Talon that the soldiers are starting to use to detect roadside bombs (See picture above). I also found a site that posts pictures from their batallion as well as various news. There are pictures of Jon's unit arriving in Afghanistan. This site is www.20thengineers.com/afghanistan.html I hope everyone has a great weekend! Continue to keep Jon and his unit in your prayers!

Love and Prayers,

Kristine

Mission has Begun

Good afternoon! It is official! Jon has left for his first mission. He called Monday night and was very tired. He was awakened once again but for a different reason this time. Someone in his unit lost a part to a weapon so they had to wake up at 4am to go on a search for this missing piece. Still not sure if they ended up finding it...

Tuesday was a sad day for me. I was sad to know that Monday ended up being the last time I would talk to Jon until he finished his mission. He arrived Tuesday in a different part of the country and found a computer to use in a cafe with limited internet access. As I sat tutoring, he was texting me through facebook. Getting a text is not the same as hearing the one you loves voice on the other end. There truly is no comparison. He noted that he would not know when he would be able to call or even send a message again. If it all goes according to plan; I'm hoping that it will be a week like he said when he first began. It has been two days and I sit here waiting to be excited with a call or anything to know that he is okay. I know that God is watching over him and protecting him. I pray that he is safe as he is currently working on his first mission with the "enemies." I imagine the fear, anxiety, and determiation that he and the rest of his unit must be feeling during this first mission experience. Please continue to pray for strength and determination during this difficult time. I miss him so much as I'm sure many of you do as well.

A friend shared some culture pictures of what life is like for those who live in the country. Jake served a year in the Army as well. So many times we sit here asking for more, wanting more and needing more! It is important to be thankful for the things that you have and not to dwell on always wanting and having the bigger and better mentality of life. Please continue to keep Jon in your prayers. He needs them more than ever!

Love and Prayers,

Kristine

Getting to know one another

Life during war

Protecting the streets