Halloween By Tracye WM Prewitt

Halloween....

Black cats and old witches' hats,

Ghosts that fly and bats up in the sky,

Jack O' Lanterns that grin and goose bumps on skin,

Witches' brooms and haunted rooms,

Leaves that fall and popcorn balls,

Ghouls for miles, candy, and smiles,

This is Halloween!

My Nannie.....

Nannie was my grandmother.... I have been thinking of her alot lately. We are coming into the time of year that she made so special for us all. I think I will miss her always because .... missing her still hurts so much and she has been gone for over 20 years. I hope and pray that you all have had someone in your lives that have touched your heart as deeply as my Nannie has mine.... And I invite you all to share your memories of your special someone with us.... As long as we talk about them; remember them; their memories are here with us thus they are still here with us.....

She was the definition of unconditional love. She never doubted that I could do anything. In her eyes I could do no wrong. What a rare gift I was given that for 17 years of my life I had someone to love me in this way. She would do anything for me. She kept a LOT of cats for a LOT of years to please me as well as a host of dogs and a herd of cattle. She chased chicks with a broom … gently capturing one and handing it to me to “play” with. She endured my pet chicken in the house of all things and would fix me homemade French fries for breakfast. She cut out her share of paper dolls out of the funny paper and gave me a drawer in her dresser to store them. She made warm quilts to sleep under and was piecing one especially for me at the time of her death. But of all the things she did, made, or bought for me the gift I treasure the most was her undying love for me and her faith in me. I write because she thought I had some hidden talent. She read my stories with great interest; even if they were about me marrying someone like Andy Gibb and being a world-famous neurosurgeon; not to humor me but I feel she actually believed it could happen. She let me drive her around at the age of 14 with complete faith that I could do it. She would have let me drive her to town or to mars remember she believed I could accomplish anything. She listened to “my” music and listened to me sing it off key and out of tune but she thought and made me feel that I could become some major rock star. I know I know most people say this is the wrong way to raise a child… but she was not one of my parents; they were the ones who kept my feet on the ground… she was my grandmother and my best friend. She provided for me self esteem and self confidence. She also instilled in me love for others …She also gave me my sense of humor because I was her comedic relief. The more she laughed the more I tried to make her laugh… She helped me see the funnier side of life. She was my world for those 17 years and when she died in 1981 I was devastated. My world was gone. My confidant was gone. I was alone in the world. It has been 23 years now since of her death and thinking of it and her still makes me cry. I still feel that pain of the ripping away of a huge piece of my heart. “She can’t be gone She just can’t…” She missed the major moments of my life and that seems so unfair. She missed my graduation from High School, she missed my marriage, she missed my graduation from college, and she even missed the birth of her great grandsons whom she would have adored. I dream of her… I dreamed of her the night before my graduation from High School and the night before my wedding and the night before my graduation from college… so I know she was there … I know she is still here with me everyday… because I think of her everyday… and I dream of her still occasionally and we are back in Franklin, in the living room or on the front porch… And I am home again… And I, me, can conquer the world… It is a nice place to visit and the visits are all to short and it time for us to go… Parting is such sweet sorrow, as Shakespeare said… And I wake up sad and impatient for the next dream. I miss you Nannie, everyday but I have a great life… as you know and I feel that some how even if I didn’t conquer the world and become someone famous or infamous you are proud of me and that makes all the difference. I can’t wait until our next visit and I promise I will be home with you one day! And if I can be half the grandmother you were I will feel that I have accomplished the greatest feat in the world. I love you as always!
You’re Granddaughter, Tracye Wynne Malone Prewitt
Written January 31, 2003

I miss you a little since you been gone; a few little memories keep hanging on. I miss you a little, I guess you could say … I little to much, I little to often, a little more everyday! John Michael Montgomery

Got a picture of you I carry in my heart… Got a memory of you I carry in my soul…. Lonestar

From MS. Asst Kindergarten Teacher To You.....

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN
(a guide for Global Leadership)

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

This is what it means to be HELD.....

Artist - Natalie Grant
Album - Awaken

Two months is, too little.

They let him go.

They had no sudden healing.

To think that providence would take a child from his mother while she prays, Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?

What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?

We're asking why this happens

to us who have died to live,it's unfair.

Chorus:

This is what it means to be held.

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

and you survive.

This is what it is to be loved,

and to know that the promise was

when everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.

We want to taste it, let the hatred know our sorrows.

The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

(Chorus)

This is what it means to be held.

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

and you survive.

This is what it is to be loved,

and to know that the promise was

when everything fell we'd be held.

Bridge:

If hope is born of suffering,

If this is only the beginning.

Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

(Chorus)

This is what it means to be held.

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

and you survive.

This is what it is to be loved,

and to know that the promise was

when everything fell we'd be held.

Please continue to hold in your prayers the Wynne Family of Pickens MS. Also hold in your prayers Mrs. Baker from Dana Road Elementary her brother was injured yesterday in Iraq and they are extremely close! Please hold close in prayer all the brave men and women who are serving our country in war torn and storm torn regions around the world! Pray that everyone who feels alone and lost feels the arms of our Savior wrap around them and hold them in the warmth of grace, mercy, peace, forgiveness and love!

In Memory Of "Ordinary" Heroes

Copied From The 150th Website www.dixiesappers.org

Ordinary heroes walk among us. With uncommon bravery and profound care, they appear in our lives without warning or fanfare. Some wear uniforms or carry badges, some do not, but all wear the armor of integrity, compassion, courage, and honor. Heroes put the needs of others before their own. They can be someone in our family, someone with whom we work, a shopkeeper, a stranger on the street, even a beloved pet. They can be a child, a teacher, a doctor or nurse, or a friend who takes time enough to listen. Our greatest heroes can be anywhere and everywhere we are. Their names and deeds are seldom spoken of, rarely heard. Without a blare of trumpets or a cheering crowd, they become heroes unaware by making a decision in an instant, acting on the spur of the moment, or working tirelessly to rescue, comfort, or to be a voice for those who have none. Heroes work with a passion behind the scenes to support our lives, to defend our honor, and to safeguard our world. They know that great things come from a series of small actions. They recognize a need and fill it. They know how to fight with dreams and visions, and to protect and defend so that others may live. Heroes are defiant in their mission. Their values are never for sale. The world may know little of its greatest heroes, but in our hearts we know who they are. Heroes are messengers from heaven. Their love, compassion, and bravery are God's touch upon humanity. Ordinary heroes are often unaware they are setting an example. By the way they live their lives, they change the course of other lives, making a difference forever. Ordinary heroes are those extraordinary souls who give so much of themselves, ask for so little in return, and show us the divine capacity of the human spirit. --Dedicated to these "Ordinary Heroes" who have graced our lives in so many ways.
In Memory ofMSG Sean M. Cooley150th CEB, Bravo Co.
In Memory ofSGT Robert "Mac" McNail150th CEB, Bravo Co., Det.1
In Memory ofSSG Larry R. Arnold, Sr.150th CEB, Bravo Co.
In Memory ofSPC Terrance Lee150th CEB, Bravo Co.
In Memory ofSGT Robert Shane PughHHC, 1/155 Infantry

Don't Know Much About Halloween?????

Here Are The Facts, Jack!
by Jerry Wilson

The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living. Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween. The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven. The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree. According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer. The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember. So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids.
After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Tribute To My Favorite Time Of Year

Ode To Autumn
by John Keats(1795-1821)

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;Conspiring with him how to load and blessWith fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shellsWith a sweet kernel; to set budding more,And still more, later flowers for the bees,Until they think warm days will never cease,For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may findThee sitting careless on a granary floor,Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hookSpares the next swath and all its twined flowers:And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keepSteady thy laden head across a brook;Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mournAmong the river sallows, borne aloftOr sinking as the light wind lives or dies;And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble softThe red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

What I love about fall....

I love the crispness of the air; the chilly nights; the beautiful leaves;the smell of mums in the air; the brillant blue skies; the huge harvest moons;the smell of smoke from chimneys; the seas of bobbing cotton bolls....

and of course college football!

I Am Learning The Lessons Of Perseverance!

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 - 1892)

A month ago I began a journey. I began the diet of a life time. I say a life time because it took me twenty years to put on this weight and I decided that in 12 weeks I was going to see how much of the weight I could lose. The perseverence comes in with the diet in it self. I LOVE food and I love to cook. So there in lies the problem. I have decided that to lose what I want to lose I would curb my caloric intake to 1000 calories a day or less. I am walking two miles a day so far I would love to increase this to three or four a day but we will have to see ( I barely have time to squeeze in the two). I have had to do alot of research so that we can continue a lifestyle with the boys that they are used to ... we are rather busy on MTW so we eat out on those nights ... so I have had to find out calories at McDonalds, Whataburger; Wendy's and the like. Sundays are usually a loss because we eat out at a nice resturant that day for lunch so I usually cut breakfast or cut way back on calories at supper. I thought in four weeks that my body would come around to what was going on but I still am hungry alot of the time. But I just go on with whatever... and try to forget about it. Sometimes I am so tired by the time I get to the Y that I just want to skip the walk and come home and take a nap but I get on the treadmill and walk. I decided that life would be better for all involved if I could lose the weight. I know I would be healthier. I am learning alot about nutrition and what the body can and can not do at my age. I want to be around to see my grandchildren so it is time to start taking control of my health today. Like I said this has been a challenge for me... I love chocolate; I love birthday cake (but at Nate's surprise party and at my friend's baby shower I passed on the cake) but I love my family more.

I am interested to know if there are any others of you out there who are dieting or trying to over come some challenge in your life... I know there are alot of military families who read this board and I know we are all over coming missing our soldiers and are anxiously awaiting their return... I welcome you to comment here and let us all who are facing challenges in our lives support one another through them...

Good News From Over There

Got a couple of emails today from Dogwood that said that there had been very little 'action' (due to elections) in the area where the 150th is located! They are doing well and everyone is safe! Thanks be to God! We are counting the days guys until you are home and safe!

This is the day; this is the day
That the Lord hath made: that the Lord hath made
Let us rejoice; let us rejoice
And be glad in it; and be glad in it
This is the day that the Lord hath made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it
This is the day; this is the day
That the Lord ... hath... made!

A Prayer For Our Troops…
By Tracye Malone Prewitt

Father God, you know those boys and girls, who are fighting for freedom in a hostile country in a hostile terrain, keep them safe. Watch over them with the ferocity of a father for his children because they are. Help this fledgling nation that we are there to free flourish under democracy and let the people there live in the freedom that we Americans take for granted. Let our soldiers be our ambassadors as well show them the way they should conduct themselves and promote America in the best possible light help them to be compassionate to their enemies. And Father, help those who are hurting due to injury, help them heal from all the pains of the mind and body. Help those who have passed over to you hold them in your grace and welcome them home to live with you forever. Help those who are captive to survive... put you between them and harm. Be with those families who are over here waiting for word ... help them keep the faith! Hold the families who have lost loved ones in the last few days in your strong and loving arms! Help them to understand the whys and hows to all the difficult questions they are asking and let them see that their son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister wife, or husband gave their life for the larger good. They gave their life for what we hold dear... the freedoms of this blessed country. And finally Father help our President and this great land go in the direction you would have us to go, and do what you would have us to do. Keep us safe at home, keep the terrorist at bay and keep our Country strong. Thank you God for your son because through him all things are possible. And it is in His name that we pray.... Amen!

Kevin Kelly asked if we could pray for our troops in the next few weeks due the upcoming elections in Iraq... I wrote this prayer for a children's bulletin when the war began in Iraq. There was a great need then as there is today to pray for our troops, our country, our leaders... as well as for Iraq, and her new leaders... May God show all of us the way that leads us home to Him and may He grant us His peace in times of despair and in our troops cases times of danger. He is with us in the darkness all we have to do is call to Him!

Awards Ceremony October 06, 2005 Dogwood /// The Bronze Star Award

Bronze Star Medal
a. The Bronze Star Medal was established by Executive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962).
b. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Army of the United States after 6 December 1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy; or while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
c. Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star.
d. The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded for meritorious achievement or meritorious service according to the following:
(1) Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The lesser degree than that required for the award of the Legion of Merit must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction.
(2) Award may be made by letter application to Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200 (enclosing documentary evidence, if possible), to each member of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 6 December 1941, has been cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat against an armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945, inclusive, or whose meritorious achievement has been other wise confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 July 1947. For this purpose, an award of the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge is considered as a citation in orders. Documents executed since 4 August 1944 in connection with recommendations for the award of decorations of higher degree than the Bronze Star Medal will not be used as the basis for an award under this paragraph.
(3) Upon letter application, award of the Bronze Star Medal may be made to eligible soldiers who participated in the Philippine Islands Campaign between 7 December 1941 to 10 May 1942. Performance of duty must have been on the island of Luzon or the Harbor Defenses in Corregidor and Bataan. Only soldiers who were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (Presidential Unit Citation) may be awarded this decoration. Letter application should be sent to the Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.

This morning we had an awards ceremony to give out a Purple Heart and Bronze Stars. We also had 3 promotions, well actually only 2. GEN Collins was coming in and it was supposed to start at 10:30, but think it was like 11:00 before it started. He and his entourage came in and the ceremony started. MAJ Nichols started the ceremony by saying a prayer. SPC Martin from B Co. was then called up front where GEN Collins pinned his Purple Heart from the tragic day of June 11, 2005 where we lost 2 great soldiers. After that there were several people called up to get their Bronze Stars. CPT Lyon, CPT Cager, 1LT Davis, SFC Smith, 1SG Walker, MAJ Bratu, CSM Denmark, MAJ Coleman, 1SG Kimbrough, SFC Mote, 1SG Mergenschoer and CPT Ozment. After that there was the promotion of 1SG Mergenschoer to CSM and 1LT Barry to CPT. I spoke of 3 promotions, but really only 2. They made CPT Barlow stand up front since he was promoted like 2 days ago.

Crushing Blow Delivered To The 150th Families Yesterday!

SFC Kevin Kelly was asked to stop blogging by commanders .. this is a crushing blow to moral of all of us military moms, aunts, wives, and grandmas! We relied on Kevin's blog to keep us in touch with our guys .... His blog made us feel as if we were in some small way sharing in their day... We went to mess with them; to church with them etc. We will miss you Kevin aka Good Humor Man! You made this war bareble for us all over here at home! Thank you for the journal!

October 03, 2005 - SORRY TO SAY THIS IS MY LAST JOURNAL ENTRYThis morning CPT Cager woke me up early to tell me that he and I needed to go see the battalion commander. I got up there to find out that I had alarmed some people by writing about us getting the rocket fired at us. I guess some of the families didn't want to know about that and I apologize if I alarmed you. That is why I said it didn't get close to anyone. There were also some concerns about operations security and what insurgents could gather to use against us. I honestly didn't think that I was saying something that would cause problems or I wouldn't have said it. I have known people that have been reduced in rank for something similar and that is something that I can't afford for writing an email. No one told me I had to stop writing the journal, but I just can't take that chance of anything being taken out of context or cause someone to be killed or injured. What I think of as not being a security concern could be by the battalion commander or someone else and that would put my career in jeopardy. I will continue to write my daily email but only to my family and close friends back home. I have been blessed to have met so many people on here that have sent me emails. I have joked around a lot about writing a book and I plan on doing it when I get home. I may only sell 1 copy, but it is something that I have always wanted to do and I think that this is my opportunity. I can promise you in the book though I will give a lot more details than I have on here. I once got an email from my wife after we had talked about a mission one time and then she read my journal entry and she said it was like two different things and it was nice not to alarm people. I have got emails from people from MS, AL, TN, TX, CA, NV, NY, MO and many more states. I will never forget when we had the 36,000 people hit the website in one month. It's great that we got so much support for the battalion. I have always added to my email that I will write more later or tomorrow, but I won't be saying this in this email. I hope that everyone has a great week. Thank you for the many thoughts and prayers for the battalion as well as myself. It has truly been a pleasure, but I value my career a lot more than a journal and hope that you understand. May God bless you and look forward to meeting some of you when I get back home. God Bless, Kevin

Time To Come Home Is Getting Close For Alpha Company!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE CLOSE WHEN YOU GET A PACKING LIST

By SFC Kevin Kelly

Today the excitement that most of us got was a packing list of things that we will need to keep with us while the other stuff is sent in our black boxes. It's not going to be much left. Will kind of stink living in a duffel bag for 2 1/2 months or so, but will be well worth it in the long run. We'll have to get all our black boxes packed up and then we will have them inspected and finally loaded up. Won't see them again until we get to Camp Shelby or perhaps when we get back to the armory. Now you know why I said don't send anything over here that can't be consumed or left over here. Won't be much room left in any of our bags. We have people that are going on leave soon so they won't even be here when their boxes are put in the conex. I don't think they will complain too much.

We've had a couple of meetings now about redeployment. It seems weird to be talking about going home. It also makes it seem like the days are going by slower because you have dates to look forward to. Most of the talks have been about sending equipment and black boxes back as well as what equipment we will be leaving behind. We took a list the other day of how many people wanted to stay back and help load all this equipment out. I myself did not put my name on that list. We had a lot of volunteers. I think A Co. alone had like 20. I think part of the time will be spent in Kuwait and the rest will be spent back in the states unloading ships and taking all the vehicles and equipment to the different guard armories. With me being AGR, that means we will be the ones at the armory when this shows up and we will have to unload and inventory everything. That will be a lot of work, but I'm sure it will make the days go by pretty fast.

We had a meeting today at 3:00 to discuss the priority of sending people home. Each company took their list of people and decided in order when they should fly out. We don't have any dates or anything, but people knew if they would be some of the first, middle or last to go. It was kind of funny in the meeting. You had people who were trying to take care of their guys and get them out early. You had people trying to get some of the problem children gone and some having them stay. We had people broken down by the guys that are staying back (volunteered) in Kuwait to load the ships, advanced party, PLDC and college students and then the main body. CPT Cager knew he was going to be the last one and he got it. The commander has to be the last one here to make sure everything is either signed off on or all the stuff he is signed for is either loaded or transferred to the next unit. The whole thing is that this list is subject to change tomorrow so no one is really getting their hopes up. It was nice to be discussing going home though.

We had to turn in some equipment that will be staying here in Kuwait so everyone had to come to the TOC to turn it in. We then had to check for shot records, ID Cards and ID Tags. It's amazing that so many people can lose those things when they are the most important thing to keep on you besides your weapon. We're trying to make sure everyone has them before we get ready to go home. We all knows what happens if you don't have your ID at the airport. It cost me a day in Kuwait until I got a new one made. I don't want to spend another day here than what I have to.

"Home"

by Michael Buble

Another summer day

Has come and gone away

In Paris and Rome

But I wanna go home

Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by

A million people I

Still feel all alone

I just wanna go home

Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you

Each one a line or two“I’m fine baby, how are you?”

Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough

My words were cold and flat

And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane

Another sunny place

I’m lucky I know

But I wanna go home

Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home

I’m just too far from where you are

I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life

It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right

And I know just why you could not Come along with me

But this was not your dream

But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come And gone away

And even Paris and Rome

And I wanna go homeLet me go home

And I’m surrounded by

A million people I

Still feel alone

Oh, let me go home

Oh, I miss you, you knowLet me go home

I’ve had my runBaby, I’m doneI gotta go home

Let me go home

It will all be allright

I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home