Thanksgiving

I am a bit late with the Thanksgiving post. Sorry! We had a brief the other day and our 1SG showed us this quote an just thought I'd share with the group. This was written by a soldier in 2005 I think..
As America wakes up this morning they will turn on the TV to see why we are fighting in these wars. Today is supposed to be a special day for our country, to celebrate why we are thankful and to gather family. For guys like myself, I will break bread with the men that I serve with here. We’ll play it off and pretend that we don’t care but deep down inside we all do. We all know what it’s like to be home and be with out families. That is not the case this year.
I am here now and I am thankful for being able to serve our great nation. The ability to serve is something that I wish all American’s could experience. What are you thankful for this year?
Although I am half a world away from my loved ones I have not forgotten what home means to me. Between the hustle and bustle of normal life I can see where people can forget what they are thankful for.
So when you break bread this afternoon, say your grace and appreciate the opportunity to be there with your family and loved ones. Don’t allow the bullshit that others are trying to do to spoil your day. Turn the news off and know that those who serve will take care of this mess.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Just thought it was kinda cool. My Thanksgiving was definitely one I will always remember. They went all out with the meals, I think they included anything they had ever heard Americans like. Let's just say if I told you what all they served you would think I am not actually in Iraq ha. It made me remember that not everybody deployed right now was in a position to have the kind of meal we had, or even to get the day off. I am sure most people in Afghanistan had a very different experience than we did here. So I am thankful to be where I am.
I was also thankful that we are experiencing these holidays at the end of the deployment. I can honestly call many of the people here family now. I cannot imagine how difficult the holidays would be at say the first month or two of a deployment. Things sure have changed here during the last couple of months. We have started realizing that our time together is coming to an end and most of us are not even from the same state. It will be difficult to see each other once this deployment ends. I have enjoyed the extra time we have spent hanging out recently, whether at the softball field or in front of the Xbox, ha.
After lunch we went and played some Xbox of course. What would you rather do on Thanksgiving than play Halo? We followed that up with another big dinner (same food from lunch ha), and then just hung out outside the rooms all night. Turned on some music, had a bunch of near-beer, and just hung out.
This may have been the most random Thanksgiving ever, but will def. be one I don't forget. It will also always be a memory for the Thanksgivings to come to remind me to appreciate the family time I get when I can get it. I missed being with the family, but I know this will come to an end soon. It is funny to think about because we are nearing the end of deployment and they are starting to talk to us about going home. I feel like I never thought these days would come. The whole deployment process I worried about what it would be like to get here. Talking about what to look forward to on the way home is just crazy. I hope everyone has a great day and that y'all can pull Auburn through today. I know we will have a large group of family at the game so I am looking to you to get the win. Do not fear though, I bought chips and dip, and some mountain dew and we will have our own Iron Bowl party here in Iraq. I love you all!