The Cruise --What a blast!

Well, we just returned yesterday from our 5-day cruise aboard the Carnival ship, Fasciniation. We had a wonderful time visiting Key West and Nassau, Bahamas, as well as taking advantage of the many activities on board the boat.

As many of you already know, the food aboard these ships promotes gluttony, and I wish I could say we all restrained ourselves from over eating, but alas, it was not meant to be. We ate, we ate well, and we ate often. The boys enjoyed the "fancy" dining opportunities, but they also took advantage of the ever-available pizza cafe and the 24-hour room service.

We did stay active, however. We took advantage of the fitness center on board, working out several times during the week. We also stayed active during the shore excursions. We did a parasailing trip in Key West and a catamaran/ snorkel adventure in Nassau.

The crew was great, the shows entertaining, and the music enjoyable. Everything was very good and we had a great time together. The one downside...five people in one stateroom. It was cramped, but we managed.

This was our last big hoo-hah together before I deploy this fall. It was a good time to be together and share the love that we have as a family.

Gold Medal of Remembrance Ceremony

Last night my division honored the sacrifice of children who have lost their fathers while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom. It was a moving and emotional experience, yet it was still filled with hope for the future.

Each of the 32 children on hand received a Gold Medal from the division commander. The medal was designed for the White House Commission on Remembrance (http://www.remember.gov/GoldMedalofRemembrance/tabid/163/Default.aspx).

After the formal ceremony, I was able to set up a quick interview with my boss and the media that was on hand. I sort of eavesdropped in on the conversation and got this video.

I am posting this video so Americans can get a sense as to what makes Army Brats so special. These resilient kids put up with some pretty demanding and unusual situations, and as my boss says, these experiences makes them more prepared for the future when compared to their non-military contemporaries.

Army kids everywhere: you're the best!!

UFC 100...hooooah!

Did you see the fight Saturday night?

Man, what a show that was! My brother asked me two weeks ago to fly out to Vegas to see the fight. He had access to three free tickets and asked me to join him. I was thinking, "OHHHH YEAAAH!!"

Then, reality hit me. Flying from the East coast to Vegas was going to cost a little bit. Add in food, a room, and mad money, and all of the sudden "free" tickets end up costing over $1000. Unfortunately, I had to back out. I'll do something else with him before I go to Iraq.

So, to make up for the missed opportunity, Katie let me buy the PPV. (Thank you, baby!)

All I want to say is, "Dan Henderson beasted Michael Bisping." That was one of the sickest knockouts I have seen in recent memory. I have nothing against Bisping--he's a good fighter, but Dan is a quality American. Don't go dissin' the red, white, and blue on national television, and then think you're going to survive three, five-minute rounds with Hendo.

Lights out. 'Nuff said.

GSP was stellar. He is a quality athlete. I don't know what else to say but that he obviously was prepared to go in there and take it to his opponent. The best man won that fight.

As for Brock Lesnar...well, you had to see it coming. When a man that size starts throwing around those canned hams he calls fists, it has to get ugly. I don't condone his actions, however. After the fight he looked like a punk rather than the world-class athlete I know he is. He needs to take a shower and get all that WWE off of him before he steps back into the octagon.

Overall, an entertaining fight card.

My Beautiful Bride's Birthday

Today is my wife's last day before she meets one of the infamous milestones of life with the coming of her birthday tomorrow. It's true that she will leave one decade and enter another, but regardless she is in the prime of her life.

We went to dinner this evening to celebrate. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Savannah. I made reservations for 5:oopm, thinking I wanted to get in before the crowds. Well...mission success. We were the first diners for the evening. In fact, we had the full attention of the entire waitstaff for about 40 minutes before the next guests arrived.

Strike number one, we looked like out-of-towners. (Y'all don't get to the big city much, do yah?)

In the early evening they offer a $39.95 "special" that includes salad, protein entree, side dish, and dessert. We both opted for that. Plus, we decided we wanted to try a glass of wine with dinner. You know...to look sophisticated with a discriminating palate. So, we looked at the wine list (by-the-glass of course) and noticed some wines cost as much as $25--a glass! We promptly chose a grenache that we knew absolutely nothing about. But, it was the second cheapest wine on the list. We didn't choose the cheapest because, well, we didn't want to look cheap, after all.

Strike two, we looked cheap.

After a very satisfying meal, we looked at our bill (which was over the century mark), and promptly pulled out a gift card for $88. (It was a great deal! $44 gets you an $88 gift card from savannahmenu.com!) In all the meal only cost us about $58 plus tip.

Strike three...wait a minute! That's not strike three, that's a home run!

We had a great time, and I got the chance to spend some quality time with my honey to talk and reminisce about the twenty years we have been together. It was a wonderful time with my wonderful lady.

Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you and am so thankful for the many years we've had together. May God grace you with many, many more.

The way ahead in Afghanistan...by looking back?

A few days ago, a good friend of mine offered me an article about the current operations in Afghanistan, and asked me my opinion. I thought this blog might be a good venue to share that opinion...not to say I think my opinion deserves a wider audience than just a few emails between friends, but I was hoping in reading the article, you too might be able to share your insights and observations.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/30/call_in_the_calvary

The article talks mainly about a British Cavalry officer, Captain Charles Trower and his 1845 memoirs concerning his experience in Afghanistan. The article author asserts that the DoD could learn a lot about how to wage this conflict based on the experiences of this captain.

In reality, the defense department has used past experiences as a ready-made guide in how to execute the current era of persistent conflict we find ourselves in. We have borrowed liberally from the Brit's experiences in Malaysia and Iraq, as well as the French forays into Algeria and Indo-China. They have helped us in determining what does, and does not work when fighting an insurgency or asymmetric/ unconventional war.

We have our own set of experiences, too, learned from our time in Vietnam. Although, these experiences taught us mostly what not to do. Still, many of those lessons have not been forgotten.

Mostly I found the article to be applicable, but not that novel. I would suggest that we have people within our ranks who are already applying the three principles addressed in the piece: incentivize, live and let live, and go native.

While most of my experience lies in the Iraqi theater, I would say we would be wise to listen to, and study the experiences of the past. While our society has progressed immensely since 1845, it appears that Afghanis have not, so the lessons learned by Capt. Trower might be more applicable than we think.

To All U.S. Citizens...

Happy Independence Day!

Worth Fighting For

Last night I took two of my boys and wife to post for another Twilight Tattoo. (My third son was still at church camp) It's Independence Day weekend, and the tattoo was a great way to start off the festivities.

The tattoo again featured the band, a division history display, and plenty of Soldiers on the field in historical and modern uniforms. The jumbotron displayed videos played in synch with the band's music, and there was a howitzer firing battery who effectively punctuated the tunes to great effect. It was a thrilling, chest-pumping, get-out-of-your-seat dose of American and Army pride. I loved it.

The commanding general took about five minutes to speak. I wish I could say I had something to do with his speech, but alas, he writes his own. That's a good thing, because he's a master of oral communication.

I've attached a video I took of his speech. I think people should hear, from the perspective of a Soldier, what the Army is about and why we are here. These tattoos are his brainchild and I give him all the credit for making these events happen. (forgive my cinemetography--I didn't have a tripod and I was using my new Zi6 for the first time)

We're having one more tattoo before we leave for Iraq. I suspect it will be in September some time. Be sure that I will report back to you about it.

Also...Ben was named the runner-up camper of the week! In practical terms it means we get a 50% discount on camp next year. In terms that matter, it means that Ben experienced God in a new, real way and others saw His light shining through my precious son. It was an answer to our prayers that he had a fulfilling and meaningful week.

I asked him how the week went. He replied,"I had fun. Oh, and I grew closer to God." Nothing could be better than that.