Soldier update Thread

[Nurvingiel]

That sucks JD! I hope he is okay.

I bet your brother will really enjoy your Christmas present. It's awesome to get something from home, but I bet it will have special meaning for him this Christmas. (I was just about to pop in here and ask how he was too. )

[jerseydevil]

Thanks Nurv.

Here is part of his e-mail to me...

Happy Thanksgiving. The food was excellent!!! I ate so much food it wasn't even funny. Well the good news is that I'll be coming home Soon!! I'll be moving to Spain in May.

I understand how Steve feels. I was nervouse when it was my time to go. But he'll like it. I hope he gets an aviation job though (pretty much so that he stays away from the front line).

Well Bob i have best go to bed I gotta wake up early in the morning and save the world.

I like the "save the world" part.

[Nurvingiel]

Save the world - cool. That was a neat email from your cousin. I'm glad he's able to stay in touch with you.

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

Save the world - cool. That was a neat email from your cousin. I'm glad he's able to stay in touch with you.

You had mentioned my brother in your previous post - that e-mail is from my brother not my cousin. But thanks for the thoughts though 0 I appreciate it.

[Nurvingiel]

Oops. I re-read my previous post and confused myself. Well, your borther sounds like a cool guy then. And I'm glad you can keep in touch with him! I hope you can email/write your cousin.

[jerseydevil]

My brother was in the Honolulu paper. He just e-mailed me to tell me he's back home.

Here is the article and picture...

Hundreds of Hawai'i-based troops return from war duty
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

KANE'OHE BAY — More than 300 crew members from Patrol Squadron 9 returned to Hawai'i this morning following a six-month deployment that saw the squadron's P-3 Orion aircraft provide surveillance for Schofield Barracks soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Flying out of Bahrain, the Navy P-3s flew almost every day in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and almost as regularly in Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support. We also provided direct support to those guys on the ground, troops in contact," said squadron Executive Officer Cmdr. Perry Yaw. "We're their eyes in the sky. We're looking for them, and talking to them."

For hundreds of families waiting impatiently today at the Marine Corps base at Kane'ohe Bay, the most important thing was that loved ones were home.

Emily Milone, 22, could barely stand the wait for her fianceé, Aviation Electrician 2 Jeremy Anelli, as she scanned the crew members streaming off the chartered Omni Air International DC-10.

In one hand was a handful of balloons, in the other was a box of tissues, and on a leash was Dakota, the couple's huge pit bull, who was a little more patient.

After a long hug and a few more tears of joy on Milone's part, Anelli said the deployment was an experience.

"A little unnerving at times, but definitely an experience," the 24-year-old said. "Glad I could be a part of it."

Christie Corley waited with her daughters Amy, 14, and Bailey, 6, for the return of their father, Aviation Ordnance Chief Mike Corley, 36.

The return of her husband in time for Christmas "is a big deal. It's a great big deal."

"He missed two birthdays. He's missed braces coming off," Christie Corley said. "He's missed the start of high school, start of first grade. A lot of firsts."

Her husband has been with P-3 squadrons for 15 years. The four-engine prop planes were designed for anti-submarine warfare, but since the start of the war in Afghanistan, have taken on an overland mission as well.

Some of VP-9's 500 sailors began arriving home last week. The "Golden Eagles" fly 10 P-3 Orions, and in addition to the overland missions, flew maritime patrol and reconnaissance in the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf.

Christie Corley said this deployment was a little scarier "because he's been in places I didn't want him to be in."

Teresa Mitchell had similar concerns for her husband, 35-year-old Lt. j.g. Derrick Mitchell, a weapons officer.

Several months ago she lost a cousin who was serving in the Middle East, and a soldier who is a friend received burns on 40 percent of his body in Afghanistan.

"I just feel blessed I was able to talk to (Derrick) every day," she said. "Of course, my fear factor was raised knowing he was in the danger zone."

Teresa Mitchell, also a lieutenant junior grade in the Navy, is deploying in January on an aircraft carrier. Their two daughters, ages 13 and 10, have been going to school in Georgia and staying with a grandparent because of the Mitchell's deployments.

She said it's been hard.

"The kids aren't here, I'm here and he was there (on deployment)," she said. "We're all separated in different places."

[Nerdanel]

Yay, JD! I'm glad to hear that!

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by Nerdanel

Yay, JD! I'm glad to hear that!

Thanks. I don't know how long he's home for - he's going to be stationed in Spain - so I don't know when he leaves for there. At least he gets to be home for the holidays.

[Nerdanel]

Hopefully he can be home a little longer than that. But I guess you just have to be happy for each day..

[jerseydevil]

Well I just got a phone call from my cousin and he's pretty upset. One week before graduation they discharged him (honorably). He said that he didn't do well on the tests and they told him he has a learning disability in reading - so he was discharged. He tried arguing that he was the best shooter on the range and that he has all the skills - abovce and beyojnd what is required to go to Iraq. But they said rules were rules and he took the reading comprehensiuon tests several times. He's pretty bummed out. He said he really liked it and he got to wear the uniform once and he would have been having graduation practice all next week. He told them "couldn't you have told me sooner instead of waiting until the week before graduation". Anyway - he is glad that he gets paid the reast of his life as if he was in the Marines - but he was really looking forward to actually being IN the Marines.

We didn't get to talk much - so that's all I know at this point.

Oh and he told me he got in trouble for me sending him a business card and bookmarks. They said NJ sucks and they ripped them up and he had to do workouts for 4 hours. He said he didn't care. I figured they would give him a hard time about receiving anything from NJ. He said the guys from North Carolina (aka hick state to anyone in NJ ) Just shows their ignorance of NJ.