Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
You haven’t really heard from me, at least in a solid letter form, for quite some time. And so it was that I thought I’d sit down and put together something so I could stop wondering where I left off with everyone.
Let’s start with the job. For those unaware, I am currently stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington – near Tacoma and about an hour southwest of Seattle, so you can all stop asking where it is – and I’m a medic attached to a field artillery battalion. To this point, most of what I have been doing has been training artillery crewmen how to serve as stopgaps until medics can treat patients on the battlefield – the Stryker First Responder and Combat Lifesaver courses.
Which brings me to my next point. Things are happening. Operational Security has been upgraded, and I’m limited in what I can say. There are things I can’t tell you, and I won’t. But if you know anything about the military, or can at least put two and two together and come up with a single-digit number, you’d get some idea of what this all means. We’re going. I can’t tell you when, and I can’t tell you where. But we keep hearing different times – and each timeframe brings us a few weeks closer to go time. I’ve been instructed to tell you, and I quote, “Our country needs us, and we’re ready.” I’m not sure I can tell you either part of that sentence in good conscience, but I am certain that somewhere in your hearts you know the truth.
In weather – Washington sucks. It rains every day, all year, in this state, and then a few snowflakes fall and schools close. Crazy. I have a love-hate relationship with this state and I miss Illinois terribly. I love Seattle, and I have finally adjusted to driving in the big city (I still can’t stand driving in Chicago), but I cannot get past the parking situation. I have discovered the Seattle Center, rich in cultural outreach programs, museums, and theatres, but I still have difficulty understanding why I can’t take my son into the planetarium because he’s under 4. We got back to Illinois in August and in December. The visits were interesting. I do miss home, but at the same time, I feel like an outsider.
No, I have not gotten a tattoo. Perhaps I am truly the only soldier who doesn’t have a tribal tattoo. It seems everyone in my battalion goes out weekly and gets another one on their forearm. I know some people were asking about that. The answer is no.
I have staff duty this week, and I just got off my first day. I’ll see you all later, after I get some sleep.
Duane
