GUPPIE
3-23-06
Hey,
It's the gupster! I just wanted to fill you in and let you know that I'm still alive and still here in iraq. I should be home in a couple of months. I cant wait! I do have access to my e-mail every now and then so if you'd like to e-mail me back. That'd be great! Let me know how things are going. Catch ya later. Let everyone know that I said HI!
-the gupster-
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4-5-06
Thank you so much for writing back. It's always nice to get an e-mail other than junk mail. My ankle wasnt broken, it was just torn apart inside. Close enough to broken I guess, heh. It's fine now. I still wear an ankle brace once in a while. Gotta keep it stable cuz it's kinda crazy over here at times. I will be coming home next month! it feels so good to say that now! I cant wait, and I know Allen cant wait either. Allen's dad is here at the same base as me. I see him every now and then. It's nice. I'll send you some pics of this place with this e-mail. As soon as I get back to the states, I start getting ready to move to England. I got a 3 year assignment there. I found out shortly after I got here. We have to be there by the end of June. It's gonna be kinda crazy when I get home... yet so nice compared to this place, hehe. Well, that's pretty much all that's going on at this moment in time. Hope to hear from you again soon! Talk to you later!
-the gupster-
pictures from 4-5-06
Apr 7
Yes, England will be awesome! Definately a new experience, like this trip. We plan on travelling often there. I am very excited about it and so is Allen. We plan on going to Ireland, Scotland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain... pretty much everywhere! On our trip here to Iraq we stopped in Canada, Hungary, and Qatar. The only other country I had seen before that was Mexico so I'm getting to see more of the world! I love travelling!!! You liked the pictures, eh? We take random pics here when we are having some fun. We usually play frisbee in the mornings before it starts getting real hot out. It's a nice stress reliever. We're being told that when we get home, we have to go through a 4 day Post Traumatic Stress Disorder class... and a class to help us transition back into the real world I guess. They just want to keep us from going crazy, lol. I dont think we really need it, but they are taking all kinds of precautions. We work pretty hard here. I am working about 14-16 hrs a day at least 6 days a week. We usually get one day off a week to catch up on sleep and get some things done like shopping for necessities. The base we are stationed out of has a small BX (department store), movie tent, recreation tent with pool tables and a big TV, and a gym. That's about it. So there really isn't much to do other than work. Besides working aircraft maintenance, I work at the hospital. I went through helipad training when I first got here so I could help with medical evacuations. This base is the main hospital for those coming in injured and going to Germany for more treatment. The choppers go into the field, pick up people and bring them back to the hospital. We get em off the choppers and into the ER... it's kinda like MASH. I also help out at the Chapel there doing visitations and talking with patients. More than not though, we get Iraqis in there. Usually it's the ones who just happened to get caught in the crossfire. Some of them are so nice and they give us a smile and say "thank you." They like to carry little American flags to show their support for us being there. I also work with the Army installing counter IED systems in humvees to keep them safe on convoys. We install the system in more than just humvees. Pretty much any truck they bring to us, we can put it in. You only need about one per convoy, and then we test the system to make sure it works. It's all done through civilian contractors who are over here, like Allen's dad. I just volunteer there because it's actually really neat. They can use all the help they can get. It gets pretty busy here sometimes and pretty crazy because of what's goin on around us, but God keeps his hand over us. I just cant wait to go home. I'll definately be run raw by the time I get there... but it's all an adventure and you know how I love adventures! Speaking of adventures, I gotta get ready to go on one now. Talk to you later!!! -gupster- -------------------