Hey guys!!

Just thought I would drop a line and say Hi!! I'm setting here in Iraq feeling a little homesick and found
this place. I live in Moore now but I grew up in Eufaula and Krebs. I get on the net every chance I get just to look at the weather in Oklahoma and I always try to find pictures of everything and anything green.
You would be surprised how much I miss the smell of cut grass.
Well, got to run, so I'll close this out. God bless and have a great day!!


Jerry
Al Asad Air Base
Al Anbar Province, Iraq

Just read your post and wanted to say THANK YOU!!!!!! I pray for everyone of our men and women that are over there. I especially have a place in my heart for the ones from Oklahoma. Our church prays to keep you guys safe and come home to us. If you would give us an address our youth would like to send you some mail. You take care of yourself and we will keep on praying. OH yeah I guess the next time I gripe about having to mow the yard I will think of you. I have had to mow once;O) Take care---Viola

Hey Viola!!

Thank you so much for the reply!! I really didn’t expect anyone to answer
so I didn’t check this all that often. I would also like you to thank everyone at your
church for me, that is so very nice to hear. We all know how people like you support
us over here and I’m honored to have you reply! The support I get when I’m home
is because of special people like you.
As for Letters to me, I’ll tell you, I’m an “old” married man with 2 kids so I get all kinds
of stuff from my wife, kids, Mom and Dad. But I’ll tell you what I’ll do, there are some
of my friends over here who don’t get very much mail. I’ll get their names for you. We
always share our stuff from home but if they got some stuff it would thrill them to death!
Plus I’m tired of sharing my cookies…………. just kidding!
And another thing Viola, I’m actually looking forward to getting home and mowing my
lawn! I may even do it bare footed!!

Sincerely,


Jerry
Al Asad Air Base
Al Anbar Province, Iraq

Hello friend,

Well glad your doing ok. I bet your family misses you as much as you miss them;o( How much longer till you can be with them? Hope soon

We took our youth to the nursing home today for a short singing and message from the pastor. I think they enjoyed seeing the little kids more than anything. We have one nursing home and each church takes turns each Sunday for about half hour, so we go about once every couple months.

I have been married for 30 almost 31 years and have 2 kids and 2 GRAND kids. So I got ya beat on the old folkie. We have kids your probaly have kids your age;o)

We got married at the parsonage of the little church we now are members. His family has gone there for years and when his dad died 3 years ago he asked Ken to take his family to church and take care of his mom. We would visit throughout the years but now we kinda hate to miss we are small in number so we have lots to keep us busy. My husband drives the church van that surprised me cause he is short on patience. So for he hasn't lost it;o)

This Oklahoma weather is crazy. We run the air one day and turn the heat on the next.

Hey we are FreeWill Bapt so we like to make cookies:O) I think from the looks we like eating them alsoHEHEHE If you know someone that doesn't get any mail let me know and we will try to get them some cookies:o)

Well friend take care and we will keep praying for all that is over there. Come home safe to your family
chat at ya later Viola

Hey ya Viola!!

I don't have any grandkids yet but I think it may be a little early for that.
Wow, you sound like you have a lot on your plate and are pretty active. That's great, but to tell you the truth when I'm at home I just like to set on my porch and look at trees, grass and flowers. The air in Oklahoma is sooooo different from out here. It's dry and usually even with a slight breeze you get dust and sand in the air. Being a man, I don't clean my living area as much as I should and dust gets on everything.
There's also no color out here. It's all a light brown or tan. The grass you see is really scruffy and stiff. We do have a lot of date palms on the base. Oh yeah, Al Asad Air Base has Abraham's Well on it. We are kinda restricted on access to the site but we sneak in to take pictures now and then.
My family misses me but they understand why I'm here. I feel sad missing my boys birthdays but I always make it up to them when I'm home.I even got to go home for Christmas this year. The first time in 2 years I was actually home. My Mom and Dad set up a kinda family reunion for me and All my relatives from across Oklahom were there. Mighty nice.
Hey I got some names for you. I talked to one of the company LT's and she knows some soldiers who are single. If you send the care packages to her she'll distribute them to the soldiers.Here is her address.
It was really nice of her to volunteer to do this.

1LT Jodi Brown
TF Al Asad 47th CSH
Unit # 73325
Al Asad Airbase. Iraq
APO AE 09333

Here are a couple more that I know don't recieve hardly any mail.


LCpL Lee SSgt. Patterson
MACS-2 Det. HQ MACS-2 Det. HQ
Unit# 78080 Unit# 78080
Al Asad Airbase, Iraq Al Asad Airbase, Iraq
APO AE 09333 APO AE 09333

I would like to thank you in advance for this. We all know that everyone is busy with their own lives but for someone to take time to send something to a total stranger is very special.
You are a Real World Angel.

Your Friend

Jerry
Al Asad Airbase
Al Anbar Province, Iraq

Wow, thier names ran together plus I got the adress wrong, here you go:

LCpL Lee
MACS-2 Det. HQ
Al Asad Airbase, IRAQ
FPO AE 09509-8080

SSgt. Patterson
MACS-2 Det. HQ
Al Asad Airbase, IRAQ
FPO AE 09509-8080

Hello Friend

We will get right on this project!! To start we will send stuff to these two and then take it from there.

We will gets some letters first. These kids are 12 and under is that ok? We are very small we have about 15 to 20 kids. They may all send letters but they can send one letter to Ken and me and we will read it to the kids.

Does everyone have access to computers?

I will read up on how to package the cookies. I read a few post and it said not to send chocolate. It said some ways to package the cookies but said but don't worry they would eat it even it was crumbled. Gee that makes a person see how we take things for granted. Even the smell of grass:o)

I have never had to be away from my family. Years would break my heart. I THANK YOU my friend for all you guys miss out on. I knew but guess I really didn't get a grasp as just what you guys do miss untill getting to chat at someone that is over there. I have cousins and some of their kids that are over there but are not really in contact with their immediate family.

I guess I am firen the questions to you (sorry) Just one more ;o) Do you get to do the web cam with your wife and kids? I hope so. I never been into doing the web cam stuff but if My kids or husband were away like you guys are something like that would be great. My husband has a computer business so our kids and grand kids are always having to bring them to him to cleanup and get all the junk they download. I laugh at him cause he tells them not put all that stuff on it and it would work alot better. I think that goes in one ear and out of the other;p)

Well friend gotta go so you take care and come home safely to your family chat at you later--Viola

Hey again Viola!!

Yeah, that would be great to start with letters. I haven't told anyone but the 1LT about giving out names. I know they will be happily surprised. Just put a return address on it and they should respond. I think they will especially enjoy stuff from kids.
You'd be surprised at how stuff makes it over here. I think I've eaten more crumbs, smashed cakes and melted food than anything but it still tastes great. We have dining areas called DEFACs( designated dining facilities)and there's always the ever popular MRE’s(Meals ready to Eat) but they just can’t beat food from home. My Mom sends me pickled okra which is one of my all time favorites. Of course I share but I also have a little stash I don't tell anyone about.
The thing with chocolate is that it melts. Most of the stuff we receive sets on a runway somewhere for a day or two and being in the desert, it get's mighty warm. You’d also be surprised at what some people try to send over. Most of it makes it but sometimes the stuff goes south, if you know what I mean.
I don’t have a camera on my computer because it’s a government computer and we are limited to their use. I try to phone home every night though. That helps just to hear my family tell me about normal stuff. Of course I don’t tell them about some of the stuff out here. I don’t want my wife and Mom to worry too much. My Dad knows though, he’s former military and was gone a lot when I was young. I guess it runs in the family to do this.
My relatives always ask about the things that go on out here but I don’t think they really want to know. Plus I don’t think it would be nice of me to tell them some of it. I don’t mind though, it’s what I signed on the line for. I have a couple cousins who have been here so they know but don’t say much either.
Oh well, sorry but I was kind of venting and it’s always nice to talk to a friend.
I’ll talk toy you later Viola!

Yours friend,

Jerry
Al Asad Airbase
Al Anbar Province, Iraq

Hello Friend

WOW!!!!!!! I just googled your Air Base. First thing I clicked on was telling about Al Anbar was one of the dangerous places over there. Be careful my friend. I know you keep saying thats what you signed the line but We over here can't thank all of you enough for the scarifices you all do for our Country. Does your Wife & kids live close to your parents so they can have memoral support for each other. Are you making this your career? What branch of the military are you from? Geeeee what sand storms yall have to endure. This is kinda funny;O) Your looking for stuff about Okla and I'm searching stuff over there. Now after looking at the some of the pics over there I see what ya mean about the grass over here;o) Well guess I better get off here,so for now We pray that the good Lord keep you safe and bring you home to your family soon. Later--Viola

Hey there Viola!!

I was just getting ready to call it a night and checked here first. My wife and kids live about 2 hours away from my parents. That’s not really that far. So if anything happens they’re pretty close. To tell you the truth, my wife didn’t really want to be that close to my parents but I can’t blame her. My Mom can be a busy body but I love her to pieces.
I’m with the Army Medical Corp. Due to operational security I can’t tell you what company or division. But I can tell you we’re helping train the Iraqi Army so they can better help themselves.
I tried to post some pictures here of our last group but I just can’t get them to post. There’s one in there of a little Iraqi girl and me during one of our patrols. She’s about the age of my oldest. I’ll try to figure this out and get the pictures posted.
Well, I gotta go get ready for a poker game plus it’s pizza night( doesn’t taste anything like REAL pizza, but I add ketchup and garlic salt to it to get it close) Some Navy buddies of mine are getting into the game tonight and man, are they terrible at poker. We play for POGS, that’s what we get for change over here, no real coins. Real coins jingle in your pockets and depending on where you are that can be a bad thing. All the coins over here are cardboard. Go figure.
I’ll try to get you some pics of over here. I’ll talk you later!!

You’re Friend,

Jerry
Al Asad Airbase
Al Anbar Province, Iraq