Nick shipped out early yesterday morning.
He had a one or two stops to make in country, so by now he's probably on a plane with the rest of his platoon on their way to Kuwait for a couple of weeks of training.
From there, it's into the shit.
Nick will be stationed in Mosul. He's part of an MP battalion that will make regular driving patrols around the region.
What's amazing to me is that Nick is only 25 years old. 25, and he's commanding a group of men who, in all likelihood, will have to kill someone at some point. Not to mention the high probability that some of them probably won't come home. That's some heavy shite.
I try to think back to when I was 25. At the time, I was editor for a small daily newspaper in Kansas. As such, the biggest danger I faced was a tongue-lashing (heh) from a pissed-off reader.
Certainly, I never stared down the barrel of an IED (it's a figure of speech. I know IEDs don't have barrels).
So yes, we're all nervous about Nick's safety. He understandably doesn't like to dwell on it.
We bought him and his Supermodel Wife of a year (my Supermodel Wife's sister), lunch last weekend when they came to town. He reluctantly talked about his mission, and was frank about where he was going and what he was getting into. He noted that most of the support staff will never leave the military base, and as such will be pretty safe.
The MPs units however will face daily danger as they make their patrols. But Nick would rather focus on the task at hand, whatever it may be, than worry about the danger and risk. A result of his military training, no doubt.
So, let me just take this chance to ask you to keep Nick and all of our soldiers on your mind.
And to wish Nick godspeed and safe returns.
tagged: Iraq, Mosul, war, military, soldier
My brother, an Army Reservist, will be going to Kuwait in January to work in a staging area for those such as Nick. But he (my brother) served in Kosovo when he was in the Army back when there was more than enough shooting going on there to make his family more than a little nervous. So I know a little of what you and yours are feeling. Godspeed to you as well.
ReplyDeleteMy heart is with him and his family. My family has a military history too.
ReplyDeleteemaw - I'll keep Nick in my thoughts. As I do every soldier in Harm's Way.
ReplyDeleteBut you'll have to forgive my ignorance. Who is Nick? Son? Brother? I've obviously missed something, and I apologize.
Thanks for on all of the kind words.
ReplyDeleteXO-- No apology necessary. Here's the key hint:
"We bought him and his Supermodel Wife of a year (my Supermodel Wife's sister), lunch last weekend when they came to town. "
emaw - That is the hint that I took to mean that Nick is your younger brother. That was my assumption.
ReplyDeleteBut as you well know from frequenting my blog, I am not a subtle man.
Information is most easily transmitted to me by carving it into a brick and smacking it directly into my skull.
Anything less is subject to misinterpretation or missing it entirely.
Hence my lack of appreciation for poetry.