Home At Last!!!!!

Hello everyone and hello from the USA!!!

Yes, I am back on US soil and ready to end my adventure. It has been a long 16 months and I know a lot has changed while I have been gone. It will take some time to get back in to the swing of things and get back to "normal". I still have 2 weeks of school to get through at Ft McCoy and then I will be back for good around the 17th of August. Now to tell you how I got home.......

First, on the 18th back in Balad, we had to get all of our stuff ready to go at 4am to go over to the terminal. Come to find out, when we get to the terminal the plane we were supposed to go on left at 2am and they hadn'tt found a new flight yet. Next, they told us that they had a plane with 40 spots on it and I was one of the lucky 40, so I thought. The plane broke down on the runway and we were stuck in it for a hour and a half in 125 degree temps in full battle rattle. I was Soaked!!!! After we got off that plane we were told that the next flight out would be in a couple of hours, but that turned into all day. Needless to say, we didn't leave on the 18th and we had to find a tent to crash in for the night. The morning of the 19th came and we had to be at the terminal at 8am to see when we would have a flight. After we got there, they had one for us right away and we had to hurry to get on it. This time it was able to take off and get us to Kuwait to wait some more. The morning of the 20th came and we had to be ready by 3am to load up the trucks and get ready for our 9:30pm flight. It was crazy. We had brief after brief, then we had to go through customs (all 350 of us at the same time). When that was done, we got to sit in a holding area for about 4 hours before the buses would load to go to the airport. Then off to the airport to sit and wait there for about a hour before we boarded the plane. Finally we were off to come home. After 15 hours of flight time and 2 stops we found ourselves in Wisconsin!!!!!

All I can say is that I am so glad to be home and see green grass, trees, and of course Sarah as you see in the picture above. I look forward to see all of you in the near future or at least talk to you without long distance charges. Have a good week and I'll talk to you all again in about 2 weeks after school.

Thanks again for all of your love and support over the past 16 months. I wouldn't have gotten through it without you.

Dan

Just A Quickie

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to drop a line to all of you and tell you that I am almost out of here. I move tomorrow to the east side and then to Kuwait 2 days later. I can't wait to get back to the states and see green grass, trees, and BEER!!!! After I get back I have to go to BNCOC course and then I am done.....YEA!!!

I can't wait to see all of you again and get back to Sarah and my civilian life. I have had the past 3 days off to get ready to go but I just went to the pool and worked on my tan. So now I am off to finish packing and get ready to go. The next time you here from me I will be in Wisconsin!!!

Talk to you all later,

Dan

The End Is Soon.....

Hello everyone

I hope that everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend and is ready to get back to work. I had a good week this week because our replacements are here!!!! Our battalion has been getting them up to speed on what we do and how we got the job done. The days have been going by much quicker with them here that is for sure. Also on the fourth the camp fired off the Phalynx guns that shoot down mortars all at the same time. It was awesome to see the tracers shooting through the sky. I took some video of it and so did a lot of other people. I will have to post the video when I get to faster Internet in the states so all of you can see how cool it was.

Also this week I got to go to the pool and work on my tan for when I get home to Sarah. For once I think that my tan will be darker than hers but I wont bet any money on it. The pool is very refreshing on 120 degree days and there isn't any shade in site. Our platoon also got matching t-shirts that say LSA Anaconda on them and we had numbers put on the back so that when we get home we will all wear them to a party together. Show our team unity so to speak.

I am so excited to get home. I have dreams about home almost every night now. I dream about Sarah and being with her and sitting in my home. I dream about wearing civilian clothes and going to a real store and getting real milk and food that I like. Just a little bit longer and all of my dreams will come true and I can't wait.

I may not be able to post next week because of all of the stuff we have to do to get out of here so if I don't talk to you before then, have a great week and I see you in the United States!!!!!

Dan

One Week Closer

Hello Friends!

I am writing for Dan this week as he has been busy packing and the public computers have been very busy.

I finally bought a car - a new '09 Corolla. It should arrive by the end of July. Dan was very excited. He told me that I was over-researching my purchase. I asked him what he meant. How did he research buying a new car and he said, he goes to the dealership, test drives the car, and if he likes it, he buys it. For those of you who know me - this simply won't do. I need to pour over Consumer Reports, test drive the car and it's competitors, search the area for the best price, hem and haw for a week or two, and then take the plunge. And then, after all that, I always have buyer's remorse and wonder if I got the best deal. It's quite the process and why it's taken me over two months to buy a car.

I also went up to our cabin for our annual vacation. It's the 79th year that the "Erickson Sisters and their families" have been going up to Kilworry Resort in Pine River, MN. Only two members of our immediate family were missing - Dan and my cousin Matt, who is serving in South Korea. We had beautiful weather, caught lots of fish (yes, I even fish), and had a good time chatting and catching up.

I also drove into Brainerd to look for a new car. If anyone is looking for a Hyundai, (the Elantra is a Consumer Reports recommended) there is a nice man named JD Grimsley that would love to help you. He was so low pressure and very friendly. I almost wanted to buy a car from him because he was the exact opposite of what you think a car salesman should be like. I told my parents that I didn't feel like I needed to take a shower after talking to him. I also found out the Hyundai offers a $500 discount to military members and their family.

As the days pass by, I'm getting more and more excited to have my hubby back. He left last April 9. It's been 15 months! I'm trying to clean the house, but I think I'll have to give in and hire a cleaning lady. I just bought a cute little wall hanging that says "I can't clean the house and save the world at the same time." I thought I'd display it prominently in the house so he can see it when he comes home.

Lastly, due to Dan's army schedule, we have to reschedule Dan's welcome home party, so I'll email out new details as soon as I figure out when to have it!

Hope to see you all soon!

Almost There

Good Day Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a good weekend. I know that my days are getting better each day that goes by because it is one step closer to being home. This past week we started to really started packing and getting ready for the next group that is coming in. They are already in Kuwait and I can't wait to see there smiling faces when they get here. I think about when I got here a year ago and what must be going through there heads as they get ready to come here. I have to say that I have changed a lot from that day to now. I am almost ready to turn a page in my life and begin a new one when I get home. Over the year I have learned a lot about myself and who I am. That's one thing I have here is time to reflect on myself and wonder what the future holds for me. I know one thing, I can't wait to be home with my wife, family, and friends that have supported me throughout this entire deployment and say thank you to them for being there for me.

Also this week I got to go to the pool again and do a little swimming. It was 115 out and it pool felt soooooooo good. I have also talked to Sarah a lot this week about the car she is buying. I want to say thank you for your votes and I know that Sarah is using your input in her choice. Personally, I like the Corolla but I am biased because I have one already and I do like it. This is Sarah's car so it is totally up to her on which one she gets. The Battalion also completed the painting of the side of our hanger with our patches as you see in the picture above. That way is our way of saying we were here to all of the other units that will pass through here. Other than that, it has been work as usual around here. We will have our company and battalion cookouts this week before we get out of here. I am looking forward to them because I do love a good cookout.

Everyone take care and have a good week and I'll talk to you all later.

Dan

Happy Fathers Day!

Hello again and Happy Fathers Day to all of the fathers out there.

This week has been a slow one because we are so close to the end of the deployment. People start thinking of home and doing things with their family and friends and I'm no exception. I am looking forward to my party that will be on the 16th of August and hanging with all of my family and friends. Sarah is putting a lot of hard work into setting it all up and having the house ready for everyone. Sarah and I talk all of the time about what I want to do when I get home and I tell her that I am looking forward to just being with her and having a steak on the grill. That's my idea of a good time. I just can't wait to be home.

I have also been helping Sarah pick out our new car this week. This will be Sarah's car to drive to and from to work and shopping (She does love shopping, as do I). She has cut the field down to about 4 choices and now we debate about the different features and gas mileage that each one gets. She is looking at a Corolla, Rouge, Accord, and an Altima. All of them good choices so she can't go wrong with any of them. I have my poll to the right for your input on these 4 choices to help her along. She is planning on doing some more test driving when she goes up to the cabin next week in Brainerd so the sooner you vote, the sooner she will get the input from you.

That's it for this week. I do want to say a special Happy Fathers Day to my Dad. I hope that your day was a good one and I can't wait to golf with you when I get home. I love you Dad. Take care everyone and I'll see you in the funny pages.

Dan

Just Another Week In The Big Cat Box

Hello all and welcome back.

This week has been very hot and sandy here in Iraq (Like you didn't know where I have been). The only good part is that I am on night shift, and it is much cooler here at night. It has been around 110 to 115 everyday this week and we have had sand storms 5 of the days. I think I have half of the desert in my lungs......COUGH, COUGH!! One nice thing is that one more week has gone by and only 5 left till I am on my way home. It is so exciting to be thinking about all of the things that Sarah and I will be doing when I get home like........working on finishing my basement, getting Sarah's new car, and going to Vegas to celerbrate our 12th anniversary. It is so close I can almost taste the ice cold beer right now.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

As far as anything else interesting, there isn't much. I do want to say a hardy HOOWAH to my wife's cousin serving in Korea right now. He has been there 2 months now and has 10 more to go. I am so proud of him for making this life decision and serving our country in this time of need. I hope he doesn't have to come here where I am but, if he does I know he will have the support of all of you just like I have had for the past year. Matt.........I am very proud to call you my brother-in-arms.

That's it for now. Thank you for stopping by and sitting a spell. I look forward to talking to you all again real soon.

Dan