Military blogs

I have a hard time getting my thoughts in a blog post. That is why they are usually short and sweet. I end up rewriting the sentences in my head over and over. That's why I admire those people who have great blogs. My RSS is filled with blogs about family life, cooking, video games and such. I have been a reader of SpouseBUZZ for awhile.
But lately, I wanted to read about others who had a soldier deployed also. It's hard to describe. You know you aren't the only person that has their husband deployed but you also want to see that, "Yea, me too."

So I added a few to read. Hopefully no one thinks I'm a stalker, haha. Just another military wife looking for ideas to make it through this deployment.

Commander of the 1st SBCT

The commander of the 1st SBCT is Col. Burt Thompson. There was a press release that says he met with Sheik Abu Ikhlaas, who is a leader in the Diyala province of Iraq. Kinda like an informal talk and handover from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment who are leaving the area.
Link Here.

Spc. Pickard & Pfc. Eggleston

This was not a post I wanted to end up writing, but in the grim reality, I knew it would happen. Not a day goes by when I don't say a quick prayer for the soldiers to stay safe. But very unfortunely, Spc. Heath K. Pickard died on Oct. 16 in Iraq. He was from the 1-5, 1-25 SBCT. Link Here.

11 other soldiers ended up being wounded. It is hard for me to think of words to say, so I offer a moment of silence and a prayer for the families.

Update: Pfc. Cody J. Eggleston was one of the soldiers who was seriously hurt in this attack. He passed away about a week later at a military hospital in Bethesda, Md. Link Here

Diplomatic approach

The BBC has a news article that talks about how the war is being covered less in the media and the presidential race. Some quotes from the article:

"I think no matter who wins", Richard Haass said, "you are going to see a reduction in the American presence in Iraq - they may disagree on the pace and how fast we get to some point - but the era in which Iraq has dominated American foreign policy is over."

"I think Senator Obama is more comfortable in embracing diplomacy as a central tool or instrument of American foreign policy" he told me.

"Senator McCain approaches diplomacy a little bit more with pre-conditions; as something of a reward and he also seems to see it as something of a sanction, to be removed when he doesn't like a country."

No news

There is a saying in the army that is said a lot during deployment, "No news is good news." It refers to the fact that if something bad had happened, you would be contacted.
But right now, there is no news on the 1-25 in Iraq. They are getting settled into the job and routine. And I'm doing one of the army's favorite games, "Hurry up and wait."

So I went looking online for some news. It's a double-edged sword. There is both bad and good news. The bad news stories can quickly drive your mind in circles. I'm getting better at skipping over them. But here is the website for the Multi-National Force – Iraq. Click Here.

another ceremony video

Click Here

This one is the same deployment ceremony that took place on Sept. 11, but it is longer in length.
It's on the US Army Alaska website.