Praying for Our Military

Brian - is HOME!!! :)

Have you ever wondered what it's like for the men and women in the military when they are called away from their homes, families, and friends? Unless someone close to you has served in the military, you probably don't have a clear picture of what their lives are like. Maybe the below letters will make what they go through a little more real to you, so that you will be able to pray more effectively.

Many brave men and women went into battle to protect our freedom and never returned. Please remember that this freedom that we so take for granted is not FREE! A price has been paid so that we can enjoy living in our country. Same as with the freedom we have in Jesus......the ultimate price was paid on the cross when Jesus died for the sins in our lives. God loved us so much that he gave Jesus to cover our sin so that we could (if we accept HIS gift) live forever with him. It is often said that there are only 2 people that would die for you .... Jesus and an American soldier. Let's remember!

13 September 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

I am sorry I have not been able to put together a letter in several weeks but it has been a very busy summer for me and my team. I have been doing a lot of traveling this summer all over Iraq. There is not a major base in Iraq that I have not visited. Each base is different and poses it own problems with respect to the "responsible drawdown" (AKA "get out of the country"). I have met with many military and civilian personnel and developed plans for them to redeploy (come home) safely and orderly without leaving a bunch of "leftovers" behind for someone else to clean up. Strangely, there is a lot of "Iraqi treasure" left over from the Gulf War. Not treasure in the sense of gold and jewels. Old, battle-damaged Iraqi equipment (tanks, vehicles, fighter jets, etc.) is considered "Iraqi treasure" and cannot be removed by my team or other U.S. forces. It just sits in piles at each base. . . rusting away.

I have had a lot of interaction with Iraqi scrap vendors (in other words, Iraqi "Sanford and Sons"). They are very interesting people but must be treated like children. Through an interpreter, my team members have to continually tell them what they can and cannot remove from the base because they want everything so they can take it out in town and sell it. The economy is not very good here so like the old saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

There is so much more to do here and it is only going to get busier for whoever comes behind us. But, Lieutenant Commander Brian Butler has 30 days to go and then he is on a plane out of Iraq. I have missed so many things being gone for two tours in the Middle East and a brief tour in Africa (in addition to 20 years of 2+ weeks annual training periods, exercises, summer camps, and monthly drill weekends). Yet through these sacrifices, God opens my eyes and heart to the many blessings He has
given me that I often take for granted. I am not sure what is so significant about this deployment (maybe because it is my last), but I have a much greater appreciation for our way of life. Specifically, I am forever grateful for Kim and the children and the sacrifices they have made for our country by letting their husband and daddy go and serve our country for 20 years. For Kim and the children, I will never leave you again and I promise to be the best husband, friend, and father that our Father God will let me be.

We all need to pray each day that our Father God will continue to cover our country with His hands of protection.

Thank you all for your prayers, cards, and care packages. After a long day or a long week away from home base, it was such a joy to get mail from home. You are all very special to me and I will never forget your thinking about me while I have been here.

Take care and I will see you soon.

Love,

Brian

Hello, everyone! Hope all is well back home.

I am OK here. With US troops leaving major cities on 30 June, things are getting more “active” over here. I am still staying busy traveling ( flew on UH-60 Blackhawks all last week which was pretty cool) and assisting with base closures. Most of the cities and towns in Iraq you here about on the news I have visited. Still very hot but I am getting used to it. Base closures are sort of like moving out of your old house before moving to your new house. You throw all the stuff you don’t want to take to your new house on the curb. Here, when a unit closes a camp and moves to a new camp, they throw all the stuff they don’t want to take with them “on the curb.” Well, I own all the “curbs” in Iraq and my team has to figure out what to do with all this unwanted property. My job is to get to it and handle it before the Iraqis get to it. The next time you see the garbage men picking up your trash from the curb, think of me ;-)

Getting close to the 100-day mark and already working on turn-over stuff for my replacement so that is keeping me energized. I am ready for college football season so I can have something to look forward to on the weekends (yes, we can watch some TV over here). Also, when college football season starts, I know I will be close to coming home.

Keep me and Kim in your prayers.

I am sorry if you sent Brian a letter or package and it was returned.

The first address he was given when he arrived in Iraq was not in the format that they like for it to be at the post office. I mailed 3 packages at the same time to him and he received 2 of them and they returned 1......of course the one they chose to return was his birthday package from us with all of the things the kids made or bought to send him. I re-mailed that this past Friday. Brian was told that the post office would re-send at no charge but this is not so. So, if you mailed something and it was returned, you will have to change the address and put more postage on the envelope/box. I am sorry about this!!

I would like to thank you all for "staying in touch" with Brian through the mail. He loves to get mail! He has received several packages from different "kids groups" and LOVES seeing what the kids have to say. He has read me numerous uplifting and encouraging letters from different people.....the written word means a lot! He describes mail call as "just like kids in a candy store". The soldiers look so forward to just having a "piece of home" to hold in their hands. SO.....thanks for remembering him. I know he appreciates it, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to send him your prayers and words of encouragement. We (at the zoo) love and miss him so much and it is comforting to know that you are taking time to remember him by praying, writing a note, sending a "treat", etc. It means soooooo much!

Letter Home 17 Ju

Hello everyone! I am sorry I have not written in a while but it has been very busy over here. We have a lot of people moving around and traveling and it takes a lot of time to keep up with all the moving parts. Also, communicating with contractors and headquarters stateside is a real pain because by the time they get to work in the states, we are getting ready to leave the office here in Iraq (8 hour time difference). Also, working with contractors over here is not as easy as in the states. In the states, if a contractor is not performing, you fire them and hire another one. Here in Iraq, if a contractor is not performing, there may not be another one to hire or one that is willing to accept the dangers of traveling on the roads. When our contractors leave the gate at our bases, it is open season on them from the bad guys. Our contractors have to hire private security companies to travel with them to protect them.

Now remember, this is junk and scrap that they are hauling. Not nuclear weapons. Hard to believe that people will kill someone over a pile of scrap.

Anyway, enough about work. Of course, that is pretty much all I do. I get to work around 7:00 a.m. and work until about 5:00 p.m. I then go back to my CHU (containerized living unit) and rest in the cool for a while. Then, I go eat at the DFAC (Dining Facility) and then back to my CHU to do some more work or maybe read. Lately, however, I have been spending a lot of time at the airport and helicopter pad arranging flights and making sure our people get to where they need to be. Last night, Star Wars was on TV so I decided to watch it. Yes, I am a geek.

But I grew up with Star Wars and I still enjoy the story. And yes, I do have a TV in my CHU but it only has 6 channels. I can't wait until football season so I can maybe watch some Alabama football. I was looking around the base the other day for the convoy section to schedule a convoy and route security and found a softball field where some guys were playing some pickup softball. Nothing special just a bunch of guys from the base that meet at the ball field and play ball for exercise. I asked if I could play and told them that I was an Alabama Softball Hall of Fame member. They welcomed me with open arms! We start playing in a week or so. It won't take long for them to realize I was "pulling their legs."

Thank you all so much for the care packages and letters. They mean a lot to me. Mail Call is the highlight of my day.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer. I wish I were there to enjoy it with you.

In His hands,

Brian

25 May 2009

Well, I have been here almost 3 weeks and it feels like I have not stopped since I got here! Some of my team members were out at other locations so I spent some time traveling and visiting them in Al Taqquadam and Ramadi. The only way to get there was via helicopter so that was pretty interesting. We fly at night (to avoid bullets from the bad guys) and that is good for me because it is much cooler at night.

Been in the 110's here.

Life is OK here. I live in a one-person CHU (Containerized Housing Unit) and have to walk about 20 yards to a Shower Trailer and then another 10 yards to a separate Toilet Trailer. While not private, they are very clean (by Iraqi standards) so I don't mind. Other than having to go outside in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, it's not bad. To have a "private" room is a luxury over here so I don't complain. I also have a 2004 Ford Expedition that has some really cold air conditioning and that helps getting around base, too.

I have a camera now that was issued to me so I will start taking some photos and sending them back home. Will try to take some photos of the cool stuff (helicopters, planes, etc.) and leave the boring stuff (trash piles, scrap piles, etc.) here. The attached photo is of my co-workers and some Iraqi Marines.

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day. Really puts it into perspective when you are over here and see what sacrifices are being made. More importantly, the sacrifices that are being made at home (Kim and the children and all other families) that are even more significant so remember them as well.

I love you all and will keep in touch the best I can.

VR,

Brian

09 May 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, I am finally here in Iraq. Just to get you up to speed on what I have been doing over the past few weeks:

1. Spent three weeks @ Camp McCrady (Fort Jackson, South Carolina) sleeping on the top bunk next to the bathroom in a 40-man open-bay barracks. Yes, I knew when everybody went to the bathroom all night long. There were over 100 people in my class headed to parts unknown in the Middle East just like me. Fun indeed. Spent most of my time there on the range training on different tactics with my M9 (9mm handgun) and M16

(5.56 rifle) and convoy training. Not sure why we spent so much time on convoy training as my preferred method of travel here in Iraq is via Blackhawk helicopter or C130 cargo plane. And no, there are no first class seats in either of those aircraft.

2. Left USA and landed in Kuwait where I spent one week @ Camp Virginia attending briefings and more convoy training. Slept in a 7-person tent on a cot with little to no air conditioning. The last two days were spent at another location (Udairi Range) where we had more convoy training and slept on the floor in the "classroom." More like a slumber party with 35 other people and my sleeping bag. We had our first sandstorm while I was there. You don't really appreciate indoor plumbing until you have walked 100 yards in the middle of the night to the Port-o-let (aka Port-o-potty) with ballistic goggles on your head to keep the sand out of your eyes because you can't see 10 feet in front of you. This week definitely makes Brian's Top 10 List of Worst Weeks of My Life.

3. Left Kuwait last Monday and flew into Baghdad International Airport via a C130 cargo plane. I now know what sardines feel like. There are approximately 56 "jump" seats (nothing more than a net with a seat belt) and there were 56 of us on the plane. With 100 lbs of body armor and kevlar helmets on, there was not much room to wiggle much less stand up and stretch. This 1 1/2 hour flight was by far the worst flight I have ever been on in my life. Since we are in Iraq, you must do what they call a "combat landing." This is not like your normal glide into the runway like a commercial plane. This is a drop from high altitude to reduce the possibility of rocket attacks from the ground. I liken it to the military's version of Space Mountain only on a much larger scale.

Let me just say that the turkey sandwich I had just prior to the flight was in my throat and it wouldn't have taken much more and everyone else would have known what I had for dinner, too.

4. I spent two days in Baghdad at Camp Victory. Camp Victory was a former vacation resort for Sadam Hussein and his entourage. Very beautiful. Many palaces, trees, and water (lakes, ponds) all around.

Basically, an Iraqi version of a carribean resort. Now, the US and coalition military reside there and they have converted all of the palaces into office spaces. Imagine working in a room with marble floors and chandeliers. Yes, it was quite impressive. Unfortunately, I was not destined to stay here and this desert "paradise" was just a blip on my radar screen.

5. I then flew to Joint Base Balad (JBB) which was a 15-minute flight via C130, again, Not a bad flight this time because it was a shorter flight and there was not as many people on board. JBB is a hub for flights in Iraq. I am going to be doing a lot of traveling and the Air Force team that I am working with is stationed here. I live in what is called a Containerized Housing Unit (CHU). Have you have seen those office trailers at construction sites? Well, divide one of those up into three separate "rooms" and that is where I lay my head. Wood paneling on the walls and asbestos tile floors. I do have my "room" to myself which is a good thing because most people have to share their rooms with one other person. I guess I am special. I have to walk about 25 yards to the "bathroom trailer" (toilets and sinks) and the "shower trailer" (showers and sinks). So, in the middle of the night I have to go outside and walk to the bathroom. Not bad, really, as the local Iraqis come in and keep them clean. And they keep them really clean believe it or not!

Now, on to what I will be doing here. I am basically a military Sanford and Son (just need to get the ringtone on my cell phone and I will be set). I have about 18 sailors and civilians working for me and they are divided up into teams. When a Forward Operating Base (FOB), Combat Operations Base (COB), Combat Operations Site (COS), or Combat Operations Location (COL), is scheduled to be closed down, one of my teams (usually 2 people per team) will go to the site and help them get rid of their trash and junk. This junk can either be reutilized by other military units, destroyed or mutilated so that it cannot be used by others (ie. insurgents or other foreign military), or sold to Iraqi vendors as scrap metal. One of the "hot" issues I have now is that a former reservist was here a few months ago and instead of properly disposing of trash and junk, he jumped on a bulldozer and buried it. The Iraqis did not like that too much because he buried hazardous waste and live ordinance (bullets and explosives). This sailor has more than likely earned himself an all-expenses-paid vacation to Levinworth for a few years in addition to the $125,000.00 it is going to cost the US government to dig it up and return the land to its "pristine" nature.

Even worse, this "burial site" is in Fallujah which is no longer occupied by US forces and is on an Iraqi base. Not the type of location that you want to spend a few days. Fortunately, I am not the one going to supervise that "dig up." Also, you may want to know the difference between a FOB and a COL. Mostly, size of the camp and facilities. Let me put it this way: bathrooms at a FOB consist of running water, flushable toilets, and showers. Bathrooms at a COL are no more than a plastic bag for a toilet that you throw away when finished and bottled water for showers. And yes, I will be going to COLs throughout my tour here. Like I said, indoor plumbing is a very good thing and should never ever ever be taken for granted. I am leaving for Ramadi and Taquaddam on Monday for 5 days to assess the situation in those camps since they are scheduled for closure soon. Most important, I made sure they had running water :-)

Thank you all for your prayers and please keep Kim and the children constantly in your prayers.

Love,

Brian

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