I'm sorry...

HELLO ALL!! Thank you for the support you have shown to my brother and I. We greatly appreciate everything each and every one of you are doing. From prayes to care packages, we appreciate it all!

Well, I'm sorry for not posting anything on here in quite some time. I've been in a little slump lately....not much going on, not much thinking going on, and not much to write about. The only going on is....my unit is getting on my last nerve. It's amazing how much the morale can be affected by people who insist on being....well for a lack of better words....I won't say. They're just not being very nice, let's put it that way. I know a lot of people read this from a lot of different backgrounds and in an effort not to offend anyone, I'll keep it "G" rated. It's like that boss that never pats you on the back no matter how good you're doing. It probably makes you want to stay home from work, and just say forget it for a day....well...i kinda don't have that option. I wish I did. I wish I did because unfortunately it's causing me to roll that bad mood off onto my Soldiers. They shouldn't have to suffer because I'm not happy with someone else or some other situation that doesn't involve them. Good, I'm glad we had this little chat. I'll start tomorrow at being nicer to my guys and gals....It just doesn't seem like I've one good day in the last 14. One of the big obstacles over here is not letting things get to you....and not missing all those little things. The little things like what John mentioned a month or so ago. This morining! OH this morning...I actually went 40 mph in a vehicle!! 40!! The speed limit is 15 and 25 mph...shhh don't tell anyone....I don't want to get in trouble. ;-) It'll be our little secret....although, I could justify it by saying it was an "emergency"....I mean, it was...but it wasn't...I was driving an ambulance so I think kinda sorta maybe I could away with it...maybe....BUT I'm SGT Strader, I can get away with that no problem... :-)

Random thought....when is enough, enough? How bad and how many times do you have to loose before you call it quits? Should you never give up? How long can you try and try before you count your loses?? AT THIS POINT...STOP THINKING....PICK UP A PHONE AND CALL HILLARY CLINTON AND TELL HER THAT "IT'S TIME! JUST GO HOME!!" MAN! enough already!! Ok, so hopefully you got a kick out of that....if not, you must be a democrat...and in that case...I don't know what to say...oh wait...here's one..."I'm sorry."

Well, my mom asked me if we're going for a monthly LOW of posts because we haven't been posting on here....no not at all. Like I said, the last 14 days have drained me and it seems like I just can't get the energy back. I'll spring back. Plus, when I put something on here, I usually like it to have meaning and hopefully be something to someone other than just another something to read. What's life like over here? What did I do over here? Boring, and nothing that I trained so hard to do.... it's a fact, I'll either be back over here or in Afghanistan within the next 2 1/2 years. How can I explain that....pretend you went to McDonald's for a double cheese burger and you got a chicken sandwich.....You didn't get what you expected right? How long do you crave that double cheese burger? Do you go back the next day to get one? Well, I basically trained to save lives and be a Soldier....and I'm not getting what I expected. SO, I'll come back to get what I wanted and fulfill my craving. We're doing a good job over here. We're doing a necessary job. BUT, again...it's not what I wanted.

WOW, that was completely random! NE-WHO....I'm going to go outside and do two things now. ONE, defrost. My room is COLD! IT'S GREAT! But eventually my toes go numb, and I can't feel my ears anymore. I find my self hitting the backspace button more than other keys because I can't tyep because thmy fingers are focold too....get thei idead? TWO: relax. Each day is finished with a cigarette. But it's more than a nasty cigarette. It's just me, God, and the stars. Sitting in a camp chair looking up at the stars in the sky and being at peace. Often wondering if my brother is outside staring at the same moon I am....thinking about his life and Freedom and Courtney, and all the little things he looks forward to that keep him going. Just me, God, and the stars. It's pretty easy to go to sleep after a peaceful 5 minutes like that. So now...I'm headed that way.

I love you all and thank you again for your support!

Somewhere in Iraq
SGT WORMY STRADER

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