News from Scott!!

Great News!! I got a call from Scott today! I was so excited to see the number on my caller ID cause I knew right away it was Scott. It took about three tries before the call actually went through, but third times a charm and we were able to talk for about ten minutes. :) Happy Day!!!

He's doing good, which is the best news I can report! Such a relief!! He was able to tell me a few things and some other things that I won't post for security reasons. He was under fire for the first few days of the operation that started last week, but since then things have been really quiet and calm for him and his guys.
No, he still has not showered (last time being on June 30th- make sure you thank God for running water and showers!!) but said he was looking forward to rinsing off with a couple of bottles of water after getting off the phone with me. He said it was extremely hot and some of his guys have suffered from heat issues, but all-in-all they're all doing well and his guys are getting the water they need. He was excited to tell me about the IED they found and their disposal of it. And also about how his CO was called away for something which left him in charge for awhile. During that time Scott (and his guys) had to detain an Afghani man and later, after being able to talk to the village elders, he was able to release the man. He said it's a cool experience to communicate with the village elders (and the people in the area), and that he's learning tons everyday. He said it's really weird because they never see any women ever. Whenever the Marines are around the women won't come out of their homes. Scott also said they found a AK-47, he seemed pretty excited about that, too, but I'm not really sure why (other then it's a cool weapon).
I wish I had had more time to talk to him and I wish I could have found out more (stupid security!! ;) ) but I'm sooo grateful I was able to hear Scott's voice. It's amazing what a simple thing can do to your spirits! After saying 'I love you' and 'I miss you' over a hundred times between the two of us during that 10 minutes, he did mention that he should be able to call once every couple of weeks to let me know how he's doing. HUGE blessing!! Oh, I should explain, the reason he's able to call is because his company has a satellite phone, so all the guys in his company should be able to make a 5-10 min morale call home every couple of weeks which is seriously the best thing ever! When Scott had last called me (June 30th I think) we pretty much thought he wouldn't have use of a phone till November, so anything we get now is just icing on the cake. :)

Welp, I found this video online and thought I'd share it with you. It seems to give a really good idea of life for the Marines in Helmand Province right now (minus all the actual fighting). It's a little boring, but still interesting to see. Enjoy.
P.S. Scott is currently sporting a mustache and there's a 3 second bit in this video (somehow I managed to still frame it below!!) that I swear looks like Scott, but it's hard for me to say cause I really have no idea what Scott looks like with a mustache!! Although, it most likely is not him, dang. ;)
~OK, so after staring at this photo for hours, it's totally Scott. Even with the mustache there are two things that seal the deal with this photo- his nose (it's a Stewart nose!) and his dimples. I love his dimples, and even though he's biting his lip, I know that dimple. I didn't want to get my hopes up the first few times I looked at this, but the more I look at it the more I see Scott. It's totally him.

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A Fallen Hero

We all know war is not to be taken lightly and sadly our country has lost many military servicemen and women while in combat. It is a huge worry for me, and always has been (especially now that Scott is there in the thick of it), but no matter what Marine (or any militray member) is killed it's a loss for our whole Marine (military) family. When I first heard we had lost a Marine only after a day into Operation Khanjar, I cried and prayed for that Marine and his family, not knowing who he was or with what unit he belonged. Whenever you heard of a death you automatically worry if it's your loved one or if it's someone you know. As a Family Readiness Assistant, I help "take care" of all the spouses and families here at home and I'm constantly praying that I never have to help one of my families go through this. It still hurts my heart knowing we have lost Marines and allied troops during this operation that are fighting alongside Scott. I came across this information about the Marine that was killed and felt I should share so we can remember him and his family in our prayers. I know society is more concerned about Michael Jackson's death, but there are others out there that deserve more of our respect and attention for what they have sacrificed.





2/8 Marine dies in Afghanistan
Staff report Marine Corps Times
Posted : Monday Jul 6, 2009 12:45:25 EDT

A North Carolina-based Marine was killed July 2 while serving in Afghanistan, his family has said.
Lance Cpl. Seth Sharp, 20, of Adairsville, Ga., died just six weeks after arriving in theater, his uncle, Shane Rogers, told the Rome News-Tribune. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, from Camp Lejeune.
Sharp was killed during Operation Khanjar, a massive operation launched last week to banish Taliban fighters from villages and towns in Helmand province. His remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 4.
Sharp played football at Adairsville High School but left early to join the Corps, his uncle said.
No other information was immediately available.

WAR NEWS UPDATE
I wanted to share this link to a blog that I found that has AMAZING coverage of all news world-wide. I have found more information about the war in Afghanistan on this site then anywhere else. If anyone else is interested in learning more about the world around them (and not just Afghanistan) or wants to have everything about Afghanistan right in the same place, check this site out.

Baby #3

Here's a sonogram of our newest baby at 10 weeks. I can already tell it's going to be as cute as it's siblings! ;)

Scott on the move

A month has gone by since Scott left and I'm finally getting out of my "Depression/auto-pilot" phase, meaning I better get on here and share what's going on. If any of you have been watching the news you might have heard that the Marines are on the move in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Scott is one of those Marines. I got my last phone call from him last night. We've been really blessed while he's been at Camp Leatherneck that he had the occasional opportunity to call home over the past couple of weeks. For the past couple of days Scott has been warning me that things were happening and he'd only be calling one or two more times. Thankfully I have a husband who loves me so much that he made the 30 min walk to the nearest phone to call me 4 times in his last 4 days at Camp Leatherneck.

I thought I'd share this link to the 1/5 Family Newsletter. It's from Scott's CO of the Battalion and it has a bunch of pictures showing the process of getting the Marines to Afghanistan and what life is like for him and the Marines. It was a little difficult for all the Marines because this camp had a massive influx of over 5,000 Marines in the space of two months and they've had to set up random tents everywhere to accommodate all of the Marines, Soldiers, Brits, Docs, etc. Now that a majority of the Marines are leaving (or have already left, like Scott) it's getting back to "normal". Unfortunately, for Scott and the Marines who've left, they no longer have basic luxuries like showers and a chow hall. Scott was excited that he was eating three FULL meals a day (and ice cream every night!) and now I'm worried how much weight he's going to drop since he's only getting one or two MRE's to eat a day. And yes, he will no longer get to shower. So if you would like to send baby wipes in your care packages, that would be great.

Otherwise, he's doing well. He's really excited to do his job and put to use 11 years of training. From what Scott tells me we'll be hearing a lot on the news about his Marines and that they're going to be doing some "serious damage" trying to get to the Taliban. So, if you're watching the news and hear anything about the Helmand Province, just pray that Scott and his Marines are ok. I'll try and keep everyone posted on how he's doing and what's going on with him. Thank you also for all your kind thoughts and prayers. We're so blessed to have good friends and family who are so willing to help us out while Scott's deployed. It really means a lot and is so greatly appreciated. Seriously, more than words can say.