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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