Our Anniversary

Today Drew and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Three happy years of marriage. Funny where life can take you in such a short time. We were able to talk and say hi but I tell you what- having an anniversary apart after being at war for over 10 months makes you really miss each other! Of course we shared dreams of having date nights when he gets back but we were definitely missing each other today. Today was the official wedding ceremony then tomorrow was the day we had our reception. We can't do anything by the book can we? :)
In other MUCH MORE exciting news... Drew should leave Iraq in about 35 days. He should leave around October 5th and be home as soon as October 11th. His boss said they'll be home between October 11th and October 24th but if he was a betting man he would say they'll be here by the 15th. Oh geez. This truly is the most difficult test of patience we have ever experienced. We are trying to stay focused on the day to day and luckily we are both busy with work. We just need calm... but it is hard to be calm!!!
President Obama will talk tonight on Operation New Dawn which begins tomorrow. Unfortunately, the terrorists are using the increased press coverage in Iraq as an opportunity to highlight their most recent attacks. Activity has picked up so please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Tomorrow we'll be able to say Drew will be home next month. :)

Operation New Dawn

As you could tell from my brief post last week about the media,the story that was posted about combat troops leaving Iraq caused some confusion. Family and coworkers called to ask if Drew was coming home early because they saw that the last combat troops were in Kuwait on their way home. There is some truth to the news story but nothing has changed for Drew. On September 1st, Operation Iraqi Freedom will officially end and Operation New Dawn will begin. The difference is that under Iraqi Freedom, we had Brigade Combat Teams but under New Dawn, we have Advise and Assist Brigades. So yes, the last "Combat" team left in August and every unit will transition to an Advise and Assist Unit. It's a technicality that made for confusion and some frustrated military families because their guys are still doing the same thing they were before which is far from office work. Drew has always operated as an advise and assist unit, meaning the Iraqi Police are in the lead and our guys accompany them and support them. As Drew's boss explained to us: Our guys will still leave the base with body armor on, with loaded weapons, and are definitely still at risk of being attacked, but instead of US Army-led operations, soldiers here will only be accompanying Iraqis on operations when they ask us to from here on out. So don't get too frustrated with the news since there is some truth to every story, but nothing has changed for Drew.
Drew did some neat things this week such as a Humanitarian Aid drop where the soldiers handed out 50 pound bags of food to locals. It was neat in that our guys were helping these women who had tears of joy in their eyes while they carried their bags of food away to their families. It's neat we can do these things too.
Drew is absolutely swamped with his schedule of missions, checkpoints, trainings, gear layouts, packing... etc. When it starts to wear on him we just remind each other that this is the final push until we are together again. He will move into tents in a couple of weeks which means no more internet for us. It is so nice being able to see each other, email, text message...etc via Skype and email but again, it is just one step closer to him coming home. He moves out of his room so the new guys move in and they begin training them to take over their roles. We probably will not be able to talk as often since he will have to go find a phone each time and his schedule right now doesn't leave him much down time, but we'll make it work. I don't neceassarily love that he is losing internet or will be in a bunk bed again with a room full of bunk beds, but I do LOVE that he will be home in 8 1/2 weeks.

Latest News Story on Troops Leaving Iraq

Thought I would put this here since I am already getting questions. No, Drew is not on his way home. He is still in Iraq and does not come back until October. And yes, guys are showing up to replace his unit and they are not only doing office work. If you have questions, please see me... not the media. ;) Thanks for your support!

Less Than 10 Weeks

Less than 10 weeks now until Drew comes home! (Tentatively!) I am going to venture out there and say we really are in the home stretch now. I decided I am allowed to start counting at 10 so I am now counting down the weeks! Drew is staying focused on the work he still needs to do there but he is also getting very excited. So much to look forward to!
Right now it is Ramadan in Kirkuk. As I learned from Drew's boss, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and it’s the month when the Qur’an was revealed to the Islamic prophet, Mohammed. The most prominent activity during Ramadan is fasting from dawn to sunset, abstaining from food, water, and smoking. All physically-able Muslims are required to fast for the entire month. The intent here is for Muslims to come together at night for community meals, spiritual reflection, and ultimately to change their lifestyles to establish healthier habits (particularly with regards to diets and smoking).
In years past, this presented an opportunity for the bad guys to come out at night and attack while everyone was gathered. This is the first year where Ramadan has taken place in the heat of the summer. (They have a different calendar so it gets earlier and earlier every year.)Because it is so hot and they are not allowed to eat or drink, people are passing out from the heat of the day. Our guys observe Ramadan when on patrol to be respectful, but that only means not eating or drinking for a few hours for our guys. These poor guys are not drinking any water in the middle of the desert! Anyway, Drew's boss doesn't see the threat he has seen in years past because everyone is exhausted. But of course, they are still taking their normal security precautions.
Drew also had a PT test yesterday and did the best he has ever done. He got a 281 which is great! He has been working out a ton and increasing his endurance so he was pleased with his score. The other guys did well too so they will no longer monitor their food and exercise. Good!
Drew's promotion to SPC made the company newsletter. They also have a picture from their BBQ which I have already shared with you. I wasn't expecting to see his picture when I read it. I love when I stumble across his picture. Proud of him!

Another Week Down and Another Week Closer

Another week down. Drew and I were saying again how quickly these weeks are going. We are both so busy with work that all of a sudden we look up and another week is starting. Drew continues his brutal schedule of checkpoints and missions. He just got back from a 24 hour checkpoint and will be going again tomorrow. He said every other day but we are really starting to feel it when it is non-stop. Drew has enjoyed the company of a unit that has been with them for the past week and a half. The small group goes on missions with them and looks for innovative ways to ehance the process. Drew likes the guys and of course is impressed with their equipment. Drew is a little boy at heart. He loves when he gets new equipment and loves learning about it. He was recently asked to be on a small task force and he gets new toys for it. He is of course excited and is looking forward to the special mission. They're trying to stop the rockets being shot at the base which are progressively getting bigger and closer. It would be great if they could stop them. He is so brave.

Here is a picture from last week when Drew was pinned as a specialist.


This is a picture I thought was interesting. It has been about 135 even though it is supposed to cool off soon. Drew isn't in this picture but you can see the heat coming off of everything. Geez!


I had a great time seeing Pete and Ashley in Tybee yesterday. Ashley's family has rented a fabulous house in Tybee equipped with a pool. Such a tough life trying to decide whether to sit by the pool or the ocean. :) They are going to have a GREAT week! The weather is back into the 90s compared to the 110s and the breeze is fantastic. The sand dollars are everywhere which makes swimming fun. Lots of talk about Drew as everyone is excited for him to come home. I hope to meet up with them in Savannah later this week. It is always nice to have family around!

SPC Harris

So proud of Drew!! He was promoted to Specialist this week! Before going on 24 hour checkpoint he earned his pin in front of the group. As you'll remember, Drew wanted to earn his way up so he is no longer a Private First Class. YAY! His boss put his new pin on him and the guys took turns punching the pin into his chest and telling him congratulations. Drew was surprised when all of the guys told him how well-deserving he was and that he earned it. His boss had to put in paperwork months ago because it is an out of cycle promotion but they wanted Drew to get it... and he did!! Very neat. Drew is so happy he is now a SPC! I am so happy he was recognized for all of his hard work. Definitely deserved it. I don't have pictures yet of him getting pinned but he does have them! This week is a little crazy with the multiple missions and checkpoints but I will post them when I get them. I do have other pictures this week though!

Here is a recent picture of Drew.


This is one from his team barbecue. His boss has been holding barbecues for team building and relaxing. Drew enjoys them...now if only they could have a beer with the burger too. :) This picture is funny because the wind was at their backs so it looks like they all have bellies. If anything Drew is much thinner so there is no belly there!


In other news... NO MORE ROOMMATE!! Drew now has a room to himself! It is sooooo nice for him to have his own room. We can't guarantee how long it will last but Drew is definitely enjoying it for as long as he can.

I am starting to receive communications about dates for when Drew will be home. Don't they know I need to breathe on a daily basis?!? Hard to cocentrate when you get emails to tell you to start planning their return! Drew spent a long time filling out leave paperwork today. Oh geez!!!! BREATHE. Love it. Best thing E-V-E-R.

One last side note- Can't wait to see my brother and sister-in-law on Saturday! Really looking forward to it. :)