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Hello All,

Well, this will probably be the last installment for the web-page and I know that some of my more devout readers (see Family, Friends and those that enjoy the funny!) will be disappointed, but my 15 minutes are just about up.

I do want to thank everyone that read/contributed/laughed along with the troops and I as we struggled to maintain sanity in an insane world.

As I write this, soldiers and marines are fighting it out with various factions of the many Iraqi religious sects, some not too far from where I was previously stationed. To them, those fighting and dying for our country, I pray for your safety and victory. I can't say that I wish I was with you, but I also can't say that I enjoy sitting on my hands while you guys get the job done. God bless you and speed your path home.

To the Iraqi's in the fight and those thinking about joining the fight against the coalition forces I say this: You are idiots. No matter what the holy man told you, you cannot win against the Americans. Look to Somalia and see your future. In Mogadishu, the Americans lost 24 men and thousands of Somali's were killed in the process. The only reason that the United States pulled its forces out was because we had a weak President that had no stomach for killing. Today we have a Texan in the White House, and if you don't know what that means you might want to have a look at Afghanistan.

If you want us to leave all you have to do is STOP fighting. If you stop fighting we can hand over control of your country to YOU, the Iraqi's. Once you have control of your government, you Iraqi's can ask the United States to withdraw their troops (because there isn't any fighting, they won't be needed!) and the United States will have to WITHDRAW. At that point we won't care if you blow each other up and burn our flag because we won't be there.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, "Give us what we want and we'll go away." It's that simple. Follow the logic and you will see that it's true. Try NOT believing everything that the Holy Man says... he is still just a man and bound to make a mistake sooner or later.

Well that ticking is getting louder... if I deploy again I'll be sure to let you all know. Before I leave I want to mention some folks that made life a bit easier over there. You may not recognize their names, but they will and to a soldier that's about all that matters.

Matt S.. - You kept me sane.
Jeffrey - You made me crazy but kept the 1SG off our backs.
Ronnie - I am now addicted to coffee.
Wade - Sarcasm is an art and you are the Andy Warhol of it.
Mac - Thanks for listening
Welchkin - My food blister grew thanks to you and Beth's generosity.
Bob - Thanks for the one-liners, 'I don't give a FAT shit!' and 'What the fuck, OVER?'
Brunsy - You kept us entertained in more ways than one, and you passed up $750?
Hodge - Annoying us into drinking water and chasing after me with an IV worked... No Heat Cats!
Nellie & Tennis Shoe - For showing courage and valor with reckless abandon, and then getting screwed over.
'Yo Mama Loves You! - You are the comic relief, and I can't wait to pin your stripes on.
Dan P. - Crazy ideas and the guts to go through with 'em, I know the radar dish was your idea!
Vern - For building everything from nothing.
Dawn - Watching Ahmed sport wood... PRICELESS!
Carlos - I still like your video the best.
Greener - How's the nipple? The eardrum? What's next?
Holly - Thanks for covering my ass when we took that first AK… maybe you should have shot that guy?
Webbagail - Rot gut Whiskey and diet cokes helped take the edge off the bad days.
Misty - I am a better driver today because of you.
Paulie - For the hotdogs and the setup... I owe you.
The Mechanics - Thanks for getting the wrecker stuck, 4 times!
Major I got fired TWICE - the only officer to go on patrol with me.

These are just a few of the people that I lived with for the past year. To everyone that I didn't mention, I'm hung over and I'll get you in the book.

I love you all,

Will

PS - So many things have changed here at home, but the biggest one is me. I'm adjusting well, I think, and I can't wait to go back to work. No, seriously. I really want to go to a job without a flak vest and weapon!

PSS- Jake is doing great. Within 2 hours of meeting him he puked AND farted on me. That's my nephew!

Hello All,

Well it's official, I'm a light-weight. I'm not sure how many beers I drank and I'm positive that I don't know how I got back to the barracks. Not a good thing but at least it's out of my system, and my head is killing me. Did hangovers always hurt like this?

The weather here is beautiful. Rain without mud is great and the evergreen trees are marvelous. I know that I bashed on Wisconsin a year ago but right now I'm in love with the place. Mostly for the weather, but let's not rule out the lack of camels and filth of Iraq. The very best part for me is looking up at a roof instead of a tent. Beds are good but knowing that the roof isn't going to leak or fall down is the best.

I've been craving super nachos for about 6 months and last night I tore-up a plate and went looking for more... but the beer had me and that was the end of that.

Did you know that the bar in the airport in Shannon, Ireland is open at 5 a.m.? That bartender made a pile of cash in tips and the ride got a little bit easier to boot.

Right now I've just finished pushing paper to get out of here and am headed back to the barracks. I need a nap. And a shower wouldn't hurt either...

I love you all,

Will

Hello All,

Well now, here I am (again) in sandy Kuwait. Here I am (again) washing government equipment. Here I am (again) preparing to prepare to go home. I'm not going to dwell on the similiarities of this trip and my last experience in Kuwait because I don't want to jinx what I percieve as good karma, let's hope my dogma doesn't run it over!

Let me tell you about Iraq, and why it's better than Kuwait. Yep, you read it right, Iraq is better than Kuwait for one reason: it's the wild west and nobody messes with you. The rules are those meant to protect you and the chicken-shit of everyday Army life goes right out the window, which is very nice. In Kuwait however, the small minded/powerpoint driven micromanagement driven Army of One (that one and the one I'm in) is alive and well. Flourshing actually. Too bad I don't have time to tell you all about it... but I will as soon as possible. Actually, we've got a pretty good "live and leave me the hell alone or else," attitude going on here at Camp Victory and it is suiting everyone pretty well.

Things are moving well. No exact timelines yet, but that is to be expected. We've got to stay flexible and ready to move on a moment's notice. The wash racks are pretty busy considering that there are only 120,000 troops tring to get the hell out of here. I know that I have quite a few things I want to say before I go but you'll all have to wait...

I love you all,

Will

Hello Everyone,

Goodbye Iraq. By the time you read this I'll be in Kuwait doing what every soldier learns in basic training. Cleaning. The Army is huge on cleaning and I'm a little confused by it all. I mean, the Army always puts us in messy situations full of dirt, sand and lots of other crap and then wants everything to look like new. Well fine, just as long as YOU know that's an old piece of crap and I know that it's an old piece of crap I'll make it look like a fine piece of Army equipment worth the tax payers cash.

But the real reason is so that we don't bring any nasty Iraqi bugs home that will screw up the US ecology. That is a good reason to clean the hell out of anything (I like to eat). Well, I'd better get going, it's time to load the truck.

I love you all,

Will