Active Unit News

What our families are hearing:
Bob Babcock - "Deeds not Words"
President, Americans Remembered, Inc. - http://www.americansremembered.org
President, 22nd Inf Regt Society - http://www.22ndinfantry.org
Past President/Historian - Nat'l 4th Inf Div Assn - http://www.4thinfantry.org
babcock224@aol.com


What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) I have heard from my husband a couple of times in the last few days! He is with A Co 4th ENGR BN - 3rd BCT from Ft. Carson. He was a lot more upbeat than he has been in the past, even though we lost connection a few times. He said he was doing well as the guys in his squad all were. He said that he has lost about 15 lbs though. He wanted more beef jerky and Kool-aid and a few other items. He is just sick of the heat and wants to be home with me and our 2 kids, like all of the soldiers wanting to be with their families. He got to hear his daughter say "dada" for the first time!! That just killed him not being here to hear it in person, missing all of her firsts. She will be a year old in August. I know a lot of the soldiers are missing things like that and it is hard!! He knows that he is there to do his job and help the people who have gone without for so long. We just love and miss our soldier!! He is a wonderful husband and father!!
2) I did not receive a call or a letter from my son today but did receive one from one of the other medics that is with the 1/17th FA from Ft. Sill. I have written this young man and sent things he has shared with the other medics. He told me my son was well, a little homesick just like everyone else. Told me what my son was doing at the time and what a great guy and knowledgeable medic he is. (makes a mom proud to hear someone else say it to) Here is how part of his letter went. Thank you for your kind words. Our whole medic section enjoy the comics you send. Our daily life can be challenging at times. We have electricity from a generator, but no running water or phones. We get newspapers (Stars and Stripes), but they're a week old by the time we get them, guess that is just the Army life. Thanks for having us in your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot to us that people back home are still thinking about us.
Wanted to share that part so people will know how important mail is to our soldiers. They appreciate anything we send them, even the simple things like the comics. Please encourage people to continue to let our men/women know we stand behind them and support them. We never want them to feel they have been forgotten.
3) Bob, I told my husband who is in Balad about your warning about the flea collars. He told me they are not wearing them, they are putting them around the feet of their beds. I got a call from him on Satellite phone today. Mostly he wanted photos of me. He says the three he has is not enough. I have sent so many disposable cameras his way though, and he has not sent any back yet to be developed, and I have NO recent photos of him, so, I'm mean I know, I told him he won't get one more picture of me until I get one of him. He's in Co. B 890th Engineering Battalion, Mississippi National Guard. (Ed Note: Agree with you - pictures go both ways. As a guy who took lots of pictures in Vietnam and sent them home for developing, I know there is time to take pictures in a combat zone. And, those pictures will be great keepsakes for you and your kids many years in the future).
4) I had just written to you last night about my sister-in-law receiving a call from my brother in the 4th Id 1/4 AVN B CO. and guess what? We received a call from him this morning. What a great surprise to wake to his call especially since his twin brother was here visiting from Arkansas. So we were all able to grab a phone and hear his voice. He sounded good. He has adjusted to the heat however they are in a hot spot (Balad). They take motar rounds nightly and that the Iraqi's have resorted to alot of tricks, like putting explosives in a dead dog and leaving it in the middle of the road for them to run over. They are hoping to get air conditioners soon and he said he has received the pkg. with the salami in it. Yum. My brother also was able to call my father and wish him a Happy 75th birthday, what a great day it was.
5) Our son who is in 3-66 AR called early this morning (July 14) and we had a clear ten minute talk. His morale is great and he seems to be doing very well. No complaints. Had a very long list of items that he'd like sent (of course I went out and got everything right away). Asked him about the operation that is going on now, but he couldn't talk about it. He told me about a couple of soldiers who don't receive mail/packages so I have packages ready to mail tomorrow. Breaks my heart that there are men/women over there who don't receive mail, but it's a fact of life. Wish I had some new information to share, but want 3-66 to be included.
6) Our son called this morning (Jul 14th) at approximately 9:00am. I was not home to receive his call (he had been routinely calling around 2:00am), but he got to speak with his little brother for a while. According to our 12 year old, big brother, who is with A Btry (2nd Plt), 1-44 ADA at Taji, is doing well. He said he still is very bored but it is better since they are going out on patrols again. He has been receiving our packages at a steady rate and really appreciated the tuna fish we sent. He asked for Texas Pete hot sauce and canned fruit. When asked if we were sending too much (I literally mail a package every day), he said it's never too much. I'm sure he's sharing his goodies. We also received the first post card he mailed to us around May 30th while he was waiting for his flight from Kuwait to Iraq. Boy the mail sure is slow... seems to be getting much better going to Iraq than coming from Iraq. I think about and pray for all of our soldiers that God will keep them safe.
7) July 13 we got a phone call from our son. He is with the 3/66th. He was tired because they had just returned back to base, but in good spirits, except for one thing. The night before when they were out. He was demonstrating to some Iraqis' what down on the fround means in the dark and got his left hand all tangled up in a cactus bush - so this morning it was swollen to twice the size and a visit to the medic was in order. He says it hurts but will be fine with the medication. He was actually laughing about the fact that he could not button his shirt cuff! The spirits of the group are pretty good considering they still do not have a refrigerated truck out to them yet so they are still on some type of MRE after 3.5 months. Mail he said has been getting better all the time. One box we sent only took two weeks. I sent him a sheet cause I figured whatever else he had to sleep with must be pretty yucky bt now and he was really glad to see it. He loves the pillow! His latest requests are for continued Gatorade, tuna lunches in cans, ramen noodles, instant oatmeal in cups and soup in cups also plastic spoons to eat with and snacks. Our call got disconnected but it was great to hear his voice in the middle of all this and someday I will laugh about the cactus bush, Let this be the worst that happens to him over there!
8) Here is the link for recent pictures of 4th ID soldiers in Iraq. Several were taken of the 4th Infantry Division during Operation Ivy Serpent , too! ! (Ed Note - pictures are good ones, of 1-68 Armor taken in the past few days.)
Easiest way is to click on Current pictures of 4th from our home page: A-1-8.org The scrolling Marquee at the top
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=4th+infantry+division
If you can't get through on that link then try this:
Go to http://news.yahoo.com/ On the search bar choose News Photos and then type '4th infantry division' and click on search.
9) My daughter rec'd a call from her fiance Bco, 2-8 inf at 7:45 am CDT today, Tues july 15. was in pretty good spirits since they got to talk for approx. 10 minutes. He had just re-upped today for another three and wanted to let her know, he says their unit does not have a phone right now but hoping to get one soon.......... The only thing he requested was a Polariod camera because his buddy's camera broke, and some more books. We'll all keep praying for their safety and with God even a sooner return is possible!! GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND BRING THEM HOME SAFE AND SOON!!
10) It's been a bonanza week for us. Our son, with the 4th ID, delta co., 3rd brigade, 124th sig. btn. out of ft. carson, finally got e-mail capabilities as we updated you last week. He'd been trying to get through on the phone for several days but experienced lousy connections, FINALLY got through this morning (7-14) @ 1:00 a.m. PST. We had a connection for about an hour but only about 20 minutes of true conversation. We had to fight the static and whistling on the line and then say "are you still there??...hello"? (about 274 times).
He sounded great and well rested. His unit received a solar shade and was slated to get a fridge and (maybe) an air conditioner. He has pretty much all he needs but did give us a list of cd's and dvd's to send (PRIORITY). (an added bonus...while we were on the phone, fighting static and a bad connection, he received mail from us, right then and there) we had sent it the 2nd week in june, so mail might be slowing somewhat again.
He's at an airstrip outside of Balad and fairly safe. He hears the gunfire and explosions but they're far enough away now. He said that the first times that they ever heard the small arms fire, they'd grab their vests and weapons and run around in a semi-panic. Now they just wait it out til they hear that it might be serious. He's gotten mail and about 1/2 the care packages that we've sent....... Like many soldiers, I'm sure, he has a lot of time to do quite a bit of thinking and reflecting. The conversations we're going to have when he gets home are going to be VERY interesting. I've closed each and every one of my letters and e-mails to him with the words "love and pride, dad". That sentiment extends to ALL of our soldiers over there. We feel a great deal of pride, and a certain amount of love for the people serving beside our son.
11) We finally received a letter from our B-Co 1-22 Pfc. soldier from Bayji written 29 June. He said he had just received a month's worth of mail and packages and he was so happy and grateful for the contents. Many letters ago we'd sent a questionnaire about his living conditions and daily life which he answered.
"Mess hall? ...... MRE or T-rations (platoon sized MRE food) Shower? ..... Solar showers and it's a hike to fill them up. Air conditioning? ..... I wish. Electricity?...... No, we live in a cluster bombed warehouse. Running water?......not where we sleep PX?....... It's a shipping container open 6-9 pm, stocked about once a month. Entertainment.....No Laundry?.......Like the solar showers, it's a hike and the washing machine is a garbage can, the dryer is the sun.
We asked about interactions with the Iraqis: " Yes, we sometimes guard the gas station in town and chat with the locals; we get invited home for dinner, to marry their daughters, etc. The kids are feral, but funny. Also do limited shopping at the market in Bayji. We are in a very hostile area, the Fedayeen and newcomer Al-Quaeda guys force the locals to do pretty wild things, sometimes, so, as pleasant as I am, I try to keep it professional so I can make it home to be pleasant to Americans. He mentioned that some local food had caused a case of Montezuma's revenge, but they are calling it " the Fedayeen Funk."
Typical Day?...... Patrol downtown Bayji 22:30-04:30 , enforcing curfew, traffic control at Hwy 1( lemme see what you've got in your car), sleep from 0600 to whenever I start to drown in my own sweat, wake up and mope around until the evening patrol, raid, TCP ( traffic control point) or perimeter observation.
So Bob, use as much or little of this as you wish. We'd asked very specific questions. Hope the mail keeps moving. He said the satellite phone had cycled away from them, but they were expecting another turn soon. HIs letter was upbeat and forceful. Good to know that the mail broke free. (Grumpy) Happy Mom
12) My son called at 3:40 this morning. He is 4ID 1/22 HHC IN BN. He had 3 minutes to talk. He is in Tikrit still, guarding detainees with the rest of the platoon. They pick up trash every morning, just as they did in Ft. Hood (we laughed!). They were involved in one of the raids where one of the most-wanted was being looked for, but no one was found. His platoon has been shot at several times, but no one was hit. The only person injured so far was one soldier who cut his hand on some glass while picking up trash. They have been near a couple of the fire fights and have watched tracers go overhead. He has been sending letters every week or every other week and was upset that none have been received. He said the last several have been really redundant because he knew we haven't gotten any. He thanked us all for the packages we've sent and just needs more dried fruit and drink mix. He sounded upbeat and not as tired as when I've talked to him before.
13) My husband sent me a letter post marked date was June 27th. He's in 204th FSB...4th I.D. He went on a Task Force Delta. He went to Downtown Baqubah for a mission. He found a bayonet and a pistol belt hidden by Iraqi's and he arrested one Iraqi out of many who were arrested. I'm so proud of him and have faith that he will come home safe. He takes his job very seriously like many of our soldiers do. Nothing much more said but just wanted to let everyone know the good news about the arrested Iraqi. Keep your prayers up!!! They sure do need them. God Bless Our Troops.
14) Just a little happy news....my little brother and his wife had their baby on July 11th. It's a girl, 6lbs 8oz 18 in long. She is so cute! My brother couldn't be there of course, since he's in Iraq, but he has been able to call her a lot and they have let him talk for a long time. Let's hope he gets home to his little girl soon! I got to be there through the whole labor and delivery, and it was so awesome! I can't wait for him to see her!!!! Just thought you might like to hear some good news =)
15) My husband is with A-CO 1-22. Last Thursday I received 6 letters from him ranging in dates from June 20-June 26. They were all very interesting, explaining what he does over there. One of his stories in the letter stated that he had been stung by a scorpion, but after a night at the hospital and several days on medicine he was feeling better. That was very scary to hear, although he wrote he thought I would find that story funny since he got stung in the butt! He is living in Tikrit, and said it is just really hot. He has gone on several raids and pulls guard duty a lot. Then on Friday Morning at 7:30, I received a call from him. We got to talk for 17 minutes. He said him and some other guys went out one day and found a phone to use. It was very nice to hear from him after a long time. He just requested some more items for his care packages. He said he would love food, summer sausage, crackers, candy, and anything that doesnt come in an MRE. He has also requested a CD player and a Game Boy. I got this at Wal-Mart. They have some games that are pretty cheap, you just have to buy lots of batteries. I was also told by a Vet. that the best thing he received from his wife on deployment was a voice recorder. So I bought a tape player, with some tapes and I am recording what I do everyday and I will send that to him along with new tapes so he can send them back to me. He said he has no idea when they are coming home, they only hear rumers but that is exactly what they are just rumors. So everyone just stay strong, and keep praying for the safe return of our soldiers!!!
16) JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW, ONCE AGAIN, I HEARD FROM MY HUBBY, 4TH ID, 3 BCT, HHC 1-8 IN. I AM VISITING MY PARENTS FOR THE SUMMER AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STILL GET PHONE CALLS AND LETTERS FROM HIM HERE, AND THAT IS REALLY NICE. HE MADE IT A POINT TO LET ME KNOW HE WAS DOING OK, JUST THAT IT WAS VERY HOT OVER THERE. HE NEEDED A HAIRBRUSH FOR HIS HAIR (HE MUST HAVE HAIR NOW, HE LEFT BALD!) I WILL SEND IT ALONG WITH A SOFT FOOT BRUSH FOR HIM TO WASH CLOSER TO HIS SCALP AS WELL. HE WAS ALSO LOOKING FOR COVERALLS TO ALSO WEAR, SAYS THEY ARE COMFORTABLE AND LIGHTWEIGHT FOR THE HOT WEATHER. SO I WILL START CHECKING THE SURPLUS SHOPS. HE SAYS THAT HE HAS LEARNED TO WASH HIS CLOTHES BY HAND AND THAT IT IS THE GREATEST THING TO GET A GOOD SHOWER! HE HAS ALSO BEEN GETTING OUR PACKAGES AND LETTERS AND THAT KEEPS HIM IN GOOD SPIRITS. KEEP THE SUPPORT AND FAITH GOING EVERYONE! WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! :0)
17) One of our alert readers told me about stories July 11 edition of the Fort Carson Mountaineer about 1-8 Infantry (page 5) and 4th Engineers (page 7). I asked him to send me a url to refer you to and here is what he sent: I was finally able to track down a web site. If you get to it by Friday (July 18), you can click on the lastest version of the paper in text or with pictures. After Friday, you have to search for the July 11th paper. http://www.carson.army.mil/pao/On_Line_Info.htm I hope this helps some families! God Bless!
18) I talked to my daughter last Monday she is with the 704th B Co. It had been two months since we had heard from her. She is doing fine. Said that thay had July 4th off and did a little celebrating - volleyball and went into one of the palaces where a band was playing. So they got to have a break in their hectic schedule. She thought she was going out on another mission and thought that she could call back before the end of the week but there was no call. However we did receive two letters and her younger brother received his belated birthday card which brought a smile to his face. And one of the letters was for my husband for Fathers Day that she had missed which just thrilled him. She sounds a little weary at times in her letters but assures Ma that there are people there taking good care of my girl and not to worry. I try not to worry, I choose to pray for each and everyone of them to stay Safe, Strong & Healthy and to come home soon!
19) Just wanted to let you know that I heard from my daughter who is in the 704 DSB "A" Company, today, July 15th. I hadn't heard from her in about 3 weeks and I've been a little worried. I was just praying: "God, please I need to hear something from her" and just then, the phone rang and it was her! Wow, God certainly answered my prayer so quickly! She sounded good, but tired. She had been on night watch and was anxious to get to sleep. It was about 8:00 p.m. Iraq time when she called...... We got cut off 2 times, but it was so great to hear her voice. She said that she needs more Personal Cleansing Cloths and beef jerkey. She said that the bugs weren't bothering her too much. She definitely is anxious to come home. We're so proud of the way she and all of our soldiers are enduring the harsh conditions. We are keeping the soldiers in our prayers constantly and I know God is with them all! Thanks to everyone who writes in with ideas of things to send to our soldiers! It has definitely helped me be creative since this is the first time I've ever had to deal with something like this. Also, on an AT & T note...I was able to have a special one-rate assigned to my AT&T calling card for 75 cents per minute from Iraq to my home. That was the best rate they were willing to give and that rate package is available until the 24th of July according to the person I talked to.

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