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) Our son (E/1-10 CAV) called today (July 25) about 1:15 p.m. so it was very late where he was. He has been on the Iranian border but they are now helping another unit somewhere. He was at a phone bank--it had just opened today. Sounded like he was in the same house with me with only a little delay. It seems they are working very hard--flying (he's a pilot) and then working long hours in the TOC. But he was in very good spirits--misses his family so much but positive attitude about redeployment date. We just have to accept it and be upbeat. That is the least we can do for all who are over there sacrificing so much for our freedoms.
2) My Husband (with 4th MP Co out of Hood) called twice this morning. Once at 4am when the call went like this; me: "Hey honey" because I have caller ID I knew it was him! Hubby: "what are you up to?" Then we were cut off. He called back at 8am and this call was almost 10 mins! He has been in Iraq for 2-3 days & traveled from Tikrit to Balad where he was during the call. He said he is escorting convoys & loves that he is finally doing what he was trained to do. He had heard about the 2 sons being dead from a pilot & was very happy about it. He is using his sunscreen regulary & thinks he will be able to call on the satelite phone on a pretty regular basis. he was also able to tell me what platoon he was finally put into (3rd). He hadn't heard about the plan for troop rotation & seemed a little bummed by it but overall in a very spunky mood! I guess after 4 years working on LAVs in the USMC he is very excited to be a Military Policeman finally!
3) I got to talk to my husband for an hour yesterday, it was so wonderful. He is in Charlie Co 1-22 and his platoon is in Mosul. He said they put in AT&T phones so he can talk for longer periods of time, I just have to remember to recharge his card after every call. He had gone for about a month without any packages and he got them all the other day, 10 packages and about 15 letters, he said it felt like Christmas! We are both glad to at least have a time frame for his return, the rumors of homecoming dates that changed every day were driving us both crazy. In a strange way this deployment has been good for him, he told me yesterday that he knew he was going to be ok because God was listening to all of the prayers that were being said for him, this coming from a man who in the 11 years we have been married has mentioned anything about God maybe twice. Thanks so much for your updates, I am saving them all for him so he can read them when he comes home.
4) Yesterday evening my husband (no unit given) called saying he was on a vacation. He said they have everything there, a swimming pool, a PX equipt with eveything the troops need, a lounge to sit and have a cold one, (they only allowed 3 per person a day), a pool room, good food, they get to sleep when ever, and take real showers and wash their BDU's. We even talked for a little over an hour it was wonderful to talk that long. I'm so proud of our troops over there they deserve a break like that. God bless our Troops. (Ed Note: I'm assuming she's talking about the in country R&R center they've built in the palace in Tikrit - and I assume they are getting to drink real beer, or maybe the near beer like they had on July 4 in some places).
5) A comment for the person who sent the salsa jar. Wal-mart has salsa in plastic containers. I found some the other day and thats going in my husbands next box. Its actually salsa in a bowl shaped plastic container. Just thought I'd let you know.
6) I just wanted to let everyone know that, if you have to get in contact with your son or daughter due to an emergency, the American Red Cross is outstanding. Last week my son's Grandfather suffered a massive stroke and we wanted desperately to have our son call home. I called the American Red Cross's 24/7 emergency number (1-877-272-7337) , and gave them all of the pertinent information. Within one day we received a phone call from our son. Unfortunately his Grandfather had passed away just few hours before he called, however, we were extremely grateful for the service that the Red Cross provided.
7) We got a call the other night from our son who is with the 1/68 Armor. He wanted to tell us that they had heard when they will be coming home (of course we already knew from your e-mail). He sounded really upbeat and just relieved to have an actual specific time frame instead of wondering.
He said to keep sending the reading material and the drink mixes as well as some CDs and batteries for the small fan we sent and his CD player. That was it, and then he got cut off. It was great to hear his voice though!
8) I have heard from my husband, B 1/44 ADA this week, but he had nothing new to say about his situation. I'm writing to chime in on the calling cards. My husband called collect when he first got to Iraq, and I figured it was going to cost me an arm and a leg on my phone bill. Well, in 4 times he has called collect, I've received 3 bills so far. Approximately 20 minutes per call was $7. We have Sprint, and that's MUCH cheaper than if he used his Sprint calling card, by far. He uses ATT when he calls collect, either because he has to, or it's the only number he can remember, but I told him forget the cards, just call me collect. I hope that helps... (Ed Note: Just passing along information - can not attest that this will apply to you or not. I'm of the old school who thinks collect calls are more expensive but any more - who knows. Thanks for the input).
9) I don't know if this any better than the others, but my husband (A.Co. 4th ENG near Balad) has this card, AT&T Military Saver Plus phone card plan, which he uses from the satellite phone, or any AT&T phone he has access to. The card is billed to our home. I called AT&T, we're paying $.80 per minute when he calls. This $.80/min from Iraq promotion will be in effect until Dec 31, 2003. I like the fact that it is billed to our home as he doesn't have to worry about running out of minutes or recharging his card. Cash is hard to come by there. (Ed Note: same disclaimer as above. I'm assuming you can call AT&T and ask about this plan and how to get on it).
10) I have some info you might want to share with your readers regarding neck coolers. I was at a craft show and found them. They were inexpensive (3.99), I thought. Here is the email they gave me if anyone is interested. sunnid1221@yahoo.com or 517-646-8593 (P & G Hair Accessories).
I have recently received emails from my brother 4th ID, 1-4 AVN B CO. He say's the living conditions are slowly improving and really appreciates the bug spray and jerky. I had also asked for names in his platoon of soldiers who don't receive mail or packages. Believe it or not there are quite a few of them. He sent four names and said that these guys never get mail. Our Vaction Bible school was able to collect 700 lbs of misc. items and $500.00 in cash for these soldiers. I am so amazed at the generosity of people. Thank God there are people like them.
11) We FINALLY heard from our son who is in the 3-29FA. He sounded okay. He said he was extremely tired, but they are finally going to get some R&R. He called Wednesday around 10:30pm. He said it was so hot there. He said he hadn't had a chance to write because they have been doing 18hour missions and then when they did end the mission, he was so exhausted all he could do was try and sleep....... He did say he would start writing again and that he is receiving all of his packages. He said that when he gets the packages he shares them with the other guys in his tent. The only thing he wanted was more cigarettes! As a mother I hate to send them to him, but if that’s what he wants then that’s what he is going to get!
12) Today is Saturday, July 26 - my 17th wedding anniversary with my soldier who is in the National Guard- 223 Engineering Battalion Co B from Calhoun City, MS. His unit is attached to the 4th ID and they are located in Baqubah. The spouses and families of our guys/ladies find it difficult to find out any information about them. Your updates have been so helpful. We do have a family support group but unlike the regular Army, our members may be miles away from their respective units. The majority of us had no previous experience with deployment prior to January of this year. We know the 4th ID is returning in April 2004, but our guys have still not been given their specific return date. As mentioned in some of your previous updates, the "not-knowing" is the hardest part for all of us. Well, on a much happier note, I did receive a phone call from my husband at 1:30 a.m. this morning. His voice sounded wonderful between the cutoffs. We probably got 4 good minutes out of the 10 minute call due to being cut off. We didn't have time to say anything other than a lot of I love you and miss you but it was worth every second. I also received a letter from him yesterday dated July 9. He mentioned they had completed a MWR tent for his unit and this had really helped morale. The tent is cooled by swamp coolers and they now have a refrigerator and a freezer. He asked that we continue sending the packages - especially the bug spray, snack foods and games. They actually held a domino tournament. I can't even imagine my husband playing dominos. Anything to keep up their spirits.
13) I am writing to you tonight because something amazing happened to me while at work today. My husband in serving in Iraq with 4th Eng. Bn, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, I have struggled over the past few days with the news of our soldiers redeployment. That is until today! I met an Iraqi family while they were shopping in my store and they noticed the dog tag I wear with my husband picture on it. The father came up to me and asked me if my husband was in Iraq. I nervously told him yes, not real sure what to expect. He told me he was half Iraqi and half Kuwaiti, he was a father of three the same ages as my three children at home. His wife stood at his side and we began to talk. He first began with stories of how he and his family got out of Iraq and into Kuwait twelve years ago. He went on to tell me how he traveled to the US (Denver) five years ago to go to school. He now works in Kuwait in the oil fields. He had decided to bring his family to the US on vacation to show them where he went to school. They wilI be here for the next month. I got the nerve up to ask him if we are wanted in Iraq and he quickly answered my question and said YES, Your husband is wanted and needed in Iraq. He went on to tell me how the Iraqi people have lived under the rule of Saddam. He referred to Saddam as The Living Devil. I can not tell you how many times he and his family thanked me for my sacrifise. He promised me everyday from here on out til he gets word from me that my husband is home safely that he will include him in his daily prayers. At one point while talking to the family they began to speak in their language to one another and the next thing I knew all three children left. While the children were gone, the father told me he had something for me and that I must take it. He told me it was just a very small way of saying Thank you for sacrifising so his children can have the same kind of lives as mine. He said its our way of saying Thank you for our freedom. His children then returned with a sack, inside was a Barbie Doll for my seven year old daughter. He said from my daughter to yours. Again they all Thank me for the sacrifises that my family has made. It by far was the most touching moment I have ever had in my life. He asked me if I would please keep in contact with them over the years as our children grow. I promised him I would. They invited my family and I to visit them in Kuwait. They told me they would teach me to cook, I told them I would teach them how to make meatloaf. I was kidding of course, but they didn't quite understand the joke or even what a meatloaf was. I wanted to share this with you because today I found out why my husband is in Iraq. I came to an understanding of why it may take longer than expected to finish the mission at hand. I looked at these children, and thought of my own and how different things have been for them. One story told was of his oldest at 5 years old throwing a pebble at an Iraqi soldier to then have the soldier put a gun to his head threating to kill him. The grandfather begged for the childs life but what ended up being the childs savior was that he had the same name as the son of the Iraqi soldier. I talked to this family for what seemed to be five minutes but was actually an hour and a half. Tomorrow my letter to my husband will be quite different, it will include alot more of the "way to gos", "you're doing an amazing job", "keep up the great work" but more importantly" I am so very proud of you" My husband also served in Desert Storm with the Marine Corp, and now has been apart of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the Army. I just thought this to be an amazing story worth sharing. Include it in your daily e-mails if you would like. Maybe it will help some of the families understand why our loved ones are needed and maybe it will help them to know Our Soldiers Are Very Much Needed In Iraq and Appreciated by most of the people of Iraq. Sincerely, One Proud Army Wife
14) Heard from my husband this morning (Sunday, July 27) at about 5:30. He's in 204th FSB. He sounded really upbeat which was GREAT and that's a big switch from my last 2 calls I've gotten from him. He said NO MORE CANDY and NO MORE HYGEINE PRODUCTS!!! But he did request a game boy advance, more canned beef stew, Ravioli, soups, thin blanket, pillow, and sheets. (I already have the sheets and pillow in the mail...sent those a few days ago). Well other than that he really didn't say much. I could just tell he was fine in his voice. We even laughed on the phone for the 1st time since he's been gone. After this phone call I couldn't go back to sleep and couldn't stop smiling. It was GREAT. God Bless Our Troops!!!

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