Update From Caleb and his Mom

Caleb was able to send me an e-mail yesterday on Mother's Day and that was a wonderful thing!! Even more special coming from a child in a war zone! We finally figured out a way for him to communicate with everyone. Now that he is so limited on internet time, he is forwarding an update to his blog, and then I am posting it for him!! We hope this will work better so everyone can hear from Caleb himself every once in a while!! So here goes Caleb's latest update:

I GUESS IT'S BEEN A WHILE. IT'S KINDA HARD TO UPDATE THIS FROM MY NEW LOCATION, BUT I THINK I FIGURED OUT A WAY TO DO IT, THANKS TO MY MOMMA. SO, YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LATELY? I GUESS I'LL TELL YOU GUYS.

IMAGINE THIS......

YOU'RE THE GUNNER ON AN MRAP (THE NEW VEHICLE TO REPLACE THE HUMVEE, STANDS FOR MINE RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTED) AND YOU'RE OUT ON PATROL. IT'S THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE BEEN IN YOUR TRUCK FOR A FEW DAYS BECAUSE YOU KEEP GETTING STUCK ON GUARD DUTY (AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT), APPARENTLY, WHILE YOU WERE IN THE GUARD TOWER SOMEONE ELSE RODE IN YOUR TRUCK AND ON YOUR GUN. THEY ALSO HAPPENED TO BREAK THE METAL RING THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT TO THE TRUCK. HOW? I DON'T KNOW. BUT IT'S VERY BROKEN!

SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE A SEAT, YOU HAVE TO TURN YOUR TURRET A LITTLE BIT AND SIT ON THE FRAME FOR THE AIR CONDITIONING. WHICH IS A 1 INCH SQUARE ROD. NOW LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THE MRAP. IT MIGHT AS WELL HAVE NO SUSPENSION AT ALL. IT IS BY FAR THE BUMPIEST RIDE I'VE EVER BEEN ON. AND IT'S NOT JUST BUMPING UP AND DOWN. IT'S BEING THROWN INTO THE AIR AND THEN AS YOU COME DOWN THE TRUCK COMES BACK UP TO MEET YOU, SHATTERING YOUR BODY AND ROCKING YOU TO THE CORE. OR THROWING YOU FACE FIRST INTO A .50 CALIBER MACHINE GUN THEN RIGHT BACK INTO THE TRUCK, WHILE KNOCKING THE WIND OUT OF YOU. IT'S BRUTAL. AND NOW, YOU'RE HITTING ALL THESE 'BUMPS' WHILE RESTING ON A METAL BAR. THAT'S SQUARE.

SO, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU'RE BACK ON MISSION. YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH THE ANNOYING BUMPS AND ROCKING, BECAUSE ANYTHING IS BETTER THAT THE GUARD TOWER. EXCEPT THAT YOU'VE HAD FOOD POISONING FOR THE LAST DAY OR TWO. YOU KNEW THAT THE IRAQI CUCUMBER WAS A BAD IDEA....BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT! SO, NOW YOU'RE TRYING TO RECOVER, YOU'RE STOMACH IS SCREAMING IN PROTEST AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HOPE AND PRAY YOU CAN'T SEEM TO FIND A SMOOTH PATCH OF ROAD.

OH, BUT I'M NOT DONE! WHILE ON THE MISSION, A LOW HANGING WIRE SNAGS YOUR BIRDCAGE AND TEARS IT OFF YOUR TURRET. SUDDENLY, YOU HAVE NO SHADE. AND SHADE IN IRAQ IS A 20 DEGREE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE. SO NOW YOU'RE SICK, GETTING BEAT TO DEATH, AND ROASTING! BUT AT LEAST THE AIR CONDITIONING IS WORKING, SO MOST OF YOUR BODY IS RELATIVELY COOL. AND, YOU'RE ON MISSION, SO THAT'S GOOD.

AFTER ABOUT FIVE HOURS OF ROUTINE RECON, YOU GET AN EOD MISSION, WHILE ON THE EOD MISSION YOU ARE PULLING SECURITY. BUT GUESS WHAT, THE GODS OF WAR ARE NOT DONE MESSING WITH YOU, OH NO......YOUR AC JUST STOPPED WORKING! SUDDENLY, IT'S HOTTER IN THE TRUCK THAN OUTSIDE, WHICH ISPRETTY BAD, CAUSE IT'S PUSHING 130 OUTSIDE. AT LEAST THE MEDICINE THE DOC GAVE YOU IS WORKING. FOR NOW. AND A CAR JUST BLEW UP. THAT WAS SWEET. OH CRAP! NOW THE CAR IS COMING BACK DOWN. WELL, NOW YOU'VE GOT A SOUVENIR LICENSE PLATE. GOOD NEWS, YOU GET TO GO BACK TO THE FOB (FORWARD OPERATING BASE) WHICH MEANS GETTING THE AC FIXED, AND GOOD FOOD, AND THE PX.

SO YOU GO TO THE FOB, DROP OFF YOUR TRUCK AT THE MECHANICS, AND GO TO THE PX, BUY ALL KINDS OF JUNK. RED BULL, CANDY, A GERBER, MAGAZINES, STUFF TO MAKE LIFE EASIER AT THE PATROL BASE. AT LEAST OUR AC DIED ON THE WAY BACK TO THE FOB.

OH, APPARENTLY SQUADRON NEEDS YOU TO LEAVE THE FOB IMMEDIATELY! NO QUESTIONS ASKED. BUT YOUR TRUCK IS STILL BEING WORKED ON. TOO BAD, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE WITHOUT AC. THIS IS GOING TO SUCK. HARD!

AFTER A RIDICULOUSLY LONG AND SWEATY DRIVE BACK, YOU FINALLY MAKE IT TO THE PATROL BASE. THE LONGEST DAY THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER, SINCE THAT ONE DAY A FEW DAYS AGO, IS FINALLY OVER. ON THE WAY BACK TO YOUR TENT YOU WALK PAST THE CHOW TENT. THEY HAVE TWO COOLERS OF ORANGE JUICE SITTING OUT, AND ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN WATER. YOU DRINK A CUP, THINKING TO YOURSELF, CONCENTRATE IS TERRIBLE, BUT AT LEAST IT'S NOT WATER.

AS YOU'RE FINALLY GETTING READY TO GO TO BED YOU REALIZE THAT THE OJ MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BAD IDEA. DEFINITELY A BAD IDEA. YOU RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN OUT OF THE TENT. AND GUESS WHAT? CONCENTRATE OJ TASTES THE SAME COMING OUT AS IT DOES GOING IN!!

OH LORD, TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE A LONG DAY. AT LEAST YOU DON'T HAVE TOWER GUARD. OH WAIT, YOU DO! AFTER YOUR MISSION. AWESOME.