First of all let me thank everyone for the warm welcome. As you know my unit is going on an as of yet non-specific mission to Southeast Asia. The main body of my unit should be leaving around Day-61 I will be departing about ten days prior to the main body and the daily countdown continues. Last time we flew over we were allowed to carry out m-16, & M-4 rifles and our M249 & M240B Machine guns on the aircraft but they would not allow nail clippers, knives, or pointed objects. In light of current events I would guess that this next flight would include toothpaste mouthwash, and deodorant. Shove that many soldiers on an aircraft for 18 hours or more ………. It’s going to be one long flight. We have been training constantly for this to include 4 Bradley gunneries in a little more than a year. If you are Army then you know that 2 gunneries in one year is the norm. All of my crews qualified Distinguished and it does not get any better than that. We have taken the battalion through numerous other exercises to include convoy live fires, reflexive fires and some MOUT training. Our MP’s will patrol the roads on FT. Hood until the day they fly still trying to figure out how we will be able to turn in the units supply of ammunition for the road due to the fact that I am vital to that process and my butt will already be in Kuwait. In a little more than a week out unit has the distinct Honor to lay to rest our fallen comrades. We will be on the detail to give the last honor to our fallen and there families. Our burial teams are practicing daily until they are precise and flawless. Lets all hope and pray that Fred Phelps or any of his congregation decide not to show. People have accused me of having no feelings but at times I can be very sensitive, say for example Fred Phelps was driving car down a Kansas country road when a dog runs out and he hits it. He blows out a tire swerves, and crashes his car into a light post and the car erupts in a ball of flames. I would feel so bad that I would immediately stop what I was doing run to the scene and hope the dog was still alive, and if the dog were dead I would probably even cry. Any way nice meeting you all hope to keep you posted on further developments and thank you CJ for the opportunity to exercise the constitutional rights that we fight for on a daily basis.