Thankful for News!

The internet is mine and Kelly's main source of communication during his deployment. We email each other daily, and Kelly can comment and post pictures on our family website. I can also send Kelly pictures via the internet. So, as you can imagine, we are on the computer a lot! Here are some recent happenings for Kelly in Afghanistan, and me in Las Cruces and Mesa.

Kelly said: I went to FOB Blessing in the Konar Province. I went there to have a short meeting with their intel guys, but was only on the ground for like 40 minutes before someone came and got me and told me I had to get on the flight out ASAP or be stuck there for the night due to poor weather. So, I didn't get any pictures there, but here are some from a place we refueled. Blessing was beautiful. It was on the hillside surrounded by huge mountains, terraces, and the viillage, but I didn't have time to take any pictures there. Here's one from the area though: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/01/afghanistan_slideshow200801?slide=2

This is me at Asadabad, waiting to get back on the Helicopter. In the background is an AH-64 Apache.

I thought this was funny. We had to get off the helicopter to refuel, and I thought I heard a baby crying. It turned out to be goats on the hill nearby. This one somehow managed to get on base and ran right by the helo. Earlier that day in Jalalabad, I saw a dog running along the runway.


This is looking into the city of Asadabad


This is the helicopter we flew around in. When I first got to Jalalabad, I saw these things parked on the side of the runway and thought they were broken and no longer in use, but nope, they are the workhorse of the army.

The guy in back has the coolest job. He sits in the back of the helo, dangles his legs over the edge, and mans the machine gun.