3 replies to this topic

[Mitch0129]

Hello everyone,

Well, I am finally back in the loop after spending the last three weeks involved with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For those of you who I have not told, I am a member of the show and a volunteer on one of the committees. It is a lot of fun but at the end, I am also very exhausted. However, I would not miss this for anything.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you my experience this past weekend when I hosted a member of the Army Rangers currently home on leave from Iraq that came to the rodeo. He will go back this weekend. I had the chance to talk at length with him about what he does, what he experiences, and, most important, how he feels about being there.

Several things stood out in our conversation. The first thing was about the Iraqi people and how they feel about us being there. He told me that they appreciate that we are there and that we have flushed the prior regime out. The troublemakers are people from other countries who have traveled there specifically to do just that ... cause trouble.

The second thing, and probably the most frustrating issue to him, is that the Iraqi people are not the kind of people who will band together in times of crisis. Remember how we, as Americans, banded together after 9/11 and were ready to kick some ass. Well, the Iraqi's do not think like that. Unless it is someone in their family who dies as a result of one of those suicide bombings, they do not care.

Finally, when I asked him if he feels that we are doing a good thing being there, his answer was an emphatic "Hell, Yes!". He was quick to point out that we only hear about the bad things going on over there, the media never talks about the good that is happening.

As a final note, if the rest of our service personnel are anything like him, we have nothing to worry about. It was obvious to me that he is very proud to serve this country. I would certainly love to have him covering my tail.

[dustbowl diver]

for sharing!

I hope that this soldier gave you an e-mail address so that you can stay in touch. As with anyone who serves in our military, my hat is off to them and they remain in my thoughts and prayers!



DBD

[WreckWench]

Mitch...kudos to you for hosting him and better yet for sharing his story so to speak! We have a lot to be proud of!

[Mitch0129]

I hope that this soldier gave you an e-mail address so that you can stay in touch. As with anyone who serves in our military, my hat is off to them and they remain in my thoughts and prayers!

I will be hearing a lot from him even though I did not get his email address. He is a family friend of one of my country dancing partners, a close friend of her daughter's, and practically like a son to her. My friend asked me if I would "badge him in" (Houston rodeo lingo for getting someone in as your guest) and I was more than happy to. I had known about him for about a year and heard a lot about him, now that I have met him, got to know him, and also know what unit he is part of, events over there will now have a different meaning.

I will check with my friend to get his email and postal addresses so I can correspond with him. I will keep you all posted on how he is doing.