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I welcome all who have family members in Iraq or elsewhere to join me in posting stories from the front.

With a brother in Bagdad and a nephew (brother's son) in Mosul, I have a lot of information that I hope you will find interesting.

And I hope that others will share their stories with me.

"Hero to Hero" will be "Kruisin' for Kaibetoney"
Liz Jackson and other volunteers with the Hero to Hero (H2H) pledge drive will be at it again this Saturday, January 8th. They will be collecting shirts in the Puget Sound region from Fire & Police Departments to send to the troops in Iraq. Saturday's "Stomp" will be dedicated to Larry Kaibetoney, who was seriously injured in the Mosul bombing recently. His wife Chani is a volunteer with H2H. A full press release is included below.

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“Hero to Hero” will be “Kruisin’ for Kaibetoney” through-out the Puget Sound, January 8th, 2004!

A planned Stomp for the troops was made more personal when the husband of a “Hero to Hero” core member was seriously wounded in Mosul.

Lakewood, WA, January 8, 2004: “Hero to Hero” is firefighters, law enforcement and first responders across America, giving the shirts off their backs for our troops in the desert.

In an ongoing morale effort for the troops, the “Hero to Hero” convoy of military family members and local soldiers will be visiting Fire Departments & Police Stations from Seattle to Tacoma (and towns between) gathering the shirts off the backs of our stateside Heroes for our desert deployed Heroes.

This event took a personal turn after the Mosul incident that took the lives of six local soldiers and wounded many more. One of those wounded was Larry Kaibetoney, husband of Hero to Hero core member Chani. Larry is currently recuperating at Madigan Army Hospital, and Chani is at his side… thankful just to have him with her again.

We will hopefully never know the pain Larry and all the others have endured, all we can do is try to let them know they are supported and always in our thoughts. To this end, Hero to Hero continues its morale efforts on their behalf. To this end, we dedicate our upcoming Stomp as “Kruisin’ for Kaibetoney”. The January 15th Stomp (Bremerton ~ Olympia) will be dedicated to all affected by the Mosul incident.

Contact: Liz Jackson
Patriotic Pastime
Phone (253) 279-9817
Email: PatrioticPastime@aol.com

Ping!

I was thinking FR should have a daily like this. I know we have the various support our troops dailies, but a special place for military families to share stories is a cool idea. As long as they aren't the loose lips kind of things. My kid leaves for Iraq in a couple weeks.

Ping, son.............(excuse me.......ping, Lieutenant).

My nephew is the smiling one in the back!

Airborne:

Rangers lead the way! The 82nd has a long and courageous history - a lot to be proud of. Thank you for your service.

I have two "kids" in the service. They are both sort of adopted by me since they were young. They were the lost children of single mothers I dated over the years (they are not related by blood). I couldn't be prouder of them. Both of them - last time I knew - are in Afghanistan. One is with the 1st Special Forces, Detachment *. The other has been with the 160th SOAR for about two years as a crew chief on "Nighthawks". There are very happy and have found their work very rewarding. I worked very long and hard to keep them on the right path. It was worth it. Yes I worry but I also know they are some of the finest soldiers in the history of mankind.

They tell me - when they can - that the situation in Afghanistan is going very well. The country is moving to the new government and the people are responding to change. ALL basic services have been improved or developed and the few Taliban that raise their heads get a major smack down almost immediately.

Please keep posting away with the info you have - I have given up on the MSM and now look for my info on the Internet. De Opresso Liber.

In Memoriam

A Tribute to the Fallen Soldiers of the Stryker Brigade & Task Force Olympia

To the families - we wanted to make you aware of a special offer by artist Michael Reagan to create a free portrait of your loved one. Follow the link for additional details. You can view one of the portraits here.

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Army Pvt. Cory R. Depew, 21, of Beech Grove, Ind.; assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Jan. 4 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his Stryker military vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Pfc. Oscar Sanchez, 19, of Modesto, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Dec. 29 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck his observation post in Mosul, Iraq.

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Navy Chief Joel Egan Baldwin, 37, of Arlington, Va.; assigned to Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 77, Gulfport, Miss.; killed Dec. 21 when his base dining facility was attacked in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army CPT William W. Jacobsen Jr., 31, of Charlotte, NC. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. CPT Jacobsen died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SGM Robert D. O'Dell, 38, of Manassas, VA. He was assigned to the United States Army Intelligence & Security Command, Fort Belvoir, VA. SGM O'Dell died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SFC Paul D. Karpowich, 30, of Bridgeport, PA. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 2nd Battalion, 390th Infantry Regiment, Webster, NY. SFC Karpowich died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SSG Julian S. Melo, 47, of Brooklyn, NY. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. SSG Melo died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SSG Darren D. VanKomen, 33, of Bluefield, W.VA. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. SSG VanKomen died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SSG Robert S. Johnson, 23, of Castro Valley, CA. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. SSG Johnson died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SGT Lynn R. Poulin Sr., 47, of Freedom, ME. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion, Belfast, ME. SGT Poulin died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SPC Jonathan Castro, 21, of Corona, CA. He was assigned to the 73rd Engineer Company, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. SPC Castro died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SPC Thomas J. Dostie, 20, of Sommerville, ME. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion, Portland, ME. SPC Dostie died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SPC Cory M. Hewitt, 26, of Stewart, TN. He was assigned to the 705th Ordnance Company, Fort Polk, LA. SPC Hewitt died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SPC Nicholas C. Mason, 20, of King George, VA. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 276th Engineer Battalion, West Point, VA. SPC Mason died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army SPC David A. Ruhren, 20, of Stafford, VA. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 276th Engineer Battalion, West Point, VA. SPC Ruhren died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army PFC Lionel Ayro, 22, of Jeanerette, LA. He was assigned to the 73rd Engineer Company, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. PFC Ayro died December 21 in Mosul, Iraq, when his dining facility was attacked.

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Army 1st Lt. Andrew C. Shields, 25, of Campobello, S.C.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, South Carolina Army National Guard, Columbia, S.C.; killed Dec. 9 in an Apache helicopter accident in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Leach, 39, of Rock Hill, S.C.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, South Carolina Army National Guard, Columbia, S.C.; killed Dec. 9 in an Apache helicopter accident in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Sgt. David A. Mitts, 24, of Hammond, Ore.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Dec. 4 when his Stryker military vehicle received enemy fire during convoy operations in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Staff Sgt. Salamo J. Tuialuuluu, 23, of Pago Pago, American Samoa; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Dec. 4 when his Stryker military vehicle received enemy fire during convoy operations in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Pfc. George D. Harrison, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.; assigned to the 293rd Military Police Company, 3rd Military Police Battalion (Provisional), 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed Dec. 2 when his Humvee was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Thomas K. Doerflinger, 20, of Silver Spring, Md.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Nov. 11 when his unit came under small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Maj. Horst G. Moore, 38, of San Antonio, Texas, died Nov. 9 in Mosul, Iraq, when enemy mortar rounds detonated within his unit living area. Moore was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker BrigadeCombat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.

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Air Force Master Sgt. Steven E. Auchman, 37, of Waterloo, N.Y.; assigned to the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 9 of injuries sustained when multiple rocket-propelled grenades struck his location in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Alan J. Burgess, 24, of Landaff, N.H.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Brigade, New Hampshire Army National Guard, Woodsville, N.H.; killed Oct. 15 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Lt. Col. Mark P. Phelan, 44, of Green Lane, Pa.; assigned to the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve, Morristown, Pa.; killed Oct. 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle in Mosul, Iraq. Also killed was Maj. Charles R. Soltes Jr.

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Army Maj. Charles R. Soltes Jr., 36, of Irvine, Calif.; assigned to the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve, Upland, Calif.; killed Oct. 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle in Mosul, Iraq. Also killed was Lt. Col. Mark P. Phelan.

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Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Burbank, 34, of Bremerton, Wash.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Oct. 11 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Pfc. Adam J. Harris, 21, of Abilene, Texas; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Sept. 22 by a sniper as he was on patrol in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Sgt. Jacob H. Demand, 29, of Palouse, Wash.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed when his patrol was attacked by enemy forces, on Sept. 14 in Mosul, Iraq.

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Air Force Airman 1st Class Carl L. Anderson Jr., 21, of Georgetown, S.C.; assigned to the 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; killed Aug. 29 by enemy action near Mosul, Iraq.

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Army 2nd Lt. Matthew R. Stovall, 25, of Horn Lake, Miss., died Aug. 22 in Mosul, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle. Stovall was assigned to the Army National Guard’s 367th Maintenance Company, 298th Corps Support Battalion, Philadelphia, Miss.

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Army Sgt. 1st Class David A. Hartman, 41, of Akron, Mich.; assigned to 401st Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Battle Creek, Mich.; killed July 17 when the vehicle he was driving was hit by an improvised explosive device in Bayji, Iraq.

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Army Cpl. Demetrius L. Rice, 24, of Ortonville, MN; assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed July 14 when his vehicle rolled over as the driver tried to avoid another vehicle in Talafar, Iraq.

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Army Pfc. Jesse J. Martinez, 20, of Tracy, Calif.; assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed July 14 when his vehicle rolled over as the driver tried to avoid another vehicle in Talafar, Iraq.

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Air Force Staff Sgt. Dustin W. Peters, 25, of El Dorado, Kan.; assigned to the 314th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.; killed July 11 by enemy action near Forward Operating Base Summerall, Iraq.

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Marine Staff Sgt. Marvin Best, 33, of Prosser, Wash.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed June 20 by hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Best was not a member of Task Force Olympia or the Stryker Brigade, but he was the relative of a member of our Stryker family.

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Army Staff Sgt. Stephen G. Martin, 39, of Rhinelander, Wis., died July 1 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., from injuries sustained in Mosul, Iraq, on June 24 when a car bomb exploded near his guard post. Martin was assigned to the Army Reserve's 330th Military Police Detachment, Sheboygan, Wis.

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Army Sgt. Christopher A. Wagener, 24, of Fairview Heights, Ill., died July 1, in Mosul, Iraq, when his convoy vehicle hit a land mine. Wagener was assigned to the Army’s 10th Aviation Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

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Army Staff Sgt. Charles A. Kiser, 37, of Cleveland, Wis.; assigned to the 330th Military Police Detachment, Army Reserve, Sheboygan, Wis.; killed June 24 when an explosion occurred near his convoy in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Pvt. Bradli N. Coleman, 19, of Ford City, Pa., died May 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries sustained on May 29 in Mosul, Iraq, when mortar rounds hit his living quarters. Coleman was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

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Army Spc. Michael J. Wiesemann, 20, of North Judson, Ind., died May 29, at Forward Operating Base Q-West (Quyarrah Air Base, Iraq) of non-combat related injuries. Wiesemann was assigned to the Army's 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

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Army Pfc. Andrew L. Tuazon, 21, of Chesapeake, Va.; assigned to the 293rd Military Police Company, 3rd Military Police Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed May 10 by hostile fire while on guard duty in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Sgt. Isela Rubalcava, 25, of El Paso, Texas; assigned to the 296th Combat Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed May 8 when a mortar round hit nearby in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Chase R. Whitham, 21, of Oregon; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed May 8 when an electrical current charged the water in a swimming pool in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Sgt. Joshua S. Ladd, 20, of Fort Gibson, Miss.; assigned to the 367th Maintenance Company, Army National Guard, DeKalb, Miss.; killed May 1 when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Trevor A. Wine, 22, of Orange, Calif.; assigned to 24th Quartermaster Company, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 1 in Tikrit, Iraq, from injuries sustained on April 30 when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

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Army Sgt. Jacob R. Herring, 21, of Kirkland, Wash.; assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 28 in Mosul, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Talafar, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Christopher D. Gelineau, 23 of Portland, Maine; assigned to the 133rd Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, Gardiner, Maine; killed April 20 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Frank K. Rivers Jr., 23, of Woodbridge, Va.; assigned to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 14 when he collapsed during physical training in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Tyanna S. Avery-Felder, 22, of Bridgeport, Conn.; assigned to the 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 7 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained April 4 when her convoy vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device in Balad, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Philip G. Rogers, of Gresham, Ore.; assigned to the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed April 4 when an improvised explosive device hit his military vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Pfc. Bruce Miller Jr., 23, of Orange, N.J.; assigned to the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash.; died March 22 of non-combat related injuries in Mosul, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Michael M. Merila, 23, of Sierra Vista, Ariz.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Feb. 16 when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device in Talifar, Iraq.

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Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins, 27, Schenectady, N.Y.; assigned to Troop A, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Feb. 9 when a collection of unexploded ordinance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds detonated while being moved to a demolition point in Sinjar, Iraq.

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Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brian D. Hazelgrove, 29, of Fort Rucker, Ala.; assigned to 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), based at Fort Drum, N.Y.; killed Jan. 23 when his OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul in northern Iraq.

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Army Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Dorff, 32, of Minnesota; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation (Fort Drum); attached to the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y; killed Jan. 25 when his Kiowa Warrior helicopter went down in the Tigris River during a search for four soldiers whose watercraft had capsized. Dorff was listed as duty status whereabouts unknown after the crash. His remains were recovered Jan. 29.

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Army 1st Lt. Adam G. Mooney, 28, of Cambridge, Md.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation, Fort Drum, N.Y.; attached to 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum; killed Jan. 25 when his helicopter went down in the Tigris River during a search for a missing soldier in Mosul, Iraq. Mooney was listed as duty status whereabouts unknown after the crash. His remains were recovered Feb. 14.

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Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, 29, of Bremer, Wash; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Jan. 25 when his boat capsized during a patrol on the Tigris River. Bunda was originally listed as duty status whereabouts unknown. His remains were recovered Feb. 10.

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Army Spc. Christopher J. Rivera Wesley, 26, of Portland, Ore.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Dec. 8 when his Stryker armored vehicle flipped into a canal in Duluiyah, Iraq.

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Army Spc. Joseph M. Blickenstaff, 23, of Corvallis, Ore.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Dec. 8 when his vehicle flipped into a canal in Duluiyah, Iraq.

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Army Staff Sgt. Steven H. Bridges, 33, of Tracy, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Dec. 8 when his vehicle flipped into a canal in Duluiyah, Iraq.

Good News From The Front

Carrying God's Word in a war zone

Saturday, January 8, 2005
By DEAN BAKER, Columbian staff writer

It's a long trek from a job managing delivery routes for The Columbian to carrying religious services to troops in the mountains of Iraq, but that's where Army Capt. Edward Willis has gone.

Willis, 41, a 1981 Hudson's Bay High School graduate and a U.S. Army chaplain, spent Christmas ministering to troops at a Muslim shrine on a mountaintop outpost near Sinjar, Iraq. He flew in by helicopter along with a Christmas meal for the troops.

Willis narrowly missed being in the mess tent in Mosul on Dec. 22 when a suicide bomber killed 22 people: 14 U.S. soldiers (six of them based at Fort Lewis), four U.S. civilian contractors, three Iraqi security men and an unidentified non-American. Sixty-nine people were wounded, including 44 soldiers.

One of the wounded was a 1999 graduate of Camas High School, Army Spc. Don Larson, 24, who suffered burns and is recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. His parents, Jim and Marsha Larson, live in Chehalis.

Luckily, Willis flew to other parts of Iraq that day, ministering to troops.

"He had been in Mosul for the first month he was there, and the tent that was bombed was his dining tent," said his wife, Leanne, 34. "He was away at the time of the bombing at Tal Afar."

While Willis is at war, Leanne and the couple's three children celebrated Christmas and New Year's at the home of his parents, Ed and Mardelle Willis of Vancouver. They also celebrated the 7th birthday of the couple's oldest child, Lindsey. Leanne, Lindsey and the little girl's two brothers, Thomas, 3, and Connor, 18 months, returned Tuesday to their home, a duplex at Fort Lewis.

Leanne Willis' mother and stepfather, Kathy and Morry Hitchcock, also live in Vancouver. Her father, Charles Stephens, a retired Vancouver teacher, lives in Costa Rica.

"There are times when this was really hard," said Leanne, a 1987 graduate of Hudson's Bay High School. "We had to redefine ourselves now that daddy was gone, but we settled into it. We've got lots of great friends, and my family is very supportive."

And, she explained later, she also finds help through prayer.

"I'm really not worried because I trust in God," she said. "He is the one who allowed us to have this time in our life. We feel that God really led us into the Army, in the ministry that my husband is good at. He enjoys ministering to the soldiers. We'll wait and see what else God has for us."

Willis has been in Iraq since Oct. 3 and is scheduled to return home in October.

"We've been apart for two or three months before, but this is the first time he's been gone out of the picture for that length of time," Leanne said, admitting she has her hands full taking care of three children, and home-schooling Lindsey.

In a telephone call from Iraq, Willis said he's torn by his duty. "I love the work, but I love my family," he said.

"There's 'good busy' and there's 'bad busy' in this work," said Willis, who is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Free Church.

"I appreciate the privilege of sharing in people's suffering," he said. "The situation is bad, but it's not bad work by any means."

He said he conducts seven church services a week and Bible studies at so-called "forward operating bases" in the battle zones. He also counsels both the wounded and dying, he said.

"I can't really give you any details on what we are doing," Willis said."We are seeing a bit of activity, and things seem to be going well."

Willis said mostly he works directly with soldiers, doing family and stress counseling, and suicide prevention awareness, and working especially hard on "spiritual fitness."

He said his living quarters are similar to a mobile home.

"The containers we live in are good, and the food is incredible. They're taking really good care of the troops," he said.

Willis, who moved to Vancouver with his family in 1976, worked at The Columbian from 1984 to 1987.

"I met Ed in January of '84 and hired him as a route manager for three years," said Jim Cox, a supervisor in The Columbian circulation department. "He was an ambitious kid. He was a pretty wild fellow when I met him. The Lord toned him down."

He worked on the staff of several Vancouver-area churches and joined the Army Reserves in 1995 right after graduating from Multnomah Bible College in Portland. In the mid-1990s, he also played the baritone horn and was lead vocalist with the 104th Division band at Vancouver Barracks.

In 1997, he transferred to Army active duty and spent two years as a chaplain's assistant at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. In 2003, he completed Western Seminary in Portland and became an active-duty chaplain. He went to the war zone in October.

"I appreciate the Army," said Leanne. "I love the Army. I believe in what they are doing. I believe in helping the Iraqi people, and I believe that God will take care of it. I trust Him."

January 12, 2005
Iraqi boy helps lead troops to diffusion of roadside bomb
(TFO Press Release)

MOSUL, IRAQ (January 12, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) were able to defuse a roadside bomb after an Iraqi boy provided them with information about the bomb in northern Iraq January 10.

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment were on patrol in Mosul when an Iraqi child informed them of a roadside bomb in the area. The tip led to the diffusion and destruction of the bomb. No injuries were reported and the child was compensated for his service.