Posted on 10/23/2004 7:53:28 AM PDT by Coop
Hey there everyone,
...Today we woke up with a few mortar blasts that made our teeth rattle and then a incoming rocket to top things off. Most people would think that we would get our gear on and jump into a bunker........but not us. When things get bad here, we BBQ! We found some meat and grilled the afternoon away playing football between burgers. The bombs kept falling but the fun never stoped. It almost felt like home for a bit. Then we topped off the evening firing up the hukka on the roof and watched the flashes in the distance as coalition forces got some payback. Fortunatly our buddies in the sky took care of it for us this time.
My injuries are doing fine. The corpsmen have taken good care of me and I think I might even get out of this with a very minor scar. I was not that good looking to begin with so some shrapnel to the face really was not going to help the situation. This afternoon, people from all over the camp came to meet "The Luckiest Marine in Fallujah". The bad news is that this does not get me an early ticket home. I feel that I am very fortunate that I had such a close call and that I can still continue to work. We are still doing good things here and we will continue to help the people of Iraq until our last day in country.
Many of you have asked if I had a chance to vote. I mailed my absentee ballot three days ago. The Marines have done an excellent job in allowing us to have our say in the upcoming election. I have missed many of the debates and from what I understand, this may be a very close election. Only time will tell.
I explained the voting process to many of my Iraqii counterparts. They were fascinated that in America every individual has a voice. Regardless of race, religion, wealth or power. Many of them told me that they can only dream of the day when Iraq will have the same type of democracy. I hope that what we are doing here will help in the process. Sooooo, make sure you all get out and vote! Regardless of who you choose, just remember that the simple act of checking the little box is something that many would die for. We really are a great nation.
Well, I have rambled on enough. Thank you for all your responses and letters. They mean so much to us here. I hope everyone is good and I look forward to hearing from you. Take care. Peace in the Middle East.
-Todd
PS-I lost all the hair on my hands today. Could someone send some BBQ tools;-)
Think John Kerry's legions of lawyers will give a damn if they get a hold of his absentee ballot?
I'll be sending Todd a link to this thread if anyone would like to send along their regards.
Tell Todd that HE IS THE MAN! ...and if you can send me an addy, I'll be more than HAPPY to buy him BBQ tools, and send them ASAP. :-)
Some one send that man a spatula!
I appreciate your kind offer. I passed along this link to Todd, so if he takes you up on the offer I will indeed provide you a snail mail address. Cheers!
Semper Fi
I have some BBQ tools I can send if I know where to send them.
Surreal.
Ping
5.56mm
Thanks for posting this. It's a terrific example of the American GI's attitude. Humble, hilarious, on the lookout for way to educate and help.
bttt
God Bless you Todd.
I'm not so sure I agree with your 'anyone and everyone vote' plea.
You might want to have a look at this link:
http://www.derer.com/pleasedontvote.htm
Please let Todd and all his colleagues know how much my family and I appreciate their service to our great country.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they protect us.
Pls tell Todd that he is one of the heroes America prays for, every day. Pls thank him and all the other heroes for their service.
Great idea. Here goes. Todd, I can't tell you how glad I am that you are on the way to recovery. It would probably help if you refrained from burning off your body hair but BBQ can be worth it. I want to tell you how proud we are of you and all of our brave souls taking on one of the most important missions of our lifetime. Mostly, we are grateful in ways that cannot be put into words. Coop, let us know how the barbeque tools thing goes so he doesn't end up with hundreds of sets, unless that would help.
:-D I will. That's why I figure I'll let Todd make that call.
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