11 January 2005 - I received what looks to be my last box for this deployment, and it came from one of Kathy's co-workers, Vera. Her son, TJ, is in Ms. Plitnick's 3rd grade class, and they all got together and sent me a care package of snacks and some toiletry items we all need while here in theater. I don't know about other soldiers in theater, but there's something really cool about getting a bunch of letters from students who are so interested in what is happening here. I'm also always amazed at the way our children look at things that are happening on the other side of the world. They don't see the politics of it all. They don't see and understand why there is so much hatred here. It makes me wonder how us adults have become cynical and so unwilling to accept others for who they are and what they believe. Despite what some people say, I don't believe it's because of money...to me that would really cheapen the spirit of humans that I respect.

I've received many cards and letters over this past year. I would particularly like to thank the members of the Junior Girl Scout Troop 974 from Occoquan for all the Christmas cards. The soldiers appreciated them a lot. I'd also like to thank the members of Girl Scout Troop 4791. The smiles on our soldiers faces when we handed out the cards was priceless. I only wish I had a camera at the time. Of course, many thanks to Ms Christiano's class from last school year. I hope they are all doing well in 6th grade now. Which brings me to Ms Plitnick's class. They sent me a handful of questions. These questions are more of the type that make a person think more about themselves, then about the situation their in, and I've enjoyed reading them.

What is your job? Do you fly a plane/helicopter? How many hours do you work. from day til night? Is it hard to work all day? Is it very hot in Iraq? What branch are you in?

I'm currently in the Army, as a communications officer. I am part of Virginia's National Guard. Normally we would help during natural disasters, like the India Tsunami. This time we were called up to help the Iraqi people remove an evil man. Unfortunately, I do not fly helicopters because I have bad eyes. I used to read in the dark when I was kid, and I hurt my eyes. I love helicopters, and have flown one once. I had a friend in the 101st Airborne Division who was a pilot and he let me fly a helicopter for a little while. It was a lot of fun. Mostly, I was one of the guys who would jump out of a helicopter and slide down a rope, like the soldiers did in the movie "Blackhawk Down". I don't do that here though. Unlike many of our parents, I don't work from 8-5 anymore. I work all day long. When I'm sleeping, I can be woken up and asked to work. This is the military way, especially for an officer.

Do you like fighting in the military? Do you like being in the military? Is it hard to be in the military?

Hmm...this is a good question. I don't like fighting at all. I never have. I've always been able to do more by being a kind person instead of being a bully. I do feel that being here to fight for the Iraqi people is a good thing, and I'm proud to be a part of it. I've been in the military for 8 years, and I really enjoy it. It is hard to be in the military when you have a family, because the military expects you to put the military ahead of your own family. The military is very tough, and it wants it's soldiers to be tough. It is not a job for people who are afraid all the time. I have seen 18 year old kids join the Army, who were afraid of their own shadows. When they finally were released from the military, they were very strong, and not afraid of anything anymore.

Do you have any friends there? Any friends fighting there with you?

I have only one real friend here. That's Lieutenant Wheeler. Her and I were in the same unit before we got to Iraq, and we both joined this unit at the same time so we could come to Iraq. Yes, she is a woman. She is one of the finest officer's I have ever met, and she is a great asset to the military. Her and I have been out in the countryside running missions together countless times, and I trust her. Otherwise, there is no one else here who is my friend. I get along with a lot of people, but I don't think I will see many of them after this war is over for me unless I run into them again in another unit.

A lot of questions about me, and I realize that over the year, I have said little about my interests, hobbies, and what not. So, this is a good time to answer these questions.

How old are you?

Believe it or not, I'm 30 years old. I never thought I would be this old, and when I was your ages, I remember seeing 30 year olds and I would say how old they were. Now, I'm 30 years old, and I ask myself "Where did the years go so fast?"

Do you have a brother and sister? What did you want to be when you were young?

I have 2 brothers I grew up with. My older Brother, Christopher, and my twin brother, Jim. Jim is my twin brother who's wife just had a baby this year. That's right...I'm a twin. Everyone asks if it's fun having a twin. It is fun. You always have a best friend around. It's hard to imagine time without my brothers. They have helped me become who I am now. My brother kind of helped me become the soldier I am now. When we were young, we used to play war all the time with our neighbors. We used to spend hours a day just running around pretending to fight battles against imaginary enemy. Those days it was against the Russians. I used to want to be a soldier when I was young. I always wanted to be the general in charge of things. Usually I was the leader when we were playing war. I guess I just enjoyed it. But I also wanted to be a lot of things when I was young. I always wanted to be an astronaut (anyone ever seen the movie Space Camp, or remember the Buck Rogers TV show?). I love all things related to space. I still stand outside, even here in Iraq, and look up at the stars and wonder who else may be out there, and how will we ever reach them. I used to want to be an actor, but I was never very good at it. I wanted to be a baseball player, a karate expert, a pilot, a spy,

Do you like to play soccer? Who is your favorite author? What do you like to do?

Yes. I love to play soccer. I played for 6 years when I was your ages. I played mostly forward, b/c I used to have a lot of energy and I liked being the one who was scoring the goals. Then we moved to Japan for my fathers work, and I began to do other things I have enjoyed over the years. I started playing musical instruments while I was in Japan. I played many instruments while I was in middle school , high school, and college. I also began to read a lot while I was in middle school. I remember one summer, I was bored. You know how it is? The summertime is exciting when you get out of school. You have so many things to do. After a few weeks, you've done everything fun. Then you get bored. Well, since I had a twin brother, I wasn't bored because I always had my best friend with me. But I did want to be left alone once in a while. So I began to read that summer so my brother wouldn't bother me. And I read a lot. I started with short, easy to read books, and by the end of the summer, I was reading long novels. I used to imagine being the knight fighting the dragon. I was Indiana Jones on a long, dangerous adventure!! I was the world's best swordsman saving the world. And of course, I was a Jedi Knight fighting the evil Empire (when I was young, everyone loved Star Wars). All these I got from reading books. Even today, I like reading a book where my imagination can run wild. And my favorite authors are Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, Isaac Asimov, and L. Ron Hubbard. I'm also a huge fan of music, especially country music. While I was growing up, I really didn't like anything other then Pop music. Not sure what that is called today, but while I was in college, I began listening to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and Shania Twain, and I really liked them. I was stationed in Tennessee with the 101st Airborne, and I lived close to Nashville, the home of country music. After three years there, I loved country music, especially the modern country. Many of the songs gave me a way to relax, and being in the Army, we all need that. I used to go to the local music spot and listen to musicians play for hours while eating pizza, buffalo wings, and drinking a beer. It was one of the best times I've ever spent in the Army. Today, my favorite musicians are still Garth Brooks and  Shania Twain, as well as Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jimmy Buffett and Dave Koz, to name just a few.

Where do you live?

I live in Sterling, in Loudoun County with my wife, Kathy. I grew up in Haymarket in Prince William County. I used to live in Fairfax for a few years, but my civilian job brought me out to Sterling, and I've been there since. Every once in a while, Kathy and I will drive into Fairfax just for old times sake. The area is so beautiful, and there is so much to do that it's hard to just leave it.

What is/are your favorite food(s)?

Like music, I have a lot of favorite foods. My all time favorites are Outback steaks, Fuddrucker burgers, Tony's pizza, and hot wings. I also love sushi, rice, Pho soup, just about any type of meat like lamb and pork, and all Japanese and Chinese foods. I really don't like vegetables too much, but I know I should eat them more, so I do. I eat fruit every now and then, but I prefer fruit juices. One of my hobbies is to cook, so as a cook, I have to try what I make before I let anyone else try it. I've learned to like a lot of different foods because I enjoy cooking so much. My friends love it when I get into the mood to cook. I do all the cooking, and they do all the eating. I believe everyone should learn how to cook, and should be willing to try different foods that may seem gross at first. Some of the best foods I've ever eaten or made, I never thought I would like. I think this is one of the few things I truly miss by being here in Iraq. I miss my wife, my family, and I miss being able to cook whenever I feel like it.

Well, that's it for the questions, and a little extra. It's amazing how a person such as myself, knows so much about who I am but never really thought about it. I've just come to know and accept it. I hope that the children who sent these questions get the chance to read my answers. It's been a pleasure to be able to sit down and write these answers out to them.

Thank you all for the questions, and I hope I have the opportunity to meet your class this year.
Ms. Kerry Plitnick
Kevin, Nikhila, Andrea, Alexia, Brandon, Molly, Devin,
Michael, Desomond, Jennifer, Elin, Don, Krish, Arjun, Loveleen, Isaac, Julie,
TJ, Wendy, Sammy, Michaela, Ady,