Freedom Tower

According to an article published today by MSNBC.com, work is beginning at the WTC site in New York City on the new Freedom Tower. The Freedom Tower will be the tallest building in New York City.
The Freedom Tower is the skyscraper that has been designed to replace the World Trade Center. It is to be symbolic of America's freedom and independence, and will cast a beam of light from its peak.
You can read more about it at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12513193/


This is an artist's rendering of a night view of the proposed Freedom Tower, center, by architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, as seen from the south at night, released by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., in New York. At left are the Empire State Building, and Statue of Liberty. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press.)

Site of the Week

The site of the week is a blog by a Redbull soldier they call T-Dawg. He's been deployed to Iraq and is a medic, and he posts pretty regularly to share the happenings around him. It isn't a political blog - it's more of a collection of posts for family and friends. In it you will catch a glimpse of this man's humor and insightfulness. It's a fun read. Catch up with T-Dawg and have a great day!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to a great guy and my favorite soldier -- SPC Fink.
We're thinking of you today and celebrating your special day like I promised we would.
Hope you are safe out there in the sandbox and know that you are loved and remembered today and every day.


p.s. Can't wait to have you back so we can celebrate together.

You know your husband is deployed to Iraq when...

I borrowed this with permission from Kelly at The Patriette because I enjoyed reading it so much that I thought you should read it too.

You know your husband is deployed to Iraq when...

1. The toilet seat is always down.
2. The leftovers are still sitting in the fridge.
3. You only have one load of laundry to do - and it doesn't contain any PT clothes.
4. You sit up all night just in case he happens to log onto IM.
5. You find yourself carrying home a stack of those customs forms from the post office because you know you'll need them later.
6. You sleep with your cell phone because there's always a chance if you put it on the table on the other side of the room, you'll miss his phone call.
7. Keeping your legs shaved on a regular basis is no longer a top priority. (Sorry if that's TMI for some of you out there...)
8. You're already trying to decide what to wear on the day he comes home - and that's within five minutes of when he left.
9. Homecoming has nothing to do with football, parades, alumni, or dances.
10. You notice bumper stickers more often and wonder about the story of the person driving the car - do they have a friend or family member deployed with your husband? Hmmm. (I find that especially true when I see another blue star displayed somewhere.)
11. Every time you go to check the time, you do math in your head to figure out what time it is over there.
12. Each time you get to turn a new page on your calendar, a little voice says, "YES - another one down..."
13. Every unknown number that shows up on your phone inspires excitement (it could be him)!
14. Someone says "Iraq" (no matter what the context), it immediately becomes personal.
15. You can watch all your favorite tv shows - without having to follow the storylines between quarters, halves, innings, or periods.
16. Checking your email every hour becomes normal.
17. The folks at the post office recognize you and know your name.
18. A sandstorm in Iraq can ruin your whole day (or at least when they cause your phone call to be dropped).
19. You experience random moments of crying for no particular reason (of course in my case, that might be due to pregnancy as well).
20. And last but not least: The best birthday gift you can get is a phone call. And that's what I got today. Josh hasn't been able to call in 2 weeks thanks to his workload and a sandstorm, but he did manage to get through today - my birthday. We talked for a few minutes and we didn't have much to say, but it was a good way to start my day.

Thank you Kelly!

Current Missions

As posted by the Patriot Guard Riders website - these are the following missions in Missouri for today and tomorrow.

Friday, April 21 - Sgt. 1st Class Randall L. Lamberson, Springfield, MO

Friday, April 21 (Tentative) - Pfc. James F. Costello III, St. Louis, MO

Saturday, April 22 - Lance Cpl. Darin T. Settle, Henley, MO

Redbulls Update

I felt another Redbulls update was due -- it seems that so far everyone seems to be doing well throughout this time of transition. Everyone is adjusting to new surroundings at their new posts. I have received word from Fink and Croson that they are both fine, and so are the rest of their group. I have also received news on Bari, Fields, and Bope, who also appear to be acclimating well to their surroundings. All of them have commented that they are eating well and trying to get used to having sand "everywhere". Here's to you guys -- hope that today finds you all safe and well.

You can learn more about the Redbulls at GX online. Chris West, a reporter with GX, has been embedded with the Redbulls and is keeping an online journal of his experiences. You can read his journal and check out the photos at: http://www.gxonline.com/features/redbulls/index.html

Recruiter Humor

"Insurance"

Airman Jones was assigned to the induction center, where he advised new recruits about their government benefits, especially their GI insurance. It wasn't long before Captain Smith noticed that Airman Jones was having a staggeringly high success-rate, selling insurance to nearly 100% of the recruits he advised. Rather than ask about this, the Captain stood in the back of the room and listened to Jones' sales pitch. Jones explained the basics of GI Insurance to the new recruits, and then said, "If you have GI Insurance and go into battle and are killed, the government has to pay $200,000 to your beneficiaries. If you don't have GI insurance, and you go into battle and get killed, the government only has to pay a maximum of $10,000." "Now," he concluded, "which group do you think they are going to send into battle first?"