[Lynn]

My youngest son spent approx fifteen months in Baghdad from April 2003 through July 2004. Although his training was as a gunner in a tank, he didn't have his tank with him for the whole first year. Played foot soldier, doing either guard duty or going building to building looking for insurgents.

I could not watch the news. It was one of the worst years of my life. My son came home safely. My heart really goes out to the families whose children and spouses did not come home safely.

Sometimes I feel guilty because of the sacrifices my father made in WWII, and the sacrifices my son made in the Middle East. I was never in the military, but get to enjoy my freedom, and even bitch when I don't like the way things are going. We all owe our troops and our veterans more than we can ever repay. Hard for me to talk (or type) about this without choking up.

Lynn