A week ago, one of my "sons" returned home after spending more than a year in Iraq. This young man served with the 1st Cavalry Division, 39th BTC, 239th Engineering Company. He was one of a group of young men who were fixtures at my house...sleeping on every piece of furniture, and the floor...playing all manner of games with my other "children"...and eating up my food.
Pfc. Ernest...great little guy. Kinda quiet and reserved. We had been sweating out the final days...guess those are always the worst. He had seen combat on one occasion that we knew of...he was a gunner on a vehicle manning a roadblock, and had to fire on an Iraqi auto that refused to stop. Nobody was killed, but his fire came within two inches of snuffing the driver's life.
After he returned, we found out they had driven into an ambush...insurgents opened fire from behind some bushes...and their commanding officer ordered them to return fire until the bushes stopped moving. Don't know if he killed anyone or not...and I'm not going to ask.
Then...on Thursday...bought a local paper, and found the picture of a former student of mine from Halley, Arkansas who had been awarded the Soldier's Medal for heroism. Staff Sergeant Potter...of the "Warhorse" Brigade, "Iron Horse" Division. His unit came under fire in the village of Hassawayia, and fought its way through. As they crossed a bridge on the other side of the village, a Humvee carrying the executive officer and 5 other men, drove off the bridge and fell upside down into a canal filled with water.
Because of the weight of the armored doors, the men were trapped inside the vehicle. It began to fill with water.
Staff Sgt. Potter jumped out of his own Humvee, stripped off his body armor and jumped into the water. He grabbed an officer through the gunner's hole of the humvee and tried to pull him free. Realizing that the officer was entangled in the gunner's seat belt, he pulled his knife and cut it, and then carried the officer to safety. He then returned to pull a second officer free, carried him to safety, and then assisted another soldier in pulling a third free.
I'm so proud of both of these young men I could burst.
Then, on Saturday, I learned that the wife of a friend of mine had colon cancer. Those of you who read my thread "Greasy Spoon" may remember a character I mentioned named "Joe." While that thread was fiction, the character of Joe was based on this friend of mine. His wife was operated on, but there is small hope that she can be saved. She has been having health problems for several years, and the medical expenses are eating them alive. Joe has used up all of his sick leave and personal days taking her to doctors and specialists...and he has none left.
Joe came to work this week...but he's exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He's wearing his soul in his eyes. I'm at a loss as to what to do for them.
Can't remember the last time I've been on this kind of emotional roller coaster. Don't want to bore anyone, but I just had to get some of this out.
