My heart hurts....
 

I just got a phone call and recognized the voice, but couldnt believe my ears.... he kept saying 'you have no idea who this is do you?" and OF COURSE I did... I just couldnt believe I was finally talking to him.

this person?

My baby brother... he is in Iraq, fighting for our country! He has been there since Feb and he was supposed to come home in 19 days. He is now out there with a tentative come home date of Sept 30th, but its not set in stone. Last August He came home after a little over a year in North Korea. He came home to Langley in VA. We live in MA/NH (our family). The military told him they could not deploy him for at least a year after his year stint in North Korea. Low and behold, 1 month after his return, he got his orders. He was going to Iraq (first time since he enlisted, 8 years ago). My family was devastated. We went to visit him in VA for a long weekend, he came up to visit up here in November. That was the last time I have seen him. He left Jan 1 for training in Washington state, and early Feb to Iraq. His orders were 6 months there, 6 months home (VA), 6 months there. Now its going on 8 months there for definate, if not longer... Im afraid its going to turn into a straight 18 months there. How can the military do this to these KIDS?? :mad: My heart HURTS! I want to sit here and just cry my heart & eyes out. He is sooo beaten down and depressed out there. 140+ degree temps during the day. They cannot leave the base. There is NOTHING to do out there, there is NO support, their self esteem is through the floor at this point. :( My little brother always had a quick laugh and a great sense of humor... he was always so positive and a joy to be around!!! He is no longer that person. :mad:

He always said he'd be a lifer in the military. He went in at 18 years old. He fought to get in, due to his eyesight. His first deployment was Kuwait, then to Quatar, then to Kuwait, then North Korea, then Iraq. He has been deployed so many times!!!! It does not seem fair. Each time though he was ok with it. He still said he would be a lifer. This time, he is saying that he has 2 years left and he is NOT re-enlisting!!! No way!!! :(

For anyone who has loved ones out there in Iraq or anywhere in this world, my heart, prayers and thoughts go out to you and your families!!

Thoughts and prayers go out for you and your baby brother.

We just had good friends of the family who just sent their two eldest BACK to Iraq a week ago, both for a second tour. One of them had been in Afghanistan before that.

My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your brother. I am praying that God will keep him wrapped in the safety of his arms until he is home with you again.

Oh My Gosh, hearing that your brother will now be over there longer is terrible. :( I feel so bad for you and him. My daughter has a friend who's on his 2nd tour in Iraq and everytime she hears from him, she says he sounds less and less like himself. :( I fully support our troops. :) But NOT the war. :mad:

How about giving us his address and us TYr's can send him care packages and cards from our furbabies! I know that lifts the spirits of those wonderful soldiers...

What do you say, fellow YTr's? Are you up for it????

I am!

ARe you serious?? I just had to swallow a lump in my throat!!! and there are tears in my eyes!! I think he would be amazed and excited and just so happy to get a care package. To know that his job and his pain has not gone unnoticed! I think it would help to restore some of his self-esteem and faith that he has lost during this demployment, but really through all his deployments. He is a 26 year old kid who has been military since he was 18.

ARe you serious?? I just had to swallow a lump in my throat!!! and there are tears in my eyes!! I think he would be amazed and excited and just so happy to get a care package. To know that his job and his pain has not gone unnoticed! I think it would help to restore some of his self-esteem and faith that he has lost during this demployment, but really through all his deployments. He is a 26 year old kid who has been military since he was 18.


Sargeant Matthew W. Loiselle
886ESFS
Unit 60508
APO-AE 09375

A care package sounds wonderful!!!...find out what your brother and his friends would like and we''ll put our thinking caps on and make it happen!!!!

Well they are not allowed to get alcohol or tobacco products, nor are they allowed to wear civilian clothing. Other than that I think pretty much anything would work. Candy, baked goods, beef jerky, hygiene products, fun little things and games to entertain them. My brother is BIG into movies. So any dvds esp of new releases in the last 6 months (since he hasn't been to or seen a new movie in longer than that), country music CDs also. I guess anything that can fit into a box! It gets to them pretty quickly. My dad sends him baked goods and they get there just fine in about a week or less!

Notes and cards thanking him and pics of yourselves and your babies! I think that would help so much with his self-esteem right now!

To those of you who think it would be a bit expensive to send a package to Matthew, don't worry. YOu only pay to NY since he has an APO. ;)
I do hope everyone sends this young man a little something. YOu just don't realize how horrible the conditions are and how low morale is.

Fantastic idea! count me in!!!!! Be sure to include pics of you and/or your furkids.....

Count us in! We will send him a card first thing in the morning. This is the Least we can do for him... nything else that you ladies want to do please keep me posted. :thumbup: :thumbup:

I'm in to send him a package! It would make me feel good to help, but what can I get? hmmm def. a card with pics of me and the babies. What does he need?

What a great idea!! Thanks so much for thinking of it! Count me in too!! :)

Count me in. I have a box of hand held games and batteries all ready to go. I am so glad that you informed us about him. Patty