My wife called yesterday, and—of course—I was out, as usual, trying to win the war on terror in Iraq. Highlights from the message: “Honey, I miss you,” “When are you coming home,” and “Your daughter has taken to calling my father ‘daddy,’ which is very offputting.” I keep reading about the horrible toll this war is taking on the Iraqi people, but it’s important not to forget the effect it has on the relationships and lives of our own deployed military personnel, including myself.
And that’s why I’m looking forward to my mid-tour leave in December. You may find it strange that I’ve chosen Christmas to take leave—especially as every unit is allocated a certain number of slots, and in taking one of the slots designated for my unit at Christmas, I’m taking from one of my subordinates. But—Chrissake, man! My daughter thinks my father-in-law is her father!
The most exciting news, though, is that the Army extended its leave for deployed soldiers to 18 days, from 15. This is because I volunteered every major unit in the Army for an additional 3 months of deployment, for the Surge. The least I could do for them, I figured, was kick in an additional 3 days for those 3 months. And boy, am I excited to get my slice!