My soldier is home.

The transition home is strange. The things we take for granted.

Going to Lowes ... driving anywhere ... having "rooms" in his home. He says the his room on base was the size of his utility room ... and that he shared that with another soldier. Or just moving around. He spent 9 months on a base in Kandahar. Always either "on base" or "in the air".

He says they must have killed all the dumb Afghani's. That they locals have figured out their rules of engagement which are meant to minimize collateral damage. They only shoot back from the Chinooks if the attackers are not near civilians. So they take their families to the fields with them ... when a copter passes they shoot at them ... then return to farming. So they flew on instead of engaging.

He has "jungle rot" on one foot. Nothing serious. It will dry out. But he has only worn his combat boots for 9 months.

But his driving is great. He could drive around base. Surprisingly, he said he got stopped on base lst week for "only stopping at a stop sign for 2 seconds, instead of "at least 3". Go figure, traffic laws on a base in a war zone.

I appreciate all of the nice sentiments expressed on this forum. Thank you all.