Miss Dub's letter to "Dear US Soldier"

Something really amazing happened this week. SgtDub was given an opportunity to read a letter that was written by his own daughter (MissDub) and sent to an unidentified "US Soldier". Miss Dub was given an assignment in her keyboarding class to write a letter to a U.S. Soldier. She had absolutely no idea where the letter would be sent, or who would receive it. MissDub does reference in her letter that her dad is with the 45th infantry in Afghanistan, but does not give his name or rank. The box of letters was received at Camp Phoenix by a Major Ellis. Major Ellis apparently recognized that there was a soldier with the same last name, and he brought the letter to SgtDub. Below is the letter written by MissDub. We are extremely proud of our daugther for writing such a wonderful and heartfelt letter. You may want to get a Kleenex before you go on . . .

Dear U.S. Soldier,

My name is “MissDub” and I would like to thank for all that you have done for our country. I know what your family is going through with you half way around the world, only able to talk to them every few days, sometimes longer. My dad is with the 45 infantry and the 180th infantry from Oregon. This is his second tour to Afghanistan. I really appreciate everything you are doing to help keep this great nation free.
I hope you and your comrades are kept safe. Our prayers are with you and the rest of the troops. I deeply cherish the sacrifice you make on a daily basis to be away from your family, friends, home, and country. I know it’s hard, but you seem to always keep strong and never give up. This country may have some people who don‘t appreciate what you are doing, but know that everything you do is for a good cause. To keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave.
When you troops come home, you help make it the home of the brave. I don’t go to bed at night without praying for you and the others serving with you. I can’t wait til you and your comrades can come home to your families! It will be such a joyous reunion.
So, with that said, I thank you again for everything you have done in order to keep this great nation free. You of all people know that freedom is never free. I hope God keeps you safe throughout the rest of your deployment.
God bless you, your comrades, families, and everyone else serving to endure and protect freedom.
Forever in debt to you and our brave soldiers,

MissDub
7thGrade
Oklahoma
(6th hour keyboarding)

Dub & The Guv

This picture was taken during Governor Henry's recent trip to Camp Phoenix. Great picture!!!!

Happy Easter!

Here is a picture from SgtDub's last deployment . . . See, he doesn't work too hard!

Would the Real "SgtDub" Please Step Forward . . .

Introducing the real "SgtDub" - yes, this is what started it all! Prior to SgtDub's first deployment to Afghanistan, our family spent the last days together shopping at the mall, eating out and just having fun. We stopped in at Build-A-Bear and decided to make some bears. Pictured above is my "SgtDub" Bear, and he is as precious as the real "SgtDub". My "SgtDub" Bear is even more special because hidden inside his paw is a tiny button that, when pushed plays a message from SgtDub. My message says "everytime you squeeze my paw, I'm sending you a hug and kiss, because I love you!" MissDub's bear is actually a horse, and her message from SgtDub is a bedtime prayer that we have said with her every night, since she was born. One time, I went to pick up my Bear, and I accidently squeezed it's paw. The recording went off, and scared the crap out of me. I love my "SgtDub" Bear, and I will cherish it forever. It's the next best thing to having the real "SgtDub". They're both cute, cuddly and very special! I would recommend a Build-A-Bear to everyone! They make awesome gifts, and the fact that you can record a special message and buy special clothing is just an added bonus. So get out there now and Build-A-Bear for the one you love!

Taking Shoes From A Stranger

I had an exciting shopping experience yesterday, and SgtDub suggested that I blog about it. I was running errands during my lunch hour, when I decided to stop by a thrift store. It's a small store hidden at the back of a big warehouse. My friend Joyce and I had found it a month or so ago and I purchased a great pair of dress shoes for $6.00. The shoes are all marked $12.00, but they were having a sale. Anyway, I went into the store yesterday, and I was the only shopper in there. There was a young guy working the cash register (not the brightest bulb in the fixture). I found 2 shoes that I liked and wanted to find the mates. I asked his recommendation on finding the mate, and he said "there's only 1 shoe" - well, that would explain the 50% off! In the meantime, the young boy took a break, and an older gentlemen came in. By this time, I was still digging through shoe boxes and trying to find matches. I had found a pair of OSU orange (Oklahoma State University) Ralph Lauren pumps (brand new!!). Not that I was looking for, or need a pair of orange pumps, but I can always wear them on Bedlam Day. The guy asked me if I liked shoes and what size did I wear. He then said he had a bunch of shoes in the back room if I would like to take a look. Okay, this is where I lost all sense of brain function and said "yes I would". I proceeded to follow him into the back room with the promise of finding a great deal. He said "we don't normally let anyone back here, but I'll let you". Looking back now, that probably wasn't the smartest move. For a brief moment, I thought to myself "this guy could be a total pervert and he's luring me into a closet", and I'm following him! Just like a kid would follow a total stranger for a piece of candy. Well, I'm happy to report that he was not a pervert, and he did in fact have a store room full of shoes! Good shoes -- Ralph Lauren, Talbots, Unisa, and many, many more. Most of the shoes are sample pairs and the sizes vary. I just had to dig through the shelves. I was basically in shoe heaven. Knowing all the shoes would be $6.00, I grabbed as many as I could before I gave up. I bought 7 pairs of shoes for $43.00!!! I was so excited and rushed back to work to share my bargains with my co-workers. I was a little afraid they would be the same size as me and want to steal my secret. Luckily, they're all different sizes, so there's no need to worry. We plan to return today and hopefully the guy will let us shop in the "secret" room!!!!

Spring is in the Air!

I must admit that this time of year gets me in the mood for spring cleaning. I'm also starting to panic because it's almost time for Dub to come home. My panic is that I had all these grand ideas of things I was going to do while he was away. I've never been the kind of person to scrapbook. Although I love to journal and save every card I've ever received, I don't do anything with them. My routine is to pile stuff in a dresser drawer and when it gets full, I transfer it to a Rubbermaid bucket (I should buy stock in Rubbermaid). I now have at least 8 buckets sitting in our spare bedroom waiting to be organized. I said I was going to take care of this during Dub's first deployment (2003), but I didn't get around to it (Okie talk - roundtwoit). I have friends who are avid "scrapbookers". They "crop til they drop", but I just can't get into the whole idea of cutting out little pieces of paper to make pretty decorations and writing funny little captions - heck, I can't even remember who's in the picture, much less something funny about when it was taken. Okay, back to my point . . . I went to a few of these scrapbook parties and was horrified to learn that I could be arrested by the scrapbook police! My pictures should never be stored in the attic (oops, better get them down), they should never be stored in photo albums that don't contain acid-free paper (oops again - aren't those the expensive ones?), and I should have all of my pictures sorted by subject, date, category, color, etc., etc. After enduring public humiliation, I took the first step and pulled all of my tubs from the sweltering attic. I stacked them nicely in the garage and eventually moved them into the closet (where they have remained for the past 2 years). I pulled them all out again when Dub left in March and I'm happy to report that they're still there. I did make a little progress when I bought the cute little photo boxes and sorted through my photos (holidays, trips, family, friends, etc.) Oops, I failed to mention that I've kept every single piece of paper that MissDub doodled on. There is just something about throwing away a piece of paper that your baby has drawn on. I know I must let go and lighten my load, but where do I start? How do you decide what stays and what goes? I say we just buy a bigger house, and I get one room dedicated to my Rubbermaid boxes. When the time comes for MissDub to leave home, I will simply hand her a bucket containing all of her stuff and say "good luck - I hope you're better at this than I was". By the way, my mom never scrapbooked either, and I think I turned out okay. I guess I would prefer to "preserve" my memories in my heart, than in an acid-free scrapbooks with cute captions.

HELP! . . . SgtDub Needs New Boots!

SgtDub just informed me that he spent $111.00 today to purchase a new pair of boots. I asked why the Army wouldn't provide him with another pair if he needed it, and he said they only issue them one (1) pair for every six (6) months they are deployed and/or one (1) pair for every two (2) years of service. So, in other words, if he wears his boots out before his six (6) months are up, then he is S.O.L. and has to buy them himself. Is it just me, or does anyone else think this is wrong? I would think that if the boots are worn and need to be replaced, that he should be able to go to the supply and say "hey my boots are worn out and I need to get another pair" and they would say "okay, no problem, you're serving your country and fighting in a war zone, I think we can get you another pair of boots" - they could even offer to give him a new brown bath towel and wash cloth. Just another example of our tax dollars at work (not!). I think our soldiers deserve the very best, and they should NOT have to purchase their own equipment or clothing!!!!!!!