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I got up early this morning to go get issued another set of body armor. I was issued a set at Ft. Hood but the set I received today is designed to be dropped in the event of a fire. There is a rip cord that you can pull if you become trapped in a vehicle on fire. When you pull the cord the armor falls to the floor and you can step out of it. This new armor covers my whole trunk and sides. We are supposed to get deltoid armor to cover the tops of the arms but it is still missing. The vest is lighter by 3 pounds but still weighs 55 pounds. I will have to maintain both sets of armor until I return home.
Since it is memorial day the base and USO is putting on a celebration/memorial. They began the morning with a dedication of a memorial wall that has the names and pictures off the fallen in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). There were some speeches given by the various commanders and then they began to read all the names of the soldiers who have died since the beginning of the war. 4081 as of
this week. Soldiers will read for a while and then another soldier will take over. There was also a mini American flag placed in honor of each soldier (you can see in the picture). The battle field cross is also present to represent the fallen.
On a lighter note the USO barbequed, had a raffle, and all day war movies. I am glad that I had the chance to be here this Memorial day with so many fine Americans.
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Mary Lou
non-member comment
Thinking of You
Hey Michael. Have been thinking of you today, as I do every day, but wondered how today would be recognized where you are. Thanks for sharing the pictures. And thank you, and all who are serving with you, to ensure our freedom. Hope that the barbecue was good. ML