A Great Party

Hello All,

I received this poster in the mail from the Dave/Karen Brien family and posted it on my wall in my very small but private room. Needless to say, the poster brought me great joy because (1) I loved getting this act of kindness from the Briens and (2) It reminded me of the great bon voyage party they hosted at their home to send me off to this Great Adventure in Afghanistan. The memories of my large extended and loving family gathering together just for me will be something I will always remember. The poster reminds me of that wonderful event every day... a very good thing.

I'm sure by now that most of you have read about the horrible death rate of our American young men and women over here in the last couple of days. Being here brings it even closer to home. On the international military base where I have an office, eat, and obtain support, they have an alley of flags representing all the international forces serving here. When one is killed, the flag is brought to half staff... our American flag has been in this position waaaaay too much of late. As for me, I just want you to know that Kabul, where I work, is much safer than the Provinces outside of Kabul where many of our casualties are occuring. However, as the national elections draw near, I anticipate security in and around Kabul will be increased and my personal vigilance will be on edge. So, please know that I'm well protected and cognizant of my environment at all times. At the same time, I do not want to put you in a false sense of security... Afghanistan is a combat environment and the threat is ever present.

This blog hug goes out to....... THE DAVID AND KAREN BRIEN FAMILY TO INCLUDE TIA AND NICK XXXXXXX00000000000000