The Weekend Update. . .and What You Don't See on TV

Every time I post a Weekend Update I find it entertaining because in this job there are no weekends and I have to check a calender to see if it indeed is a weekend. Nonetheless, I will keep putting them up because I know that for those reading this there is a weekend.

I went out yesterday for the first time. It was a strange experience to finally be outside the comforts of a secure base, riding in the humvee (I write this phonetically) and seeing the workings of a society of people that we are here to protect. So what don't you see from the media?

Let me tell you what I saw on this patrol that I have never seen in the news. I saw a mixed group of soldiers, young to old, white to black to latino, and national guard to active duty. What did they have in common? Each day this group goes out on patrols and each day they open their hearts to the people of this country. One soldier lives every day so that he can take as much food and water from our chow hall that can fit into his truck to give to children and their parents along the road. They know the people and the people know them. When they arrive the children come running from hundreds of yards away to smile and wave to the soldiers and the highlight of their week is when they get an orange or an apple or a bottled water from an American soldier. These same soldiers have been through the streets of Bagdhad and have lost men but they still give out to these people.

I am not a real political person and I don't want to go into that, I just think people should know of the good that is coming out of this place; a place that once had people starving under the hand of Saddam. Just remember that the media shows what they want to show.

It's always Monday,
Nick