I’ve made it back to Camp Atterbury after being home for a week.  It’s dreary and raining here.  I really did not want to come back.  I guess since I’ve started this mission, now I have to finish it. 

It was great to see everyone again.  I didn’t get to see everyone I would have liked to see.  There are only so many hours in one week.  My main reason for being home was to spend time with my family.  I did accomplish that.  I also enjoyed wearing normal clothes without any Velcro on them.  It was nice not to wear boots for a week too. 

I got to meet Jonathan’s (my youngest son) girlfriend.  Jonathan had told Melanie that Chloe had to meet me while I was home.  It wasn’t that I had to meet her.  For some reason he wanted her to meet me.  That’s a terrible thing to wish on any girl.  When we went to pick her up I was expecting to meet a little girl.  She turned out to be a lovely, charming young lady.  She must be special because Melanie even likes her.  I told Melanie that Jonathan inherited his taste in women from me.  Chloe didn’t bowl too well but she was a very good sport anyway.  They were pretty cute together.  They can’t live for 10 minutes without texting each other.  I remember those days.  Well, not the texting part.  We didn’t have text messaging back in the dark ages.  We had to write letters or maybe even call each other on, heaven forbid, a pay phone.  It’s the same process only slower. 

Melanie and I celebrated our 23^rd wedding anniversary while I was home.  It was June 14^th.  We had decided that our gift to each other was getting to spend it together so we didn’t do big presents.  We got tickets to a dinner theater on Friday..  It was performed at the new Craftsman’s Guild on Rice Road in Ridgeland by a group called the Mississippi Murder Mystery Theater.  Melanie had found their ad in the newspaper.  They perform the show between the courses of the dinner.  At the end you get to work with the other people at your table to try to solve the mystery. It may sound like a goofy thing to do for an anniversary but it was really fun.  The group performs about one show a month at different locations around Jackson .  If it sounds at all interesting to you, I would recommend them.

On Sunday, our actual anniversary, I gave Melanie the card that I had bought at Fort Leonard Wood thinking that I would have to mail it to her.  I wrote her a message that made her cry..  That’s not very hard to do, especially these days.  We spent the day together just enjoying one another’s company, which was wonderful.  I thought that would be the end of it but Melanie had other plans.  Since it was Sunday, we went to church.  Without telling me, Melanie had arranged with our pastor for us to renew our marriage vows.  In the middle of the mass he called us up in front of everyone..  I’m not ashamed to tell you that made me cry.  One of you was even there.  Before I left I asked Melanie to figure out what she wants to do for the next 23 years.  She responded without any hesitation, “Just love you.”  I guess I’ll keep her.

We worked out our communication plans for the time I’m in Afghanistan .  My brother and sister-in-law gave Melanie a webcam for our computer at home.  My laptop has one built into it. We set up Skype accounts and will use that as our primary means of communication..  It’s free as long as you talk PC to PC. The video’s not great but audio is as good as, or better than, cell phones.  We are going to activate the international text message feature on our cell phone plans.  Supposedly when someone is killed over there they restrict internet access until the next of kin have been officially notified.  I’ll at least be able to text Melanie and let her know that I’m OK.  We can also e-mail and the “snail mail” supposedly only takes 2 – 3 weeks to get there. 

We’ll be at Camp Atterbury for a few more days.  Our flights are scheduled for the end of this week and first part of next week.  There are too many of us to get all of us on one flight.  If the schedule holds, I should be on the second flight on Saturday or Sunday.  I’m not looking forward to the trans-Atlantic flight..  I remember how long it was the last time I did it.  Once we leave here we won’t even get to Afghanistan for a week or two.  The chartered flights can’t take us all the way in.  We have to spend some time at an “undisclosed location” (maybe we’ll see Dick Cheney there) while we wait for military transport planes that can land and takeoff without presenting an inviting target over the dangerous areas.  Sorry, this has gotten way too long.  Please take care of yourselves and pray for the soldiers of the 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

 

 

John Lacourrége

Program Director

Council 9543

Knights of Columbus

St, Francis of Assisi Church

Madison, ms