tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post9180215803793472357..comments2024-02-09T00:13:51.906-06:00Comments on Army of Dude: Of Love and WarAlex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-69380017720784868892008-11-03T17:21:00.000-06:002008-11-03T17:21:00.000-06:00So Dude - Aren't you glad you brushed your teeth!?...So Dude - Aren't you glad you brushed your teeth!?!<BR/><BR/>Love your happy, happy face :-)<BR/><BR/>~P~Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-3875718909036226912008-10-23T07:51:00.000-05:002008-10-23T07:51:00.000-05:00i know this is a late comment, but i just had to s...i know this is a late comment, but i just had to say, your story is one of the sweetest i have ever heard...im looking foreward to my soldiers homecomingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-3091922815666281832008-10-22T05:36:00.000-05:002008-10-22T05:36:00.000-05:00Thanks so much for the great reading. I second the...Thanks so much for the great reading. I second the hippie femanists' comments.jdkealyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06225501087740772419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-40370101936213802372008-03-31T09:26:00.000-05:002008-03-31T09:26:00.000-05:00Hey you don't know me, but I just randomly blog-se...Hey you don't know me, but I just randomly blog-searching and came across your post...and wanted to let you know how wonderful your story about meeting Lauren was :-) Similarly, my boyfriend and I met over the internet as well. Not via myspace however, but through a mutual friend who got us emailing. Still, the way you described the communication between you and Lauren and really the entire 'courtship' reminds me of what me and my guy shared. What wonderful love stories we both share huh? ;-) I'm glad you had Lauren during your deployment and that you have her now (not sure if you're over there still). My guy tells me all the time how grateful and thankful he is to have met me and that I've been there for him while he's been overseas. And I also know how great it feels to have someone be your "center", brining you to a calmness even when there's a storm raging outside. Best of luck to you two!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-70353062657621696372008-03-30T00:30:00.000-05:002008-03-30T00:30:00.000-05:00Dude: Catching up on your blogs after being in ABQ...Dude: Catching up on your blogs after being in ABQ. Responding to this one because it is such a testament to love (and technology).<BR/><BR/>Best to you and Lauren and your years ahead.<BR/><BR/>AZ fanAZ fanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17767878900836152840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-38789652580310256082008-03-29T20:09:00.000-05:002008-03-29T20:09:00.000-05:00I was stationed on USS David R Ray (DD971) at Nava...I was stationed on USS David R Ray (DD971) at Naval Station Everett, WA in the late 90's, and deployed to the Persian Gulf in '99. The sister-in-law of my shipboard roomie took it upon herself to play matchmaker and have one of her friends from Stanwood WA start emailing me. We'd get to send up to 2 emails a day per crewmember via satellite, and she just about always got one. She came to the pier to watch the ship come in without me knowing, and we finally met a few days later.<BR/><BR/>We've been married almost 6 years now.<BR/><BR/>Best of luck to you both :)Chris Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11902580879951788645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-9250712210708884782008-03-29T17:12:00.000-05:002008-03-29T17:12:00.000-05:00You are a great writer, and your honesty and since...You are a great writer, and your honesty and sincerity is what keeps me plugged into every word you write. I have quite a few buddies who have done tours in Iraq & Afghanistan, and for many reasons, do not share their stories. It is helpful for me to read your first-hand accounts and opinions with the war as it helps me see into their heads a little bit. And although I can never relate to what they went through, at least through this I can have a better sense of it. Thanks for sharing.<BR/><BR/>And congrats to you and your girl Lauren. What a gem!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-88352746879830966212008-03-28T01:09:00.000-05:002008-03-28T01:09:00.000-05:00Posts like this are amazing to read. It's like rea...Posts like this are amazing to read. It's like reading a novel and the coolest part is that it's true. You have a wonderful writing ability. I feel as if I feel the emotions you write about.<BR/><BR/>God bless,<BR/><BR/>Rachel F.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-19503216204512955172008-03-21T18:42:00.000-05:002008-03-21T18:42:00.000-05:00Congrats Dude I have been following your blog for ...Congrats Dude I have been following your blog for better than 6 months. I must admit I could not peel myself away to check your blogs. I think you have a real book going to wake up America. I have told my co- workers about your blog and even though they can't afford internet or a computer they want to hear about you. I'm so happy you found Lauren. Greetings from Toledo, Ohio MikeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16099764692914375371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-33811126151594832932008-03-17T10:26:00.000-05:002008-03-17T10:26:00.000-05:00Wow. Codependent before you even met her. Sucker.I...Wow. Codependent before you even met her. Sucker.<BR/>In the immortal words of James Belushi in the movie About Last Night..."Never EVER tell a woman you love her".<BR/>Kidding of course, keep up the good writing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-41978331506294235102008-03-16T13:59:00.000-05:002008-03-16T13:59:00.000-05:00right on dude, congrats on 6 months, that's beauti...right on dude, congrats on 6 months, that's beautiful!<BR/><BR/>Been reading the blog off and on for months and it's really good, thanks for telling us what it's been like. I am from Cali but live in Germany and have gotten to buy many Joes a beer!<BR/><BR/>Keep it up man!Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05672897825013205125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-7113772487732693392008-03-15T17:21:00.000-05:002008-03-15T17:21:00.000-05:00Your third and fourth beers in Austin are on me. ...Your third and fourth beers in Austin are on me. Going to show my wife this post. She'll be misty in about 30 seconds.mikeconwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01015594659738456038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-64474170585921844172008-03-15T10:07:00.000-05:002008-03-15T10:07:00.000-05:00I've got a beer for you in Austin, too!I've got a beer for you in Austin, too!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01329664640350889206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-24411518554239088632008-03-15T08:59:00.000-05:002008-03-15T08:59:00.000-05:00Great story my friend. Keep on keepin on. I'll b...Great story my friend. Keep on keepin on. I'll be looking for your book. Ginnis,out.<BR/><BR/>P.S. Drinks are on me if you ever make it to IL.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-77699427690427960142008-03-14T15:25:00.000-05:002008-03-14T15:25:00.000-05:00What a great story. Thanks for keeping this blog....What a great story. Thanks for keeping this blog.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01190935438415454753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-72558574915165714832008-03-14T10:56:00.000-05:002008-03-14T10:56:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Damned Hippie Feministhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13254166389653315680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-33981198018932175352008-03-14T10:55:00.000-05:002008-03-14T10:55:00.000-05:00Best of luck to both of you.And, for the record, y...Best of luck to both of you.<BR/><BR/>And, for the record, you already ARE a writer.Damned Hippie Feministhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13254166389653315680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-58798120149407595582008-03-14T08:55:00.000-05:002008-03-14T08:55:00.000-05:00Alex,I have so enjoyed your writing. I look forwa...Alex,<BR/><BR/>I have so enjoyed your writing. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future. Good luck to you and Lauren and may God bless you.<BR/><BR/>Belinda Dimmitt<BR/>Indiana<BR/>(son in Iraq now)-Belindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12154552255838842612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-48844247737061341442008-03-13T22:26:00.000-05:002008-03-13T22:26:00.000-05:00What a delicious twist to this story, that the par...What a delicious twist to this story, that the parents met the girl before the boy. Just to fill in the blanks for AOD's faithful readership, a few days before Alex's return, his mom and I had traveled to Seattle and invited Lauren to see our friend Buddy Whittington, lead guitarist that for John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, at Jazz Alley in Seattle on Saturday night.<BR/><BR/>Lauren met up with us at the club and within just a couple of minutes of visiting with her, we knew for certain that she was really special. We had a great time at the club and parted with many hugs all around.<BR/><BR/>When we finally got the definitive word of Alex's time of arrival on Sept. 12, Lauren met us at our hotel late in the afternoon. She was a bundle of nerves, so after an early supper, we took her to a casino for some slots action. Lauren won about $40 playing the nickel slots, a good portent for the rest of the evening to come.<BR/><BR/>The gym was packed with wives, kids, parents, friends and fellow soldiers. A big screen on the gym wall showed the soldiers from 5/20 walking past a videocam as they disembarked a few hours earlier from their plane at McChord AFB. Occasional whoops and shouts rang out when a soldier's loved ones spotted him or her walking past the camera.<BR/><BR/>Suddenly and without any warning the battalion came marching smartly into the gym. Pandemonium is too small a word to describe the ruckus that erupted as everyone in the crowd strained to get a glimpse of their soldier. I swept the formation with my camera's 200mm zoom lens, fruitlessly trying to get my first glimpse of Alex.<BR/><BR/>Within minutes the troops had formed up and come to attention, the invocation read, the short speech delivered and the troops were dismissed. The rush onto the floor surpassed anything you've ever seen of a crowd dashing onto a football field after a championship win. Such screaming and crying and laughing you've never heard! I ran through the crowd, looking all around for my boy. Finally I spotted him and we embraced in a tight bear hug. I barely held back my tears but Alex's mom could not as she hugged him next.<BR/><BR/>Then the big moment came, the one all four of us had been waiting for. Alex and Lauren saw each other for the first time and fell into each others arms. They embraced and then kissed, and all the weight his mother and I had been carrying, all the worry and fear over the last sixteen months, faded and disappeared like smoke on a windy day.<BR/><BR/>It was the second best day of my life, behind only being present at the births of Alex and his sister Alissa.<BR/><BR/>Our joy was tempered, though, when we were introduced afterwards to Jesse Williams' widow Sonya and baby daughter Amaya. She could have stayed away and everyone would have understood, but she bravely came out to greet her late husband's comrades. One can only guess at what went through her mind as she watched her fellow Army wives greeting their husbands after their long absence, ready to pick up their lives where they had left off almost eighteen months earlier. But Sonya was left to contemplate what would become of her and her daughter as they would soon be leaving the Army community to return to their relatives, to start over what had barely begun for them.<BR/><BR/>Think about that when your own life takes the occasional bad bounce, about Jesse's sacrifice and the loss that his widow and baby will have to endure for the rest of their lives. Be thankful for your blessings, take no one in your life for granted, and never miss a chance to tell the ones that mean the most to you, that you love them.<BR/><BR/>To use an old saying, now you know the rest of the story.<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/><BR/>DadUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14653306181340320701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-80844922679566397052008-03-13T21:47:00.000-05:002008-03-13T21:47:00.000-05:00Hey Alex, it will be great to have you in Austin!Hey Alex, it will be great to have you in Austin!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01329664640350889206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-25941824481877408742008-03-13T21:38:00.000-05:002008-03-13T21:38:00.000-05:00Fairly new reader, all I can say after reading you...Fairly new reader, all I can say after reading your newest entry is congratulations and good luck.<BR/><BR/>- Donald RandoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-44675449019722200832008-03-13T21:25:00.000-05:002008-03-13T21:25:00.000-05:00Wow I LOVE your blog... It's like reading a novel ...Wow I LOVE your blog... It's like reading a novel with a happy ending!Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15384159402870326232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-38130749378809582802008-03-13T20:34:00.000-05:002008-03-13T20:34:00.000-05:00Hey congrats to that! I only started following yo...Hey congrats to that! I only started following your blog about 6 months ago, but every time an entry comes up, I can't peel myself from my feed reader until I finish. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for everything you have done, and thanks for sharing your stories with us. I'm up in Dallas, so if you ever happen through, drop me a line. My wife & I would be honored to buy you a beer!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com