thedrifter
07-04-07, 07:51 AM
Carlson: Today, we cherish home, and they dream about it
JOHN CARLSON
July 4, 2007
It's a special day, this particular Fourth of July, and we'll honor our nation.
So will our soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen, scattered so many places around the world.
Here at home, we'll go to a Main Street parade and see floats, firetrucks, marching bands and rows of flags.
Our military men and women will be in parades, driving Humvees and armored personnel carriers as fast as they can, hoping the terrorist with the grenade launcher is a lousy shot.
We'll yell "oooh" and cheer the spectacular, sparkling fireworks, wishing the show could go on for hours.
They'll have fireworks, too - mortars and rockets fired from the desert onto their base. They'll try to get their helmets on before the next one hits and be very, very glad when it's over.
We'll complain about those pesky mosquitoes.
They'll scratch the hideous little sand flies that gnaw at their legs and bellies. They'll take their anti-malaria pills and, if they slept outside, will check their boots in the morning to make sure a scorpion didn't crawl inside during the night.
We'll sit in the shade and sip a cold beer or some iced lemonade.
They'll drink a couple of gallons of warm water, trying to keep their bodies from withering in the 130-degree heat.
We'll cook steaks and chops on our Weber grills, have a picnic and hope it doesn't rain.
They'll go to the mess hall, where the cooks will do their best to fix a passable meal. The real picnickers among them will eat MREs, lunching outdoors on packs of boiled beef and noodles. Possibly in a raging sandstorm. They'd give a week's pay to see it cloud up and sprinkle 10 drops.
We'll wear shorts, T-shirts and sandals and talk about how the humidity is making things uncomfortable.
They'll wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, boots, helmets and flak vests. They stopped bothering to gripe about the heat a month ago, when Coke cans started exploding.
We'll be careful to drop that sparkler before it singes our fingers.
They'll fill the grenade bag and make sure their M-16s are loaded when they go outside the wire.
We'll play golf, go to the swimming pool, turn on the air and watch the game on TV.
They'll long for the sound of a toilet flushing.
We'll plan our glorious summer vacation at the lake.
They might, if they're lucky, get part of a day off in the next few weeks. They'll use the time to read a certain special letter from home - for the fifth time.
We'll mow the lawn and check the garden to see if the tomatoes are almost ripe.
They'll tromp through the powder-like sand and try to remember the taste of a homegrown vegetable.
We'll go to the grocery store and stock up for the week.
They'll go to the PX and hope the new socks finally came in.
We'll stop by the mall and buy some fancy new doodad for our car.
They'll double-check the latch on the Humvee door so they can get out in a hurry if the IED starts a fire.
We'll spend our holiday on a weekend camp-out.
They'll stick with their own little camping trip, until their 12 months on the ground is up. Unless they're extended.
We'll spend as much time as we want today with our families.
They'll spend all day thinking about theirs.
We'll call Aunt Bessie on our cell phones - the ones with unlimited nationwide calling - just to say hello. We'll talk for an hour about nothing at all.
They'll make a 10-minute call home to tell a child "I love you."
We'll go to church Sunday, and hope the minister remembers to squeeze in a five-second prayer for them.
They'll be sure to have a prayer for us.
We'll go to bed tonight, this special Fourth of July, knowing that God blesses America.
And so will they.
Columnist John Carlson can be reached at (515) 284-8204 or jcarlson@dmreg.com
Ellie
JOHN CARLSON
July 4, 2007
It's a special day, this particular Fourth of July, and we'll honor our nation.
So will our soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen, scattered so many places around the world.
Here at home, we'll go to a Main Street parade and see floats, firetrucks, marching bands and rows of flags.
Our military men and women will be in parades, driving Humvees and armored personnel carriers as fast as they can, hoping the terrorist with the grenade launcher is a lousy shot.
We'll yell "oooh" and cheer the spectacular, sparkling fireworks, wishing the show could go on for hours.
They'll have fireworks, too - mortars and rockets fired from the desert onto their base. They'll try to get their helmets on before the next one hits and be very, very glad when it's over.
We'll complain about those pesky mosquitoes.
They'll scratch the hideous little sand flies that gnaw at their legs and bellies. They'll take their anti-malaria pills and, if they slept outside, will check their boots in the morning to make sure a scorpion didn't crawl inside during the night.
We'll sit in the shade and sip a cold beer or some iced lemonade.
They'll drink a couple of gallons of warm water, trying to keep their bodies from withering in the 130-degree heat.
We'll cook steaks and chops on our Weber grills, have a picnic and hope it doesn't rain.
They'll go to the mess hall, where the cooks will do their best to fix a passable meal. The real picnickers among them will eat MREs, lunching outdoors on packs of boiled beef and noodles. Possibly in a raging sandstorm. They'd give a week's pay to see it cloud up and sprinkle 10 drops.
We'll wear shorts, T-shirts and sandals and talk about how the humidity is making things uncomfortable.
They'll wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, boots, helmets and flak vests. They stopped bothering to gripe about the heat a month ago, when Coke cans started exploding.
We'll be careful to drop that sparkler before it singes our fingers.
They'll fill the grenade bag and make sure their M-16s are loaded when they go outside the wire.
We'll play golf, go to the swimming pool, turn on the air and watch the game on TV.
They'll long for the sound of a toilet flushing.
We'll plan our glorious summer vacation at the lake.
They might, if they're lucky, get part of a day off in the next few weeks. They'll use the time to read a certain special letter from home - for the fifth time.
We'll mow the lawn and check the garden to see if the tomatoes are almost ripe.
They'll tromp through the powder-like sand and try to remember the taste of a homegrown vegetable.
We'll go to the grocery store and stock up for the week.
They'll go to the PX and hope the new socks finally came in.
We'll stop by the mall and buy some fancy new doodad for our car.
They'll double-check the latch on the Humvee door so they can get out in a hurry if the IED starts a fire.
We'll spend our holiday on a weekend camp-out.
They'll stick with their own little camping trip, until their 12 months on the ground is up. Unless they're extended.
We'll spend as much time as we want today with our families.
They'll spend all day thinking about theirs.
We'll call Aunt Bessie on our cell phones - the ones with unlimited nationwide calling - just to say hello. We'll talk for an hour about nothing at all.
They'll make a 10-minute call home to tell a child "I love you."
We'll go to church Sunday, and hope the minister remembers to squeeze in a five-second prayer for them.
They'll be sure to have a prayer for us.
We'll go to bed tonight, this special Fourth of July, knowing that God blesses America.
And so will they.
Columnist John Carlson can be reached at (515) 284-8204 or jcarlson@dmreg.com
Ellie