After being reprimanded for no updates (you know who you are, and thanks for the push:-) I am finally getting back to this. I promise to work harder to keep this going!
Update on Brett is that he is doing great for the most part. I really felt his transition to full-time military life was a bit rough at the beginning but he seems to have adjusted well at this point. When we talk to him, it's upbeat and for what he's living through, I think that's wonderful!
At first, Brett struggled with the fact that he didn't feel his job was "important." I assured him that even if his sole job was cleaning toilets, it would be important! He has been appointed as the mailman in Camp Bucca. As I understand it, his job is to sort mail and then notify the fellow soldiers that they have mail. He said they are always thrilled to hear from him!
Another job that Brett has is to write the monthly newsletter for the unit. Now this may not seem all that interesting to you but I am totally fascinated by this! If I had a dime for each time I had to push (yell, scream) to get him to do his assignments that included writing, I'd be quite a rich woman! And he tells me he actually doesn't mind it...change of pace, gets him out of his office. WHAT?? Can this possibly be the same Brett Dibbern that I know?? I so hope you are reading this, Mrs. Blake!
He has now decided that maybe irrigating wasn't so bad after all. He sent an e-mail one morning that said the temperature at 8:00 AM was 108! Can you even fathom?? Luckily they have air conditioning but I can't imagine that it could even begin to keep up. Mine at home has plenty of trouble on these hot, muggy days and it's not even close to those numbers.
The best news is that Brett has decided to come home over his mid-tour leave which will be Sept 16-Oct 6. He had said he wanted to spend his time touring in Germany but his buddy backed out and then another guy just returned and said it was terribly expensive due to the weak dollar. (I have no doubt that Brett would have gone alone but EXPENSIVE?? No way was he going after he heard that....those are fightin' words!) So, even though it's second choice, we are thrilled. I told him to let me know what he wants/needs when he's home and he said right now he'd be happy with a real bed and real food. I think we can handle that.
Please continue to pray for the soldiers. It's a very tough time of year with the weather and they need to know we care!
Until next time....
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Phone Call 04/22/2008
Brett was able to call and we talked for quite a while on Tuesday. I was able to get some answers to questions that you have been asking. The day Brett and I spoke I had seen the temperature was supposed to be 103 degrees. I asked him how bad that was and he said "103 degrees here is still not as bad as a hot irrigating day in Nebraska!" Now does that mean that 103 is tolerable or that he hates irrigating that much?? Knowing Brett, I'm thinking it's the latter. Actually he said if they stay hydrated it really isn't that bad. It's mostly a hot temperature and not so humid.
I had also been asked if they have air conditioning there. Brett said they have lots of air conditioning...even in the tents! He said they do have random power outages and that can certainly warm things up for a while.
Another question had been does he carry a weapon with him at all times. Brett said he is required to have his weapon on him at all times but it isn't as much because of threat as it is about responsibility. Once your weapon has been checked out to you it is to be on your person at all times except for using the restroom, showering or physical training. During those times it is permissable to have it locked up or have a buddy watching over it.
Brett told me his allergies aren't nearly as bad over there. He is taking Zyrtec but that has controlled the nose fairly well. Anyone who has ever been around Brett in the morning realizes the importance of this!!
One thing that he commented is that the bugs over there are pretty bad. He asked if I would send him some ant killer. He said the flies are pretty bad too. One thing that he commented (if you're eating right now you might want to come back to this...) is that they have tall poles and at the top of the poles are buckets with poison for the flies. To lure the flies to the poison he said they have bags hanging underneath the buckets and he didn't know for sure what was in the bags but it smells like "corpse." Now I'm not sure how many corpses Brett has smelled in his lifetime but he swears this is the nastiest thing ever. (He also said cattle manure was like perfume compared to this aroma. Ewwww!)
Brett's job is in the post office system over there. The post office is actually run by a contracting company as is the housing, laundry, chow hall, etc. Brett has to pickup the mail, separate it and put it on the website which notifies the soldiers that they have mail. Brett said everyone is always happy to hear from him because that means they've received something from home and that's very important to them.
Speaking of mail, I'd like to thank all of you that have sent notes to Brett. He has commented how awesome it is to get mail and to hear from home. Our soldiers really need that to get through and know they aren't getting forgotten while they are gone. (If they only realized the amount of time we spend thinking about them!)
On a personal note about the conversation, as I was talking to Brett, all of a sudden I heard LOTS of gunfire in the background. As my heart was pounding in my throat, I asked Brett if gunfire was indeed what I was hearing. He calmly stated that yes I was hearing correctly. I asked if that unnerved him or was of concern to him and he said, "Oh, there's a shooting range just on the other side of this wall that I'm by." He could have spared me the 5 years that were taken off my life if he would have mentioned that first!!
Until next time.....
I had also been asked if they have air conditioning there. Brett said they have lots of air conditioning...even in the tents! He said they do have random power outages and that can certainly warm things up for a while.
Another question had been does he carry a weapon with him at all times. Brett said he is required to have his weapon on him at all times but it isn't as much because of threat as it is about responsibility. Once your weapon has been checked out to you it is to be on your person at all times except for using the restroom, showering or physical training. During those times it is permissable to have it locked up or have a buddy watching over it.
Brett told me his allergies aren't nearly as bad over there. He is taking Zyrtec but that has controlled the nose fairly well. Anyone who has ever been around Brett in the morning realizes the importance of this!!
One thing that he commented is that the bugs over there are pretty bad. He asked if I would send him some ant killer. He said the flies are pretty bad too. One thing that he commented (if you're eating right now you might want to come back to this...) is that they have tall poles and at the top of the poles are buckets with poison for the flies. To lure the flies to the poison he said they have bags hanging underneath the buckets and he didn't know for sure what was in the bags but it smells like "corpse." Now I'm not sure how many corpses Brett has smelled in his lifetime but he swears this is the nastiest thing ever. (He also said cattle manure was like perfume compared to this aroma. Ewwww!)
Brett's job is in the post office system over there. The post office is actually run by a contracting company as is the housing, laundry, chow hall, etc. Brett has to pickup the mail, separate it and put it on the website which notifies the soldiers that they have mail. Brett said everyone is always happy to hear from him because that means they've received something from home and that's very important to them.
Speaking of mail, I'd like to thank all of you that have sent notes to Brett. He has commented how awesome it is to get mail and to hear from home. Our soldiers really need that to get through and know they aren't getting forgotten while they are gone. (If they only realized the amount of time we spend thinking about them!)
On a personal note about the conversation, as I was talking to Brett, all of a sudden I heard LOTS of gunfire in the background. As my heart was pounding in my throat, I asked Brett if gunfire was indeed what I was hearing. He calmly stated that yes I was hearing correctly. I asked if that unnerved him or was of concern to him and he said, "Oh, there's a shooting range just on the other side of this wall that I'm by." He could have spared me the 5 years that were taken off my life if he would have mentioned that first!!
Until next time.....
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Phone Call!
Brett called me! I will give a summary of the conversation:
Brett said they spent a few days in Germany, a few days in Kuwait, and now they are at their post at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Camp Bucca is a detainee prison so that will be their job. Currently they are living in tents but they should be moving into trailers in the future. Right now they are following the unit around that they will be replacing. The base has a small store, Pizza Hut, and a Burger King so it's similar to a small town. While they were in Germany, the USO gave them free phone cards so that was how Brett was calling me. The calling card he used was for 100 minutes but using it from Iraq, it only lasted 20 minutes. He said Wednesday is "Good Food Day" as the military allots more money for their meals on that day. Last Wednesday he had prime rib, baked potato, and corn on the cob. (Really roughing it, huh? He didn't even complain about the quality of the beef!) He said he is very fortunate in that his work schedule is 8 hours per day with one day off per week. He said many of the others are working 12 hour days with no days off. It just depends on their specific job. I asked him what was the most surprising thing thus far and he said the number of American civilians that are employed on the base. He said at times when you are walking around the base, it's like walking at the mall because of the diversity in age of those that are around. He said they are not to leave the base at all and the only time they see children is when they have visitation for the detainees and their families come to visit.
He did mention that he was stuffing his duffel bag and while he was pushing real hard, his hand came back and hit him in the face and broke his new glasses. Right now they are superglued. I told him it's nice to know that even though he is clear across the world, Brett is still Brett!
Brett said they spent a few days in Germany, a few days in Kuwait, and now they are at their post at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Camp Bucca is a detainee prison so that will be their job. Currently they are living in tents but they should be moving into trailers in the future. Right now they are following the unit around that they will be replacing. The base has a small store, Pizza Hut, and a Burger King so it's similar to a small town. While they were in Germany, the USO gave them free phone cards so that was how Brett was calling me. The calling card he used was for 100 minutes but using it from Iraq, it only lasted 20 minutes. He said Wednesday is "Good Food Day" as the military allots more money for their meals on that day. Last Wednesday he had prime rib, baked potato, and corn on the cob. (Really roughing it, huh? He didn't even complain about the quality of the beef!) He said he is very fortunate in that his work schedule is 8 hours per day with one day off per week. He said many of the others are working 12 hour days with no days off. It just depends on their specific job. I asked him what was the most surprising thing thus far and he said the number of American civilians that are employed on the base. He said at times when you are walking around the base, it's like walking at the mall because of the diversity in age of those that are around. He said they are not to leave the base at all and the only time they see children is when they have visitation for the detainees and their families come to visit.
He did mention that he was stuffing his duffel bag and while he was pushing real hard, his hand came back and hit him in the face and broke his new glasses. Right now they are superglued. I told him it's nice to know that even though he is clear across the world, Brett is still Brett!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
And the Fun Begins....
Well, I haven't been on for a while so it is certainly time for an update. Brett was able to come home for Easter which was really nice. I think he returned quite tired though as he spent as much time with family and friends as possible.
He was under the assumption that when he returned the deployment would take place within 72 hours. I told him to be sure and call when his flight returned to El Paso since we knew it would be somewhat close on the time schedule to report back to his base. Particularly if the flights were delayed as they were on his way home. However, I haven't heard a word from him since!!
God bless Sherie Peterson who is the liason between the unit and the families. Her husband is also in the unit and he reports to her and then the info is e-mailed to us. She has kept us informed to the fact that the unit returned to a "pack and run" order so she wasn't surprised that Brett hadn't contacted us but that all members of the unit are fine. They were first sent to Germany and had to wait there for a couple of days before continuing on to Iraq. They have now reached their location and are settling in. She said they are staying in tents at the moment but will be moved to more permanent quarters shortly.
I'm very anxious to hear from Brett but I will keep a "no news is good news" perspective and just keep the prayers going. I promise to keep everyone posted on this blog. Sometimes it just gets a little difficult to find ways to report when we have been told that confidentiality and safety are a must when we report to others about the soldiers.
Brett's new address to use is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
530th MP BN
APO AE 09375
Please don't hesitate to drop him a line even if it's short. From everyone I have talked with, mail is a very big deal to the soldiers!
He was under the assumption that when he returned the deployment would take place within 72 hours. I told him to be sure and call when his flight returned to El Paso since we knew it would be somewhat close on the time schedule to report back to his base. Particularly if the flights were delayed as they were on his way home. However, I haven't heard a word from him since!!
God bless Sherie Peterson who is the liason between the unit and the families. Her husband is also in the unit and he reports to her and then the info is e-mailed to us. She has kept us informed to the fact that the unit returned to a "pack and run" order so she wasn't surprised that Brett hadn't contacted us but that all members of the unit are fine. They were first sent to Germany and had to wait there for a couple of days before continuing on to Iraq. They have now reached their location and are settling in. She said they are staying in tents at the moment but will be moved to more permanent quarters shortly.
I'm very anxious to hear from Brett but I will keep a "no news is good news" perspective and just keep the prayers going. I promise to keep everyone posted on this blog. Sometimes it just gets a little difficult to find ways to report when we have been told that confidentiality and safety are a must when we report to others about the soldiers.
Brett's new address to use is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
530th MP BN
APO AE 09375
Please don't hesitate to drop him a line even if it's short. From everyone I have talked with, mail is a very big deal to the soldiers!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Brett's Post
Brett thought that I hadn't posted for a while so he did the next one...
We just moved out to the field, and we have Internet out here, so I'll post this since I have the chance. I only have about three more weeks at this place before we move to Iraq and I get to do my job. The running joke around here is "Don't worry, once we get over to the third world country, things will be much better." Everyone has told me that Iraq has the best food and equipment in the Army, and the living conditions are much better than in training. As odd as it may sound, I can't wait to leave the States.
March 6, 2008 8:38 AM
We just moved out to the field, and we have Internet out here, so I'll post this since I have the chance. I only have about three more weeks at this place before we move to Iraq and I get to do my job. The running joke around here is "Don't worry, once we get over to the third world country, things will be much better." Everyone has told me that Iraq has the best food and equipment in the Army, and the living conditions are much better than in training. As odd as it may sound, I can't wait to leave the States.
March 6, 2008 8:38 AM
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Update February 13th
I haven't updated much because there hasn't been much to report. We've talked to Brett a few times but it's pretty much been the same thing as before. Last we spoke he still didn't have any glasses to wear! He thinks they are coming though.
He does get leave in March and he will be coming home for that. I'm guessing that will be it before he leaves for Iraq so we will savor every moment. He said he's getting a bit worn out from all the goodbye things. I certainly understand that so we won't be having a great big get together. If anyone would like to stop in and see him though it should be Easter weekend. Just give us a call and we'll give you details.
He does get leave in March and he will be coming home for that. I'm guessing that will be it before he leaves for Iraq so we will savor every moment. He said he's getting a bit worn out from all the goodbye things. I certainly understand that so we won't be having a great big get together. If anyone would like to stop in and see him though it should be Easter weekend. Just give us a call and we'll give you details.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
He Called!
Brett was able to call and it was wonderful to hear from him!
They are at Ft. Bliss but they are staying at a newly built facility that is actually located in New Mexico. For the first several days, they didn't have power in their barracks. Now they have power...at least on one side of the facility. Brett said it will be very nice when the construction is completed but for right now it's sort of hit and miss as to what is done. Therefore, charging cell phones, etc is limited at the moment. He did say they really didn't have restrictions on using their cell phones it just needs to be charged!
At this point they are still hurrying up and waiting. He said they are having long lines as equipment is checked out to them and the entire group has to wait their turn. He did say the food was pretty good. Enough so that he thought he would need to watch it or he'd really put on the pounds. Moms like to hear that though!
Other than that, he didn't know too much. He had an appointment today to get an eye exam so he can get his glasses replaced. He's been going without because he said the sand is too much for his contacts so I'm sure it will be nice for him to see again.
He had an address for the time he is in Texas. It is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
Mobilization Deployment BDE
530th MP BN HHC
Building 2453
Fort Bliss TX 79916
Please feel free to drop him a note of encouragement. I know he'd really appreciate that!
They are at Ft. Bliss but they are staying at a newly built facility that is actually located in New Mexico. For the first several days, they didn't have power in their barracks. Now they have power...at least on one side of the facility. Brett said it will be very nice when the construction is completed but for right now it's sort of hit and miss as to what is done. Therefore, charging cell phones, etc is limited at the moment. He did say they really didn't have restrictions on using their cell phones it just needs to be charged!
At this point they are still hurrying up and waiting. He said they are having long lines as equipment is checked out to them and the entire group has to wait their turn. He did say the food was pretty good. Enough so that he thought he would need to watch it or he'd really put on the pounds. Moms like to hear that though!
Other than that, he didn't know too much. He had an appointment today to get an eye exam so he can get his glasses replaced. He's been going without because he said the sand is too much for his contacts so I'm sure it will be nice for him to see again.
He had an address for the time he is in Texas. It is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
Mobilization Deployment BDE
530th MP BN HHC
Building 2453
Fort Bliss TX 79916
Please feel free to drop him a note of encouragement. I know he'd really appreciate that!
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