October 9, 2004

Rod and I have been out of town for a few days, but on our way to the airport, Adam called Rod's cell phone. That was on Monday, October 4. He sounded good and we talked for about 15 minutes. The connection was good. He said that he probably won't be able to call us for a few weeks now. Things are very active in Iraq right now. If you are watching the news, our troops are very busy. Of course, he can't tell us what he is doing (I don't think I really want to know). It would be very dangerous for anyone to know the plans. As a safety feature, even the guys don't know what the other guys are doing. If anyone was to get captured, they wouldn't be able to tell anything.
The weather is cooling off - fall over there also. It is only about 98 during the day and much cooler at night. After fall the rainy season will start. We got a letter from Chaplain Benson and he told us that he has a chance to pray with each convoy before they leave the base on a mission. I will just copy from his letter.

Almost every morning I go to our Motorpool to send off that day’s convoy with a prayer. When I arrive I walk up and down the convoy greeting the Marines, Sailors (Navy Corpsmen) and Soldiers. Walking the line lets me get a sense of how the Marines are feeling about the day’s mission. Before long, the Marines assemble for formation to be given the Convoy Commander’s intent and detailed instruction for their mission. The Convoy Commander shares what each Marine needs to know to ensure the safe arrival and return of the convoy. When the briefing is over I share with the Marines from Scripture and then say a prayer for their safety. We also pray for our families and loved ones back home: for your safekeeping and for God to meet all of your needs in our absence. After formation, it is time for everyone to make final adjustments to their loads and make sure their water coolers are packed with ice for another long day in the desert.

As you can imagine, convoys are demanding both physically and mentally. Long hours in hot conditions on bad roads make for weary backsides! In spite of these difficult conditions, every Marine stays vigilant during the trip, staying on the lookout for the first sign of trouble. Before the convoys leave, specialized security teams search the roadsides and surrounding areas for the hazards. The security teams in our area do an awesome job of sweeping the routes, and disabling any bombs to keep our Marines safe. Additionally, every convoy has their own security team of heavily armed and well-trained Marines that guard over them during their journey. When needed the supply convoys can call for air support comprising of fighter jets and attack helicopters.

There is a lot of work that goes into preparing for each day’s convoy. It begins with planning what goods are needed. There is always maintenance to be done on the hard driven vehicles while other Marines are busy loading the supplies onto the vehicles for the convoy. Many times the Marines work late into the night to accomplish these tasks in order for FOB’s to remain supplied. There are a lot of moving parts to the operations and the Marines are doing a great job of maintaining success!

He is encouraged with the morale and committment of all the Marines. I am thankful for his influence with the guys and gals.

Just one comment from a political standpoint. Please get out and vote in November. Take advantage of our freedom. If you aren't registered to vote, you can register up until November 1. Please let your views be known and vote for the candidate of your choice.

Just pray for
1. Safety and alertness. Wisdom and control.
2. Pray for Chaplain Benson as he ministers to our kids.
3. Pray for plenty of work. Adam says they would all rather be busy, it is too lonely when they have down time.
4. Pray for our upcoming elections. For wisdom for the leaders of our troops here and in Iraq.

In Christ's love and protection,
Jill