Do you have friends/family deployed with military?

So, who all has friends or family members deployed in the "war on terror"?

If so, how long have they been gone, and how many tours have they done thus far? If they get leave, how long is it b4 they have to return?

There is more to it than that, as I am retired military. In my 22 years of service, I spent 11 of those years at sea. There are not a whole lot of places I haven't been. I am one of the fortunate ones. When I got my draft notice, in July of 1975, I was on USCGC Glacier (WAGB 4) in the Bearing Sea. I missed going to Viet Nam by a scant few months. During Desert Storm, I was on USCGC Boutwell(WHEC 719) in the Gulf of Alaska patroling the US Exclusive Economic Zone(200 mile limit fisheries patrol). I still have many friends who are still in service, and are deployed. Some are in Iraq, most are not, but their jobs and their service is just as important, if not more so.
I have a lot of my customers that are deployed to both Iraq, and afganistan. They are all in my prayers for a safe return home after they have served their time.

FWIW, the only differance between going to sea and going to jail, is when you go to sea, you have the added risk of drowning.

^Yes sir, I am aware it is deeper than that. Those are just questions I had for people, because I heard horror stories recently of people who have been in Iraq/Afghanistan for over a year, then come home, and have to go back within 6 months. My grandfather served in the Navy in WWII, and him and my grandmother had 11 children, 8 boys, of which the majority went to Vietnam. My mother always talks about her father, and how when he came back the horror was still so fresh, he would jump up out of his sleep reliving moments from the war. I commend your lenghty military service, and have respect for anyone who has done it, in any capacity.

2 freinds - Sgt. Sean P. Mendez. & Lance CPL. Eric D. Sato
My freind Peter Holdman was also killed in Afganistan on April 12, 2004

i been to kuwait, recently

i was in the persion gulf on a aircraft carrier, when we big time bombed iraq in 2003

One of my closest friends is Air National Guard, an MP unit, and is deployed near the Afghanistan border now. He'll be gone until fall. I look forward to seeing him and his crew come home safely.

I was in Southeast Asia (Vietnam and all) 1968, Joined VVAW in 1970. My eldest son has 14 years of his 20 year enlistment completed. I don't know where he is currently deployed, security reasons. His wife and 2 children are in the states but I don't see any of them enough.
Nightmares? Ask my 3 ex wives. It's been 39 years and I still see the faces, sometimes just the eyes. Can't take cordite either, the smell makes the memories come to life. Bless my first wife, I broke her nose in my sleep during a nightmare, she forgave me eventually.
Love them when they come home, they will talk about it when they can. Some never do. PTSD is real and it never goes completely away. Most of my buddies drank themselves to death, the ones that stayed out of jail.
thanks for asking, it's a subject grunts don't like to remember.
Doctor G :(

I was medically retired in 2001, so I still have lots of friends on active-duty. I've even seen a few of them on TV, and I pray they all come home soon, and safely.

Major(R), USAF
100% DAV - Combat Wounded Vet

Check six, boys.