Still Taking It In

Greetings to all.

It's taken a few days for the news to sink in. We have learned to not plan for anything and to take things one day at a time but had mentally prepared for another one or two months before we could start thinking of getting Brian out of Iraq and back in the states. Needless to say, realizing he was coming home on the 4th (in just two days) was a pretty significant shock to our system.

Here's what we know today:

*Brian did make it back to California on the 4th of July (via Germany, Iceland, North Carolina, and then California)

*He's doing well, and it has been wonderful to be able to really talk, and not talk in code.

*He has been going through his "debriefing" and other stuff for the past week and will continue next week.

*He is planning on being in Minnesota on July 17 and will be here until August 1. That's at least the plan at this point- always subject to change, but at least we have some markers out there.

I'll continue to update information on the blog as we get it. It's still therapy for me- and hopefully keeps everyone informed.

But, I also wanted to share some final thoughts as we close out this part of the journey.


When we got into this whole military thing Laura and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. There was no "guidebook for parents" to help you understand all of the emotions that go along with it, especially when confronting the realities of war and putting a member of your family in Harm's Way. I am sure every parent deals with the emotions in different ways, but the emotions are very real no matter how you address them (or don't address them). Regardless of our approach, I think Laura and I have come out of this part of the experience stronger and with a different perspective on many things than we had when we started.

But the real heroes are the parents and families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms of our own country and of those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since this started, I've tried to attend the funerals of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice when I could. Nick Turcotte was from Maple Grove and attended high school with Lindsey, and Daniel Olsen just graduated from Eden Prairie High School. Both were killed in Iraq. I felt attending these services was the least I could do. They were emotional, powerful, and showed me the real meaning of our country and the sacrifices others have made.








Nick Turcotte (Maple Grove, MN)

Daniel Olsen (Eden Prairie, MN)

We are unbelieveably thankful Brian is out of a combat zone for a little while. But, we'll also never forget those still serving, those who have served, and those who gave everything they had to make our lives what they are today. We all owe them a lot.

Semper Fi