As our Country watches the president talk about the "combat troops" leaving Iraq, the community that I live in watches and lives by a different news report.  We live in a different "spun" set of announcements and a different set of "rules of engagement" when dealing with War.  We are watching the 1st Calvary Division gear up for yet another deployment to Iraq.  Yeppers, sure thing one more year...

 This could easily be a 4th deployment for some of the soldiers.  Most of them are seeing their 3rd tour.  They are still leaving their loved ones and they will still be saying good bye.  Yes we should celebrate the fact that the "combat" missions will not be what they once were.  We should celebrate the fact that these troopers will have a different task at hand.  They are going in to help clear the country and help make sure the Iraqi soldiers are ready to take over.  We have an optimmistic view...right now.  I wont get into the "what if's" because what good comes of that.  I want to make sure that we don't forget that just because there was a big announcement made by some high political official in a fancy suit saying the troops are being taken out of Iraq, that the big statement made isn't cut and dry as we would like.  The soldiers and their familys are still sacrificing their time away from eachother to make the troop "pull out" a success.  They still have rotations to Iraq to make, they still have seperations, they are still in danger in a volitile situation.  Just because someone "says so" doesn't mean it all changes over night.  We are still here working hard to make happen what the people of this Country voted for this President to do.  We still watch the news and listen to everyone boast about the "end" when we know there isn't zn end for us right now. 

 Let us not forget that our Commander in Chief pulled the troops out of Iraq as promissed.  Only to send them to Afganistan.  If our troopers aren't gearing up to go to Iraq again, they are headed to Afganistan and if you have listened to the reports from what is going on there...well, I have no more to say about that either.  War isn't over because the dillusion is being set of soldiers being taken out of Iraq.  War is only shifting.  Please continue to support our troops and their families.  Please continue to pray for their strength during these very rough years of battle.  It has gone on long and hard and we are tired.