I'm heading home to care for Carter after car crash hurt his mom

From Sgt. Robert Grinage of Rice Lake, Wisconsin. He is stationed 6,646 miles from home at Camp Bucca, Iraq.

When I was on leave last month my handsome son was born. His name is Carter Matthew Laursen. He is my little trooper. The mother of Carter is Jaci Laursen. She is a great mother.

But at this time she is hospitalized because she was in a serious car accident. As of now the military is sending me home, to care for my son while the mother of my child goes through surgeries. I ask all to pray for Jaci and the Laursen family as they they are under this hard time in the family's life.

As this has been going on I have been receiving pictures of my little trooper. It is a true statement when parents say: "Children will change your life." I am 10,000 miles away and i can totally tell that statement is true.

It is hard watching your child grow up through pictures. But in the same time, it's like Christmas every day I receive them. I would like to thank both families of my son. Without them my son would never know who I am till I come home. Thanks guys. Jaci get better soon, my prayers are with you.

- Robert

Rhyming the time away in Iraq

From PFC. Junior Buchanan of Madison, who is 6,415 miles from home serving in a Wisconsin National Guard unit at Camp Cropper, Iraq.

I came with the 32nd and I'm doing detainee ops just like the rest. I was deployed right after completion of my AIT (Advanced Individual Training). I was only home for 5 or 6 days before going on orders. I didn't know till the last minute that I was getting deployed -- kinda sucked but i cooperated with it. It was hard, but it's part of the job I guess.

I have been writing my own music since I was about 12 or 13 with my cousins. Writing music helps make my time here pass faster and a little more enjoyable. My family has a lot of musical talent in it -- singing and also hip hop (rap) and dancing.

Thank you for taking interest in my songs. I love what I do and take pride in making it sound good. I was on active duty orders before I joined the guard. did basic AIT and now Iraq. When I get home for good I would have been back and forth only spending a week or two or a few days at home for about a year and 6 months.

- Junior

Heavy heart, many thanks

Army Specialist Cory M. Poast is stationed in Mosul, Iraq, about 6,189 miles from home in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Cory is with the 84th Engineer Battalion/523rd Engineering Company. He's injured his ankle a couple of times while working with a unit of heavy equipment operators.


My ankle is doing better, and I am finally walking without a limp. Hopefully no long term damage has occurred.

I will be returning to my family soon! I would like to thank everyone that supports us troops. Thank you for sacrificing your time. Thank you for caring. Thank you for your willingness to reach out. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for making me smile. Thank you for making me cry. Thank you for the donations. Thank you for the prayers........ (I heard them, way over here) Thank you for warming my heart. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your support. Thank you for worrying. Thank you for your recognition. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for all you do for the troops! It's people like you that keep us going! All of you! We love you very much! We will continue to help keep our country safe and free! When I think of all the support I've gotten, I start to get a heavy heart, and tear up. I then wipe that tear up, put it in my fist, and hold it close to my heart.
- SPC.CORY POAST

Wisconsin soldiers hold hill in southern Iraq

Staff Sgt. William Poor is in charge of a recon unit stationed on Safwan Hill, about 6,676 miles from home in Juneau, Wisconsin. The National Guard released this video and the accompanying photos yesterday. You can read the National Guard press release here.



The press release includes photos of some of the soldiers from the units on the hill. They are based in Appleton and Fond du Lac. All the images were made by Specialist Tyler Lasure.


Spc. Stephan McEssey, Fond du Lac, keeps watch from the outpost atop of Safwan Hill. McEssey and other Company C soldiers provide a bird's-eye view for troops down below.












Staff Sgt. Poor (left), shows Command Sgt. Maj. Edgar Hansen (right) around the outpost. Hansen is based in Baghdad.













The brothers of Safwan Hill: Specialist Kyle Bestul (right) and Specialist Kory Bestul (left) of New Holstein.














Pfc. Kevin Lewis, Kaukauna, mans an M-240B machine gun at one of the guard towers on the hill.











The units on Safwan Hill near Camp Bucca are Company C, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, Fond du Lac, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-127, Appleton- Steve

Last big mission cut short

Cory Poast, a member of an engineering unit that operates heavy equipment near Mosul, wrote this last week:
packing for a 3 week mission out in the sheeeot.........should be the toughest one yet.......however...........i'm happy to say.......this is the LAST big mission !!!!!!........of the deployment!!!!.....that means we are close!!!!!!!

It has been said that nothing goes as planned in the military. So it was for Cory, who wrote this update.
I AM BACK FROM THE ... MISSION WITH ANOTHER SPRAINED ANKLE






















Photo - Cory on the mend earlier this summer with his first ankle sprain.

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No time to chill, but at least we're on the night shift

Here's the latest from Nick Druecke who is spending the summer, and the rest of the year, at Camp Taji, Iraq, roughly 6,339 miles from his home in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.


Things are heating up in the very literal sense. The nights here have broken the hot point, over 100 almost every night. The days as you can imagine are even hotter, pushing into the (one hundred and...) teens every single day. It isn't letting up any time soon. August is notorious for being really really really hot here, the only thing I have to look forward to is that we work the night shift now. Going to work at 1500 (hottest part of the day) does kind of suck, but actually working at night is much preferable.

We have been amping up the training lately, both physical and mental. This includes going to ranges, forced marches, and army knowledge classes. Also preparing for promotion boards, which is a task all in its own. Trying to memorize pages of creeds, and countless military regulations and doctrine. It can be mentally daunting at times. In general however things are going well, albeit very slow. I recently found out that one of my friends from home just redeployed to Ft. Campbell. I also discovered that another one of my high school friends is here with a guard unit, at Camp Victory I think.

The only really consistent thing I have going on is the gym. I go to the gym at least once everyday, unless it's my off day (once a week). It's a pretty good way to work off all of the frustration this place builds up. The only better way to do it would be to have a drink! Which is illegal here "under general order number 1..." We hear that constantly, anybody who has deployed will know what I mean. That "rule" has a million little things that fall under it, it's pretty much a catch-all for anything fun. Things are going along, as things do. That's all I have to report.

Live from Iraq,

- Nick