He's home!!

Okay, I am sure that you will understand the lateness of this, but just wanted to let you know that Dave came home Monday night.  It was great to see him again! One of our neighbors put yellow ribbons on all of the trees in our neighborhood by the street so Dave could see them once he got home, it was a cool sight to see!  He has been busy taking Jack to football, Katie to Karate, and me to the gym (his idea!)  He has a month of leave before he goes back to work, so hopefully, you will hear from him soon!


Thanks for following my weak blog, hope it helped you out!  This will most likely be my last post, unless Dave wants to share some cool stories!!

Love to you all!  :O)

More New News!

Hello!!  We finally heard from Dave today!!!  He was exhausted!  Sounded like he was going to fall asleep while we talked!  He was in Wisconsin, and said he should be home some time next week.  I asked him were he was going to be released from, DesMoines, or Sioux City, he said he wasn't sure, but he hoped it would be DesMoines.  He was so tired, it got to where I couldn't understand me!!  He said that he would call us tomorrow. (Wednesday, the 20th) I asked him if they were having a homecoming ceremony, and he said there would be one in  Sioux City, DesMoines and maybe Boone (?) I can't remember the third one.  I then asked if we should go, and he asked why??  He just doesn't get it!!!  He said it wouldn't be many people, around 50 or so.  I then checked my email, and saw this..  I will let you know what else I learn!

IOWA NATIONAL GUARD
Mission Focused – Warrior Ready

Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry (unit is based at Camp Dodge) and selected members of other Iowa National Guard units (approximately 45 Soldiers) Homecoming ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Freedom Center, Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center, 7105 NW 70th Ave., Johnston. This homecoming will include selected members of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry (Johnston); Co. D, 334th Brigade Support Battalion (Sioux City); Co. C, 1st Battalion,168th Infantry (Johnston); Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Cedar Rapids); Battery A, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery (Estherville); and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery (Fort Dodge). Buses will enter Iowa via Interstate 35 South, exit onto Interstate 80 West, then take Exit 131 for Merle Hay Road in Johnston to NW 70th Ave., then left onto NW 70th Ave. to Camp Dodge.

New News

Hi all!  Just wanted to let you know that last we heard, Dave was about to board a plane on his way out of Afghanistan!  He has about four stops before getting to Iowa, so I don't really have a date of his arrival yet.  He told us that he would call us when he hit the states, so, once I hear anything, I will pass it on!

In the News second try....

Hi all, well, I have not made the best use of this blog as I could have, but sometimes information from Dave is sparse, and a lot of what he knows can't be shared with me, so I can't share with you.  The last time we talked with Dave, he told us that his days in Afghanistan were coming to an end, and that he (and his unit) would most likely be home at the end of July.  Now, I always take the dates given to me with a grain of salt. Since Dave has been in the military, I have learned that nothing is set in stone, and anything can change at a moments notice.  I have also learned to keep things very opened ended with Katie and Jack, so if things do in fact change, I am not having to disappoint them...maybe even more than one time!!  When I say "maybe" to my kids, they some times, some how, hear "I promise".....this leads to a lot of problems!  I think that Dave has learned to do the same with me, he has heard "but you said.." many times from me!  So, we are both learning!!  Anyhow, all I can say for now is, they are in the home stretch, and watching this interview with Dave on a Des Moines tv station helps make it even more "possible".  I didn't even know that Dave had an interview with this station until someone living in the Des Moines area mentioned that they had seen it.  Like I said, we haven't heard much from him! I have also learned that being the commander's wife has not privileges!!  This is the link to go to, to see the interview.               http://www.dvidshub.net/units/HQISAF
Some of the reason we haven't talked with Dave is that we (Katie, Jack, and I) just got back from a long trip to Cedar Rapids, and Spencer, Iowa.  We put a lot of miles on the ole van, but also spent a lot of great time with the cousins!!  Trevor and Morgan even made the trip to Spencer with us, so they got to see everyone too!  We all had a great time!  But, we really didn't have the opportunity to get online to try to Skype with Dave, or even send or receive emails. I just got an email today saying that he no longer has internet, so I am not sure if we will hear from him again until he gets back into the states.  You all know that Dave doesn't like all of the weepy home coming things that are always planned, so I think that he may keep some of that information from me so we can't surprise him and be there!!  I think it would be good for the kids to see the enormity of it all though, as I have said before, so if YOU hear anything, especially you Iowans, pass it on to me!!!
Well, time to go, I promise, I will post things as soon as I hear them, whether it be from an interview, or straight from the horses mouth!  Hope all of you out there are doing well!  Hugs and kisses from all of us!

PS...if that link doesn't work, just put Des Moines, Iowa, Lt. Colonel Dave Updegraff in as a search, and you will find it!

In the News

News From the FRG (Family Readiness Group) 6.11 about arrival home

Hi guys, it's been a long time since I've posted anything, sorry.  It has been crazy in our house the past few months!  Katie had her week long 8th grade class trip to DC, then was home for two days, had her eight grade graduation.....yes, they have 8th grade grad. here, they make a big deal of it...a bit silly, we think...and then had the much waited for 8th grade dance!  The dance was a big hit, all the kids loved it, and the parents all helped out a lot with planning and decorating, etc.  They decorated the gym and cafeteria of the middle school to look like a cruise ship!  Very cool.  The 8th grade parents were not permitted to chaperone, they ask the 7th grade parents to do it!  So, we had a reception before the dance and they let the parents go in, see the decorations, take pictures, then kicked us out!  Katie had a great time, and we finally came to an agreement on the dress with a lot of help from her Aunts Christie and Terry in Iowa!  She is still taking riding lessons during the summer and will start swing choir practice soon.  She auditioned a while ago for the high school group, and was happy to get a spot! I've heard from other parents that I better take a deep breath before it starts, because the "parents" aka...moms...have to be very involved!  I'll be sure to rest up all summer!  She is also still doing karate once a week and will go back to twice a week once Dave gets back and they start going together again.  I am so proud that she has stuck with it for so long...it has been about 9 years since she started!  Amazing!  Ok, so her big crush on one of the boys in her class has kept her wanting to go for the last two years...!  Holding out for him this long paid off as they are now a "couple" as you may already know if you are a FB follower!!  He is two and a half years older, and I have a LOT more grey hairs, but he is a good kid, Dave and I have known him for years, and he has seen what Dave can do on the karate floor, so he has a very healthy fear of him!!!  We'll see how it goes once Dave gets back!!  ;O)
Jack finished his 4th grade year just this last week.  He is happy to have summer start, as usual, and is looking forward to a summer filled with fishing, swimming, baseball, football etc.  He is also winding up his baseball season.  The team isn't doing too well, they are 2 and 9.  All of the boys are good players, but they just can't seem to get it together when they have a game!  Jack has been catching a lot, and pitching too.  At the start of the season, he was having trouble hitting the ball, cause this is the first year having his peers pitch to him, but he is coming around and starting to hit well, once he gets a good hold of the ball, he hits doubles and triples!  I have had fun watching and yelling for the team!  Dave is glad, I am sure, that he is not having to sit next to me and listen to me scream!  Hey, it is a mom's prerogative!! Football season starts up the last week of July, when Dave is due back.
 SPEAKING OF DAVE COMING BACK--I will answer the burning question that everyone has been asking lately..when is Dave coming home!  Well, I don't know!!!  I have always felt safe with the thought that another team would go to Afghanistan and take their place, just like they did to the team before them.  I figured that with that, it would be all planned and regimented, without much room for changes.  WELL, then I get this email from the FRG, and have to say "what a surprise!" I didn't hear about this from Dave first, just got the email today, so I don't know anymore than what is in this email.  I actually though that since we hadn't been hearing a lot from Dave lately that is was because they were all busy wrapping things up, but I guess they have more than that to do!  Read for yourself-

>
> Please distribute to families.

> Subject: Message from SCO to SQDN Families (UNCLASSIFIED)
>  Family and Friends of the REDHORSERs:

> As many of you may have heard, the unit originally ordered to
> replace TF REDHORSE is not coming to Afghanistan. TF REDBULL and my staff
> are currently planning, developing options for many possible outcomes. I
> would like to inform you that we are currently not planning on any
> significant, if any, extension here. In fact the current plan is still to
> RIP under the original timeline.
> Thanks to all of you for your support.
>
> LTC David A. Updegraff
> TF REDHORSE
> Commanding
>

My final words...aaarrrrgggg!!!

Correction

An email from Dave today said:

Cindy:
    Your BLOG says that we had an accident ... it was not an accident, please change that.
    We air assaulted into a hot LZ and immediately were in a firefight ... the enemy had the high ground and it was a bad situation.
    SSG Justice lost his life when a bullet went through his chest and abdomen.
    SPC Durham was WIA with a bullet through the chest that came out and then through his arm.

    To say there was an accident does not pay honor to these warriors.