Although I haven't heard from him in over 2 weeks, I have heard that he is doing well. It snowed there last week and knocked out the power lines. Their water pipes froze so they couldn't take a shower. Can you imagine how smelly they all have to be? Here is a copy of the news letter we just recieved from the LtCOl.

Happy Holidays to the entire First Team family, from your Marines and
sailors here in Iraq. First I want to thank everyone for the holiday cheer
that has been flooding the battalion since Thanksgiving. The outpouring of
support from everyone back home has been incredible, and we are all very
grateful for the cards, letters, and care packages. I can assure you that
even though we would all rather be with you during the holidays, we will
celebrate the season's festivities as much as we can, and this will be a
time to remember for everyone. It may be hard to believe considering that
it was over 130 degrees here back in August, but we have had snow here in
the last week! So, we just might have a white Christmas!

We are well past the halfway point in our tour in Iraq, and I know the
questions that are on everyone's mind: when is the battalion coming home?
Are we on schedule or will we be extended? While I can't pass on any
specific dates yet, I can tell you that we are still on schedule to return
home in March and there is no plan to extend us here. In fact, the
battalion that will replace us here has already done a leader's recon and we
are well on the way to turning over this area as planned.

We have continued to be very successful in our fight against the inisurgents
in this area and we have not lost a Marine to enemy action since the 15th of
Oct. Unfortunately, on the 21st of Dec, LCpl Pesche from A Company lost his
life in a vehicle accident. Mishaps like this are always tragic, but more
so at this time of year. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in
their time grief.

The next round of this fight will be the Iraqi national elections at the end
of January. You can expect to hear a lot about this in the news in the
coming weeks. These will be the first free elections in this country and
they are the next step in building a democracy in Iraq. The hard work and
sacrifices of every man in the battalion and you all back home are making
this free future possible for the Iraqi people. We are all thankful for the
continued support from the home front--we could not do what we do without
all of you.

Best wishes for a happy and safe holiday season.
God bless and Semper Fi
LtCol Woodbridge

This letter looks very promissing. Please keep our men and women in your thoughts and prayers specially during the upcoming elections.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Friday, December 24, 2004 - 12:18 am:

They are always in my thoughts... Prayers for a safe return.. And thanks for keeping us posted...

By Kernkate on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 10:18 am:

Kristie, how is your DH doing?
Thoughts and Prayers to him and your family!

By Insaneusmcwife on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 06:11 am:

Thank You for asking, I haven't heard anything from him in quite some time. But no news is good news so I'm holding on to that. We have our first reunion brief coming up in the next week or so. I'm so excited.

By Colette on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 08:09 am:

I hope you hear from him soon.