RECOGNITION LONG OVERDUE...

Uncle Lay
Family after graduation

'NANA' with Matteo,Mia,Jamie,Erin

Mom and her 4 boys (l to r) Ted, Harry, Hardy, and Me

One of my favorite pictures of Tanika and Mia

Embarrassingly so, it has been brought to my attention (by my wife) that I haven't mentioned anything in my blog about some very important people in my life, my in-laws. Unfortunately she is right. I feel bad about this, because they have given me nothing but love and support since Tanika and I met each other six years ago. I regrettably forgot to wish them Happy Mother's and Father's Day via the blog. As you might have guessed I sometimes get self-absorbed into what I'm doing. Overall, I probably haven't mentioned my family enough since I started the blog. Therefore, without further adieu, I would like to send my love and thanks to my mother-in-law, Ruthell (Nana) and Tanika's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond and Bernice Hood, my father-in-law, Rev. Reuel B. Williams, and all of my brothers and sisters-in-law (Lamar & Katrina, Derek (MSgt-USAF), Gregory, Cara, and Dale) and my nieces Jamie and Erin. I would like to also like to thank my mother, Patricia, my Uncles (Clyde, Hardy, and Frank) and my Aunts (Martha Raye, Mary, and Mae), my brothers Harry, Hardy, and Ted, all of my many cousins, and all of my nieces and nephews for keeping me in their prayers while I've been deployed. Finally, I would like to thank my loving wife for taking care of home while Daddy's been away. I certainly know it's not easy taking care of a 3-1/2 year old and a 6 month old by yourself, but you've done it seamlessly during this tough time and I appreciate and love you for it. Sorry I don't have pictures of everyone. My family pics are limited out here.

I LOVE YOU ALL AND I'LL SEE YOU WHEN I GET HOME!!

Doc Tally

THE HOME STRETCH!

Well we are finally in the home stretch! Only 4 more weeks or so in Iraq and we all can't wait to get home. We are all getting pretty tired of walking to the bathroom, the shower, and the chow hall, but we're not complaining.

A lot has happened since my last posting. We finally completed our FMF Officer Qualification. We'll have a pinning ceremony in a couple of weeks. We all had to individually sit for an oral board in front of 3 qualified FMF officers (mostly Marine) and answer 100 questions related to Marine Corps history, structure, mission, and tactical situations. My board took 1 hour and 20 minutes which is about average. Needless to say I'm glad it's over, but it's a great accomplishment for our crew, and one that is well earned and appreciated.

I've started mailing back all of the 'cold weather' clothes I probably should have never taken in the first place, but this place can get very cold at night during the winter and early spring months. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in 6 months. I have a lot of cleaning and disposing of unnecessary items from my hooch. Some of the folks we've met from other units have headed home including the 2/136 Minnesota National Guard who left last month. They did a great job here while having to endure an extension of their deployment from 15 to 18 months. It's good to know they are getting a much deserved homecoming.

Patient flow has come in spurts. We've been reminded by CAPT Jernigan, our Chief of Professional Services, to stay focused and not to become complacent. We continue to see a good number of casualties related to IED blasts. The wounds still never cease to amaze me at the level of soft tissue damage created. Many of the wounded US military are transferred back to either Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. I'm planning on making a brief stop at one of those facilities on my return home from Camp Lejeune. It's my hope to get chance to see a few of my patients recovering and returning to normal life after sustaining such traumatic injuries.

This will not be my last posting as we still have a little more time left, so I'll save my 'see ya soons' for my last message.

I would like to also wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my oldest brother Harry (July 26) and my Uncle Clyde (August 8). I hope you guys had fun on your special day.

Take care

Doc Tally