News from Carole brought me a bit of difficulty this afternoon. Her son, Michael, is serving in the armed forces, stationed in Iraq. I’ve been comforting her for the past few months with encouragement about the honor of his service and the excellent life training he receives as a U.S. soldier. The unfortunate realities of war can upset my efforts at giving Carole a positive message.
Today Carole learned that two soldiers from Michael’s battalion—a 19-year-old boy who was in boot camp and basic training with Michael, and a husband and father, age 40, with a wife and young family at home—were killed on a mission.
Carole was crying when she gave me the news, and while I’m here, with all the restrictions of my life, I’m not able to comfort her in the way a husband should. I hurt for Carole. She has struggled through the pains of my imprisonment for many years, and her heart now hurts with worries for Michael’s safety. I say a prayer for Michael, and for Carole’s peace.
This morning and afternoon I had good success writing chapter eleven. I’ve advanced the manuscript through page 494. This chapter describes my time at Lompoc Camp, just before my transfer to Taft Camp. I had many experiences at Lompoc, and the chapter may stretch to 50 pages. I’ve written 28 pages, but I still have much to cover. I expect to finish before Wednesday, and look forward to the next chapter, describing my time in Taft Camp and the events going on in Carole’s and my life right now. I expect to finish this draft of the manuscript with 550 to 575 pages.
This morning I ran 10 miles, bringing my tally to 2,367 miles over 267 consecutive days.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
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