Meet Elvis and Ringo. These are two dogs who arecurrently serving our country in Iraq. I liked the picture of elvis with his ear down as he it shows his softer side. The pointy eared canine is Ringo and he's a proud dog.

Anyway, as my time winds down here at Ft. Bliss since I depart on Saturday I thought I'd share some of the interesting things I've learned while being here.

First, the acronyms. My goodness the acronyms there is nothing more to say about them than there's a bunch.

Second, the warrior ethos and the attitude of a well trained soldier are hard to beat. These men and women serving our country all have a story some happy some sad. There are soldiers who are here because they were called up by their government. They are serving proudly along side of the regular military. Without them we would be having a much harder time of things. There are soldiers whom I have met that need council. I have found myself in more than one situation where I was called on as a counsellor for a soldier who was having a hard time letting go of the war in Iraq, the men who fell at their hands and the men in our army who fell because of their orders. I have yet to hear a story of someone who was in the wrong but yet many still blame themselves. Next time you see a soldier think about what they might have gone through to protect you, your freedoms and the future of America.

Last, I have learned that I/we can be happy anywhere. No matter where you go in this world of ours there is positive to be seen, love to be shared and beauty to be seen. There are always things to do and if you can't seem to enjoy an area you probably are sulking from a predisposition which you imposed upon yourself before even arriving.