1 week down, 25 to go

Just talked to James - he is doing well. They had a change of command ceremony yesterday, so now they are ready to plunge into their job. The team that was there prior to them left today. Tomorrow they will be moving into the "trailers". These are units that have a bedroom on each end and share a common bathroom. The bedroom/living area is just big enough to hold a twin bed and a small dresser.

He says it is about 90 degrees there. Very humid. They are getting together ball teams to start a softball tournament to keep them busy during their off time. There internet has been down for about 24 hours but he still is not able to get online but for a couple of minutes. When he settles into his new quarters, he is looking at getting his own internet service so he does not have to depend on what the MWR has.

Here is his new address, if you would like to drop him a line. Be aware, it takes 1-2 weeks for them to receive mail.

MSGT James Cheater
PFC 1005 Box 4400
FPO AE 09593

They have arrived

James and company arrived Saturday evening at their destination. I talked with him for about 5 minutes this afternoon.

They are living in tents right now. Eventually they will move into some cubicle like trailers. There is nothing there for them to do in their off time - so he will have a hard time filling in his free time. He has attempted to get on the internet several times, but gets kicked off after about 1 to 5 minutes. So, if any of you are waiting to hear from him via email, be patient and he will hopefully be able to get a better connection after they move out of the tents.

He spent today checking on job orders of things he and his team will need to complete. He said it is hot and muggy - has rained off and on all day.

As soon as I get an address from him, I will post it here for anyone who would like to drop him a line.
Thanks for your prayers.

Departure Day

Took James to the base this morning. Of course, in our life nothing is easy. Last night around midnight, James was called to a fire - it has probably been more than a year since he was called out in the middle of the night.

Then, when we went through the gate at the base this morning, our car was randomly chosen for a search. So there we stood outside the truck at 7 am when everyone was coming on base with our truck being searched. It was so embarassing!

Will update later:)
Thanks for your prayers!

Leaving Tomorrow

James and company will be leaving tomorrow afternoon from Fort Smith flying to Florida. They will stay the night there and then will fly out to Cuba on Saturday. They had to change time due to a weather issue.

Welcome

I am setting up the blog so I can attempt to keep all our family and friends in touch with how James and his unit are doing during their deployment. Let me just say in advance how much your support and prayers mean to us. So many have offered to assist in any way you can - and he's not even gone yet. Thanks!

He is to report to the base on Wednesday at 12:30 and they will begin to load their equipment. They will be leaving Saturday at 6 AM for a non stop flight to Guantanamo Bay. Their job will be to do some maintenance on the prison, however, he should not have any contact with the prisoners.

Thank you for your continued prayers for their safety.
Deborah