Final Entry

SPC Bailey Bullock
166th Engineer Company
2nd Platoon

To be totally honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to write this last entry. Things have been winding down and we have all had tunnel vision on our last main objective: getting home. Our missions are completed, our connexes are loaded, and our bags are packed. You, our friends and families, and our lives back home are our focus now. So, you can see how it has been a little hard to find the focus to write, but in the end, I found I had some parting words to say.

Every time I think about it I am amazed that all this is actually coming to an end. There have been times over the last 11 months when it seemed like it would never end, and others where time flew by. Over the last few weeks I haven't been able to keep from reviewing it all in my head. I think back to when we first reported to Winfield, to my platoon's first mission to FOB Wolverine, and to these last weeks spent here at Sharana. Like all things in life, when looked back upon them, there are things I remember that make me proud and others that are a disappointment. But I have come to a conclusion, one that sums up my feelings about this deployment: if I had the choice, I would do it all again. I have experienced things that few ever will and that I will probably never again. I have learned more from the soldiers around me than I ever thought possible. I have made friendships and experienced a bond with my fellow soldiers unlike anything I have ever known. It has been an experience of a lifetime. We have served our country well, to the best of our ability as a unit, and I am proud of what we have accomplished.

To those of you who have followed these entries over the past months I want to say “Thank You” for reading what I have had to say. When I was first asked to do this by MAJ Thompson, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. To be honest, I was a little nervous about it. But to my surprise and delight, writing these entries has been an unexpected gift. I never realized how much I would enjoy it and how rewarding it would be. It has been my honor to write to you.

Again, I want to thank all of you for the support you have given us during this tour. I hope you know how important you have been. You have all made the difference for us. I wish you all the best and I can't wait to see you when we get home!