Update as of March 14th 10pm:

      This post has been up for a little while, but since we’re running a new piece from our coverage at Ft. Stewart, I wanted to leave it intact!  I am happy to report that Cpt. Carico, who was interviewed in this piece along with his family, has arrived safely in Kuwait and is in “pretty good spirits” according to his wife Tina tonight.  I am sure they and all the families of the 76th would welcome any thoughts you would like to share here.  Monday I’ll have some new photos and stories to share. Thanks for checking in!  Trisha

I’ve been a neglectful blogger lately and I apologize.

I’ve been dutifully collecting photos and stories in my head - I just can’t seem to find time to get them into the computer. So here goes nothing - the last few weeks of interesting happenings in my world, starting with the most important.

FAREWELL TO TROOPS

      I just finished an emotionally draining but incredibly interesting assignment to Ft. Stewart in Georgia.  3200 Indiana National Guard troops with the 76th Infantry Brigade are leaving for Iraq. (200 are with an advance team in Kosovo already). 

 The Guard flew in our crew (photographer Sue Foster and myself) along with maybe 20 or so others from an Indiana media delegation.   We traveled in a C-130 cargo plane, on loan from an Air Force unit in Tennessee.  The seats were mesh cargo-net style seating, facing each other sideways along the side and center of the plane.  They warned us it would be loud and cold inside. (It wasn’t nearly as rough as I was prepared for.  I’ve been in military aircraft before and I’d have to say this ride was downright gentle!)

       I won’t rehash of all our coverage there.  I will say I worked very hard at choking back my own tears while interviewing worried family members of deploying soldiers.  (And sometimes I just couldn’t) This is the Carico family from Richmond.  Spc. Shane Carico is starting his first deployment.  His wife Tina was quite tearful and shaken up as she talked to me on the last day they’d spend together as a family before his year-long deployment.

     The children didn’t seem as obviously affected by their dad’s deployment.  9-year-old Kalie wanted to show off all the seashells she’d collected during their sightseeing on his leave.  11-year-old Robert told me he wants to be a soldier when he grows up. 

    Spc. Carico told me he got great training and feels prepared to face the war - his only real concerns are about his family.  That’s the story I heard echoed again and again from these brave and often stoic soldiers.  “If you want to support the troops, take care of our families back home.”  I promised to repeat this message loud and clear.

       PERSPECTIVE

   It was the perfect time for me to be reminded of the sacrifices so many thousands of military families are making.   My husband Ian’s band (www.thenadas.com) is releasing a new album this week, and his touring schedule is exploding.  As hard as it is for me manage everything while he’s away, I know he’s safe, he’s doing what he loves, they’re ROCKING this music, and  - most importantly, he’ll always come back within a matter of days, weeks at most.  Our support network of friends in Indy is growing, and the kids and I will do just fine. 

SURPRISE, IAN!

   Saturday night my flight from Georgia touched down just in time for me to race over to Champaign to see the Nadas play.  (Here’s a shot of Ian and I with our friend Mindy - the matchmaker who introduced us 9 years ago! Sorry the photos are so dark - cameraphone issues.) My parents had the kids for the night, and Ian had no idea I was even going to attempt to make it there.  The look on his face when he saw me arrive was priceless.  We not only got to hang out with the band (from Des Moines), we got to introduce them to all our old friends in Champaign-Urbana (our previous hometown!) 

It was an awesome and crazy night - so thanks to Mike (pictured here with Mindy and I) and Jason, the Nadas singer/guitarists, who always seem to know how to make things  - um, memorable -  to Tyler, the band manager for putting out fires and having the funniest unquotable one-liners of the night, to Mindy for being the life of the party as always, to all our old and dear friends for being there and being themselves, to my parents for holding down the fort and the children in our absence, and especially to Ian, for being so darned happy to see me. 

  I’ll save some Cal and Clara updates for a future blog - gotta go do some news. Thanks for checking in, everyone!

Trish