In case you haven't heard, here are the details: The news was announced to our families in Minnesota on the 10th of January. We knew nothing about it over here, and in fact we could not confirm the news officially for several days afterward. That's a major blunder on the part of the Army, and you can imagine the anguish and uncertainty both here and at home during those few days. Finally it was made official that the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division the larger unit which includes my battalion) would have its tour extended by four months in Iraq. That means we will have spent 16 months total in Iraq, more consecutive time than any other unit in the Army, including both Active Duty and Reserve. Add the 6 months of training, and it's nearly two years that most of my soldiers will have been mobilized and away from our families. If you think that length of time is unjust, and that my unit has gotten a particularly raw deal, I agree with you.

The emotional toll of this extension announcement has been crushing. The reaction from both soldiers and families was very similar to being told that a loved one is dying going through the stages of grief. I've personally been through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and sometimes acceptance probably a dozen times, and have walked with my soldiers through it as well.

I have spent many long hours since that day counseling soldiers and trying to find ways to keep it together. Part of the reason I haven't written is that I just don't have the time. When I get done with my duties over here, it's already late into the night, and it's all I can do to write a couple notes home to my wife and family and go to sleep. The other part of the reason is that as I've processed the grief myself, and processed it again and again with my soldiers, it's hard to talk about this extension without feeling like I'm picking at an emotional scab that I'd just as soon let heal. I've needed some space to work through my own emotions without dragging the whole world through them along with me.

So, now that it's been a couple of weeks, the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the news of extension seems to have diminished, though it may never go away entirely. Now the predominent mood among the soldiers and families that I know about is just tired and crabby. Imagine how you'd feel when you come home at the end of a very, very long and difficult day at work and you find that the toilet has been overflowing all day long, leaving a horrible mess which you have to clean up before you sleep. Or, for you runners, imagine that you are running a 10 mile run, and just as you start to kick for the finish line, someone tells you they've moved the finish back another 4 miles. We paced ourselves for a year, and were feeling great about coming home in a couple of months. We didn't save enough energy for another 6 months, but that's what we're stuck with, so we'll struggle along the best we can. We're tired but our options are either to give in to bitterness or try to make the best of a bad situation. It's a testament to the character of the men I serve with that no matter how much we dislike the extension, we know we'll get through it.

With this extra time over here, we definitely need your support. Those who have written letters of encouragement in the last couple of weeks have been precious gifts from God to me. Those who have offered encouragement and a listening ear to my wife have blessed me just as much.

I'm planning to get back into the routine of writing home, and who knows, maybe next time I'll have some better news to pass along. Until then, thanks for your prayers and stay in touch.

God be good to you!
CH Steve Timm