I'll be gone for the day

My son will be shipping out to Mississippi today, so I'll be seeing him off. Right now plans are that he will be back home for a couple of weeks around Christmas time (hopefully that will still hold); and then it's off to California for a month and a half, then Kuwait, and then to Iraq. They will be having a parade for his unit in Detroit Lakes today. I'll try to post pics this evening if time permits. If you have a moment, a prayer for his safety as he serves his country will be more than appreciated.

***UPDATE***

Here are some pictures of the day's proceedings...





This is the beginning of the parade they held in honor of the men at Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.





This is our son, Doug... He'll be deployed to Mississippi on Tuesday.









Among the luminaries on hand to speak was Minnesota Lt. Governor Carol Molnau, who gave an extraordinarily moving speech. Among the highlights of her speech was her account of Iraqi citizens going back into the voting line after initially scattering when an insurgent grenade went off. When asked why, one Iraqi female responded, "We will not throw away the freedom that those soldiers gave us." Unlike a lot of moonbat politicians, Ms. Molnau "gets it."



And finally, a picture of all of our boys together; probably the last time for at least the next 18 months or so. Godspeed to all of them.