News From AJ

Lieutenant AJ reported for US Army Chaplain Training at Fort Jackson near Columbia, South Carolina yesterday. He drove from Las Vegas in his battle-worn Saturn crammed with most of his wordly goods. Eric and Annie took him to the famous Red Rock Casino for dinner to say goodbye. AJ made it in three days and is getting used to the humidity and the fact that everything is green instead of brown. He got in line early and was given a motel efficiency apartment with maid service on the base. Rough duty. Most of his class consists of fundamentalist Protestant preachers with no prior military service. AJ, with his rigorous infantry basic at Ft. Benning and deployment to Gitmo under his belt, has a lot of experience he can share with them. I told him he has a chance to be a real role model. Wish I could be there to see the group run obstacle courses dodging live machine gun fire with Bibles clutched in their teeth. I will have to wait for calls and emails. Must be real hot and humid down there. Glad I am up here in the Northland.