Captain Shay Howard - 15 May 2003

15 May 2003

Mrs. Ceniceros-

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to reply to you and your students. The pace of operations has been swift. I thoroughly enjoyed the letters. Thank you for supporting us and sending your thoughts and prayers. They have significantly impacted me.

Attached are letters to each of the students and one general letter to the entire class. Please distribute how you seem fit.

Thanks

Shay

15 May 2003

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I would like to thank each of you that have expressed support of the American soldier. Whether it be in the form of a letter, a prayer, or even a thought, all are appreciated.

When I received your letters, they extremely brightened my day. I enjoyed reading them. In fact, I shared them with my soldiers, and they also enjoyed hearing from you. Your thoughtful words definitely made us proud to be over here serving you. I hope that we have made ya’ll proud.

The most common question that I have received is what our day is like. That is a very hard question because each day is different. I will do my best to answer it.

The beginning of the war, days were unpredictable. We jumped out of airplanes into Northern Iraq under the cover of darkness. Man, it was dark. I could hardly see 5 feet in front of me. It was cold and rainy also. This made it hard to walk around due to the depth of the mud. Most of our vehicles got stuck. If you have ever slept outside in the cold and rain, you probably can feel my pain.

After we got assembled all together, we started planning missions. Normally our days would be early morning rise, plan for combat, rehearse our operations, get a little sleep, and then go execute the mission. Then we would come back and just crash for a few hours. The next day we would start it all over again. We never stayed in the same place for more than 3-4 days. There was limited time to get settled in.

Now our pace is more predictable. Normally, we start off our day with meetings with the locals on how to get the local government started and how to improve the civilian’s lives. Then we usually move to go inspect some site where they are producing electricity, purifying water, providing humanitarian aid to the poor, setting up the police/fire departments, and establishing the local court house. We usually end up our day with meetings. Boring, boring meetings.

Sometimes our days get exciting as we are informed of some bad guys and we have to go take them down. Then we get back into our old routine of planning, rehearsing and executing. Those are the good times.

The first place we were at (Brashur Airfield) was beautiful. It was surrounded by snow-capped mountains and green grass in between. The sky was blue and the air clean. Now, where we are at, (Kirkuk) it is mostly rolling hills with wheat fields, somewhat dusty, and lots of oil fields. We are not in the desert, but the heat sure feels like it.

The people are really nice. I feel like a rock star every time I go down town. Everyone says thank you and wants to either touch us or give us something to show their appreciation. The kids are the best. Each time they see us, they run like they were in a track meet towards us. Then they wave so hard that I swear that their arms are gonna fly off their shoulders. The city is extremely dirty. No one cleans up after themselves.

The folks out in the country tend to stare at us intensely. But when you wave with a smile, they break out with this huge smile and wave back. Most of these people live in mudhuts with no A/C, heaters, electricity, or even running water. They definitely do not have indoor plumbing. Be thankful for what you have! Lord knows I am thankful now from this experience.

Ice, I miss ice. We eat the same ol’ MREs (meals ready to eat) everyday. They are starting to get hard to swallow. Taking a shower is a task in itself also. It includes finding a hiding place and then using a 5 gallon bucket. I will let your imagination work with that one. When I get back, I am gonna sit on the couch in front of the TV with the A/C set at 60 degrees eating ice cream. Then I am going to take a shower at least 3 times a day.

Thanks again my friends!

Shay Howard

Robert Hooper –

Thanks for putting me on the prayer list at your church. It means a lot to me. and no, I have not run into Capt Marcus, but if I do, I will tell him hi for you. Hopefully he will be back soon to play paintball with you and your friends. The sand storm has not come back since you warned it off. Thanks.

Matt Sims –

I have been in the army for almost 10 years now. It only took me 4 years to become a captain. So far, I have been through Air Assault School, Airborne School, Ranger School, and an assortment of command and staff schools. Oh by the way, we won the war against Iraq. And good luck with the air force.

Carissa Jensen –

Thanks for all the prayers and wishes of a safe return. The troops and I are doing well. I hope that your cousin is safe and doing well. Saddam Hussein has been removed from power by the US Armed Forces. Thought that that might put you at ease to know the evil man is gone. And I have kept all you Forsan students in my mind when I needed something to cheer me up.

Whitney Wallace –

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. I am thankful that we have folks like you back home that support our troops. I have been very busy, but not too busy that I can’t answer a question from a fellow Forsan student. I am glad that you thought my letter was good.

Tara Kuykendall –

First of all, your last name is pretty cool. What is its origin? I asked ya’ll to pray for our enemies because most of them had no choice about what they did. They were forced to fight. If they tried to escape or say that they didn’t want to fight, themselves, their families, and anyone who associated with them would be killed. Not a very good predicament to be in.

Gabby Perez –

Sorry that I got you grounded from the news. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble. I have not had any of the food here. Some of the people who have eaten the local food have gotten pretty sick. Guess what, you and I have something in common. I only fight when I have to also. No one is here because they really like this hell. No, there is no possibility that our country will win. How can we? We have people like me fighting for us! Thank you for your support.

Malorie Paredez –

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouraging words. I told everyone that you are behind us 100%. Yes, when we are fighting, it is very loud. I am not sure if we caught the bad guy, but I don’t think that we will be hearing from him soon. Thanks for all your support.

Katie Kistler –

You are correct. When the sand storms hit, they are horrible. You can’t see or even hear. Everything fills full of sand. Have you ever tried to get sand out of your ears? Tough job! I appreciate your letter as much as you appreciated mine. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Jessica Hood –

Thank you for the blessings and encouraging words you sent. Thanks for rooting for me too. I am glad that you approve of me fighting for your family, the great state of Texas, and the USA. I will make it back ok. Keep thinking about us.

Angelica Villarreal –

I am glad that my letter meant a lot to you. Your letter meant more than words can explain to me. Thanks for your prayers for all of us and for keeping our enemies in your prayers too. I hope that you enjoy your freedom. It is a pleasure for me to help provide it to you.

Ashley Hearn –

Yes, it is true what you have heard. We did capture an airfield in Northern Iraq. We jumped out of airplanes during the night to do so. It was awesome! And scare at the same time. No, it is not a good thing that we do not get to talk to our family at all, but it is for the best. I know that when I get back, they will spoil me! Thanks for your support.

Kristan Hallford –

Your words were very touching. I am glad that you care about our country as much as I do. But be careful. I don’t want you to get into a fight with someone that is mouthing off about our situation. It is not worth it. Let me do the fighting. You concentrate on getting into college. Your confidence is promising. Ever thought about joining the army? Thanks for all of your support.

Blake Grantham –

Thanks for your and your friends’ support. So you like desserts? So do I. My favorite is probably chocolate. Almost anything chocolate. Ice cream would probably be the best dessert right now, because everything else is hot over here. It is my pleasure to protect our country.

Cameron Parker –

I am in Northern Iraq (Kirkuk). I don’t like war either, but if it has to happen, then I will go. We don’t need to blow all of Iraq up. There are some really good people here. It is just the leadership of the country that is bad. We haven’t had a lot of Americans killed in this war. Thanks for all of your support and prayers from Forsan.

Thanks to all

Shay Howard

CPT, FA

1-508^th IN (ABN) Fire Support Officer