This is why I love our military.

From Dude, where's the beach? An Officer in Iraq: (emphasis mine)

"After reading Michael Yon's latest dispatch on the current operation to destroy Al-Qaeda in Iraq, I'm ready to grab my gear and head out. We're in the battle of our lifetime, a war that will determine the peace and prosperity for the next generation, yet Fox News and CNN are completely ignoring it. Yon's opinion about how the war has been fought up to this point is spot on, and many Officers and Enlisted in the military have been grumbling those same words. But every time we take our gloves off and jump in to fight, we're all ready and willing to do what needs to be done... no questions asked.

I believe in our fight for Iraq. I believe in my upcoming mission to help form and shape their new Air Force so they can continue defending their own country against this Iranian proxy war they're currently embroiled in. I also believe in General Petraeus' ability to do what needs to be done to strengthen Iraq, weaken Al-Qaeda, and eventually bring us home.

Every day I sit on this God-forsaken hilltop in Texas, learning Arabic and the proper way to clear a rifle and pistol, I miss my family more and more. I miss Trevi's dancing, Kalyssa's laugh, and Kaitlyn's teenage thick-headedness. Even worse, I'm about to leave them for a very long time, yet I still want to go. I'd go today if I could. I want to deploy because I want to help strengthen a nation and bring our sworn enemy to their knees. I want to do what needs to be done, no matter what Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi do to disgrace our troops and our nation. I want to do what's right and make my children proud."