BOOTS ON GROUND

Our soldier is home! Well at least on base, he called last night at 1:30 AM and I got to the phone before it completed the first ring! He sounds great! The 15 hour flight was survived only with medics patrolling the ailes with bottles of sedatives, like stewardess's with peanuts. They were so out of it, he said it was like a zombie movie with cigarettes.(they had a slight layover and all of them were chain smoking to get enough nicotine for the flight home!) The plane had some wiring issues that caused the smell of fire and a layer of smoke to roll around the cabin, ("The captain must have had some of the pills, because he got on the speaker and asked if anyone smelled smoke.") but they made it and his voice was light and giggly. He was chatty and witty and we talked for a long time, without the echo of the overseas line and the pain of distance. He fell silent at one point and I asked him what was wrong. He said "she is so beautiful" as he held his baby girl on his lap while she rested. "I am so glad I'm home." Me, too.