An American Soldier
Well, not much has happened since my last post, except that we got some news from Newby.
Newby. Who is Newby, you ask? Well, most (or at least a few) know him as Derek. No, not Derek Moreland, my older brother.
See, Derek was born at a very early age, and my brother Jordan called him "New Baby", but you know how two year olds are, they shorten everything up to 2 syllables or less. "Newby" was now the official term, for a baby destined to become a soldier, fighting in Iraq.
Derek was semi-recently married as many of you know. Here he stands with his wife Samantha.
Or rather, SHE stands with HIM.
And now for a few of my favorite pictures of Derek. We'll start with a couple from when he and Jordan came to visit two years ago. Or was it one year ago?
Anyway, here's all of us gathered around watching Jordan, Derek, Tim, and Bert all play Halo.
This shot was before Reagan got her braces, but Derek's teeth were shining bright. Gator is again making faces, now complete with military haircut from Derek.
Bert and Newby had a lot of fun together, but then again, we all had fun.
But, despite all that fun, Jordan and Derek had to go. The military needed their help!
Anyway, the point of this post was to say that Derek has been promoted to E5. That's very impressive for anybody, especially in the Marines. Though I guess that since he's a homeschooler, it was expected.
The thing that probably made it possible for him was the fact that he had determination. Why? Because JORDAN was an E5 already. Derek couldn't possibly be left in the dust, though his work in the dust of Iraq was what earned him the respect and recognition of his senior officers.
That, and the fact that he can run three miles in 18 minutes is pretty danged impressive. It takes Dad and I thirty, and I don't even make it the whole way.
The funny thing is that one guy told Dad that if Derek made the promotion, he would kiss his own rear end. After we learned that Derek had indeed made it, Dad told Derek what the guy had said. Derek responded with, "Well he better start stretching, 'cause man, he could pull a muscle or something!"
Anyway, a picture. This isn't of him being promoted, but he is receiving a medal, so I'll just post it real quick.
He's done an excellent job, and we are all very proud of him.
Derek, our American Soldier.
Post Edited October 2, 9:25 PM.
I have some new pictures of Derek at his promotion. At least, that's what I think they're of. He just sent them to me, (or Samantha did) and I don't really know what they're of for sure. But from the looks of things, he's being promoted.
Enjoy.
I feel sorry for the guy in the rear. He must be standing in a hole.
I have several pictures of Jordan, but multiple death threats have dissuaded me from posting them. After all, he'll be visiting this Christmas, and his short-term memory isn't THAT short.
Have fun!
Newby. Who is Newby, you ask? Well, most (or at least a few) know him as Derek. No, not Derek Moreland, my older brother.
See, Derek was born at a very early age, and my brother Jordan called him "New Baby", but you know how two year olds are, they shorten everything up to 2 syllables or less. "Newby" was now the official term, for a baby destined to become a soldier, fighting in Iraq.
Derek was semi-recently married as many of you know. Here he stands with his wife Samantha.
Or rather, SHE stands with HIM.
And now for a few of my favorite pictures of Derek. We'll start with a couple from when he and Jordan came to visit two years ago. Or was it one year ago?
Anyway, here's all of us gathered around watching Jordan, Derek, Tim, and Bert all play Halo.
This shot was before Reagan got her braces, but Derek's teeth were shining bright. Gator is again making faces, now complete with military haircut from Derek.
Bert and Newby had a lot of fun together, but then again, we all had fun.
But, despite all that fun, Jordan and Derek had to go. The military needed their help!
Anyway, the point of this post was to say that Derek has been promoted to E5. That's very impressive for anybody, especially in the Marines. Though I guess that since he's a homeschooler, it was expected.
The thing that probably made it possible for him was the fact that he had determination. Why? Because JORDAN was an E5 already. Derek couldn't possibly be left in the dust, though his work in the dust of Iraq was what earned him the respect and recognition of his senior officers.
That, and the fact that he can run three miles in 18 minutes is pretty danged impressive. It takes Dad and I thirty, and I don't even make it the whole way.
The funny thing is that one guy told Dad that if Derek made the promotion, he would kiss his own rear end. After we learned that Derek had indeed made it, Dad told Derek what the guy had said. Derek responded with, "Well he better start stretching, 'cause man, he could pull a muscle or something!"
Anyway, a picture. This isn't of him being promoted, but he is receiving a medal, so I'll just post it real quick.
He's done an excellent job, and we are all very proud of him.
Derek, our American Soldier.
Post Edited October 2, 9:25 PM.
I have some new pictures of Derek at his promotion. At least, that's what I think they're of. He just sent them to me, (or Samantha did) and I don't really know what they're of for sure. But from the looks of things, he's being promoted.
Enjoy.
I feel sorry for the guy in the rear. He must be standing in a hole.
I have several pictures of Jordan, but multiple death threats have dissuaded me from posting them. After all, he'll be visiting this Christmas, and his short-term memory isn't THAT short.
Have fun!
posted at
7:31 PM
