Soldiers and Families: Life in the 150th

…they had gone on a mission and he was playing peek-a-boo with a child standing behind a tree that looked to be about two. And then he realized that the child was playing peek-a-boo behind a 50 cal., which is a large gun that they set up on top of the vehicles to protect themselves. I had to tell him that that child didn’t see the 50 cal., he saw the soldier behind it.

Kimberly, caller from Mobile, AL

Members of the 150th Battalion [provided by Amanda Jones]

For this show we’re trying to paint a full picture of the American military by focusing in on the microcosm of a single battalion. Specifically, the 150th Battalion of Combat Engineers out of Meridian, Mississippi. We’ll talk to soldiers about the community that exists within the battalion. But we also want to hear from their spouses, parents, and kids, and the friends they’ve left back home. The people who feel (if you talk to them) almost as much a part of the battalion as the soldiers themselves. It’s an extended community that stretches from Iraq back to the states, which also exists online.

We originally found out about this particular battalion through SFC Kevin Kelly, whose blog we excerpted for our Blogsday show, and who was then subsequently a guest on our milblogger show. His blog is posted on the Dixie Sappers site, which serves as an online hub for friends and family of the 150th.

Uncovering a weapons cache [provided by Amanda Jones]

These photos were sent to us by Amanda Jones of Lucedale, Mississippi, whose husband Randall and brother-in-law Ben are both serving in the 150th. They were taken in March of this year, and show members of the 150th uncovering a weapons cache buried in the Iraqi desert near their operating base. According to Amanda, ?they dug for 4 days straight, to find the weapons.”

If you’re a part of the 150th — at home or in Iraq — please tell us a little about your life, what you miss, and what you’re waiting for.