Pictures of my Brother, Ryan, who is right now in Iraq.

[MLFerrell]

Well, I finally heard from Ryan the other day. He gave me a call at 1:30 in the morning. I wondered to myself, "Now who in the hell would be calling me this late on a Tuesday?"

And lo and behold, it was him.

He's based outside of Ramadi, and spends his days clearing the road between Fallujah and Ramadi of IEDs.

He said that he's doing OK, that it's starting to cool down quite a bit at night which I'm sure is a relief. Maybe that's what put this smile on his face.



This is a picture of he and one of the guys in his unit standing in front of the IED patrol vehicle, called the "Buffalo".



Here's more about the Buffalo, in case anyone is interested.

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001801.html

He said that they find something nearly every patrol. Maybe the constant threat of death by explosion is the reason that he looks so annoyed.



I suppose that death by lung cancer doesn't bother you in the middle of a war zone.



All in all, he seems OK, though he can't wait to get home. Oh, and he's pissed off that WVU is pretty much out of the running for a nat'l championship. But other than that, he's alright.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Be safe, Ryan.

Thanks, MLF, for putting a personal face on the war.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Amen to that.

[angstlessk]

2. He sure is a cutie...I wish him well! and a safe trip home SOON!

[Oceansaway]

5. TOUCHE !!..n/t

[Cabcere]

7. I agree on all counts.

:hug: :hug: :hug:s to Ryan, and all those serving with him!

[Carni]

3. My best vibes to him, you and your family!

Your brother looks so young! I wish him safety and protection!

Let's hope that at some point, someone figures out a plan to end this madness,
so that our service people can come back safe and sound.

This Iraq situation is so wrong on all levels :(

[MLFerrell]

27. "Your brother looks so young!"

Yeah, he does, but he's actually 24.

"This Iraq situation is so wrong on all levels"

You can say that again. :(

[zalinda]

4. He's cute!

BTW, cigarettes are a mild feel good drug, which is why you'll see a lot of poor people smoking. Better he smokes than going for something that will take away his reflexes. You can nag him to quit when he gets home.

I'll keep him in my thoughts for a safe return state side.

zalinda

[Crabby Appleton]

6. Stay safe SGT Ryan

be careful.

[calimary]

9. What you said.

Prayers!

[Breeze54]

8. Glad to hear he called you!

Great pics!

[libnnc]

10. Stay safe Ryan

Tons of folks here want you home safe and sound ASAP.

Go Mountaineers

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

11. He reminds me so much of my son.

He'll be in my thoughts and my heart. :hug:

[aquart]

13. May his unit be like my uncle's in World War II

Nobody got promoted because nobody died.

[monmouth]

14. He is adorable, I pray for his safety and speedy return home...

[Botany]

15. Come on home Ryan!

[applegrove]

16. Let the gods be with him.

[Freedomofspeech]

17. He is so cute...

only good thoughts about him. Tell him we wish him well. If he is a WVU fan, I'm sure he is thrilled that my team, Pitt, is so pathetic this year!!

[MLFerrell]

30. He's happy that the Steelers have been doing well.

That makes two of us, and I'm guessing three including you.

:)

[mmonk]

18. Thanks for sharing.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Be safe soldier and keep your head down

[Marrah_G]

20. He's a cutie!

:hug: It's going to be okay, hun.

[Greyskye]

21. It's good that he's with a Buffalo unit.

It sounds like those are some of the safer vehicles over there, even if the job is clearing IED's. Sure doesn't hurt that those have good AC! :thumbsup:

Here's to Ryan coming home safe and sound! :patriot:

[bdamomma]

22. oh ML Ferrell, what a good looking guy, tell him be safe.

[spanone]

23. wish him the best of luck......

[SeattleGirl]

24. I'm so glad you heard from him.

Stay safe, Ryan. :grouphug:

[The Straight Story]

25. He is smoking over there so that we won't have to over here

:rofl:

Nice pics, tell him we all say HI and to stay safe!

[Squatch]

26. It gets so boring that you need things to do/focus on

smoking, chewing tobacco, sunflower seeds, etc.

[me b zola]

28. Saving SGT Ryan

Please let your brother know that we are on a mission to bring all of them home, safe and sound.

[Disturbed]

31. I sure am glad that I have no relatives in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I would be worried every day that they are there.

I hope he makes it back safely. Thank him for me for his service. I hate these Busholini Wars
but most of the Troops are doing what they have to do under their orders. The best support of them is
to get them out of these Wars.

[in_cog_ni_to]

29. He's so CUTE! Be safe, Ryan! n/t