101st soldier in Iraq sends wife fuzzy anniversary gift

[NcDeuce]

101st soldier in Iraq sends wife fuzzy anniversary gift

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

Staff Sgt. Russell Taylor wanted to do something special for his wife, Shalina, on their wedding anniversary Tuesday, but it was difficult from overseas.

He couldn't bring himself home to Clarksville from Mosul, Iraq, to be with her, so he sent a substitute -- a furry kitten with big blue eyes.

The 14-week-old ragdoll-Himalayan mix was delivered Monday from a breeder who drove from Atlanta to make sure Mrs. Taylor received the friendly feline personally.

"Oh, she's beautiful," Mrs. Taylor said as she was handed the slightly shaking but purring kitten. "She looks just like the one I saw on the Internet."

After Mrs. Taylor recovered from the shock of her anniversary gift, she glowed with the thought of what her husband went through to get her the cat to her. After nine years of marriage, it was the first time they had been apart on their anniversary or Christmas.

"I would've never even thought of him doing this," she said. "I wish he could really be here with me. It just goes to show how much he loves me. Believe me, I have a lot of making up to do when he gets back."

Her best friend, Corinna Salyers, was also in on the surprise and helped Staff Sgt. Taylor coordinate the delivery.

After many Internet searches for the ragdoll breed between combat missions, Staff Sgt. Taylor, who is assigned to 1st Battalion, 320 Field Artillery, found one near Atlanta. The breeder, Tami Crutchfield, had volunteered her husband, Bob Ginn, to drive six hours with the kitten for the delivery.

"At first my wife didn't think he was serious, getting an e-mail from a soldier in Iraq," Ginn said. "I've never done this before, but we figured out we would find a way, and me delivering it was the best way."

Staff Sgt. Taylor's reasons for getting this cat for his wife and 6-year-old son, Dakota, run deep. The family loves animals, especially its three dogs and a cat. He said he's grateful to those who went out of their way to make his wife happy.

"My wife is the love of my life, and without her, I really am only half a man," Staff Sgt. Taylor wrote via an e-mail from Mosul. "She had mentioned something about wanting another cat, and even though I am not historically a cat person, I wanted her to have the best cat anyone could find. I love you, Hummingbird, happy anniversary."

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20031224/localnews/98231-35060.jpg
Dakota Taylor, right, hugs his mom Shalina as he checks out the newest addition to their family, a 14-week-old ragdoll kitten. The kitten was an anniversary present to Shalina from her husband, Staff Sgt. Russell Taylor, who is stationed in Iraq.

:hug: X-Mas cheer :hug:

[Javehn]

Oooooh ..... :)
Or , as Operation Ivy would say : woot woot

[Tane Angle]

:D Man, I should talk to that guy when St. Valentine's Day comes around. Maybe he can help me write a card or come up with a gift idea. :D

[Operation Ivy]

Oooooh ..... :)
Or , as Operation Ivy would say : woot woot

rofl woot

[farmgirl]

I keep telling you guys.... the best gifts are the ones that show premeditation. Women love that you are thinking of them, and that you care enough to give a "special" gift.

That guy was brilliant. Everytime his wife looks at that kitten, he's going to get points.

Somehow I don't think you probably need help in that department Tane. You seem like a very thoughtful guy. :)

[Uncle Sam]

Dam...What a pussy !!











I meant, nice kitty...Sheesh ! :D

[Fioraon]

Someones gonna get laid when they get home.

[NcDeuce]

Someones gonna get laid when they get home.

:lol:

[NcDeuce]

Some more good news...


Soldiers celebrate holiday in their own way

Sgt. Paul Mauney recently trudged through crowds at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, pushing an artificial Christmas tree in a rolling cart and enjoying the attention onlookers are giving him.

One week later, "the Freedom Tree" sits beside Mauney's office at the Division Main compound in Mosul, Iraq, where the 101st Airborne Division is headquartered. Now adorned with bright lights and bells of silver, blue, red and green, Mauney says his tree is a memory in the making -- a charming, spirited combat zone comrade to him and his fellow soldiers.

"Christmas to me is very special," Mauney said. "It's different in Iraq because you're not with your family, but in a way it's the same because you're with your Army family."

A personnel assistance clerk with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st, Mauney is but one of the tens of thousands of troops in northern Iraq who are refusing to let the holiday season die -- combat zone Christmas or bust.

Soldiers in Mosul, Tallafar and Qayarrah, the three main cities housing soldiers with or attached to the 101st Airborne Division, are immersing themselves in dozens of events celebrating the holiday season through New Year's Day.

Live Nativity scenes, caroling, gift exchanges, raffle contests and even a "Best Grinch Contest" are among the activities spawned by troops.

Capt. (Chaplain) John Stutz, commander of the 127th Chaplain Detachment, a two-man ministry unit out of Fort Sam Houston, Texas, attached to the 101st, said the work he's put in organizing events for the Christmas season "has been a joy."

"I think it's so joyful to see that, no matter all the things we don't have here, the spirit of Christmas remains," he said. "A lot of the stuff we treasure in America, we don't have here. But what we're learning is that this stuff isn't what makes joy; it just makes big piles of material possessions. The true joy comes from the inside."

While the bulk of 101st troops are enclosed in Christmas sentiment, soldiers in the more remote locales of northern Iraq are relying more on the inner strength and discipline they've acquired in Iraq to keep their spirits up until they return to the United States.

Spc. Christian Hanna, an infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 187th, will spend Christmas on an isolate mountaintop in the Badush region of northern Iraq, on a mission to destroy unexploded ordnance in the area.

The cold winter air and remorseless rain are the only signs of the season in the wooden building his platoon is lodged in. But his spirits are high, chiefly, he said, because of the division's forthcoming return in February and March.

"We were looking to maybe get a Christmas tree up here," he said, "but we all sort of decided that no matter how we decorated this place, we're still alone. Our families are still back home. And it doesn't really bother me, because I should be home soon. I mean, our unit will probably do something for Christmas -- have a good dinner or something -- but my feelings aren't going to be hurt if nothing does happen. When I get home, that's when I'll start relaxing."