For the first time since he left for Iraq, my brother Mike and I were just on Facebook at the same time, and we got to chat for a sec. He says, "It's like 120 here and windy. Feels like a blow dryer on your face all the time." Later in the conversation he said, "I would like to go home. I'm over this place." I asked him what he missed most about home. "Girls, alcohol, and the ocean."

If I ever write a book about my brother, I'm gonna call it Girls, Alcohol, and the Ocean.

Photo above is from the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division's Facebook page.