Please check out www.myspace.com/rjcurb for the other side of Curb!

There are very few moments as sweet as coming home from war!  Since we were relieved of our duties a month before leaving, we became inundated with boredom and a yearning to return to America.  Eternity perceived we waited impatiently as the weeks drifted by. 

 

From our home base in Al Taqaddum we flew on a C-130 tactical cargo/troop capable airplane to Kuwait City.  The platoon stayed in Camp Victory for the day and flew out that night.  The flight home consisted of refueling stops at Budapest, Hungry and Shannon, Ireland (where our Regimental Commander Col. Bob Destaphany bought us a round of drinks.  This was the first alcohol consumed all year long.)  From Shannon we flew to Newfoundland to refuel then straight down the coast of Canada and America to Cherry Point, North Carolina. 

 

Once there, we began our demobilization process consisting of administrative paper work, addressing pay problems, and getting medical referrals for injuries sustained in Iraq. We stayed in Camp Lejuene for about five days and flew home on September 27 at 1030pm. 

 

The journey home was long and arduous, but the welcome home was nothing short of magnificent!  As my platoon traveled by bus towards my unit to be released, we could see the 20"x50” American flag illuminated by spot lights from blocks away.  It was truly a sight to behold. We pulled into the compound and our bus was surrounded by a sea of family and friends.  There was a thousand maybe more loved ones standing shoulder to shoulder, shoving each other as if in a massive mosh pit, welcoming 3^rd platoon’s thirty eight combat veterans home.

 

The bus stopped, we unloaded, and moved into formation in front of the crowd for a special surprise and dismissal. Platoon Commander Captain Stoutenborough (now ranking Major) called Cpl. Jesus Nevarez front and center.  At which point the Captain posted to the side of the formation. Nevarez called out his girlfriend Marlene, bent down on one knee and revealed to a rose shaped jewelry box containing a magnificent diamond ring and proposed!  She exclaimed yes with cheerful joy and the crowd erupted with approval.   After the applause died down, Captain Stoutenborough centered himself on the platoon, and the crowd subsided.  His next command was the most anticipated order of the entire year. 

 

"THIRD PLATOON! DISMISSED!"

 

We shouted back in ecstatic union, "Aye Sir. Oorah!"

 

Now home with our families and friends, reunited once again; at last and apart for hopefully the last time.

 

Guess what, I am coming home.  The Marines that are supposed to replace me are here trained and have just taken over.  That means I am completly board waiting for my plane ticket out of here.  Now my flight dates out of here are from Sept. 16-21 to Kuwait, From Kuwait its the 18-22, flying for 20 hours with a stop in Ireland (our commanding officer is buying the first round and set aside $1200 for it.  4-6 Days in Camp Lejuene.  All that means is that I should be in El Paso between Sept. 22-29.  Wish I could be of more help. 

 

Grandma I just mailed my footlocker to you.  Hopefully I will get there first because it weighs 69.95 lbs. (70 is the limit lol).  There are some T-shirts I want you disperse, it has a note with names on it so don't worry.  Mom and Dad, make sure you make arrangements for everyone.  I will get a 96 when I get there, I was thinking of going  up to New Mexico for the weekend.  We'll see when I get to the states.

 

To all the people out there who have supported me during my time of need, thank you.  I will keep this page open and refine it into a presentation of what I did here in Iraq.  As you can see, right not its just a conglomerate of pictures and other media, but I will fix it. 

 

It looks like my plans for the futur are to stay active duty until Jan. 3rd 2006 at which point my contract ends.  I would like to go back to school hopefully UT Austin or UofHouston if not then back to good old UTEP.  By then I hope to start a family and open a business in real estate, insurance, or securities.

 

Thats it for now, I don't want to get to far ahead of myself. Check out www.myspace.com/rjcurb or search Roger Curb.

 

God Bless You All

Well the last time I logged in I was in a great mood.  That has shifted to displeasure and now satisfaction.  Truth be told I do not know how to feel today.  To begin, my external hard drive is damaged and I don't know if I have the technical skill to repair it.  It housed hundreds of hours of movies, tv shows, some music, and all of my pictures as well as most of my teams pictures.  If I can fix it great, but that $150 hunk of plastic had roughly a few thousand dollars of stuff on it, (donated to me freely) that took a lot of work to aquire.  Needless to say I am displeased!

 

On a lighter note, I have been taken off of Combat Security Patrols for about a month and attached to another unit where, I will do worthless yet easy jobs.  This week I am at Hotel California, where the crude, disfunctional computers that number five in total are kept.  Five computers and sixteen terminals for personal computers for several thousand Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Civilian contractors!  There is also only five phones with a 30 min. time limit.  Well at least I can use my personal computer all day long and my shift is only six hours long, then I'll go home and work out and chill until tomarrow.  After today or a week of this I'll preform another worthless job like supervise Iraqi contractors.  Any how that beats combat in 120 degree weather, yes its now the average temperature.  The heat is desimating.  Its was so hot one day, I kept falling asleep when I was driving, sounds scary, but I switched out with my gunner and I some how remained awake for the return home.  I got half a day off to rest and I am good as new. 

 

Did I mention that I can handle every situation here except the heat.  I had the heat! 

 

The only thing most guys here can talk about is " we only have so many weeks left" or "so many paychecks" or so many missions left, they just keep trying to rationalize the time until we go home.  For me I just dont think about it.  I am usually the kind of guy that would, but for some reason I don't.  Not even a little anxious.  Just to let you know the latest rumor, we are leaving end of august with all reservists on base.  I might be home before the rest of my reserve company.  At any rate, I am content with life hear, well except the heat.

Hey everyone I am back!  My power button on my computer was disabled so I could not even turn it on until today.  Needless to say I now know how to disassemble and reassemble a laptop with a Leatherman. 

 

I have many new pictures over 900 to be exact.  Its so hard picking which ones to show you.  I have many greusome pictures that I am not allowed to show yet, and I know most of you all are a bit squemish.  For example, a tank running over a terrorists head!  If you click on the comment button below this entry and leave me your email, I would be happy to send you what ever you want.  I also have videos that my fellow Marines have made.  I wish I could link them to this website, but I can't. 

 

I have voicemail now so you can leave me a brief message and I can get back to you as soon as I go to the phone center.