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September 11,
2006
I thought 9-11 would be an appropriate time
to send out my latest update...so here it
is....Training is going well, we have been
focusing more on platoon and squad size
training rather than individual training. My
soldiers are really getting into the
training and even though the temps are still
in the 90s, they are welcoming the cooler
weather. No major injuries to report, just
the regular bumps, bruises and scrapes.
Please keep my Platoon Sergeant in your
prayers, he broke his hand punching a wall
locker. I guess we all have our bad days
(believe me, there are days I want to punch
something...but I think I would find a more
forgiving target.)
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Please remember all of my soldiers in your
prayers, they are all making a huge
sacrifice for their country by being here.
All 42 of these soldiers volunteered to
serve their country and their service and
sacrifice is never more evident than today.
We experience the same problems that you do
on a daily basis; money problems, health
problems, problems at home, deaths, births
and sickness but we cannot run home to take
care of them. , 25th Street, Hattiesburg MS
39407
A parting thought: "Only two defining forces
have ever offered to die for you: Jesus
Christ and the American G.I. One died for
your soul; the other for your freedom." |
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We must do
what we can from here or simply drive on
with our mission. The life of a soldier is
not an easy one but this is the profession
that we have chosen, so please remember my
soldiers. I have attached some pics from our
training so I hope you enjoy. Please keep
the e-mails coming, e-mails from home always
keep the spirits up. Hope to hear from all
of you soon! |
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October 18, 2006
Greetings from Kuwait! We arrived here on
Tuesday evening and are still in the process
of getting settled in and adjusted to the
time change (we are 8 hours ahead of you).
So far things are nice, we are at a base out
in the middle of nowhere in Kuwait, but the
amenities are nice. We have a PX (that's the
military version of Wal-mart for you
non-military types), Subway, Burger King,
Coffee shops, phone calling centers and
Internet cafes. The only problem is that
everyone wants to call or send e-mail so the
line are extremely long 24/7, so it may be a
few days before I get to check my e-mail
again. The weather is OK, highs around 110
and lows around 70-80 but the atmosphere is
very dry so it doesn't feel as hot as it
would if it were 110 in Alabama. The food is
pretty good, and there is plenty of it. So
far the morale of the troops is pretty high,
we'll see how that lasts when we move into
Iraq. I hope all is well with you, and I
look forward to hearing from you. I will
write again when I get the chance.
Lee H. Barnes 2LT,MP, AL ARNG
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| October 29,
2006
Greetings from
the worlds largest kitty litter box! Things
are winding down for us here in Kuwait as we
prepare to push north into Iraq. The weather
has been interesting, cool nights (50s) and
moderate days(90s)mixed with sun, wind,
sand-storms and yes, even the occasional
thunderstorm. My troops are staying pretty
motivated right now and I hope we can carry
that motivation north with us.No address as
of yet, hopefully we will have one within
the next week. I will send that out once I
get it. Thank you all for your e-mails of
support, you have no idea how much those
mean when you are this far from home. News
from home is good, Alicia is doing great,
she has recently moved down to Jacksonville
to be with her family. Sydney is doing good
also, we expect her to make her appearance
sometime in late December. How 'bout them
Auburn tigers! I get to see replays of some
of the games or catch a quick highlight on
Armed Forces TV. It feels like I'm a little
closer to home when I get to see a familiar
sight like AU football. Anyway, I hope
everyone is doing well. I will try to send
out another update as soon as I get the
chance. It is possible that it may be two
weeks though because we will be extremely
busy as we replace our counterparts in Iraq
(a lot to learn in a short amount of time).
Keep me updated on how things are going in
your part of the world. I hope to hear from
you soon!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP, AL ARNG |
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| November 27, 2006
Alicia writes -
I spoke with Lee on Thanksgiving
day, they had the day off and had a
Thanksgiving lunch served. They
have been very busy, but all is
well. Everyone in his company is
safe and healthy. However, he did
send me an email several days ago,
stating that they had been through
Baghdad on a mission and their
convoy was hit by a small IED, but
no injuries or damage, but please
continue to pray for him and his
platoon as they run their missions
and to keep a hedge of protection
around them. It becomes very
stressful for him and the platoon
when they have to go to Baghdad, but
as you all know, it's part of the
job.
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Lee with Brigadier General Najib |
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November 27, 2006
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Lee responds -
Everything is good here, all of my soldiers are
doing well. Yes, we did get hit by an IED, it
went off between my truck and the truck behind
me but thankfully nobody was hurt. I must say
that I have been extremely impressed with my
soldiers, they are nothing short of warriors. We
have had a few “engagements” and my soldiers
always do their job and do it right.
Anyway, please continue to pray for us. I look
forward to hearing from you soon.
Lee H. Barnes
2LT, MP
Platoon Leader
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December
6, 2006
Greetings to everyone! Everything is going well
here in Baqubah,Iraq. We are preparing to move
north soon so it may be a little while before I
can get my e-mail back up and running and can
send out more updates.
I think my guys are ready to move, we initially
wanted to stay here but I think everyone is
ready to finally unpack and get settled in no
matter where we are. We have seen an escalation
of insurgent activity in the area, more IEDs,
mortars, rocket attacks, small arms fire etc.
Looks like we will have to establish total
military control before any progress can be made
here.
Anyway, my guys are doing well and time seems to
be passing quickly. It doesn’t feel like
Christmas is right around the corner, but then
again nothing feels normal around here. I will
send out more info once we get to our new
location. I will hopefully have a new address as
soon as we get up north.
I hope you are all doing well, and if I don’t
get to talk to you before……MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT, MP
Platoon Leader
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Some of my troops |
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Talking to some Iraqi Police after a rocket attack |
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Two of my
interpreters (“Eddie” and “Hero”) These guys
went with us when we had to go in and re-take
one of our police stations…these guys are
warriors!
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Me and my Platoon Sergeant before we flew out of
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| December
14, 2006 We
have arrived at our new location. We are now
stationed at COB Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. We got
here last night and are in the middle of getting
everything set up. Right now I have limited access
to e-mail but hopefully I will have something up and
running within a week. I am working on our new
address, I will send it out as soon as I can.
I hope everyone is doing well, I hope to hear from
you soon.
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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December
18, 2006
Hello everyone,
Just wanted to give everyone a quick
update. I went to the doctor today
and not much is happening, so he is
NOT going to induce me. His fear is
that I will be laboring for days
(not hours) with no results and he
does not want to put that strain on
me or Sydney, so that means that
when I go into labor, I go into
labor, no medical help. So I am
turning to you for help, I need all
of you to please pray that she comes
soon, like this week would be good.
My official due date is Dec 28th, so
having her this week would not be a
big deal, as far as, it would not be
dangerous or cause a problem having
her. She is good and healthy and
the doctor is saying, based on an
ultrasound I had two weeks ago, he
thinks she will be about 8lbs 8oz
when she is born. Her heart rate is
good, my BP is good, so no problems
there.
We just would like her here for
Christmas and her daddy is becoming
very excited and wants his baby girl
to come and be a good Christmas
gift, even if he can't physically be
here.
Anyway, just wanted to give everyone
an update and let you know that
status. I will keep in touch and
let you know if anything changes or
you will start getting calls letting
you know she has arrived, whichever
comes first. Talk to you all soon.
Love,
Alicia and (Sydney)
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| December
19, 2006 Here
is my new address here in Tikrit.
2LT Lee Barnes
128th MP Company
COB Speicher
APO/AE 09393
Hope to hear from you soon!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader |
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December
23, 2006 Hello
everyone! Just wanted to pass on the info that Miss
Sydney Paige Barnes made her appearance at 1:25pm
(eastern time). She weighed 8lbs 3oz and she
supposedly looks like her daddy (poor child). Alicia
is doing very well. And by the way, Dad is
also doing well despite being a few thousand miles
away. I have planned my own personal time for a good
cry and a good cigar!
Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know, everyone
is doing well. I will send out more info as I get
it. Talk to all of you soon!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader |
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December
25, 2006 Hello
everyone! Just wanted to send out a big MERRY
CHRISTMAS to all of you. Things are good here in
Iraq, we actually got the day off. I hope all of you
are having a wonderful Christmas with your family
and loved ones. All of my guys wish we could be home
this Christmas, but we have a bigger mission to
accomplish right now. We appreciate all of the love
and support that we have received and we can't wait
to be home again. Please keep all of my guys in your
prayers, for many it is their first Christmas away
from home.
Alicia and Sydney are doing very good, they are
hoping to go home today. I will hopefully be able to
send out pics of my baby girl soon. I will keep you
updated.
Again, I hope everyone has a Wonderful Christmas. I
hope to hear from you soon!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader |
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| January
5, 2007 Hello
everyone! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
I hope all of you had a wonderful holidays. Things
were pretty uneventful around here for the holidays,
but uneventful is good. The weather is very cold and
it doesn't get much above freezing during the day.
We have frost on the ground every morning and even
had snow flurries one morning. Now that the holidays
are over it is back to the mission for us. The areas
around the city have been heating up over the last
two days so please keep us in your prayers. It seems
that the people in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit did
not take it too well when he was executed. So we
move slow and stay low and keep a watchful eye out
for those pesky IEDs.
For those of your who have been out of touch lately,
I got the best Christmas present in the world when
Miss Sydney Paige Barnes made her appearance in the
world. I am now the happiest dad in the world. Mom
and Sydney are doing great and I can't wait to see
them when I go home on leave (whenever that may
be!).
I hope you all are doing well, and I hope to hear
from you all soon.
Take care!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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Hello
everyone, just sending out my latest update.
Things here in Tikrit are good, our mission tempo is
finally picking up. The weather is cold and
rainy but it is not too bad. For those of you
who don't already know, I will be coming home on
leave on/around the 16th of Feb. We will spend
most of our time in Huntsville so that we can see
everyone at home and in B'ham. I hope to hear
from all of you and see as many of you as I can.
On the home front, Alicia and Sydney are doing very
well. Sydney is already growing up faster than her
daddy wants. Thank you all for you e-mails, packages
and letters, they really brighten up my day when I
get them.
Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and I hope to
hear from you soon. Please keep my soldiers in your
prayers and please stay in touch.
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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| Febryary
7, 2007 A few
pics from Iraq....
The first pic is of the second oldest Christian
church in the world...there is a Muslim mosque built
over the top of it but some of the original
architecture can be seen from below.
The second pic is of me on the banks of the Tigris
river...that is Saddam's mother's house behind me.
The third pic is of a sunset as seen from my living
area...one of the few nice things to be seen around
here.
Hope you enjoy!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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Muslim mosque built on
top of the second oldest Christian church in the
world |
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Lee on the banks of the
Tigris River with Saddam's mother's house in the
background |
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Sunset over Tikrit |
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...these are the guys
who flew us from Baghdad to Baqubah....does the
patch look familiar?
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Lee's
grandfather, Johnnie Barnes, 36th Division "T-Patchers"
(Notice
emblem on his right shoulder) |
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Lee gets acquainted with
his new daughter, Sydney Paige, during a brief visit
home in February
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April
22, 2007
Hello everyone! Greetings from Tikrit! Just
wanted to drop everyone a quick line and let you
know that I now have internet access in my
living area so hopefully I will be able to send
more e-mails out and stay in contact more.
Everything here in Iraq is going well, things
are definitely heating up…the temperature and
the action. We are now past the halfway point
and are counting down the days ‘til we come
home. It looks like we will be out of Iraq by
the end of September and hopefully home by the
middle of Oct. So get ready to party because we
are going to THROW DOWN when I get home.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well, please
drop me an e-mail sometime to let me know how
you are doing.
I will also include some recent photos from here
and some of Sydney.
Lee H. Barnes
2LT, MP
Platoon Leader
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May 6,
2007
Greetings from hell…uh,I mean Tikrit…or maybe I
had it right the first time. Anyway, it is
really getting hot over here…temp and action.
Today it was a cool 105 in the shade, only
problem is that there isn’t any shade. Looks
like this year is going to be a scorcher folks!
I have changed my mission a little, I have moved
my operations to a little city south of Tikrit
where me and one of my squads are working
alongside 2 infantry platoons. The city we are
working in is known for being the hiding place
of Saddam when Coalition Forces found him. So,
needless to say, the locals aren’t too happy
that we are in town. They actually threw a
welcoming party for us while we were working in
town the other day. Well…I say it was a
“welcoming party” but it was really just some
boneheads shooting at us and shooting RPGs at
us. Anyway, we feel like we have made quite the
impression on the locals and look for more acts
of kindness and generosity from them.
I hope all is well with you. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!
To all of the “mothers” out there.
Everyone here is doing well, just ready to get
home…October can’t get here fast enough.
If you are wondering, my address is not
changing. I will still get my mail here at
Speicher, and also I wanted to say “Thank You!”
to everyone who has sent packages. It always
feels good to get packages or e-mails from
home.
Please stay in touch, I hope to hear from you
soon.
Lee H. Barnes
2LT, MP
Platoon Leader
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May 19, 2007
Decided to play a little football to release
some of the frustration….then the rain came
which made it more fun!!!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT, MP 
Platoon Leader
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June 23,
2007
Well, it’s time for another update from the
desert. Things are getting very hot over here,
if you pay attention to the news, I’m sure you
have been able to tell. Right now is the
toughest and most dangerous time of our tour. We
are less than 100 days from getting out of
country, so the tendency is to start to slack
off….the most dangerous thing for a soldier to
do. Please keep me and my soldiers in your
prayers that we will remain focused and
dedicated to our mission.
As some of you know, I am now operating out of a
Patrol Base in Ad Dawr, Iraq (the city where
Saddam was found hiding). The living conditions
are constantly being improved…A/C, cold water,
showers, running water…it is amazing how the
small things are often taken for granted. We are
all looking forward to the time when we will see
Iraq in our rearview mirror…98 days and
counting….
Update on my wounded soldiers:
PVT McGraw is now recovering at home. Some
paralysis in his face from the wound to the
head, but docs think it will eventually go away.
SPC Price has returned to duty after recovering
from his shrapnel wound. We call him “Nick” now
since he was “nicked” in the face by the
shrapnel.
CPL Hainline is now back in the states and
recovering at Bethesda Naval Hospital. His wife
is with him and he has been taken off of the
ventilator. He is starting to move around more
despite some motor skill loss on his right side
due to the stroke he suffered after the surgery
on his neck. Docs believe that after some
physical therapy he will make a full recovery.
I am attaching some photos of recent activities
around here…I hope you like.
A few quick shout outs:
To my dad and all dads out there…HAPPY FATHERS
DAY!!!
To my brother John and his beautiful wife
Emily…HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I hope you guys have
many, many more!
To my brother-in-arms 1LT Sam Martin (currently
serving in Fallujah, Iraq) …I know you are
always leading from the front…keep up the good
work. There are few that can fully appreciate
what you do in the position that you are in.
To everyone who has sent packages, letters, and
e-mails….thank you so much for your love and
support, words cannot describe how grateful I
am.
And last, but definitely not least…to my
wonderful wife Alicia….you my soul companion,
true love and my best friend. You are the most
amazing woman in the world. Your strength,
determination, love and support have been an
inspiration to me. Being the wife of a soldier
is hard enough, but you are raising our child,
running the household and supporting me…you
truly are amazing! I love you with all of my
heart and cannot wait to be home with you and
Sydney.
See all of you soon!!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT, MP
Platoon Leader
Me and my Paltoon
Sergeant
Too many funny
things to say……insert your own comment here…..
Talking to some kids
while on patrol
Taking cover….I’m on
the right
Hello Dominoes…Yeah,
I need to place an order for delivery…….
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July 4,
2007
Hello,
and greetings from Iraq!
As I sit back with a fine cigar and a cold bottle of
water, I wonder what all of you are doing for the
4th. Going to the beach, grilling out, shooting off
fireworks, spending time with family...I have to say
that I envy you, but I hope that you are having a
wonderful time. Believe me, all of my soldiers and I
would much rather be at home. But, since we cannot
be at home, we must make the best of things over
here. So break out the flares and
star-clusters...we're having a 4th of July
explosion! Literally! The insurgents around here
have tried to get into the celebration with IEDs and
grenades, but they weren't invited to the party so
they are required to stay outside the FOB.
Anyway, other than being ready to go home, my guys
are doing very well. We are eating good and sleeping
better now that we have A/C. (That's just for you
mom!) We are constantly counting down the days till
we are out of here....89 days left! I think I can
hold my breath and stand on my head for that long!
So, eat a hamburger, drink a cold one and shoot some
fireworks for me. I'll be home soon! I hope you all
have a wonderful 4th of July!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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July 31,
2007
OK, true
story.....not that my other stories were not true,
but I always wanted to start off an e-mail that
way....
So, I was sitting outside at the patrol base the
other day enjoying a nice cigar and a cold bottle of
water when I hear massive amounts of gunfire coming
from the village down the road. Now, it is not
uncommon to hear sporadic fire coming from the
village, but this was way beyond that. It literally
sounded like the the whole village was fighting
against each other, the fire was coming from
everywhere, tracers were lighting up the sky! I
looked at my Platoon Sergeant with a look of "here
we go again" since we knew we would soon be rolling
out into the middle of this fire to find out what
was going on. As we walked toward our room to
retrieve out gear, someone came out of the building
and announced that Iraq had just beaten South Korea
in soccer. I stopped, shook my head, and asked the
soldier to repeat himself. He repeated "Iraq just
beat South Korea in soccer...all of the firing you
are hearing is celebratory fire."
Celebratory fire, CELEBRATORY FIRE!! This is crazy!
these people are shooting up into the air to
celebrate winning a soccer game. These are the same
Iraqi Police who tell me day in and day out that
they don't have enough ammo to fight the insurgency,
that they can't go on missions because they don't
have enough ammo...and now they are just shooting it
up intothe air! (On a side note, I fully understand
how bad it can get in the South when it is football
season, but if we all went into the streets and shot
our rifles and shotguns into the air every time our
team won....well, I'm sure you can picture
that....."The South Will Rise Again" comes to
mind...)
About this time it hits me (not literally)...what
goes up, must come down...so we move indoors...just
in case....
But what also got to me was the fact that Iraq is
still a nation at war, they have no real government
to speak of, no true leader, they can't even get the
power to stay on for more than 3 hours at a time!
But yet, THEY HAVE A SOCCER TEAM!!! Does anyone else
find this a little weird? It would be the same as
you being thousands of dollars in debt, with no job,
no car, no place to live but saying "Look at this
cool ant farm that I have been working on!" I DON'T
GET IT!!
Anyway, I was just finding a little humor in this
weird little place called Iraq. I hope you found the
same humor that I did....or maybe it's just the heat
getting to me....it's possible.
Other than celebratory fire, everything is going
well over here. I hope everything is going well with
you and I hope to hear from you soon.
61 more days in country!
Lee H. Barnes
2LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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August 24, 2007
Today was a good day...
I had the honor of being promoted along side some of
my soldiers today. It is always a good day when I
get to see my soldiers getting their well deserved
promotions.
Attached are some pics from the promotion ceremony.
The soldiers promoted were:
SGT Lambrecht promoted to Staff Sergeant
PFC Morgan
PFC Johnson
PFC Stewart
PFC Karr all promoted to Specialist
and myself, promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
37 more days in country...we are all ready to go
back home.
Hope all is well, I hope to hear from you and/or see
you soon.
Lee H. Barnes
1LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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September 14, 2007
Well,
Ramadan (Muslim holiday) has gotten off to a
bang...there was a VBIED (car bomb) that detonated
about six miles north of us this morning. The shock
wave was so powerful that it shook the building I
was in. The building shook so much that we thought
it had been hit. The funny thing is that the VBIED
detonated at a gas station...ironic huh? And you
thought you had problems at the pump!
Anyway, we have received our replacements and are
currently training them to take our place. We can
see the light at the end of the tunnel! Less than 25
days until we fly out of Iraq, and we are all ready
to get out of here.
I don't know how many more times I will be able to
send out e-mails, but I will try to keep everyone
updated as I can. I hope everyone is doing well...I
will be home soon.
Lee H. Barnes
1LT,MP
Platoon Leader |
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October 7, 2007
Just wanted to let
everyone know, I am now in Kuwait and will be flying
back to the states on Wednesday. If nothing changes,
I should be home to Huntsville on Sat the 13th.
See you all soon!
Lee H. Barnes
1LT,MP
Platoon Leader
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October 16,
2007
Just wanted to let everyone know that I am home
again! Thank you so much for the support and
prayers over the last 15 months!
I hope to see you and talk to you soon.
Lee H. Barnes
1LT, MP
Platoon Leader
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