I forgot to make this post last month.

On July 25, Iowa's 133rd Infantry Battalion came home from Iraq after a nearly 22-month deployment. Among them was my "adopted brother" Nile. Nile lived with my family for a period of time after I had left for college, so I wasn't as close to him as the rest of my family. But he is part of the family, even if not offically, so they were there to greet him when he came home.



Nile left for training in Mississippi in September of 2005, and on Christmas leave before his January deployment, he married his fiance Jen. His daughter Eve was born in May of 2006, and he got to meet her on a couple weeks leave in October.


Even though he's been married for almost two years and has a fifteen month old daughter, he's just now learning how to be a husband and a father. I about cried looking at these pictures, knowing that, thinking about how much he's missed out on. Nile drove trucks in convoys, one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq. They escorted locals transporting goods for local commerce. He said he first tried to be nice, but it was so frustrating, not being trusted. The vehicles of the local traders would often break down, and they wouldn't let Nile and the others help them fix them, because they thought they would sabotage the vehicle.

We are very glad he's home safe. And in the "my (biological) brother brings it on himself" category:


Note to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" authorities: This is completely fake. They're both heterosexual.

What clowns.