First blog

Hello anyone who might read this,

I am starting this blog just to kind of keep some people up to date with what is going on in my little world. So where to start?

Well why not start where my life seems to be at right now. My sister SPC. Michelle E. Pfister is currently fighting in the war in Iraq. On April 22nd my family got the call that you never want to hear, my sister had been injured in an accident while on a convoy :( For those of you who haven't read it I suggest you go here. This person has done a wonderful job putting everything into perspective. I am thankful that he has written this. I just happened to come across it while searching the internet to see if any new stories had developed about it. This story is what kind of made me decide to start a blog.

What am I talking about, you might be asking. Well on April 22nd, as previously mentioned, my sister was involved in an accident while on a convoy. PFC. Gavin J. Colburn was drving and my sister was in the passenger seat. While on the road they hit an IED, for those of you who don't know what that is, let's just say it is NOT a good thing. Gavin had promised to my family from the beginning that if anything happened, he woud make sure that my sister was alright. They were both only 20. If you read the link above, you have probably already figured out that Gavin did not survive this incident. My sister would not have survived it had it not been for the fact that Gavin protected my sister from this blast. I will be forever grateful for that. At the same time I am deeply saddened that he did not survive. Gavin is truely a hero for what he did for my family. Not only for that but also for being brave enough to go and serve our country at such a time like this. All those soldier's over there are heroes in my eyes. Not only that but their families back home are heroes for continuing on everyday, not knowing what their family member is going through. Wondering if they are okay or if they will get that call saying that their family member has been injured or even killed. I hope to never get that call about my sister. Just hearing that she was injured tore my heart to pieces. No 20-year-old should have to go through what she went through and is still going through. None of our soldiers over there should have to be going through this.

I could rant about this subject forever, but i will spare you all the pain of having to read all that. All that i have to say is this...

Gavin- thank you so much for keeping your promise to my family. I will never forget what you did. You were, are and will always be an amazing young man. Your life was taken way too soon. I wish that you were still alive today so that i could thank you properly for saving my sister's life. You will always live on in my heart, my thoughts and my daily prayers.

Gavin's parents -thank you for raising such a wonderful man. He was a genuine, pure, amazing, and wonderful person. I wish i could have gotten the chance to meet him. I hope to one day meet all of you just so i can thank you for raising a son who knew the true meaning of friendship, life and honor. You as well will always be in my thoughts and in my prayers.

Gavin's family- I know that you are hurting over this loss. Just take comfort in knowing that Gavin died doing what he was trained to do- protect and serve. While we do not understand why, just know that it was somehow all a part of God's plan and one day it will be revealed to us what His plan is. I will be in prayer for you as well.

All our soldier's- THANK YOU! Thank you for all that you do each day to keep our country safe. Whether you are currently fighting or not, you all deserve a big thank you. I can't imagine being in your shoes. I wish those that are currently fighting a safe return home. I wish for all of you the comfort of knowing that there are lots of people who support you, look up to you, think about you, and pray for you each and everyday. I don't want to imagine what life would be like without all of you out there protecting our country in various ways. Whether it be at home or away from home. You all mean so much to me. I am not just saying that because i have a family member currently serving in Iraq, I am saying that because, even if i didn't know anyone serving over there, that is how i feel. You all do such an amazing job and sometimes don't get the credit that you deserve. I wish there was some way i could thank each and everyone of you. But for know just know that i appreciate your sacrifice, and i am in prayer for all of you each day.

For all those who don't have loved ones serving in Iraq- just keep them in your prayers. Even if you don't agree with us being over there, just remember that there are people over there sacrificing their lives to protect us. I don't care if you think we should be in Iraq or not. The fact is, we are there, and there are men and women of all ages who face things that we will never have to face, each and every day. They are constantly in danger of being injured, killed, taken hostage, and a million other dangers. However, they aren't giving up. They are out there doing what they were trained to do, in hopes of coming home safe and sound. It takes a real self-centered, selfish person to not understand what they are doing for us. You may not agree with it but the fact is, it's happening. There are people, like myself, and many others out there, who wake up everyday wondering if their family memeber or friend is safe. Just keep our soldier's in your prayers. It doesn't matter what you think about it. Just for once put yourself in there shoes and think how you would feel if you were over there. Because, whether you want to believe it or not, there are men and women of all different ages (18,19,30,40 and so on) over there fighting for our country. It amazes me what some people are willing to do for their country.

Sorry about the rant there at the end. It kind of all stemmed from a conversation i had with a friend about the accident. Keep in mind they don't know anyone serving in Iraq. They told this, and i quote, "well i don't think we should be over there anyway. Also, your sister and this guy signed up for the army at a time when they knew that they could be shipped to Iraq. They knew the dangers going into this and yet still chose to do it anyways. I am sorry that your sister lost her best friend but she has to realize that they knew that this was a possibility. I feel sorry for her but then again I don't, she knew it could happen and it did. She will just have to move on." WHAT THE F**K!!! How f**king incosiderate. This person acted like my sister asked for this to happen. I am sorry but my sister signed up for the army during a time of war because she wanted the opprotunity to serve our country. Not because she knew that she could get hurt and thought it would still be a good idea. Plus, how would the person who said this feel if their best friend got killed in, let's say, a horrible car accident. I am sure she wouldn't be like, "oh my friend knew that when she got her driver's license that there was a possibility of her getting killed in a car accident. So we all just have to move on." No i am pretty sure that they would be quite upset. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! That is all I am going to say about that. I will post more later.

Also, please check out the following sites:

http://www.without-colburn.com/ - Wonderful memorial site to Gavin created by a wonderful person, who i am honored to have the privilege of getting to know.

http://speedtothefront.50megs.com/ - the website for the 542nd TC which is the unit that my sister and Gavin are serving in. They are all wonderful people.

Thank for taking the time to read this. I know it is kind of long. Just had a lot to say.