Cavaliers: Cavalier Girls Blog IV

Cavalier Girls Blog from Abroad

Check back here for periodic blog entries from the Cavalier Girls as they travel to Iraq (September 15th to 27th) and China (September 28th to October 5th).

Cavalier Girl Bethany - Final Trip Blog

Hey everyone! Wow, I knew taking the trip to Iraq would open my eyes to things I didn't know about and things I have never seen before, but never could I imagine the amount of impact it would have on me. The men and women out there fighting are true heroes. I admire what they do and everything they have to sacrifice to be there. Just being out there actually seeing what they go through and hearing their stories really brings me to appreciate even more so what I have. We are very lucky to be living in America. The land that gives us freedom and rights as simple as being able to walk down the street with a t-shirt on instead of having to be completely covered. As American citizens I hope we count our blessings as much as we should and are careful not to take things for granted because we can. The trip was an amazing experience and what made it even better were my teammates. We were all sad to be leaving Iraq and to end the trip but all good things come to an end. And if you think about it, it's really just the beginning. The beginning of a new season with a great group of girls who have tremendous talent and I'm going to make the most of this wonderful opportunity given to me.

See ya'll at the games!!
Love,
Bethany

Cavalier Girl Suzanne - Final Trip Blog

We are finally back in the states!!! After being in Iraq it definitely gives me a new-found love for our country. I knew I was going to get something out of the trip but I didn’t know exactly how much until I got back. There are so many soldiers over there fighting to keep us and this country safe and for that I am so very thankful to them. There are so many things that I took for granted here that I now see in a new light. When we first got over there it was nothing as I thought it would be. I thought it would be what I see in the news everyday but it wasn't. There was not one time when I didn't feel safe while I was on the bases and traveling from base to base. And as much as I loved getting to see the different things on each base my favorite part of the trip would definitely have to be flying in the Black Hawks. Everyone there was so polite to us and they thanked us so much for coming over to visit and to bring a little bit of home to them...but in the end we all realized it was us who were more thankful for all of them. I made so many unforgettable memories over there...from riding helicopters, climbing on top of tanks, eating in the D-FAC, being serenaded to (thank you to all those Purple Foxes for that one!), and looking up at the stars at night...there is not one part of the trip I would have changed. Thank you to all the men and women who are risking their lives over there for us. And to all of us back home, you should be so incredibly proud of them. I found as I am now doing errands and living my everyday life back here in the states that I have a new sense of pride in this country and so much respect for the men and women overseas and I can't help but to hold my head a little higher and to count my blessings to be able to call myself an American and to know that I am from the best country in the world. Keep on praying for all our soldiers over there ...thank you for everything!

God Bless, Suzanne

P.S. A special thanks to all our escorts who kept us safe on our journey and a BIG thanks to Chief!!! We miss you all

Cavalier Girl Hayley - Final Trip Blog

Hey guys!! I just wanted to sum-up my trip to Iraq. I cannot begin to tell you how much I learned on this trip! Not only about the war itself but also about the Islamic culture. It really opened up my eyes to so much! I have so much respect for every soldier, marine....just everybody involved in the war! I am really, really glad I got the opportunity to go see what Iraq was really about! Thanks to everyone who made it happen!!!

Love, Hayley

Cavalier Girl Meggan - Final Trip Blog

My trip to Iraq was an exciting and informative life experience. Throughout my travels I learned so much about various worldly cultures. The remarkable individuals that I met that defend our country are second to none. I am very appreciative that I was able to be a part of supporting our admirable troops deployed in the Middle East region.

Meggan

Cavalier Girl Rhema - Final Trip Blog

Hey everyone, it's Rhema! I just wanted to say that going to Kuwait and Iraq to visit and perform for the troops was the best experience that I’ve ever had! It’s crazy to think that I personally got that kind of experience, being only 19, and honestly not really sure of what war is really like besides what I’ve heard on the "news." Being there, however, and seeing for myself the things that these men and women go through just to fight for our country, opened my eyes in a whole new light. "Support Our Troops" was once to me just a quote that I knew meant a lot to the US and that a lot of people lived by; now I know first-hand how much I really do support and love everything they are doing. Beyond the beauty of Iraq and Kuwait, it was an experience to see the entirety of the war and how dangerous and "scary" it really must be for a lot of people over there. I can't imagine being outside of the safe walls of the base, but people are doing it each and every day. God bless all of our troops over there and everywhere. We couldn't do it without you guys!!! And thank you God for such an awesome team and the best experience I could ever ask for with a group of amazing, beautiful, and talented women!

Thanks V for the hook-up!!!
XOXO Rhema

Cavalier Girl Jennelle - Final Trip Blog

Going to Iraq was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life and there is no other group of girls that I would have wanted to share this life-changing experience with. We learned so much about each other, about the world around us, and just how precious life can be. Amidst Iraq’s beauty was a culture struggling to survive and reinvent itself and a group of young men and women that were putting their lives on the line to allow them this chance at Freedom, and we were given the opportunity to be apart of that. I would like to thank my wonderful teammates, my coach, all the military personnel who helped to keep us safe, and the U.S. armed forces for allowing me to be a small part of such an amazing puzzle.

I have been truly blessed.
Jennelle

Cavalier Girl Melody - Final Trip Blog

You can never be too grateful in life and that's what I've learned on this trip to Iraq. To travel across the country is a great opportunity in itself, but to be able to go across the country and support the people who are fighting for your lives is overwhelming. The heat, dirt, bugs, and exhausting schedule was all worth it. I would do it again and again just to see the excitement on the troops' faces. I thank God for the opportunity and for his grace that protected my team members and myself. I thank Vandana Patel for letting me be a part of such a powerful and uplifting experience. To all the troops, God bless you and I love you. We are all waiting and praying for all of you!

Melody

Cavalier Girl Kristen - Final Trip Blog

Hey everyone! We are back in the states now and what an experience this was. I don't think I have ever "roughed it" as much as I did these past two weeks but it was all worth it. To see the look of enjoyment on these soldiers' faces was the best feeling in the world! I cannot tell you how many approached us saying that this was the best thing that has happened to them in a long time since they have been in Iraq. It was very emotional to see how these men and women live day by day, but definitely rewarding in the end. Words cannot describe what it is like over there, but all I know is that I am so thankful for everything we have here in the United States. This trip was a learning experience and I would not change any part of it. Actually, I think all of us girls agreed that we want to go back in the near future. So I just want to say thank you to all of you men and women out there fighting for our country. We love and miss you back home.

God Bless! - Kristen

Cavalier Girls Bethany and Hayley - Monday, September 25, 2006

Bethany

Hayley

Hey everyone! This was our last day here in Iraq and our last performance of the tour. We actually got to sleep in till 10:30 AM which was nice! We skipped breakfast because we had midnight chow so we went straight to lunch. After lunch we took a couple tours around Camp TQ. Camp TQ is made up mostly of marines and some sailors. We took a tour of the unit called the Purple Foxes. We learned that it's purple because of the purple heart symbol used in the army for rescuing people. Their job is to save people's lives. They have a bell and as soon as that bell rings they have to drop everything they are doing and head over to the helicopters to help the wounded. After we learned about what they did we got them to sing "Lovin Feeling" for us...how cute!! When we were done with the Purple Foxes we headed over to another unit where we had a meet n' greet. That led us to a quick dinner so we could get ready for the show. It was our last show so it was pretty sad. The crowd was crazy and REALLY enjoyed it which made us feel great to be able to do that for them. After the show, Chief awarded us medallions and thanked us once again for our contribution in Iraq. Vandana surprised us with a hip-hop night where us and all of the marines kicked it. This led us to our last midnight chow...(tear)...and here we are now writing to you about our day. We leave for Kuwait tomorrow morning and we will see you back in Cleveland shortly!! Peace from Iraq -

your girls,

Bethany and Hayleyand Hayley

Cavalier Girls Rhema and Suzanne - Sunday, September 24, 2006

Rhema

Suzanne

Hey everyone!!!! So about 1:30 a.m. we arrived at Camp Ramadi, Iraq. According to Time Magazine "The most dangerous place on earth!" ...Arriving in the CH-46 Sea Knight a.k.a “frog” (A Marine helicopter). It was pitch black, and almost impossible to see because of all the dust, but we finally made it to our room which ended up being a TENT!! Yes, straight up camping! Mud on the ground, bunk beds, no running water, definitely roughing it!!!! Needless to say, we had a blast! Even in a tent, the staff and soldiers set up our tent with our luggage, accommodated with toiletries, magazines, and two large platters of fruit not to mention a mini refrigerator full of water and Gatorade (and converters for our hair stuff!) We moved all of our beds together to make one long bed, and popped open Vandana's mini dvd player, ate some fruit, and called it a night!

This morning we woke up later than usual, around 10:30 a.m. We got up, got ready, and headed off to “chow” at the DFAC! =) After running into “old” friends (from previous camps) we enjoyed a satisfying lunch. We then headed over to the hospital, where Captain Williams took us on a tour of the facility. We got to meet and greet with some patients, but one particularly stuck out to us. It was a soldier who had been hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). Although we never caught his name, his words and his face will always remain in our minds and our hearts. He had a bandage wrapped completely around his head (like in the movies) and had us sign it in the front where it didn't hurt as bad. His eyes couldn't open, but he was in great spirits saying things like GO BUCKEYES and OH-IO!! Even though he couldn't see us, he was still trying to impress us with his charm. He was saying things like “I am surrounded by nine angels,” “I never want to take this bandage off,” “Your hands are so soft,” and “You smell wonderful.” It was by far the sweetest thing, and it was such a real blessing to know we made a difference in someone's life. After our hospital visit we went outside and had a mini-photo shoot with our new friend Tommy, a dog. Tommy is a trained police dog who is used to attack the enemy and sniff out bombs. However, today he was our friend and took pictures and played with us.

We then went on a series of camp tours and meet and greets with different unit areas to see the troops and where they worked. We got to see vehicles such as Cougars, Bradleys, Euphrates Patrol Boats,Troop transporters, and we saw a Paladin. The Paladin can shoot off artillery rounds up to 155mm in size, shoot up to 30km far, and be about 95% accurate. After our tours, we had personal time to get ready before heading off to dinner. Once dinner had ended, we had another hour to finish our preparation before our show and pack our things for the midnight flight out. The show went perfect! It almost looked like a drive-in movie, except the soldiers drove their military vehicles up to the stage and sat on them. There were about 70% of the troops there, rounding about a couple thousand. We were full of energy tonight, but getting a little sad because it was our second to last performance of the whole tour! After the meet and greet, we hopped on the black hawks for the last time =( and landed here at our last base, Camp Al Taqaddum (a.k.a TQ). We headed over to midnight chow and got serenaded by a group of navy core men singing “You've lost that lovin' feelin'” From the movie “Top Gun” while down on their knees. Soooo Sweet!!! We loved it!! Then we got to our rooms, once again combined all of our beds (and know we are not sick of being close to each other!) and went off to the internet and the phones. We are really tired, but we lucked out with another day to sleep in a little. So we're calling it a night.

We miss and love you all. Keep on praying for our troops!! (And us!) God Bless.

Over and Out.
Rhema and Suz

Messages from the troops to their families:

SPC. Jeremy Gleisinger – Mansfield, OH “To everyone back home..... I'll be there soon. Stay up!”

Rodney Jarvis – Akron, OH “Hey ya'll I miss ya. Hope to see ya soon!”

Timothy Stewart – Toledo, OH “Hey ya'll will be home soon. Love ya'll.”

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