Courage, All

My family is sending our best son to War. Cousin Andrew is leaving in 3 days for a year long deployment. The War in Iraq has officially come into our living room, sat its fat, oily ass down, had some broccoli casserole and is now taking a nap on the couch in front of the Cowboys game. Breathe deep.

Here's what I know:

1. Andrew is a completely well-rounded, versatile, and beautiful individual beyond being a highly trained West Point graduate. In short, he is the very best America has to offer. He and the men like him are reason alone for hope in Iraq.

2. The 9 men under his command in this specialized unit have been there before, with his NCO going for his fourth time. His unit is experienced and seriously bad ass. This is not the National Guard.

3. His mission will be intelligence gathering and he plans to focus on breaking up movement patterns the enemy might be able to calibrate. (When Andrew said this, I thought it was the smartest thing I've heard anyone say regarding practical American strategy in Iraq.)

4. He will also be the American Ambassador to a town of about 30,000 people. He compared it to being Mayor. Short of wearing a Top Hat and Mutton-chops, Andrew has been like an old-school Mayor his whole life. If there's a right man for the job, he's the man. We're all with you, Brother.

5. Believe in Yourself. I don't know if I quite have the words for the eve of battle, but I think this is truly the most important thing I've ever learned. And I share it with confidence ... Believe in Yourself.