Friends...

     I have called many people friends over the years but what does that really mean?.  I have worked with several hundred people in my career as a firefighter.  At one point or another I considered at least half of those my friends.  Have I heard from them lately?  Have I tried to contact them?  No.  Out of that several hundred I still talk to maybe 20 or so. Now I am not some cold hearted grinch. I have many friends outside the fire service. I am just using firefighters as a example.  Now your asking your self so what's the point of all of this?   I think the term friend is over used and taken for granted. 

  I know a guy here in Iraq that is from my base back in Vegas.  I have known him for a year or so.  He works in the plumbing shop.  Yesterday he stopped by my fire station with some of his co-workers to borrow some fire hose for a project.  I gladly walked out to the storage rack and pulled a few sections of hose off the rack for him.  He told his co-worker on the way out to the truck that we go way back and that I had always come through for him.  I told him to just shoot me an email when he was done with the hose and I would come by to  pick it up. He then asked me what my email address was.  This confused me.  In the military your email address is your first name/last name / command/.af.mil and we all know this fact of life in the military,  kind of like you know you will get the police when you dial 911. He apologized that he did not know my first name.  I had talked to paul at least three times a week for the past year. I have met his wife and done him a dozen favors.  I was not mad, upset or offended.  It just surprised me that is all. 

  Right now as I sit at the computer here in Iraq I am talking to two people over the instant messenger.  I have known them for about a year also.  Every morning Ryan greets me with a "HI buddy how are you doing?" " How are you today Mike?"   My wife and daughter's also talk to him frequently.  He is the kindest down to earth person I know.  The other person im talking with is Geoff.  I talk to him at least two or three times a week.  He just told me that he is sending a care package to me in Iraq.  I have had some in depth conversations about some very personal things with him.  I enjoy talking with these two very much.  They are two very close friends, almost family. Oh and did I mention I have never met either one of them in person.  I met them both playing a online video game.  Just something to think about…...