A Fathers Protection

     I am addicted to Spice Chai Lattes from Green Beans.  They taste like melted Pumpkin Pie. I was impatiently waiting for my fix to be fixed this morning when SGT Smith who I wrote about earlier walked in to get his daily dose of liquid sunshine, (which was necessary today as the rain has been relentless.  I believe it is dutifully watering the desert so that the sand can grow big and strong this summer).  As soon as he saw me he broke into a big smile and said he had been looking for me. 
     Apparently after I had finished our game of chess and prayed for him, his family and his unit's protection SGT Smiths group was called out on a mission.  Someone had been spotted digging a hole near the Camp.  As a side note, if you are a treasure hunter and decide to dig in the cradle of civilization for some of the oldest treasures on Earth, I would recommend doing it somewhere far away from the watchful eyes of a US Military installation as it will quickly summon a large group of well-armed Soldiers hopped up on caffeine and a little disgruntled at having been called away from their Spice Chai Lattes.  Anyway, when they reached the location no one was in sight and they proceeded to do a dismounted reconnaissance of the area.  Just then from some unseen location our aforementioned treasure hunter detonated his buried IED.
     A few hours later SGT Smiths wife received a phone call on the Anniversary of her son's death in Iraq...  It was from her husband telling her that he loved her.  Due to some miscalculation, or perhaps hasty plant, not a single Soldier or vehicle was harmed by the detonation. The Spice Chai Latte sat forgotten on the counter as SPC Nelson, CPT Murragurah, SGT Smith and myself huddled in a circle in the middle of Green Beans on a rainy day in Iraq and thanked God for a Fathers protection.