Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the man tapped to take over the American war effort in Afghanistan, has served at Fort Lewis. He commanded 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from November 1994 to June 1996, before he left for a year to attend Harvard University.

The News Tribune is compiling a list of memorial day celebrations around the Puget Sound area. If your organization is hosting one (that is open to the public), e-mail me at scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com or call 253-320-4758 to get the event in the listing.

Thanks!

Fort Lewis has issued a late-night firing announcement. Tonight, soldiers will be using C-4 and dynamite. On Wednesday, it’ll be C-4.

Wanna complain? Call 253-967-0852.

Two women who struck up a friendship as their loved ones were deployed with 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, have written a book about their experiences.

"Friends for Life: Strangers Brought Together by the War in Iraq" discusses the deployment of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment. From the book's description on Amazon.com:

Friends for Life is a story about the experiences and recollections of two women who were strangers brought together through the yearlong deployment of their soldiers during the Iraq War. Patti, the mother of Army medic Jon, and Jennifer, sister of infantry soldier James, forge a dear and lifelong friendship as their soldiers fight to stay alive in one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq.

The story begins separately with the Patti and Jennifer's recollections of the day their soldiers deployed to Iraq from Ft. Lewis, Washington. As the book progresses, their separate stories of Army life grow together as their soldiers’ deployment continues. During the journey, tragedies occur and survival tactics are learned by the soldiers on the battlefield and the loved ones at home. The shared experiences, frequent communications, and constant support for each other grow into a sweet and lasting friendship.

This story is a unique, non-fiction, war story, through the eyes and emotions of a mother and sister. Though the two women were separated by many things, including thousands of miles, age, and interests, they were drawn together by shared terrors and overwhelming desire to communicate with and send comfort to their soldiers. The Iraq war is a modern war. This book demonstrates the positives and negatives for the families of modern soldiers. Communication is instant, yet, timing is unpredictable. Often, those at home know more about recent events than the soldiers in the battles themselves do. Portions of this book contain actual Instant Messages with the soldiers, offering a window directly into the thoughts, words of expression, family closeness and anguish that was always present during the deployment. The book also serves as a guide to Soldiers families for surviving a deployment.

The book goes on sale May 19.

(Hat tip, Strykernews.com)