Nathan

So Nathan. I'm not really sure what I should be posting on the internet so I'll err on the side of caution. The basics: he's Executive Officer (XO) for an infantry line company, which means he's second in charge of over a hundred guys. "Line company" basically means that they fight the enemy and that's their primary job (they're not support for other guys who are in combat--they're the ones being supported). They're in eastern Afghanistan. It's dusty and over 100 degrees and completely dry. Nathan says that overall the heat isn't much worse than summer in Italy, except you can't touch anything outside in the sun during the day. (I would raise the point that you can't in Italy either!)
If you want to get onto his mass-email list, let one of us know. And if you want to send him a package (apparently not a letter...letters are SO last century!) I can give you his address. He has steadfastly refused to suggest items that people can send to him, but I can tell you that he likes gummy candies, (don't send chocolate now because it'll melt), CDs, pictures, and interesting magazines. He has almost no free time and they recently had a FOB clean-out that involved throwing out tons of books, so I hesitate to tell you to send those. What he needs most of all is prayer, and that's all he has asked for.
To make a long story short, I don't feel up to the task of speaking for him, so let us know if you want to get his emails!