Thunder6: When I started the blog I didn't expect it to get much farther then my friends and family, so I didn't really make a mental note of what it felt like to send out that first post. I just started typing, and when my fingers stopped punching keys I hit the post button. There really wasn't anything unique, or even exciting about it.
JP: Could you for your supporters take us through what you do in your down time? You workout? Watch movies? Hit the PX? Or do you spend it doing other things?
Thunder6: Downtime? Seriously? In the early days of the deployment I used to hit the gym in the late afternoon - nothing relieves stress like lifting pig iron. But when I assumed command of Killer Company any chance at establishing a schedule evaporated. There is always something to do - if I'm not in sector then I’m hammering out patrol schedules or company operations orders. In those rare moments where I have a chance for down time I usually try to send an email, type a post, or get some sleep... usually in that order.
JP: After everything you've endured in Iraq and given all the emotion in your milblog, does it make it easier or harder write online?
Thunder6: It's become increasingly difficult to convey the emotional experience of being here because combat is a corrosive environment - it grinds you down emotionally. After months of constant exposure I've found my emotional range stunted, like a tree that has been pruned back a little too much. It's a little disturbing to have your ability to truly experience a situation wither away, but it is a necessary evil if you are going to lead soldiers in combat.
JP: Knowing that you have a large following of readers, do you make a point of writing more often? And, do you ever get exhausted from blogging? I know when I was in Afghanistan I used it as a support outlet, and now that I'm home I still love to work on my blog.
Thunder6: I try to post as often as I can, but in the end our mission dictates when I can and can't write. It is a bit of a paradox - the situations people would really want to read about are the very ones that keep me from writing. Very few of those situations make it into the blog because they are mentally and physically exhausting to recount… plus they raise serious opsec concerns. That being said I don't ever feel exhausted by blogging, I truly enjoy writing and it serves as an outlet I wouldn’t otherwise have.
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