Author Archive: Jeffrey D. Cole

But by the Grace of God

By late May 2006, I was exhausted.  So were the other hundred-plus men of DANGER Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry.  We were patrolling the outlying areas of Ramadi with the Iraqi Army everyday.  By then, the afternoon temperatures were well…
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What if the Answer is “No?”

This is a tough one. I’m doing very well.  Thankfully, I have felt good the last several days.  The troll has finally moved on, although I’m still dealing with the damage he left in his wake.  My vision is getting…
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Helpless, but Not Hopeless

I’ve always been a proactive person, long before Steven Covey told me to be.  From the time I was a kid working on merit badges in my bedroom until now, I’ve always liked to be ahead of what’s required of me,…
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Ode to the Troll

There is a small troll living inside my gastrointestinal system.  He is an agent of Chemo, a mercenary hired to do the drugs’ bidding.  I admire the troll’s perseverance yet I strongly dislike him.  He is constantly at work causing general mischief. …
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Hurry Up and Wait

I haven’t been bored in probably twenty years.  I always have a book to read or a project to do if I have free time (free time: a concept only slightly less mythical than a unicorn).  What I have done…
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What is Normal, Anyway?

Seven years ago today I stepped off a bus in Middlesboro, Kentucky, returning from a fifteen month deployment to Iraq.  D Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry had just returned from Ramadi, in the Sunni Triangle, where there was a fight everyday.  My…
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My Daughters Will Have Lint

Quick Update. I have been feeling very well during the last three days that I’ve been back in the hospital. I’ve been able to walk everyday and have been blessed with several visitors.  My appetite is OK, although not quite…
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A Punch in the Gut

I was standing at the foul line playing basketball before school started.  I think I was in 6th grade.  My “friend” walked up to me and unexpectedly hit me in the stomach.  I couldn’t breathe.   My eyes started watering.  I…
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Asking for Fish, Expecting a Snake

By the grace of God I’ve been home since Thursday evening.  It really is like a dream come true.  This has been a wonderful homecoming, even if there have been a few unwanted events.  My sweet Emmy is sick and…
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There’s No Place Like Home

We got some great news yesterday.  First, the results of my latest lumbar puncture were negative, meaning there is no sign of cancer in my central nervous system.  Thank God for that.  I still have to  endure the lumbar punctures for…
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