Soldierrevealstherealitybehindwar

be mopping up blood.

Fox said, "Everything was in the open. It didn't matter if it was the enemy or not."

The hardest for Fox was seeing the children who were injured. To reach out to the children, Fox organized a drive to collect beanie babies. He collected so many beanie babies, the hospital had to ask for him to stop bringing the donations in.

Since Fox's tour was during the holidays, he celebrated as much as could and he explained that little things pulled him • through such as care packages and letters.

Fox said, "Little things like that got you through. The military makes the best of it."

He was most touched by a letter that he received from a father, who was an executive of a company, with two children. The family wrote to Fox thanking them for his efforts and they wanted to show their appreciation. Fox saved all the letters he received and wrote as many people back as he could.

danger. When Fox became aware of the alarm, he knew it meant to hide under the bed or find safety immediately.

Fox said, "When there was an alarm red, it meant to take cover."

As Fox went through everyday, he spent his time on base and he described it as being nothing but dirt, sand and dust. It had regular buildings and outside of the fence were trees. Iraqi children were sometimes seen playing in the river outside of the base.

Although Fox spent most of his time working long days on base, in his spare time, he went to the gym. Fox described everyday being the same. He recalled going to the movies just one time while in Iraq. Troops had other restrictions as well. Having sexual relations with women and drinking alcohol while in Iraq were forbidden. Most of Fox's free time was spent volunteering at the hospital. On his off days, he spent eight to nine hours a day volunteering in activities such as mopping the floors in the hospital. Most of the time, he would

Despite the many risks in Iraq, Fox made it home safely in January. He is now in Aviano, Italy where he is currently stationed and he is continuing his work on aircrafts.

When asked if he would do it again, Fox said, "I was glad to be there. I would do it again. It makes you realize how short life is and it gives you a sense of purpose."