I finally feel like I can talk about this, but I'll still let the news do the talking for me;


Victims Try To Move On After Fire
Miri Marshall-KFOX Morning News Traffic Anchor/Reporter
POSTED: 1:41 pm MST January 21, 2008
UPDATED: 8:52 pm MST January 21, 2008

EL PASO, Texas -- The stench of smoke was fresh in the air the day after a fire destroyed an apartment building in the Linda Vista Apartments.
The apartment building managers and Red Cross are trying to find other apartments for the 24 families that were left homeless. Many of the displaced residents are soldiers stationed at Fort Bliss like Sgt. Christopher Pathe.
"The entire ceiling had fallen down, so there's really just insulation. Everything I owned just burned up. So there's nothing but, burned debris everywhere,"said Pathe.
Monday, victims came back to gather their belongings that escaped the flames. For Pathe, there was nothing to get. He lived on the second floor. He said 39 years of his life was gone in a matter of 20 minutes.
"Within minutes, I just watched my entire apartment, everything I owned go up in flames," Pathe said.
The fire started Sunday night in the 1500 block of Magruder Street. Investigators said a 6-year-old child playing with matches and a lighter started the fire. No one was hurt, but several pets died. Firefighters said there is roughly $1 million dollars worth of damage.
Among the loss, there is a small ray of hope. Firefighters found a pet alive Monday.
The puppy was a bit shaken up, but survived. For one moment Pathe thought it was one of his seven cats that are missing. He hopes to find them alive. For now, he'll start to pick up the pieces.
"I'll be starting new again, I guess," he said.


EL PASO -- Fire investigators say a child playing with matches started the massive blaze that cut through ten apartment units Sunday night.
More than a 130 firefighters battled the blaze at the Linda Vista Apartments in the 1500 block of Magruder. It took them more than four hours to extinguish the blaze.
Officials said a six-year-old boy playing with matches and a lighter lit his mother's mattress on fire. Investigators said the blaze started in a bottom floor apartment and then traveled up the walls to the top floor and engulfed the roof.
Residents from 24 apartment units had to be evacuated via Sun Metro buses to a shelter at Ross Middle School.
This morning, the fire department allowed many of those residents to go back into their apartments to retrieve any items that might be salvaged. For many of those that went back, it was not much.
What stung the most of the fire victims is that many of the things they lost are irreplaceable. "I was the one that kept a lot of the family heirlooms and the photos from five generations back," said Sergeant. Christopher Pathe.
Specialist Charles Lepak said he lost letters from his wife, who is stationed in California. He also lost memorabilia from a fellow soldier that was killed in Iraq. "I wish I had grabbed his stuff," he said.
Officials say the fire has been ruled accidental. Since the boy is under 10 years of age, he will not face any charges, they said.
Damages to the apartment complex are estimated at over one million dollars.


More later...

Well I passed the USD class, three out of eight of us did it. One of my kittens died, two left. I've taken over as Mom for now. Noodles isn't doing a good enough job! Looks as though I'll be going to NJ for a couple of weeks starting on the 14th for a NLW (Non Leathal Weapons) course. NLW, how alien for a "Grunt"?!?!?!

Quick update, been very very busy and we are about to go to 24 hour days ..two shifts a day all day. Got promoted on the 15th, I'm now a Sergeant. My oldest cat Gabriel died at the beginning of this month, he was thirteen. My beloved big ass cord eating rabbit died a week later. Do you remember Guinness? She had to be the most charismatic pet I've ever owned, and I've owned a LOT! Speaking of having a lot of pets, Noodles just gave birth to three kittens today, I'm now up to eight cats ...that's like a lot too many for one guy in a two bedroom apartment who works all the time and is about to work a lot more and who is obviously not the one in charge in this household... *whew* There are times I have to remind them that I live here too, and pay the bills, and feed them, and put their cat furniture together, and buy them toys... y'all tracking? I'm in an Unarmed Self Defense course right now to become an instructor (An additional duty that I really need right now?!?!?) if all goes well I should graduate tomorrow, we'll see, I must pass the final hands on test.

Hope all is well with you guy and gals.

Football

Hi, I'm Chris and I'm a flake...

This is crazy, weird and hard to do all at the same time. I really can't explain why it's been so long and why I'm typing now, but it does feel good. Maybe this LJ stuff is better than I thought. I figured I was doing everyone a favor by sitting on the sidelines and keeping my mouth shut because I had nothing more to bring to the table... Being so caught up in adjusting to a new lifestyle (My own apartmentment, by myself - a new State and a new job to boot, essensially a new beginning altogether) God, this is involving too much thought, not much gray matter left you know (Too much acid in the '80's me thinks)

...So anyways, I've been adding just about anyone who shows me that they still support the GWOT (Global War On Terrorism) on MySpace, never reply, never do anything but try and keep supporting the supporters I guess, then I decided to check out my "Friends page" on LJ... I see I'm not alone in this goofy situation!?!?! Go figure, and maybe that's what this is all about?

For lack of better wording I felt "Disconnected" ...no pun intended. I could keep going but I won't ...time will tell I suppose.

First of all let me wish all you Moms out there a Happy Mothers Day.

I'd also like to congratulate Martina on graduating law school.

Now on to the kids ...did I mention I took in the three other kittens that were in the sewer? So I'm up to four kittens and a giant rabbit. Three of the kittens are black and I can't tell them apart.




( Read more... )

I know it's been forever, but this is important.

( Read more... )

My new roommate...



This little bugger has already cost me hundreds in chewing damages. *sigh* Yeah, he's cute and funny but he's also a little terror. In fact, I've been off line for a couple of days because he disabled my internet, amongst other things. I could go on but I won't. I love the little fella and he's a riot to watch but he's still grounded.

Crap, I forgot to tell you what I named him... GUINNESS.

FINALLY!!!

I'm out of the barracks and into an apartment. My roommate is moving in tonight, more on him later. I am now connected and will be online.

I was surprised when I read about 'Boni' and the rest of us in the USA Today. They called us a "Black-sheep Guard unit" ...that's a good thing right?

I was at a pet store playing with a Chow puppy and his buddy a Huskey when they stole my headgear, nothing wimpier then needing help from the staff to retrieve my beret from the puppies playing tug of war with it. I feel the need to explain that the beret is part of my military uniform, not a part of my civilian attire! Yup, I lost major cool points on that one.
Anyways...

Well, just wanted to say hi, and I'm sure I'll post more tonight when my new roomie gets here.

Still in limbo, still at Ft. Bliss... still no internet!!!

Just a note to say hi. Hope all is well with you guys.

I was going to make a longer post but as it turns out my battery has only got a few more minutes left in it.

I'm in Texas now, Ft. Bliss actually, and that's the end of the line for me. I won't be going back to California now, this is my new home for at least a year. I took an assignment here that has me training new troops heading across the pond for their tour. Quite a big move and decision that I had to make with about 12 hours notice. I'll be going back to Cali within a month I guess to visit and move my stuff back here. Will explain more later.

I'm outta here... tomorrow. Talk to you all in Kuwait or Texas, or maybe California.

I'll actually update about the last few weeks at home I think.

I have a number of options available to me in regards to coming back, I'll see which works best when I find out more.

I hope you're all doing well. :)

-Selfinflict out.

A lot of you have asked about sending mail and I appreciate it so much but as of the 10th we're cut off. We should be moving into the tents soon so I figure I'll only be online for a couple more weeks. Between the internet connection, LJ mail delays and me living up to my name "selfinflict" and opening up a MySpace account I'm getting slammed online. And my camera broke. I should be good for a couple more posts and then I'll see ya back home.



What does your handwriting say about YOU?