hi anthony
its good to see that things are going well on your site.It didnt take long for the army to get under my skin,got yelled at for taking more time off,another hole in the wall to fix at work.
tammy is going well,not long now.

getting more info on ptsd annon,its going to be hard but worth it.If you can ask round for ppl that want to help my email is alex_barber65@yahoo.com.au cus a problem shared is a problem halved even if it is to spread the word.
we love you guys

Gday mate... glad you could make it here. How'd we guess they would get under the skin real quick? Bunch of tossers. They just can't understand... no matter what they say, they just suck at PTSD. They have no bloody idea what impact it is having on you, nor everyone around you. I was watching this funny bit on the news the other night, about how the new Army RAAF commander is going to implement all this new equitable touchy feely stuff, and just laughed. He can sit on his post and preach all he wants, but unless the actual leaders change, then he has little hope, and there is no way in hell, most of the senior staff are going to change their minds about things. This is one reason I'm glad I'm gone from all that stuff, as I tried to have some sort of understanding, and let soldiers do what needed to be done, providing they didn't hang themselves when given too much rope, but most just have no idea. There are some real good leaders in there, but mostly shit for brains, with no real concept on how to lead people. These people wouldn't last five minutes in civie street, as a foreman or equivalent, managing civilian staff, as they'd tell em to pissoff.

Mate, I will get the word out about PTSD Annon, and will post some stuff here on it also for people to contact you. It would be a great gift back to us all I think, especially once your qualified from uni. Tam would be great support for you on that avenue.

Kerrie and I can't wait to see bub... all excited over another new little tacker joining us all. When she goes in mate, if your going to the pub, give me a call, and I'll come down and join you. You'll be a great dad... no doubt. Bub will be a welcomed site to you when coming home from the Army, that I can guarantee you. You already know mine is such a big bundle of therapy for me... their just innocent, and you relate to it immediately, and suddenly all the problems just go away... like magic!

P.S. - I'm surprised you didn't just tell em to go f*ck themselves! I would have. Who got up you? Next time I go in and see the lads, I'll put it up em...

I was also speaking with Evelyn at the breakup, and she is coming to join also, and share her wisdom with us all. She would be some great support to have here. She's going to give me lots of info and that to put up here, along with writing her own bits and pieces and share the knowledge with us a bit more... should be interesting.

Hello Anthony, Kerrie- Ann and Boys,

Well our family has come along well since we last saw you. The army is still stuffing us around but what's new? Alex finally convinced me to go and see a doctor and I did and now I am on anti- depressants to; the doctor said it could be post natal! You are so right about a child's innocence making everything else disappear. Jackson is a great form of stress relief for both Alex and myself. We are going on holiday soon- to South Australia for my brothers wedding- so I am expecting Alex's anxiety to come forward again. Jackson is trying so hard to crawl now- he gets so frustrated! He is a healthy little man- 8.13 kilos at 5 months. So even if I am underweight, he is going really well. Alex is on five half days a week at work now; while we wait for his discharge date they want him to go back full time- god only knows why... He has gone off a few times but nothing to dramatic that he's told me about. He is an excellent father to Jackson; the best in the world in my opinion! We have set a date for our wedding now to- 29th June 2008... but that's as far as we've got... I suppose we should get engaged first! We hope all is well with you guys but I am upset about one thing--- that you won't be comig to the next reunion of Cohort 18... you will be missed! Any way I had better go. Talk again soon...

Hey Tammy,

Good to hear your all doing very well. I would like to come up, but honestly, the last one really messed with me bad. Somewhere in between returning to Townsville, then having my expectations of the course staff give a shit, shattered. I was pretty pissed with it all, and the only good thing was the catching up with everyone. It was really great to see everyone again, but I know it is the best for me not to be returning to Townsville, considering that is where most of my problems stemmed within the military, and every operation was from Townsville and returned to Townsville, so its all bad for me.

I was supposed to ring Alex the other week... I am sorry... I have just been lazy, but haven't forgotten. Been going through some shitting times myself, with good old PTSD rearing its ugly head in full force... but I seem to be feeling a lot better the last day or so, and hoping it stays that way for some time.

Little ones rock don't they? They are the best to bring out a parents true inner-self. 2008 ha.... if were invited, I would come back to Townsville for that... definately. That is great news, congratulations.

Stress has been getting the better of me for the last couple of months now, but I think I might have released it all and over it a bit... fingers crossed.

Hi Again,

Congratulations on the wedding date........I have heard that you usually get engaged first but why conform? Anthony will definately NOT be attending the next reunion. To put it bluntly he has been a pain in the ass ever since. He was really unwell when he returned, and I concur with his hope that it has all settled down for a bit. It was a unanimous family decision that he does not go there again....even the cats!!! I have considered that I may go if Vet Affairs pays for it, I have some things I would like to do up that way but we will see. Anyhow, take care of you, as in the last post, hugs all around.