Christmas Letter 2008

Here is is in all it's glory! The Brough Family Christmas Letter!!!

Dear friends, family, and anyone we may have mistakenly sent this to,

Once again it is that time of year when I invade your homes with my propaganda, spreading holiday cheer and putting a positive spin on all the stupid things I’ve done over the last 12 months!

This year, I am writing the infamous (as in “more than famous”) Brough Family Christmas Newsletter from Fort Knox, Kentucky.  In case any of you didn’t know, Kentucky is the land that time forgot - if you listen very closely at any given time, you can faintly hear “dueling banjos” playing somewhere off in the distance.  Also, it is impossible to drive more than a few miles in any direction from the base without seeing at least 5 strip clubs, adult book stores, or less than classy looking pawn shops.

We’ve had a pretty busy year - let me give you the run down:

After enduring a few years of Becca putting me down because she was a big shot college grad and I was pond scum, I finally decided to finish my degree.  This entailed several semesters of online classes while I worked full time, and culminated in taking an entire online physics course in 8 days. 

I commissioned into the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant on May 2, 2008 and graduated  from Utah State with a bachelors degree in business and Spanish the following day.  The Army pretty much put me to work immediately, since July 2nd, I have been in training.

My first training was at Fort Benning, GA, where I attended BOLC II.  Currently I am with Becca and Eli at Fort Knox, KY, where I am attending the Armor Officers Basic Course.  This course has been fairly strenuous, both academically and in terms of field conditions.  I’ve spent many late nights completing homework.  Likewise, I’ve spent more than a few sub freezing nights attempting to sleep while sitting upright with all my gear on in a humvee.  By the time Becca sends out this letter, I’ll be in the middle of our “full spectrum FTX”, also known as “the gauntlet”.  Perhaps the most difficult aspect of my training has been trying to explain how it is that I am a Cavalry Officer, and the fact that I “don’t ride around on horses”.

Living in Kentucky hasn’t stifled the growth of our boy prodigy and developing super villain.  Eli has taken advantage of the wealth of knowledge and equipment here to develop his technical and tactical genius.  Most of this development has taken place at the local preschool, where he has organized his classmates into what will become the future political cadre of his regime.  Fundamental to his role in world domination, Eli has learned how to color inside the lines, how to read, not to run with scissors, how to share, and the importance of not butting in line. 

Becca Jo, mother of the future ruler of the world, has been happy to be living in Kentucky - mostly she’s just happy that she was able to quit being the apartment manager at the complex where we lived in Sugar House, Utah.  Shortly after we vacated the premises and she left that position, one of the more “interesting” residents attempted to burn the place down.  In any case, we’re glad we moved.  Becca has been working as always - keeping up her reputation as a great mother and wife.  Eli has been lucky to have a full time mother who takes him to museums and the zoo, reads to him, and takes him hiking.

We’ve loved the experience and the fact that our entire family has been able to participate a little bit in my training.  Becca and Eli were able to watch my class as we assaulted a small city.  They threw grenade simulators (baffling, since this is something that I’ve NEVER been allowed to do) onto the engagement area and after the operation, they were both able to fire a .50 cal machine gun from the gunner’s hatch of a Stryker (a wheeled armored fighting vehicle).  Becca took a turn firing every machine gun we carry.

It’s amazing to see how much things have changed for us in the last 12 short months.  As always, we look forward to hearing from all of you and we are anxious to see everyone one in Utah very soon!

Merry Christmas