Elias is back on U.S. soil!

Check out Elias and Sara's new business!

Click here!

In January 2007, days before he left the Army, Captain Elias A. Donker, representing the 101^st Airborne Rakassans, decided to have an adventure and entered himself in an Elite Cage Fighting Contest. Just for fun.   Brock and I drove to Bloomington to witness the event. So did Elias’ commanding officers.

During the registration and the weigh-in opponents got to chat with each other. Above left is Elias’ opponent, a rather flabby, non-athletic type of a guy. At right a confidant grin. “I can take this guy!” Bottom left: Elias shows off for Brock. On the right it looks

like the guy is being warned about Elias by his “Second”.  Sara and Elias, confident

as ever and Elias with his “Second”,  a US Marine buddy. Mingling with the crowd, it is

almost time for the fight. Elias’ fight was next to the last one of the evening and we had to sit through fourteen bouts. I found the whole thing rather boring and could hardly wait until Elias’ turn in the cage. After all I only came to support HIM, I really had no interest in the whole affair.  One last kiss…

Here comes Elias! Getting his hands gloved and taped and he’s ready for action!

Two minutes into the first round (Three minutes) the opponent, by a fluke, got Elias on the ground and sat on his chest, trying to beat Elias to a pulp. Elias just laid there, protected his head and awaited the end of the round. The crowd roared, as they KNEW that if given the chance Elias would finish the guy off in a hurry. Sure enough, the second round proved to be fatal for the opponent…

Fifty seven seconds into the second round, Elias saw his chance, drew back and “POW” Knocked the guy out…  That’s my kid! t’Was sorta fun to see this kind of thing but it is definitely not MY cup of tea. 

   Mid-August Sara notified us that Elias would be coming home from Iraq around the first week of September.  While Elias was deployed his “toy”, a monster souped-up Jeep with a Corvette motor had been left in the care of Elias’ best friend Travis. Travis, an “Ace” mechanic had worked on the Jeep while Elias was gone and now had it all ready for the “Captain”.  Could Mom and Dad please bring it with them when they came down to Clarksville to welcome Elias home?

            “Complete Outdoor” rented the heavy-duty tandem trailer at a “soldier-special” rate, Mr. Trendelman loaned us the 2 5/16” hitch ball and off we went… 6000 lbs. behind the Suburban…

On Saturday, September 9^th off we went to Clarksville.  All the way down there, every time I looked in the rear view mirror… there was this Jeep. Following us, closely! ;-)

We arrived in Clarksville without incident and met an excited Sara who could not wait for the night to pass! Elias’ flight was supposed to arrive around two in the afternoon on Sunday. Sunday morning was spent in the kitchen: Ellen and Sara made an all American apple pie, cooked up new potatoes and “Doskie” green beans and fried enough chicken to feed an army. By noon we drove to the base and gathered in a large hangar awaiting the return of our soldiers.

To entertain the waiting relatives, an Army band played crowd favorites and Sara tried to maintain her composure. Then the word came that the plane was about to land and everyone went outside.

Moments later the door opened and out came the soldiers, in full battle dress, arms and all.

Being an Officer Elias was among the first off the plane and it did not take much to pick him out of the crowd.  Once the troops were on the ground their gear and weapons were accounted for and they marched into the hangar.  The troops, standing at ease, were welcomed home by a Brigadier General, who thanked them for their service, and sacrifice. The Chaplain led everyone in a prayer of thanks and then the soldiers were dismissed into the arms of their loved ones.

Mom and Dad were just a little glad the kid was back home in the good old USA!

 Superwoman Sara just had to check out the weight of Elias’ gear… all 72 pounds of it!

Behind that jacket is a very excited “Stitch”, their dog who definitely remembered the master!  Sara’s parents had also come down for the welcoming and once Elias had taken a shower, we all sat down for that super-duper dinner Sara and Ellen had put together earlier.

Well before Elias’ return from this, his second deployment to Iraq, Elias had become somewhat disgruntled with the politics of war. In E-mails and phone calls he had made it clear that he was strongly considering resigning his commission and leaving the Army. Over dinner he made his decision clear to everyone: As of February 1^st 2007 Elias will no longer be an officer in the United States Army. His plans are to purchase some land here in Sullivan County, build a house and start a landscaping business that will be an outgrowth of Ellen’s Riverview Nursery…. Time will tell…

And then the “old fogies” left the kids alone and went back to Indiana.

Elias is safe and sound on US soil again.

Thank You Lord!

In early June 2006 Sara and Elias were re-united as Elias came home on a two-week leave from the war zone in Iraq. Sara went to pick Elias up at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, they spent a few days at home in Clarksville and then came up to see Mom & Dad. 

Even though the new house is not yet ready for occupancy the kids decided they would like to “camp out” in the new house. No water, no toilet, and none of the amenities associated with “home”. Still it was wonderful to have the kids here and Ellen and I took it as quite the compliment that the kids decided to stay in the soon-to-be-finished house.

One of the chores that had been Ellen’s heart’s desire was to re-locate the deer stands up on our “hunting preserve” and create a brush pile to both divert and give shelter to the deer. Since Elias will be home from Iraq in September and deer season starts shortly thereafter this seemed to be a good time to go up into the woods and do some major re-organizing. The old pick up truck, the four-wheeler and Elias’ Jeep all came in handy as “bad” tree after “bad” tree was cut down and dragged to the brush pile.

 This area of our woods was totally over grown with all kinds of under brush, walnut/cherry /ash and maple trees, interspersed with less desirable trees like locusts, box elder and sassafras. After tagging the better trees, we “went to town” and cut down all of the less disable trees and used them to build an “S” shaped brush pile.  The brush pile will give shelter to many a rabbit, diverge the “traffic-flow” of the deer and also give the deer a place to bed down.

While Elias cut down most of the trees, and, with his youthful strength moved the smaller pieces, Ellen and Sara hauled the bigger pieces of trunks into place using the four-wheeler.

When it came to whole trees, Elias delighted in using his four-wheel drive Jeep to move things where they needed to be moved! …Up and over the brush pile… no matter!

“Stich”, Elias and Sara’s dog had a ball running free and wild all over the woods.

And then, joined by our friend Polly, we had a wonderful smoked sausage picnic, complete with corn on the cob and “smores” for dessert!

In a few days Elias will be returning to Iraq, but having readied the woods for the up- coming deer hunt this fall will make his last few months in Iraq easier to take. We are all looking forward to his safe return.

We just received Elias' address in Iraq. For those of you who would like to
send him a note or a care package, here is his address:

1LT Elias A. Donker
A, 3-320th FA
FOB Remegan
3rd Brigade Combat team
101st Airborne Division (AASLT)
APO, AE 09393

It's September 18th and Mom and Dad are both a little out of sorts. As I
type this Elias is on his way to Kuwait, where he'll be for a couple of
weeks. Then he goes to his assigned area somewhere in Iraq. He'll be gone
for a year or so and we can but trust God that Elias will come back in one
piece. God be with him, his comrades and Sara.
 

Towards the end of August 2005, Elias came visiting. He had a good time  messing around up in our  woods , sleeping in and helping Mom and Dad with this that and the other thing. To please Mom & Dad he donned his new uniform so we could take his picture prior to him  being deployed again...

Note how peaceful and low the Wabash......

Elias and Sara and their friend Scott came up this weekend. Shooting range, steak sandwiches for lunch, play in the woods, motorcycle trip etc, etc. Wonderful to have the kids here! Too bad we do not have a place for them to sleep yet....we have hight hopes though that a house will materialise.....

Elias and Sara are now firmly settled in Clarksville ,Tennessee. Stationed at Ft. Campbell, which is right on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, they bought a house and put up a fence in the back yard for "Stitch", the Heinz 57 "Killer Dog". Rumor has it that Elias will be deployed again, but no one knows for sure. So the First Lieutenant goes to work, trains and goes to parties. Here's a picture of Sara and Elias at the latest Officer's Ball. "Handsome couple" said the Dad with a certain amount of pride...;-)  Ellen and I went down to see Elias and Sara and had a really nice weekend.  Saturday the weather was beautiful, the sun was shining and  the kids took  us out for lunch at a very nice open air tea room. Really NICE!  Saturday night Elias and Sara went all out and  served up some mean porkchops. For dessert they baked Ellen a belated birthday cake, her favorite: German Double Chocolate complete with candles. Sunday the weather changed for the worse and since it was too cold to be outside   we helped cleaning out the garage and closet. Hey! It was cold outside! Had to do  SOMETHING!  A good time was had by all!

Home for Thanksgiving, Elias went hunting every day.....Friday morning he got deer 1   Sunday morning (last day of shotgun season) deer 2 . He definitely takes after his Mom in the hunting department! 

Fall 2004 and it is deer season again in Indiana. Elias came up from Fort
Campbell to try his luck at getting a "bow" deer. He's been up three week
ends now, but so far has not yet harvested a deer. Despite his "Gilley"
suit!

Mom & Dad laid their hands on a "new " tractor, a 1973 Massey Ferguson with a mean front loader. Awesome! Of course Elias had to check it out when he was up from Clarksville!

It's March 2nd and Sara and Elias are "outtahere". :-) Back to Ft. Campbell, their house in Clarksville and the rest of their lives! We don't know about you, but Mom and Dad sure enjoyed your visit!

See you next time!    

...And the joy continues as Sara and Elias are having a good time running around on the new bike. The sign is in front of the fire house in "down town" Fairbanks, compliments of the Fairbanks Volunteer Fire Department. (Thanks guys!)

Now that he's on a thirty day block leave, Sara and Elias are spending a few days here at home. Today (Saturday Feb. 21st) was sort of special: the kid picked up his brand new YZF-R6 S Yamaha motorcycle...What a thrill - now he 's got TWO!! Hey, the old red and white one is for sale, any takers?