Uncle Arlo and Isabelle

Carlos was fourteen or fifteen when Isabelle was born. He wasn't too comfortable holding a baby and avoided holding Isabelle. Maiko was living next door to us and finances were tough on him. Carlos moved in with him and we helped with the rent. Isabelle spent the first three years spending time with Carlos every time she was with Maiko. When she started to talk, her first word was "Arlo". That was her name for her uncle Carlos. She loved wrestling with her uncle. She also loved arguing with him and they would compete over Elfida's attention. When Carlos left for boot camp she really missed him. When we told Isabelle that we were going to go see Carlos become a Marine, she found a small US flag that had been in Carlos' room and said she was taking it to wave at Carlos so he could see her.
She grew up in a house full of Marine Corps paraphernalia. Her dad had graduated from boot camp in 1997 and served four years in the Marines. It was a long drive from Waco, Tx. to San Diego, Ca. Isabelle had a great trip. Not only was she going to see her uncle Arlo but her great grandma was also going.
We had bought her a portable DVD player for the long trip and I beleived she saw the "Emperor's Groove" four or five times during the trip.
Isabelle enjoyed bugging her uncle every chance she got. Carlos spent his time paying her back for it. She knew he had broken his foot during the Crusible and would ask us how he was doing and when he could come home. She had to wait to hug her Uncle when we first saw him at the Marine Depot. Grandma got to hug Carlos first. Isabelle wanted to follow her uncle everywhere. These series of pictures were taken as Carlos walked around and Isabelle followed.
Now that her Uncle is in Iraq, she writes his notes everytime we send him a package. It is just letters strung together, but it her way of telling him how much she loves him and misses him. He has been out of country for over a year now. Isabelle was telling my wife the other day that when Carlos came home she was not going to fight with him any more.When Carlos was in Florida going through his training, he sent her a full set of Marine cammies. She wears them to the Central Texas Marine Family support group meetings. Gunny Sunday, one of the Marine recruiters in Waco when Carlos signed up, gave her some chevrons which she wears with her cammies.
I mentioned that Carlos broke his leg while at boot camp, it happened in December of 04. We were in Eagle Pass when we got a call at night from Carlos. He was telling us that he had broken his foot and wouldn't graduate with his platoon. He was very upset. He had grown attached to his group and had been doing great. He was hoping to graduate as the top recruit and now it had all changed. He was depressed and we were worried. Gunny Sunday was our granite pillar. He checked on Carlos on a weekly basis and made sure we were kept informed of his morale and his healing. As young as Isabelle was, she was aware of this and Gunny Sunday and his wife became her favorite friends. Isabelle now five years old, found out that Carlos was in Iraq and told Elfida that she didn't like him being there because that was were they killed Marines... I don't know where she heard this but I know that this war is now even on the minds of babies.