Smitty (AKA, Chris Smith) over at The Other McCain has announced in a recent blog post that he will be reporting to Kabul, Afghanistan in time for Christmas, and that he will not be writing anymore blog posts until late 2011. To be specific, Smitty wrote the following about his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan:

“Stacy has greased the skids here, but there will be a hiatus in regular blogging activity for the Smitty portion of this blog duo at the close of this post. I hold orders to activate in mid-November and report to Kabul, Afghanistan in time for Christmas. Bandwidth, and latitude for skylarking online will not exist until the end of 2011.

The attentive may recall that I’m a Navy reservist, and Afghanistan hasn’t much coast. Welcome to the modern, double-Jointed world, where Semper Gumby (always flexible) is the watchword. Have you supported Project Valor-IT yet?“

Smitty further writes the following about his upcoming departure and service to his country:

“But don’t thank me; thank Americans, from the Founding Fathers forward to the Tea Parties, to my electrician brother-in-law who just runs around fixing things all day. The exceptional American dedication to individualism, the ideals of the Constitution, and the courageous soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in whose bigger footsteps I follow make it all worth it. I’ve benefited so much from the American people, educationally and otherwise. Thus, it’s with a sense of gratitude to you that I depart on this set of orders, finishing out my Navy Reserve career in active duty style.”

Read the whole darn thing!! It is a truly inspirational and beautifully written column.

Oh, and Smitty–please take care of yourself. I’m sure that you will be fine, but we will all be praying for you just the same. Each and every one of us is extremely appreciative of your service, and I am honored to know you personally. Good luck and Godspeed. You have been a huge asset to the conservative blogosphere, and you will be sorely missed. Have a Merry Christmas.

PS–Smitty, this video goes out as a tribute to you, and to every soldier (and civilian) who has either served their country, or is currently in harm’s way.

Cross-posted from The Minority Report, Right Wing News, Hot Air’s Green Room, Parcbench and Hillbillypolitics.