As September begins it seems as though we can see summer ending. The days of blistering heat are slowly coming to an end and the mornings seem rather crisp and cool. The danger of course is never ending and everyone is still at a hundred percent, as far as security is concerned. One often times hears conversation of going home, which a month ago was never really mentioned. It is as if to speak too much of going home might bring on bad luck so it's not spoken of in detail. We all know nothing counts until we are on the good soil of the U.S. of A.
We continue to ready the people of Iraq for the defense of their country and progress is slow at times but on a steady rise. I and others know that violent death is a part of what Iraq has been for fifty years and it is accepted without much ever being said. Just today I was speaking to one of my Iraqi friends, Sadaam, and asked him why he wasn't at the base on Friday. He responded by telling me his brother in law had been murdered for being in the Iraqi Army. He didn't seem overly upset and I offered my condolences and he just shrugged and said "Shukran, insh Allah".
I am always taken by the fact that when we go on some of our neighborhood searchs for illegal arms and contraband that there is never really any challenge to our right to enter the homes of any Iraqi we choose. I must say that most of the time it's the Iraqi soldiers that do the searching and we just watch. That kind of stuff is unthinkable in America. We will search whole villages and always leave as welcome intruders, or so it seems. Here in central Iraq the reception is still warm everywhere we go.
I am puzzled at times by the draw of going on active patrols, they are very dangerous and deadly but it seems that's where I belong. I hated doing them when I was more active but time did go by quickly, it seems that one is the most alive when confronted with bodily harm, it sounds strange but that is the truth. The vast majority of Americans sent here will only experience life outside the wire but a few times, and I suppose that's agood thing, but it is truley something different to relive.
I just read your article and i just wanted to say thank you for fighting for us it is amazing that you are willing to risk your lives for the US of A.From the bottom of my heart i thank you for what you are doing for this country
hey man, i am home sick from work today and just found your blog. i was in 1st platoon a co. 2/108 infantry at o'ryan last year. I've often thought about you guys (especially during ramadan when all hell seems to break loose) and wished i had gotten an e-mail adress to keep track of what was going on in my old a/o. do you guys still call the boot camp "camp pain?" have you checked out "justanothersoldier.com? A guy in my squad had a blog while we were there and wrote a book when we got home. im looking through my pics to see if i can find any from when WE first got there. one thing in your writing i would like to comment on is going to war with the national guard. i spent two months over there on a detail assigned to an active duty unit.)also, i was in the 82nd abn for three years before coming to the guard.) believe me when i tell you i would rather go to war with my company any day of the week and twice on sunday! these guys actually tried to give me one can of ammo for a 240 on a mission one day!! people can talk all the trash they want, but i am convinced the only advantage the regular army has is over all unit physical fitness since were usually a bit older. keep up the writing, and keep your head down!!
johnnyo