Things That Go Boom!

Someone asked me today what I liked about being in Iraq. I looked at him and said, "Are you smoking crack? What can there possibly be that I like about this place?!" Then I thought for a bit and there isn't much I like about Iraq per se but the opportunity to get to know other Soldiers better has been great during this deployment. I've met some really nice and interesting people to include my roommate. I don't miss doing laundry. I'm afforded some time to complete some goals since I'm not doing laundry, cooking meals, running to the store and all the other things that go along with daily life. I've hardly watched any TV except for the 20 mins of Sky News during breakfast. This is definitely a good thing to not be parked in front of the TV. Oh, to put in a good word for this vacation destination, I have seen some of the most incredibly sunsets in my life.

I've decided I'm going to start my own rules on How to Prepare for a Deployment.
#1. If you arrive home and you find a package at your doorstep, immediately inform the authorities, notify all of the neighbors, get them out of bed (even if they were on night shift) and have them move away from the area. Wait for the bomb squad to blow up the mystery package. Sift through the debris and determine it was the item you had mail ordered from William's Sonoma.

We had some excitement on the Contingency Operating Base (COB) today. One of our Soldiers came running into the office and could barely speak. When he finally could, he said that an Iraqi had handed him and another Soldier a computer bag with a passport. The passport was expired. The Iraqi left so our guys put the bag down and that's how our young Soldier came to be in front of us; barely breathing.

The First Sergeant went to report the incident and I went with the Soldier. Once on site, we moved everyone back, far back and in moments, the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) was on site. They cordoned off the area and after a long while they destroyed the said bag. It just so happened to be a Soldier's computer and he had departed today. He had survived the deployment but the computer died. Good lesson...never leave your stuff behind. It just might get blown up!

In all seriousness, we can't be too careful here. I'd rather we error on the side of being too cautious than have an incident we would never forget.

I've been busy working on acquiring different things for the company. One of the air conditioners in the tent doesn't work so I had to put in a work order request. There are a lot of AC issues all over camp so when I went to check on the status of the work order, I made sure to bring some chocolate along. Chocolate and a smile go a long way. We've been moved closer to the top of the list for getting it done. :) I've also learned to just ask for stuff even if it seems like no one would give up the item I want. Example: I'm looking for some shelving for the supply room. I was walking by one of the closed dining facilities and I saw all these great shelves. I tracked down one of the KBR guys and he's talking to his boss. It's looking favorable... I'll keep you posted. However it's getting too warm for chocolate! Maybe Gummy Bears will work!

Miss Dani Rae: The cookies have worked, too. Thanks to you and your troop and the families from Bairdstown, KY!