In Baghdad

Well, I made it safe and sound. We flew in last night and the last part of the flight was shall I say interesting. We were in no danger that we knew of, it was just the pilot making his combat approach. Fun. What wasn't fun was sitting in a regular aircraft seat with all my body armor and kevlar helmet on. There isn't much room to move around.

Let see, where did I leave off last time? In Kuwait we received some close quarters combat arms training in the desert. Shooting next to someone you trust is a must. It was almost like camping but much dirtier. I took a baby wipe shower one night and you'd be amazed at how much better you feel after one of those. It was nice to get back to the base and take a real shower and shave. The professionals that taught us all of our combat skills along the way have been superb. Lets hope I never have to use those skills. Nuff said.

The one item I keep patting myself on the back for buying in the states is a headlamp. I paid $14.97 at Wal-Mart (in the camping section...made by everready) and it has been by far the best investment for this trip. The lamp has four settings and in most places, there isn't enough light to read by, so with the help of my headlamp, I can read at night using the red light. Our bathrooms (Navy head or Army lattrine) are parked outside of our tents and sometimes it's a short jaunt to get to the little boys room. The headlamp lights the way. If you are headed out here or if you are going camping, this little light is a god-send.

Back to Baghdad. Today we did some admin stuff and went to the Al Faw palace (I'll post pics later). This was Sadam's premier palace and the place is gorgeous! One thing about Baghdad that amazed me was that, unlike Kuwait, there are trees here. Lots of them. The weather is warm-hot in the day and cool at night. A group of us went to the PX to see what was available. Didn't buy much except a power adaptor. We start our classes tomorrow and I should find out where my permanent location will be shortly.

To all those following my journey, thanks for your unwaivering support and to my loved ones, I miss you all! That's all for now.