Never Learn

I'm a person who never realizes what I have until something changes. Pretty much this whole deployment has been slow and myself and the other guys kept talking about how much we would prefer to be busy. Well we've been out every night this week and again tonight, its 0130 here and we should be out within the hour. So grabbing sleep has been in random increments throughout the day, but so far I've gotten not more than 3 hours at once. Hopefully the locals will settle down a bit again and I can go back to sleeping and watching movies. Despite the sleeplessness this past week has been fun and makes being over here not feel like a waste of time.

Heres to a quick mission and, if nothing changes, two straight days of sleep.

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I'm going to use this week to complain about the Twins. The Central is not good and yet the Twins will be lucky to stay ahead of the Indians the way things are going.

Should be getting out a few times this coming week to visit the locals. We took last week off which was cool with me. Other than that I slept wrong on my shoulder and I think I have a pinched nerve or something and early last week I pulled a calf muscle. So all in all I'm feeling old and falling apart. I blame not dipping and for the sake of my health I may start again...inner debate I'll let you know who wins.

Not much else.

P.S. The Vikes looked good. Due to that peformance I predict 14-2 and a Super Bowl win.

The Locals

Its an odd sensation to be surrounded by people who seem to idolize you yet you don't trust a single one. We've been working at training them a bit but thats like trying to teach a autistic dolphin to walk on land. Plus they spend half the time trying to touch me, I think they do it to be friendly but its creepy. Bro I have a large personal space bubble please respect that.

But they are nice and while you cannot trust them at some point you have to trust someone and hopefully they prove you wrong...I sincerely hope they do. Overall they might not be able to win a war but they are doing a good job at policing themselves. Which will hopefully get some more of our soldiers home that much sooner.

Less than 90 days left.

Good luck to the Henne's, this week should be fairly exciting for them.

So the big news for myself is I have now gone a month without chewing tobacco. I've haven't said anything preiously because over the past 12 years I've "quit" about 250 times. But since I can't buy it out here it makes it a little easier. Pretty much the only time it gets tough is when we play vids but other than that its cool. Plus I made a promise to an angry little woman in Virginia and you don't want to be on her bad side. Other than that slow week. Never left the base. But its already August so it getting the light in the tunnel is getting closer.

Peace.

Another week

So we actually got out this past week for a change. But I have a profound new appreciation for the term 'wild goose chase' after being in Iraq. You cannot fathom the frustration in milling through the desert for 10 hours looking and not finding 'it.' Then told hey its over here...no its actually not over there. Screw you guys we're going home.

Lately just reading a lot. I'm not saying I regret joining because I like what I do and who I work with. But a big part of me just wanted to see if I could do it and now I now I can and after I get home I'd kinda like to say thanks for the memories see you guys later but I have at least one more and right now that doesn't look to appealing. But I can also just as easily see myself signing on and doing another 3-4 or years after by initial duty is up.

But hope everyone is doing well. Keep living the dream.

Stage 16

So they sent half our guys to another base so its been pretty quiet here the past few days. There just isn't any work here right now, not there is work where they are going but its hard to justify so many guys here when we just sunbath all day.

Spending my morning watching Lance and riding the bike trainer which is a nice change from running everyday.

Did some really cool training with the AF the other night. We got paintball guns and had to defend it was a lot of fun.

Hope everyone is doing great. Take care.

The Pullout

Well as of June 30th we pulled out of the major provinces in our AO and throughout Iraq. Since then we haven't had anything to do. Twice both times in the middle of the night we had trackers go off but after rushing to get our gear on and the battle plan set we were told we were no go and went back to bed.

We were always told this pullout would go one of two ways: things were going to get really bad or things would stay calm. Overall luckily its stayed calm. There are still rumblings things could always set off soon but so far so good.

Not much else.

Podunk, Iraq

Well for the past almost two weeks I've been staying at a place that would be nice if they had running water, showers, toilets that didn't require the buckets to be burned when filled, A/C basically anything more than what was there. It was exactly my worst fear...to be honest I like what I do but I hate being dirty and for this entire time I've pretty smelled like a dirty diapers with the occasional wet-nap wipedown.

Things I learned: After 11 straight days I can grow a nice beard but other than the pics on my cam no one will ever know cause I hate facial hair; whenever you think you have no where else a bug can bite you you're wrong; its always better to ask forgiveness than permission (that story will come out at home); and finally living on a diet of MREs (food that for some reason doesn't go bad for like two years) ruins your digestion system. The sheer pain of deciding while hunkered in your sleeping bag whether to stick your head out and be bitten or to give yourself the worst dutch-oven known to man was great. Think about that tonight when you lay on your down mattresses.

But as far as what we were there for it was good and it took a few more days than expected but it was done. In transit back 'home' now where I'll sleep all day and not leave my a/c room for awhile.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Uncle Lonnie I think you'll be impressed with my beard pics.

2 month mark

Well this past week as been by far our busiest. We had some reports a couple of weeks ago about increased activity and low behold the intel guys something right for once. There are only so many times you trust someone who keeps telling yeah hes in that town and you come to find to out no he's not.

Some crazy sandstorms the past few days. Other than that we got this zombie map for xbox and we pretty much just play that all day long so life is good. Hope everyone else is well.

Strehlo I'm not sure if you've gotten married yet but if so congrats. Sam you're a very brave woman.

Update

So this is purely to let everyone know I'm safe. However its difficult to get hurt right now due to the fact I haven't left base in a week. We've had a few things my team just wasn't up in the rotation so I get to run drills all day. Its like being in school again and being able to do nothing but practice, the coach says a big game is coming up but it never materializes.

I've been trying to keep busy building a new gate for the compund. Other than that I sleep a lot.

Take care guys. I'll do the same.