HI everyone.
Sorry I have not written in a while, but it has been hectic over here. We have gone from a little hole in the desert to this base becoming a small city with over ten thousand soldiers.
The temperatures get up to about 120 degrees in the daytime, but the nights are almost human, coming in at about 100.
We had one day of overcast skies and the temp hovered under 100, so we all had to pull out our mountain gear and put on the Gore-Tex. I mean we were shivering!!! BRRRR!!!
The winds have died down over the last month; even the wind is smart enough to stay out of the heat.
All week long the choppers we use have been crashing. 3 this week alone. 'No indication of enemy fire'..., read between the lines.
The food goes from being moderately stale, to absolutely adobe brick. I have been thinking for a week about Chicago pizza when I come home in 2 weeks. I cannot wait for some real food. Sometimes they have decent chow at the DFAC, but that is not too often. We stand in line outside in the sun waiting to get in for about a half an hour at every meal.
I have been watching many rocket launches going into the mountains, and I have to admit, it is an adrenaline rush just hearing it and seeing it.
We still are sleeping in a group tent on cots, and we hear constant choppers, howitzer cannons shelling outbound, and a few sporadic small arms fire outside the gates. I will not be able to sleep when I get home without all the noise.
I still laugh when a new guy comes in, because they are always terrified when they hear the first bomb go off. LIke deer in the headlights. We had a few pops tonight, and a couple of 'tough-guys' started talking about de-mobing (Going home). The funny part of it was the shells were outbound, not inbound, so there was no danger, just a lot of noise.
Nothing like a good mortar attack to take all of the testosterone out of those kind of guys. Big shots!
Hmmph!
8 more days then I get to lay on the beach in Dubai for 5 days and come home.
I cannot wait. but I will probably have to bring my jacket.
More later.
Hey Jim! Yes, pull out the parka. This is the coldest July we have had in over a century! Just heard that on the news this morning. So sorry I missed your call, it was great to hear from you though! Looking forward to seeing you when you get home. Nothing new here.
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