Into Iraq

Spent a few hours at work before my showtime for the flight to Tallil, Iraq. While I was getting lunch, my phone rang and I was informed that the schedule has been moved up 20 minutes. Chowed down the burger and drove to the passenger terminal. After the files we had in the system were lost and we presented new ones, we picked up our weapons.

As an officer, I get an M-9 pistol, very convenient. We waited for quite some time for our flight, so long that I'd actually stopped looking at my watch. We loaded up the bus and went out to the plane. Apparently, there was a mission change while we were enroute; they were pulling off cargo and putting in med-evac litters. The medevac team showed up and we were on our way. The plane was rather packed with people. I was next to a USMC gunny going back to Tallil.

Are you sure this is the first class section?

Once on the ground, I made a few calls for pickup and we were able to stow our weapons before catching the chow hall DFAC before it closed. We were driven to our rooms and told about the possibility of a day trip to the Ziggurat of Ur and some of Saddam's old chemical labs (allegedly). Might get to go on Saturday. People here seem friendly enough, the food was good, too.

Our lodging is a tent, but they have beds and wooden dividers and the feel of a frat house. Sure, some-to-all of the furniture is old or plywood and the air conditioning vent is a cloth tube with holes in it, but it has character. In that way, it's better than the non-descript dorms I've spent the last five months in. Almost feels like summer camp, but the temperature is cooler.

All the dust in the air makes for beautiful sunsets

Related Links:

• More posts from: End of Tour Summary: OIF/OEF Deployment #1
• My Air Force Career
• My Military to Civilian Transition
• Summer in Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, & Indonesia