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| Hi everybody! It's Tuesday, June 27, and I'm just getting back in the swing of things after traveling for 5 days last week. I took part in the memorial ceremony for Brent Koch last Wednesday at the Talil Airbase, near the city of Nasiriyah, which is about 250 miles from my location at Camp Taqaddum.
How long does it take to travel 250 miles back in the states? Probably a little longer now that my twins are potty trained and we have to stop a lot more frequently. But still, you're talking 4, 5, 6 hours of travel time, give or take. Over here, it took 22 hours to get there, and 30 hours to travel back. And that's all from air travel, not ground convoy. Everybody knows that getting around Iraq is dangerous. But you'd think that with all the airplanes and helicopters flying around, it would be relatively easy to catch a flight. Not so. From here, I had to fly to another big base in Iraq, then down to Kuwait, and finally to my destination. On the return trip, it was even harder because the normal flights were cancelled. So I had to hop on a Japanese military flight back down to Kuwait, then back up to a big base in Iraq, then hop a helicopter over to TQ. That also involves waiting in various air terminals along the way, which are, shall we say, lacking the comforts of a civilian airport. Anyway, the ceremony itself was very large and very powerful. We've practiced this ceremony many times in the abstract, but this was the first time we had to go through it for real. Between the bugler playing Taps, the rifle salute, the empty boots and helmet, and the Last Roll Call, the military says goodbye to its warriors as well as any group I know. It was a military service, not a Christian worship, so you can't compare the two exactly, but even still, there were readings from the Bible and a short message from the chaplain. Now it's back to the mission. I'm still glad to being serving these soldiers, but home seems a long way away right now. Our phone lines out from my office are not working, so it's been tough even to call Michelle. Plus the power has started going on and off because the generators are overheating in the summer heat. On the positive side, I've received several cards in the mail from folks back home, and it is absolutely true that nothing picks up my spirits like a card or a note from home. For everybody who has sent mail, thanks. God be good to you! |