some explaining.....

I thought I would begin with a picture of me shooting my 9. But this is where it starts......I have now been here long enough that I have a routine. I have gotten into the swing of things. Working with the Iraqi forces (to a degree as we just started that), working with my interpreters and going on convoys. I can honestly say that while I was on the fencing strip or in the long course pool at the olympic training center I NEVER imagined that I would be here! NOT so much in Iraq but in a place where I didn't leave the US compound without a loaded weapon or two! While getting ready for convoys we have to review the latest ways that US forces were attacked so that we would know what to look for. Being lucky enough to have an extra 27 pounds of armor draped over me for my own protection! These are just a few of the daily things that I don't really think about much anymore......they are just everyday occurrences!
Let me clarify what this US compound that I live on consists of. There are about six buildings total within the compound. All of the buildings are barracks except one which is the DFAC (dining facility). Inside the DFAC are two small rooms for eating and one room where the food is self served and of course a kitchen. The entire complex is gated, surrounded by HESCO barriers and concertina wire. Even when I consider how small this area is I would much rather be here then on a FOB. In my opinion this country and its people are getting a bad rap and its mostly due to the fact that a lot the Coalition Forces here are stuck on these FOB's (Forward Operating Base) and they have little to NO interaction with Iraqi people. Even here I am limited to interpreters and Iraqi soldiers. I don't ever see how the rest of people of Iraq live or how they are as a culture. I have been all around the world. Sometimes I only spent three to four days in a certain place but I get to see more in that short amount of time then most people in the military do in the YEAR that they spend in this country. That is crazy! My main point in this entry is that there are a few things in life that no one can really understand unless they have done the same thing. I only hope to give you an idea so that you know what the service men and women you see all the time have gone through.
Thanks again and I hope everyone is WELL!!
I will write again soon! Mickey