Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Word From War Zone


"We are approaching day 30, one-third of the way through the tour. I am stationed at Al Asad in Anbar province, which is in the western desert of Iraq. It is a large base that supports several forward operating bases throughout the western part of the country.
My departure on Jan. 26th was emotional -- the Blue Star Mothers arranged a surprise send-off for me and were at the airport pre-dawn with a group of supporters. They presented my mom with a Blue Star flag.
First stop was Fort Benning, Ga., for in-processing. For the first time, the harsh reality of this adventure sank in -- the briefs on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It's amazing how many ways the insurgents have found to turn ordinary looking items into deadly weapons, and how many ways they have developed to detonate them. Casualties from IEDs are the greatest threat right now.
Next was 20 hours of flying to get to Kuwait, where the clock started for my 90-day tour."

ReviewJournal.com - News - Word From War Zone:

No comments: