So I've been here for a month now. Days are hot with highs approaching 115 and lows around 85. We had one good dust storm already that lasted several days. I'm working 12+ hrs a day, then working out and going to bed.
Morale is high right now. Me and a couple of the SMSgts are going to buy pizza for the guys from the Pizza Hut here in about a week. Yeah, we have a Pizza Hut here. Other eateries include a Cinnabon, Popeye's Chicken, Subway, Taco Bell, and Burger King. I've only been eating at the DFAC (Dining FACility) though to save money.
Heather and I are planning a trip to Hawaii in early December to watch the Badgers play their final game of the season there. That'll be my first Badger game since the fall of 2002. I'm already excited. The tickets are ordered already and I made hotel reservations.
I can't go into details about what we're doing here, except to say that my guys are always busy fixing aircraft so they can fly every day. We've been really busy so far and the customers that we're flying around really like the capabilities that we bring to the fight.
Iraq is a much different place than it was a year ago. It seems as though every trip I've made here has been coupled with some dramatic improvements. First, in 2006, Iraq had just had its first elections and then fell into sectarian violence just a couple weeks before I left with the bombing of the golden temple. Last year I got here at the tail end of the surge and violence was falling off. Now attacks are very sporadic and much of the violence that has plagued the Iraqi cities has fallen off as the troops have moved out of many of the cities. This is a true test of the stability of the country and so far it is passing.
I read an interesting article the other day about the Green Zone - the place where I was deployed to the first time. Apparently it is fully under Iraqi control. The line between the "Green Zone" and "Red Zone" has blurred dramatically. It's risky, but it's a required to step to move the country to self sufficiency.
On a personal note, Heather and Aidan had a great time in WI last week. I'm glad the grandparents got to see him again. He's such a character. Even after only a month he sounds different when I talk to him on the phone. He talks with such purpose and meaning, but he's still spitting out gibberish when he talks fast. It's almost as though his brain is going too fast for his mouth. When you slow him down though and get him to say specific words he does really well.
I was walking on the flightline today and thought about how much fun it is to hold his hand while I'm walking...
So one month is down and it looks like I'll have about 3 more to go until I get home. At least football is starting soon! Go Packers!
