Thursday, February 12, 2009

Internet at last

We finally got hooked up in our rooms so I should be able to update more often. The past couple of weeks I have been busy each day, and the community computers are constantly busy. We just had a major change in the 1st Cav Div has taken over for 4ID so we fall under them for support. Not much of a change but we can wear the 1st Cav Patch instead of the Big Red 1. The weather here is still cool, but soon to warm up. Then it will be miserably hot until October, and we leave in December. Hoping to be back for Christmas but you never know.

I've been managing the interpreters and they are an interesting bunch. They make about 3 times what an Iraqi makes but all they want is more leave, more pay. We feed them, house them and they want more. They do put their lives and their families lives in danger, so I sympathize with their plight. Well, not much to update but I will try to get on more, if anyone is reading.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Iraqi Elections

Yesterday was a busy day, we went south to another post to pick up some news reporters and escort them around. We visited two polling sites and they filmed, but according to my wife the story did not make the big network news (It was ABC). Not that you would know me if you saw me, I was sitting in the gunner's seat in a HMMWV painted like an Iraqi HMMWV. It went very well, no incidents and the Iraqis really clamped down. We joked that they are more like us now because by 1400 they were arguing about who was winning. They even lifted the curfew and vehicle ban. We ended not heading back until the elections were over, at about 1800 local, getting back in settled about 1930. I met my counterpart and we discussed my family, hard to explain that I had no cousins, they are all about family and couldn't believe I didn't have cousins. He invited me to come to his village, but I think I have to pass on that. He wants a picture, though, so should be able to do that for him, but he wants me to wear a headdress and traditional garb (dish-dasha). Maybe it is for propaganda, who know but I will do it. Well, that is the update for now, hope to update again soon.