La tristesse durera toujours

Bring down the curtain, the farce is played out. Six days and it's over! The Fourth Infantry Division have arrived to relieve us, they have already succeeded in wrecking two of our trucks. Excellent soldiers, them. We know we did our best, so whatever happens from here out is beyond us and does not concern us. I joke when saying my goodbyes, and tell the soldiers I will probably see them in ten years from the other side of the gun. It is an odd feeling to be going home. It's almost as if Baghdad is home, and I am leaving it to go somewhere new and strange. Back to the land of unpaid bills, shopping malls, and McDonald's. Insurgent attacks are much as they have always been, Some of our guys are outside the city fighting fiercely with indirect fire. A Command Sergeant Major with our sister unit was injured recently and sent home, however it appears he will recover well. The wall we put pictures of our fallen soldiers on is full. The experience of standing there looking at all the men we have lost this year, contemplating your own mortality is indescribable. Happy New Year, have a drink for me.

A Blood Red Moon

So, to delineate the Army from civilian life, I have come up with a maxim. In the real world, people do their jobs and try their best to help you. In the Army, people will work hard just to avoid doing their jobs, and do everything they can not to help you. There are two things you can't count on...the weather, and other people. We still haven't quit combat operations, as a matter of fact, we are doing more real-world assaults now than we have in the past 11 months. The word right now is we will be turning our equipment over to our relief at the end of the month, and then will have a week give or take a few, to go home. If you think the U.S. is pulling out of Iraq soon, you are sadly mistaken. I have seen over 6,000 meters of fiber optic cable buried on our camp this month, and they are starting construction on the biggest chow hall in Iraq. A KBR contractor told me they signed a contract to remain until 2010. I guess old G.W. is laughing his ass off at all the protesters. The Iraqis on the other hand, are more than ready to see us go home. That includes the U.S. supporters in general.