My Weekend in Vegas

Hello Everyone-

Carrie, Mom, Jacob and me went to Las Vegas over the weekend to meet up with my good friends Linda and JP from Kansas City. It was awesome to get away for 3 nights just us girls and Jacob. We stayed on the strip and had a great time relaxing. Its not the same without Rhett but I had a great time.

Jacob loved the hotel

We relaxed at the pool and played in the water with Jacob until he could play no longer

We "met" a few famous people


Hung out with Presidents



and wore Jacob out

We also met up with my cousin Mandi, her adorable 3 girls, and my Aunt Shirley- it was great to see them again.

It was a nice weekend. Thanks to Mom and Carrie for keeping me company!!

No Bid Government Contracts!!!

Civilian contractors… they bothered me last time I was in Iraq and I can't stand to see them and here on Balad where they seem to be everywhere.  Can you believe that over 10,000 of them reside on the same joint base that I live on.  Here they are making their money and using up resources that I'm sure are intended for the troops.  "300" is the number that comes to mind…I don't know if it is the number of pounds the scale reads when one of them steps on it or the number of dollars in thousands that they make tax free per year.  Nothing pisses me off more than to see these jokers wearing the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) complete with the reversed U.S. flag on their right shoulder as if they had fought in combat.  I don't care if some of them are former soldiers.  They should either be current soldiers or home paying taxes to fund this so called war on terror rather than here profiting from it.  It's really fun for me to see them in the gym using the equipment so we have to wait or at the front of the line in the PX or dining facilities "stocking up."  Some play a vital role but all of them are from Uganda and armed, standing in the hot sun, providing security at the same facilities I just mentioned for $700 per month.   The rest of these KBR dip shits can go back home for all I'm concerned.  Wow, it looks like it's not only the weather that's heating up here.      

one more

this one is also interesting maybe more to me than the average person given my situation.  Interestingly, the 4th ID soldier pictured in Sadr City is part of the same brigade I supported in Taji.  I'm guessing the picture is taken very close to the place I spent my four days at COP Apache. 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-14-veterans-mental_N.htm

hot boring Iraq

OK... I have done my my best to keep my political views out of the blog as I know that not all agree with them but I thought that this article deserves your time no matter who you are: http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/study_troops_deployed_abroad_g.php

 

Things are as slow as ever here.  We get attacked once in a while but with the base being as big as it is sometimes I don't even hear it.  I have to travel to Baghdad later this month for a Behavioral Health Commanders conference, which should be about as fun as watching paint dry.  I feel well entrenched into that mid-deployment, mind-numbing, hot dust bowl.  At least once it starts raining then I'll be that much closer to coming home.    

Update from home

Life as I previously knew is coming to an end. Our little man is now mobile. He is crawling and rolling and scooting all over the place. It is so dang cute to see him try to figure out how to move his arms and legs to get something that has caught his eye. I have been using the camcorder and camera to capture every move for Rhett. Rhett recently sent us a package with t-shirts. The one for Jacob was too big but made me laugh.

Since Jacob looks just like Rhett we know who his Baghdaddy is. We miss Rhett so much. I love you honey.

-Liz

Warhorse

Hi everyone,

I am writing today from Forward Operating Base Warhorse, near Baquoba Iraq.  My team flew down here this morning to visit with our prevention team here and to conduct some training with them.  I got to see MAJ Shea, my friend from New York who is stationed down here but will be returing to the states soon as his resignation was finally accepted.  It is my job to figure out how to replace him here.  The Blackhawk ride was uneventful but fun none-the less and as the sky looks more and more dusty now, I may be here longer than planned.  Warhorse reminds me a lot of the old bases I remember from Iraq in 2004.  Lots of bunkers and barriers and and over-all dirty feel to it.  Great gym and DFAC but not much of anything else.  It's seems hotter than usual today.  The theatre here has a big hole in the side of it from a rocket attack but MAJ Shea tells me that they haven't had a lot of indirect fire.  I plan to return to Balad soon and then it will be off to Ramadi for me, which will be a lot of fun if all goes as planned.