travels

Good thing I can't get on my own blog because then I would know how long it's been since I last posted.  Sorry to all who read this.  I am in the worst part of the deployment and it's sometimes hard to even get through the day let alone think up something to write.  We were supposed to have internet available in our living areas as of August 15^th.  Well, here it is September 4^th, and no sign of it yet. I was hoping that should we actually get the internet in our living area then I may be able to access the blog.  Oh well, I guess I'll just keep sending email to it and at least everyone else can see it.  Life here is very similar one day to the next.  I appreciate all the packages from Liz, Mom, and Sandi, they are great and make life easier for me.  Last weekend I traveled to Baghdad for a commander's conference and it was quite a trip.  The medical people here were actually holding a behavioral health conference in Baghdad and the commander's portion was just before it but in conjunction.  The conference was not unlike those we get CEUs for back home with the exception of everyone wearing the same clothes and looking much more fit.  I traveled to Baghdad by Blackhawk on Friday morning and arrived at approximately 0900.  Since my meeting was at 1700, I had a lot of extra time on my hands.  They stuck us in tents, which sucked and I was glad that I wasn't staying through the weekend.  One problem I had is that I had all my body armor, helmet, and ammo that I couldn't just leave lying around.  The stuff is so heavy that I didn't want to carry it around either so didn't end up exploring the base much.  I did see General Patreas' house though and boy is it nice.  I guess 4 star Generals live a little better than Captains.  I attended my meeting, which was nothing more than a video teleconference with key people at Ft Sam Huston in Texas, where the Army has all their medical training.  We talked about some of the issues and trends but since the connection was not secure, we were very limited on what we were allowed to say.   There were about 8 of us in attendance representing all four CSC detachments covering the entire theatre.  Following the dog and pony show, I wanted out of Baghdad so I put on all my gear and found the bus that went to the helicopter pad and signed up for standby flight to Balad.  They told me that it may not happen but in my experience, it's best to just wait there and see what happens.  The helicopter terminal at the Victory/Liberty base sucked.  It was nothing more than a structure that was air conditioned and had some warm water to drink.  The little benches there for us to sit on were very uncomfortable and my tailbone was bothering me quite a bit (left over from my bike accident).  After waiting for over 5 hours, I ended up getting manifested on a flight leaving Baghdad at 0030.  I finally got on the Blackhawk around 0100 (1:00 AM) and after a two hour tour of Iraq, landed in Balad sometime after 0300.  I was glad to be home, if that's what you can call this place.