Still not home...yet

Hey guys,

Just a quick note. I'm still in Qatar. Things popped up, and I wasn't able to leave when I thought I would. The good news is that things are almost resolved, so barring any more unforeseen problems, I should be on the way home soon.

I promise to let you know when as soon as I can.

Take care and I hope to see you soon.

Dan

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!

This has been a terrific Thanksgiving, with a huge dinner with all the trimmings. I'll have the pictures downloaded for you soon.

This year, I'm thankful for the support of all of my family and friends. I'm thankful to have a great group of officers to lead me, and an even better group of men working for me. I'm especially thankful for God's protection for all of my team during this deployment.

I hope you take some time this Thanksgiving, to pray or give thanks for the bravery of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of others.

Wishing you a great Thanksgiving!
-AFD

My daily moment of Zen

Howdy!

Quick post today, before I watch the Bucs. This little pic is my "daily moment of zen." Before I got hurt, I would drive to the other side of the base to swim some laps in the pool. I was swimming almost every day, so I got this view quite a few times. For about 30 seconds a day, I get this little picture:




I love seeing this little flower in the middle of the desert, right outside of the wire. How's that for a daily pick-me-up??

Two weeks(ish), and counting. See you soon!

Go BUCS!

I'm a Horrible Blogger

I know, I know. It's been too long.

I'm back to let you know, I'm alive and well. I wish I could blame my hiatus on too much work. We are prepping for our replacements, but that isn't why I have been delayed so much in posting. I've just been in a shitty mood, and haven't felt like I had much to post.

I've gotten injured twice in the last two weeks, which has really put me in a foul mood. Not to worry, they aren't combat injuries. First, I hurt my foot while running, and it's been tough putting weight on it. It's something in my heel. I've laid off of it for a few days, so it's starting to heal up some. Then, I hurt my shoulder while boxing. That's the real pain in the ass, cause it's a recurring injury. I knew before I left that I'd probably need surgery on it, but I delayed it till after I got back.

What's upset me most is that I set myself the goal of doing a triathlon this summer, which may/may not happen now. Thanks to injuring my foot AND my shoulder, I can't swim, bike or run. Maybe you've heard, but those are kind of important to triathlon.

On to the good news...we're on schedule here and I should be home sometime in the first week in December. In time for Christmas, in time for D's wedding, in time for the after finals parties!

I'll keep ya'll up to date as we firm up our departure dates. I miss you all, and can't wait to see you in 2-3 weeks.

Take care,
AFD

My Baghdad Trip - finale

It's about time to put this puppy to bed...I've got other things to show ya'll eventually! So I'm gonna post the last batch of pics from the Baghdad area. Well, most of them, I guess. I gotta save some to show ya when I get back home!



This mosque is HUGE. Actually, it's not completed, and may not be for quite some time. This mosque was a project started by Saddam. It's supposed to be the world's biggest mosque, when the Iraqi people complete it. We didn't bomb it, but the ongoing conflict is impeding completion.

I don't have pictures of it, but the one mosque we did bomb to hell was Saddam's "Victory over the U.S." mosque. I guess it's the one he had built to honor his "victory" over the U.S. in the Persian Gulf War. That should give you an idea of how dillusional he was. I'm not sure what strategic significance it posed, but I fully agree with the decision to bomb the crap out of it, just on GP. In fact, I would petition for a continued daily bombing of the site. Just to prove the point.

This is the famous "Swords" monument. More correctly, this is the Iraq-Iran War Monument. There are actually two sets of swords, the ones you can see, and then a second set way far behind, maybe 2 miles back. You can just see the left sword in the distant background in this picture. The left hand is supposedly an exact replica of Saddam's hand, while the right one is an exact replica of the Iranian leader's hand (not to scale).

Proof that, yes, I was actually there. Silencer and all.

Took this picture under the left hand, the one that is supposed to be Saddam's hand. The helmets in the background are from fallen Iranian soldiers. Viewed up close, some of them actually have bullet holes in them. Kind of a vivid way to remember the war.

This is the Iraqi Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The clamshell is representative of the soldier's helmet. In the cube in the background (behind my buddy in the blue shirt) is an actual body of a soldier. His tomb is wrapped in a symbol of the Iraqi flag. The Iraqi generals come here on the Iraqi version of Christmas (I swear, that's what the guides told us. It's their country, I expect they'd know.) The generals pay homage to their lost and unknown soldiers.

My little excursion into Baghdad was really a once in a lifetime trip. (I promise, Mom. Once. ) It was an awesome experience, and really brought home to me why we're out here. My base is so far away from the cities, that it's kind of easy to forget about all the people, U.S. and Iraqi, who are fighting to forge a future for this country. I got a brief glimpse of life in Baghdad, both inside and outside the "safe zone", and for that I'm truly grateful. I'm also grateful that my men and I made it back to base safely.

Stay safe this Halloween. Send pictures!

Until next time,
AFD