DAY 54 / JAN 21

DAY 54 / JAN 21

 

            This morning was wonderful.  I sent a Soldier to my morning meeting and slept in.   Even then, I had a difficult time peeling my eyes open and dragging my ass out of bed.  The only thing that got me up and moving was knowing that people were waiting for me.   Eventually I slipped from beneath the mink blanket and groggily put my shower shoes on.  I grabbed my shower bag and slithered to the shower building, about thirty feet away.   The other nice thing about the morning was that the Big Voice (PA System) had just downgraded the uniform.

            The nice thing about sleeping in is that there is never a line for the shower and you get all the hot water you want.   When I have to get up early, its about 50/50 that there is enough hot water to get a good soaking.  So, once in the shower, I proceeded to do the usual things, soap, rinse, shave and brush my teeth.

            And wouldn't you know it, no sooner do I start to shave than I hear the high pitch warble of the big voice siren (that sounds like a police siren under water).   As the hot water rains down on me, I hear that there is direct fire (people shooting at the FOB), and indirect fire (people lobbing mortars or rockets at the FOB).   We've been here long enough that I know that the siren usually comes well after the actual incident, so if you're not already injured or killed, you probably won't be.  I finished my shower and went back to the CHU to get dressed.   So much for a uniform downgrade.

            After that, it was time for a quick chit chat with the wife and then I had to go to the memorial ceremony for the Soldier who died earlier this week.   The ceremony was sad, as they always are.  There were a massive amount of Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels and even a General or two here for the ceremony because it was the first casualty from our division.   There were approximately 10-15 Blackhawk helicopters on the flight pad – it would have made a wonderful target for the insurgents.

            In the afternoon, a sandstorm rolled in.  Not a bad one, but it did limit visibility to about 100 meters.

            Received another two boxes and a postcard from home today.  No one can ever know, until they've experienced it, how much a simple postcard, or box from home it.  It doesn't even really matter what's inside.   Just the fact that someone took the time and effort to send you something means everything.  And even though I know they are coming, and I'm not surprised, it always makes my day that much better when I receive stuff.

           

            To those who wondered about the low flying UAV:  Usually they fly quite high (so they don't get shot down), but when they take off and land, they of course come in quite low.   As it happens, my CHU seems to be directly underneath that flight path so they come in low and sound like they are going to create an unrequested skylight in my CHU sometimes.