Subject: HELLO FROM IRAQ
Hi everyone sorry I started this on Sept 11 and just got around to sending it out.........
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We don’t hang an American flag at our
compound/safe house because we are not on a regular FOB and we live with the local “militia.”
Well know on September 11, 2006 I flew an American flag in
We broke ground today on one of the biggest
projects ever to be approved in my team’s area….a landfill. This was a huge accomplishment for my team because
when we got here there were no projects. The team we relieved where a bunch of dirt bags.
Then we were being told that our area wasn’t going to get any money. Well we made it happen and the people are so
appreciative. We are working with the local
government on it too so it’s a joint project. We
also got a bunch of projects approved for some of our medical stuff. We are still trying to get the women’s
driving course approved and a women’s wellness center. It is so sad how many women
are running around here with cancer and don’t know it until it’s too late.
So I have two confirmed kills………two
kittens! Ok one of the first things they tell you when you get in country is no pets! Well
of course we get to this place and what do they have…..yup pets. Well we have managed
to hand off the dogs but we have a cat and some kittens.
Who by the way like to climb and hide in HUMVs, who knew? Well I did a walk around on my truck and I didn’t
see anything in the engine. I go to start the
bad boy and I hear this clunk clunk meow. My PFC yells there’s a cat in there. So we
cut off the engine and remove it from the crank shaft. Well we checked everything out
again and it looked good. So we go to start the engine again and I see some hair fly out
and I say “oh that’s just left over from the kitten.” That’s when we
start hearing the clunking again. Yup another kitten….ok now I’m thinking I’m
going to hell or going to get blown up today to pay for this. The worst is the locals are
watching this take place and I’m thinking I’m going to get my a$# shot for an
animal! Mind you I am schwaking this mother cat’s kids and she is over playing around
like nothing is happening. I know it’s
not funny but I have to admit I found humor in it. Apparently so did my guys because they
spray painted two black cats with a red line through them on the side of my HUMVJ…love my guys. Well hopefully that is the only innocent thing I
kill while I’m here.
So I have gotten tons of care packages and
thank you so much. They really do make the
day. The best is there is no mail where I’m at so when it finally catches up with me
it’s like Christmas!
The other day we discovered grass in our
water which makes me wonder what we are showering with being that the grass is where they
dispose of “everything else”…hmmm…nice.
Even with the sh$% water, the scorpions, and piss poor plumbing I’m still
enjoying the job. I miss the squadron and I
miss flying, but you know my team occasionally endures some aviation story to humor me. I’m trying to get one of my soldiers into a
commissioning program and I’ve been dropping Navy hints, but I think he might stay
with the inefficient Army….what a waste.
As for the violence….I’m pretty
much immune to the mortar sound. I mean I was at this one location and we were getting
mortared so bad it lifted me out of my bed. I just rolled over and went back to sleep. I figure I’m not running from one and it’s
a lot more dangerous outside watching them try to hit us (we weren’t sent to the
bunkers). We have one less sniper running
around these parts so that’s a good thing. We
will see how long that lasts. Just so everyone knows, because I wasn’t seeing it on
the news when I was home, but the local nationals, Iraqis, are really doing a lot of the
work outside the wire these days. I can’t
really get into it too much but I see improvement when I am convoying down a road and the
guy standing on the corner directing traffic or providing security is no longer an
American but a local national. I would much
rather have the locals standing on the street corners.
I don’t get TV where I’m at so I’m not sure if the media is
conveying that or not, but they should.
Anyway October is my half way mark and I am
so pumped. I have 115 days until
Missing
Kim AKA Kimmy to some and