By Staff
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this email finds you all in good health and spirits. I thought I would take a few minutes and update you on what I have been up to since I saw you last.
As most of you are probably aware, I went to Fort McCoy, Wis. in July to train with my unit in preparation of our deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We trained at Fort McCoy from the first week of July until the third week of September. The unit focused on individual soldier skills, such as weapons proficiency, as well as collective training. The culminating event was a five day field exercise in which we operated a 24 hour medical evacuation and treatment center. It was set up to replicate a forward operating bases medical assets.
On 25 Sept. 2006 we left Fort McCoy and traveled to Kuwait. We arrived in Kuwait the next day, some 20 hours after we left Wisconsin. Kuwait was by far the most barren wilderness I have ever seen. The deserts of the western United States are teeming with life in comparison to Kuwait. The sands of the Kuwaiti desert have a fine, almost powder-like consistency. The area we were in had little contour which allowed the naked eye to see miles into the horizon.
We left our base in Kuwait in order to utilize a firing range some distance away from our small patch of "civilization". I actually saw a herd of camels move across the desert on the return trip from the range. It was a very surreal experience to say the least.
Two days after we arrived in Kuwait we flew to Iraq. What I have seen of Iraq, albeit limited, reminds me of Mexico. There is an odd combination of disrepair and rebuilding. As you might suspect the climate is quite warm. We have had temperatures nearing or exceeding 100 everyday. This is the "cool" season; we still have 130 plus days in our future.
Our area is back-dropped by exotic vegetation and birds. The streets are lined with date trees which provide a limited amount of shade. That shade is a welcome relief from the intense rays of the sun on my walks to and from the dining facility.
There is a palace located on our base that formerly belonged to Saddam. I had the occasion to visit and tour the palace, which is used for coalition military offices. The palace was almost entirely constructed of marble. If I recall correctly it had about 100 rooms and 25,000 square feet of living space. It is very impressive.
We have been working hard to learn our jobs and the troops are doing a great job. I am very proud of their efforts. Still we are constantly reminded that we are in a hostile environment. There is not a day that goes by without me hearing and explosion and small arms fire.
Our lives are relatively comfortable despite the efforts of the Anti Iraqi Forces. We live in trailers, two soldiers to a room. The rooms are roughly the size of a collage dormitory. Our rooms have cable featuring Armed Forces Network. About the only complaint I can muster is that we do not have bathrooms in our trailers. We shower and use other bathroom fixtures in separate trailers that are used solely for that purpose. Everyone finds that to be very frustrating as well as time consuming.
We have excellent dining at our base. There are always a variety of main courses, side dishes, salads, desserts and beverages. The other day I had crab legs with a rib eye steak. That is not a daily occurrence but is appreciated nonetheless. I make it a daily ritual to have a smoothie following my evening meal and sometimes my midday meal as well. If it were not for the quarter mile walk to and from the dinning facility I might gain a few needless pounds.
>From the Front,
Aaron