Camp Remagen

I'm back to my home away from home. Like I mentioned in yesterdays edition- coming back was almost as good as Christmas. I had packages from home, Sean & Christie, Chop & Karen, Buddha, and REI. I also had letters from my dad.

The folks sent my running shoes (they are a hair big but will work fine) along with some dental supplies I wanted and some food. Sean and Christie sent food, music, some pictures (including the picture of me from the wedding), and Christie's garter from the wedding. Chop and Karen sent food, soap and other good stuff, some music (Parliament and the Best of Bowie), Free Times, and a Clemson shirt. Buddha sent two toy VWs, some handy wipes, a Bus Depot catalog, and a VW shirt. REI sent my running clothes. All of the clothes are in the wash as I type this.

To each of you who sent something- THANK YOU!!!

My two weeks in C-3 were definitely memorable. We got hit four times while I was there, they blew over thirty IEDs that they found on the roads nearby, they destroyed over a dozen homemade mortars that were found, you could hear IEDs going off periodically, the police station in Ba'Quba got blown up, etc. We had several interesting patients and I got to fly back on a Blackhawk.

Blackhawks are pretty cool although what could have been about an hour flight turned into a several hour flight. We left C-3 and it took about eight stops to get back to C-1 including two stops in Baghdad- that's a BIG city. Several million people and I don't think there were more than half a dozen buildings over four stories. It sprawls out for miles and the outskirts are even wider. We landed in the green zone and went to the PX while the crew took a breather (they'd been going since early AM). I got to see some of the most heavily armed parking attendants I've ever seen and a lot of armored vehicles. You could tell the KBR people as we were about the only ones without some sort of firearm on our persons.

Saturday must be market day as the streets were crowded and traffic was backed up all over. We flew just over rooftop level and you could see the kids wave. The windows were taken out of the side doors and the front doors were off so the wind was pretty stiff coming in the bird. I took pictures as we flew, but a lot of them were a little out of focus. There are some really pretty places in this country- it would be really cool to load up a Land Cruiser and just cruise for a couple of weeks (if you wouldn't get killed).

As we flew, I noticed all of the people just going about their daily lives, many waved as we flew over. If these people really wanted us out, there's enough of them that they could over run all of the forces here (they'd take incredible loses doing it but there's a lot of people here) but most of them want a change to a more peaceful way of life. Just something to think about as you watch the news. When they interview the Iraqis, I wonder what the ratio of positive to negative interviews is? I imagine it's a lot like issues in the States where they find the hoseheads who say what they want to make the news.

Well I need to run, I've got a late patient.