Happy New Year?

30 December 2007

My friends and I had planned to go out to the ruins and have bonfire and do some recreational training with our M4’s and an M249 for New Years, but plans have changed. I have been reassigned to another Company within the Battalion. I will be working within my Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in this new job, but I will leave the Company I’ve grown to love.

I’m better now, but I felt sad when I packed up and left yesterday. My Company often felt dysfunctional, but it was a dysfunctional family. I have never in my military career felt so sad to leave a unit. Part of it was the people, and part of it was that I loved the job and the unit we worked with. Despite being in Iraq, I felt like I was leaving a home. I am truly proud to have been a part of this unit for the last year, because this company was one that I could be proud of. My chain of command cared about the soldiers and was easy to work with. Every one worked hard, we always got the mission done, and accomplished more with less than any other company in the Battalion.

Another sad part about the move is that I will be leaving a job out on the road and going to one in the office. I am not much of an office person anymore. I will be seeing the same sights every day, and have few new things to see. There will be little reason to learn Arabic because I won’t be interacting with the local much anymore. I will not be eating or drinking chai with the interpreters late at night. I will not be greeting the Iraqi mechanic in Arabic and learning a bit more when I see him every few days. I will not going to range anymore, or driving a pickup. I will not have the dogs or the cat anymore, because I left them behind at another base. I will not be shopping anymore, because I will be nowhere near the local markets. The only physical danger I will face is the possibility of infected paper cuts. It will be a good move for my career, and in time I will grow to accept the change, but I will still miss my old company. Perhaps one day I will change my MOS or unit to one that spends more time outside the office.

I spent most of today moving into my new living quarters. I now live in a 20x8 foot containerized housing unit (CHU). I share it with another person. It is smaller than the space I had to myself before, but it is enough. I got a bunk bed and put it up on block so I can store things above and below my bed. I also have a real desk which I am thankful for.

In the afternoon I went shopping and treated myself to a late Christmas present. I finally bought the Surefire flashlight that I had been wanting for the last nine months. The Surefire is an amazing flashlight about the size of a mini Maglight that puts out as much light as a full size four D cell Maglight. I also bought a little green LED light the size of my little finger that puts out a lot of light for its size. I was also finally able to make some of the nice gourmet hot cocoa that my wonderful wife sent me. It was helpful in combating the cold desert night.

My mailing address has also changed. I will soon send an email to my family with the new address. If you did not get the email, and wish to send me LETTERS and NOT packages (I have no need for them, and too little space as it is) contact me or my family for it.

Because my life is going to get much more monotonous, I do not expect to be writing as much as I have been recently. Check back occasionally, maybe I’ll get an infected paper cut, or something interesting will happen. I’ll write something while on vacation for sure.

P.S. For some unknown reason the software would not permit a more aesthetically pleasing layout for the pictures.