Baghdad Bulletin
Surprise Edition
February 27, 2010
Issue 21
I didn't think I'd be getting anything out to you until after next weekend. But there are a few photos I can send you before then. You'll still see the birthday and anniversary cakes in the next issue after this! Two cakes have been ordered for Operation Iraqi B-day: One is the 30th anniversary of my enlistment in the Maryland Guard, and the other is an Iraqi sheet cake with dark chocolate.
Lots has occurred since I last wrote to you. Mardi Gras (not celebrated here), Ash Wednesday, and I visited a couple of restaurants in the International Zone. It was nice being waited on! It was a first.
There was also an Iraqi graduation event where I met the commander of an Iraqi Military Band!
At the Embassy, I got to see a friend of a friend who invited me to a signing ceremony between Ambassador Hill and the new Minister of the Environment. A very interesting event.
On another trip to the Embassy, I had the pleasure of hosting a lunch meeting for other members of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). It's the first MOAA gathering there that we know of.
Last week, the water was turned off because a pump was not working in our part of the compound. I found that I could take a shower with 2 bottles of water! I remembered there are soldiers who don't have the luxury of daily showers, and I had no problem improvising......Shampooing took the most water!
I've had my last visit to the Baghdad Barber. Lesson learned, don't close your eyes during the cutting. It's much shorter than usual, but thankfully, it will grow back! This "trim" should last until I get home!
I'm still enjoying the daily stories written in the One Year Yellow Ribbon Devotional. I'm getting to read some of them for the first time because we were traveling this time last year. What wonderful stories and inspiration. It's like visiting friends, Carol and Brenda, every morning.
Last week, the temp went to 94 degrees at lunchtime. We've had some rain the last few days and the temperatures dropped off again quite a bit. The final full moon should show in the next couple of nights. I hope to get a photo of it for the next issue. It was cloudy last night, but I'm optimistic that I'll see it!
This week, I attended the required Redeployment and Reunion brief. That made leaving feel more real.
I recently completed the book titled Thunder Run which describes the actions when U.S. forces first entered Baghdad. There is a quotation that I want to share. It best captures how I feel about leaving here: "I leave here knowing that the job is not finished. There will always be a hole in my heart because I couldn't see it through to the end." There has been so much progress but there is more left to be done. Time is drawing near when others must continue the work.
We also lost a civilian colleague due to natural causes last week. He'd resigned and headed home to the U.S. He was home 2 days, and died there. It was quite unexpected and hit many of his former coworkers pretty hard. He was only 67 and was retired Navy as well. The funeral is this week in Texas.
A year ago, John and I were making our way to Kenya/Tanzania for my dream trip – an African safari. It was something I'll never forget and I'm so glad we did that just before my deployment. John surprised me with this wonderful gift late last summer. I've used it ever since. It's now my favorite blanket!
