Hello, everybody!
Just a quick note while I have the chance to use the computer. Just got back in after about a week in the field- living in the sand and the sun and just basically baking. We were keeping an eye on an area that had seen some "activity". We're back with basically just a day and half to get ready to go back out again. I wrote some of y'all postcards to tell you that I might be moving to another area for a while...no telling if those have even gotten out yet. That's changed a bit as things are pushed back for some undetermined amount of time. So, I'll still be where I am for a little while. That can always change at a moment's notice...this is the military after all. Things are going ok. I'm pretty dead tired after a week out in the field with no shower or food besides MRE's and I wish we could stay back at least for a few days to rest and put some weight back on, but that's not the way the cookie crumbles this time. Otherwise I'm doing pretty well. Not too much to tell, really. Just working. One month down and still here. My platoon hasn't sustained any injuries, which is good since we;re the smallest platoon to begin with. Have to get going, I hope you all are doing well. I'll email again as soon as I get the chance and send some postcards out in the meantime when I can. I'm running out of those, but I've already ordered more. If I haven't sent you one of these yet, it's probably because I don't have your address on me anymore...my notebook was destrpyed in transit on the way out here. email me and I'll start writing. aint like there's a lot else to do on my free time.
I finally managed to get ahold of some music by pestering other guys in my platoon to cram a bunch of it on a media storage device and get it onto my computer. turns out not having an mp3 player doesn't matter much since they aren't allowed outside the wire anyway. but if any of you are planning are sending music, please do! new ANYTHING is gold out here. I'm actually doing ok on movies. the locals sell bootleg DVD's in a little market on base (not sure how the legality of that works out). I've got movies that aren't even officially on DVD yet! they aren't quite in focus and sometimes someone will walk across in fron of the screen with a tub of popcorn.
but since we'll never get out to the theater, it's not so bad. approximates the experience. I've also got a couple that aren't at all in English (Thai or French instead) but that's what subtitles are for. or if I ever want to add THOSE languages to the three others I'm already trying to cram into my head. I've actually had some chance to use the Iraqi I learned back in the states before coming out here. I'm far from fluent or even confident in using it,but I can get basic communication. We stopped a couple of trucks the other day because they were getting on to a road that is strictly for military traffic and has seen some bad scences the last month. it was just a man and his wife and 6 small children (a set of twins I think) and three goats in the back. it was kind of odd to look in the back and hear "baaaaa". I was able to have a short conversation, steer the man back onto the proper road, warn him of the danger, and trade him a pack of Skittles for his kids for some ciggarettes for my team leader. it was kinda of neat. The interaction with my unit out here is interesting. I won't bore you with the polotics within the platoon, but my squad is definitly set apart...especially after spending this last week in the field alone. these guys are good guys...we've got some city kids, some brains, a couple of back woods country boys (my West Virginian roommate among them) and have most of the bases inbetween covered. We argue and we play cards and talk a lot of trash and cover each other's backs and complain together and talk some more trash and complain some more. I think we'll do allright. well I better get going. miss y'all!
Take Care!
David
Just a quick note while I have the chance to use the computer. Just got back in after about a week in the field- living in the sand and the sun and just basically baking. We were keeping an eye on an area that had seen some "activity". We're back with basically just a day and half to get ready to go back out again. I wrote some of y'all postcards to tell you that I might be moving to another area for a while...no telling if those have even gotten out yet. That's changed a bit as things are pushed back for some undetermined amount of time. So, I'll still be where I am for a little while. That can always change at a moment's notice...this is the military after all. Things are going ok. I'm pretty dead tired after a week out in the field with no shower or food besides MRE's and I wish we could stay back at least for a few days to rest and put some weight back on, but that's not the way the cookie crumbles this time. Otherwise I'm doing pretty well. Not too much to tell, really. Just working. One month down and still here. My platoon hasn't sustained any injuries, which is good since we;re the smallest platoon to begin with. Have to get going, I hope you all are doing well. I'll email again as soon as I get the chance and send some postcards out in the meantime when I can. I'm running out of those, but I've already ordered more. If I haven't sent you one of these yet, it's probably because I don't have your address on me anymore...my notebook was destrpyed in transit on the way out here. email me and I'll start writing. aint like there's a lot else to do on my free time.
I finally managed to get ahold of some music by pestering other guys in my platoon to cram a bunch of it on a media storage device and get it onto my computer. turns out not having an mp3 player doesn't matter much since they aren't allowed outside the wire anyway. but if any of you are planning are sending music, please do! new ANYTHING is gold out here. I'm actually doing ok on movies. the locals sell bootleg DVD's in a little market on base (not sure how the legality of that works out). I've got movies that aren't even officially on DVD yet! they aren't quite in focus and sometimes someone will walk across in fron of the screen with a tub of popcorn.
but since we'll never get out to the theater, it's not so bad. approximates the experience. I've also got a couple that aren't at all in English (Thai or French instead) but that's what subtitles are for. or if I ever want to add THOSE languages to the three others I'm already trying to cram into my head. I've actually had some chance to use the Iraqi I learned back in the states before coming out here. I'm far from fluent or even confident in using it,but I can get basic communication. We stopped a couple of trucks the other day because they were getting on to a road that is strictly for military traffic and has seen some bad scences the last month. it was just a man and his wife and 6 small children (a set of twins I think) and three goats in the back. it was kind of odd to look in the back and hear "baaaaa". I was able to have a short conversation, steer the man back onto the proper road, warn him of the danger, and trade him a pack of Skittles for his kids for some ciggarettes for my team leader. it was kinda of neat. The interaction with my unit out here is interesting. I won't bore you with the polotics within the platoon, but my squad is definitly set apart...especially after spending this last week in the field alone. these guys are good guys...we've got some city kids, some brains, a couple of back woods country boys (my West Virginian roommate among them) and have most of the bases inbetween covered. We argue and we play cards and talk a lot of trash and cover each other's backs and complain together and talk some more trash and complain some more. I think we'll do allright. well I better get going. miss y'all!
Take Care!
David
VIEW 14 of 14 COMMENTS
volkov:
it's about a week later. interesting patrol yesterday thrugh towns and palm groves. gotta run!
rosemarie:
Take care! I am sending out another letter tomorrow. 
