iraq

welcome to camp liberty, iraq. we left our tents about 2 am and arrived in iraq around 8. spent the morning getting keys issued for our rooms, trying to move in, explore around our area, and had an inbrief to tell us some of the rules here. our rooms are great, almost everything is super convenient. we live on a t intersection, across the street in one direction is the PX, and local bazaar, and across the other street is the dining facility. within a qtr of a mile we also have the laundry facility and a chapel. we are only far away from the gym and the MWR (which has computers, phones, pool ta ble, pingpong, and some of those kinda morale things.) the only thing that stinks is that my room is kinda far from most of my friends and the bathroom. it really is crazy how nice everything here is. in my room i have 1 roommate and we each have a bed, bedside table, and locker (not like an alluminum one, its wooden and actually looks kinda decent). the bathrooms here have like 8 showers and 5 stalls all in one building (much better than the portapotties were used to. it stinks to get ready for a shower then realize you need to go to the latrine and have to get dressed again to go outside!) and its only about a minute or 2 from our room.
i paid to get wireless in my room.. it really stinks because it is 65 dollars a month. weve heard the connection is really bad but i havent had any trouble with it at all. i think it may have to do with where my room is though. we live in blocks and my room is on the first row. im thinking maybe im close to the tower since im the closest to the road. i dont know, im just hoping it wasnt a fluke and that my computer will be that fast all the time.
its weird being here.like kuwait was sooo barren, it was just sand and here there are trees everywhere ,cannals with weeds growing from them. when we were waiting for our keys we were sittting in a pavilion type thing and with all the trees arund and the landscaping it really seemed more like a resort. my perceptions will change in a couple of days after we run our first missions and actually see the real baghdad but so far its way different than i expected.
we met the 340th mp yesterday ( the guys were replacing). some of them were coming in from a mission and saw us walking. the gunner jumped up in his turret and asked if we were the 81oth. when we said yeah, every one of their trucks started honking at us and all the gunners and guys outside of the truck started screaming that they loved us. it was really cool to see how excited they were, theyve been here since july and really just got to fob liberty in feb. from july until feb they lived basically out in the middle of baghdad with none of the luxuries here. im glad we get to send them home, they def. deserve it. it also makes me look forward to when we can have that reaction. just gotta get through 8 or 9 months first!
rumor on the street is htat my squad did get the PSD mission( driving around important people from our battalion and being their personal security). im praying we did because it would be a great mission. i head today though that it might have changed and im a little nervous.
were doing more driving training today so we can go ahead and get licensed on the mrap and be able to drive on missions. hopefully when i get back there will be more information on psd.
lee loaned me a book the other day, i think its called a table in the presence by lt. cash. he was a marine chaplain on the surge into baghdad. it ws a really good read and has made me very thoughtful. next on my list is Psalm 91 (it was packed in a bag I sent ahead to Iraq). I am really looking forward to reading it, a couple of my friends and i have been talking about different Psalms that mean things to us so I def. want to read this. the chapel here had copies to so lee got a copy also. im hoping we will have the oppertunity to go to chapel services here, all depends on how our schedule is.
one of the things mentioned in a table in the presence is the story of the amalekites form exodus. i need to look into that story but there was a particular part that caught my eye. chapter 17 verse 12: When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
it just made me think of yall, i dont know what youre going through back on that end but i know it isnt easy, probably harder than being here. just know that i appreciate the sacrifices you are making also, youre in my thoughts, and your prayers do help. i love you all