I think i am tired...not like road kill, but tired.

i had a day off the other day and slept for almost 22hrs. it seems to me that the first six months is the easy part, but now the days are dragging. i am involved in a lot of projects to keep me busy, but this makes me more tired. i just cannot wait to be back in the states. i am tired of being out of the country. i like being an American, and everything that comes with it. i miss being home.

the eyes are the window to the soul...

sometimes i look into the eyes of the local nationals that come into the FOB, and sometimes i feel as though I am looking into the windows of their souls. sometimes inside i see true horrors looking back at me, and other times i see dreams unfulfilled. a while ago i was providing medical treatment to an injured local. part of me was trying to stay detatched due to the severity of the wound, and the other part of me was curious about the person that i was treating. I was very impressed by the mechanical attention that the other Specialist, that was working with me, was paying to me.
This was not my first time treating a severe injury, and, as a result, i was calm and effective in my actions. the thing that amazes me about a soldier is that they will feed upon the strongest person in the situation. if there is someone in panic, they will panic. if someone is calm, cool, and collected, they will be the same.
the local was in pain, but that was not his fear. it was the first time that he had been shot at, and you could feel the fear in his voice. he was petrified. my iterpretor was thorough, a rock in a storm, a liason between two soldiers unable to communicate.
The one thing that i have learned from injuries i have recieved, is that seeing it makes it worse. just trying to protect the eyes makes treating the victim that much easier.

I see pain in my interpretors eyes. not the kind of pain that results from an injury, but more from the pain caused by fear of the unknown. sometimes he confides his fears in me, and i try my best to reassure him that we will not abandon this experiment. I dont know much, but i know that this will work. we just need time. time to foster the growth of a nation that will be a shining example to the arab world, and one that will not be a puppet of the american government but will be a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

there is little trust in this part of the world. years of tyranny have tainted the people. America was there once, and we have moved on to become the beacon of freedom. I just hope that the fears of the american people will not prevent us from completing the good that we have started here in this little corner of the world.

pray for peace, pray for victory, pray for wisdom in the leadership of this country and our own.

Death to the IPOD!

I have recently joined the revolution to abandon the Ipod's domination of the MP3 player market. I am now the proud owner of a Zune. and i love it. many of the features are a lot of fun and convenient.
Another day goes by and here i am sitting on the internet writing to home, wondering who reads this, and wondering why i write...
I am sick of this country, i am sick of this war, and most of all i am sick of the US press covering it. the lies told in the press amaze me. where is the acountability? what happened to the jounalists telling the story, and when did all news become op-ed?
things continue as normal here. the workers come, the workers work, the workers leave. and i am still here

The Daily grind...

Bob-I just want to give you a special shout out to thank you for the Starbucks mug and the starbucks coffee. the kenya blend may just be my new favorite. I have thoroughly delved into the depths of the coffee bag and do not have much remaining, but it was well worth the binge into the "good" side of coffee verses the "army" side of coffee. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. (P.S. I think you have made me a target amongst my peers, they all eyeball the coffee mug with great interest....look but dont touch-thats my philosophy.)
MO I am staying put for the time being, there are no interesting missions for me to take, so i have begun to occupy my time by remodeling the office. I have started painting the walls and ordering new furniture to be made by the locals working on the FOB. Things are starting to look a little more "High Class" than they were before, and i am no longer embarassed to entertain the brass as they often come and check on our operations.
I, along with my co-workers, continue to refine the systems that we have in place to make them more efficient and effective and things are running smoother than ever before. I miss you and i pray for you everyday. Write me an email and let me know how everything went in LA.

I love and miss you all-
Patricia thank you for the pictures of Cody-
Leah thank you for the pictures of Noah and the package-i dominated the nutter butters with great vengance and furious anger-
MO the flag is in the mail-please let chris know that Nichole's class can expect their's soon as well-better yet keep it a secret.
Nicole, i have one on the way to your class as well...so keep your eyes peeled for it.

From Iraq with love-
Andrew