27 August 2006

Well, here I am in lovely Kuwait. We left Ft. Hood about 830 pm on Friday. After brief stops in the Northeast and Germany we landed around midnight in Kuwait City, where it was a balmy 97 degrees. One of the most memorable things of the trip was our layover in Bangor, Maine. Even though it was the wee hours of the morning, several dozen greeters were present in the terminal to shake our hands, hug us, and thank the soldiers for serving. Most of the greeters were WWI or Vietnam vets and their wives. One woman was 92 years old and told us she made about 75% of the arriving flights. I slept most of the way across the Atlantic, thanks to Doc Kelly giving me an Ambien. The fact that field grade officers were upgraded to first class didn't hurt too much either. Six hours after arriving in Kuwait we were in Camp Buerhing, the sun had risen, and the temp was doing the same. I attended services this morning and ran into several soldiers I have known throughout the years; it truly is a small Army. I hope to be through here in a couple of days and on my way to Balad, although it may take a week or more. Right now I'm looking forward to a shower and collapsing on a cot in my tent. All-in-all, it is good to be here and to have my year under way. And on the even brighter side, a cold front has pushed its way through and we're hoping to see temps under 120 degrees today! I will let you all know when I arrive in Iraq. God Bless, Jim