Salam Aleukum,
As the weeks go on, I become closer and closer to the Iraqis. I have accepted working with the Iraqi Army 14 hours a day as my new life. Life at home seems all but a dream, but I still long to return.
At first working 14 hours a day seemed like a drag; but if you think about it, I'm in Iraq, what else is there to do. So the boredom of waiting for an exciting event to be broadcast over the radio that requires my quick reaction, or a surprise visit by an Iraqi Officer, has been replaced by finding ways to best occupy my time. I'm taking a vocational course in Entrepreneurship, Small Business, and Property Management which is could be just the track I'm looking for when I come home. I'm also studying diligently for the GMAT(Graduate Management Assessment Test) so that someday I might be accepted into a good MBA program.
At first I was bitter about my new position, but now I am making the best of it and give it my all. The key is keeping a good attitude and respecting the Iraqis as you would a customer. I'm here to serve them and it is their turn to take over their country. One good thing about my job is I am culturally immersed and have learned great skills in serving people, making key on the spot decisions, and always striving to better the operational process. Things certainly run much smoother than when I first got here; it makes me confident in my ability to be thrown into the the mix of any situation, and have the insight for improvement.
Colleen is in Oregon now. She's been enjoying all the great Summer recreation: Eugene Rodeo, wakeboarding, and more! She's also busy looking for jobs and wedding sites. It's going to be strange coming home and actually enjoying myself; I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it!
I left some pictures for everyone. The first is of old Iraqi Army remnants of war. Camp Taji has thousands upon thousands of junk military vehicles from the Saddam era. Camp Taji is also the home of where Saddam's cousin, "Chemical Ali", stored his weapons. These chemical weapons were used to kill the Kurds by the 10s of thousands, eradicate those living in the swamps to the South, and decimate the Iranians by the 100s of thousands. There has been a few American Soldier's injured here after being exposed to chemical weapons stored in hidden caches outside of Camp Taji. It's easy to forget how truly evil the Saddam regime was.
The second picture is of my Interpreters. They are very hard working, only taking 4 days off a month to go see their families; simply incredible stamina and dedication throughout the years of war.
The last picture is of an Iraqi Officer and myself. He gave me the turban as a gift. The Iraqis have great hospitality that I try to emulate.
Take care!
