Stopped In Ali Al Saleem

09 March 2010

The A Team will finally be together on 11 March for a short tour before I head back to the sand box. I'm a little hesitant to take leave before the summer, but the truth is, this is the best time for me to go. I just finished my work with Iraq's National Election, and I'm at a point where I can leave the Squadron for a few weeks before we start getting crazy busy again. Las Vegas is going to be a blast, and I'm going to take Audra to a few shows and great restaurants. I'm going to try really hard to avoid the slots, as the last time I was in Vegas, Kenny and I ended up getting drunk and smoking cigars while spending $200 with nickles. The drinks kept coming and I kept spending, trying desparately to line up three blue diamonds. Vegas had the perfect trap! It took all the strength I had to dismount the stool with Kenny before we were nickled and dimed.

I just got off the phone with Audra. I only had a few minutes to talk to her, but I gave her the details of the flight and when I will be in Dallas. I just dropped a bomb on her lap though, because she was not planning for this early of an arrival. Now she has to find a sub and plan some lessons (sorry babes). I know how much she hates surprises. Once she thinks she has it all planned out, I always seem to shake it all up. I do like to watch or listen to her initial reactions, they are classic. Is that bad?

Right now, I'm in a small internet cafe at Ali Al Saleem, Kuwait. I left Kirkuk around 0100 on 09 March to Balad and arrived around 0215. The flight was very short, but we were all crammed in the C-17 and our pilot was pretending he was flying a F-16 I think. We pulled a G or two and we all struggled to hold on to the seat webbing as we slid from side to side. My buddy Austen and I laughed a few times about it, but were relieved when we touched ground.

Balad is huge, that's all I have to say about it. I thought FOB Warrior was big, but Balad is gigantic. I have no idea how we, the U.S., will responsibly drawn down this hub. There are more concrete barriers, scud bunkers, buildings, vehicles, and CHUs than I thought possible. Once we arrived in Balad, Austen and I got some temporary lodging and caught a few winks before we reported in for our next leg to Ali. We ended up watching Season One of Frisky Dingo and we're interrupted quite a few times by some movie with Camron Diaz on AFN that lasted at least three hours. Randy got me into Frisky Dingo, which is a funny show on Adult Swim. I can't stop laughing when I watch it. Anyway, MAJ Hartley and MAJ April caught up with us and we shared a few laughs about a fellow Captain in the Brigade, before we boarded the bird.

Ali is as I left it, barren, hot, and dry. It's only March and soon Kuwait will be swealtering hot. Kirkuk will catch-up soon; the summer, Middle East heat will be upon us all. I'm not looking forward to the 120s. Austen and I did have some Arabian McDonalds and enjoyed a Camel Burger and fries before we hit the sack. I can say that after not eating fast food at all for the last five months, it did not sit well with me. Austen and I felt pretty guilty, but we justified the whole indulgence as a vacation to do.

It's showtime! Time to go to lockdown, customs, and fly out.