Life is rough for a camel named Toe.

we just came back to camp from picking up our trucks, the trip to the persian gulf (where they were unloaded) and back took pretty much all day. 2 hours there, two hours to get them ready, and 3 hours to drive all the trucks back here. eventually they will be armored and strengthened before we take them across the border. I hope everyone at home is doing ok, I've actually been in a pretty good mood lately but i'm not really sure why. I think it could be that after months of preparation, we're actually very close to doing the things that we've been talking about doing for so long.


Today was just a little taste. Our convoy stretched for probably more than a mile through cities and then towns and finally open desert. ..And then came the highlight of the afternoon, I saw my first camel. More specifically, my first two wild, wild camels not in a zoo. Sounds dumb, but i was pretty excited. I didn't see any sheperds or watchers anywhere around so my first inclination was to coax one camel into the back of my truck and drive away with a new company mascot. Ten seconds later, i threw that idea out, but thats about the time i saw the rest of the camels over the next hill. There were about 50 in all and sure enough, there with a couple of sticks in hand were two squatting men dividing their attention between our sprawling convoy and their gaggle? of camels. I waved at them and thought about yelling that two of their camels were on the run, but we were moving way too fast and they probably didnt know english anyway. btw, i named that camel 'Toe'


The weather here is great, no joke. Yesterday it was really windy and dusty early, but not too hot. Oddly enough, today it rained for a couple of hours. That was really excellent because it brought all of yesterday's dust out of the air. Once it stopped it was clear and warm and pleasant. Pleasant weather in iraq? Noones told me that before. So far NC weather is no comparison to Kuwait weather, we'll just have to see for how long that holds true.


Well i'm gonna call it a night cause im paying for this crap now. when we get to our permanent station "up north" as they say here in kuwait, i better get some free frigin internet. Peace


-Billy

In the Sand

Just real quick like, its almost 4am and i got here tonight, i'm in Kuwait but can't post exactly where for security reasons. We just spent a few hours doing what a regular airline baggage claim would do in 15 mins and with a lot less obscenities. Im just gonna post these few sentences for now but i'll come back and fill the story out a little later. peace

Back from the woods, Almost to the sand

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a good little while, we just, not 15 minutes ago, got back in from the FOB (forward operating base) where we've been training for the past 10 days. Right now im just sitting here after putting my things away, wishing i could go ahead and get in the shower cause its been 4 maybe 5 days... yea. We're supposed to wait because there are more things to be unloaded, where they are I have no idea, and it doesnt look like anyone's too concerned. I'm not concerned either, which is why im busy writing this.




guess what? it's now days later since i wrote that first paragraph because naturally, i got interrupted to go unload the crap that was waiting to be unloaded. That was friday, and this is now Wednesday so again, sorry about the delay. I had a pretty good time this past weekennd, i wish it had been a bit longer..but life isnt fair. Oh i posted new pictures in the yahoo link immediately to your lower right (you may have to scroll down depending on how much i write today.) Theres some of me posing like an idiot male model and some of my friends just posing as idiots. I did get some nice pics of the fob in the evening, so when you take a break from laughing you can enjoy the scenic highlights of ft bragg.




you should see exactly how much crap some of my buddies here can accumulate in just a few weeks. Granted i've been buying some useless stuff too, but i know someone who was driven to purchase, among other things, a portable dvd player, a new game boy, a psp, and a laptop just for boredom prevention. i voiced my opinion that the dvd player and laptop are a little redundant but "the dvd player is way smaller." Ok, i said, "as opposed to just one or the other?" I just got a shrug in response. Maybe the problem is that military personnel make too much money? Nah, thats not it, it's that some of these kids fresh out of high school have decided that a 2k per month paycheck can mean a bill gates style wall-mart run. So don't go lobby congress to decrease military pay, because aside from the immediate crucifixion that would take place, you might be limiting my ability to impulse purchase 5 new dvds. I would be just a little upset. thanks for the comments, I am reading them and im gonna start retorting with my own comments just as soon as someone instigates me. oh ive been asked to put this up as well:

waslater@edisto.cofc.edu

william.slater@us.army.mil


Send to either one you wish, if you wish. I'll post once more before I leave here on Sat. and I'll post again just as soon as i touch down, hopefully with a new address. Peace.