Tikrit

Tikrit is hotter and dustier than Baghdad. I can’t believe they have an Air Force officer doing this stuff! I thought I’d humped my last ALICE pack when I got out of the Corps.

I slept on the roof of an Iraqi house last night (this morning, actually). Because it’s so dry out here, roofs are like an extension of a house’s living space. They are all flat, with three foot (or higher) walls around them. Often there is even furniture or a TV, and maybe a potted palm or two. All in all, it’s a pretty smart use of the space, although it also provides the Muj a great place to snipe from.

We’re working with some pretty rough guys up here. The kind that have beards and carry all sorts of non-regulation weapons. It’s interesting, especially watching them in action via the Pred feed (Predador – one of those unmanned aerial vehicles). Of course everything they do is at night, so just when my system is getting over jet lag I have to screw it all up again.

Don’t get the wrong idea, I just help with the comms. I leave all the heroics to these guys, and am thankful that I can. But still, it’s gratifying to be so close.