Blog

I am numb at the end of a week of relaying many, many emergency messages. It had been quiet around Thanksgiving. A week later, Julie and I are passing record numbers of messages for our time here. Each one is unique: the death of an …

When we accepted our deployment assignment, we knew we would probably be in more danger than living at home in Utah or Iowa. When I first heard I was assigned to COB Speicher near Tikrit, I asked an Air Force Reservist who had deployment experience …

Every week, I download pictures taken on the camera I almost always carry with me, look at what I’ve seen and then try to come up with words to explain my experiences. It is like a photo journal. This week, the phrase “the good, the …

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. The day encourages families and friends to gather without the complexities of religion or gift giving, and it isn’t overtly patriotic. Good food and fellowship is the focus. Thanksgiving has been a special day here on COB Speicher too. …

13 November 2007 I was struck with an eerie feeling when I walked past the ruin of a tile fountain in on my way into an office building on base. COB (Contingent Operating Base) Speicher has been built on the remnants of one of Saddam …

We left Ft Benning GA in white chariots, large white buses with school bus interiors. My adrenaline soared as we drove out of the CRC (Continental Replacement Center) after a week of being “processed” there. I was thrilled to be leaving. As we bumped along …

I ate my last meal at Ebbitt Grill, two blocks from the White House, reputedly the oldest pub in DC. White House staffers and tourists dine and drink amidst décor displaying Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting memorabilia: duck decoys, rifles, vests, mounted heads of a wide range …

On September 30th, I arrived at the Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, DC with five other newly hired reservists destined for deployment to Iraq. Two of us will go to Baghdad, two will go to Balad, and two (including me) will go to Tikrit. …