It's been a busy week here. Not because of all the crap in Baghdad though. 3 of us have been flying back and forth from several different bases trying to track some gear we need that was lost in shipment. We've had dust storms for the last 2 days, so we're not back yet but we have today off because we can only fly at night. I wish I had some decent stories, but I'm no grunt so I apologize. We do have to put up with the outgoing artillery all night.

Someone emailed and asked if I thought the war is worthwhile or if it is a waste of good men. That's a question I've been thinking a lot about. I think most of the Iraqis I've met have genuinely been thankful. I also believe that Saddam had to go, WMDs or not. And I also know that after we took down their government, we needed to install one to prevent chaos. So by that logic, I say it is worthwhile.

On the other hand, there has been one thing pissing me off. The Iraqis are obviously capable of creating an insurgency against us, so why didn't they do it against Saddam? That pisses me off because we fought for our freedom a long time ago, against superior numbers, equipment, and training. We won because we tried and believed in what we were doing. So why couldn't the Iraqis get up and do it? I don't know. The one thing that makes me feel better about this is I was talking to a guy the other day, who said that the Iraqis are volunteering faster than we can train them for their security force/army/whatever, and he is in a position to know so I trust him. To answer my own question, I guess the Iraqis just needed a little motivation to do something to better their lives. There's no doubt in my mind that they want us here. If you don't believe me, look at the voter turnout. They consistently get upwards of 80% turnout, even with the threat of being shot or blown up. We certainly don't get that high a percentage in America. Now that I've rambled and tried to explain my reasoning, I'll say that yes it is worthwhile for us to be here. It is a damn shame so many people have died, and I don't want to sound callous, but everyone who has died has been a volunteer. There's no draft or anything like that, everyone in the military wants to be here. If they didn't want the risk, they shouldn't have enlisted.

Somebody else wanted to know about the food. I know at least on two bases so far, Sunday is prime rib and crab legs night. It's not the best prime rib or crab legs, but it is very good, and does a lot for morale too. The rest of the week isn't bad, even though it's basically a rotation of the same stuff every week. I'm pretty sure Napolean said an army marches on its stomach, and I have to agree with him.

That's enough of my ramblings for now. I apologize for any typos, but we haven't had time to sleep much lately. Again, if you have questions you can email me by going into my bio.