Not much has changed over here. It’s still hot and dusty, and it’s going to get hotter and dustier. You guys sent in some good questions this week. I’ve only got time to answer one right now, I’ll get to the rest in a couple days.

Why don’t they let you have beer over there? This question actually came from a couple people, so it’s the one I’m answering today. I didn’t know why at first, but when I thought about it I came up with a few different reasons. The first reason is we’re in a combat zone. Anything can happen at anytime, and you don’t want half the base drunk if something does happen (ground attack, incoming, etc…). The second reason is that it’s really hot. We’ve been hitting 117 pretty regularly, and hydration is obviously a big deal. Since beer dehydrates your body, it would be stupid to have a Marine become a heat casualty because he was drinking the night before. Another reason is that, especially when alcohol is involved, Marines tend to do stupid things. There’s a saying, “There’s always one”, which means someone always messes it up for everybody. So, if Marines get in trouble drinking in the States, why would you want them drinking over here where we all carry M16’s and ammo all the time. The last reason, which I’ve actually heard before, is that it’s a sign of respect to the Iraqis, because Iraq is a non-drinking country. I don’t know if I believe that or not, it’s just something I heard.

Now, after saying all that, I don’t know why they can’t let us have 1 beer a day. Man, that would be great! After being out here for 6 months, everybody (Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen, and civilians) all rate a trip down to Qatar for 4 days of R&R. There you can drink, but it’s limited to 3 beers a day, and they keep track electronically. I don’t know why 3 is the limit.

Alright, sorry for the short update again, but we just got a lot of parts in for our van and they actually expect me to do some work. I should be able to post another update on Sunday, so check back then.