Happy Father's Day

so that's lake habbaniyah from the road i take to work every day. it's actually a lot closer than it looks in the picture and we all stare out longingly at the water wishing we could just jump in. if only it weren't for the schistosomiasis and filariasis and god knows what other nasty creatures lying in the otherwise beautiful blue depths... on a clear day, you could imagine you were in another place, looking over some sand dunes, staring out into the ocean way out yonder (or you could imagine polar bears and ice caps as chu viet suggested :)...thanks for posting!). but just as you think about grabbing that ice-cold corona, you notice the barbed wire, and the control tower and a 7-ton drives by or gust of sand blows into your face, and by golly, you're still in iraq.

i often feel guilty whenever i start feeling restless and ready to go home. i mean, this is my first (and likely only) deployment and it's really not that bad. many of my marines are here on their 3rd, 4th trips, with some on their 5th! those of us on our 1st are def in the minority and as sucky as it may be, it's nowhere nearly as bad as being here the nth time around. now that, i can't even imagine.

daddy, happy father's day, and happy father's day to all the other pops out there. wish i could be there! micki, happy birthday and congratulations! great, great job! i know the fam's proud and you should be as well. helluvan achievement. welcome back to cali. i can't wait to get back there myself and i'll see you then!