Dear members of Bethel Presbyterian Church,
Thank you very much for the numerous birthday cards you have sent this past week. It is always nice to get mail and twice as nice to know there are many back home thinking about you and praying for you.
The last time I wrote, my battalion was still in Kuwait waiting to move north to Iraq. We are now in Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown. The forward operating base (FOB) is quite beautiful as it is one of Saddam’s many presidential palaces. I personally live in a servant’s quarters, but it is still quite nice on the outside. The insides look nice too but the materials used are rather cheap and the Iraqi plumbing is pretty pathetic.
Anyhow, the temperatures have finally reached the 100’s but not the 110’s as we expect in July and August. It’s really not too bad because it’s a dry heat, so it only actually feels like it’s in the 100’s and not hotter – hee hee!
As far as the insurgents, they have been heating up also this past month. They have used numerous suicide VBIED’s lately, and they will hit just about anybody – Muslim or not – just as the news points out. Luckily, our soldiers spotted a VBIED in a car a few weeks ago before it detonated. We suspect numerous lives were saved due to their heads-up action – I believe this story even made news back in Texas, where I live.
I have also recently had the chance to escort some Hollywood stars (Dean Cain and Amanda Switsen) around to the division’s area of operations (AO). This AO includes the 278th RCT. We flew by helicopter to numerous FOB’s including two from the 278th. Needless to say, the hospitality award would have gone to the 278th FOB’s. The soldiers were quite excited and patient with the stars on their tour. It was a nice diversion for the soldiers, and it also provided a nice opportunity to see the Iraqi countryside. Surprisingly, northern Iraq has lots of cultivated fields and shepherds herding their goat (and sheep I believe) flocks one or two miles from the nearest home. I was surprised to find out they could withstand the heat for so long without any visible sign of canteen or water bottle.
Anyhow, I am nearly halfway done here and I’m sure the 278th is already over the hump. Once again, thank you for all the kind letters, birthday withes, and prayers. God bless and I hope to see you again next year.