It is Sunday here, and I have a few minutes of quiet time to post after what seems like the longest week of my life. Our months of training together in long, stressful command post exercises have been put to the test in ways I didn't think possible.
You probably about a suicide bombing in Northern Iraq that killed nearly 250 civilians. You may not have heard about a major bridge being destroyed in Baghdad, and the heroic efforts to restore it.
The bridge destruction was a crisis of major proportions for us. Unfortunately, I can't provide a lot of details about "why," but take my word for it. This was one of the most difficult professional challenges I have ever faced...and it isn't over yet (though the situation has improved). If we had been given this scenario as a training problem, we would have dismissed it as unrealistic. Instead, my comrades and I quickly learned just how much worse it could have been.
The bombing was a senseless tragedy perpetuated against a group of people who were completely innocent...neither Shia nor Sunni and not a political force of any kind. We were all shocked by the devastation and brutality of the attack, but were blessed with a chance to do something about it. The great young soldiers and NCOs of my unit here at Enormo helped make sure that food, tents, blankets and cots were quickly shipped north to assist those who survived the attack. I was humbled and enormously proud to be present as these great Americans pulled together and focused on getting help to those who needed it most.
As if these events weren't enough, the local insurgents have been attacking FOB Enormo with mortar fire every day (sometimes twice a day). Fortunately, their aim is pretty bad.
If things stay quiet, I hope to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in days.
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