Cold

It has been getting quite cold which is a good thing because with the drop of temperature has also come a drop in insurgent/terrorist activity. I guess they don't like the cold. The other night a few areas around me even had snow. We just got blessed with a really cold rain. They assure me that we will be getting snow eventually around here. Who would of thought snow in Iraq. Oh well. I hope everyone is safe and has a wonderful and happy holidays. I am happy to hear that Lindsay is going home to cali before she leaves for Iraq and will be able to see Seth from tomorrow until Christmas. Take care to all my brothers in arms reading this.

Bad Week

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Not that any week in in this worthless country is a good week, but this one was particularly bad yet fortunate at the same time. But it has shown me that God has been watching over me. For starters on Monday I was supposed to be on this CH-53 helicopter doing some training for what was going to be an upcoming raid. It was due to some preparations that I was not on this bird. I got these pictures when we were called out to take care of an IED not far from the scene. Otherwise I would have never known the severity of the crash.
Last night then proved to be a very long one. We started by responding to a call about a UXO (unexploded ordnance) call out in one of the nearby communities. These are usually easy but as I walked up on it I saw there were wires and det cord. I had walked right up on an IED. I pulled back to my safe area with my security when my team leader went down foolishly to take care of it manually. This is how people get killed. Luckily I am smart enough to watch out for myself as my boss is willing to take stupid risks. While by my vehicle we started taking fire from insurgents with AK47's. We didn't take any casualties and departed the scene to return to base. While in route back, I triggered an IED in the middle of the road with my Cougar vehicle. We blew the front tires, lights and drivers mirror. The only injuries though were to my left ear with some ringing and crackling. Minor compared to the damage and injuries had our security humvees struck the device. This is just a not so subtle reminder that my folks and others are praying for me and all of my brothers and sisters in arms over here. My hearing is almost back to 100%. My purpose is not to scare those of you reading this, but to show that the thoughts and prayers do make a difference. I hope all of you back home are doing well and I am sure that my future posts will be more positive.

Internet Down

The internet has been down out here for the last two weeks. In that time we had a pretty decent Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. Did quite a few calls and went out for a little shooting from time to time. It is starting to get quite cold out here, so much that they are talking of the possibility of snow this winter.

Lindsay left for combat training today to go straight from there to Iraq. This meant that Seth went with my folks up to Minnesota. It should be a drastic weather change leaving central Cali to go to the frozen iron range. I hope this finds you all well

Diesel

OH THE BUDWEISER

Today was relatively uneventful with the exception of having my two ice cold Budweisers. They were delicious. The everclear that followed it wasn't too bad either. EOD techs need to be resourceful. A busy day for the Navy team today but it still went by fast for us on our day off. Maybe tomorrow we'll finish the construction of our hallway but I won't hold my breath. I am glad I got this internet connection though.

Grade 3 Destruct

Today we did a destruction of the grade 3 items from the ammunition supply point (ASP). It had a total Net Explosive Weight (NEW) of over 2600 pounds. We tried to make a EOD crab out of it but a piece of det cord didn't want to cooperate. Usually the Navy EOD tech responsible for this would owe beer but there is a little shortage around here. It was an otherwise slow day for calls which was good for those able to celebrate our 231st birthday.

Gotta love big demo shots. I would of shown the explosion but I am not computer savvy enough to pull it out of a video clip. Hope all are doing well.