These Things I've seen
This last month, I’ve played pool with an Iraqi contractor and ate dinner cooked by a Nepalese man outside a carpet shop, where the owner rolled out a $35,000 rug. I tasted sheep liver with Turkish engineers, played cards with Bangladeshi maintenance workers in Balad, Iraq. I’ve danced with Iraqi police and council men in Camp Korean Village, Iraq.
I’ve flown on numerous Blackhawk missions overlooking Iraqi villages and crops. I’ve watched soldiers fix a blown tire during a convoy to Scania, Iraq. I’ve had days where I can’t seem to move and days where the whole world seems open with limited potential. I no longer want to be in this place, but can’t imagine being home.
Saying goodbye
Yes, I will miss this place. I will miss late night Scrabble games with the soldiers. I will miss the bouldering wall Sgt. Cornick built in the hangar, those nights when we seemed to escape from Iraq for a few hours. I will miss the peace of the flight line at night when everyone has gone to sleep.
Wanted to say thank you Cali. I've been reading your blog and news articles since the beginning of the deployment. I have enjoyed seeing it from a civilian's perspective. I can't imagine what our soldiers endure each and everyday while protecting us here at home. Your stories and videos gave me an emotional closeness to my loved one, especially on days where it felt like it would be an eternity before seeing him again. Thank you again for your stories and insight.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on your future endeavors,
Jill Powell