From the Soldier

I know a lot of people have questions and concerns about my deployment (when I leave, where I am going, etc). So I figured I would go ahead and lay it all out for everyone. My unit is 'scheduled' to leave tomorrow (Oct 29th, 2007). We are meeting up at our company area at 1100 hours, where we will draw our weapons (hope my artistic talent kicks in...cough cough). We will then have time to spend with our family while we mark our bags with our Battalion colors. From our Co. area we will head to the gym where we will manifest all the soldiers who will be flying out that day. From there, we will head to Hunter Army Airfield. Once there we pretty much sit around waiting for our plane to arrive. We'll be flying on a 767 commercial flight. I don't know where we're stopping in Europe, but it could be Ireland or Spain, possibly Germany. Once in Kuwait we'll be sleeping in a tent big enough to hold our entire company (74 soldiers). We'll be completing cultural classes and other training to prepare us further for Iraq. We're scheduled to stay in Kuwait for 14 days, after which we head into Baghdad on a C-130. The funnest part of the trip will be doing combat maneuvers as we descend in Baghdad, making sharp banks to prevent us from becoming a potential target for hostile fire. From Baghdad we will travel to our base by means of a Blackhawk (no convoys for us). I will let everyone know my address as soon as possible. Myself of Chelsey will call or email everyone to let them know what it is once I have it. According to people over there there is wireless internet, though they say it's slow, so that may dictate how often I am able to get online and call people. I am going to be using Skype, and even if you don't want to buy a phone, you can download it for free onto your computer and we can talk there through text messaging and webcam. You don't need a number, you just need a username, and that's free, so please download it and let me know what your username is so I can add you to my contacts. Rest assured I'm in good company with people who know their stuff and will keep me safe, and I promise to do my part and keep my head down. I'll see you guys on mid-tour leave, which should be around summer of next year, and then I'll be back shortly after next Christmas. I love you guys very much.