First stop

We made it to Kuwait after a very long flight from Columbia, SC with only one stop. After weeks in an Army training environment, I was more than pleased to get on the Boeing 767 to find that Commanders and above get to sit in first class! We're here for briefs, acclimatization, and more range training (convoy training and shooting). Now, where we're staying is relatively desolate...and the range is supposed to be even more desolate. I say relatively desolate, because, really how desolate can a place be with wireless internet and a 24 hours/day Starbucks!

Most of our spare time is spent contacting family, working out, and hanging out at the USO making free phone calls to the U.S. The USO also has this wonderful service where they will record you on a DVD reading books to your kids, and then package up the same books and DVD and mail them to your kids for free. Shameless plug, if you have some extra money and want to give it to a good cause, strongly consider the USO. They provide a priceless service!

Have been able to talk with Jonah and Naomi pretty regularly. Jonah's been missing me a bit and all the technology in the world doesn't make "Daddy, come home soon" any easier to hear. I was talking with the kids on Skype tonight (I'm 7 hours ahead of the east coast) and it was obviously dark where I was and still daylight in Virginia Beach. Naomi asked the obvious question when she realized it was dark, "How did the day go so fast where you are?" I wish you could hug your kids through Skype.

Politics...because I had to get to it at some point. The reality of the war and possible 40,000 troop surge becomes all the more real when you are one short flight away from being in-country. Funny, we sit in the U.S. and interpret the news of the war through a certain set of filters. We criticize leaders as we sip our cup of coffee and opine about what should or shouldn't be done. Put on body armor and carry a weapon (and I'm a doctor for crying out loud!) and see how that may change the filters that you use for interpretation.