Finishing Up

Right now our 2nd platoon is having a barbeque. It’s looks like the biggest party on the whole camp. I’m sure others are wondering who the hell we are. They’ve got their Humvees pulled up around the barbeque pit with all the lights on. They’ve also got some cots and chairs situated around the grill. They ran an extension cord from outside the tent so they could also play their speakers outside too. They’ve got the stakes on the grill and the only thing they’re missing is the beer.

I’m trying hard as heck to get these guys prepared for what’s ahead. I’ve already let a few get comfortable with being outside the wire and with how to interact over here. All the training in the world could not prepare these guys for the real thing. Sure the training helps, but it doesn’t replace actually interacting outside the wire on the mean streets of Baghdad.

The way I figure it, the sooner I get them doing the job, the faster I get to kick back and start preparing to leave. I haven’t had time to do things like get a haircut and make sure I’ve bought all the souvenirs I want before I leave. I’ve waited till the last minute like always and now I think I’m running out of time.