 Contact CCT
 Advertise with CCT |
 University  College  Alumni Home |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 
|
Emails from Lt. Josh ArthurGreetings from Baghdad!Monday, November 13, 2006All, Well, if my Dad had one piece of everyday advice for me to last throughout the deployment - to pertain to all the day-to-day activities, the scheduling, events, whatever - it was to "expect the unexpected." It should have come as no surprise, then - and with the Black Knights of 1-5 CAV, this was really par for the course - that we were all called away from a free concert being put on at Camp Buehring by the band Shinedown on November 8th to be told that we would be leaving in a matter of hours to go north to Baghdad. Figures! We arrived in Baghdad late Thursday night and spent an inordinately long time doing nothing, it seemed, before boarding transportation to come over to FOB Liberty, where we are now (and where we plan to stay for the next year - but again, who's to say?). We're still in the process of getting comfortable in our new home, but things are splendid so far. My living accomodations are hard to beat: my own room in a trailer (albeit with paper-thin walls between rooms) with a bed, desk, wall locker, etc.; internet in the rooms (when it wants to work); and rumors that a fridge and TV are on the way. Quite honestly, I can't complain. The change of scenery is nice, too. While Camp Buehring may be useful, as I said, it is quite literally in the middle of the desert. Even if Liberty is closer to parts of the city where violence is occurring daily, at least there are trees here! When I get a chance, I'll take pictures that give some sense of the landscape here at Victory (without actually showing anything of importance, of course). I can at least say that palm trees near the battalion headquarters could fool one into thinking this place isn't half bad, if it weren't for the colonnades of concrete barriers everywhere ;) As with Camp Buehring, the amenities here leave little to be desired. Taco Bell, Subway, Burger King, gyms, free laundry, a wide variety of food in the dining facility, a PX that has DVD entertainment systems, for heaven's sake - these are things that are truly the mark of an organization planning on sticking around for a while, if you ask me ;) I'd hate to have you all back home thinking I actually face some sort of hardship or deprivation in living conditions, especially when guys at other, more distant FOBs and guys at the beginning of this war truly did (right, LTC Walter, sir? ;)) I'm technically still sleeping in my sleeping bag every night, but that's solely because I've been too busy or lazy to go sign for linens. So don't go feeling sorry for me just because I'm over here. Haha. After all, we're not even really in harm's way yet. True, there's always the possibility of something strange happening while on the FOB - a lucky mortar strike (which are rare in the first place here), an impossibly overwhelming attack, etc., - but for all intents and purposes, I think it's fair to say that no one on the FOB considers himself to be in particular, imminent danger as far as daily happenings go. We still have some things to do before we get to head out into sector. We have to finish acquiring and inventorying our new vehicles; have to get more protective equipment for vehicles and personnel; and we have to finish a process that's already begun whereby the outgoing unit hands over responsibility to us. So far, the leadership in the battalion has been attending two days' worth of classes given by the outgoing unit concerning their experiences, lessons learned, tactics used, etc. Whether we adopt them all is, of course, up to us, but the knowledge they have to share is supremely important. We'll continue to do this for a matter of weeks before we assume responsibility for the area exclusively. Otherwise, things are good. The only other piece of news - and again, I guess I should find it completely unsurprising that this is the case - is that our mailing address has changed (slightly) one again, but this one - supposedly - is the one that will really, actually, honestly work the quickest. The previous one SHOULD still work, but without the Unit ID #, it evidently slows down a great deal. In any event, it is:
And that's about it, folks. Again, I hope this find everyone doing well, and as I have more time (and a more reliable internet connection), I'll try to get back to some of you individually. Thanks to all of you, too, who have indicated that you'd like to send something to me or (more importantly) my soldiers, as well. I promise I'll try to get a sense for things guys need and/or want as things progress. The only thing I can say for sure that will be useful no matter what are pipe cleaners and q-tips for cleaning weapons, and guys always like magazines of almost any sort (just no pornography - it's illegal in the country). More than that I really don't know yet, though, so when I get a better idea, I'll let you know so that your generosity can be well directed. Thanks so much.
Love to all,
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
