Thursday, August 09, 2007

Some Things Never Change   [W. Thomas Smith Jr.]

AL TAQADDUM — Great chow here at TQ. In fact, they feed you like you're getting ready to go to the electric chair. This morning I had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes and maple syrup, a huge bowl of cheese grits and gravy, biscuits and jelly, icy cold fruit juice and coffee ... oh, and a blueberry muffin (a breakfast almost, but not quite, as good as Mom's). Yes, I was hungry. Couple hours later, and I'm hungry again. It's like my teenage-boy metabolism is back.

After chow, I stood in line — like the Old Corps cattle-queue I remember from my days with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines — waiting for an available shower head (one of about twelve in a big shower trailer). The shower — washing off some of this sweat, rotor dust, and Anbar sand — was every bit as soul-restoring as the fantastic breakfast.

On the way back to my hootch, I met Col. Sam Mundy, commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Sam's dad, Gen. Carl Mundy, is a former commandant of the Marine Corps.

The colonel, armed with a pistol and dressed in a nomex flight suit (we all wear those things out here so we won't burn to death in a vehicle ambush), welcomed me aboard:

Tom, I understand you're a former Marine. We'll, we're going to send you out to one of the COPs (combat outposts) tonight. It's austere living out there, but you'll do fine.

Hearing lots of explosions in the distance. I'm told it's our own artillery fire.

Still lots of air activity. Watched and heard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) winding overhead as I walked from the shower trailer back to my hootch.

Will be briefed soon, then moving out toward the COP. Not sure when I'll have Internet access again.

Whiskey Tango Sierra, out.

Editor’s note: Please see this note.

08/09 07:00 AMShare