Day 81

Things are kind of boring here. Our team has sunk into the three days on, three days off routine. It is frustrating because we don't get to fire at real targets, They just have us on standby. We go out to the stryker in full kit for a few hours a day and occasionally fire test rounds.

One day a sergeant called in on the radio saying they were taking mortar fire. He got us a grid to fire at, and once we got the necessary approval from all the higher ups it turned out that we couldn't fire because another unit was occupying that area. It's like having your hands tied. Occasionally the guards up on the roof will take fire from the fields or the edge of the palm groves in the distance. Just a few shots from an AK sends a ton more people up to the roof to start firing at an unknown target. Even if they see where they were, they quickly scurry away leaving us to fire our big machine guns into the dirt.

On the other hand things are going smoothly. The hit and run mortarman has not landed a round inside the compound for days. We targeted a suspected location and fired some mortar rounds to let him know we can hit back. The bravos are hauling in suspected terrorists for questioning from their raids and from anonymous tips. Word has it we're making more progress in the area than previous units. Credit is due to our commanding officer and the rest of the leadership.

I continue to read action novels to the point of eye strain. Right now I'm finishing up 'Brotherhood of the Rose' By David Morrel, then it's on to 'The Lost World', sequel to 'Jurassic Park'.