Day 414

Aco. 4-9 is packing up and getting ready to hand over control of the JCOP to 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The tour is almost over for us but their guys will have almost a year left. Headquarters platoon is going back to Camp Warhorse tomorrow night and we will not come back here.

Five days ago another female suicide bomber detonated a vest killing Iraqi Police and Army here in Baqubah. None of our men were injured. It seems that Al Qaeda is targeting Iraqi forces more than us. This is a good thing for me because I just want to get home safe at this point. Two of the Iraqi Army soldiers stationed here received awards for stopping a second suicide bomber and handling the situation.

Things have relaxed a bit over the past month. We have grilled pork chops and steaks and ribs a few times. The chow tent was taken down so we get our food from the chow hall at FOB Gabriel down the road. It will be nice to get home and eat some good food. There was a stomach bug going around for a while, five guys from headquarters got sick including me. I think I got it from the stir fry grill at Camp Warhorse but I'm not sure. I try not to complain about the food because the Iraqi Army soldiers eat chicken and rice every day. When we first got here back in November of last year we had to eat the same thing for about a month. After a while it became hard to eat the chicken and one of the medics said you can actually develope an allergy to poultry.

When people think of war they think of firefights with rifles and grenades, smoke and yelling, like the movies. That hasn't been the case for me and the mortar squad. A lot of the time has been spent in the compound waiting around and pulling guard. Maintaining equipment of all kinds is another big part of what we do. The generator outside that powers electricity to the JCOP must be refueled and tended to. It overheats every so often so a large camouflage net had to be posted over it. Dust makes its way into every nook and cranny so there is always sweeping to do. Trash must be picked up and taken out to the burn pit. Of course weapons must be cleaned periodically. When all the work is done a lot of the guys lift weights, that is the most common activity. I lift weights a few times a week but a lot of these guys lift every day. Even with air conditioning it gets up to 90 degrees inside and guys are pouring sweat. I'll wait till Fort Lewis to get in shape.