Iraq - Last Call

Rain. Just one drop but it hit my hand. It hasn’t rained here since mid-May. The sky is fairly dark with clouds and low thunder rumbles over my head. The first clap made me jump but now it sounds good. Those little grey doves with the ring around their necks are walking around on the grass and the roses in the courtyard are in full bloom. Reminds me of working in garden centers stopping to smell the roses whenever I walked by. It’s a hokey thing to admit but I did it. I guess I never get too far away from the things I like. But I never smelled roses before with .50 cals going off like they are right now.
There’s other stuff I’ll be doing in the 36-40 hours before I leave Iraq. Tonight I’m supposed to go to the Bunker Bar with MSgt, John, Suha and some other friends I know and don’t know. Tomorrow night is my Going Away party at the pool. I may not get a flag because when LtCol went to pick it up today a mortar landed nearby and he had to abandon the mission.
But I’m going to end this thing now, at least the Iraq part. Come Monday I’ll have 151 days on the ground under my belt. Doesn’t sound too long, I’m sure people have been adrift at sea longer. But its enough for me.
Forget any political statements I’ve made, I’m sure I’ve contradicted myself along the way anyway. I have no statements to make, no higher truths to tell.
When I’m an old man with a flag flying in my yard I’ll remember Hong Kong and Ecuador, Australia and Curacao. But what people will ask me about is the time I spent in Iraq.
All I know I know is what I saw. A lot of that is written here, the rest I’ll carry around in my memory. In Iraq I’ve been lucky. I’ll watch the news to find out what happens next.