Two hours aboard a C-130 up to Baghdad International, an ancient hulk of a plane that flies low and slow, and noisy and cramped and cold.  Looking out the windows was facilitated by raising my digicam over the back of my head, shooting, and viewing the image on the little monitor.  It appears we passed over endless miles of emptiness as the sun set.  After a night in a little canvas tent, we boarded a Chinook, those schoolbus-sized helicopters that have two rotors.  My spine still aches from the 300 meter walk out to the bird - all told, carrying about 140 pounds of stuff on my back.  We dropped our gear in the middle, sat along the sides facing inward, shut off all the lights and rose into foggy dark, the stink of Malice all around, stronger than I’ve ever known it.  I sat at the very back of the Chinook, by the tail gunner, who sits on the open cargo door, legs dangling out, watching for The Enemy.  The lights of Baghdad neighborhoods looked just like any other city from the air, except for some areas that were completely dark.  Bitterly cold wind swirled all around us, and all of a sudden blinding red light, a swoosh and the smell of cordite flashed through the rear door, as our anti-missile flare system decided someone was launching a stinger at us.  I still don’t know if there was a threat or the system just went off.  It’s pretty rare they shoot at birds at night, which is why we flew then.  We landed in the quietest place I’ve seen in a month, somewhere in the Green Zone, and soldiers argued about whether or not it was ok to smoke there, on a strip of concrete surrounded by palm trees.  Ugh, Americans.

Saw the stars well for the first time out here, which had a profoundly grounding effect after the are-they-shooting-rockets-at-us incident.  Another night in a canvas tent, in what looked like the remote reaches of a massive midwestern warehouse/loading yard.  Today we drove to where we’re gonna be, Camp Loyalty.  I was in the back of an armored personnel carrier so I didn’t see much of anything along the way.  Camp Loyalty is a sprawling Iraqi military complex, bombed to hell then cordoned off with 20 foot walls all around it.  We live in the buildings that didn’t get leveled by US Bombs - they resemble my basic training barracks.  There is rubble everywhere, huge half-standing buildings that will make for wonderful postcard photography once I get my stuff situated.  The chow hall is incredible.  In this place that looks like a vision of the apocalypse, the last and greatest failure of civilization, the servers wear bow ties and pinstriped vests, and the food is great.  If there was a sub joint in Boston that could make me a grilled chicken and mozzerella sandwich like the one I had for lunch, I’d practically live there.  The 1st Cavalry Division is here now and things will be cramped until they start leaving in about two weeks.  They are really happy to see us - 3ID is their ticket home.
Thanks to everyone for writing me so much.  It’s great.  Just don’t thank me for fighting for freedom, liberty, or our rotten president.  None of that is going on here.  Further bulletins as events warrant.

Ben