‘Spirits Are Still High’

The people here are friendly in general (of course you have to remember that I am in a quiet sector that supports the IA (Iraqi Army), there are other areas that aren't so congenial). They always wave and smile and are very cooperative when we have to search their cars or personnel. The women, however, have got that fake crying thing down. We had to search someone the other day (it turns out that my trainer knows the guy and figured that searching his car was a safe way for me to try my first real search), and the older women began "bawling" when we began to search him and his car. It was interesting to see. If these first few days are any indication, I think I will learn a lot about people in the next year.

I guess that's the long short of it. I'm doing okay and staying healthy. I'm not counting the days yet but I'm also not loving this den of iniquity. I hope you are all doing well, and I will keep you updated.
Ryan

Sanders, 27, of College Station, Texas, was patrolling in his tank June 4, 2006, in Baghdad, when he was killed by a roadside bomb.

Army Maj. Gregory Fester
Aug. 22, 2005

Hello Family and Friends,
I hope that this finds all in good health, good spirits, and enjoying the remainder of summer.  The past couple of days here has been in the 130's, perfect for outdoor grilling!! This past week has been an interesting one.

The beginning of the week was good, then we tried making a trip north to Baghdad area for some supplies and then to Balad for some more supplies, and I would be able to see Eric.  Well, the only route to Baghdad is not my favorite, and you guessed it, our convoy was hit by an IED.  For those of you who do not know what and IED is, it stands for Improvised Explosive Device.  This is the primary means of the insurgents to take out vehicles in convoys.  It hit our number 2 vehicle and I was in the number 4 vehicle.

Thank goodness no one was injured other than taking out the vehicle.  Needless to say, that ended the trip going up.  This makes travelling in Iraq interesting.  The end of the week ended on a good note as I had our first contractors meeting.  12 contractors came by and we bidded out our first project to repair/refurbish an elementary school.

Now for a little humor.  There's five things that I don't agree with here in Iraq:
5. Swimming with your livestock and using the water to cook with.
4. Men holding and hugging in public, tradition.
3. Sitting on hot pavement with a small rug.
2. Men wearing dresses, as we refer to "men dresses".
And number one on the list: IED's.  They just mess up your day.