Well, I made it to Al Assad. It was a long trip. We flew on a Northwest 747 from Cherry Point to Amsterdam. I got to sit in the super cush seats. That was reeaaly nice. We had to sit in a holding bay in Amsterdam while our plane re-crewed. Many Marines were upset that they couldn't site see in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam government ensured that none of us would wonder off by placing armed soldiers at the exits. It was funny. We then flew from Amsterdam to Kuwait. We got off the plane far from civilians and boarded buses to Camp Victoria. Camp Victoria is an armpit of a base that is used for transients and overflow. Our plush accomidations consisted of a cot in an open tent. Luckily we were there for less then 24 hours. We then got on another bus to Ali Al Salem where we got on a C-7 for the jump to Al Assad. We were delayed to board because the crew discovered that the plane had a flat tire. We finally boarded and were packed in like sardines. It was especially tight because we have to wear all of our armor when flying in a combat zone. The piolot told us we were cleared for take off and the horsepower kicked in. For some reason we stopped before we were airborne and the plane turnred around on the tarmac. The only explanation we got was "we're going to try again".....not very re-assuring. Second time was a charm. We landed in Al Assad with no problems. I hope everyone is doing OK back home.
Tony
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I would have been very nervous after the first try failed.
ReplyDeleteGary and I are great. We have been ice fishing every weekend. Deb fished with us on my birthday. I caught 6 and she caught 0, which is as it should be. After she quit fishing Gary took her place and caught the biggest crappie of the day. That was it for Deb. She said she is a summertime fisherman and ice fishing isn't her bag. She will fish again with us this weekend. After she catches a few, I'm sure she will become a convert.
Take care and stay safe.
Love, Mom.