Balad, Iraq

Dear All,

Hard to believe that I am in Balad, Iraq. What an adventure getting here. We started at 4:00 am Monday morning trying to get a flight out to here. We got bumped from the one we were blocked on. We were bumped from all the flights that day. Long day sitting in a big room with a couple hundred other soldiers and contractor who were trying to do the same as us. Some were coming back from R&R and others were units going over for the first time. At one point a young man came up to me and said "I see you got the job in Iraq" he had been through on R&R back in June and had talked to me in my office. That was fun.

We finally got a flight out on Tuesday at 1500. What an adventure that was. We had to meet for a briefing and have all our gear. Of course we had lots of gear as we were going for a full year and it was our first time. So picture me, two BIG suitcases, one carry-on size suitcase, a big back pack, my flack jacket and helmet and it was 112 degrees.

We meet Col Russ who befriended us and helped us get our jacket and helmets on right and made sure they were tighten right. He coached us through the process and I will be forever grateful for his help and encouragement. They marched us out to where we put our bags on pallets and then packed us on buses. The buses have curtain so you can't see out and no one see in. Security!!!! We drove out to the air field. As we pulled up and got off the bus I see troops coming out of the back of a C1-30. As soon as they were off we all marched on. It was everything and more that I could imagine. We are in rows length wise. No windows except for a couple rounds ones that were up real high. Fortunately we were not full so we did not have to be side by side crammed in there. We strapped in and put our ear plugs in and fairly quickly the big huge ramp or the rear part of the plane closed shut. The take off was quick and straight up it seemed like. There was no talking our visiting as you could not hear. The first half of the flight I was so hot that I felt light headed and then it colded off and I froze the last half. It only took and hour and fifteen minutes to get to Balad. Landing.....WOW! We took a hard right then a real had left and whoosh straight down and landed. It was incredible. I was afraid I would get sick but not at all. All I could think about was the hundreds of thousand of troops who have done the same and landed not knowing what they would face or what was ahead of them. I wondered what John Micah was thinking when he landed at his final destination three years ago.

As quickly as they got us on we got off and went inside a big building. We had to watch a briefing on safety there on Balad. It taught us all the different alert sounds and what to do when we hear them. Mr Kelly met us there and helped us with our bags and took us to our sleeping quarters for the night. He then drove us all over to see the base and took us to the hospital where we got our first glimpse of what will eventually be the first USO in Iraq. We have lots to do!

Today we went strong all day. First to the hospital to meet our points of contact there. While I was there a young man named Willowsbe came by and said he came to tell me hi.He was a friend of Mary Margaret from Meet and Greet. That was great. We then got a tour of the hospital even into the OR where we saw a surgery going on. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. We then went to get our housing which is very much like the pictures I had and not a football field away from the bathrooms...but TWO football fields away. I have decide not to bath as by the time I do and get back to my room I will already be dirty again.

We drove around to the other side of the base. The road goes along the fence and at one point right there in eye shot we could see two helicopters involved in a fired fight with something or someone on the ground. So hard to believe a war was happening right outside this fence. At first I thought it was just the reflection coming off the helicopter but then figured out it was gun fire. We knew it was far enough away that there was absolutely no fear for us.

It is so sobering being here at the the hospital. Twice since I have been typing this they called for Emergency room backup and people to the helo pad. I could hardly stand not going back to help as I can hear the helicopters coming in and knowing possibly there were some of our wounded troops on board. I will be able to go to the patient ward and visit with troops and will start doing that when we are settled in.

I can't begin to tell you what we need at this point but will let you know as we figure it out. Thank you for supporting me and these troops.

I love you all,
In His Mighty Grip,
Linda