How fast can you wait?

On Saturday morning, after five weeks, we completed all of our training in preparation for our deployment to our final destinations. Our final training evolution consisted to two nights in the desert conducting close quarter marksmanship with our weapons and convoy training focusing on counter-ied techniques.

Friday was an interesting day: we awoke at 0345 to be in formation on the range at 0500. I've never experienced 80 degrees at 0400 before, which was an indicator of how hot the day would get. By 1000, it had to have been nearly 110 degrees (and we were dressed in body armor) and only got hotter as the day progressed. That is until about 1500 when the hot winds blew in a sandstorm.

Just imagine sand in your ears, eyes, nostrils, mouth and every other part of your body. The uniform covers everything but faces and hands, but the sand finds a way inside. Our training site had no showers, so by the end of the training evolution, my scalp was covered in sand. Not a pleasant feeling.

Except for the oil here, I don't know what would possess anyone to live here. I guess to each his own - for me, give me trees, water and something, anything with color other than just brown/tan.

We are still in Kuwait waiting for transport to our final destinations, which is getting tiresome. I'm ready to do the job I was called to do and wasting days for transportation seems to be, well, a waste of time and money. I hope this is my last post outside of Iraq. I've waited as fast and long as I could, but don't want to do it any longer.