It has been an intense and incredibly INTERESTING couple of weeks
moving between Afghanistan and Iraq meeting with a number of
interesting people. Yesterday I saw John McCain while walking in to
eat lunch. That was a nice surprise, but sadly he was being rushed
out to his vehicle, so no photo or handshake. A few days ago I had an
quick ride in a helicopter from Balad to Baghdad. It was a nice to
get to talk with the crew look out the window at an illuminated
Baghdad by night.
The best part of this trip has been meeting a number of Iraqis who
work here on base. I had a great meal with about 10 of them tonight,
followed by a few hours of discussing the future of Iraq while smoking
shisha(tobacco). Everyone was very open and positive about the
changes in Iraq. All ten locals strongly believe the future of Iraq
is bright and that they will be able to stand on their own two feet.
At the same time, none of them want to see the Americans leave their
country. They embarrassed all of us by thanking America again and
again for the sacrifices the USA has made to help them along the way.
With that I am headed to bed. Hope everyone is doing well! Only 22
days left until I head back to the USA!
Andrew
