04 July 2007: Independence Day at LSAA

Independence Day has come and gone at LSAA. Most everyone here spent the day feeling homesick. I think every person on my team told me what kind of activities they normally do on the 4th. It always involved family, friends, cooking out, and fireworks. They weren’t alone in feeling homesick. I spent most of the day thinking about home. We had an impromptu cookout to celebrate. The DFAC provided condiments, potato salad, baked beans, potato chips, drinks, plates, napkins, and utensils. We purchased steaks and pork chops from the PX. I had some Tony Chacheres seasoning that came in very handy for the grilling. The steaks came out very well – surprisingly. All the food was devoured. It was way too hot for there to be any peripheral activities. After we finished eating we called it a day. Everyone went their separate ways. Most of us went and took long naps. That’s what I did. I finally got up around 1800, got dressed, and went over to the office to call home. My entire team was there lined up to use the phone. I managed to get a quick call in and then called it a night. I was back in bed by 2230.

Independence Day was a very quiet, slow day here. I was expecting IDF to interrupt our activities but it never came. Hope everyone back home had a wonderful 4th!