18 October 2007: From Kuwait to Balad

I reported at 0300 as ordered. There were about sixty Joes returning to Balad. We all had a tired, dazed stare. Why did we have to be there for 0300? Very simple – our flight to Balad was at 0800. Wait, it doesn’t make sense? It does to me. That’s just the way the military works. We have a common rule. It’s called “hurry up and wait.” Even returning from R&R you can expect to live by that rule.

After the wait was over we were bussed out to the flightline to a waiting C130. After taxiing for about twenty minutes we took off for an uneventful flight. We arrived in Balad around 0900. In rapid fire succession I checked my e-mail, checked in with my team, and returned to my hooch. I slept most of the afternoon away. My hooch was just as it was when I left. Balad was the same as it was when I left except one thing – the temperature. When I left on R&R we were still over 100 daily. Now it’s only getting up to the low 90’s at most. It’s quite pleasant at night. Iraq is no longer on daylight savings so it’s getting dark a lot sooner.