Something I love about Mosul is that FOBs Diamondback and Marez aren’t overcrowded. There’s always plenty of room to spread out in the DFAC or the gym. We don’t have to contend with heavy vehicle traffic. It’s like a sleepy military town. The general situation on the ground here is very peaceful. U.S. Army units turned over security in this region to the Iraqis a long time ago. We still have a presence here but it’s more of an “overwatch”. There are also Albanian troops here assisting with base security. The net result is that Joes live a more normal pace of life here. My team never feels stressed when we’re here.
The “hands-down” highlight of the day came just before dawn. We had a thunderstorm. I couldn’t believe. I was in a deep sleep when rumbling thunder pried my eyes open. There were flashes of lightning. Then the rain came. It was brief and heavy. The rain made a pleasant, soothing sound on the metal roof of my hooch. It’s been so long since I felt rain that I almost walked outside. I’m not that stupid though. My bed was feeling too comfortable. Amazingly, most of the puddles were dried by the time we were up and headed to breakfast. The morning sky was crystal clear blue. The temperature had fallen about ten degrees. It was a true sign of the changing weather. The broiler hot summer is long gone.
We could hang here for the rest of the deployment with no problem. That’ll never happen though. Our days are numbered in Mosul.
The “hands-down” highlight of the day came just before dawn. We had a thunderstorm. I couldn’t believe. I was in a deep sleep when rumbling thunder pried my eyes open. There were flashes of lightning. Then the rain came. It was brief and heavy. The rain made a pleasant, soothing sound on the metal roof of my hooch. It’s been so long since I felt rain that I almost walked outside. I’m not that stupid though. My bed was feeling too comfortable. Amazingly, most of the puddles were dried by the time we were up and headed to breakfast. The morning sky was crystal clear blue. The temperature had fallen about ten degrees. It was a true sign of the changing weather. The broiler hot summer is long gone.
We could hang here for the rest of the deployment with no problem. That’ll never happen though. Our days are numbered in Mosul.
No comments:
Post a Comment