Tuesday, November 27, 2007

26 November 2007: A rocket? Really?


It is really quiet everywhere I go these days. In all the months I've spent in this country - both previous deployments and now - I've never known it to be so peaceful. It's been weeks since any serious mortar attack that I recall. It's very nice. That's why it was so unusual to have something happen today. Not long after the sun set there was a sudden "whoosh - WHUMP!!" It rocked our trailers. There was no alarm but I knew what it was. It was a rocket attack. The simple rule of thumb is that if you hear the "whoosh" you're ok. That means it's already flown over you. As I poked my head out my door to see if there would be any announcement, a Joe nearby asked another, "Hey dude, you know what that was?" The other Joe answered, "It was a fuckin' rocket man. I saw it in the air!" The first Joe looked around and back and said, "A rocket? Really?" I could see why he said that. It just doesn't happen every day around here anymore.

Another thing I noticed today was that several Joes have been fast to put up Christmas decorations. Several hooches already have holiday cheer displayed on the outside. Someone received a pre-wired artificial tree in the mail. I saw the WalMart box in the garbage. Thanks to the mail being delivered today, I have a flashy Christmas wreath. It brightens my room. I tacked it up as soon as I pulled it out of the box.

Even thousands of miles away in the most spartan of conditions, Joe will find a way to display holiday cheer.

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