Rip

These hands have helped it go, and even race;
Not all the motion, though, they ever lent,
Not all the miles it may have thought it went,
Have got it one step from the starting place.
-Frost

Well, here we are again. Another AO, another set of towns and enemies and uncaring skies. Another few months, maybe? How long? Will we move again?

I was merely annoyed and a little disheartened to watch the first unit we relieved go home, cheery and bright-eyed and making plans plans for vacation and debauchery and relaxation. Now we're having to watch the second and third unit go off at the same time. I am tired of relieving people. I'm tired of listening to people talk about the first thing they're going to do, or what scheme they have to get some alone time with their wife away from the kids, or how much time they have left in theater, down to the hour and minute.

This new FOB is different. We live in c-huts (or "Chus"), not bunkers, and each of us will have a room to himself when we all get here. There are no paved roads except for right up near the TOC, but there is gravel everywhere. The gravel is either six inches deep and very fine, or smooth softball-sized chunks of rock that turn your ankle every five steps. There are also a LOT of KBR employees here. It was all my soldiers talked about, the first few days: "Did you see that hot KBR girl?" "There's another KBR girl!" "Man, check out that chick from KBR!" "Did you smell that KBR girl when she went past? I forgot what real women smell like!" Etcetera. The soldiers are lonely. I hope they keep control of themselves.

There are less than half of us here yet, with the other half being still on the other FOB, closing it down. I am growing more and more exasperated with officers asking me why this or that hasn't been done yet. I don't know how to be more clear without being rude: we just don't have enough people here to do everything right now. My platoon sergeant is doing headcount in the DFAC. You heard me right. An E7 with sixteen years in the army holding a clicker in the chow hall. That's how short we are. Nobody is getting any sleep. I'm getting very upset thinking about how much muscle I'm losing, after working out like a body builder the last few months. I just don't have time to go to the gym the last week or so.

I got to talk with Jen on my anniversary, and on Christmas. That was nice. My email and internet are back up again, too. I am waiting for the rest of us to arrive so I can get back to my real job. This should be a good FOB when it settles back into a routine. I hope we stay here, and don't move again. Like I said, I can't watch anybody else go home before me.