Outside

Leaving the IZ is met with mixed feelings. After what seems like endless days of sitting behind a computer, constructing slides and dealing with higher brass, one is overwhelmed with giddiness at the prospect of shedding the shackles that bind them to their desk in order to flee from the “green zone” on a mission. However, there exists a small sense of security that one gets from the knowledge that armed men and women are standing guard to keep the enemy at bay along the perimeter of our little alcove in the city, so why would we be so eager to leave? You don’t have to be a military analyst to acknowledge differences of inside and outside the IZ. Outside the wire, watchful eyes of turret gunners in armored convoys are a stark contrast when compared to the inside environment of enthusiastic Indian bus drivers piloting soft skinned mini-buses filled with armored clad soldiers to work. Plus, as I’ve stated before, anyone who is jarred awake by a mortar round or had their trailer toilet destroyed by a rocket will argue that the green zone isn’t so green. So, if you are not safe in your hooch and you are not safe at work (and you’re definitely not safe going to the bathroom), you might as well get out and do something semi-constructive.

Most escapes are only day trips thus making the excitement of freedom short lived. On occasion, these excursions cover multiple days in order to reach far off destinations, of which I’ve been privy to only a few such outings. More often than not, trips last a lot longer than one packs enough clean clothes for because time waiting for military flight availability and unpredictable weather constantly try to outlasting your supply of dry underwear. Who in their right mind packs 4 t-shirts for a 2 day trip or better yet, who takes up room in their pack for a blanket while traveling in a desert in the middle of summer? After a few days sweating on a hot tarmac of some distant landing zone or freezing beneath an air conditioning vent in a tent, you quickly learn to pack for the unpredictable.

On a serious note, we have soldiers who go out every day, sometimes multiple times, in order to protect our movements from place to place. These young soldiers of the convoy companies are true warriors who risk their lives doing what they do so that I can sit here and complain about how I hate to sit behind my computer each day. Every one of them is a hero in my book and I can’t thank them enough.

So, although I’ve been absent from the blog scene for a few, it looks like I’ll be gone for a little while longer. The availability of power, time and access will determine how much I can update the site, but then again, absence of those things have never stopped me from trying before.

Mom and Dad, don’t worry. I’ll be safe.