So what do we do for fun here in Iraq. First I will say that there are two groups of people here in Iraq, with a few in the gray area between. There are those that are working the office setting like myself and those that are constantly on missions. My last tour over here was with the second group where now I am with the first.
Those that are on missions. Most days consist of five to seven hours of sleep. You wake up, shower and shave, and get ready for the day. The only way you are going to get breakfast is if you plan to sacrafice that last our of sleep to get it. You go to your motor pool or similiar setting and prepare for that days mission. Once you get weapons cleaned, vehicles checked, and mission essential supplies such as water it is time to line up and get ready for the movement. After talking with many of the soldiers here at my camp, they state that the average mission will take about 12-15 hours. Once back in, it is just enough time to grab chow, re-stock, and maybe take an hour or two in your room to watch a movie on your laptop before going to sleep. Those that want to talk to their families or catch up on the internet will go to bed late that night. Then the next day, rinse and repeat. For the lucky ones they will set aside one day a week to do basic mainenance on their vehicles and weapons and take the rest of that day off. Again - thats if you are lucky.
For the other group, the office worker, it can vary. Most end up working 10-16 hours everyday with limited time off. However most office workers are able to check their email, e-pay their bills on-line or blog (on active rain) while in the office. Some of us get lucky to go to the gym daily, with great luck your boss will allow time during lunch to go so that you still get your evening to yourself. Even better than that was what our division has allowed, it is called mountain time. Every Sunday we get the day off, we have to check in at 6:00 PM to make sure that there is no pressing issues, then continue with the day off.
As far as entertainment on post. If you are able to get the time most camps have some sort of gym set up. Even though we are on a small base we have two small gyms and they are building a large one. Other than that we dont really have much here. The larger camps however have movie theaters, computer lounges, phone centers, swimming pools, and large chapels. The largest of the camps will even have ampitheaters, where occasionally major performers in all genres will come and perform. My last tour I had a chance to see Toby Kieth live.
The majority of us though, we find solitude getting a chance to surf the web, or watch movies on our laptops or small TV's. You will find a few that have had game systems shipped over here such as my best friend that is here with me, yesterday he got his X-Box and Rock Band care package shipped from his wife. Right now him and a few others are in his room beating the drums and playing guitar to some of Rock and Rolls greatest hits. Others get T.V's and DVD players such as the guys in the tent next to mine and I can hear the surround sound from the movies as I am lying in bed. As for myself, I prefer to either sit in my bed and watch the hundreds of burnt copies of movies from my external hard drive. Play the occasional game on my PC such as Age of Empires or NFL2009. Or sit in the office and try to figure out what my next blog on AR will be about.
Thats all for today, by the way be watching for my post about a soldier in trouble. I need some military support for a friend of mine, who's mother is getting foreclosed on. He is very young and just joined the army. I really dont want to see him go back to the states without a home. I will post more on his situation once I get all the details from him.
As always thats for the support that you all give, have a good night.
Nick
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