Let me tell you a little bit about Baghdad!

From this....

And this....


To this in 10 minutes!




I have a lot of ground to cover today, and on a couple of different subjects.

First, let me give you a taste of the big city....Baghdad. I have stayed down there for a couple weeks(Downtown in the IZ), and have flown over it sooo many times, but love to because you see so much. I have put some pictures up of Baghdad proper, and what it might look like to fly over it. Well, I guess this IS what it looks like. You have a VERY densely populated area, more so than anywhere I have been, and in the former government area in which we now utilize along side the Iraqi government called the IZ(formerly Green Zone), there are SO many cool things to see, not unlike Washington D.C.! Things special to the culture of Iraq, and more built for Saddam, by Saddam! Nonetheless, some are cool! Some were in the process of being built, if you can see the HUGE mosque in my picture that has all little buildings around it. It was gonna be the bigest mosque in the world when it was finished, but as you can see the cranes are still up, and it sits vacant. I am sure once things settle here the Iraqi government will figure out how it will be finished. But also, the traffic is NO different than America, with rush hour and everything. It's just that rush hour here is a bit more dangerous than America.
But, you can see by the desert picture, in 10 minutes by helicopter you go from city to desolate, it is a cool site, and much more peaceful flying over sand.

As well, I gotta tell you what it is like here close to going home time!
You are happy that your time is closing in, but as with anything, you will miss the day to day of certain things, like Palm trees and living in MN, the weather. I will for sure not miss most of the peeps here, but some I will! I WILL NOT miss the active duty lifestyle, the mindframe that you are not really in control of your schedule, and you are controlled by people that don't think like you! That is fine, but in the military poeple like to push their morals off on how they judge you. I am a pretty moral guy, but if someone cheats on their wife, I don't hate them, it is after all, THEIR problem. I they read the bible or the don't doesn't mean a thing to me, and I don't care if they do or don't! If they smoke, chew, drink, fart, take showers, or DON'T. I don't care, it is their life, BUT when it affects me is when I do care, and I also DO NOT like when someone tells me my habits are wrong or right! I see it in the military more than most places!
I will miss the security of what the military offers. Pay, benefits, knowing my family has benefits! But I have learned some negative things this year as well. I have learned that people are not always what they portray themselves to be! I have learned that people I trusted the most, I should not have trusted at all. Happens to a lot when they get deployed! That is betrayal on the ultimate level. Wait till someones leaves then take advantage! It makes me more skeptical than before I left for sure. I am sad I have to came back home and not have friends that I used to have! I am glad I know they are not my friends anymore, but sad!
I have learned that some PEOPLE are GREAT!!!! I have heard from so many people this year.
New people, old friends, relatives, celebrities, GREAT AMERICANS!!!!!!
I don't really want to publisize WHEN I leave here, and WHEN I get home. I have not thought about how much I will blog when I get home. I am sure my family has more important things to occupy my time, and I can't wait for that, but as much as I love talking about how much I love my family, I want people to know what it is like when a soldier returns to civilian life.
We'll see, I have til Thankgiving at least to enjoy Iraq! I have a little time still to enjoy the life!
Later,
Erik