Get Ready, Get Set, Go

I have officially relinquished my role as the Taji National Maintenance Depot Program Manager to DJ as of the 22nd, since I was busy trying to get my things in order, cleaning up the room, packing, sending boxes home etc. I noticed that once I did relinquish that role, the bags under my eyes starting going away and the weight on my shoulders was lifted big time.

As much as I burned old uniforms, documents, books etc that I no longer needed nor wanted I realized that I still had accumulated lots of things that needed to go back to the US with me. Since I do not want to have to make two trips dragging my items I needed to hit the post office one last time to mail home a couple of more boxes plus my coveted humidor that is fully loaded with some great smokes. I also sold my electronic items that I had bought over the one year period such as TV, DVD player, microwave, fridge, satellite dish and receiver, computer table etc. Plus I gave away the storage units with the personal hygiene items I had not used.

So yesterday as I got up and ran one last time before heading out, it occurred to me that I may not get all the items I still had left on the bed into my duffle bags and sure enough it was one last run to the post office where everyone said "didn't you say you were done yesterday mailing things home"? I took care of that ran down to the dark side and said good bye to some of the guys from the MITT's and BSU's and finally headed back to my room and gathered my gear and went back to the office to finish up on some last minute paperwork.

The time finally arrived for me to head out the door to the helipad so it was saying goodbye to the AMC guys and the other guys in the office. Then it was saying goodbye to my favorite interpreter Filly who I consider as a brother, that was hard to do. This guy has lived a year of hell, surviving two bomb explosions, his wife getting shot, his soon was almost abducted by gun point, yet he cheerfully continued to work for us an interpreter. Since he is only a few years older then I we got along great and would take alot about our families, life in general, politics etc. They say the world is a small place and one can only hope that he is selected for one of the visas that the US government issues to interpreters so he and his family can immigrate to the US.

The temperature gauge in the shade at the helipad read 102 when we arrived to wait for our flight to Balad which is north of Taji. From there we would fly onto Kuwait and link up with the remainder of the fourth serial of our reserve unit. The choppers arrived and it was the longest 250 yards I have ever walked in my entire life. Full battle rattle on, my ruck which weighs a ton, and the two duffle bags which one of the guys jokingly said weighed as if I had stuck some Iraqi women in them. Step by step, you could feel the sweat rolling down your back, then your legs, throat parched as I tried to find that damn nozzle on my camelback but to no avail! Finally I got to the chopper and got the stuff loaded and away we went. Although it was hot the air that circulated through the aircraft felt like heaven. I had never flown north of Taji so the view was spectacular with lots of farms and orchards sprinkled throughout the Tigris basin.

We finally got to Balad and then it was a shorter walk but still it felt like death valley out there. I had previously coordinated with the AMC guys for rooms and we were able to also get a Suburban to move around post in. After grabbing some chow and getting settled into our rooms, taking a nice cold shower I was able to watch some US TV and then took a rare 2 hour nap. What a relief, although I was still in Iraq it was finally starting to settle in my brain that I on that journey home. We the four of us who were the last 104th Division guys out of Taji had completed the first and most important leg of our journey, getting out of Taji. I didn't have to worry about the depot, nor status reports, nor updates nor meetings with the Depot Integrator. All of that I left behind when I got on that beautiful UH-60 in Taji!!

The Colonel