Let the BOG begin!

Hello from Iraq! So that means I have finally put my Boots On the Ground, or in Army Speak, my BOG time has begun. Once my BOG time hits 365, I can go home. Perhaps I should rename this site to be my BOGblog.

We left Fort Bliss on Saturday, but it feels like many weeks ago. Not do due the stress of the deployment, but because of the jet lag. I'll be honest with you, I have been awake now for 23 hours! But I think I will have this monster off my back once I get to bed tonight at a civilized hour.

One big highlight of my trip over here. We made a stop at Bangor, Maine before heading over the Atlantic. When we got off the plane we were greeted by a dozen or more local people who really went out of their way to welcome us and wish us a safe journey. It was late at night, and these people greeted us with hugs and kisses. They also had snacks for us and had about 15 cell phones for us to use to call home. As we were getting back on the plane, one lovely lady came up to me and said, "we'll see you again in a year on your way home". I have no doubt that she will be there waiting for us. You gotta like those people from Maine.

Once in country, we made our way through Kuwait and then into Baghdad on a military transport. And then I woke up the next morning to find myself in the International Zone.

I've been spending my first 48 hours attempting to get oriented to the area and my new job (and trying to get my internal clock on the right time!). All is welll with me and I feel extremely safe within the IZ.

Take care and thank all those who have left comments.

More to follow soon

Bill