Christmas Day in Iraq

Merry Christmas! It is Christmas Day in Iraq and God decided to give us some rain. Yes, it is raining in the desert...A lot of rain. The temperature has dropped and the rain is steady. I got soaked walking the mile walk I have to do from my living trailer to the Battalion TOC. It is funny. I will remember this Christmas being soaking wet.

CHRISTMAS CAROLING
It was right before midnight when I realized I was not going to make it to midnight mass. I decided to stay online and chat with my wife before she left to go to Saint Marys, GA for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with the family. After I signed off, I decided I was not going to spend Christmas Eve along in my room. I stepped out and walked to CPT Thomas Bennett's room to see if he was still awake. He was. He invited me in to watch "Die Hard", an action-packed movie set during Christmas time. After about 20 minutes watching the movie, I heard voices outside the trailer room. I opened the door to see who it was and behold, it was a chorus of soldiers (mostly from C/1-295 IN out of Puerto Rico) lead by CPT Lopez-Molina, the Company Commander. Immediately, they started to sing Christmas songs in Spanish. I was so excited. It made my night. It made my Christmas in Iraq remembrance. God bless them. I joined them in singing to other soldiers in the Battalion including the BN XO and BN Commander before going to bed. Now that is what I call a good night or very early Christmas morning.

CHRISTMAS CHOW
The Christmas meal served at the chow hall was awesome. There was ham, turkey, roast beef, and roast hog along with all the fixings. I enjoyed my meal with MAJ Bennett, 1LT Durr, CPT Belscamper, Chaplain (1LT) Fisher, and many others. I laughed, because I stacked so much food on my plate. I wanted a little bit of everything. I also had three different beverages; sweet tea, egg nog, and non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice. I completed my Christmas meal with a slice of pecan pie. Man, I am stuffed. The soldiers all seem to be in great spirits. Even the Japanese soldiers are enjoying this wonderful day.