61 Down, 105 to go!

As any of you who have spent any amount of time away from home know, at some point you begin to count the days until you return. That happened for me a few days ago. I have been in-country now for 61 days. I have approximately 105 left to go. I say approximately because those return dates are not set in stone. It is more like they are set in recently mixed jello that you just put in the refrigerator, very fluid and changing. But, having that date sitting out there gives us something to shoot for and to plan around.

Now, 61 days may not sound like a lot, and it really isn't, but with these deployments our time doesn't start counting until we set foot in theater. In this case, when we landed in Kuwait on our way to Iraq. What this doesn't show is the time I had to spend away from home preparing for the deployment. First, we all spent two weeks in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina getting trained the Army way. Learning how to shoot our M-16s better, how to look for IEDs on the roadside, how to defend a convoy against insurgent attacks. That two weeks was followed by a week long class in Indian Head, Maryland at the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technical Division. That class was an in-depth look at the threats we'd be facing out here and how we were countering the threats. Basically learning what our jobs would be. So, adding the 21 days of training, I've been away now for a total of 82 days. When you look at it that way, it's a long time.

The time goes quickly, for the most part. We are working hard and having a good time. We spend a good portion of the day, while we're working, joking with each other and laughing. Our spirits and morale are high because we know that we are doing an important job and we are making a difference in this war. Our work is helping keep soldiers alive and it seems as if we are being successful. Wish we could save more, but we are engaged with a determined enemy.

On a more personal note, I appreciate all of you who have visited my blog. I'm having fun doing this, and it's great to see that people are taking a look, and leaving comments, those are great. As you can see by the counter on the right side of my blog, since I've started this blog, I have received over 800 hits! That is awesome. I never thought that many people would be interested in this. Thanks again. I hope I can keep this interesting for you all.