Final Day in Iraq

Greetings to you all,

We're down to our final day here in Iraq. We will leave camp at 0600 for our C-130 Herc flight back to Kuwait (I'm sure my buddies will buckle up this time).
Today was more of the same wonderfully exhausting routine with flights out to more FOBs and PBs (Patrol Base). During one of our flights, a guy from our group asked the pilot if the Blackhawk could maneuver as well as the Apache helicopters. Before the words were out of his mouth we were close to inverted, and my nose was pressed squarely against the left window. I happened to be videoing at the time and captured it all. Stay tuned for some great footage.
Our first stop was an outpost we’ve just taken from Al-Qaeda in the last few days. There weren't as many soldiers here as at other stops, but they were surprised and excited that we were able to make it out to them.
Later, we toured the Al-Faw Palace, which was one of seventy-two palaces Saddam Hussein had built in the country. Al-Faw was created to commemorate the defeat of the Iranians near the Al-Faw Peninsula back in the 1980s.
Nearby is the Victory Over America Palace, which was to commemorate Saddam’s self-proclaimed triumph during the 1991 Gulf War. In his mind, since he was still in power after the Liberation of Kuwait, he must have won. Saddam also required the staff at each of the seventy-two palaces throughout the country to prepare food for each meal in the event he showed up. If they didn’t, he simply killed them. One photo I have is of an elevator stained with the blood of people who knew they were descending to their death chamber. It’s not a visual I’ll soon get out of my mind.
We continued our tour of the Palace, meeting troops and distributing Monday Night Jihad to many of them. Along the way, I had the opportunity to meet with Brigadier General Joseph Anderson, the Chief of Staff of the Multi-National Corps here in Baghdad. VERY COOL!
The troops have done an amazing job carrying out their mission. Militarily the job is slow, but progressing well. Many of the soldiers told me story after story of what truly is going on in the villages, and how the Iraqi people are beginning to understand their opportunity for freedom and that we are not here to destroy and occupy. We are definitely making progress with them. The political situation does frustrate many here, but they continue to do their job with excellence.
It truly has been an honor to take this trip. It is virtually impossible to see what I've seen and not have an intense sense of patriotism and pride in our great country. I hope to send one more message before my return, and I do hope all of you are well. Thanks for reading and for your continued prayers.

Under Mercy,


Jason