Anaconda or Bust

Today I am going on the road. I got a ride in one of the convoy escort Humvees that make the run to and through Baghdad. This is my first combat mission since I've been here and I am excited. It's not like the last time I was in Iraq. Then we went on hundreds of short-duration missions inside Baghdad. We interacted with the locals and did a whole lot of work to get the country back on its feet.

This time we are doing very long convoy escorts that last for a couple of days and cover hundreds of miles. Its day 1 and we will pick up our convoy and drive ot our first refueling stop...a place called Scania.
Before we roll we prep. We prep men, weapons and equipmetnt for the long journey north. The photo on the left is the Operations and Intelligence briefing every convoy member gets priort to start. Its where everybody learns about the routes and what may lie ahead on the journey....including the weather.

The weather is supposed to be dusty this evening which may mean we won’t complete our trip north. With a little luck and a clear route we will drive all the way to our destination, place called LSA Anaconda. Anaconda is a Logistics support area. Its got everything.....big PX, nice chow halls, first rate maintenance shops, airfield and a lot of other good stuff. The convoy we escort carry the things that Anaconda needs to support the rest of Iraq.

Our trip will take us through hundreds of miles of open desert, camel herds, sand, poor construction, Bedouins, date palm groves, and one city...Baghdad. I'm a little apprehensive about Baghdad because it has a tendency to make the news a lot. Also, its a city I don't want to get lost in. Making the wrong turn on a poorly-lit street can make for a really interesting night.

We'll see how it goes but I think we will do okay. There are several of us who have been there before and can feel our way around pretty well. Plus we've got more maps than we know what to do with.

Anyway, that's what 's on my plate today. I'll try to update you on the trip later.

SABER 2,
out.