Firefight

In my previous deployment on board ship, we had a phrase which referred to those members of our staff who went ashore to perform some of their duties. We said they were "going to the show." It was a great inside joke and found its way into various briefings when comic relief was needed. I didn't post an update last night because I was outside the wire again, riding a convoy. (For those really concerned (Hi, mom!) that this is something routine, don't fear. This was probably my last time.) The theme from my previous trip was consistent, in that the trip took over twice as long as it should have, but the reasons were far different. I won't describe in detail everything that happened, but with regard to the saying from my last staff job, I can say that I had front row seats to "the show." I can now say I've seen an IED go off. And I've been pretty close to a firefight. A little bit more excitement than I wanted, a few stories to tell my grandkids someday, but all in all, I returned home safe and tired as the sun was rising. (By the way, nobody else was seriously hurt either, so it was a successful night.) So now it's back to my desk job and learning new and exciting ways to apply my geekly skills to the war in a much better manner than I could sitting in a Humvee watching the war.