After an unintentional hiatus, I am following up my last post with the news that my wife arrived safely in Iraq. She has been there for a little better than 2 weeks and so far everything is going ok. She is at a place called COB Speicher, which is located Northwest of the city of Tikrit. Tikrit is North of Baghdad and Samarra on the road to Mosul in the northern part of the country. The base recently gained the status of a COB (Contingency Operating Base) from a FOB (Forward Operating Base) Contingency Operating Bases are better fortified and usually have more resources available than a FOB. Ultimately COB's will be the very last bases that will be transferred over to Iraqi control and likely will represent a U.S. presence in Iraq for some time into the future. More information about the process is available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/21/AR2005052100611_2.html
If you would like to read more about COB Speicher, like a brief history of the base, facilities that are available, and the weather you can expect in the region, you can find information at the following website: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/al-sahra.htm
All in all Joy is doing pretty well. She was sick for several days at first. It is common to get sick when first arriving in Iraq. She was very ill for a few days, but after some IV fluids and a lot of rest she is doing much better. COB Speicher is relatively safe compared to many other places in Iraq. In fact while she is on base she is not required to wear body armor. Things are well fortified and mortar attacks are infrequent. She has her own room which is made from cinder blocks and plywood and she has air conditioning to offer respite from the summer time temperatures which can exceed 120F. She has been accustomed to having sand get into everything that she owns, but all things considered the facilities are as amenable as possible for a combat zone. She even has satellite internet which allows me to stay in touch with her regularly.
My wife is part of a combat stress control team, and her job right now involves prevention. The objective is to make sure that soldiers have all the tools necessary to deal with the daily stresses of dealing with combat and the pressures that come with being separated from their families.
If you would like to read more about COB Speicher, like a brief history of the base, facilities that are available, and the weather you can expect in the region, you can find information at the following website: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/al-sahra.htm
All in all Joy is doing pretty well. She was sick for several days at first. It is common to get sick when first arriving in Iraq. She was very ill for a few days, but after some IV fluids and a lot of rest she is doing much better. COB Speicher is relatively safe compared to many other places in Iraq. In fact while she is on base she is not required to wear body armor. Things are well fortified and mortar attacks are infrequent. She has her own room which is made from cinder blocks and plywood and she has air conditioning to offer respite from the summer time temperatures which can exceed 120F. She has been accustomed to having sand get into everything that she owns, but all things considered the facilities are as amenable as possible for a combat zone. She even has satellite internet which allows me to stay in touch with her regularly.
My wife is part of a combat stress control team, and her job right now involves prevention. The objective is to make sure that soldiers have all the tools necessary to deal with the daily stresses of dealing with combat and the pressures that come with being separated from their families.
1 comment:
Good to hear she arrived safely... someone was just asking me where she was the other day. Now I know!
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