The Eve of War
I noticed that someone commented that I should post my journal entries in chronological order. The initial randomness to my postings came from the fact that there are some things that I don't want to write on here, at least not yet.
3-19-03 16:27 Zulu Camp Maine, Kuwait A few miles from the border
The eve of war. We've moved from our area of operations to another area of the camp. We're lined up in the order in which we will depart. Today has been another day of rapid changes followed by more changes. As of right now, was has been declared, or at least that's what some guys have said they heard over the radio. It's amazing how little we know here at the front. It's obviously something I expected, but maybe not as quickly as I thought. I personally am glad it's finally starting. When Chris came up to me earlier and told me that war had been declared, I got that familiar feeling inside that I have experienced a few times in the past. This time will obviously hold it's own unique place in my memory. The severity of the actions and the possible consequences of what we're about to undertake shouldn't be taken lightly. I'm neither nervous right now or passive, I just have a feeling of readiness that needs to be unleashed. The quicker we get this underway, the quicker we can go home. I'm sitting here next to our Bradley with Sgt. W. and Jason, looking for any jets that may fly over on their way to Baghdad. I suppose Saddam's time is up.
We probably had the greatest pre-war chow tonight. It consisted of a hotdog wiener, T-rat hamburger paddy, pudding, and bun. The paddy and wiener were covered with a ridiculous amout of baked beans right out of the large silver can. Somehow they also had some Pepsi's to go along with it. It was a feast for a king, and unbelievably filling. A steak from the finest restaurant in the world wouldn't have come close to matching the satisfaction in eating this.
The changes today were many. We were supposed to pack up all of our gear tomorrow, we did this today. We were supposed to stay here until tomorrow morning, we're leaving in two hours. We could cross the LD within hours. We all knew something was up when after dismounting here for what was supposed to be another night of waiting the 1st. Sgt. made the platoon Sgt. do a PCI on all of us and our equipment. I took some pictures with some of my friends for what will end up being our last night of peace before the war. I just hope and pray that everyone comes out of this alive and well.
Chris came up to me after chow and asked if I would take the rosary out of his pocket and send it home for him if he died. It may have been a little over the top, but I guess different people react in different ways. I'm not looking forward to the cramped ride, but what lies ahead makes it seem inconsequential. I could realistically be involved in some type of battle in the next few days.
I know my family must be waiting and wondering about my safety. God, please ease the minds of my family and help me to fight well if the situation arises. Thank you for life.
3-19-03 16:27 Zulu Camp Maine, Kuwait A few miles from the border
The eve of war. We've moved from our area of operations to another area of the camp. We're lined up in the order in which we will depart. Today has been another day of rapid changes followed by more changes. As of right now, was has been declared, or at least that's what some guys have said they heard over the radio. It's amazing how little we know here at the front. It's obviously something I expected, but maybe not as quickly as I thought. I personally am glad it's finally starting. When Chris came up to me earlier and told me that war had been declared, I got that familiar feeling inside that I have experienced a few times in the past. This time will obviously hold it's own unique place in my memory. The severity of the actions and the possible consequences of what we're about to undertake shouldn't be taken lightly. I'm neither nervous right now or passive, I just have a feeling of readiness that needs to be unleashed. The quicker we get this underway, the quicker we can go home. I'm sitting here next to our Bradley with Sgt. W. and Jason, looking for any jets that may fly over on their way to Baghdad. I suppose Saddam's time is up.
We probably had the greatest pre-war chow tonight. It consisted of a hotdog wiener, T-rat hamburger paddy, pudding, and bun. The paddy and wiener were covered with a ridiculous amout of baked beans right out of the large silver can. Somehow they also had some Pepsi's to go along with it. It was a feast for a king, and unbelievably filling. A steak from the finest restaurant in the world wouldn't have come close to matching the satisfaction in eating this.
The changes today were many. We were supposed to pack up all of our gear tomorrow, we did this today. We were supposed to stay here until tomorrow morning, we're leaving in two hours. We could cross the LD within hours. We all knew something was up when after dismounting here for what was supposed to be another night of waiting the 1st. Sgt. made the platoon Sgt. do a PCI on all of us and our equipment. I took some pictures with some of my friends for what will end up being our last night of peace before the war. I just hope and pray that everyone comes out of this alive and well.
Chris came up to me after chow and asked if I would take the rosary out of his pocket and send it home for him if he died. It may have been a little over the top, but I guess different people react in different ways. I'm not looking forward to the cramped ride, but what lies ahead makes it seem inconsequential. I could realistically be involved in some type of battle in the next few days.
I know my family must be waiting and wondering about my safety. God, please ease the minds of my family and help me to fight well if the situation arises. Thank you for life.
posted by John at 10:25 PM
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