The stress of waiting

March 13, 2005

The army has a mandatory decompression period for soldiers coming out of Iraq before they are allowed to fly home.

At some point, decompression becomes recompression.

I think we’re close to that point.

The 39th Infantry Brigade is almost completely out of Iraq. The first elements have flown home. The brigade’s 3rd Battalion, however, remains here in Kuwait.

Most of us arrived here in a convoy about three days ago.

Others have been here even longer.

And we have several more days before the freedom bird arrives.

We’ve been catching up on a year’s worth of sleep. None of us realized how tired a year in Iraq made us. The sleeping was done within the first 36 hours.

Have I mentioned the rain?

Yep, Kuwait is a desert. But it’s a desert with a coastline. The combination brews up one hell of a rainy season.

Last night, one of the Port-a-Potties floated down the street in front of the warehouse we call home.

We’re confined to the living area, a three-block row of warehouses that house the brigade and include a chow hall, PX and more fast food restaurants than in a typical south Arkansas town.

We’ve got Starbucks, KFC, Baskin-Robbins, Hardee’s, Pizza Inn and Subway. There is more junk here to spend money on than you could ever imagine.

And the longer we wait, the lighter everyone’s pockets are becoming.

Soldiers stroll through the PX just for something to do.

There’s a lot of napping and reading.

And every day that passes is marked by more wrestling matches and practical jokes.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Posted by Amy at March 13, 2005 09:40 AM