Dana's Diary from Iraq Thursday 9:40pm Iraq time

Happy Thanksgiving from Al Asad!! Another busy day here in Iraq. It was pretty much business as usual for the men and women in uniform here. There were no 96 hour liberties, or even a single day off. There was, however, an USO show at 1pm today that some of the troops were allowed to attend. You know the guy that plays Fez on That 70;s Show? He was there as well as some model named Myra.

Something I was VERY surprised about was the Thanksgiving Day spread at the dining facility. It was magnificent! Be sure and check out the photos of the sculptures, cakes, and more. There were over 15,000 meals served today and the food was delicious. It may not have been as good as mom's, but they served roasted and baked turkey, all the trimmings, plus prime rib and Cornish hen. There were all kinds of
pies and desserts and a ton of bread. The troops seemed pleased.

Today I toured the air wing of the base where the helicopter squadrons are. I once again ran into many men and women who received their training in Pensacola. I actually met two gentlemen who graduated from our area. One was from Pace and the other was from Tate. They were excited to share their Pensacola memories with me.

Col. Caveman Holzworth made it out to check on me and spend a little time with me. Seeing him talk with his Marines is so awesome. You can almost see the inspiration on there faces. He captures them and they respect him. He is such an asset here in Iraq.

Many of the guys and gals had a little free time today to play some sports, cards, hackey sack, and football. Speaking of football, as usual that was the Thanksgiving talk at most of the dining tables. Ahhhh….just like at home.

Tomorrow I continue my journey with a stop in Kuwait for a few days. My mission? To track down and talk to our deployed sailors serving at a Navy Hospital there. I also will be speaking with members of Battalion 11 whose stories we have been following for months.

As my Thanksgiving Day comes to an end, I want to ask something of all of you. I want you to give your family the biggest hug EVER! Tell them how much you love them and how much you appreciate them. It is hard to be away from my family today, but it makes me realize that perhaps I take them for granted all too often. Please say a prayer for our troops serving over here in Iraq and all over the world. I know now
how much they are sacrificing to do the job they are doing so well.

Thank you and God Bless.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Dana

Dana’s Diary Wednesday 915pm Iraqi time

Wow…today has been busy!! Col Caveman Holzworth had a FULL day of touring the base for me when I got to his office. First, I had the pleasure of sitting with Command General Halifan. He shed some light on the history of this war, the efforts that are being made now, and the future as he sees it. Be sure and tune in to Cat Country 98.7 to hear part of that great interview on the Cat Pak morning show. He had nothing nut great things to say about Pensacola, the training he received there, and the importance of our community’s support of the military.

Next, I was off to visit all the air squadrons on the Southside of the base. I talked to many Marines and Sailors who couldn’t wait to share how much they loved the time they spent in Pensacola. Some have plans on returning as instructors so that they can be a part of the essential training that is going on at NATTC.

Then it was chow time. Al Asad has four dining facilities. The huge one that most people go to and the satellite chow halls for those who are too far away to walk. Today I ate lunch with the Marines from the Southside….yes, it was great! The food was pretty good but the company was great! The moral here at this base is unbelievable. I guess I thought I would get here and find a bunch of lonely Marines and sailors who were feeling sorry for themselves for getting stuck in the desert for months and months. Not the case…they are here to do a job and that is what their focus is on. They are motivated and ready.

There is not a whole lot of spare time, the men and women usually work 12-18 hour days. But when they do have some free time, they spend it playing sports, cards, video games, and watching DVD’s. There is always a tournament for something. A Helo 4 tourney, a ping pong championship, the Texas Hold ‘Em finals. Never a dull moment that is for sure. Some get quite creative. Tonight there are plans of a real life WWE wrestling match between the Public Affairs Office and the Combat camera crew. They are pretty pumped up. My money is on the PAO’s. They are pretty ripped.

It amazes me that I am half way across the planet, yet I had a nice chat with SSgt Williams who graduated from Woodham High in 2000. Or how about this…I got a tour of the C130 hangar from SSGT Morales who just finished 3 years in Pensacola with the Blue Angels. It was nice to see we knew the same people.

I guess it is important to me to tell you what they need over here. The US is doing a wonderful job making sure these men and women are taken care of. They have wonderful dining, places to shop, and lots of recreation. What they don’t have is YOU. They enjoy hearing from their friends and family. So start emailing! If you have a friend of family member serving in another part of the country, write to them! Don’t waste your time baking cookies to mail. We had some wonderful desert tonight in the chow hall. If you want to send a care package, send their favorite magazines even if they are outdated. Send them things you just can’t find anywhere but the good ole USA. One man showed me a care package he got from a stinger, a child actually. It had things like silly putty, a squishy ball, and some sort of goo that when you push it into a can it sounds like a fart. This entertained 4 Marines for more than 2 hours. DVD box sets are nice too. Especially if you can find their favorite TV show that is in a season box set. Christmas is coming so get those boxes in the mail now! And don’t forget to send photos!!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and there is a lot planned here. A USO show of some sort is happening…I’ll keep you posted.

Til Then…

Dana