Daily life?

[ShilohCity]

I am curious about something. What do the soldiers in Iraq and Afgahnistan do on a daily basis? What is daily life in these places like? What kinds of activites do they engage in? I understand that there are things that the military does not want reveiled for security reasons. I'd just like to get a general idea of what kinds of things troops are doing in these places.

 

[daveleau]

I know when we head over into that region, we are into athletics a lot because there isn't much else to do. Pretty much cut off from the world back home. Letters take a while and sending letter is slow.

 

[WarSong]

I am curious about something. What do the soldiers in Iraq and Afgahnistan do on a daily basis? What is daily life in these places like? What kinds of activites do they engage in? I understand that there are things that the military does not want reveiled for security reasons. I'd just like to get a general idea of what kinds of things troops are doing in these places.

It depends on where ytou go, as well. Al Udeid is very different from Kirkuk, and in turn pretty different than Baghdad.

 

[BourbonFromHeaven]

Well....

Lots of P.T, mostly self driven. I was in the best shape of my life, becuase when we were not running missions (Infantry) our time was basicly self dierected.

I did more work outs and read more books there then I do back here in the States. Besides the dangerous missions and the constant Mortoring/Rocketing we got nightly from the city (Fallujah), life was pretty decent inside the wire.

 

[angelalr_13]

i talked to my dad and he sually writes and plays sports witht he children in the town he is in

 

[LostnFound]

When my husband was in Croatia, he and a couple of his buddies got pretty involved with a local orphanage.

 

[JamesBell]

With the spread of email capabilities in combat zones, it is easier to get in touch with people from home. So, in addition to the PT that has been mentioned, the people are spending quite a bit of time on a computer or trying to get on a computer.

You can imagine most of the other stuff. There are patrols, training, and the type of thing you would imagine soldiers doing in an area that isn't really a full combat zone, but is far from being safe.

Remember to keep them in your prayers. More than anything, every person in one of these areas need your prayers to ensure they make it home to their loved ones.

 

[Lenora56]

My son in Iraq is able to email me about once a week, and it always does me good to hear from him. Sometimes late at night, I'll check the email, and nothing. Then a few minutes later, I check it again and he has just sent me an email, so I know that at that moment, he's ok.

He doesn't tell me a whole lot about what they're doing, though. Just little things, like the fact that he drinks Gatorade, stuff like that.

I pray a lot for him and for the other soldiers. Sometimes I send special prayers up for those soldiers for whom nobody is praying by name. I don't know who they are, but God does.

 

[HumbleSiPilot77]

Haven't been there yet but heard a lot of stories. Sometimes funny stories, despite the war it is good to hear that soldiers are having good time. They also say that things are improving, and life standards are higher than the time when the war first started in 2003. They didn't have toilets now they have AAFES. A lot of people I heard are taking Xbox's and Playstations, laptops etc etc. They talk about the shower and how being in the last of the line sucked where they barely got any water. Camel spiders and sandstorms, there are probably tons of things to write about Iraq...

 

[Lenora56]

Okay, what are AAFES? My son doesn't tell me anything.

I dreamed last night that he was HOME.

Haven't been there yet but heard a lot of stories. Sometimes funny stories, despite the war it is good to hear that soldiers are having good time. They also say that things are improving, and life standards are higher than the time when the war first started in 2003. They didn't have toilets now they have AAFES. A lot of people I heard are taking Xbox's and Playstations, laptops etc etc. They talk about the shower and how being in the last of the line sucked where they barely got any water. Camel spiders and sandstorms, there are probably tons of things to write about Iraq...

 

[BourbonFromHeaven]

Camel spiders and sandstorms, there are probably tons of things to write about Iraq...

Whew! Camel spiders are wicked. They jump and give chase to about anything, including me! I had one follow me a good 75 meters before I gathered up enough guts to try and kill it, but the intial hiss it gave me was enough to send me running.

Okay, what are AAFES? My son doesn't tell me anything.

It's the people who run the Post Exchange (PX), they sell stuff there that you would have had at home. Soda, favriot chips, candy, magazines, etc.

I dreamed last night that he was HOME.

My poor mother went through goes through alot when I'm on deployments. I think the parents have it worse, to be honest. My mom told me all the time she would have dreams where she thought I was home and when she got up, she'd go to my room to see if it was true.

Whats worse I think is the unknown factor. My mother actually happened to be watching FOX news when they showed a clip of my unit and I happened to be in it. It was in Fallujah when at that time, the Theater commander, Genreal Abdizah (spelling?) was visiting and we took contact.

The clip was me following my Platoon Leader out a door ( I use to carry a radio for him ) and trip over some rubble and fall flat on my face. Not exactly the moment I wanted captured on international television , however, she got really stressed out, thinking maybe I had gotten hurt.

My father recorded the clip ( of course ) and showed it to me when I came home. When he was showing it to me he was like, " Looks like you dove for cover, when you made contact. It looks really cool..."

hehe, I was like, " Yea Dad, thats it. "

 

[Lenora56]

The clip was me following my Platoon Leader out a door ( I use to carry a radio for him ) and trip over some rubble and fall flat on my face. Not exactly the moment I wanted captured on international television , however, she got really stressed out, thinking maybe I had gotten hurt.

Bless her heart! Reminds me of years ago, my grandparents had a theater during WWII, and they used to show film clips of actual war footage. My grandmother said that she saw one of her sons in one of the clips (plenty of action in that clip), and she just stumbled into another room. It was probably weeks or months before she actually heard from him.

My father recorded the clip ( of course ) and showed it to me when I came home. When he was showing it to me he was like, " Looks like you dove for cover, when you made contact. It looks really cool..."

My husband really misses our son, and sometimes gets emotional. Can I ask you this? Did your dad send you lots of letters? My husband doesn't write our son much at all. He dictated an email to me once, and has sent him one or two letters. He knows that our son told me to email him instead of mailing bulky letters, but I don't think he'd mind if his computer-phobe dad sent regular mail. Maybe there's a sort of father-son understanding that I'm don't fathom.

 

[BourbonFromHeaven]

My husband really misses our son, and sometimes gets emotional. Can I ask you this? Did your dad send you lots of letters? My husband doesn't write our son much at all. He dictated an email to me once, and has sent him one or two letters. He knows that our son told me to email him instead of mailing bulky letters, but I don't think he'd mind if his computer-phobe dad sent regular mail. Maybe there's a sort of father-son understanding that I'm don't fathom.

I preffered actual letters to be honest. I could save them and read them at times when I got homesick. It's something about them, you really see a persons character and personality in their handwriting, it just more personal I think. Also, It's really nice to come off an 8 hour guard shift from the cold, shrug off your jacket and find a letter from home on your cot, written in your mom's handwriting.

I only used E-mail to let my family know I was alright and gave them breif updates. Time can get limited on computer accsess, so I just kept it short. Anything more, I tried to put into a letter. It's those kinds of things you really cherish 50 years from now, when our generation is moving into seinor citizeinship.

My Dad wrote me more then my mother. He's not much of a writer either, but he'd always finding something to write about. Alot of times he'd include clippings from the newspaper or articles off the internet he thought I'd might like. Keep me updated on Baseball and local politics and anything else he and I enjoyed togther.