Glad to be back in the barracks.

We got done with our "field exercise" on the 24th, just in time for Thanksgiving. I had a lot to be thankful for, as Julia came to visit me here. I also got to relax for an entire day. That was awesome.

The training in the field was good. I spent a lot of time in the back seat of a Hummer, since the medic is typically just along for the ride on a convoy. The instructors were nice enough to simulate some casualties for me so I didn't get too bored.

We learned a lot of other things besides convoy ops. We also had some classes on personnel seaches, vehicle searches, checkpoints, traffic control points, perimeter defense, entry control points, and much more. The whole time we wore our ballistics vests, kevlar helmets, and had our weapons on our person.

I also had the opportunity to interact with some Iraqis that were here helping us with our training. I engaged them in some conversations about Iraq's geography, climate, politics, and language. I learned some very valuable things from these people.

Well, I've got much more to write, but it's getting late and I must get to bed. Check back later! I hope you are doing well and had as nice a Thanksgiving as I did.