Opinion

There is a large water tower on FOB Ramadi. I have had dealings with this water tower in the past and you can read my old blogs if you want to know more about those dealings. Suffice it to say it has been a rough relationship. Part of the charm of this water tower is that it has become a public canvas of sorts. There are a few pieces of graffiti as well as some paintings of some of the unit insignias for some of the units that have been here. I am not sure as to whether or not people obtained permission to paint the water tower. For the graffiti I am pretty sure that it is not the case.

Ramadi Water Tower

There was one person who painted a not so nice word on the water tower and a few days later it was buffed over. In the states it would definitely be illegal to use a public water tower to express ones self artistically. That I am aware of, there is no explicit rule or regulation that prohibits painting on the water tower, or any other surface for that matter. They even allow you to climb up it if you want, just don't take any pictures of the base is all they ask. The question I have for all of YOU is what do you think about people painting on the water tower? In light of being in a war zone, it is probably an insignificant thing, but I am curious to see what people think none the less. Here are a couple pictures of the artwork/vandalism.

Much Needed Break

I got the lovely opportunity to attend my 10 year High School reunion. Since I grew up in Hawaii, there was no way I was going to miss it. I spent a lot of time leading up to going trying to track down old friends I have lost contact with over the years. I found a few, but not all. I hoped the ones that were playing hard to find would show up at the reunion and make the process much easier.

I was supposed to arrive on Thursday and then fly out the following Sunday evening. The reunion events took place on Friday evening through Sunday morning. This would have given me lots of opportunity to visit with old friends and still make it to the reunion events. Unfortunately, I ended up getting stuck in Iraq for a couple extra days and had to push my trip back. I was able to make it to the Saturday event, but then spent the rest of the time running around visiting as many people as I could. I should have known better than to try to do all this in just three days. I did meet up with a lot of friends and was grateful for the chance to catch up. There were still a few that I couldn't track down and who didn't show up at the reunion. The reunion was a really good time. We had a lot of laughs, they gave away a lot of prizes, and the food was awesome too(At least compared to eating Iraq cafeteria food for 8 months). I made sure that I went into the ocean while I was there, even though it was only for five minutes. I also made a quick hike up diamond head, just long enough to take some cool pictures and then ran back down.

Trying to Remember the Alma Mater

Hawaii felt a lot different this time through. My 'pigeon' accent returned, but it was very diminished from what it once was. I stayed in a hotel and got a rental car, which was a big change. Usually I would crash at a friends house and catch the bus everywhere. I hate to admit it, but I think I have fallen for the mainland. Hawaii has the best food and the greatest beaches and some of the greatest people. The pace of life there is extremely relaxing too. In spite of all of that, it still didn't feel like home. I would choose it over Iraq in a heartbeat though.

View of Honolulu from Diamond Head

I got to stop off in DC for a little layover on the way back. I got to go on a date while I was there. We went to a cute little Indian restaurant called the Ambassador near John Hopkins in Baltimore. It was refreshing to get dressed up and to have a nice night on the town. I got a rental car for my DC trip too. My initial options were minivan, minivan, or for $20 extra I could upgrade to a luxury car. I upgraded. They gave me a nice little Chrysler 300. This was a nice addition to the date as well.

Date Night

My daughter Madelyn will be moving with her mom to Texas soon. She was still in Virginia while I was traveling so I was able to visit with her too. I am amazed at how fast she is growing up. Even from the last time I saw her three months ago, she seems to have changed so much. She is talking like a champ and is very intelligent. She is still as stubborn and independent as ever, but that is her personality. She was a joy to be around and I miss her incredibly.

Madelyn the Cutie

Only a little less than three months to go. I cannot wait.