Baghdad

I typed something up on the plane as we were leaving South Carolina to come to Kuwait... I thought I saved it, but apparently not. For starters - my internet is crap here in Baghdad...

We left SC a couple of weeks ago. I gotta say that SC was pretty damn good training I thought. There were a few people who thought that it was a waste of time. For people who have never been in a combat zone, and haven't fired many rounds from a gun, it's definitely a good introduction. I polished my rifle and pistol skills pretty well.

Our flight to Kuwait left early on a Saturday morning. I think we were all pretty tired and excited at the same time. Sitting at the military terminal in Columbia, SC I remember looking around at everyone. There wasn't much going on, but I found it interesting. Everyone was making their last minute phone calls to their wives/husbands/girlfriends/family, etc. I was one of them. I texted everyone in my cell phone phonebook. I only got through a few by the time I started receiving responses. I gotta say "Thank you" to everyone that responded. It truly means a lot to me. My mom called. She sounded sad... I definitely was sad. I had to put my sunglasses on inside to cover up my tears. I wasn't the only one. Looking around, I saw a lot of sad faces. But I think since we were in the company of so many people joining up from so many backgrounds to accomplish a similar goal, their was an air of confidence around us. Even though I'm not that religious anymore, I felt blessed. We were scared but confident. Kinda weird really.

The plane ride was weird too... in my life, since I've had the capability to think of disaster, the thought of a plane crash always crosses my mind when I board a plane. This was the first time where I truly felt safe. Maybe it was because of all the other servicemen/women. I don't know, but it felt good. So, I guess what I'm saying is: Don't worry about us. When we're together, nothing can stop us... not even a plane crash.

Our plane was supposed to refuel in Reyjkavik, Iceland, and then again in Hahn, Germany. We had a problem with one of the hydraulic systems and ended up pulling in to Gander, Newfoundland. We were only there for a couple hours. We met some British forces there. That was kinda neat. Then we landed in Germany at about 2:00 local time. We were there for a couple hours again. The Germans were nice enough to open the bar for us at about 2:30! I had a couple fine German pilsners and got back on the plane.

Kuwait was alright too. It's hot. As soon as I stepped off the plane (early in the morning) It felt like I was walking into an oven. There was a blast of hot, dry air. Soooo hot. And nothing but desert wasteland around us. Besides the oil, how can people fight over this? When I get my camera I'll show you. We stayed in 12 man tents for a week. Two of those nights we were on the floor. The other nights, we were on cots in sleeping bags. We had some more good training such as shooting in formation (i.e. walking in a line, and doing some reflexive fire in different directions/positions). I was also the lead humvee driver in a simulated convoy. My truck commander was an idiot and kept telling me to do things, and then kept changing his mind two seconds after giving the order. He made me look like a fool, but afterwards, all the officers were cool and knew that it wasn't my fault, and felt sorry for me for having to deal with that guy.

At night in Kuwait, my friend Matt and I sat outside drinking non-alcoholic beer and playing PSP. The first night was creepy. I saw some movement in the sand and immediately jumped up. (For those of you who don't know... my number one fear in life are scorpions. And a close second are bees/wasps/etc.) I thought it was a scorpion coming out of the sand. But no... it was a huge beetle! Bizarre. They were all over the place.

We were supposed to leave Kuwait one week after getting there, so we would've flown out on a Saturday. The command told us before hand that flights in the Middle East are "iffy". My first flight got bumped up. We were at the airport, and then they told us it was cancelled. Alright... fast forward two days. We get on the plane (in full body armor in 98 degree weather inside a cramped C-130 in the middle of the day) for about 30 minutes, and then due to a gauge being bad, we deplane. 45 minutes later, they think they have it fixed, so we get back on. We were on for about 30 minutes again, when they tell us that it's still not working right. WTF. They bus us back to a huge tent where we stay until later that night when we get back on a different C-130 (still hot as hell at 10:00PM). We finally make it to Baghdad at about 1:00AM. I think I sweated more that day than I have ever sweat in my entire life. I broke a hard sweat 3 different times that day! It was nuts.

Iraq has been pretty cool so far too. The food they serve us here is awesome. I can be totally satisfied and full 4 times per day. It's starting to cool down too. Like for instance, today, it only got up to 96 or so. The sun comes up at about 5:00 here, and goes down at about 5:30-6:00. The US military put a "bat tower" here. It's monstrous. All the bats sleep inside during the day, and at night you can see them flying all over eating the bugs that are attracted to the lights. I haven't seen a fly or mosquito yet. It's pretty cool actually.

I had about 4 days of training with the guys that I've been travelling with over the past month or so. Today we finally got split up. I'm now in a semi-trailer that has been divided into 3 portions. I'm in the center by myself. There's two beds in here, but no one else is here right now. Just how I like it. This is the first time in like a month that I've slept in a real bed with a real pillow all by myself. i've told my parents and Jen about my new assignment. I'm SUPPOSED to be doing Electroning Warfare... but for some reason, I'm working as the Assistant Training Officer for all the EWO's in the Baghdad area. not a bad deal really. Just not doing what I've been training to do for the last month. I could've spent a lot more time with my family. That's what really pisses me off.

A few more notes...

We took a tour of the palace the other day. It was amazing. There was a three story tall chandalier in the middle. That was cool. But the coolest part was meeting General Petraeus(spelling?). The neat part was watching the younger army guys around him. Lots of people don't realize that the General is kind of like a celebrity or even superhero to the soldiers. I felt really lucky to get a picture with him. Of course, it wasn't my camera, so we'll have to wait and see if my friend Matt (who's now up at Camp Warrior) is going to send it anytime soon.

Today at work, I got my first letter. It was from a girl in Texas. I'm going to save it because it means a lot to me that someone who doesn't know who they're writing to, takes time out of their day to give us thanks. I'll never get rid of this.

I've got a cell phone now too. The chief that I relieved gave it to me. The number is 7903607439. I know there's some sort of country code that you need to put in front of it for Iraq, and I'm sure it costs loads to call, but I just thought I'd throw it out there. I'm always happy to hear from you. If I don't answer, I'm either asleep, in a meeting, or can't hear it.

My address is:

STG1(SW) Corey Davidson
1st Cavalry Division
G-7 EWO
Unit 43207
APO, AE 09344

The emblem on the right is the emblem of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division.

If you have any questions.. my best email now is: corey.davidson@MND-B.army.mil
I gotta tell you - it's GREAT hearing from you guys. If you email me, I can probably respond better to specific questions. My internet her is wireless, but speed is worse than dialup was in 1994.

Alright, I need to get some sleep now. Can you believe it? I actually worked from 9:00 AM until about 7:30 PM... what's going on?!?!?! I love you all, and thanks for everything. I couldn't do this without you and I wouldn't do it if it wasn't for you. (that sounded like it made sense in my head).

-C