13NOV06 dispatch from Army LT Josh Arthur, CC04

Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 00:00:09 +0300
From: "Joshua Arthur"
Subject: Greetings from Baghdad!

All,

Well, if my Dad had one piece of everyday advice for me to last
throughout the deployment - to pertain to all the day-to-day
activities, the scheduling, events, whatever - it was to "expect
the unexpected." It should have come as no surprise, then - and
with the Black Knights of 1-5 CAV, this was really par for the
course - that we were all called away from a free concert being put
on at Camp Buehring by the band Shinedown on November 8th to be told
that we would be leaving in a matter of hours to go north to
Baghdad. Figures!

We arrived in Baghdad late Thursday night and spent an inordinately
long time doing nothing, it seemed, before boarding transportation
to come over to FOB Liberty, where we are now (and where we plan to
stay for the next year - but again, who's to say?). We're still in
the process of getting comfortable in our new home, but things are
splendid so far. My living accomodations are hard to beat: my own
room in a trailer (albeit with paper-thin walls between rooms) with
a bed, desk, wall locker, etc.; internet in the rooms (when it wants
to work); and rumors that a fridge and TV are on the way. Quite
honestly, I can't complain.

The change of scenery is nice, too. While Camp Buehring may be
useful, as I said, it is quite literally in the middle of the
desert. Even if Liberty is closer to parts of the city where
violence is occurring daily, at least there are trees here! When I
get a chance, I'll take pictures that give some sense of the
landscape here at Victory (without actually showing anything of
importance, of course). I can at least say that palm trees near
the battalion headquarters could fool one into thinking this place
isn't half bad, if it weren't for the colonnades of concrete
barriers everywhere ;)

As with Camp Buehring, the amenities here leave little to be
desired. Taco Bell, Subway, Burger King, gyms, free laundry, a
wide variety of food in the dining facility, a PX that has DVD
entertainment systems, for heaven's sake - these are things that
are truly the mark of an organization planning on sticking around
for a while, if you ask me ;) I'd hate to have you all back home
thinking I actually face some sort of hardship or deprivation in
living conditions, especially when guys at other, more distant FOBs
and guys at the beginning of this war truly did (right, LTC Walter,
sir? ;)) I'm technically still sleeping in my sleeping bag every
night, but that's solely because I've been too busy or lazy to go
sign for linens. So don't go feeling sorry for me just because I'm
over here. Haha.

After all, we're not even really in harm's way yet. True, there's
always the possibility of something strange happening while on the
FOB - a lucky mortar strike (which are rare in the first place
here), an impossibly overwhelming attack, etc., - but for all
intents and purposes, I think it's fair to say that no one on the
FOB considers himself to be in particular, imminent danger as far
as daily happenings go. We still have some things to do before we
get to head out into sector. We have to finish acquiring and
inventorying our new vehicles; have to get more protective
equipment for vehicles and personnel; and we have to finish a
process that's already begun whereby the outgoing unit hands over
responsibility to us. So far, the leadership in the battalion has
been attending two days' worth of classes given by the outgoing
unit concerning their experiences, lessons learned, tactics used,
etc. Whether we adopt them all is, of course, up to us, but the
knowledge they have to share is supremely important. We'll
continue to do this for a matter of weeks before we assume
responsibility for the area exclusively.

Otherwise, things are good. The only other piece of news - and
again, I guess I should find it completely unsurprising that this
is the case - is that our mailing address has changed (slightly)
one again, but this one - supposedly - is the one that will really,
actually, honestly work the quickest. The previous one SHOULD still
work, but without the Unit ID #, it evidently slows down a great
deal. In any event, it is:

1LT Joshua Arthur
HHC 1-5 CAV
Unit 43300
FOB Liberty
APO AE 09344-3300

And that's about it, folks. Again, I hope this find everyone doing
well, and as I have more time (and a more reliable internet
connection), I'll try to get back to some of you individually.
Thanks to all of you, too, who have indicated that you'd like to
send something to me or (more importantly) my soldiers, as well. I
promise I'll try to get a sense for things guys need and/or want as
things progress. The only thing I can say for sure that will be
useful no matter what are pipe cleaners and q-tips for cleaning
weapons, and guys always like magazines of almost any sort (just no
pornography - it's illegal in the country). More than that I really
don't know yet, though, so when I get a better idea, I'll let you
know so that your generosity can be well directed. Thanks so much.

Love to tall,
Josh