Well, here we are a couple of weeks in and ground hog day has started. The flow of our day is starting to get tough, but at least I am getting to do the job that I am trained for. I have a great team all the way around, so I feel quite lucky. The Lt. takes good care of us and the team is a good hardworking group.

The weather is still fairly nice. But the days are getting hotter and the nights are getting shorter. All that means is summer will be here soon, and the hot weather will follow. You wouldn't believe how Al Asad has changed. The main side of the basis huge and it has all the amenities. To include but not limited to a coffee shop, Burger King and a Pizza Hut. I am lucky, in a way, to be on the other side if the base an not to close to temptation. But having those things available is nice. It makes it seem more like we are not in a "war zone".

For those that are wondering what you can send to make life more like home I will let you know later in the week. We are finally getting settled in to our living spaces and we do not have the grand list yet. I will also try to send some photos of me and the team, but here is one of me and Nate in our fancy clothes, ie battle rattle.

Hello from Iraq! We have arrived in country and have started our work here. We are still turning over with the team that is leaving and getting ourselves settled into a routine. The address that I posted earlier is correct, good thing because I sent myself a package and it arrived. It takes about 11 days from CA to our area. The weather is kind of cold right now. The days are getting up into the low to mid 80's (when the sand and wind are not blowing) and the nights are into the 40 and 50's (with blowing wind). But we know it will be getting good and hot soon.

My email addresses are as follows:

NIPR david.bennett@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil
SIPR david.bennett@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.smil.mil

So for those of you that have a SIPR account you can shoot me mail on the high side.

Things are going well and we are getting ready to get into our schedule for work. I will keep everyone updated as time allows about life in the Iraq. Hope all finds everyone well.

Hello from Kuwait. We have arrived here and are awaiting our movement up to Iraq. It is a good time of the year to arrive as the temperature is not nearly as hot as it was last time. We should hit in the low 90's today rather than the 135 that greeted us in 2004. Overall the trip here was uneventful. We traveled for about 29 hours and stopped in Colorado Springs (unfortunately no chance to see Caroline), Bangor Maine, Hahn Germany and finally Kuwait.

Prior to leaving I had the chance to return to CO for 10 days of leave. Caroline had a gathering of friends at the Elbow Room (a bar in the Springs). It was great to get together with everyone there for the evening. Once I have the pictures I will post them to the blog. We then spent four great days in the mountains with Matt and Wendy (from Ann Arbor) skiing and having a great time hanging out. I also got to meet the newest addition to the family, Jackson the cat. I had a good time laughing at his antics and spending time with Caroline and friends before returning to CA. Caroline was able to come out to California for the last weekend and we had a lot of time top just hang out. Her time in CA was the only time that I made it down to the beach, which was nice. She got the opportunity to meet a couple of the guys on my team (besides the ones that she already knew) and their wives. As with all leave blocks and weekends both ended too early and we had to part ways. I also got to spend time with Caroline's aunt Doloris, Uncle Tom and Cousin Chris and his fiance Jessica. It was great to see them and hang out prior to getting out the door to Kuwait.

I also got to catch up with my parents and Dan in Virginia Beach for a weekend in February. I was attending a class in Myock NC (just over the VA/NC border) and got to extend my stay a day to see the family. It was a short but fun visit and it is always good to catch up when you can.

Not too much happening right now. My .mil email address is going to change, so do not send anything to the one I posted earlier. Once we are in Iraq and getting started with our mission I will update everyone with what we are doing. Hope all is well with everyone and I'll type to you again soon.

Dave