Well folks, this is the blog that I have been waiting to write, we are getting ready to leave Iraq for the States!!!! So, this will be the last blog that I will be writing from the Land of the Two Rivers. We will be heading to Kuwait in a couple of days and then after a brief holdover we will be heading back to the States. I expect that we should be back to California in early October and back to Colorado a short week later!

Overall this has been an eye opening experience. I have seen and heard from alot of different Iraqis from many different walks of life. The Iraqi people are in a state of flux trying to decide what they want to do with their future. We are seeing many more standing up to the insurgents and taking control of their situation. This war will have a positive outcome, it might take some time, but the time will come when US forces are out of the country and the Iraqis are governing themselves.

I will have plenty of time to pass on my opinions at a later date about the state of this country and how I think things are going. All we are concerned about now is getting home, having a beer and good food and reconnecting with friends and family. Thanks for all the letters, support and good wishes for me and the team that I worked with in Al Asad. I look forward to seeing everyone again soon. All the best, Dave.

Here it is, already a month since my last posting. It has been busy and we are looking forward to heading back to the states very soon. It continues to be hot, but the nights are more comfortable. Things continue to be quiet in the AO, even with Ramadan coming up. We are expecting, as I am sure the news has said, a spike in the violence. But we are hoping that it is less than it has been in the past.
This part of Iraq, the Anbar Provence, has remained a fairly stable place, with most of the violence happening in Baghdad and the surrounding area. If you listen to the news much of the information is about Baghdad and nothing else. The is not many mentions of previous hot spots such as Ramadi and Fallujah. The Iraqi people are starting to man up and take control of the country. Now the media and the Congress will say that progress is unacceptable and too slow for their liking. But progress is being made throughout the country. 60 Minutes recently did a story about the Kurdish area of Iraq. If you want to see the progress that is being made in some areas look there. In time, the rest of Iraq should be able to mimic their progress.
Enough about my rantings. We are in the midst of a turnover and my email address will be changing in five days. No longer will it be david.bennett@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil, but rather, david.bennett@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil. So for the last few weeks we are in country that is the best .mil address to drop me a line. You can still use my MSN address to contact me as well. I am looking forward to getting back to the states and having a burger and beer with everyone and seeing the mountains again. Iraq is mostly hot and flat, I want cold and hilly!!! That is all for now. To all those of you who sent cards, packages, emails, had me in your prayers, and support our troops in Iraq I want to say thank you. We could not do what we do without you.