Letter From Iraq #17

This week is almost over already and what an interesting week this has turned out to be.  What more could anyone ask for other than a little bit of thought elevating work, some time spent helping others, and the prospect of snow in the desert.

Work has been promoting the creative side of my brain when I get calls to ask when the weather is going to get better.  For the last two days we have had extremely reduced visibility due to dust that is floating around in the air, which has brought our visibility down to 1/8 of a mile at times.  This morning when I was going into my room I noticed that there was a fine layer of dust on everything.  The scary part is that even though you can’t really see the dust around you, you are still breathing it in and it’s getting into your lungs.  I’m starting to get a feel for what it was like to live in the dustbowl during the depression.

I also mentioned that we had the prospect of snow this week.  On Monday, while I was looking at our weather models, I noticed that it showed that we would receive snow on Thursday.  Now the models aren’t 100% accurate and sometimes they get a little over excited about precipitation, but the way things were setting up, it looked like a pretty good chance that we would see it.  Well, instead of the snow that I was hoping for, we got this lovely dust instead.  Now it looks like we will be pretty dry throughout Christmas.

This week I also spent a little time doing some volunteer work at the post office here.  I’m friends with the Postal Officer and he informed me that they were getting anywhere from sixteen to twenty pallets of mail in each day and that they needed help to break down the pallets and sort the packages in order to get it all done by mail call time.  So I decided that I would go over there and help them out.  It has helped to make the time go a little faster and I get a little exercise while doing something productive at the same time.

While I’m on the subject of volunteer work I would like to take some time to talk about volunteering.  The holiday season is a time of year when some of us feel moved to do a little volunteer work to help those who are less fortunate than us.  Mahatma Gandhi once said, “We must be the change that we seek in the world.”  This is just as true today as it was when he said it.

With all of the traveling that I get to do around the world I get to have many interesting conversations with people.  One of the conversations that always interest me the most is when people talk about the direction that our country and our planet is headed in.  I hear everything from concerns about the youth that will become our leaders to distress about the way people treat each other.  I only have one question for them, what are you doing to make it any better?

Around the holidays we often see the Salvation Army bell ringers out with their pots asking for donations.  It’s true that they do need the money that you donate, but imagine what they would do with your time.  Yes, that money can be turned into food that will feed the people who need it, but what if everyone just donated money and no one took the time to distribute the funds to those in need?  The money would just sit there and the poor would still be poor and hungry.

I would like to encourage every one of you to set aside some time this next year to do a little volunteer work.  It doesn’t have to be anything too hard.  All you have to do is find something that you feel passionate about and then find out how you can help.  If you’re deeply concerned about the kids in your community, you could volunteer at a rec center or with an organization devoted to children like the Big Brothers Big Sisters.  If you get really upset when you read in the paper about a person that was abusing their pets then maybe volunteering your time at the local pet shelter is the right thing for you.  The really cool thing about volunteering is that there is something for everyone and you can do it as a family, which will instill in your children the importance of volunteering.

When it comes to volunteering, I find that I get a little greedy.  I don’t always do it because I want to help out others that are in need, but more because it makes me feel great.  A couple of hours of volunteer work has the ability to give you a feeling of pure ecstasy that will last for weeks.  It can even make your life better by giving you a new appreciation for the things that you have.  You also get to meet people with very interesting stories and different perspectives on life.  Just think of all of the things you can learn from the people that you are affecting.

As I sign off for another week I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, since this will be the last letter for the year.  I hope that everyone all the joy that the new year has to offer.  As I depart I will leave you with a quote that was etched onto the tomb of an Archbishop in Westminster Abby around 1100 A.D.:

“When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.

But it, too, seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world.”

If you have a question that you would like to ask or just want to say Hi feel free to email me at john.iraq@hotmail.com.  If you would like to write and send the letter through the post office my mailing address is:

SSgt Ferderer, John B.

F Co. 5-158 AVN (AF Weather)

FOB Diamondback

APO, AE 09334

Until we meet again, Have A Great Air Force Day!