Letter From Iraq #21

By the numbers that show up on the official countdown timer we officially have one month left as of today.  That’s good news because I am ready to get out of here.  The bad news is that this last month is going to take forever.  Matter of fact this last week alone seems like it took forever to go by.  I think that in a race between the tortoise, from the Tortoise and the Hare story, and time, the tortoise would win every single time.  On the other hand all I have to do is keep telling myself, “It’s all good, I’m going home soon.”

I realized this week that it is definitely time for me to get out of here.  It seems like everything gets on my nerves these days.  For the most part it’s simple stuff that I didn’t even notice when I first got here.  I think the reason that it didn’t register when we first arrived was because everything was new and I was to busy paying to attention to everything else around me to concentrate on the little things.  I have read many times to not “sweat the small stuff” and I am trying to do that but some times it’s just difficult.  It’s especially hard to do when your routine hasn’t changed in about five month.  It’s gotten to the point that I can walk to the dining facility in the middle of the night with no moon present and I know where everything is even though I can’t see it.  When I say it’s the small stuff that bothers me it’s stuff like when I go to take a shower and some one doesn’t shut off the water all the way and it drips or when they leave a building the don’t shut the door.  It really isn’t a big deal but at the same time it’s usually a combination of little things that can grow into something big.

Over all there is very little to report from this side of the world for this week.  The most exciting thing that has happened is that the low temperatures here the last several days have been dropping down into the low 20’s.  Actually, on Wednesday we go all the way down to 19°F.  For a North Dakotan that is all that cold, but here in the desert of Iraq it is frigid.

I did get a couple of letters and emails this week.  The first letter that I got was from Kenny and Cindy Maher.  Cindy wanted to know when this deployment is over and how many years I have left in the service.  Well Cindy, since this is a 180 day deployment and we left the US on 20 August 2007, the official date that this deployment will end on is 20 February 2008.  The problem is that my deployment isn’t officially over until I arrive back in the States and that all depends on flights out of here.  How much time I have left in the Air Force is also a two part answer.  I currently have about three and half years left on my current enlistment.  This last August was my six year point and at that time I re-enlisted for another 4 years.  By the year 2011, when my current enlistment is over, I will be halfway to being able to retire from the military and it would seem kind of crazy to get out at that point.  That being said that I never over look the fact that life changes and at that point I may decide that I want to pursue a different aspect of life.  That will all be decided when the time comes but I do like the idea of being able to retire after 20 years of being in the military.  It was good to hear that Miranda had a nice wedding.  Please pass my congratulations to her.  Also, thank you for the letter and don’t worry about typing it, if I had to hand write this letter it would never get done.

This week I also received an email from Mel in Iowa and he was wondering if we still used the term “getting short” when referring to getting ready to return home and sadly, I must report, that your email is the first time I ever heard of the term.  It’s always interesting to hear from other veterans from previous wars.  Many times we can sit and talk for hours just about the difference from when they were in the service.  Mel also shared with me that when he was in Korea that letters were the primary way of contact with your family.  It amazes me that phone calls could cost upwards of twenty dollars a minute.  It’s those stories that make me appreciate the advances we have made in technology and how easy it has made my life.  I also found it interesting that Mel shared with me that he was a draftee and, like many draftees, he didn’t really want to go to war.  I too wasn’t excited to go to war, but it is my job and, as I’m sure Mel himself did, we do what is asked of us and we try to make the best of the situation.  All I have to do is remember all of the places that I’ve been able to visit and it makes it all worth while.  Since I have been in the military I have visited over 12 different countries and easily as many states.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Well again my clock is telling me that my shift is almost over and that it’s time to sign off for another week.  I want to thank everyone who has emailed or written in the past weeks.  There are many more than I can mention, but rest assured that I have received your well wishes and I do appreciate them.  If you have sent me a question, I will get them soon.  Please know that I love to hear about how things are going back home, even if your home is in a different place than my home.

I am looking for your suggestions and questions.  Is there something that you want to know about being deployed?  If you do please feel free to email me at john.iraq@hotmail.com, or you can write to me via the post office at the address below.

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!