Thanksgiving

I woke up around 18:30, and headed over to the chow hall on F.O.B. Stryker (where they have lots of Stryker vehicles) for Thanksgiving. When you work the night shift you eat Thanksgiving for breakfast. They had prime rib, turkey breast, stuffing, mash potatoes, yams, virgin mixed drinks, sparkling grape juice, hot apple pie, and all kinds of other pies, amongst other things. I kept my meal pretty light. My buddy Capt Ezra Glanzer pigged out and felt sick. Big meals for breakfast are rough on a person's gut, but it's his half day so he can sleep it off for a while.

When you walk into the chow hall it's pretty neat. There are decorations everywhere. A huge statue of a man in only a loin cloth holding a globe on his back (atlas), made out of butter -- they should have made the loin cloth better, he looked like horse. Large ginger bread houses, teepees, paper mache turkeys, tables full of fruit and decorated cakes, and one of the cakes was shaped like a book, opened to the 100th Psalm:

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing .
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

It feels good when they go all out for us. It makes a very significant difference. Half way through the meal I asked someone what they did for lunch and he told me they were serving meat right off the bird. Legs, breasts, wings, right from the bird! I had to ask. Suddenly my cafeteria style turkey breast didn't taste as good. But the hot apple pie with ice-creaim right on top, that was still the best thing I've eaten in nearly two months. Yes, there is much to be thankful for.

After awhile the people from the day shift left, and it was me and Ezra chatting about the things that seam important but really aren't. We talked about the new uniforms and how pilots get special treatment. We finally left the chow hall and headed along the road back towards F.O.B. Camp Cropper, following about five guys, a mix of Army and Air Force, mostly sergeants. We decided to let one of the airmen keep smoking and walking, something he shouldn't do -- it's Thanksgiving after all.

When we were about 20 meters from the Entry Control Point (ECP) to Cropper we hear the siren and the calm voice that never seems appropriate for the occasion: INCOMING, INCOMING, INCOMING.... I looked at Glanzer as we saw the guys in front of us start to sprint towards the duck-n-cover in front of the ECP and I said "sonuvabitch!". We started to run.

Our guns were rattling and we made good time across the thick gravel as we rounded the barrier down into the duck-n-cover. One of the army guys put it best when he said "I have to sh*t and I'm full." Running on a full stomach is never fun. The guys lit lighters and started smoking and joking.

"Someone tell a ghost story"

"OK, the guy next to me is so scared he needs has to smoke a cigarette," and things of that nature.

About five minutes later the second siren came in a voice that seems very appropriate: ALL CLEAR, ALL CLEAR, ALL CLEAR.... It came with neither booms nor C-RAMs (Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar) fire. Nothing had happened anywhere near us. Just a siren. As we left the duck-n-cover I said to Ezra, who was quite quiet, "we should have expected them to try to hit us tonight" he replied with a simple truism "if I never hear the incoming alarm again...."

When we presented our badges to the sergeant at the ECP he saluted us and said "nothing like a little incoming on Thanksgiving." We returned the salute and started walking away.

"Happy Thanksgiving" I said.

"Happy Thanksgiving" he replied. A Happy Thanksgiving, indeed.