UPDATE FROM JAMES....

OIF 2007-2008
Camp Bucca, Iraq
20080518

Well hello to all! This letter is the closing letter from this place. I am sorry I have not sent much out to anybody as far as emails, letters, & phone calls. This place keeps me pretty busy. I have been blessed with the most beautiful wife in the world to always be sending me care packages. I have also received great care packages from the best mother in the world (my mom). Thanks. It has been a very different experience that I wish no other would have to do. All in all it has been okay. We don’t have as many mortar and rocket attacks like other places get to experience but that is just okay with me. I can always deal without them. I have developed a small case of forgetfulness but I guess it is the heat and that this place can do that to you. I can’t wait to get back to the states so I can regain my thought of sense. I will soon be able to do that in the NEAR FUTURE. I can’t say dates or times; it’s for the safety of the soldiers.
My time and experience here in Iraq has been different. I have experienced the following here in Bucca; lots of sand storms, tons of smoke (from burning trash), learning some of the culture, I’ve learned a couple of phrases and some words in Arabic, learned to take 4 minute or less showers to conserve water, learned that there are a lot of movies out there.
On my free time when I had off, I spent a lot of time in the gym and watching movies. There really is not a lot to do here in Bucca. The chow hall feeds you really good too; they give you the truckers special (like my dad would say). If you don’t watch out, you can put on the pounds easy over here. There was this one girl here who sent an email to her father and told him that she wasn’t getting feed but one time on a 13 hour shift. Well, what they do is bring one hot meal out to you and then they have MRE’s if you want to eat that. With the hours that we work, it’s all about time management. You have to make a schedule out for yourself so you can have time to do laundry, gym, call home, check email (time permitting), what ever else you want to do and of course time for eating. I had at least 2 hot meals in a 24 hour time. When I was on day schedule I would eat lunch after the gym before going in to work, then they would take us a hot meal out at the compound. Once you got off you had the opportunity to go get another hot meal if you wanted. By the time I got off, all I wanted to do was sleep. Then when I got moved to the night shift I would go to gym then eat breakfast then go to work and then they would bring breakfast out again, then once off you had the opportunity to go eat a hot meal if you wanted to. Like I said earlier, I was too tired to go eat that other hot meal. But, let me tell you I ate pretty well over here, so I had to make sure I went to the gym. I came over here at the heaviest I have ever been at 187lbs and now I am down to normal weight of 161lbs. I kind of fluctuate between 157 to 162 now. Now I just have to maintain that once I get home.
Now for the getting home part, once I get home, I have to leave again for school. That is kind of a bummer but it’s for my career so I got’s to do it. Right now I have all of my bags packed so that pretty much tells ya’ll how fast I am coming home. I have no sheets on the bed and no rug on the floor, YEAH! I can’t wait. Boy howdy, let me tell ya’ll. I have been waiting for this for the longest time now. Buenos, I have to go now. I got to go see a couple of buddies off and I’ll see ya’ll soon. Take care and God Bless!

Love, SSG Gonzo