Next Stop: Kuwait

We finished our last day of training at Fort Jackson today. The last few days have been both challenging and fun; we practiced urban combat and convoy techniques. I cannot imagine a scenario when I will actually be involved in urban combat or room searches, but it was very informative to see what our Army brothers do on a daily basis to push back the insurgency. I've posted a video of one of our room searches...many of the sailors fired blanks. I used a 9mm pistol that didn't have blanks. I had to yell "bang" when I shot my gun. It may look funny, but it was good training!

We just got word that we leave for Kuwait on Friday. We will be there for approximately eight days while we receive additional training and wait for our flights. While in Kuwait, we will be sleeping in tents and experiencing life in the desert. I will try to send some photos from Kuwait sometime next week.

The past few weeks have been an amazing experience. I have made great friends and learned so much more about our military. While I'm ready to arrive in Afghanistan and begin work as a PAO, it's dissapointing to say goodbye to all my new buddies. I have a feeling, though, that I've forged some long-term friendships. There's an inexplicable bonding that happens sharing the experiences such as the ones we've had these past few weeks.