Ken came back from Camp Smitty and is gone again, setting up the new Muthanna Resident Office. He set out on a trip of over 800km last week to inspect and sign-off on border forts being built along the Saudi border with the Queen's Dragoon Guard. Then we sent Dave home last night after a BBQ at Pistol Pete's hooch behind the Px. Pete is a contractor who's subs have built over 300 mud schools in Iraq since last June. Rich drove Dave to the airfield early this morning for the first leg of his trip home. The "Crazy Eight" from New England is down to five.

I received condolences upon the death of the Pope from our female owned company this week:

Daer Sir,
The members of our staff share you sadness about the death of your Pope, and we feel very sorry to lose a man of peace. So, we hope accept our condolences and we pray that you meet your families safely.

Your sisters

I've been chained to my desk since Saturday when Farrell left and I was given his job until the cavalry arrives and I go home. I considered staying a while longer, but I've done quite enough damage to the Iraqi recovery effort already and I'm soooooooo ready to go home.

There was a Pied Kingfisher hovering and diving at the pond inside the running track yesterday, and lots of plovers and stilts in the puddles along the road today. I went into Nasiriyah for a meeting with our hospital contractors and we took the long way home to avoid trouble predicted by our intel. Rich and Pete, our new guy, were out today with the Engineering Battalion verifying school work for payment. They saw some armed militia along the road that made everyone jumpy, busloads of them in black ski masks. There were no incidents reported.