The Desert Sucks

Dear Mom,

It's been about three months since I've arrived here in Iraq. I'm still having trouble adjusting to this kind of life. Maybe I will never adjust. The heat here is brutal. Sometimes I feel like I am going to evaporate and disappear. And then there are these huge sandstorms that turn day into night. The darkness frightens me.

At night is when I'm most scared. That's when they like to attack us. They come out of nowhere and just start shooting at our camp. I lay in my bed every night thinking "Is it going to be me tonight?" I never know what's going to happen. That's the scariest thing here. No one knows what is going to happen. A normal drive could turn into a battle. Hell, even the bathroom can turn into your coffin. That's what happened to my friend Joe last week. He went to the bathroom to take a piss and the next thing you know, a grenade just explodes him to pieces. It's really scary.

But don't worry mom, it's not always like that here. Me and the guys try to have fun when we can. Just the other day we were playing some football and I scored a couple touchdowns for my team. We made the losing team get us water for a whole week. It was great. And when I leave to complete my missions I get this adrenaline rush that just makes me feel so alive. I feel good that I'm protecting the Iraqi's from these militias.

Well that's about all I have to say for now. I shouldn't be here much longer. They told us that a lot of troops are getting sent back to the U.S. so hopefully that includes me. See you soon! I love you!

Love,
Soldier William M. Lindelof