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Friday, June 24, 2005
Marking time toward homecoming
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camp Taji, Iraq — More than a month into their year of living dangerously, 48th Brigade Combat Team soldiers have begun marking time — each in their own way — toward homecoming.
Here are some of the ways they’re measuring their progress:
Razor blades — Two weeks for each blade, four blades per package. “Each time I open a new pack of razor blades, I know two months have gone by,â€? said Sgt. Britt Smith of Dublin. “I can’t tell you how exciting it is to open each new pack.â€?
Paychecks — Soldiers get paid on the first and 15th of each month. Each paycheck marks two more weeks in the war zone.
Sporting events — So far, they’ve missed the U.S. Open and the NBA Finals. Still waiting for Wimbledon, the World Series, Super Bowl, March Madness and the Daytona 500. When Major League Baseball’s opening day 2006 rolls around, the troops should be packing their bags.
Full moons — Two down, 10 to go. Holidays — Memorial Day and Father’s Day down, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Easter to go. The troops should be boarding planes around Mother’s Day.
Meals — “If you’re planning anything beyond your next meal, you’re thinking too far ahead,â€? said Maj. Dave Weis of the 3rd Infantry Division, a veteran of five Army deployments in 20 years.
The 108th’s way — Soldiers from this armor unit have a running joke in which they count down from the artificially high, and totally arbitrary, number 713. The idea is to keep the actual date of departure so far in the future that the soldiers don’t dwell on it. Ask a soldier from the 108th when he’s going home and the standard answer is “Only 679 days to go!â€?
