UPDATE FROM SCOTT WEBER

Hello Carron,

Ice and snow back home. I do miss it. I am being sincere. I love riding a snow storm out at home in front of the fireplace. Once it stops, Carol and I would walk the dogs on the bike trail. Thanks for the pictures. That ice is really something. OK, I don't miss the ice. I am one of those guys that has to get out and clean the drive the second it stops snowing so no one drives on the snow and packs it down. Ice frustrates me because it is such a pain to remove. Being in the insurance claims business, I fear some old lady slipping and falling on my sidewalk. Business related paranoia. Some of the guysfrom my civilian job went together and bought my wife a snow removal service. Whata great gift. My 17 year old son loves it too.

It is spring time here. The grass is coming up through the rocks and there are green plants sprouting everywhere. The trees along the canal are flowering. It makes me homesick. We didn't see any of this when we arrived here. I assume all of this will dry up once the rain stops and the sun does its thing.

We have been very busy these past few weeks with the surge. We were told we would be managers of units and commodities when we arrived and along the way we became doers. I like staying busy and making things happen and we really feel like we are contributing to the cause.

I have been fortunate to not go outside the wire yet. We have sent some of our section on missions to different bases but since I oversee warehouses and logistics here, I don't have to travel. Not yet anyway. I do feel guilty about that. Except for the occassional mortar attack, you wouldn't know there was a war on. Last night about 10:30, there was a knock on my door and they were getting a head count since we had an attack. I slept through it. I woke up when the "big voice"came over the loud speaker and said ALL CLEAR, ALL CLEAR.

We get most of our supplies from C-17 cargo planes and convoys from Turkey and Kuwait.They are broken down here and then flown or driven all over the country. It is nothing like you imagine. We have contractors that work in all of the warehouses and even do the driving on the roads. The military has the gun trucks. Soldiers provide base security. Contractors do not carry weapons so they rely on us for their protection. Contract war is odd. I won't bore you with the details, but we work with both military and civilians. It usually works well as most of the contractors are ex-military. My role is to oversee the warehouses and their operation. I also get tasked to assist in other logistic missions that come up and help solve problems. I enjoy it most days but I am ready to come home.

Thanks for staying in touch. It is always great to hear from you. I look forward to that party. Stay warm.

Scott (Weber)