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Archive for October 3, 2006

First contact with the 4-14 and 4-23

I have yet to travel to the Green Zone in central Baghdad to get my credentials, at which point I can officially begin reporting and publishing stories and photos. But after arriving this morning, I was taken to a camp where the 4-14 Cavalry and 4-23 Infantry Regiment are staying, the first two units I will be embedded with during my next two weeks.

It’s already comforting to see the Stryker vehicles and the Alaska flags and be able to banter with soldiers about salmon, Alaska winter and for at least one soldier, the excitement of the West Valley High School football team making it to semi-finals as he sipped coffee from a WVH mug.

Ku-waiting and Monday Morning Football

Trying to catch a military flight into Iraq from Kuwait is a ’round-the-clock endeavor. After arriving in Kuwait on Monday morning, I waited out the day on an air base as I was issued a visa and tried to catch a British embassy flight to Baghdad. Read more »

The ‘heat’ is different this time around

Just as the Fairbanks forecast hints at the first snow of the season, I’m off to 100 degree heat.

But I expect heat on this assignment in more ways than just the ambient temperature. Read more »