As you can probably tell by the lack of entries lately, I have been pretty busy lately. Even when it is not busy, I have lost the ability to write as often or as easy. My journal has been blocked by military networks. It isn't because of anything I did or said, but because they have filtered out blogging sites to conserve bandwidth.
Today marks my one year anniversary; today I have now spent 12 months in Iraq. My room is empty. All except for a few odds and ends that I will drop off at the dumpster or the gazebo as we leave. The gazebo is a collection point of items outgoing soldiers set out for anyone who wants them. Some of the items are things that did not sell on the Sand Flea Market, a sort of garage sale listing for the base.
My roommate moved out. He has was a late arrival and volunteered to stay in Iraq with another unit. He said he didn't feel he has earned the right to go home yet. I adamantly disagree. I believe that coming here and facing our enemy in battle has earned him the right to go home with us, even though he came later. He believes that if he left now, some soldiers would look down on him and think less of him because he wasn't here as long as they were. I can definitely relate to that feeling. It is much the same feeling I had when I learned I would be a fobbit and not be heading out on missions with my brothers.