Still at it

Things are starting to heat up in more ways than one around here. The days are getting longer and the temp gets a little more uncomfortable everyday. The insurgents seem to have a renewed interest in blowing things up, which is also disappointing. In the last week they've tried to bomb one of the main gates twice. The first time I was just outside of the gate. Someone put a bomb on the gas tank of a truck as it waited to enter the gate. Luckily, another truck driver saw the guy place it there and informed soldiers nearby. Before we could secure the area the driver of the truck with the bomb grabbed it and threw it in the field. Apparently he wasn't keen on the idea of having his truck blown up while waiting for the bomb squad to arrive. A few minutes later the bomb exploded. No one was injured though. Thankfully it didn't go off when it was on the fuel tank. That would have made things a little more complicated.

The second try at it someone (probably the same guy) tried the same thing with an incoming truck. Again someone saw him do it, and again the driver picked up the bomb and threw it in the field. It went off fifteen minutes later and sent some gravel (hopefully not shrapnel but I'm not sure yet) into the face of an Iraqi soldier. I think the soldier was more shaken up than injured.

Because of the bastard with the bombs children are no longer allowed anywhere near the gates. That’ll cut down the fun by about half. We’ll still have lots of time to hang out with the locals, it just won’t be as often. You could always count on a big group of kiddies to wait by the gate for candy or to wave you in as you returned from a mission. At least we won’t have to worry about any of them getting hurt out their. I’ll still be able to see my favorites when on patrol.