The election went really well. We got through it without being blown up, which is always a plus. There was a huge turnout among the Sunni in our area, and the day was marked by relatively little violence. As usual, there were reports of assorted roadside bombs, but I haven't heard anything about any major attacks.

We spent some time near a voting station watching a constant flow of people come and go. There was a feeling of excitement in the air among the Iraqi voters. After casting their ballot, groups of people gathered in tight clusters to laugh and gossip. I had the sense that the day was more like a holiday, a time for celebration, than a political event.

The last several days of preparation have been grueling. Twelve hour missions and very little sleep did not make for a good time. After working all day to secure the roads and villages we were responsible for we were rewarded for our efforts with a huge sandstorm this evening. The task of securing democracy is not an easy one with a handful of dirt in your eye.

The strangest thing was trudging in late tonight after the mission to find an email from my father congratulating me on a successful election. I brought up a news website to find that my dad was correct. Before I was even able to take a shower after working the election, people back home already new about the high voter turnout and effective security measures.

This was my last election mission and I'm very glad that it was. I hope to sit on the couch with my father and watch the next one on CNN. Apparently it will give me a better idea of what's going on than actually being there.