Our satellite link the internet was down for about 3 days this week. Everyone was very upset. Everytime anyone saw someone else the first question they asked was "is the internet back up? I think that our war stories are mostly going to be about the aweful times that the internet went down and the times that the chow hall ran out of ice cream.

I shouldn't make light of the war. As an aviator I am lucky to be stationed at a relatively secure base and stay at least 75 feet above the ugly stuff when I leave the base. Lots of other guys are actually in a war. We regularly hear about and meet guys involved in roadside bombings and ambushes. I really do hope that the worst experience I have here is an internet crisis.

I flew a short one hour mission today just to move some troops from one base to another close by. We shut down at the base and explored for an hour. I was reminded once again of how good we have it. Their facilities were very primitive compared to our ours. Again, aviators have it easy. The flight was a good one. I was with a Pilot in Command who is not an Instructor Pilot. He let me fly the entire mission and made comments and suggestions but mostly just let me enjoy the experience and learn by doing. That is how I learn best and I think I flew well.

I am attaching a photo from the flight and a picture of the cat that has now become the Bravo Company pet. I dont think he has a name yet though.