So that's it. My tour in the desert is finally over. My in the combat zone is finished. I've been so used to living there that sometimes it doesn't seem like it's been a year, but I'm finally out of Afghanistan. Our plane took off around 5:30 am two days ago with the small group of soldiers that I came there with one year ago, plus two that are going on leave because they extended their time there. Now, I sit here in Qatar having already out processed and just chilling for the next week. I'm at a giant warehouse building with a few restaurants that serve beer. The next rotator flight is on the 22nd. I'll be flying back to Ft. Hood to pick up my car and some other things, hang with my old roommate from there and then do whatever I want for the next 10 days. I'll be back in the states catching up with the things I miss about America. I've already started doing a few of those things: bowling, drinking, civilian clothes, faster internet. The internet thing sucked there. When you're paying $90-$150 a month for 30kbps download speed you know life really sucks...

I can't say Kandahar was horrible because there was stuff to do there, including a lot of events and such (got to see Robin Williams who goes there every year from what I understand), but it still sucked having to be there. Way too dusty, the smell of the poop pond sometimes (yes, literally a pond of which human feces is dumped into) and worse, the heat. It was easy to do something repetitive and get bored of it. The fact that you were restricted to post meant you had to come up with your own fun and cling to it. You couldn't get back to your room after long day and head to a bar or drive somewhere just to visit a place a look around. My daily routine was work, then work out (after I brought my PS3 back from leave it was work, then PS3 ) So I didn't do a whole lot other than that. And it got hot. Which I really hate. But one of a couple that made my sanity stay intact was you guys, Vizzed, and the other site I go to- LS2.com. During my year in Afghan among sometimes boring work days and rocket attacks, going through the threads here and and at LS2 and reading all the posts gave me a lot of laughs, facepalms and drooling mouths at many of the NWS goodies (specificall, the NWS stuff at LS2).

So, as I finish off this Tuborg beer in my hand, I dedicate it to all of you here reading this and at LS2 (as well as those not reading this). Now, I feel tired. Gonna hit the hay. Oh, and I also want really give thanks for those at LS2 taking their time to send me and the other guys' care packages. That stuff is always fun to get in the mail and makes someone's day. Thank you, Miss Rachel. Those cookies were friggin' great.

For the record, I counted 52 rocket attacks during my time there, to include the one while we were in the plane sitting on the runway. Talk about going out with a bang... The air strip is one of the most dangerous places to be when that stuff happens.

I saw you post about it on Facebook earlier.

Way to go Cyro. It's nice to have you coming home to the red white and blue.

Sounds like your last experience was certainly an exciting one, but it's good to hear you are ok.

Enjoy the week and have some fun =D

That's great news dude, I heard about that bomb attack on your base some months back, and I guess that must have been pretty scary.

Yep. There have been more of them. I just don't post about every single one that happened. The closest one that was probably 400 meters away. Otherwise I don't even hear them most of the time. By the way, what anime is your background of? I remember seeing that one in the stores and it looked interesting.

Is beer legal in quatar?
Well anyway,good that youre ok,it would suck to be on the plane to go home and then get hit by a rocket,like u2 or whatever it was called,a true story about a german sub that survived a journey home while constantly being attacked,only to be killed in an air raid when they dock.but anyway,i digress,congratz

Congrats on coming back and surviving the journey, Cyro! From your post, it sounds like you had quite the tough time out there. I'm just glad nothing really bad happened to you then.

So you're coming back to the States for 10 days? And then what? Are you going to be rotated back in or something?

big fat cat : Cyro asked where your layout was from?

I'm coming back for good, for a while at least. The 10 days I mentioned will be to pick up my car in Texas, hangout with my roommate from when I was there last year and then drive all the way up to Ft. Lewis, Washington to my next unit. I can say I'll be enjoying it a bit up there simply from the fact it's up north and much cooler than anywhere in the south. I'm tired of heat. I've been dealing with it for the past 4 years every since I went to Active Army. It's time for a vacation from sweating my ass off all the time. And none too sooner.

I wish I could find some way to fully understand the sacrifices that are made just to keep us safe and comfortable at home. I am just glad to hear you are fine and coming back to the states. Thank you, and your comrades, for all you have done.

Cyro Xero : It's from Shakugan no Shana.
If you have spare time you should definitely watch this.