A Bodyguard in Baghdad (and Other Places)

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Captured Iraqi armour at another base:

A lot of these tanks are still loaded with ammunition - which has to be destroyed

Sometimes we have to do the scut-work, too - the hated stag-duty on the perimeter:

Boring but very necessary

Forward-element scouting the area before bringing in the engineers:

Helmets on, boys

Setting trip-flares on the perimeter:

Trip the wire by walking through it and...

Testing the setup:

...this happens. Followed enthusiastically by a lot of ammunition in that direction, of course

Under Doc's beady eye, we've also practiced inserting drips into each other - "You hurt me, I hurt you twice as bad when it's my turn!":

One could almost say that the training was in vein

Some local scenery - here's the other bush in Iraq:

I crack myself up sometimes - no, really...

A local water-well:

25 feet underground - the farmers work hard for their water

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