Sherman's Crossing

As the Sol rises, so too must it come down to set. And thus ends my time here until tomorrow.

Kuwaiti Sunrise

Is there anything more beautiful that a sunrise over the sand dunes of Kuwait? Most likely a definite yes. But as circumstance would allow, I am stuck in prison. Although I am free to leave my cell as I choose, I am still bound within its walls.

But the walls are meant to protect me, keeping the enemy at bay. Even if they can't get through them, they still manage to get over them with periodic mortar attacks.

Mortar Attack

Luckily, the first two were not armed and hit the ground with a mere thud. The third one went off, not inside the FOB though, but rather in the insurgent's hands. Leaving nothing behind but a pool of blood and body parts strewn across the landscape. Darwin may have won this battle, but the enemy is intelligent, capable and more than willing to pick up the war where his fallen comrade left off. Although recent weeks have been fairly quiet, as if a lull before the storm, no one doubts that the mortars will continue to rain down.

Abu Ghraib is now my home. No doubt one of the worst places to be in the world under Saddam's reign, it ain't the most heartwarming place now. I am a current resident of "B" block. My cell consists of a few bare sheets of plywood and two by fours as if it were some ghetto slum. My bed (again) is made of plywood and two by fours. Although that may seem bleak, it isn't too bad compared to living in open bay tents. Various hooks embedded in the ceiling protrude downwards, what they were used for is probably beyond my imagination.

"G" block (my home)

Built in the 1960's, Abu Ghraib has been home to killers, thieves, rapists, policital dissidents, and now, me. Thousands of people have been executed here and buried in mass graves on the outskirts of town. Hopefully, all that has come to an end.

I have the best of both worlds here. Many of those held within these walls have as much desire to see me dead as those trying to lob mortars in from the outside.

Our mission is to provide the best healthcare possible to those still incarcerated within. However, that mission will often include being the only chance of survival for those Soldiers and Marines wounded while patrolling outside these walls. Despite our best possible care and med-evacs flown in as quick as possible, not all will make it back home in the same fashion as they came in by. Just another day at Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

♫♪ Abu Prison Blues ♫

Please send your hate mail, love letters, and pen pal corspondence to the mailbox "sherman" at spacebison(dot)com