Okay, time to clear up a couple of misconceptions which I have created. There has been some increase in violence outside of Al Asad, but nothing has happened within the confines of our post. The Army has told me practically nothing about this little gated community on which I am living (they don’t give you a map when you arrive, for example), but globalsecurity.org has some pretty good info, including outdated pictures, and a description of the 21-kilometer buffer zone which surrounds our base. On previous blog entries, I have mentioned the spectacular desert view I get when riding the “perimeter.” Let me clear this up: this “perimeter” is inside the buffer zone, meaning that even at the edge of “the wire” I cannot possibly get closer than 21 km (= 13 miles) from the outer limits of Al Asad. Even if I wanted to (and I do not want to). In fact, I am probably safer out there on the airfield (which is where I ride), because it is heavily guarded to protect the Ospreys and C-130s and other multi-million-dollar flying machines. My biggest threat out there is getting hit by a bus driven by a 17-year-old Marine.

Speaking of the bike loop, I went with three other soldiers yesterday evening and we came across more of the dog-like creatures, and have pretty much decided that they are hyenas. We chased one on our bikes, and he ran straight down the road, never thinking that he could lose us pretty quickly if he just veered off into the desert. We almost caught up to him but he eventually figured it out, and high-tailed it under the wire.

We get some other creatures on post at times, including cats (there have been “outbreaks” of cats to the point that it has become a “general order” not to have any pets of any kind while deployed), dogs, snakes, jackals, and hyenas. When any of these animals is found, it is caught and euthanized. In Iraq, dogs are not considered pets, and are generally wild when found in the streets. There is at least one organization designed to help save some of these creatures, run by the SPCA. I think they are letting the cats fend for themselves, though.

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So a bit of good news today. (Again, all of this is rumor mill, but my source is pretty reliable.) I have been told that all of the fighting over the extended weekend was in a single part of Anbar, and that although we had two deaths and a greater number of wounded servicemen, that particular cell has been found and extinguished. I take all info I get here with a grain of salt, as I have often heard one story, and seen it evolve over a week into another story altogether, then printed as a third (and probably correct) version in the Stars and Stripes a week later. Still, my source was a good one, and I am a bit more sanguine about our ongoing security at Al Asad.

Bedtime for bonzo. I owe a few of you e-mail responses, and will get to you soon, so hang in there. Mit, I have only received four boxes from you, but one of them did contain Sees suckers, which I failed to mention in my previous mailbag report. Sorry about that, and thanks for the great Sees Candies, which (as I know with every fiber of my being) are the Only True Lollipops.

I’m not allowed to close this without mentioning that Lorri beat me at yahoo chess today, fair and square. Gotta remedy that with a rematch soon…