Dusty Trails

Well, I've been here for a week, and this is shaping up to be the most
interesting deployment yet. The base is HUGE and there is so much going on here. There are about twenty utilities troops, but most of the utility work is contracted out to Kellog, Brown, & Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton. (Way to reap those wartime spoils, Mr. Cheney!) Therefore, most of us have been loaned out to other shops. I've been helping out the heavy equipment shop (aka Dirt Boyz...yes, they really spell it like that) and operating the airfield sweeper. It's kind of lonely and boring, but there are worse jobs to have, so I really can't complain. We work twelve-hour shifts, six days a week. I've been working days, but soon, I'm going to be switching to nights, which should be a welcome break from the heat.
The living conditions aren't too bad, either. I live in a small (12' x 15') room, referred to as a "pod," with one other guy. It's air conditioned, and I have an actual bed and a wall locker. It's a fifty yard walk to the showers and latrines, and maybe a half mile to the chow hall. And the food is pretty good. Not a lot of vegetarian options, so I eat lots of salad. A brand new gym just opened in the middle of camp, and there's a well-equipped recreation center with pool tables, air hockey, games, and movies to rent.
As for "the wax," I can't access it directly, so it looks like I'll be e-mailing my posts; therefore, I can't edit things once they've been posted, so if something is inaccurate or misspelled, we'll all just have to deal with it until January. My apologies. I'm doing my best to take lots of pictures, but the landscape isn't very exotic. Regardless, I still promise a nice photostream once I get home.
If you'd like to get in touch with me, my e-mail address is:
curtis.sutton@blab.centaf.af.mil.

And if you feel ambitious enough to send a letter, here's my mailing address:
SSgt Curtis W Sutton, USAF
332 AEW / ECES / CEOU
APO, AE 09315-9997

E-mails and letters are greatly appreciated, but your prayers will help most of all. As with any deployment, there are sure to be unforeseen circumstances and occurrences. I'll do my best to post on here, as well as send out individual e-mails and maybe even a phone call or two; but if you don't hear anything for a while, please don't worry. I'm in good hands, and have every confidence God will bring me home safely. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all terribly, and can't wait till we can all drink/snowboard/socialise together again in January. Late