Happy Anniversary!

[giantlaser]

Written yesterday:

Today marks one year since Jayme and I have been in Iraq. We left the US on 31 July 2004, and after a few delightful days in Greece, arrived in Baghdad on 5 August 2004. And so, it's time to look back on what I have done.

I have built a company from 10 customer sites, 15 employees, and one small office into a leading satellite services provider with over 400 customer sites, 55 employees, a large main office and one brand-new satellite office under construction in Arbil.

I have made a great many friends.

I have watched one of them die.

I have gotten used to the sight of women in abayas, jersey barricades in the streets, and razor wire as decorative accoutrement.

I have learned to speak pidgin Arabic, can order food, exchange basic pleasantries, and read and write the script.

I have learned how to load, make ready, safe, clear, and check the status of a Browning 9mm pistol and AK-47. I have done this so many times as a matter of routine that I can do it in the dark or while carrying concealed.

I have learned that the above is excellent precaution, but I hope it is unnecessary.

I have buried 3 kittens.

I have learned that most Iraqis mean me no harm, in fact like most foreigners immediately, and are so welcoming to strangers that the average American should be ashamed of their relative selfishness.

I have found the woman I'm going to marry.

I have made some very hard decisions, the kind that put people's lives at risk.

I have been lucky so far.

I have stopped feeling like I'm just visiting, and started calling Baghdad "home".