This is me getting the upper hand on one of the guys in my unit. We were learning search techniques for a hand-cuffed suspect.

This is a typical truck driven by private security. It's armored to some extent, and features a "gun bucket" in the back for a rear gunner's position.

If you fly much in Iraq, then you've likely been on one of these - a C-17. They are much better to fly in than C-130s.

my new rifle

This is a mosque located on our FOB. No American was alloowed inside - even if you were security (like me) or an American Muslim.

Me in the office. 'BDOC' stands for Base Defense Operations Center.

That's me flying in a UH60 between bases.

I was able to visit the Ah Shaw(sp) palace in Baghdad - one of Saddam's old haunts and now the home of MNC-I. These columns were huge.

This graffiti showed up on some walls in a local national parking lot not long before I left. I was told it is a memorial to locals who had worked for the USA and been killed.

This gentleman was herding sheep around our FOB. The area we were in was predominantly farm and sheep-herding country.

Here's what it looked like as we boarded the plane to fly to Iraq. I remember being both excited and nervous at the same time.

Me practicing shooting an AK47. As you can tell, it was a hot day. It was fun shooting the AK on full auto, but I still prefer the M4.

Believe it or not, it does rain in Iraq, as these poor soldiers found out when they tried to move this large forklift over some muddy ground.

Here's a couple of the Iraqi Army soldiers we had living on our base. Not exactly Western standards, but they tried.

I took this photo while flying over Baghdad. It is the Grand Mosque which Saddam was building when the invasion occurred. When finished, it was supposed to be the largest mosque in the world. I doubt it will ever be completed.

This Qatari was selling opportunities to hold his falcon for $5. I didn't take him up on it.