27 Feb

After a couple of long days I finally had a chance to catch my breath today. In addition to having 1500 Iraqi Soldiers living in our area we have been receiving several hundred US troops from five or six different units all at different time and by way of different modes of transportation. Some arrive in the middle of the night by vehicle convoy and other arrive at 7 AM by helicopter; and most of the new arrivals show-up a day early and thus creates another problem to solve. The issue stems from the "reservation" of rooms. We only have so many rooms and so many beds per room; and when thirteen US soldiers arrive early I end up turning a classroom in to a makeshift squad bay with thirteen cots squeezed-in around tables and chairs. If we know they were arriving a day early I could make adequate accommodations - but at 11 PM at night it is tough to disturb those guest already sleeping in order to make room for the early arrivals. My resume keeps growing - Multinational Motel Manager with an emphasis in "Desert-like Accommodations." Does anyone want to make a reservation - I can get you a great deal on a room closest to the International Restaurant (Iraqi chow hall) with a great view of the natural desert landscape. If you are interested - the best rates are in the summer. See ya...