COLUMN: On my way home, finally
Editor’s note: This letter was received Feb. 5.
Hello family and friends,
For the last morning, I rose from my Army cot in Ba’qubah, my home for the past six months. I finished packing my duffle bags, said goodbyes to soldier and Iraqi friends, and for the last time drove through the crowded, dirty, yet familiar and beautiful, streets of Ba’qubah. This is the day I leave Ba’qubah to begin my return trip home from a year serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
A great load is removed from my back as I sit here in the relative safety of the Balad Airfield waiting to jump a plane to Kuwait. I don’t need to interview anymore Iraqis wanting money or a job. I don’t need to worry anymore about a roadside bomb hidden around the corner that could kill or maim, or a former regime loyalist waiting to get close enough to put a bullet in my belly. Of course I’ll remain vigilant, but I’m out of the kill zone.
So my thoughts turn homeward. Just a few more weeks of Army rigmarole until I can ski Beaver Mountain or canoe the lazy Bear River. Just a few more weeks until I’m eating Sunday dinner with the family or going out with friends. Just a few more weeks until the next adventure of life starts.
Thank you for sharing my adventure through e-mail. This will most likely be my last mass mail communication. I hope you found a clearer picture of the war, the people, and life through my words – the highs, the lows and all the in-betweens. I pray we look heavenward in times of war and peace and find a loving God who is aware of our circumstances and needs.
My bags are packed, I’m ready to go.
I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.
Chris
Christopher Keeley is a graduate student at USU and was working as a staff assistant in Extension conference services when he was called to active duty. He is from Hyrum, Utah, and is a member of the Utah National Guard specializing in counterintelligence and is a Korean linguist.