Been There Done That!

Well my first combat flight mission is now behind me! I can tell you the adrenaline was flowing even though I knew that the odds were in my favor. Anytime spent flying over bad guy country causes your senses to be on full alert!
The temperatures are on the rise. The other day it got to 113 degrees outside which means you can add another 10 degrees for inside the non air-conditioned cockpit. Fortunately the one improvement we have now verses my lst deployment is a cooling vest. This vest is worn underneath the flight suit and circulates fluid through coils. The results are amazing. The problem is the suit only works when the aircraft is running. All the time spent on pre-flight and run-up is in the heat.
The worst part of this deployment so far has been the sand and dust. The wind is constant and the air is filled with fine sand so the visibility is usually poor. By the time I get ready to call it a night, every part of my body is covered.
I obviously won't discuss any details of the mission in this blog but I can say that we are prepared to excel. Our soldiers are up to the task and are meeting every timeline.
I will continue to post messages and soon I will upload some more pictures. Keep checking back!