Tal Afar

It's Tuesday evening in Iraq. Just talked to our Soldier on line.

He's comfortable for the time being. They are in Tal Afar - 1-14 Cav Headquarters. Heated rooms, hot showers and hot meals. Down side? They spent the last 48 hours on guard duty. It's raining - (no more snow - they got 4 inches total though) - and the temps are in the 30's to 40's (good by Minnesota standards). They sit outside the perimeter of the camp in their Stryker with all the hatches open. He said that even with the heaters running it's still just a big cold metal box. Plus the fact that everything is wet...

He said that the scenery is really beautiful especially right after the snow they got the other day. Everything was white. He thinks it will be really pretty in the Spring. Northern Iraq is mountainous - (some mountains rising to over 7000 feet) - the area where he's stationed is rolling hills with some higher rocky elevations. The north experiences more rain and snow and stays much greener than the rest of the country. He says it's camera country.