IRAQ: Bikes Over Baghdad-part 5

Our last day in Basrah marked our last day on Iraqi soil. We had a few last meet and greets and even got to pay one more visit to our friends at the EOD before departing for Kuwait. One last C130, one last military base, one last large dish of free Baskin Robbins and one last moment in the intense desert sun. We were given a bit of time to enjoy the pool on the Kuwait base. At the pool I laid back in the chair, put on my sunglasses, ipod, and took a deep breath of what seemed like calmer air compared to Iraq. It was at that time that I started to reflect on what I had witnessed over the past 9 days.

We had been on many bases. We met many awesome people. We saw things varying from relics of past regimes to technologies of the future. We saw and heard things that are confidential. We had been mauled by dogs. We laughed. We gave gifts. We received gifts. We shook hands of men and women who risk their greatest gift every single day. We wandered around a land that was once headquarters to one of the strictest and ruthless dictators of our time. We were accepted into a new family we had never thought would accept us. We saw top secret control rooms that rivaled those of NASA. We met generals, gunners, doctors, secretaries, pilots, and janitors. We flew in crazy aircrafts of all types. We were surrounded by millions of deadly weapons of all types. We were awarded. We blew shit up. We perspired. We learned new lingo. We were humbled. We were scared, excited, curious, happy, tired, intrigued, safe, and a million other feelings in between. We learned. We had fun. We explored. We pioneered. We made people smile in an environment littered with tragedy. We saw the benefits of rebuilding, teamwork and democracy. We rode BMX in the Iraq.

More important than all of that:

We made a difference in lives of people who have already made a difference in ours.

Thanks to Christian Schauf and Kyle Camerer of Trovata Entertainment for this opportunity and for being amazing tour guides. Nate Wessel, Judd Heald, Dave Osato, Rooftop, Catfish, Walter Pieringer and Chad Kagy. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew of guys to spend the best trip of my life with. Thanks for all the laughs, good times, shredding, adventures and casual professionalism. Most of all a huge THANK YOU to all the soldiers we met and took the time to show us what part each of them play in keeping us protected. You are missed here at home and come back safe.