5 Oct '06 - Wednesday...Maybe you didn't hear about it, you've been away a long time, I didn't go up, didn't tell ya.



GoodFellaz...

As you already know... I am back in Califa for goodie mob... for a good while... It'z been a lil more than a couple of months since I got back via Baltimore... Chill'n a -OH induced night with two finest gentlemen to don stripes... Shazan-O and the Wonder Llama... It was a well put together inprocessing into the calm streets of the U.S... With briefings at the Goddess, Nightshift, and some place that swerved killa Crab Cakes... east co got it locked down... whoo-at! All I gotta say about that... Maybe next time O...

Harlem Calling Me...

Shazaan-O, Llama, and I broke paths at Dallas Ft Worth Aeroporte... Before I go any further... I would like to take back all the bad things I have said about Texans...! All troops coming back from the Desert should have to travel through there... They know how to make ya feel honored to be part of this little thing of ours... From the free drinks (the over 21 kind), respectful casual conversation, shout out by the plane's captain and the passengers, and that one 172nd Army specialist that offered me half of his pizza... It was good to be home... So with a swig of Tea, one by one Shazan-O and Llama said goodbye at the terminal train in Te-haz... damn

Tres Capos

Just like any other Saturday night... Tylos... Linguini... and Darkness went to have a night on the town in the FOB... Couple of burritos... a Chai Mocha at Green Bean... and a whole lot of memories... What should we do... Watch Chappelle... mooooooooooonkey... Play golf... Eagles Nest anybody...? I heard they make milkshakes... You know... I am going to get a little deep here... lose a couple of leadership points... But I realized that sometimes I kept things from the Llama and Shazaan-O... That whole keeping the role as Capo thing... Those ventilations fell squarely on the Dos Capos... Pipeline busted... your Daughter walking yet...? I keep telling them how to get this oil moving and they won't listen... Are you getting terricotta tile...? (terricotta, terricotta, terricota pie) Countless morning missions out the wire... I would swing by Tylos and Linguini just to make sure we were working out that evening... wondering if I would... I still miss Saturday night...

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If they have time to paint this on their Jersey Barriers... They obviously have too much time on their hands in Kuwait... A good photo-op though... now let's get to the plane...

If this is low Moral... Chain me to the wall...
On to Los Angeles... had a good conversations with Phill from... philidelphia... He was going to visit his son at UCSB... A software exec of some sorts... He was solidly against the war... And that is ok... He just wanted the troops to be safe... Of course he was filled with media grilled stuft myths about the war... Troops with no body armor... Soft Skinned Humvees... Low Moral... I told him the best thing he could do for the troops was drop his stock in KBR... Cuz their food sux... The rest of that stuff is wroooooooooooooooooooooooooong... The boys are doing good... Hey Newtonian KC'cisicz... Guess what book he just finished reading... The Tipping Point! Which he gave to me when shook hands and we departed... (still haven't read it)

Los Angeles...

A beautiful city as we descended on to the asphalt laden streets... I noticed snow on the mountains... beautiful... reminded me of Kurdistan... skimmed over the 405 and next to the Herbalife building... (the guy that made Herbalife died falling off a ladder... just when you think you have it figured out...) touchdown... home... of the beautiful... well as beautiful as gucci, prada, LV and those uglie-azz bug eyed glasses can make the twiggy women of SoCo look... I am not hating... Pero Serio... I can spot a Angeleno from 2 klicks away... Look faker than an Iraqi happy to see an American in his backyard... The Mexicans make it real easy... With the locz, tatz, Dodger jersey's and shaved heads... HEY!!!!!!!!! Ahh Chicanos... Missed you guys... Get away from my ride ese!

Maybe Mexicans and Camels do mix...

Ahmed... This is a picture right before our last mission out together... for 7 months Slick was my translator... my eyes and ears into what Iraqi people were all about... Born a Tikriti... He has helped so many and has been through too much... Yet he would smile and make some strong tea at any given moment of the day... Unless he ran out of smokes or baby wipes... I always felt safe with Ahmed next to me... No matter where in that country we were at... Once I watched from my M-1114 as lone Ahmed went straight up to a suspected VBIED and brought out the occupants... all the while 4 -.50 cals and 8 M-16s trained on the vehicle he was next to... He went out there to protect us... but more importantly saved the lives of 4 unassuming Iraqis in a vehicle that should of been lit-up... There is so much I can say about Ahmed and the many conversations we had... get me drunk and I might tell you... The day I see Ahmed again is the day I will be truly happy again... You can say soldiers are brave for what they do... But nothing is more Brave than an Iraqi civilian who stands next to an American... My friend Ahmed... Selam... A true American

Well this is it ladies and gentlemen... Da Schfitz web page is done... yea I know I should of finished this thing a while back... But maybe I wasn't ready yet... Today... One year later from the first time I stepped in Iraq... waiting for the 230 days to be over with, so I can think about it everyday since...

....I don't shine shoes no more...

http://da206schfitz.blogspot.com/

....click above for everyday since...

Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! - John R.