Kuiphof Family Blog

I get so excited to hear from Eric or his commanding officer... I'm always so curious as to what is going on over there that we don't hear on the biased news over here. This is an e-mail that Eric just sent... remember to pray for him and the rest of the allied forces... and for the innocent Iraqi citizens. :)

It's cooling off... slowly. I don't know what temperature it is, but it's not as hot during the day and it's a lot nicer. It has gotten a little more humid at times and that makes it really uncomfortable, especially when you're not in an armored and air-conditioned Humvee. My platoon went out and stayed in an Iraqi house for a few days to secure an area away from the base. It's a good tactic, but half the platoon, including myself, got pretty sick and we had to come back early. I threw up so hard I think my toes dried out for a while. The Iraqis are mostly friendly or indifferent. The kids are nice, if a little greedy. They all want your watch, glasses or other pieces of gear. We hand out candy and pens and pads of paper instead. One kid wanted my rifle because I now carry a rifle with attached grenade launcher and a semi-automatic Benelli shotgun. The kid said I only needed one gun. If the early part of the war was plaqued by shortages of gear and armor, we are almost over-burdened by it. We definitely are well-armed and protected, if a bit heavy. I keep telling guys that I signed up to be a Marine, not an 800-pound police man. That's about all for now. Hope things are going well for everybody back home.

Eric