Good Morning Cardinals Fans!
Amy here, checking in on our 3rd day on tour! So far, today has been the most anticipated day as we are headed to Iraq! We started off our morning quite early at 5:00am to make sure we were all manifested for our 10:00am flight. Before boarding our flight we got a chance to play a little military dress up as we were required to get fitted for flak jackets and helmets as it is a required safety measure anytime we fly or convoy around Iraq.
Being cheerleaders, we took this as a perfect opportunity to capture some incredible memories playing pseudo soldiers! Upon boarding our C130 aircraft, I took notice of our female pilot which you don't see every day in the military. During flight, our friendly flight crew let us go up to the flight deck for both take off and landing giving us another incredible moment to take in. Upon arrival in the Iraq, we were greeted by the commander of Camp Ballad and immediately taken into headquarters where we were required to watch a security precaution video followed by a briefing regarding some recent activity on base. The reality is that this base has been receiving daily incoming terrorist activity and our itinerary has been adjusted in light of these recent events.
After our briefing, we were escorted to our first meet and greet of the day which was a fabulous turn out, our smiles were really need over here! It's hard to decide what part of the day was my favorite as we did two fascinating tours following our meet and greet. The first was a demonstration of the MWD (military working dogs). One thing you should all know about these dogs, is they truly on the most fascinating creatures I have ever seen. After the demonstration, we were escorted to flight line for a private tour of the Predator aircraft. Those of you who don't know, the Predator is a specialized aircraft that requires no pilot and is probably better known as the eye in the sky.
Let's just say were all being watched at ALL times so watch out! All jokes aside, this has been a key tool in the development or our intelligence. To wrap up the night, we all took part in watching a comedy show at the military welfare recreation center (MWR). This was a great ending to our first day in Iraq! Stayed tuned Cardinals fans, more to come!
Signing out from Ballad, Iraq!
Amy~
