For most of my life I've sat on the sidelines of some of the most historic events in our generation. And even though I've been to Iraq once, I consider that a lost opportunity for the simple fact that being an Executive Officer for a Base Commander was like being the piss boy* to the King of France. No matter how vital your job was, you're still a piss boy. (*Mel Brook's History of the World, Part I)

After reading Michael Yon's latest dispatch on the current operation to destroy Al-Qaeda in Iraq, I'm ready to grab my gear and head out. We're in the battle of our lifetime, a war that will determine the peace and prosperity for the next generation, yet Fox News and CNN are completely ignoring it. Yon's opinion about how the war has been fought up to this point is spot on, and many Officers and Enlisted in the military have been grumbling those same words. But every time we take our gloves off and jump in to fight, we're all ready and willing to do what needs to be done... no questions asked.

I believe in our fight for Iraq. I believe in my upcoming mission to help form and shape their new Air Force so they can continue defending their own country against this Iranian proxy war they're currently embroiled in. I also believe in General Petraeus' ability to do what needs to be done to strengthen Iraq, weaken Al-Qaeda, and eventually bring us home.

Every day I sit on this God-forsaken hilltop in Texas, learning Arabic and the proper way to clear a rifle and pistol, I miss my family more and more. I miss Trevi's dancing, Kalyssa's laugh, and Kaitlyn's teenage thick-headedness. Even worse, I'm about to leave them for a very long time, yet I still want to go. I'd go today if I could. I want to deploy because I want to help strengthen a nation and bring our sworn enemy to their knees. I want to do what needs to be done, no matter what Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi do to disgrace our troops and our nation. I want to do what's right and make my children proud.

For someone who almost left the Air Force 10 days ago, I've come full circle. I still have my issues with some members who spend more time checking off boxes than listening to their people, and I still disagree with many other things they do wrong, but in the big scheme of things none of that matters. Sure, I'm never really going to do what I want to do during my career. Sure, they're going to disregard my child's care needs and stick me in some hell hole like Los Angeles or D.C. (sorry Finch) where very few good physicians accept the military's insurance. And sure, I'm never going to get them to send me off for my PhD or work as an International Affairs Specialist, even though I have all the credentials and backing.

Yet I look at what I have now, and I look at what my family has, and I know that staying in is what's best for them and for me. And then I look at what my fellow Airmen and Soldiers are doing and I know that flying over there to join them in this fight is what's best for my family and my country. I want to make a difference. I think that's what all of us want to do when we put the uniform on every day, whether we realize it or not.

Of all the Arabic words and phrases I've learned so far one of my favorite is 'En Sha'alah', or God willing. Like the Iraqi Airmen I'm gong to work with soon, I will say it just as frequently as they all do every day. En Sha'alah, we will all be successful and come home safely.

The sun is headed down, and I'm off to go enjoy a cigar with the Airmen I'll be deploying with. We're all from different bases across the U.S., and it's great that the Air Force have us all training together... earning each other's trust and loyalty before we head out. When the crap hits the fan, it's better to trust your Officers and NCOs than to just put blind faith in rank.

Please read Yon's dispatch when you get a chance.

A Salam A'alaykum, Lala Atun Saeed
Peace be with you, Good Night