Lock and load. Me, pretending to be tough, in Dave's gear.

A word about blogging:

To put out a blog that is worthy of reading, bloggers must assume a certain amount of personal risk. If you don't put a little bit of yourself out there, your blog will be too dry to read. By exposing a little bit about yourself and who you are, you leave yourself somewhat vulnerable to anyone who might be perusing the blogosphere.

I know that, by letting some of my opinions be known, I am inviting people to disagree with me. Great! That is a risk I am willing to take, and, in fact, that's what makes blogging great. I think that's what makes people interesting: that everyone is right coming from where he or she is coming from.

Recently, I have received more and more comments from people I don't know.

This reader shared similar experiences and offered encouragement:

Anonymous said...Hang in there. I hate rockets too! I was 50 yards away from the rocket attack on 7 Dec 06 and walked away only with bruises. I know exactly what you mean about people making fun of others who don their equipment, hit the deck, etc. SCREW 'EM! You'll have a chair when the music stops and some of them won't. I remember exactly your feeling of wanting to avoid open spaces, etc. I lived in DCN and I never enjoyed that feeling of being in the trailers when their was an attack (watching movies, just like you, it's amazing how everyone's CV experience is so similar!), I always felt much safer in my ofc, which was in one of the old palaces. Hang in there and come home soon! Thursday, October 11, 2007 9:53:00 AM

Nancy said...Hey, thanks for the wonderful comment. Yes, I think we all have similar experiences here... What really struck me was how odd it was that at one end of my neighborhood, there was a hubbub of activity while rescuers and medical personel tended to casualties coming into the TMC, while on the other side, not 300m away, people were buying lattes at the Green Bean. And nobody seemed to bat an eye after 10 minutes had passed after the booms. Again, thanks for the comment. I'll get my happy a$$ home as soon as I can! Cheers. Thursday, October 11, 2007 10:02:00 AM
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This Blogger didn't like my blog at all [spelling and grammatical errors intentionally left as-is]:

Anonymous said...I see why you would want to write a blog to express what you feel and go through here on the VBC. However, you should be more aware of the info you post. You describe what you did in the after mass of it claiming that you knew more would not follow...HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE?!!? Its almost like you taunt them. Be more aware what you place in these blogs soldiers have their lives on the line here. I see you too are a contractor well then you would know that these kind of blogs are not allowed. Being a Deputy Program Manager you should know that. You want to write and express feelings go to the Turkish shop and buy a journal. Peoples lives are on the line and people like you give them more opertunity to reach us. Stop thinking about giving people something to read and if you are only doing it for friends make it private. For everyones safty make adjustments

Saturday, October 13, 2007 2:20:00 AM

Nancy said...
[Brackets indicate additions I made to my original comment, which is posted withing the blog about the incoming we received the other night.]

Dear Anonymous,If you are going to lambaste me in my own blog, I think you should at least put your first name, so I'll know how to address you. I appreciate your desire to uphold OPSEC. I strive to do the same with every blog I write. I think you misunderstood my "I knew there wouldn't be anymore." You've probably been here, based on the info I can gleen from your comment, so you should know that once several fall and then they stop falling, it is unlikely that more will immediately fall. [Obviously there will be more attacks. I'm not an idiot. I just didn't think there would be any more booms in that volley...and I was right...there weren't. I wasn't sure. I was making an assumption. What I am sure of is the fact that making an assumption in my head about whether or not there would be more incoming and then arriving at the shelter too late didn't endanger a single person, including myself...because that assumption occurred in my head while I was putting on my flak and kevlar and heading to the shelter. I wouldn't have headed to the shelter DURING the barrage, by the way, so my assumption that no more were coming was relevant. Did you don your gear? Did you go to the shelter? Just curious. I don't know if I saw you there. And I apologize for not reading your comment more carefully. You are obviously still here as a contractor. My bad.] That's all I meant. I was saying that the incoming came in, and I got my happy ass to the shelter, even though it was highly likely that I was too late. [And do you honestly think I was "taunting" them? Try to place your emotions aside for a second and read it again, from a sane and sober mindset. And anyway, I'm pretty sure the hard-charging soldiers and Marines out there are taunting them enough (get some!); I doubt I need to.]

I want to know which portions of my blog you think give the enemy info that endangers any of us. I was a Marine. I am a patriotic American. [My husband is a Special Forces guy in-country right now.] Please don't accuse me of being anything less than someone who is trying to keep my readers filled in as much as possible. If you don't like it, then, with all due respect, don't read my blog. Or turn me in to the security manager. [If you are really concerned that I am endangering lives, then you should actually do something about it. Turn me in and let them decide. I hope you don't feel taunted.] I am highly cognizant of the type of info I put out there, not just in words, but in pictures. So thanks for your concern, but I'm going to continue as I have been. Do you seriously think I care less about everybody's safety than you do? Please reconsider your accusation, and have a nice day. [Better yet, come visit me and let's talk about my blog over a latte. BTW, I realize and appreciate that you are just trying to protect the troops and the friendly forces here; I just think you're picking on the wrong blog. Peace.]

Saturday, October 13, 2007 2:32:00 AM
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And this is the sort of comment, like the first one listed above, that convinces me that I am doing the right thing and should continue to blog as usual. I got this one last night, and it made me very happy. Unfortunately, I got that negative one this morning, and it made me very sad. But now I am happy again, after re-reading Deb's comment.:

Anonymous said...Nancy-I just gotta tell you thanks for all of your blogging...my hubby is over there too and it helps to keep us back in the US updated on all the "happenings" and to see what life is really like for you all...Don't ever think your stuff is unappreciated...couldn't be farther from the truth! Keep your head down and stay safe! Thanks much! ~Deb Friday, October 12, 2007 2:33:00 PM

Nancy said...
Deb, that's the sweetest comment. Thank you. I really appreciate the encouragement, and I thank you for reading. I promise to keep blogging for you.I hope your husband comes home to you soon, safe and sound! All my best, Nancy
Friday, October 12, 2007 2:48:00 PM
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Oh, and here's a brand new one:

michele said...
I am tired of the bombs, regardless if they are bigger or smaller of the others that have been sent off prior or the ones that may be sent out later. My future husband is over in that piece of crap hole and I just wish that we could actually turn the tables around and bomb them for once and let our guys come home. Ugghh... Let some of us wives, girlfriends, mothers, or sisters go over there and I bet we could take care of it pretty quick. Sorry to rant but I want my man home in one piece and not injured at all.
Saturday, October 13, 2007 4:49:00 AM

Nancy said...
Michele,We're tired of them, too, and I want your man home in one piece, happy, healthy, and unscathed. These rockets really suck (thanks, Iran).I TOTALLY agree with you about sending the American women over here to duke it out. The bad guys wouldn't know WHAT to do with us. Haha. And my Iraqi friends agree the women could pull off some wonderful distraction maneuvers.Listen, I know your scared for your fiance. Hang in there. ;) And thanks for stopping by my blog. Feel free to rant here anytime. All my best, Nancy
Saturday, October 13, 2007 5:03:00 AM

Now I am afraid of what comments this "comment" posting will receive...