16 Nov 1LT Ashley Henderson Huff went to Iraq and got a gym named after her

16 Nov 1LT Ashley Henderson Huff went to Iraq and got a gym named after her

Iraq can be a tough place and it seems a daily reminder here of the things that want to kill me. From working 12 hours a day (or more) everyday to the heat, the snakes, the bugs (which carry malaria and leishmaniasis (according the Vector Control, 1 in 50 mosquitoes or sand flies carry one or the other diseases)) and of course to the family/social separation, most contractors don't make it as long as I've been here in Iraq. Having said all that, I do have it easy. I rarely go outside the wire and I sit behind a desk for much of my job.

For soldiers though, they have to do that soldiering thing and that involves going outside the wire. I did my time in the Navy (long time ago) but still...

The gym here at Irbil is named after Ashely Henderson Huff. Ashley came to Iraq and was killed by a suicide bomber in 2006. These stark reminders are all over the place in Iraq and behind each there is a human story. The camp at Tikrit (Camp Speicher) is named after a Navy Pilot who was one of the first casualties of the war. Anyway, here are some links to Ashley's story.

http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/onlineathens/guestbook.aspx?n=ashley-l-henderson-huff&pid=19372488

http://www.soldierwall.com/wall.php?segmnt=47

http://ourfallensoldier.com/HuffHendersonAshleyL_MemorialPage.html

It also seems that everywhere I've been to there is the American icon, coke. Iraqis like glass over aluminum and Coke seems to be preferred over Pepsi. This is only an observation from the 'haji stores' that I've seen here at Irbil and at Mosul. Anyway, here are a few pics of me and Coke.

R/Chris