Frankfurt, Germany.

OAI lost two Marines luggage, which really, really sucks. We were supposed to be on a flight out about three hours after arriving. We got out to the plane, but then they claimed a maintenance delay, and we sat for about 12 hours in Frankfurt, which, overall wasn’t that bad. We changed into cammies, then most of the Marines went to sleep as we had been up for about 20 hours. I bought some more Underarmour shirts, and, in honor of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, a towel. We finally got on the plane, then flew the six or so hours to Bagdhad. On the way, some interpreter guy offered me his ham sandwich, saying that he couldn’t eat ham as he is a Muslim. He then told me all about his vacation, boozing all over Europe while hooking up with women.

We got to Bagdhad, but the pilot told us that we were diverting to Qatar due to weather. I am an airline pilot, and I have only diverted once for weather, and we didn’t go 2.5 hours away. We flew for about an hour, then turned around. The pilot decided to go back for another try. We jinked around in a darkened airplane, doing what felt like a combat landing, then taxied into a brightly lit apron area. So much for tactical. I stepped off the plane, and sipped a drink out of my Camel Back. Then I said, “Dune…Arrakis….desert planet.”