What's Going On

Today is Thursday (I'm sure), February 26th (I think). Camp Virginia is normal for Camp Virginia. We have troops coming in and out at all times; 6, 8 or 10 huge white busses. They always have the curtains drawn so that we (or anyone) cannot know if the troops are coming or going. That's one of the big secrets around here; troop movement. We have been less busy at the USO but the guests (we call them customers; I need to put a stop to that) seem more appreciative. A few times a day I get a huge "thank you," or "we appreciate all you do for us," or "what you're doing is wonderful," or something like that. Some of the guys are trapped here for 3-8 days with absolutely nothing to do so they like hanging here watching movies, using the computers and playing video games.

The other night I was covering the desk with Jordan, my 21 year old co-worker. Jordan was sitting on the counter next to me. I was using the computer and helping three people so I reached out to Jordan's leg to ask him to help me do something. Unfortunately I did not find his leg, but put my hand squarely on his other parts. Jordan, me, the 6 people on the computer and the 3 people waiting at the counter were in hysterics for 20 minutes. No one could stop laughing. Obviously we're easily amused and even more obviously we take what we can get here at Camp Virginia. The next day at our USO staff meeting Jordan said that he wouldn't let "what happened between Bonnie and me last night effect our work relationship." We're all still laughing.

Jordan and Joe went to the Radisson on Wednesday to pick up a cake for Maritza, since she is transferring to Camp Buhering today. They filled their car with gas at the camp filling station. By the time they returned about 90 minutes later the guy who had helped them was dead. Word is that he just keeled over and died from natural causes. Most of the camps have signs that say this many days since an injury, this many days since a weapon was unintentionally discharged, this many days since an injury or this many days since a death. Joe says Camp Virginia does not have one of those signs because there are too many deaths here; two that I know of in the past two weeks. The casualties are not combat related, stuff that would happen in Kuwait or Long Beach or anywhere, but it's still sad.

I'm going to take a nap. Later.