COMMO WOES- Went to MWR after our 3 hr. 15 min. Khanukka gathering to try to 

look at Cox and Facebook.  Waited 20 mins. for a computer (phone line was an 

hour and forty five minutes), then spent another 20 mins. trying to get a single 

page to load.



Here at the office this a.m. to look at the official email and print the sermon 

I drafted yesterday.  So far it has taken 45 minutes to get Word to open up and 

print 3 pages, then get AKO to open up and to read and respond to 4 emails.



I have so little confidence in the system that I am now writing this note in 

Word, will copy and paste it into AKO and email it to myself at AOL- then 

hopefully disseminate it to you.  It took measureable time to nudge Word along 

to this point. 



We have a ride to the bazaar at 1100 and it’s now 1048- I still have to walk to 

the latrine and my room, so I know I won’t be able to finish this note now.



SFC Cohen and I went back to sick call this a.m.  I just wanted to get checked 

out one more time before I leave- (no word on when that might be but plan is for 

Mon./Tues.)- sinuses better, throat still irritated- Doc. said I can expect the 

hacking cough for several more weeks.  SFC Cohen now has the same throat issue 

that I had.



The building we are staying in has 4 separate rooms, but the walls only go about 

80% high, so the sound travels at night and we all have to listen to each other 

coughing away.



Have a new person in town, just in BAF two days ago, and yet another AZ 

connection- West Point Class of ’05, from Tucson!  



Our class clown has been bringing a super-sized dreidle, and last night one of 

the guys banged SFC Cohen’s hand with it.  I gave the offender a small, plastic 

dreidle and told him it was the “training dreidle.”  I figured I was now in 

trouble for not having done a “risk assessment” and given the soldiers a “safety 

brief” before we began to play.  They had a lot of fun trying to imagine what 

equipment the Army would now require as mandatory before anyone could engage in 

future dreidle missions.



SFC Cohen tells me that one of our regulars reported being asked by one of his 

soldiers what exactly goes on at these Khanukka gatherings and why it was so 

important for him to be there.  He said- we sing some songs, tell some stories, 

play some games, then seat around for 3 hours and talk.



Well- you do that here with us- why do you need to go there?

Because there, he answered, they get my jokes! 



There are tons of holiday care packages all over the place; couldn't get on the 

computer last night but some wonderful American sent, among other things, bobby 

pins!, which I found at MWR.  So I'm all set for the duration and can stop 

worrying about my one, official bobby pin.