Hello from Balad Air Base, Iraq, located approximately 40 miles north of Baghdad along the banks of the Tigris River, in the heart of the Sunni Triangle. <BR><BR>I am deployed with my wife SMSgt Kris Saari and Senior Airman Silas Simone, another former Elyite. We are here helping fight the Global War on Terrorism, helping the Iraqi people, and specifically flying Close Air Support missions for the US Marines/US Army and Iraqi Security Forces. <BR><BR>Unless you are here, you wouldn’t realize the positive difference our Armed Forces have made and are making for the Iraqi people. We are helping to weed out the insurgents, protect the national infrastructure like power lines, oil pipelines, water storage, etc. We are helping to train the new Iraqi Army, Air Force, Security Police, rebuild schools, hospitals, etc. It is an extremely difficult task and will take a lot of time and will.