I work for a company that provides services like food, water, fuel, laundry and other things to the New Iraqi Army. With each group of Army or Police, there is a small group of American Soldiers with them to help teach and coordinate their actions. In my new camp, there is an officer with the Americans that has been my 'point of contact'. We're the same age and share a lot of the same ideals. Wait, let me back up.
In 1985, I travelled to Germany to see part of my family that was stationed there. I was 15. Being the age that I was and having a male relative of the same age and with the drinking age at around 4 in Germany, we wreaked havoc on the German Countryside. It was a wonderful time and I made many German and American friends. We hung out mostly with a group of American kids that went to K-town High School. Kaiserslautern High. We went to the discos and hung out and terrorized elderly people and small children like most 15 year old kids do. I spent almost two months their in 1985 and went back in 1987 for another two months.
Fast forward to Iraq 2005. 20 years later. I'm sitting with this officer that is attached to the Iraqi Army and were talking about this and that and he mentions that he spent time in Germany. "What part of Germany?" I asked. "K-town" he replied. "How old are you?" was my next question. "35" he answered. "huh, I wonder.....do you know _____?" I asked about my male relative that I stayed with and ran with while in Germany. "Yeah, we graduated together and hung out at......." "You're kidding!!?" I smiled wildly! I couldn't believe it. Me and this guy hung out together and talked twenty years ago in another foriegn country and here we sat together again!!!! Once we got the names out of the way, away we went with all the places we used to hang out in and discos and girls and friends. Amazing. People say it's a small world. If you've never left your small community, I'm here to tell you. IT REALLY IS.
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