All Quiet on the North Mid-Eastern Front

Hello,
Our new little garage is starting to get busy. And just today we finally got a few tool boxes!! It's amazing what we have accomplished with so little before now. We had a few borrowed wrenches and a warehouse full of garbage before we started. Now our building has plexi-glass panes that we cut and put in ourselves, (A few have the letter "E" emblazoned on them--wonder how THAT happened) a few power outlets, and new fluorescent lights. Today an army photographer came by to take pictures of us working to show how we were helping out. We were all in the break room except myself and another mechanic. He was moving a HumVee carcass with a forklift and I was taking pictures because the thing was so heavy that the rear wheels were coming off the ground as he was driving. Oops.

Actually, what I was going to write about is that mortar attacks and the like have not only been duds but very seldom--it's been rather quiet lately. The first picture is of some guys that moved in next to us. Just came in. I have a feeling they were doing things they shouldn't and, well, they were caught. My roommate caught this pic while driving around the base on a test drive. That's how we see some interesting things sometimes. It looks like they blew up an oil line because we saw some serious smoke in the sky for a few days. But most of the action is to the South in Fallujah.

The other pic is of a little operation across the street from our garage. I'm not sure what they do yet but I think you can see that we are up to all kinds of good things over here. The bad guys are desperately holding on and going crazy trying to kill anything. Reminds me of the Lamanites that smote desperately when Moroni was about to win, "smiting in two" the headplates and armor of the Nephites. Hopefully, the cease-fire is soon at hand. I feel freedom will win, again, though as always, it comes with a high price.
Ernie