A Turkey Report

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

I do indeed have a Turkey report... wait for it...wait for it... I just got back from Istanbul, Turkey.
Click below for some of the photos but check back as I collect up more from others who went with me:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Wayfinder6/IstanbulNOV0902

As goes the rest of my second combat experience, it was very surreal to travel from CHUville to a couple of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in (one that normally wouldn't even let me enter), the Hyatt Regency in Amman, Jordan and the Ciragan Palace Kempinski (http://www.kempinski-istanbul.com/en/home/index.htm) in Istanbul. The Ciragan Palace is an actual palace built by one of the Sultans with a more modern building serving as the main hotel.

I was attending a Ministry of Electricity conference, held in the palace itself. It was, by far, the fanciest conference (paid for by your tax payer dollars) that I have ever attended. It was a discussion on encouraging foreign investment and independent power production in the Iraqi electricity sector. I spent a week in civilian clothes traveling to/from the conference as low profile as possible.

It was an excellent break for me as I hit the 30% point of my deployment. Days continue to go slowly as the months seem to go quickly. There is some rumbling about me having to move to a new job but I'll let the flag officers duke that out. I prefer to stay where I am but I'm not going to invest a whole lot of emotional energy into something outside of my control.

I can report that Thanksgiving Dinner was excellent here at the New Embassy Compound - which is no surprise to those of us who eat here daily. My staff section gathered together at 4pm to eat and LCDR Goggin, the Navy helo pilot who works for me, played a wicked acoustic guitar for us to accompany our desserts (one apple/one pecan for me!). The Dining Facility Staff had amazing food art creations - to include my absolute favorite sculpture of all history, a Krispy Kreme Donut house (http://picasaweb.google.com/Wayfinder6/Thanksgiving)

I am thankful for Sandy, Cooper & Koa - at home, supporting what I am doing here. I am thankful for a loving extended family that let me know they are constantly thinking of me and for a group of friends who reach out and remind me of their love and support. I am thankful for living and working in the comfort and security of the US Embassy here in Iraq, and would ask all who read this to say a prayer for my brothers and sisters in arms who do not enjoy the same. May God keep and bless them and you.

Grace & peace -
Chris