Life in Iraq has not changed too much in the last few days. Still boring. I actually asked for the day off today so that I could follow the NFL draft on ESPN.com, but apparently that didn't call under the mission plan for the day. So instead I headed out with the squad and did some route security.

Route security goes a lot like this-

Load squad in humvees.
Drive humvees up and down a major road for hours on end.
Wait for one of the following to happen- IED, ambush, or vehicle breakdown.

Today was vehicle breakdown. Apparently the humvee I was in decided it didn't want to make right hand turns anymore. I don't know for sure, but I think that's kind of mission essential. We were in the process of trying to hook up a tow bar, but realized that we were only about 400 m from one of the biggest ambush threats in the area. Cancel that idea.

So my driver was tasked with driving back to the FOB making only left turns. Meaning if he wanted to turn right, he had to put it in reverse and crank the wheel left. I'm sure the local populace was looking at us like we had lost our minds.

Humvees like to break a lot. Simple things too. Like doors. I'm not sure there is a humvee in the Marine Corps that has four working doors. The US can put a man on the moon but they can't give me a simple door that will unlatch and swing open.