Week 0

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Camp Atterbury is clearing out.

When we arrived two months ago, the barracks were overflowing with thousands of soldiers just as green as the uniforms they were wearing. We were packed in so tight, a person had more room in his bed than in the space around it.

Slowly, those troops began disappearing. Just as the leaves changed – not nearly as magnificent as New England 's Fall – so to did the uniforms. The green, black and brown we were all so familiar with was replaced by sleek desert tan. A unit wearing DCUs wasn't long for Indiana . Within a week they would be off to Kuwait to start the war all over again.

Now, in the final days of October, the camp is nearly empty. We aren't the last of this wave, but we are pretty close. It has been days since gunshots have lulled me to sleep, and the silence is quite eerie.

We received our desert uniforms the other day, and expect to be gone within the week. Many of us are excited. The 124 th MPAD is a Georgia-based unit, but nine of the 17 soldiers are volunteers from other states. People like me who thought it would be fun to take a vacation to the beach, and people who are motivated enough to win this war on their own.

We have all our bags packed. I have almost 100 pounds worth of gear, with another 100 pounds was sent ahead a few weeks ago. Most of it is clothing. Some of it is equipment. None of it is alcohol, porn or pork.

No alcohol because we are not allowed to drink over there, though the Brittish and Spanish have built bars for their troops. The porn and pork, because it is offensive to Muslims. Hell, it is offensive to most Americans but we don't ban it. We just put it on delicious double cheeseburgers.

So long breakfast omelets, so long bacon double cheeseburgers. If there is truly a casualty in this war, it is the wounding of all our taste buds.