Father's Day in Al Asad

To know RJ is to know that one of the things he doesn’t look forward to every year is Father’s Day. Without going into detail about why this particular holiday carries no special meaning for me, I decided that this year was going to be different. I decided that I was going to celebrate the day and wish other fathers I knew a Happy Father’s Day. I realized that one day in the not too distant future I would be having children of my own and that the day would probably take on new meaning when this happened, as I’m sure my sister can attest to. I quickly realized that the fathers I spoke to deeply miss their children and they each told me a story about their kids – like how their 7 month old boy looked into the web cam and smiled at his daddy’s face way across the miles (or so his father thought). Anyway, it made the day change from what would normally be just tolerable to somewhat pleasant.

To know RJ is to also know that one of his favorite pastimes is to eat out at fine dining restaurants. While the Outback Steakhouse in no way falls into this category, all things being relative, compared to the food I’ve been eating, the Outback was the relative equivalent of a Ruth Chris here in Al Asad. The restaurant decided to cater dinner for the base and it was worth the 45 minutes I waited in line with my other Flight Surgeon comrades to reap the benefits. I had a rib eye steak (which was not the usual Well Well temperature I had grown accustomed to- it was Medium!), I had the bloomin’ onion with its special sauce, I had calamari, and I had Carraba’s bread with their special olive oil and herbs. Then for my favorite part – dessert! I decided to double dessert it with both Amaretto swirl cheesecake and 5 layer double chocolate cake! It was decadant and I was stuffed afterwards. (They rolled us all out of the chow hall).

On the way out I took a picture next to a banner that members of Outback sent to us wishing us well. It was really nice and as a result, I may actually go to the restaurant back in the states once in a while, knowing that they supported us in this way. I had to forego my workout at the gym afterwards because I passed out into a 12 hour coma, but all in all, it was great, and a surprisingly nice end to one of my least favorite holidays.

PS There was a great article on Soldier’s Angels in the newspaper. If you get a chance, put this into your web browser to view it:

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/06/12/news/local/doc466e49e2701
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