E-mail from Lincoln

This e-mail actually came before the last one I posted. This one was dated April 4th. I just didn't post it because I was on vacation . . . . I thought it was interesting though, so I'm posting it now. Hope you enjoy!!!!! (Tina)

Life here continues with not much highs and lows. We simple continue to do our daily tasks and the days merge into the next one. I took half of Friday off as none of my contractors planned on working. I simply took a nap, read a little and did some wash that the laundry won't do. As you are aware doing something different is a break in and of itself. The days have been quite mild yet my sunburn never creases. It doesn't matter how often I put the silly sunscreen on I'm always red. I guess I'm a true redneck. In the end I don't mind I just hope that what I'm putting on is keeping the big "C" away from my skin. Everyone here talks about the heat that is just around the corner, it just sounds like what we experienced in Zion Canyon however a bit hotter so I'm looking forward to at least being able to claim I lived through 120-130 degree temps. I hope that they keep enough bottled water around.

I was placed in charge of the delivery of 9,000 T-Barriers the week we arrived here in Kandahar as one of my little extra duties. This little extra duty takes 4-6 hours everyday to include the days everyone off may take off. Anyway, we just passed the 2,000 delivered mark which is cool yet shows you how many we have yet to go. A large logistics Army unit just arrived which was trained how to manage stuff like these barriers so I've been told that they will be taking over these deliveries in the next few weeks, I'm looking forward to their disappearance in my life.

The reason I mention the barriers is because Yesterday I had to stop a fight between two local nationals... Locals are 99% Muslim however they are divided into two separate sects which basically hate each other.Well two of these guys went after each other while their barrier trucks were being off loaded. The escorts and I stood back and let them go at it. We are told to do so until whatever is happening escalates to where someone can get really hurt. Anyway here we were watching the action,kind of sad really, and all of the sudden one of them reaches down and picks up a large rock. Pictures of what happened in Sharana flashed through my mind where one of the locals cold cocked another local almost killing him and the pile of paperwork we were forced to do was more than I wanted to bear again. So, I ran right into the middle of this fight and snatched the rock away, spun the guy with the rock to the ground and held him there until he calmed down. All the while the Air Force escorts standing around covering me. It went real fast and yes I felt that I was safe. We then took the two locals and separated them until their trucks were off loaded and then those two were escorted by two of our AF escorts off the base and banned from the Base.

The entire region uses a database that scans locals eyes and finger prints so basically these two locals will not be allowed to work on any of the coalition forces bases again. A bit sad yet they know the consequences of fighting or threatening any uniformed individual. Now the challenge is that we have to basically worry that these two will seek employment elsewhere from the enemies for example. Well, that's the only excitement that has been in my life and an event I could have lived without.