Sgt Struppa's Iraq Update

This blog is written by Sgt. Mike Struppa, our Red Sox Nation correspondent in Iraq. As always, our thoughts and prayers are with all our troops. Even the Yankee fans among them. Sgt. Struppa is at right in the photo along with SPC Mark Kibbe from Western Mass.

"It's gotten pretty crazy over here! We have a streak going of three days of getting at least 3 mortars on post. Fortunately only a couple of people have been hurt and their injuries were not too major! I had a couple of close calls though. The first one was on Friday. I was walking from the clinic to my company office and just as I passed the driveway I heard a mortar land that was really loud, I though nothing of it until the next 2 hit by then I had sprinted into safety. We went and picked up a patient and it was only after we dropped him off that I saw one of the mortars had landed right by where I had been walking. If I had waited 15 seconds longer to leave the clinic, well I wouldn't be here typing this to you guys!!!! The second was yesterday while I was getting my teeth cleaned, when the dentist and I heard 2 mortars hit and though eh, we'll just finish off my cleaning and the look. All of a sudden BOOM, I flew out of that chair (almost had a tooth yanked) and we sprinted out of there. Once again after we responded to pick up a patient I looked and saw people standing near a crater on the corner of the dentist office, looked down at my feet and had another piece of shrapnel to add to my collection. The final close call this week was on Saturday morning was sleeping and I thought I was dreaming but I heard the sound of a rocket going over head and then a huge boom and then rocks and other debris hitting our living hooch's. Man no one was hurt on that one but it was still crazy times to have shrapnel hitting your house!!! Well despite these close calls, I am doing well and still having a blast over here! We are even starting up a softball team with our free time and I'm sure it will be Red Sox-ish colors! Well I got to go for now but I will keep you informed of what is going on. I may have been wrong when I said June 30th will not be as bad as I thought, but only time will tell! Talk to y'all later!

My buddy here, Dan Wetherbee, has more info on life here in Mosul on his website DanWetherbee.net!"