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Jane - please save this letter, and as a matter of fact, all/any letter I send you while I’m over there, OK?
-1- Thursday, Nov 1, 1990
1:08 pm
Dear Jane,

Well, we are on our way. Right now, I am on a Northwest Airlines 747, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Let me back up and take you to how we got here.

On Wednesday morning, we got up at 0530 (I took a shower before breakfast) and went to breakfast. After breakfast, we carried our duffel bags and rucksacks (backpacks, military style) out and lined them up. Then we cleaned up our barracks and latrines, while we waited for the trucks to come and pick up all the gear. The trucks arrived around 10 AM (Ryder vans). We loaded 5 vans full of our gear. Then we went to lunch. After lunch, everyone finished cleaning up our area. I was at the orthopedic clinic at the hospital, having custom arch supports made for my boots. It usually takes 3-5 days to make a pair, but when I told them I was leaving for Saudi the next day, they rushed the process and did mine first!