I arrived in Nasiriyah, Iraq on a hot and sunny morning in June, the air was almost completely still, making the heat even more intense. When I got to the Airbase, about 150 miles east of the Iran boarder, it was nothing like what I anticipated. It was massive and looked similar to where I traveled from, Fort Bliss, Texas, minus. We lived in air-conditioned containerized housing units, there were bathrooms and showers, we had a huge gym with enough equipment to support an actual army, we had unlimited food and water, there paved roads and bus routes, and all the amenities you’d never expect to have during a deployment. I was filled with adrenaline, excitement, nerves and curiosity.