Why dogs bite people

That was the subject line on a recent email from Kathy. Even in the surreal hell that is Iraq, she manages to be insightful and funny. She'd forwarded me these crazy pictures of dogs in Halloween costumes.

Lynda had sent out a few photos like this last week, and they were hilarious. But suddenly, the juxtaposition of the dogs these ridiculous outfits and Kathy in Iraq made me think just how insane it is to send people to war anyway. Kids just barely out of high school are dressed up like soldiers. Moms, like Kathy, out in the desert wearing a bullet proof vest and fatigues. It’s insane. Here’s an excerpt from a recent message. You can see that Kathy is still very much herself, and it gives me hope that she'll be the same Kathy when she gets back:

I am going to go jogging in my pink shorts tomorrow, because everything else is at the cleaners (KBR--ah the good old days, what will I do when I return home? I swear they boil the clothes--and they don't smell so good when they get back...) Pink shorts is a real swipe at the Army--we are only supposed to wear black. I will be jogging by the Brit house--today they had a whole team of Pakistanis out "gardening" raking the dirt around the date palms. Like I said it is very surreal here. I don't get any interaction with Iraqis, except for an occasional Iraqi General at some meeting, but I do get lots of interaction with the TCNs (Third Country Nationals) mostly from Pakistan, though some from Nepal and the Phillipines. I went to a TCN party and I will forward you pictures. But now I have a meeting with the general and various others (it's a morning brief). So see you soon (at least in e-mail.) I am very much like Alice in Wonderland--curiouser and curiouser...Someday over a lot of wine I will tell you of my adventures. They are crazy. But must run, just like the White Rabbit, cept I am the Cheshire Cat....K