- Having a bathroom (when I wake up in the middle of the night and have to pee, I can simply walk to the bathroom to do this. No getting dressed, putting on shower shoes, and walking 50 yards to pee)
- Grass everywhere
- Food choices (I have had Mexican, Asian, European, and American foods in this two weeks of leave that soldiers do not have in Iraq, much less the average citizen in Iraq)
- Clean air (There used to be seven days on average of dust storms per year in Iraq. This year we have sometimes seven days at a time of dust due to the droughts and deteriorating environment. Dust storms have caused hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to be hospitalized this year, and it gets worse each year. We are very lucky in America to have air that we can breathe)
- Not carrying a loaded weapon around everywhere I go
- Taking a shower and being able to keep the water on while I soap up (in Iraq we get wet, turn the water off, soap up, then rinse. Maximum of 1 minute with water on)
- Trees
- American civilians (it seems so weird to talk to so many normal people not wearing Army uniforms, many of whom openly admit to voting liberal before determining that the person they are talking to also voted liberal)
- Drinkable water from sinks
- Ability to wear whatever clothes a person chooses
- American television and radio
Though these are the things that I noticed that I miss, there are many other parts of life that we take for granted each day. I hope this helps us each remember how special our lives are.
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