Steel Beach...

We've been on ship for over 30 consecutive days now and as you can imagine, the Marines are getting a little "stir crazy," as one of the Wolfpack wives put it. The Navy organized what is called a steel beach. Flight deck operations are closed down for the day and all hands on the ship are invited up to enjoy in a BBQ. As much as we would have loved it, no beer, just burgers and sodas. But, every day off is a great day!

We said goodbye to the coast of Indonesia on the 18th and we're en route to U.S. Central Command (CentCom). Once we're there, we'll be under the tactical control of the General controlling the fight in Iraq.

The Wolfpack is doing great and is in high spirits. We're looking hoping for a liberty port in the near future so we can put our feet on land. It'll be nice to walk on a surface that isn't rocking back and forth.

Here are some pictures from the steel beach: On top, some of the Wolfpack enjoying some of the food and music. From left to right, HM3 Hill (The Platoon Corpsman), LCpl Watje, LCpl Jensen, Cpl Martinez, Cpl Cardenas, Cpl Guitron, and Lt Letchford. Bottom left, LCpl Nelson rolls around, looking smooth on his tricycle. Bottom right, some more of the Pack enjoys the chow. From left to right, LCpl Caldera, Cpl Nguyen, LCpl Waller, and Cpl Ray.