Time to think

So I've now been back a week and had a little time to reflect on the experience over in Iraq. It's been a nice week, but kinda hard too.
I feel like going to Iraq has helped me become a better man. Helped me to understand the war not from the politician's view or the media's view, but simply from the point of view of a civilian embedded with U.S. troops. Going certainly gave me some much needed technical experience, a chance to learn how the military works, and learn what life is like at a forward military base. Plus, I got paid well for it.
The toughest part wasn't the mortar fire, but rather the loneliness. Being confined to 12 square miles wasn't really all that hard - it's not like there was anywhere else in Iraq I wanted to go. It was just not having my friends and family around that was tough.
Being back has been a little rough, but certainly not bad. I mean, for the past 3 months I've had a very defined existence, to make sure my equipment ran correctly. And because I was able to maintain that existence a lot of people all over the world were able to sleep in peace. It's nice knowing I helped, in a small way, protect them.
Back here, I have no such direct purpose. I suppose in the long term, my job here in Utah does the same thing, but much less directly.
Anyway, this has been far too somber a post. I'm going to Moab tomorrow to go mountain biking. It's gonna be sweet.
This will in all likelyhood be my last post about Iraq, unless something else is just knawing at me. I'd love to talk to anyone about my experience over there, what I learned and saw, but it will probably be on an individual basis.