Morning Run

I took a morning run yesterday around a large man-made lake here on post. It seems to have started cooling off a bit at night, so getting out there into the pre-dawn air is significantly more tolerable than before I left for R&R. By my measurement, it is about 3.15 miles around this lake, and there are typically quite a lot of soldiers out there in the morning running the circuit.

On this run I happened upon a confluence of events that created an image that was truly something to behold. The sun, massive and orange, crested the horizon as I ran the Western shore of the lake. Its reflection shimmered the length of the still water, and formed a stunning backdrop to the vivid pink flowers that grow clustered on stalks among the shoreline reeds. As the distinctive report of 50 cal. machine gun fire echoed in the distance, two Black Hawk helicopters emerged directly out of the rising sun and slowly thundered their way to a helipad to my rear. It was a moment no Hollywood cinematographer could replicate. Next time I promise to bring a camera.

As an aside, I would like to draw your attention to this wonderful tribute by one of my favorites, Peggy Noonan. I include this because I have have the great fortune to see first-hand the types of actions and behaviors she writes about, and can testify that no matter what the future holds for Iraq, there will be countless Iraqis who will treasure memories of their encounters with American soldiers.