Opening in Baghdad
A former colleague recently sent me a notice about a communications job. It looked interesting with intriguing pay, benefits and a completion bonus. Then I saw where: Green Zone:
Baghdad: Iraq. Term of service: 12 months with deployment in late September or October.
I considered the position for a nanosecond. Even passed it around to a friend or two. Whatever your feelings about the war in Iraq, the prospect of a year in Baghdad was terrifying. The closest I had been to the conflict was watching the horror of 9/11on TV while visiting my mom who lives in uptown Manhattan. I had been scheduled to fly to LA that day.
The closest I have come to military personnel are the brave men and women in uniform that I see traveling through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta. (When I can, I thank them. It does not seem like enough.)
For them, the volunteers, they have no choice. Duty called. Some have been sent back 2 to 3 times to probably the deadliest place on earth right now.
All the while, I sit in my office and go about my life trying not to ignore what is happening around the world and trying not to feel overwhelmed by the daily reports of more dead, more injured and more destruction.
Puts everything in perspective as we discuss new media, blogs and Second Life.
Let me get back to you.
