Xavier is feeling a little sand blasted this evening, so its Ben Sherlock here stepping in to keep the blog rolling! A slightly more leisurely start this morning, in other words we had more than four hours sleep. The prospect of running with a three star general on Friday has pushed me to somewhat up my training regime, so running under the blazing sun of Iraq is a necessary evil. Clean down, micro bacterial underwear on, and off to film an interview with Command Sergeant Major Joseph R. Allen. A prominent and formidable reputation precedes him, yet we find him to be a warm, kind and honest individual with the greatest respect for the Iraqi population, and a genuine desire to leave this country with a positive legacy. Rack and pack the gear then back to the Palace balcony. Cameras roll and Xavier begins the laborious task of drawing a forty foot painting of this landscape of contrasts before us. The Specialist who is chaperoning me while I bounce across the Al-Faw Palace rooftop assures me that the rising dust on the horizon ‘is nothing’. Fifteen minutes later the sky is blotted from view, the air is thick with tiny particles of sand and the light diminishes within seconds as a vast wall of orange haze consumes us all. We are in a sand storm and I am dashing across the rooftops to get back inside…And Xavier, is still painting. We earn ourselves our hearty supper this evening at Dining facility. We are marching on our stomachs.
Operation ‘Ark’ – Day 6 from xavtv on Vimeo.
Xavier Pick 