Changes

==The April 11th to April 26th entries==

===26 April 2004===

It was hot today! We flirted with triple digit heat for the first time this year and without a breeze, you can sure feel it! Things are also heating up in Al Fallujah. We are right on the flight path for the air support to the 1st Marines out there so we get to see all the different sleighs delivering packages to the bad boys. There were some intense firefights in Al Fallujah today and it will only get more intense. The fighters and Imams of mosques have now realized that if you shoot from a mosque, we flatten it. We have been leaving mosques alone and still do, but the rule is that if gunfire comes from a mosque or fighters retreat into a mosque, it is no longer a place of worship and is a combat zone. We just eliminated a huge group of safe houses for these fighters.

===25 April 2004===

One thing I forgot to mention about yesterday; it got dark earlier than normal. This was due to a sandstorm that blocked out the sun. It was quite amazing that a wind storm filled with dirt can make it dark as night. It also makes it difficult to breath, even through masks.

===23-24 April 2004===

The LRS guys have started Friday Night Fights over here. A lot of the soldiers and Marines are getting into it. They have the padded sparring equipment and have had a blast setting up bouts and have even begun a ranking chart. The LRS guys do some warm up training out on our volleyball court, so we enjoy watching these young guys goof around while we relax on the porch.

===22 April 2004===

I sure miss normal food. I look forward to going home and cooking whatever I feel like and hitting the grocery store and seeing the stocked shelves and wonderful fresh steaks! When I go home in May for 10 days, I will probably not sleep between spending time with family, eating, showering in a real shower, and using a toilet that actually flushes and does not have flies everywhere.

===21 April 2004===

We have been working hard on an intelligence project for the Al Fallujah area. We would probably be a lot further along if there was some support from Captain Todl. He is the Marine captain out there that wants all of our information post haste, but will not release any information they are getting so we can put the whole picture together. The Marines here are a fantastic bunch of guys and I am sure the average Marine in 1st Marine Division in Al Fallujah is great. I am just singling out one of the intelligence guys because he is our point of contact and an inept one at that. Scott and I put together an analyst package consisting of detailed association matrixes and interrogation highlights to put these guys all together. The command was thrilled and once again the CACI folks have set a high standard for the young soldiers to follow. Specialist Spencer overheard me saying one of the names. About ten minutes later, she came over with some information from one of her interrogat ions a week ago and we found a link. It is fun to see the excitement in the room when stuff like this happens. It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without the picture, so when you get pieces to fit, it is great.

==External links==

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2503-2004May4.html Washington Post, May 5 2004: Media's Most Wanted Today Is Blogger From Iraqi Prison]

* [http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:XYYOCOWnu_8J:www.am1500.com/personalities/joeryan.htm+KSTP+%22Joe+Ryan%22&hl=en The Google cache link for the April 26 entry]. The Google cache only keeps pages for a short period, so this link no longer works. However, it is of historical note as it records how the rescued article was retrieved.

* [http://www.am1500.com/personalities/joeryan.htm www.am1500.com/personalities/joeryan.htm] The original URL for Joe Ryan's diary - no longer available.