Life in Baghdad, Iraq, in October 2003 and again in 2006 was like living in a Crock-Pot. It was hot, and the breeze, if you can call it that, was just as hot. We would travel to strange destinations to attend meetings, drop off supplies, or pick up soldiers. We even performed guard duty and with the scorching temperatures. The protective gear that we wore added about twenty degrees and an extra thirty pounds. The temperature was approximately 140 degrees or better. I was told to put on some suntan lotion, and I thought the officer was making a joke because I did not know a black man could get a sunburn in the desert; this is to be true.

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