By David Mac Dougall

At Patrol Base Gaines Mill, today is not election day, it’s just a day like most others: like yesterday or last week or last month.  There’s no punditry or exit polls or last-minute TV commercials extolling the virtues of one candidate or another.  Today is just “Tuesday.”

This morning at 6am, CPT Jason Webb hit the snooze button on his alarm clock two, maybe three times and SFC Greg ‘Top’ Setzkorn poured himself a mug of thick fresh black coffee. 

After breakfast we rolled out of the patrol base to attend a meeting of Iraqi military commanders discussing problems getting spare parts for their vehicles.  SSG Zach Jones drove the MRAP, Major Matt McGrew rode shotgun, and SSG Ralph Edwards manned the 50-cal in the gun turret. 

The meeting was overlong and far too ‘inside baseball’ for all but the most dedicated enthusiasts of Iraqi military requisition procedures to be interested in… but CPT Eric Kuenke and SSG James Lightner sat patiently while various Iraqi battalion commanders talked about the issues they were having. 

When the meeting was finally over, and we’d conducted a couple of quick interviews, the team headed to Forward Operating Base Warrior in our little convoy of MRAP vehicles.  CPT Michael Comstock got a haircut while we grabbed some supplies from the PX (store). 

Then… we drove back to Gaines Mill, where there were chores to be completed (SSG Jones was hoping his chores buddy had already taken out the trash and cleaned the bathrooms while we were gone, but it seemed like wishful thinking!)  SSG Mike ‘Doc’ Warren hit the gym for a mid-afternoon workout and then got stuck into helping his buddy SSG Edwards prepare dinner for everyone: bar-b-q steak, corn-on-the-cob and green beans.

Meanwhile, in addition to all the routine tasks which go on every day, Major McGrew and his men are still preparing for upcoming missions, figuring out how to structure their week, meeting with Iraqi commanders, and graciously hosting our Fox News crew too. 

For millions of Americans of course, today is election day and they’re heading out to the polls to vote.  Many of the men here at Patrol Base Gaines Mill have already cast their ballots – thousands of miles from home and half a world away from the hoopla of the Presidential election.  Today might be an important day Stateside, but at Gaines Mill it’s just another Tuesday.