Ah, the rare opportunity to use lj as a means for serious communication.
Many of you have heard this already, probably even a few more haven’t. During the al-Rashid rocket attacks on Saturday Night, Sunday morning in Iraq, my father’s room was struck twice, and he was injured. Apparently the first rocket struck the top corner of the window frame outside, spraying fire and glass into the room. My fathers partner was in the bathroom, and my dad was standing by his bed. He heard it coming and crouched and shielded his face with his left arm, which took most of the damage. After that he rolled under his bed before the second rocket entered the window and struck the far wall of the room. Most of the contents of the room were destroyed, the bed probably saved his life. Right now he is in transit to a hospital somewhere in Germany, I think Bonn. After a few days there, where they will stabilize his arm and prep it for treatment, he will be moved to Walter Reed, where they will do all the real work and where he will stay for a few weeks of physical therapy. After that he will be home, and certainly be working again, while going through a few more months of rehab on the arm. The doctors in Iraq who initially looked at the injury said that there was no nerve or deep tissue damage so there should be a complete recovery. When I talked to my dad he said that he didn’t really know how bad it was because he could feel that there was enough tissue gone that he couldn’t look at it yet. Both times I have talked to him he sounded a little shell shocked, but I think now that that was probably an effect of the morphine. Mostly I think he is sad because he didn’t get a chance to actually put his project into effect, and now its future is uncertain. The way I see it he has already earned his hazard pay now and that means its a good time to start tele-commuting.

Anyway, that was my big event of the last 48 hours. Considering the developments in Gabe’s lovely roommate situation and Anne sans-dente I think it was a pretty turbulent weekend all around.

EDIT: Thanks to everyone for the kind thoughts, I would seriously be way more worried if I hadn't talked to him in person a couple times since it happened. I would also like to agree with Chris, all things considered this is like a best case scenario as far as aftermaths are concerned. I mean, if someone is gonna fire two rockets into your hotel room , being alive with a burned arm is about the best you can shoot for. Also it looks like he might be home, meaning in the US, by this coming wekkend, which is very comforting.