Doc

Before I tell you about my experience at Camp Doha, let me tell you a little bit about my doctor friend.

Doc is not like the average doctor you will find in the military. She didn't start out as a doctor, she was first enlisted (I think she said she made it to E-6) with a military intelligence MOS. She has also jumped out of planes.... repeatedly... on purpose. She is small in stature and unassuming looking so you don't immediately make the mental leap from doctor to Airborne. She is smart, witty and a fun person. Her only weakness, which she admits to freely, is that she is directionally impaired. That brings me to my next story.

After completing one of the mind numbing tasks at Ft. Bliss, I mentioned that I would like to go to the PX. Doc overheard me and offered me a ride in her rental car. I accepted without hesitation. Well, it didn't take me long to realize that we were taking a cercuitous route to the PX. Doc just kept talking to me and driving and I tried to mentally keep up with which cardinal direction we were driving and how many turns we had made. We approached a red light and before I could say anything we ran right through it. I didn't say a word, only looked around to see if the MPs were coming at us from all directions.

We kept driving round and round, going in circles but finally did make it to the PX. It's a good thing Ft. Bliss is practically deserted or we might have been stopped. Except for people deploying, those returning from overseas, and a bunch of Military Police, there aren't many people there.

We repeated the process on the way back to CRC, minus the red light incident. I didn't mind the drive a bit though. It was the first time I had been away from the group in several days and the free tour of Ft. Bliss was kind of fun. I didn't realize it at the time but Doc and I would spend many more days together.