
That's my friend JP, and as you can tell he is sweating from the heat that the Persian Gulf has to offer. We were in the base in Dubai. All we were doing was sitting down, but all what our bodies could do is sweat in the shade. We had been out to sea for about 50 days without seeing land prior to this day, and today they let us out. They let us out in the base to have fun. We were relieved from all the stress that had been built up. It was a bunch of us sailors going out to do what we did best. But we were restricted to a small space and weren't trusted to go out to the city of Dubai just yet. I didn't mind, and really nobody did; all we wanted was to get some freedom, use a phone, and then drink with our own fellow sailors. We deserved this day, and it didn't matter what anybody said we deserved it. It just reminds me of how lucky we are as Americans, and how much freedom we have. It reminds me not to take my time granted. It reminds of a time I gave up my freedom. It's the pride that makes you keep going to a world that you don't want to be in. Its the pride that your family gives you when you aren't home. I'll be honest I didn't like it when I was in the Navy, but people like JP help you enjoy your time and make you forget about the harsh times. He helped me think about everything, and I helped him understand the way I think. I too learned his way of thinking. I looked over him, and I'll never forget our friendship. Now he is about to go back out to sea, and I wish him luck out there. It's tough hearing my friends go back out on deployment that sometimes I just don't want to hear about it. I don't regret for one second being in the Navy, but I do have to say it was a tough time in my life.


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