Zac Writes from Djibouti

Zachary Levi, in the Middle East for a USO tour, sends us another update on his trip:

15 May 2009
Djibouti

Just waking up after a forty-eight hour day that started in Bahrain and ended on the Horn of Africa.

The question we’ve all been asking for the last few days is: Does the United States Military just happen to recruit the finest people in the world, or does it actually make them? Honestly, the people we’ve met over the last week have been, to a person, kind, gracious, professional, and friendly. The fact that they can be all of those things under what are at best trying circumstances is really remarkable.

In Bahrain, we did a quick radio interview, and then we had the opportunity to tour the kingdom’s Grand Mosque. We learned a lot about the religion, as well as local customs, and were able to witness the afternoon call to prayer. It was an amazing experience, but we were happy to get back to Freedom Square and interact with the people we are here to see, the soldiers and sailors who do the hard work of keeping us safe. What a treat. We did two meet-and-greets, and both went great. We met a ton of military personnel before having to head back to the hotel and pack for our long trip to Africa. I wish we had had more time so we could have heard more of the stories the soldiers and sailors had to share.

There were also a large number of civilian contractors who came through. These people are also a long way from home, and the work they do is important. It was nice to meet them as well.

That was it for the Kingdom of Bahrain. It was an awesome experience and the time with the troops is time we will never forget. Our guide, Hussain, and our Naval liaison Sarah, the Fun Officer, took great care of us.

More on the second half of the day, the never-ending trip to Djibouti, when we get more time at the computer. For now, we are off to see some more of the base.

-Zac, Joel, and Crew

Read Zac’s first letter here and check out his photos from the trip in our Gallery.