GMail & Dinars

When I signed up for a Gmail account, I also received five invites to give out. Not really knowing what to do with them, I found Gmail4Troops and signed up. After two weeks without a peep, I gave up on the service, but did nothing about it. Then, I got a request from a soldier in Iraq. Cool. I quickly replied offering the small token along with a huge amount of thanks. But, the invite got bounced back. I was down a precious invite with nothing to show for it.

Then another month and a half passed with no word. Then another request. I was cautious this time, contacting the soldier first to confirm the desire for the account. No reply. Oh well, no harm done this time. But, two days later I received two more requests. I sent the confirmation e-mail and received two eager letters in reply. I quickly forwarded their respective invites and within twenty minutes, had given two gigabytes of e-mail to two deserving soldiers.

One replied with a note of thanks and a request for my home address. With just a touch of worry, I gave him my work address. I can't tell you why I was worried, just a gut reaction. Within a week, I received a letter cancelled by the Army Post Office, which obscured a hand-written "Free Mail" where a 37-cent stamp should be. It took seven days for the letter to reach me.

An unexpected feeling of anticipation took over as I opened the letter to find four five-Dinar bills, all in near-perfect state, Saddam's portrait prominently displayed on the front. The nicest personal note accompanied the bills.

I proudly showed everyone in my office the note and the bills and everyone were equally impressed. Click on the "See More..." to read the note and see the bills. Very Cool. This is something I will save as long as I can.