Photo Journal: US reservist

Today we're visiting Hillsdale – an old Iraqi security base – where 800 Iraqi IDPs (internally displaced people) are sheltering.

It's close to our old base, but we're a lot further away now. The security level is Threat Con Delta so we go in a convoy of three vehicles with three people on each.

The rear SAW man (with an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon) is Holko, who was made my battle buddy when we were mobilised in January. He's like my little brother, only he's about 12 and a half inches taller than me.