JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – As the military reporter at The News Tribune, I often receive e-mail from readers telling me about a good deed someone from the community has done on behalf of service members.

I thought about those letters today when I waited for a few minutes in the lounge at the 555th Engineer Brigade headquarters at Joint Base Balad. Part of it is basically a bar without the booze. Above the bar is a sign from Farrelli’s Gourmet Wood Fire Pizza, customized for the Triple Nickel.

It reminded me of the periodic e-mail I get about the good deeds the folks from Farrelli’s do for the deployed service members of Fort Lewis. The company rarely gets the recognition it deserves for it. Hopefully this blog post is a good start.

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Another holiday has come and gone almost unnoticed for the 30,000 people here at Balad.

Mardi Gras was Tuesday, yet the dining facilities didn’t serve Hurricanes or king cake. Even at the Popeye’s on base, the line was no longer than it usually is.

The only masks anyone wore were the Iraqis working close to the burn pit. At Catfish Air, the helicopter terminal run by Louisiana National Guardsmen, no one threw beads or doubloons.

But this New Orleans transplant made the most of it. At lunch today, I drank a non-alcoholic Coors. I can probably count on no hands the amount of times I’ve drank Coors on Mardi Gras, and it wasn’t particularly good.

But c’mon: I had to do something.