When I recently applied for a position in Kuwait, to work as a civilian contractor assisting the military to build up their operations, people told me that I was crazy. Now the Washington Post reports about an attack on two such Americans. One American was killed.

Still, I am not dissuaded. If offered the chance, I will leave the bosom of my cushy mid-western apartment for a tent city in Kuwait. As for the risk, when it comes to death I take a very realistic point of view. First of all, I realize that we are all going to die. It is really just a question of when, where, and how. Second, I feel that if my number is up, it doesn't matter much whether I'm on a high risk international assignment, or sitting on my own toilet. There are inherent dangers in every aspect of life, and I don't think that traveling abroad is any more dangerous than commuting to and from work on a daily basis. So, it may be a little bit more dangerous, but someone's got to do it, so it might as well be me.