Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?
patrickgzill: If you are going to be coding, I would think that you are not going to be in too much danger - they aren't going to ship you  out to places to install things in the thick of battle, right?I say go for it.  IIRC the entirety of the $200K will be tax free.While there, network amongst the people there (you should be able to make some long term friends) and well, who knows where those contacts will lead afterwards.