7月4日，驻伊美军在巴格达“胜利军营”切分一块表面为美国国旗图案的蛋糕，庆祝美国独立日。尽管天气酷热，沙尘飞扬，外面还不时有枪炮和警报声响起，他们仍然苦中作乐，尽情享受美味烧烤，玩排球，有游泳池的就跳进水里，来庆祝这个重要的节日。外电报道如下：In blistering¹ summer heat and blinding sandstorms, U.S. troops marked Independence Day on Monday with barbecues, volleyball and - for those who have them - dips in the pool. Bursts of gunfire and wailing² sirens served as a reminder³ of why the troops are here.

President Bush vowed⁴ during a Fourth of July speech in West Virginia that U.S. forces will stay in Iraq "until the fight is won." But one soldier, Pfc. Stephen Tschiderer, simply prays he'll get home safely after surviving a gunshot just above his heart.

Blistering在此表示“酷热的”，此外还有很多含义，包括“严厉的；非常快的；起泡的；恶毒的；[口]可恶的”等，如：the blistering sun（骄阳）；blistering criticism（严厉批评）；a blistering pace（极快的速度）；a blistering agent（起泡剂）；a blistering look（恶毒的眼光）。