After the W&M debacle of yesterday I was determined to catch the manager today. I drove straight over to the west side after breakfast. Success! He was in. At first he turned on my AC and said “it is working.” It took a few minutes and several turns of the AC fan switch for him to realize the fan was out – not the AC. He still had a baffled look on his face. I shut the doors and we sat there for a few minutes with the AC on. Without the fan the AC was quickly overwhelmed by the heat. Suddenly the light bulb came on and he realized what needed to be repaired. He handed me the keys to his Admiral and told me to come back in two days. He assured me that mine would be repaired by Sunday. His Admiral had cardboard taped over where the rear window used to be (I don’t know why it was busted out). However, the AC fan worked fine. I at least have a fully functional ride now. The only potential glitch is I have no dispatch for the loaner. A dispatch is required to refuel the thing. It’s only got half a tank so my Admiral better be ready by Sunday. Otherwise I could find myself walking. One other thing is the loaner has a radio that only picks up a local Iraqi station. While I was driving back to east LSAA I experienced an extremely goofy few minutes. Across the airwaves came an Arabic version of a Bryan Adams song. It was the theme song from that shitty Robin Hood movie starring Kevin Costner. The song was better in Arabic – at least an improvement anyways. Bryan Adams is one of those people who never should have quit his day job.
That’s about the story of the day. It would be real boring for me to break down everything else I did today. Two words sum it up – command visit. We’re cleaning, rearranging, updating books, and getting presentations ready. There are also several more soldiers coming up from Kuwait to join my team. We’re making sure we have room for them in the office. Get the picture?
The coming week looks to be interesting.
Friday, June 29, 2007
28 June 2007: Hazardous Flying Chunks of Ice
It’s almost July, the temperatures are soaring, and the AC fan is still out on my Admiral. I took a drive back to W&M this morning to get the damn thing fixed. Nobody was there except a TCN who spoke practically no English. I was able to determine that the manager was out until tomorrow. I’d have to come back. So in a very disgruntled state I drove on to the office. If you’ve been keeping a mental map of LSAA it should register that I’m doing a complete loop of the place on the perimeter road every time I make the trek to W&M. That’s a good ways to drive without an AC fan. Oh well… I can see the agricultural fields that surround LSAA when driving the perimeter road. There are a lot of spectacular, tall sunflower plants. I’d take a photo but I never seem to remember to have my camera for these occasions. If I get a picture I’ll post it on this entry.
It was actually a very quiet day. I don’t even recall any IDF attacks. If they happened I didn’t hear the announcement. I think I have an air conditioner curse. Around 1330 I was in the office minding my own business when one of the AC units started making a ton of noise. Just as I looked up at the thing it started spewing ice (more than an ice machine in the DFAC). I had to shut it down before it self-destructed. That meant the rest of the afternoon in the office was uncomfortably warm. I’ll turn the unit back on in the morning to see if it just needed to thaw.
Fortunately, I wasn’t struck by a piece of flying ice debris. That could have been hazardous. There is a reason we get paid extra money for serving in a combat zone. I’m pretty certain that somewhere in the fine print you’ll find “avoidance of hazardous ice chunks emitted from air conditioning units” as one of the justifications
It was actually a very quiet day. I don’t even recall any IDF attacks. If they happened I didn’t hear the announcement. I think I have an air conditioner curse. Around 1330 I was in the office minding my own business when one of the AC units started making a ton of noise. Just as I looked up at the thing it started spewing ice (more than an ice machine in the DFAC). I had to shut it down before it self-destructed. That meant the rest of the afternoon in the office was uncomfortably warm. I’ll turn the unit back on in the morning to see if it just needed to thaw.
Fortunately, I wasn’t struck by a piece of flying ice debris. That could have been hazardous. There is a reason we get paid extra money for serving in a combat zone. I’m pretty certain that somewhere in the fine print you’ll find “avoidance of hazardous ice chunks emitted from air conditioning units” as one of the justifications
Thursday, June 28, 2007
27 June 2007: The "I'll Never" Syndrome
Today I was supposed to be at COB Speicher for a meeting with the DTO of MND-North. Thanks to the ubiquitous sandstorm I’m still in LSAA. The meeting was rescheduled. Instead of a busy day I was left with a slow day. Most of my time (that I actually spent working today) was expended on updating my “Battle Book” and team continuity folders. Remember the command visit that never happened? It’s back on again. I’ll be ready though. My team will be ready too. I’d just call it an inconvenient necessity of being in the Army. Command visits happen. It will have to be brief where my team is concerned. We’ve got another mission coming up fast.
There’s a syndrome that Joes fall into when deployed. It’s the “I’ll never” syndrome. I’ll use something very simple to explain. Every single day you’ll find chicken of some variety in the DFAC. It doesn’t take long before the syndrome hits. You’ll be sitting at a table when you overhear nearby conversation. One Joe says to the other, “when this deployment is over I’ll never eat chicken again!” Chicken is a great example because I’ve heard countless Joes claim they’d never eat it again. What’s the reality of the “I’ll never” syndrome? It’s all hype. In the case of chicken, Joe ends his deployment and goes home. Like any other Joe he makes the rounds visiting family and friends, where he’s feted large meals and other clichés of the homecoming. Mom cooks up a big pot of chicken dumplings, or chicken cacciatore, or buttermilk fried chicken, or smoked barbeque chicken, or any other one of those hometown favorite recipes for poultry. What’s Joe doing? He’s chowing down on that very meat he vowed he’d never eat again. That’s the reality of the “I’ll never” syndrome. I’ve heard the “I’ll never” applied to just about anything associated with deployment. Some notables include walking on gravel, going camping, spending vacation somewhere hot, and working outside. It’s only a short matter of time before Joe is back on the block doing everything he vowed he’d never do again. It’s funny. Has it ever applied to me? Hell yes. I remember saying I’d never eat rice (another food always in the DFAC) again. I’ve said the same about chicken and always succumbed to mom’s fried chicken. All a person has to do is go on deployment. Within weeks there will be something you’ll never do (or eat) again. At least that’s what you think.
After work I went to the Green Beans on the west side. I hadn’t been in a while since I’d been traveling. I sat with my friend Terry. He’s a Major in the combat aviation brigade and a regular at karaoke. Turned out they were having a “sing off”. I entered. The top four singers – based on fan response – were the winners. I was in the top four. What was the prize? They gave us each a portable water mister that clips to your belt. You fill the thing with water, pump it up, and mist sprays from the flexible hose. It looked to me like a penis pump. So I got a water misting penis pump. Great. Glad I entered the sing-off.
There’s a syndrome that Joes fall into when deployed. It’s the “I’ll never” syndrome. I’ll use something very simple to explain. Every single day you’ll find chicken of some variety in the DFAC. It doesn’t take long before the syndrome hits. You’ll be sitting at a table when you overhear nearby conversation. One Joe says to the other, “when this deployment is over I’ll never eat chicken again!” Chicken is a great example because I’ve heard countless Joes claim they’d never eat it again. What’s the reality of the “I’ll never” syndrome? It’s all hype. In the case of chicken, Joe ends his deployment and goes home. Like any other Joe he makes the rounds visiting family and friends, where he’s feted large meals and other clichés of the homecoming. Mom cooks up a big pot of chicken dumplings, or chicken cacciatore, or buttermilk fried chicken, or smoked barbeque chicken, or any other one of those hometown favorite recipes for poultry. What’s Joe doing? He’s chowing down on that very meat he vowed he’d never eat again. That’s the reality of the “I’ll never” syndrome. I’ve heard the “I’ll never” applied to just about anything associated with deployment. Some notables include walking on gravel, going camping, spending vacation somewhere hot, and working outside. It’s only a short matter of time before Joe is back on the block doing everything he vowed he’d never do again. It’s funny. Has it ever applied to me? Hell yes. I remember saying I’d never eat rice (another food always in the DFAC) again. I’ve said the same about chicken and always succumbed to mom’s fried chicken. All a person has to do is go on deployment. Within weeks there will be something you’ll never do (or eat) again. At least that’s what you think.
After work I went to the Green Beans on the west side. I hadn’t been in a while since I’d been traveling. I sat with my friend Terry. He’s a Major in the combat aviation brigade and a regular at karaoke. Turned out they were having a “sing off”. I entered. The top four singers – based on fan response – were the winners. I was in the top four. What was the prize? They gave us each a portable water mister that clips to your belt. You fill the thing with water, pump it up, and mist sprays from the flexible hose. It looked to me like a penis pump. So I got a water misting penis pump. Great. Glad I entered the sing-off.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
26 June 2007: Dust Storms and Rockets
I forgot to mention that the latrines at Camp Liberty were remarkably clean. My radar was up constantly for juicy port-o-jon graffiti but I found none. It seems there is great effort being made to squash the voice of the little man these days. I find places where comments were written but then expunged or painted over. This was true in both the temporary port-o-jons and the more permanent containerized latrines. I know Joe’s got things on his mind. His message isn’t getting published at Camp Liberty. I was disappointed.
Regardless, I’m back at LSAA. I actually had a routine day. With that being said, it was mundane. Superficial to my mundane day were two events. The first was a dust storm that hit around lunchtime. With it came the normal spike in temperature, reduction of visibility, and increase of the suck factor for everyone. The second was another unnerving IDF that occurred around 1900. I had just returned from the gym and was standing butt-ass naked in my room when “pop! woooooossssshhh! BOOM!!” My whole trailer rocked. I shut down everything and listened for the alarm or an announcement. Nothing followed until about an hour later when the recorded message from the command post announced there had been an IDF attack. I found out later what had actually happened. It was a rocket attack. There were two or three random rockets. None of them caused any damage or injury but they did hit uncomfortably close.
The dust storm came back to haunt me. I was supposed to fly out to COB Speicher and was scheduled to report to Catfish around midnight. When I arrived it was immediately apparent things were on hold. After hauling my IBA and rucksack to the pax terminal I was greeted by the sight of soldiers and civilians laying around everywhere. There was, literally, no floor space. Every helicopter flight had either been cancelled or was on weather hold. Rather than staying, I checked to see the odds of my flight occurring. Odds were not in my favor. Therefore I walked right back to the Admiral and drove back to the hooch. I took the time to put everything up before crawling into bed. My bed was a lot more comfortable than the floor of the pax terminal. I made the right call. The flight never happened.
The meeting I was going to attend will be rescheduled. I guess I’ll be hanging out at LSAA for now.
Regardless, I’m back at LSAA. I actually had a routine day. With that being said, it was mundane. Superficial to my mundane day were two events. The first was a dust storm that hit around lunchtime. With it came the normal spike in temperature, reduction of visibility, and increase of the suck factor for everyone. The second was another unnerving IDF that occurred around 1900. I had just returned from the gym and was standing butt-ass naked in my room when “pop! woooooossssshhh! BOOM!!” My whole trailer rocked. I shut down everything and listened for the alarm or an announcement. Nothing followed until about an hour later when the recorded message from the command post announced there had been an IDF attack. I found out later what had actually happened. It was a rocket attack. There were two or three random rockets. None of them caused any damage or injury but they did hit uncomfortably close.
The dust storm came back to haunt me. I was supposed to fly out to COB Speicher and was scheduled to report to Catfish around midnight. When I arrived it was immediately apparent things were on hold. After hauling my IBA and rucksack to the pax terminal I was greeted by the sight of soldiers and civilians laying around everywhere. There was, literally, no floor space. Every helicopter flight had either been cancelled or was on weather hold. Rather than staying, I checked to see the odds of my flight occurring. Odds were not in my favor. Therefore I walked right back to the Admiral and drove back to the hooch. I took the time to put everything up before crawling into bed. My bed was a lot more comfortable than the floor of the pax terminal. I made the right call. The flight never happened.
The meeting I was going to attend will be rescheduled. I guess I’ll be hanging out at LSAA for now.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
25 June 2007: Infiltrating H6 Housing
This is going to sound like a record that’s skipping. I had to be at the Liberty Pad for 0100 (that’s 1:00am for civilian types). Talk about déjà vu – it looked like the exact same crowd I’d seen just a few nights ago. There were three angry Marine Colonels trying to get to Fallujah. They kept scowling at everyone. I’m glad I wasn’t on their flight. Unlike the last time I flew out of here, there were no copilots passing out from dehydration. Our flight of Blackhawks arrived early by fifteen minutes. We loaded and left within ten minutes of their arrival. It was a spectacular clear night. The return to Balad was completely uneventful. The only inconvenience was that I was in the “hot seat”. By that I mean the seat subject to the hot exhaust from the engines. Every time we banked slightly the rotor blades would direct the exhaust right into my face. I was a fan of level flight on this trip. We touched down at LSAA at 0330. In a scene reminiscent of a few mornings ago I dropped clothes and IBA randomly as I made a beeline to the bed. I was out cold by 0400.
Thanks to late (or early) return I took the whole morning off. I slept until 0930. I took my sweet time with morning coffee while downloading the photos from the mission. I use those photos for personal record, the blog, and my after action review of the mission. I’d taken some great videos too. Since I can’t access Youtube or any similar venue I can’t share the videos with you. If I can figure out a way to post them I will. Anyway, I didn’t hit the office until around 1330 (1:30pm). Then I only stayed long enough to read my e-mail. I stepped out to run a few errands and then returned a couple hours later. After the close-out meeting I hit the gym. My AF buddies would be amused to know I’ve infiltrated the H6 housing area again. Since the East Side (Sprung) gym still has issues with AC, I’ve started going to the H6 gym. I haven’t ventured back into their MWR though. I do like putting a scowl on my face and prowling the AF gym. Where’s that Chief? Go ahead, say something…. I’m waiting.
All this late night travel is catching up with me. I intended to stop in to see some friends at the East MWR but was just too tired. I couldn’t keep my eyelids awake as I tried to read about the decisive battles around Krinkelt-Rocheroth in December 1944. Here U.S. forces from the 2nd Infantry Division (with assorted other units) blunted the German advance during the opening stages of the “Battle of the Bulge”. This secured the northern flank of the American lines, which allowed the Allies to contain the German advance. Did you notice that my team just completed a mission supporting the 2nd Infantry Division? See a parallel here?
Anyway, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. By 2230 (10:30pm) I was completely out. I’ve got some more late night traveling coming up this week. Any sleep I can get is a good thing.
Thanks to late (or early) return I took the whole morning off. I slept until 0930. I took my sweet time with morning coffee while downloading the photos from the mission. I use those photos for personal record, the blog, and my after action review of the mission. I’d taken some great videos too. Since I can’t access Youtube or any similar venue I can’t share the videos with you. If I can figure out a way to post them I will. Anyway, I didn’t hit the office until around 1330 (1:30pm). Then I only stayed long enough to read my e-mail. I stepped out to run a few errands and then returned a couple hours later. After the close-out meeting I hit the gym. My AF buddies would be amused to know I’ve infiltrated the H6 housing area again. Since the East Side (Sprung) gym still has issues with AC, I’ve started going to the H6 gym. I haven’t ventured back into their MWR though. I do like putting a scowl on my face and prowling the AF gym. Where’s that Chief? Go ahead, say something…. I’m waiting.
All this late night travel is catching up with me. I intended to stop in to see some friends at the East MWR but was just too tired. I couldn’t keep my eyelids awake as I tried to read about the decisive battles around Krinkelt-Rocheroth in December 1944. Here U.S. forces from the 2nd Infantry Division (with assorted other units) blunted the German advance during the opening stages of the “Battle of the Bulge”. This secured the northern flank of the American lines, which allowed the Allies to contain the German advance. Did you notice that my team just completed a mission supporting the 2nd Infantry Division? See a parallel here?
Anyway, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. By 2230 (10:30pm) I was completely out. I’ve got some more late night traveling coming up this week. Any sleep I can get is a good thing.
Monday, June 25, 2007
24 June 2007: Camp Liberty Redux
Since I was just here earlier this week it seems as though I never left. There’s not much to see at Camp Liberty. It’s just a dusty collection of containerized housing units organized into billeting neighborhoods. They surround the “commo hill” that dominates the camp. At the base of the hill you’ll find the PX on one end and the MWR/gym at the other. Mixed in with the billets is the MND-Baghdad HQ, a couple of DFACs, motor pools, and various HQs for lesser-sized units. The roads work their way out to the other compounds that make up the massive Camp Victory/BIAP complex. What makes Camp Liberty (and Camp Striker for that matter) different than the rest of the complex is a lack of palaces. As I mentioned before, this whole area was a huge private playground for Saddam Hussein and his cronies. There’s even a huge palace named “Victory over America”. In a case of life mimicking reality, the palace was never finished.
I woke up around 0630. Once I’d taken care of personal business I trundled on over to the DFAC. I caught up on baseball scores over breakfast. Unfortunately, the Red Sox and Braves lost. Because of the close proximity to division HQ, this particular DFAC has a large number of senior officers and NCOs coming and going. As I was about to leave I ran into another West Point classmate. He’s not going to the reunion either. It was great to see Carmine though. I hadn’t seen him in over ten years. We exchanged e-mails and promised to catch up. It’s likely I’ll run into him again on this deployment. I’ll definitely return to Camp Liberty.
My team and I got situated in the classroom for our day’s instruction. At 0900 we began our classes. We were teaching the Unit Mobility Officers (UMOs) of an infantry brigade combat team the redeployment process. I taught a complete overview class. Then my team got into the nitty-gritty of containers, HAZMAT, in-transit tracking systems, documentation, and various other particulars they needed to know. We had around 40 people in attendance. The poor AC unit was overwhelmed so frequent breaks were a necessity. I’ve got my team trained well on sticking to the agenda. That’s good because it meant we wrapped up our classes by lunch. The classes are necessary and important – just boring. Many of the UMOs present stayed after to ask questions and try to book individual appointments with my team. Then we broke for lunch. We weren’t completely done. After lunch we had to inspect their computer software to ensure they had the correct redeployment software installed and functional. This took a few hours of the afternoon.
Once I was satisfied we had successfully completed our training I released everyone. I stopped by the Iraqi bazaar to buy some post cards. Then I hit the DFAC for supper. On the way back to my hooch I made a latrine stop. Once inside I heard the distinct sound of sniffles coming from one of the stalls. The soldier inside came out while I was in the latrine. Sure enough, he had been crying. I asked him if he was ok. At first he didn’t acknowledge me. He just stared blankly into the mirror. I asked again. This time he snapped out of it a bit and said he was ok. I put my hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eye and asked again. He straightened up, took a deep breath, and said that he was fine. I asked if he needed to talk (to me or anyone else) and he said no. I asked what unit he belonged to. It turned out he was in the same unit we’d just taught classes to. I passed his name on to his chain-of-command. It could have been anything – dear john letter, red cross message, some other bad news from home, personal experience on mission, or even just being homesick. I didn’t ask. I hope he’s ok.
I got comfy back in the hooch. I fly out with one of my soldiers back to LSAA very early in the morning. It’s better to just catch up on some sleep. Besides, I’ve seen about everything to see at Camp Liberty. We’ve had a successful mission – again.
I woke up around 0630. Once I’d taken care of personal business I trundled on over to the DFAC. I caught up on baseball scores over breakfast. Unfortunately, the Red Sox and Braves lost. Because of the close proximity to division HQ, this particular DFAC has a large number of senior officers and NCOs coming and going. As I was about to leave I ran into another West Point classmate. He’s not going to the reunion either. It was great to see Carmine though. I hadn’t seen him in over ten years. We exchanged e-mails and promised to catch up. It’s likely I’ll run into him again on this deployment. I’ll definitely return to Camp Liberty.
My team and I got situated in the classroom for our day’s instruction. At 0900 we began our classes. We were teaching the Unit Mobility Officers (UMOs) of an infantry brigade combat team the redeployment process. I taught a complete overview class. Then my team got into the nitty-gritty of containers, HAZMAT, in-transit tracking systems, documentation, and various other particulars they needed to know. We had around 40 people in attendance. The poor AC unit was overwhelmed so frequent breaks were a necessity. I’ve got my team trained well on sticking to the agenda. That’s good because it meant we wrapped up our classes by lunch. The classes are necessary and important – just boring. Many of the UMOs present stayed after to ask questions and try to book individual appointments with my team. Then we broke for lunch. We weren’t completely done. After lunch we had to inspect their computer software to ensure they had the correct redeployment software installed and functional. This took a few hours of the afternoon.
Once I was satisfied we had successfully completed our training I released everyone. I stopped by the Iraqi bazaar to buy some post cards. Then I hit the DFAC for supper. On the way back to my hooch I made a latrine stop. Once inside I heard the distinct sound of sniffles coming from one of the stalls. The soldier inside came out while I was in the latrine. Sure enough, he had been crying. I asked him if he was ok. At first he didn’t acknowledge me. He just stared blankly into the mirror. I asked again. This time he snapped out of it a bit and said he was ok. I put my hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eye and asked again. He straightened up, took a deep breath, and said that he was fine. I asked if he needed to talk (to me or anyone else) and he said no. I asked what unit he belonged to. It turned out he was in the same unit we’d just taught classes to. I passed his name on to his chain-of-command. It could have been anything – dear john letter, red cross message, some other bad news from home, personal experience on mission, or even just being homesick. I didn’t ask. I hope he’s ok.
I got comfy back in the hooch. I fly out with one of my soldiers back to LSAA very early in the morning. It’s better to just catch up on some sleep. Besides, I’ve seen about everything to see at Camp Liberty. We’ve had a successful mission – again.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
23 June 2007: My Morning Commute
I'm getting real used to these Blackhawks. They are quite the zippy sportscars. I must say they make for a fun commute. This morning my four-man team (including me) met at Catfish Air at 0530. We were on the flight line waiting to load the helicopters by 0630. Our destination was Camp Liberty. When we arrived at the helicopters the crews were in the middle of their pre-flight checks. We waited along the jersey barriers that separate each helicopter. Around 0700 we loaded and took off shortly after. Initially we flew north then flew around the western perimeter of Anaconda headed back towards Baghdad. It was another spectacular, clear morning. Everything below was peaceful and serene. I'm not certain how many herds of sheep we passed over but it was a lot. Despite the cliche of nothing but desert, the scene from the air is completely different. We passed over seemingly endless fields of green agriculture. I wasn't able to discern every crop but definitely made out sunflower and date palms. Most of the fields had people working in them. There were little signs of war other than occassionally passing over a flattened building. I'm almost positive one of the flattened structures was the safe house where Zarquawi (Al Qaeda thug) was killed. As we approached Baghdad the helicopters began to fly lower and faster. There were plumes of smoke in several places as we started passing over suburbs of the city. There is a major offensive ongoing and I believe the helicopters were deliberately flying in a manner that kept them at great distance from hostilities below. I took a bunch of photos and a few videos (like a tourist). As I looked around it seemed every passenger was doing the same thing. We landed safely at Liberty around 0745. Our contact was there and took us straight to the DFAC for breakfast. Just another commute to the office wouldn't you say?
After breakfast we got checked into our billets. We then set up our classroom for the training we'd be conducting the next day. Once I was certain everything was working we conducted a quick rehearsal. We'll be training a whole new brigade so it's always important to be at the top of our game. It's when we're busy that I'm the happiest. I'm glad to say that we'll be pretty busy from here on out. My team is here to serve the warfighters. Anyway, once we finished our rehearsal I released everyone for the rest of the day. I've been to Camp Liberty before (earlier this week if you've paid attention). Our billets were in an entirely different spot from where I stayed earlier this week. However, it was still walking distance from the PX, MWR, and gym. The remainder of my day was nap, gym, supper, PX, and MWR in that order. By 2200 I was back at my hooch reading about the failed Soviet winter offensive at Luban in 1942 ( a dismal failed attempt at relieving the seige of Leningrad). At 2300 I conducted my personal "lights out" and began conducting sleep operations. Big day tomorrow - we're back on stage training the warfighters for their redeployment. That's what we're paid to do.
After breakfast we got checked into our billets. We then set up our classroom for the training we'd be conducting the next day. Once I was certain everything was working we conducted a quick rehearsal. We'll be training a whole new brigade so it's always important to be at the top of our game. It's when we're busy that I'm the happiest. I'm glad to say that we'll be pretty busy from here on out. My team is here to serve the warfighters. Anyway, once we finished our rehearsal I released everyone for the rest of the day. I've been to Camp Liberty before (earlier this week if you've paid attention). Our billets were in an entirely different spot from where I stayed earlier this week. However, it was still walking distance from the PX, MWR, and gym. The remainder of my day was nap, gym, supper, PX, and MWR in that order. By 2200 I was back at my hooch reading about the failed Soviet winter offensive at Luban in 1942 ( a dismal failed attempt at relieving the seige of Leningrad). At 2300 I conducted my personal "lights out" and began conducting sleep operations. Big day tomorrow - we're back on stage training the warfighters for their redeployment. That's what we're paid to do.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
22 June 2007: Denied at W&M Service
Now that I'm back in Anaconda I figured my first order of business would be to get the AC repaired in the Admiral. The leasing company is called W&M. If you recall from an entry around a month ago, they occupy the big pimpin' trailer on the west side. After breakfast I took a trek over to their location. They took one look and said "leave here and pick up tomorrow." I told them I had no ride and that I was going to Baghdad the next day. They had a group huddle for a private discussion (I'm not sure what the secret was). After a few minutes the ringleader came back and said "bring to us Monday when you return." I shrugged my shoulders and said fine. I won't be driving the thing over the weekend anyway so ok. It can go a few more days without the AC fan. I did step into the trailer again just to refresh my memory of it's tacky opulence.
When I arrived at the office my soldiers were watching "Casino". I've never seen the movie. I tried not to watch but it was projected on the wall. My impression was it tried hard to look like "Goodfellas". It even had some of the same actors. I've noticed that Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro seem to be the same characters no matter what the movie.
I'm leading a four-man mission back to Camp Liberty over the weekend. We found out our flight was very early the next morning. With that in mind, I released everyone on the mission (including myself) so we could have a little time off prior to leaving. I realized I didn't have an alarm clock so after supper I headed to the PX. They didn't have one either. At this point I was about to stress over how I would wake up so early. That's when I figured out that my iPod has an alarm clock (duh!). I set it on Baghdad time and hooked it into my speakers. Now I'm good to go.
Next few days will be back at Liberty. The return to being busy is upon me. Now I can be on the lookout for crazy Joe-isms, Port-o-Jon grafitti, and great photo ops. It all makes for good blog commentary so I hope you're still hanging with me.
When I arrived at the office my soldiers were watching "Casino". I've never seen the movie. I tried not to watch but it was projected on the wall. My impression was it tried hard to look like "Goodfellas". It even had some of the same actors. I've noticed that Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro seem to be the same characters no matter what the movie.
I'm leading a four-man mission back to Camp Liberty over the weekend. We found out our flight was very early the next morning. With that in mind, I released everyone on the mission (including myself) so we could have a little time off prior to leaving. I realized I didn't have an alarm clock so after supper I headed to the PX. They didn't have one either. At this point I was about to stress over how I would wake up so early. That's when I figured out that my iPod has an alarm clock (duh!). I set it on Baghdad time and hooked it into my speakers. Now I'm good to go.
Next few days will be back at Liberty. The return to being busy is upon me. Now I can be on the lookout for crazy Joe-isms, Port-o-Jon grafitti, and great photo ops. It all makes for good blog commentary so I hope you're still hanging with me.
Friday, June 22, 2007
21 June 2007: Pilots Need to Hydrate Too!
My thanks to Melanie for her comment posted yesterday. She provided a link to a recent edition of the 3ID newspaper that tells the story of Rocky the mascot. Check it out so that my entry of yesterday doesn’t leave you confused. Now let me continue the story where I left off yesterday.
My last entry ended with me still at the Liberty helicopter pad. The Blackhawks arrived around 0200 as scheduled. Their original flight mission called for them to pick up some passengers and take them to nearby FOB Washington. They would then return to Liberty to pick us up and head to Balad. Instead, the helicopters shut down and there was a flurry of activity. It turns out the copilot on one of the birds had passed out from dehydration. He ended up being ok but in the meantime we waited while the medics administered IVs. Ultimately, the original flight was cancelled as a precaution. Our original fear was that we’d be stuck at Liberty for another day. Fortunately, another two Blackhawks were dispatched from Balad to finish the mission. They finally arrived around 0400. By the time they got back from FOB Washington it was closing on 0500. In the meantime I had to endure a terrible movie about tap dancing starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. Then it got worse when someone put on “The Jackal” starring Bruce Willis. I couldn’t go to the other tent to wait because the TV there was blaring one of the worst movies of all time – “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson (I really hope none of you are basing your Revolutionary War history on this piece of shit movie). Wait, where was I… Oh yeah! The helicopters returned around 0500. We loaded according to plan. The Major and Captain were in the lead bird and I was in the trail. On board with me were two Special Forces operators, an AF NCO, another Army NCO and a civilian. We took off but it was immediately apparent we weren’t headed to Balad. Instead we flew to BIAP – flying time all of two minutes. Then the helicopters completely shut down again. We all looked around in the “what the fuck” manner. The crew chief said something about being unable to fly through sunrise so we’d have to wait for the sun to come up. One of the SF guys asked what we were all thinking, “why did we even take off from Liberty?” Well the answer became apparent very quickly. There was an AF DFAC near the BIAP pax terminal and the flight crew wanted to eat breakfast. So we all walked over and ate. After breakfast we were treated to a spectacular sunrise over the BIAP civilian terminal (across the tarmac from us). Finally, around 0645, we took off for Balad.
It’s very different to fly over hostile territory in daylight. At night the helicopters fly in total blackout. It’s almost impossible to see them from the ground. In daylight you can hear them and see them from a long distance. The whole flight the Blackhawks flew low, fast, and continually banked and swerved. I’m glad I don’t get airsick. Actually, I’m surprised nobody did. By 0800 we were landing at Catfish Air. I was smoked. I got back to my room and just started dropping IBA, rucksack, and clothes as I crawled into bed. I slept until 1230. My intent was to take the rest of the day off but when I went to the office I was immediately engaged by people who needed my help. Eventually things calmed down. The latest episode of Sopranos arrived (one more to go). I worked out, ate supper, watched Sopranos, and hit the fart sack.
Oh yeah, I’m back in LSAA. It’s only temporary though. I told you June would go by fast.
My last entry ended with me still at the Liberty helicopter pad. The Blackhawks arrived around 0200 as scheduled. Their original flight mission called for them to pick up some passengers and take them to nearby FOB Washington. They would then return to Liberty to pick us up and head to Balad. Instead, the helicopters shut down and there was a flurry of activity. It turns out the copilot on one of the birds had passed out from dehydration. He ended up being ok but in the meantime we waited while the medics administered IVs. Ultimately, the original flight was cancelled as a precaution. Our original fear was that we’d be stuck at Liberty for another day. Fortunately, another two Blackhawks were dispatched from Balad to finish the mission. They finally arrived around 0400. By the time they got back from FOB Washington it was closing on 0500. In the meantime I had to endure a terrible movie about tap dancing starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. Then it got worse when someone put on “The Jackal” starring Bruce Willis. I couldn’t go to the other tent to wait because the TV there was blaring one of the worst movies of all time – “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson (I really hope none of you are basing your Revolutionary War history on this piece of shit movie). Wait, where was I… Oh yeah! The helicopters returned around 0500. We loaded according to plan. The Major and Captain were in the lead bird and I was in the trail. On board with me were two Special Forces operators, an AF NCO, another Army NCO and a civilian. We took off but it was immediately apparent we weren’t headed to Balad. Instead we flew to BIAP – flying time all of two minutes. Then the helicopters completely shut down again. We all looked around in the “what the fuck” manner. The crew chief said something about being unable to fly through sunrise so we’d have to wait for the sun to come up. One of the SF guys asked what we were all thinking, “why did we even take off from Liberty?” Well the answer became apparent very quickly. There was an AF DFAC near the BIAP pax terminal and the flight crew wanted to eat breakfast. So we all walked over and ate. After breakfast we were treated to a spectacular sunrise over the BIAP civilian terminal (across the tarmac from us). Finally, around 0645, we took off for Balad.
It’s very different to fly over hostile territory in daylight. At night the helicopters fly in total blackout. It’s almost impossible to see them from the ground. In daylight you can hear them and see them from a long distance. The whole flight the Blackhawks flew low, fast, and continually banked and swerved. I’m glad I don’t get airsick. Actually, I’m surprised nobody did. By 0800 we were landing at Catfish Air. I was smoked. I got back to my room and just started dropping IBA, rucksack, and clothes as I crawled into bed. I slept until 1230. My intent was to take the rest of the day off but when I went to the office I was immediately engaged by people who needed my help. Eventually things calmed down. The latest episode of Sopranos arrived (one more to go). I worked out, ate supper, watched Sopranos, and hit the fart sack.
Oh yeah, I’m back in LSAA. It’s only temporary though. I told you June would go by fast.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
20 June 2007: "Rock of the Marne"
My second day at Camp Liberty found me up early for breakfast. The big event was a meeting with the DTO of MND-Central. They are located over at the Camp Victory compound within earshot of Al Faw palace. However, first came personal needs and that included breakfast. The Liberty DFAC was a short walk from my CHU. A foot bridge crosses a small canal next to the DFAC. Scores of carp congregate below the bridge waiting for Joes to drop bread for them. Every time I crossed that foot bridge there was at least one Joe throwing something to the fish. A few turtles were in the mix as well. I saw one of the turtles snag a carp and take him under. Perhaps that was his breakfast. Oh well, you can only entertain yourself so long watching fish frenzy over a piece of bread.
At 0930 we headed over to MND-C headquarters. Our meeting started just after 1000 and we had a good turnout. 3rd Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne" is the HQ for MND-C. On the way in the building visitors walk past a big statue of "Rocky". He's the bulldog mascot for the division. Apparently they take this statue with them everywhere they go. It reminded me of "Chesty" - the USMC mascot. Although I asked, nobody seemed to know the story of how Rocky came to be the 3ID mascot. Anyway, the meeting was extremely productive and will reap dividends for the upcoming missions my team will perform. During the meeting I met the G4 for the division. Lo and behold it was a West Point classmate of mine. We chatted for a while. He's also married to another classmate. Unfortunately, neither of them will be making our 20-year reunion in October. It was still good to see a familiar face.
Once our meeting was over we all headed to the 3ID DFAC. The division band was there entertaining diners with smooth jazz renditions. It was rather surreal sitting there eating with live jazz. You'd never know there was a war on.
The only thing left on the agenda was to get back to the Liberty pad to catch our Blackhawk flight back to LSAA. The roll call for the flight wasn't until after midnight though. That meant we were free to roam the rest of the day. I roamed back to the hooch for a nap. Then I walked over to the Liberty PX just to pass time. As usual, I didn't spend a dime. The rest of the evening was just a waiting game for the flight back to LSAA. It was some boring moments for certain. I completed a crossword puzzle in the latest Stars and Stripes. Then I packed and straightened up the room. This is a story to be continued. The flight didn't work out exactly as planned. Stay tuned......
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
19 June 2007: Camp Liberty
Camp Liberty is part of the large Victory, Liberty, Striker, Slayer, and BIAP compound just south of Baghdad. It's home to one of the MNDs (Multi-National Divisions). The whole area is dotted with palaces of the former regime. There are man-made canals and lakes - all teaming with carp. Multi-National Corps can be found in Camp Victory in the Al Faw Palace (a place I visited frequently for meetings back in my old MNF-I days). Today my main purpose was to meet with the Division Transportation Officer (DTO) for MND-Baghdad. I had a Major and a Captain from my unit with me. We had a very good planning meeting at 1000 at the division headquarters. The meeting took us into lunch time. Once the meeting was complete we were through for the day. We have a similar meeting tomorrow at Camp Victory with MND-Central.
This place is much more spread out than LSAA. Fortunately, we were close enough to the PX to walk. After the meeting we stopped by the PX and the Iraqi Bazaar. That was good for about an hour or so. It's amazing how much stuff you can purchase at the Liberty PX. They've got everything from major appliances to bicycles. The bazaar is much nicer than the one in LSAA. None of us purchased anything though. Having gotten our thrills in we went our separate ways for the rest of the day. I ate lunch, stopped by the internet cafe, and took a nap. I found the gym later and got the workout on. After supper I ate an ice cream cone under a gazebo in the billets area. There were three Iraqi interpreters there having a smoke. I chatted with them for about a half an hour. They were all American citizens who had lived in Iraq back in the Saddam era. They provided me some tips on how to watch for merchant cheating at the bazaars. Apparently, the old Saddam system of business was very corrupt and it has carried over. It was nice to meet them and I bid them a good night before heading over to the MWR. That was a mistake. The only thing going on was a bunch of people watching WWF "Smackdown". That's too much excitement for me.
I got back to my hooch (a primitive container unit that has spartan furnishings) and worked on a crossword puzzle. That was good to put me to sleep. I was out by 2300.
This place is much more spread out than LSAA. Fortunately, we were close enough to the PX to walk. After the meeting we stopped by the PX and the Iraqi Bazaar. That was good for about an hour or so. It's amazing how much stuff you can purchase at the Liberty PX. They've got everything from major appliances to bicycles. The bazaar is much nicer than the one in LSAA. None of us purchased anything though. Having gotten our thrills in we went our separate ways for the rest of the day. I ate lunch, stopped by the internet cafe, and took a nap. I found the gym later and got the workout on. After supper I ate an ice cream cone under a gazebo in the billets area. There were three Iraqi interpreters there having a smoke. I chatted with them for about a half an hour. They were all American citizens who had lived in Iraq back in the Saddam era. They provided me some tips on how to watch for merchant cheating at the bazaars. Apparently, the old Saddam system of business was very corrupt and it has carried over. It was nice to meet them and I bid them a good night before heading over to the MWR. That was a mistake. The only thing going on was a bunch of people watching WWF "Smackdown". That's too much excitement for me.
I got back to my hooch (a primitive container unit that has spartan furnishings) and worked on a crossword puzzle. That was good to put me to sleep. I was out by 2300.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
18 June 2007: IDF Attack - for real!
IDF: Indirect Fire - mortars, rockets, artillery (just a reminder before I start)
Around 0615 I was aroused from my slumber by the distant sound of detonations. Since it was rather rythmic, I assumed it was controlled detonations. Just as I was drifting off an announcement came over the LSAA warning speakers, "Alarm Red! Alarm Red! Alarm Red! We are receiving an indirect fire attack. Take cover! Take cover! Take cover!" I can't say I exactly reacted. I didn't get the chance to doze back off though because almost immediately the siren sounded. Now I've heard all this before and it amounted to nothing. Mortar fire is never accurate around here. However this time was different. About fifteen seconds after the alarm there were two successive impacts, "Whump!! whump!!" My trailer shook from the blast concussion. Mortar impacts don't sound anything like the movies. It's a quick detonation followed by a concussion. These rounds were pretty close. I jumped out of bed and looked around. Just then came another "whump! whump! whump!" My trailer shook with each one. The rounds were hitting on both sides. They weren't close enough to be dangerous but they were close enough to make me uncomfortable. Instead of ignoring the threat I made the fifty meter sprint to the nearby bunker. There were about twenty soldiers in various dress present. I joined them in my boxers, t-shirt, and flip-flops. There we waited for the all clear. There were several more impacts. Around 0815 the all-clear was finally given. We all made our way back to our hooches. I finally got my coffee started and got on with my morning routine. Mortar attacks are not part of my normal routine.
Once I got to work the rest of the day proved uneventful. I had a couple of work-related meetings. My e-mail took some time off the clock as well. There weren't any more IDF attacks the rest of the day. With the exception of the morning's excitement, the day proved mundane.
Once evening arrived I had to pack for a trip to Camp Liberty (south of Baghdad in the Victory compound). I was flying with a Major and Captain from my unit for a meeting scheduled for the 20th. We flew courtesy of Catfish Air on a friendly Blackhawk. The departure time was midnight so we met at the terminal at 2315. The area lights outside were attracting a plethora of bugs. Every time the terminal door opened some more flew inside. Bugs were crawling around everywhere. When role call for our flight came I discovered (to my dismay) that my IBA had picked up a hitchhiker. While riding the bus out to the flight line I picked up the scent of a stinkbug. Since it persisted I knew the bug had to be buried inside my body armor. I couldn't find the thing. Once we arrived at the helicopters we had to wait while the flight crew prepped the birds for flight. I kept smelling the fuckin' bug. Just as I was getting real annoyed I felt something on my neck. Reaching up, I realized immediately it was my nemesis. He had crawled out from under the collar of my IBA. I snatched the bugger, threw him on the concrete, and squashed him into oblivion. Mess with me will you? It still was halfway to Baghdad before the smell subsided. I had an awesome view of Big Dipper during the flight down. It was a beautiful night for a flying. It made me miss home.
We arrived at Camp Liberty around 0130. Our ride was waiting. I was in my temporary hooch be 0200. The day started with a bang - literally. Now time to do great things at Camp Liberty.
Around 0615 I was aroused from my slumber by the distant sound of detonations. Since it was rather rythmic, I assumed it was controlled detonations. Just as I was drifting off an announcement came over the LSAA warning speakers, "Alarm Red! Alarm Red! Alarm Red! We are receiving an indirect fire attack. Take cover! Take cover! Take cover!" I can't say I exactly reacted. I didn't get the chance to doze back off though because almost immediately the siren sounded. Now I've heard all this before and it amounted to nothing. Mortar fire is never accurate around here. However this time was different. About fifteen seconds after the alarm there were two successive impacts, "Whump!! whump!!" My trailer shook from the blast concussion. Mortar impacts don't sound anything like the movies. It's a quick detonation followed by a concussion. These rounds were pretty close. I jumped out of bed and looked around. Just then came another "whump! whump! whump!" My trailer shook with each one. The rounds were hitting on both sides. They weren't close enough to be dangerous but they were close enough to make me uncomfortable. Instead of ignoring the threat I made the fifty meter sprint to the nearby bunker. There were about twenty soldiers in various dress present. I joined them in my boxers, t-shirt, and flip-flops. There we waited for the all clear. There were several more impacts. Around 0815 the all-clear was finally given. We all made our way back to our hooches. I finally got my coffee started and got on with my morning routine. Mortar attacks are not part of my normal routine.
Once I got to work the rest of the day proved uneventful. I had a couple of work-related meetings. My e-mail took some time off the clock as well. There weren't any more IDF attacks the rest of the day. With the exception of the morning's excitement, the day proved mundane.
Once evening arrived I had to pack for a trip to Camp Liberty (south of Baghdad in the Victory compound). I was flying with a Major and Captain from my unit for a meeting scheduled for the 20th. We flew courtesy of Catfish Air on a friendly Blackhawk. The departure time was midnight so we met at the terminal at 2315. The area lights outside were attracting a plethora of bugs. Every time the terminal door opened some more flew inside. Bugs were crawling around everywhere. When role call for our flight came I discovered (to my dismay) that my IBA had picked up a hitchhiker. While riding the bus out to the flight line I picked up the scent of a stinkbug. Since it persisted I knew the bug had to be buried inside my body armor. I couldn't find the thing. Once we arrived at the helicopters we had to wait while the flight crew prepped the birds for flight. I kept smelling the fuckin' bug. Just as I was getting real annoyed I felt something on my neck. Reaching up, I realized immediately it was my nemesis. He had crawled out from under the collar of my IBA. I snatched the bugger, threw him on the concrete, and squashed him into oblivion. Mess with me will you? It still was halfway to Baghdad before the smell subsided. I had an awesome view of Big Dipper during the flight down. It was a beautiful night for a flying. It made me miss home.
We arrived at Camp Liberty around 0130. Our ride was waiting. I was in my temporary hooch be 0200. The day started with a bang - literally. Now time to do great things at Camp Liberty.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
17 June 2007: LSAA-style Fathers' Day
Since the command visit was cancelled I had given the team the rest of the weekend off. That meant sleeping in for me was in order. I did just that. I didn’t even stir until about 0830. Around 0900 I finally arose from a blissful rest. How else should a Fathers' Day start? After getting up I really got busy. By that I mean I lounged in my boxers drinking coffee and watching sports news. Eventually I got dressed and drove to the office. After checking e-mail I stopped by the gym for an early workout. This was really the tone of the entire day – nothing pressing, no deadlines, nobody calling me.
After working out I stopped by DFAC 1 for their Fathers' Day lunch. See the menu in the photo for reference. I guess the consensus was that dads like lots of meaty choices. My place was piled with cornish hen (I guess they were out of BBQ chicken), ribs, and hot link. As a compliment I included the turnip greens, cornbread, and a salad. I tried to remember what I normally eat on Fathers' Day but drew a blank. While eating I had a DFAC first. I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked but didn’t see anything. A moment later I caught the movement again. This time I was quicker to glance. It was a mouse! This was a tiny little critter. He was scurrying along the edge of the wall. I thought for a moment that I might try to stomp the bugger but refrained. Maybe it was a father mouse? If I see him on another day I might launch an attack. I finished eating. It did occur to me that it was the first rodent I had seen in a DFAC since deploying. That’s pretty good. However, I will be avoiding the chicken cordon bleu from now on. There’s too much mystery behind the meat used to make that dish. They always appear rodent-sized in the serving line.
About an hour after supper I gave my dad a call. It was around 0800 EST so he and mom were getting ready for church. I called at this time because back on Moms' day I waited until later, only to find all the circuits busy. Dad was pretty chatty. We talked for almost an hour. He’s the best dad in the world. If anyone deserved to have a happy fathers' day it was him. Hopefully my phone call got his day started right.
My lazy Sunday concluded over on the west side. I stopped by Green Beans for the MWR karaoke. It wasn’t nearly as crowded. People were singing way too much country. Some friends of mine were there so I stayed. They decided to do a group rendition of “Friends in Low Places”. I sat that out.
After working out I stopped by DFAC 1 for their Fathers' Day lunch. See the menu in the photo for reference. I guess the consensus was that dads like lots of meaty choices. My place was piled with cornish hen (I guess they were out of BBQ chicken), ribs, and hot link. As a compliment I included the turnip greens, cornbread, and a salad. I tried to remember what I normally eat on Fathers' Day but drew a blank. While eating I had a DFAC first. I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked but didn’t see anything. A moment later I caught the movement again. This time I was quicker to glance. It was a mouse! This was a tiny little critter. He was scurrying along the edge of the wall. I thought for a moment that I might try to stomp the bugger but refrained. Maybe it was a father mouse? If I see him on another day I might launch an attack. I finished eating. It did occur to me that it was the first rodent I had seen in a DFAC since deploying. That’s pretty good. However, I will be avoiding the chicken cordon bleu from now on. There’s too much mystery behind the meat used to make that dish. They always appear rodent-sized in the serving line.
About an hour after supper I gave my dad a call. It was around 0800 EST so he and mom were getting ready for church. I called at this time because back on Moms' day I waited until later, only to find all the circuits busy. Dad was pretty chatty. We talked for almost an hour. He’s the best dad in the world. If anyone deserved to have a happy fathers' day it was him. Hopefully my phone call got his day started right.
My lazy Sunday concluded over on the west side. I stopped by Green Beans for the MWR karaoke. It wasn’t nearly as crowded. People were singing way too much country. Some friends of mine were there so I stayed. They decided to do a group rendition of “Friends in Low Places”. I sat that out.
16 June 2007: 100 days down
And just like that! Poof! 100 days of deployment have passed. I applaud everyone who has remained faithful to my blog for that entire time. There have been exciting, funny, and entertaining moments followed by long stretches of boredom. I arrived back on 9 March and then set a land-speed record by staying in Kuwait for all of four hours before moving on to Iraq. Most people spend days in Kuwait before getting up here. Initially it seemed like my entire deployment would live up to the title of the blog. Within the first month and a half I had reported to you from Camp Striker (Baghdad/BIAP), FOB Speicher (Tikrit), FOB Warrior (Kirkuk), and FOB Marez (Mosul). I was poised to move on to Taji when my team was brought to a screeching halt by the extensions of the deployments. Yet in our short time “FOB-hopping” we provided excellent training to five separate Brigade Combat Teams – training that prepares them for their eventual redeployment. All that traveling also afforded me the chance to give you a lot of humorous insight into the goofy unreported behavioral characteristics of Joe. Since early May I’ve been continually idle at LSA Anaconda. Changes are coming. As I explained in a previous entry, the extensions simply pushed all my team’s missions to the right (on the calendar). That mission load is catching up to us now. The next 100 days are going to prove to be a lot busier than the first 100. I’m happy to say that my travels, observations, and commentary are about to be infused with new life. Make certain you keep reading. Things are about to get real interesting. Although it’s 100 days down there are still 265 to go. As we say in the Army – HOOAH!!
Now you’re probably wondering how I spent my 100th day of deployment. It wasn’t really a celebration. Remember that command briefing I was working on? Welcome to the Army – the whole thing has been cancelled (possibly rescheduled for a future, undisclosed date). It seems the command group from Kuwait isn’t flying up this weekend after all. I don’t know why. Once I found out I told my team (that’s present at LSAA, most of them are in Qatar) to take the rest of the weekend off. I left my office around noon, got in an early workout, and then saw the 1700 showing of “Oceans 13” at the Sustainer. My other two team members met me there. I enjoyed the movie. It’s a bit far-fetched. I liked it though.
The big event for the day involved that piece-of-shit Chinese-made Admiral. After the movie I drove over to the west LSAA PX. The AC fan went out. Now keep in mind that it was around 115 degrees with blowing dust. I tried rolling down the window but it only made things worse. A breeze around here is like feeling the draft off a blast furnace. A simple event like driving became a laborious sweat-fest. Now I’ll have to take the thing back to the “big pimpin’” trailer so the leasing company guys can fix the thing. I guess while I’m there I’ll have them fix every thing else that’s gone wrong. The stupid truck still doesn’t even have 1000km on the odometer.
The 100th night was a very simple affair. I ate a big supper, called home, and was in bed by 2315. I considered staying up later but AFN wasn’t showing anything I wanted to watch. I’m too much of a tight wad to buy a movie at the PX and I refuse to buy the pirate DVDs at the Iraqi bazaar. Sleep is always a good option.
Now you’re probably wondering how I spent my 100th day of deployment. It wasn’t really a celebration. Remember that command briefing I was working on? Welcome to the Army – the whole thing has been cancelled (possibly rescheduled for a future, undisclosed date). It seems the command group from Kuwait isn’t flying up this weekend after all. I don’t know why. Once I found out I told my team (that’s present at LSAA, most of them are in Qatar) to take the rest of the weekend off. I left my office around noon, got in an early workout, and then saw the 1700 showing of “Oceans 13” at the Sustainer. My other two team members met me there. I enjoyed the movie. It’s a bit far-fetched. I liked it though.
The big event for the day involved that piece-of-shit Chinese-made Admiral. After the movie I drove over to the west LSAA PX. The AC fan went out. Now keep in mind that it was around 115 degrees with blowing dust. I tried rolling down the window but it only made things worse. A breeze around here is like feeling the draft off a blast furnace. A simple event like driving became a laborious sweat-fest. Now I’ll have to take the thing back to the “big pimpin’” trailer so the leasing company guys can fix the thing. I guess while I’m there I’ll have them fix every thing else that’s gone wrong. The stupid truck still doesn’t even have 1000km on the odometer.
The 100th night was a very simple affair. I ate a big supper, called home, and was in bed by 2315. I considered staying up later but AFN wasn’t showing anything I wanted to watch. I’m too much of a tight wad to buy a movie at the PX and I refuse to buy the pirate DVDs at the Iraqi bazaar. Sleep is always a good option.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
15 June 2007: Revisiting yesterday's entry...
After giving the matter additional thought I decided I needed to amend my blog from yesterday. “Unconditional Surrender” isn’t a good slogan for Senator Harry Reid. Historians will associate that with General Ulysses S. Grant. As a Union general in the Civil War Grant earned the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” because it was the only terms he’d accept from Confederate armies he’d defeated. The nickname also worked for him because it perfectly matched his initials – U.S. Grant. Grant wasn’t necessarily the best tactician. However, his strategy of unrelenting pressure and never retreating eventually wore down General Lee’s Army. General Grant is the polar opposite of Senator Harry Reid. Therefore, to avoid confusion I’ve come up with a better slogan for the senator. He should be known as Sen. Harry “Always Retreat, Always Surrender” Reid.
Now that I’ve cleared that up let me tell you about my day. Unfortunately, the vast majority of my time was spent in front of the computer hammering out my “Commander’s Briefing”. I know I talked about it earlier but I procrastinated. Getting awards done for my soldiers took higher priority so I completed those and ensured they were submitted through the chain of command. Having done that, I was faced with two days to put together the briefing. I decided to get it done in one day so that I could take Saturday off. You’ve all done something similar so I’m certain you can relate. Well I’m glad to say that the briefing is ready.
After my customary workout I stopped back by my hooch. I had intended to step back out and see what was going on at the recreation center. Instead I crashed. I was asleep by 2200. It actually felt great.
Good news for the blog – I’ll be traveling a lot over the next two weeks. I’m certain to discover a lot of excellent news to report. It’s good for me too because life’s been getting a bit monotonous around here.
Now that I’ve cleared that up let me tell you about my day. Unfortunately, the vast majority of my time was spent in front of the computer hammering out my “Commander’s Briefing”. I know I talked about it earlier but I procrastinated. Getting awards done for my soldiers took higher priority so I completed those and ensured they were submitted through the chain of command. Having done that, I was faced with two days to put together the briefing. I decided to get it done in one day so that I could take Saturday off. You’ve all done something similar so I’m certain you can relate. Well I’m glad to say that the briefing is ready.
After my customary workout I stopped back by my hooch. I had intended to step back out and see what was going on at the recreation center. Instead I crashed. I was asleep by 2200. It actually felt great.
Good news for the blog – I’ll be traveling a lot over the next two weeks. I’m certain to discover a lot of excellent news to report. It’s good for me too because life’s been getting a bit monotonous around here.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
14 June 2007: 232 Years and still going Army Strong
Today marked the 232nd celebration of the birth of the United States Army. During the early stages of the American Revolution, Continental Congress met in Cambridge, MA and authorized the formation of a national army. It was a very humble beginning. We weren’t even a nation and yet we were forming an army to take on the world’s foremost superpower – Great Britain. Not only were we successful, we’ve endured. The United States is the most prosperous, generous, free, and powerful nation in the history of the world. It could never have remained so had it not been for the creation, development, and maintaining of a professional army. Many times in our nation’s history there have been grave threats to our sovereignty. The army has stood strong against these threats – both external and internal. The result has been the preservation of our freedom. So Happy Birthday Army! Here’s to another 232 years of freedom to follow!
Here at LSAA it seemed like just another day. How did the occasion of the Army’s birthday get recognized? I didn’t notice any ceremony. The only indication of recognition came from the DFAC. At lunch they served a special meal of steak and crab legs. There was a huge sheet cake decorated with a birthday message to the Army. Although I knew what it was all for I decided to test a few soldiers. I asked ten different soldiers what the DFAC was celebrating (the tables were also decked out in red, white, and blue decorations). Only two of the soldiers correctly answered that it was the Army’s birthday. The rest of them either shrugged their shoulders or muttered “I don’t know sir”. I’ll chalk it up to the deployment. Every day seems the same and people lose track of dates and days of the week.
I noticed that Harry Reid chose the Army’s birthday as a good day to stick his foot in his mouth (again). So now he’s calling General Petraeus incompetent and saying the surge strategy is a failure. Gee Harry… thanks for your support. I’m sure insurgents all over Iraq are celebrating your kind words. I’m certain they all love you. What a fuckin’ idiot that guy is! President Harry Truman was known for the slogan “Give’em hell Harry!” Senator Harry Reid should go by the slogan “Unconditional surrender Harry”.
Hey it was also Flag Day! Did all of you display a flag? Flags are flying here every day. I guess that makes every day Flag Day at LSAA.
Here at LSAA it seemed like just another day. How did the occasion of the Army’s birthday get recognized? I didn’t notice any ceremony. The only indication of recognition came from the DFAC. At lunch they served a special meal of steak and crab legs. There was a huge sheet cake decorated with a birthday message to the Army. Although I knew what it was all for I decided to test a few soldiers. I asked ten different soldiers what the DFAC was celebrating (the tables were also decked out in red, white, and blue decorations). Only two of the soldiers correctly answered that it was the Army’s birthday. The rest of them either shrugged their shoulders or muttered “I don’t know sir”. I’ll chalk it up to the deployment. Every day seems the same and people lose track of dates and days of the week.
I noticed that Harry Reid chose the Army’s birthday as a good day to stick his foot in his mouth (again). So now he’s calling General Petraeus incompetent and saying the surge strategy is a failure. Gee Harry… thanks for your support. I’m sure insurgents all over Iraq are celebrating your kind words. I’m certain they all love you. What a fuckin’ idiot that guy is! President Harry Truman was known for the slogan “Give’em hell Harry!” Senator Harry Reid should go by the slogan “Unconditional surrender Harry”.
Hey it was also Flag Day! Did all of you display a flag? Flags are flying here every day. I guess that makes every day Flag Day at LSAA.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
13 June 2007: My thoughts on civilian contractors
Since I’m not really busy right now I thought I’d touch on another subject. This is one that is much maligned back home. It’s the subject of civilian contractors working here in Iraq. Unfortunately the news normally feeds right into the cliché that the contractors are lazy, overpaid, and in it just for the money. I’ve got a news flash for all of you. It would be impossible for the service men and women deployed to do all that we do without the contractors. I’ll start right off by talking about the folks from KBR (subsidiary of Halliburton). That’s the company getting the most press (normally negative) and about which circulate the most ridiculous clichés of pork-barrel spending and good ol’boy contracts. I know the most hard core believers in right-wing conspiracies believe that KBR is here because of Dick Cheney. I’ve even heard some people claim this to be Halliburton’s war. Come on folks! Did you ever stop to consider that they are here because they are one of only a few companies that can successfully carry out the tasks required of such a colossal enterprise as this? They do what they do very well. Let’s look at some of the things they do.
KBR – All of our DFACs are run by KBR. They feed excellent food in very abundant quantities. Everyone here is well fed, has choices at every meal, and eats in modern, clean facilities. A lot of people in the military will swear up and down that the best mess halls are in Iraq. I’m one of them.
Food service isn’t the only thing we can thank KBR for. All of our sanitation and garbage clean-up is handled by them. The laundry services are another service we can thank them for. I drop off my laundry and pick it up the next day (cleaned and folded). Our facilities are continually serviced and upgraded thanks to KBR. All the soldiers live in clean billets with real beds. There are modern shower facilities. Life would be very miserable in this place were it not for the contractors. I could go on and on – electric supply, fuel service, vehicle maintenance, MWR…. Get the point?
KBR and other contractors put their lives at risk every day. Truck drivers go out on convoys every day. There’s no place as dangerous to be. Yet they do it. Convoys comprised of soldiers and contractors leave the FOBs every day delivering life-essential supplies all over this country. A lot of contractors have lost their lives performing their duties. Their lives were no less valuable than the soldiers they serve alongside. There are also contractors who provide personal security. This frees up a lot of soldiers to focus on their mission.
Are contractors in it for the money? I won’t deny that many of them earn quite a lot. Yet I don’t believe it’s the money alone. I’ve met contractors who’ve worked here continually for 42 months. Most of them have spent more time here than me. They are young and old, men and women, single and married, parents and grandparents. Money alone doesn’t fuel someone’s willingness to spend so much time away from loved ones back home. There’s love of country. But more than that, they feel a sense of duty to serve the soldiers. Last night I met a KBR truck driver. He reminded me of my grandfather. I’d put his age at least in the mid-60s. He has been here driving trucks outside the wire for over 40 months straight. The guy should be back home enjoying the fruits of his labors. I asked him why in the world he was still here. His answer was immediate. He said, “Sir, as long as there are soldiers over here I’ll be here too. It may not be driving trucks in convoys. But whatever I can do to help. I’ll stay here until our job is done.” I was almost speechless. All I could respond with was a handshake, looking him in the eye and saying “sir I salute you.”
Then on a Sunday or Wednesday night you just have to go over to Green Beans on the west side and see everyone gathered around having fun at outdoor karaoke. There are no cliques. Soldiers, airmen, contractors, coalition…. they all sit together having fun. Now I’ll sound cliché – we’re all on the same team even if we don’t wear the same uniform.
Hopefully my words will resonate the next time someone starts bashing civilian contractors who are serving here. They are heroes every bit as much as those of us in uniform.
KBR – All of our DFACs are run by KBR. They feed excellent food in very abundant quantities. Everyone here is well fed, has choices at every meal, and eats in modern, clean facilities. A lot of people in the military will swear up and down that the best mess halls are in Iraq. I’m one of them.
Food service isn’t the only thing we can thank KBR for. All of our sanitation and garbage clean-up is handled by them. The laundry services are another service we can thank them for. I drop off my laundry and pick it up the next day (cleaned and folded). Our facilities are continually serviced and upgraded thanks to KBR. All the soldiers live in clean billets with real beds. There are modern shower facilities. Life would be very miserable in this place were it not for the contractors. I could go on and on – electric supply, fuel service, vehicle maintenance, MWR…. Get the point?
KBR and other contractors put their lives at risk every day. Truck drivers go out on convoys every day. There’s no place as dangerous to be. Yet they do it. Convoys comprised of soldiers and contractors leave the FOBs every day delivering life-essential supplies all over this country. A lot of contractors have lost their lives performing their duties. Their lives were no less valuable than the soldiers they serve alongside. There are also contractors who provide personal security. This frees up a lot of soldiers to focus on their mission.
Are contractors in it for the money? I won’t deny that many of them earn quite a lot. Yet I don’t believe it’s the money alone. I’ve met contractors who’ve worked here continually for 42 months. Most of them have spent more time here than me. They are young and old, men and women, single and married, parents and grandparents. Money alone doesn’t fuel someone’s willingness to spend so much time away from loved ones back home. There’s love of country. But more than that, they feel a sense of duty to serve the soldiers. Last night I met a KBR truck driver. He reminded me of my grandfather. I’d put his age at least in the mid-60s. He has been here driving trucks outside the wire for over 40 months straight. The guy should be back home enjoying the fruits of his labors. I asked him why in the world he was still here. His answer was immediate. He said, “Sir, as long as there are soldiers over here I’ll be here too. It may not be driving trucks in convoys. But whatever I can do to help. I’ll stay here until our job is done.” I was almost speechless. All I could respond with was a handshake, looking him in the eye and saying “sir I salute you.”
Then on a Sunday or Wednesday night you just have to go over to Green Beans on the west side and see everyone gathered around having fun at outdoor karaoke. There are no cliques. Soldiers, airmen, contractors, coalition…. they all sit together having fun. Now I’ll sound cliché – we’re all on the same team even if we don’t wear the same uniform.
Hopefully my words will resonate the next time someone starts bashing civilian contractors who are serving here. They are heroes every bit as much as those of us in uniform.
12 June 2007: Sopranos Isolation
Lately I’ve been completely avoiding the news. Everywhere I look there are articles about the Sopranos. Remember that the episodes air in the U.S., a Major in my unit has his wife Tivo each one, she sends the latest episode to him, and after he watches it he forwards the episode to me. That means I’m watching the episode a full two weeks after it airs. Last night I had the good fortune of watching two more episodes. However, I still have two more to go. If I even read the first paragraph of an article about the show it gives away some key event that I haven’t yet seen. It’s safe to say that I’m in Sopranos isolation. Now if the last two episodes can just hurry up and arrive I can get on with my life.
Buried in the above paragraph you’ll find the highlight of today. When I received my mail it included the coveted Sopranos episodes. At that point the entire focus of my day was the build up for watching them after work. I breezed through work, got my workout in, ate supper, and then retired to my hooch. For the next two hours I was fixated. Two observations – 1) Tony’s method of removing teeth was very gruesome; 2) AJ is still a twit – just as he has been the entire series. Now there are only two more episodes to go. I'm patiently waiting.
My soldiers were able to fly out for their pass. By now they are sipping beers on the beach in Qatar. That’s good. There’s a lot of work coming up. Once we truly get busy there will be no time for a 4-day pass. I’m glad they’re getting it in now
Buried in the above paragraph you’ll find the highlight of today. When I received my mail it included the coveted Sopranos episodes. At that point the entire focus of my day was the build up for watching them after work. I breezed through work, got my workout in, ate supper, and then retired to my hooch. For the next two hours I was fixated. Two observations – 1) Tony’s method of removing teeth was very gruesome; 2) AJ is still a twit – just as he has been the entire series. Now there are only two more episodes to go. I'm patiently waiting.
My soldiers were able to fly out for their pass. By now they are sipping beers on the beach in Qatar. That’s good. There’s a lot of work coming up. Once we truly get busy there will be no time for a 4-day pass. I’m glad they’re getting it in now
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
11 June 2007: Clarification on the bumper sticker issue...
Although nobody has left a comment on the blog, I’ve received a stream of e-mails regarding my disagreement with the bumper sticker. If you read yesterday’s entry you’ll see that I decided to cut the owner some slack. Look I know what the BS implies – had it not been for soldiers we may be speaking German or Japanese instead of English. Well that the BS implies that is a big part of what fuels my disagreement with the comment. It plays right into the history clichés that many people fall back on. In this case the cliché is that our past enemies sought to extinguish the English language. The fact is that neither the Japanese nor the Germans tried to make their respective languages the requirement in lands they occupied. It is a fact that both countries were ruled by brutally suppressive regimes that dictated policies based on horrific ideologies. Language elimination wasn’t part of their agenda though. A good example of what I mean comes from the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. In an attempt to win the “hearts and minds” of the people they let Tagalog (native language of the Filipinos) become the official language instead of Spanish. Alright before I get too deep in the weeds on this subject I’ll sum it up. It’s historically incorrect to say “if you’re reading this in English thank a soldier”. To correct the bumper sticker would require rewording it to say “if you’re reading this in freedom thank a soldier.” I’ll patiently await further comment on this. I hope I’ve finally clarified enough.
Monday proved to be uneventful. Four of my soldiers left to start a 4-day pass in Qatar. However, their flight was cancelled so I’m not sure when they’ll leave. Fortunately, their pass just gets pushed back to reflect their actual departure date. I spent most of the morning answering e-mails and talking on the phone. There wasn’t anything urgent requiring my attention. We did have the random IDF attack. There were also the ubiquitous controlled detonations. The main objective of everyone was to avoid the sweltering heat by hanging out in AC. I did make it to the gym as usual.
Two soldiers I’ve come to know are redeploying this week. One of them had been the DJ for the various MWR karaoke events. The other was an MWR regular who simply loves to sing. I attended the karaoke night at MWR East to see them off. There was a large crowd and a lot of Joes singing (most very poorly). I dedicated “Good Riddance” by Green Day to Aaron and John. Then I wished them happy trails and departed. I wasn’t in the mood to stay out late. It was good to see them one more time before they left. It’s also good to know they both made it through their year unscathed. Both of them had been through at least one IED. Their units’ respective missions required repeated trips outside the wire. Yet they both were always happy, upbeat, and fun to be around. You’d simply never know from being around them the type of stressful work they were required to perform daily. That’s why Joes are my heroes.
My bed and AC made short work of me once I got back to the hooch. I was out in no time. On to Tuesday….
Monday proved to be uneventful. Four of my soldiers left to start a 4-day pass in Qatar. However, their flight was cancelled so I’m not sure when they’ll leave. Fortunately, their pass just gets pushed back to reflect their actual departure date. I spent most of the morning answering e-mails and talking on the phone. There wasn’t anything urgent requiring my attention. We did have the random IDF attack. There were also the ubiquitous controlled detonations. The main objective of everyone was to avoid the sweltering heat by hanging out in AC. I did make it to the gym as usual.
Two soldiers I’ve come to know are redeploying this week. One of them had been the DJ for the various MWR karaoke events. The other was an MWR regular who simply loves to sing. I attended the karaoke night at MWR East to see them off. There was a large crowd and a lot of Joes singing (most very poorly). I dedicated “Good Riddance” by Green Day to Aaron and John. Then I wished them happy trails and departed. I wasn’t in the mood to stay out late. It was good to see them one more time before they left. It’s also good to know they both made it through their year unscathed. Both of them had been through at least one IED. Their units’ respective missions required repeated trips outside the wire. Yet they both were always happy, upbeat, and fun to be around. You’d simply never know from being around them the type of stressful work they were required to perform daily. That’s why Joes are my heroes.
My bed and AC made short work of me once I got back to the hooch. I was out in no time. On to Tuesday….
Monday, June 11, 2007
10 June 2007: Another APFT down
After taking some time to think about yesterday’s entry I’ve decided I may have been a little harsh. I’m talking about that bumper sticker. I haven’t experienced a change of heart – I still don’t agree with it. I may have just over-reacted a bit to the owner. I’ve calmed down considerably on the subject. It is true that English is also the international business language. Some people would argue that English is the language of freedom. That may be a stretch. I’ll put it this way. If you can read then you definitely owe a debt of gratitude to the person who taught you how. That you can read English isn’t something you need to thank a soldier for unless it was a soldier who taught you how to read the language. Cheap logic isn’t it? I’ll move on.
Sunday was another day off. I started the day by taking an Army Physical Fitness Test (ok, it wasn’t completely a day off). The APFT consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2 mile run. Two minutes each are allocated for the push-up and sit-up events. The 2 mile run is timed. The score is tabulated based on a scale that takes into account the number of repetitions you completed correctly, the time of your run, your age, and gender. Raw scores are converted to point total per event. Max points for each event is 100, which means you can score a maximum of 300 points. My results were 92 push-ups, 104 sit-ups, and a 2 mile run time of 11min, 21sec. That was good for a maximum score on every event (meaning I got a 300). Why did I have to take the test? It’s required twice a year regardless of being deployed.
Once the APFT was finished I spent the rest of the day doing as little as possible. I cleaned my hooch. I took a long nap. I stopped by my office several times to check e-mail. I intended to make phone calls home but the phone wasn’t cooperating. Eventually, I went back to the hooch and watched “Old School” on AFN. It isn’t nearly as funny edited. I still laughed my ass off at the part where Will Ferrell accidentally shoots the tranquilizer dart in his neck and then crashes the birthday party.
Don’t look now but June is already a third complete.
Sunday was another day off. I started the day by taking an Army Physical Fitness Test (ok, it wasn’t completely a day off). The APFT consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2 mile run. Two minutes each are allocated for the push-up and sit-up events. The 2 mile run is timed. The score is tabulated based on a scale that takes into account the number of repetitions you completed correctly, the time of your run, your age, and gender. Raw scores are converted to point total per event. Max points for each event is 100, which means you can score a maximum of 300 points. My results were 92 push-ups, 104 sit-ups, and a 2 mile run time of 11min, 21sec. That was good for a maximum score on every event (meaning I got a 300). Why did I have to take the test? It’s required twice a year regardless of being deployed.
Once the APFT was finished I spent the rest of the day doing as little as possible. I cleaned my hooch. I took a long nap. I stopped by my office several times to check e-mail. I intended to make phone calls home but the phone wasn’t cooperating. Eventually, I went back to the hooch and watched “Old School” on AFN. It isn’t nearly as funny edited. I still laughed my ass off at the part where Will Ferrell accidentally shoots the tranquilizer dart in his neck and then crashes the birthday party.
Don’t look now but June is already a third complete.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
09 June 2007: "Bad Dude Game Face"
Although Joe is universally known for his jovial nature and quick wit he still likes to appear tough. I call this the “Bad Dude Game Face”. Day after day I go through a similar routine in the morning. Regardless of FOB, I take a hike down to the DFAC for breakfast. Inevitably I’ll pass several Joes on the way and back. Since the sun is always shining relentlessly here they always have sunglasses on. The sunglasses are always black and are either the Army issue WileyX wraparounds, Oakleys, Revo, or some other similar brand. Behind those dark sunglasses I encounter some of the most intimidating looking faces. The lenses are so dark they conceal the eyes. I always get the impression that every Joe is trying to look as mean as possible. It’s always the “back the fuck off" vibe. As I approach a Joe it’s always the same scenario. He’ll have the most serious look he can muster. As we get closer I can see he’s eyeballing me suspiciously from behind those sunglasses. Just then, the distance closes enough for tough guy Joe to realize I’m not just another Joe – rank comes into play. Within six paces of one another Joe snaps a salute and says something on the order of “good morning sir!” I always smile back at Joe (as I don’t subscribe to the idea that I have to come across as bad ass) and say, “good morning, how are you today?” Normally this catches Joe off guard. He’s not used to being asked that question. Generally the response is on the lines of “fine sir”. For just a moment I caused Joe to come out from behind his bad assitude. I relish the moment.
This morning when I reached the DFAC I happened to notice a bumper sticker on an NTV. It may have been the most ridiculous bullshit I’ve ever read. I’ll let it speak for itself. Here’s what it said:
“If you can read this bumper sticker you should thank a teacher. If you can read it in English you should thank a soldier!”
Uh…. What the fuck? Who came up with something that stupid? For that matter, who was the idiot who plastered that on his NTV? Somewhere I missed the part where I’m supposed to be defending someone’s right to speak English. Last time I checked I failed to notice where there was an assault on the English language. I found myself wanting to find the owner of the NTV to ask about what was implied by the bumper sticker. After I gave it some thought I decided the bumper sticker needed one more sentence for me to agree with it – “If you agree with this honk your horn to let everyone know that ignorance thrives.” Let me analyze this a little further. English is the official language of the United States. However…..
- my military training has never emphasized enforcement of speaking English
- English is not mandated by the Constitution
- I’ve never been given a mission that mentioned anything about defending the English language
- At no time do I remember our enemies saying that speaking English was something they aimed to stamp out in the world.
I’m not a politically correct person. However there’s a difference between saying something that’s not politically correct and saying something that’s simply wrong. I found the bumper sticker offensive. It doesn’t represent what soldiers are fighting and dying for. It’s just the kind of statement that helps fuel the hatred of our enemies. They can look at that bumper sticker and say, “see, I told you the Americans are modern crusaders who are here to end our way of life, end our culture, and end our language.” Nothing is further from the truth. I didn’t find the owner of the NTV. It was gone when I left the DFAC. I’ll be on the lookout though.
I won’t leave on such a serious note. Later in the day I stepped into one of the KBR port-o-jons. Once again I was happy I did. There must be a Timothy McVeigh Jr. walking around LSAA. He wrote the following quote:
“LEAVE THE ARMY AND START YOUR OWN MALITIA!”
This earned a couple of stern rebukes from other Joes. Spelling police Joe crossed a line through “MALITIA” and wrote “Militia dumbass”. Psychoanalyst Joe reached a conclusion and surmised that the above quote was attributed to “THE MIND OF A TERRORIST (COWARD)”.
Apparently several Joes from 82nd Airborne Division had selected this particular facility as the canvas for their unit propaganda. A Joe from another unit must’ve taken offense to this. He wrote in bold, fat letters “82nd Gayborn DIV” – right on top of all the pro-82nd graffiti. Once again Joe brought a chuckle and smile to my face.
And the deployment continues……
This morning when I reached the DFAC I happened to notice a bumper sticker on an NTV. It may have been the most ridiculous bullshit I’ve ever read. I’ll let it speak for itself. Here’s what it said:
“If you can read this bumper sticker you should thank a teacher. If you can read it in English you should thank a soldier!”
Uh…. What the fuck? Who came up with something that stupid? For that matter, who was the idiot who plastered that on his NTV? Somewhere I missed the part where I’m supposed to be defending someone’s right to speak English. Last time I checked I failed to notice where there was an assault on the English language. I found myself wanting to find the owner of the NTV to ask about what was implied by the bumper sticker. After I gave it some thought I decided the bumper sticker needed one more sentence for me to agree with it – “If you agree with this honk your horn to let everyone know that ignorance thrives.” Let me analyze this a little further. English is the official language of the United States. However…..
- my military training has never emphasized enforcement of speaking English
- English is not mandated by the Constitution
- I’ve never been given a mission that mentioned anything about defending the English language
- At no time do I remember our enemies saying that speaking English was something they aimed to stamp out in the world.
I’m not a politically correct person. However there’s a difference between saying something that’s not politically correct and saying something that’s simply wrong. I found the bumper sticker offensive. It doesn’t represent what soldiers are fighting and dying for. It’s just the kind of statement that helps fuel the hatred of our enemies. They can look at that bumper sticker and say, “see, I told you the Americans are modern crusaders who are here to end our way of life, end our culture, and end our language.” Nothing is further from the truth. I didn’t find the owner of the NTV. It was gone when I left the DFAC. I’ll be on the lookout though.
I won’t leave on such a serious note. Later in the day I stepped into one of the KBR port-o-jons. Once again I was happy I did. There must be a Timothy McVeigh Jr. walking around LSAA. He wrote the following quote:
“LEAVE THE ARMY AND START YOUR OWN MALITIA!”
This earned a couple of stern rebukes from other Joes. Spelling police Joe crossed a line through “MALITIA” and wrote “Militia dumbass”. Psychoanalyst Joe reached a conclusion and surmised that the above quote was attributed to “THE MIND OF A TERRORIST (COWARD)”.
Apparently several Joes from 82nd Airborne Division had selected this particular facility as the canvas for their unit propaganda. A Joe from another unit must’ve taken offense to this. He wrote in bold, fat letters “82nd Gayborn DIV” – right on top of all the pro-82nd graffiti. Once again Joe brought a chuckle and smile to my face.
And the deployment continues……
Saturday, June 9, 2007
08 June 2007: Controlled Detonations
Following up from yesterday – I completed one of the awards and forwarded it for approval. I also finished my “senior rater” comments for an evaluation of one of the team NCOs. All in all it was a productive day. We had the calm interrupted frequently by controlled detonations. A controlled detonation is conducted by the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team when suspicious packages are found, unexploded mortar or rocket rounds are discovered, or weapons caches are destroyed. I don’t know what EOD was blowing up but they got to detonate a lot of explosives. Some of the explosions were quite thunderous. Those explosions were about the only thing that interrupted the calm of a quiet, slow Friday at LSAA.
Several soldiers on the team went to the movie theater to see “Mr. Brooks”. They invited me to come along but I declined. Instead I did the normal workout routine, followed by supper, followed by piddling away time until bed. I had to laugh at the “big news” of Paris Hilton being ordered back to jail. I won’t dwell on that subject though. I am certain you’ve all heard enough. It did make me realize that I hadn’t heard anything about Anna Nicole Smith in a while. Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention.
I am ready to get busy again. Idle time is the worst time of deployment. On one hand makes me start to think too much about home, which makes me feel melancholy. On the other hand it makes my job as OIC more difficult because I have to find things for the team to do. It’s real hard to keep the guys focused when we are sitting around waiting. We’re all ready for the missions.
Several soldiers on the team went to the movie theater to see “Mr. Brooks”. They invited me to come along but I declined. Instead I did the normal workout routine, followed by supper, followed by piddling away time until bed. I had to laugh at the “big news” of Paris Hilton being ordered back to jail. I won’t dwell on that subject though. I am certain you’ve all heard enough. It did make me realize that I hadn’t heard anything about Anna Nicole Smith in a while. Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention.
I am ready to get busy again. Idle time is the worst time of deployment. On one hand makes me start to think too much about home, which makes me feel melancholy. On the other hand it makes my job as OIC more difficult because I have to find things for the team to do. It’s real hard to keep the guys focused when we are sitting around waiting. We’re all ready for the missions.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
07 June 2007: What's keeping me busy?
Just because it’s really slow mission-wise doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to do. What are the “moving pieces” that I’m looking at? There are several. On top of my agenda is writing awards and evaluations for three of my team members who are redeploying this summer. Before that statement confuses anyone let me clarify. All three of them volunteered to extend beyond their normal twelve months. Their extensions were for an additional six months so now it’s getting close to time for them to go home. As customary, I’m ensuring that they receive awards for the additional time. They also get a “change of rater” evaluation. So while I have free time I’m making certain to get the paperwork completed. It’s always important to take care of soldiers. Timely awards and evaluations are a way to keep everyone happy.
The next thing on my agenda is getting ready for some change of command briefings that are up-coming. Our command group in Kuwait recently received a new commander. He’ll be paying us a visit at some point and want briefings on every aspect of our operations. This is something you can’t just ad-lib. I’ll have to prepare an entire presentation. It will include powerpoint, handouts, commander’s notebook, and other materials. I also need to be prepared to answer questions.
In the meantime I’ve told my team to take care of personal matters. This includes taking their authorized 4-day passes to Qatar. It’s best to take it when there’s no conflict with missions. Several of my soldiers will head down there this month. It’s a structured R&R setting at the AF base in Qatar. Soldiers can drink, swim, frolic, wear civilian clothes, and go out in town to eat at western-style restaurants. I know I mentioned all this a few days ago. It’s actually just occurring to me that I talked about the 4-day pass program already. Oh well, let this be your trip down redundancy lane. When will I take my 4-day pass? Probably never because it’s a big hassle. There’s a lot of logistics in getting a flight there and back. Most of the stuff soldiers do there I can do here (with the exception of drinking). I may change my mind in a few months. You’ll be the first to know.
I took a day off from the gym. They still haven’t fixed the AC in the facility. It creates a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation where cardio exercise is concerned. It’s way too hot outside to run. Without AC the gym is like a sauna. Doing cardio indoors or out means wiping out your body in a sweat-fest. By the time you finish your body is so drained and dehydrated you have no energy for two or three days. That’s where I am right now. Speaking of recovery, Jacqueline you need to recover quickly! Just think how much better you’ll feel two weeks from now!
The next thing on my agenda is getting ready for some change of command briefings that are up-coming. Our command group in Kuwait recently received a new commander. He’ll be paying us a visit at some point and want briefings on every aspect of our operations. This is something you can’t just ad-lib. I’ll have to prepare an entire presentation. It will include powerpoint, handouts, commander’s notebook, and other materials. I also need to be prepared to answer questions.
In the meantime I’ve told my team to take care of personal matters. This includes taking their authorized 4-day passes to Qatar. It’s best to take it when there’s no conflict with missions. Several of my soldiers will head down there this month. It’s a structured R&R setting at the AF base in Qatar. Soldiers can drink, swim, frolic, wear civilian clothes, and go out in town to eat at western-style restaurants. I know I mentioned all this a few days ago. It’s actually just occurring to me that I talked about the 4-day pass program already. Oh well, let this be your trip down redundancy lane. When will I take my 4-day pass? Probably never because it’s a big hassle. There’s a lot of logistics in getting a flight there and back. Most of the stuff soldiers do there I can do here (with the exception of drinking). I may change my mind in a few months. You’ll be the first to know.
I took a day off from the gym. They still haven’t fixed the AC in the facility. It creates a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation where cardio exercise is concerned. It’s way too hot outside to run. Without AC the gym is like a sauna. Doing cardio indoors or out means wiping out your body in a sweat-fest. By the time you finish your body is so drained and dehydrated you have no energy for two or three days. That’s where I am right now. Speaking of recovery, Jacqueline you need to recover quickly! Just think how much better you’ll feel two weeks from now!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
06 June 2007: A look back at D-day
You don’t need to be a history buff to know the significance of today’s date. Just in the past few years we saw the release of “Saving Private Ryan” on the big screen. Later we saw the excellent HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers”. Central to both of these productions was 6 June 1944. That was the date of Operation Overlord, which was the codeword for the cross-channel allied invasion of occupied Europe. Most people refer to it as “D-day”. It was the largest amphibious assault in military history. The opening of a second front signaled the cataclysmic doom of Nazi Germany. There are many good books on the subject and I recommend you pick up any of them and learn more about this very fascinating time. I say this because I’ve been quizzing my team and am finding out just how little they actually know about this subject. Let me take a moment to provide some examples.
Back on Memorial Day my team took the afternoon to watch “Saving Private Ryan”. It is a very good movie but not without flaws. Every time I watch it I notice something else. While watching the movie I realized I wanted to ask my team a question regarding the story it told. I decided to wait until today. The question I asked the team was whether or not the story in the movie was true. I was amazed. By unanimous response they said the movie was a true story. Some of them were passionately convinced of this. I hated to break the bad news. Although the movie is told with the backdrop of history, the story is entirely fictitious. There was no Private Ryan or a mission to find him. Even the tumultuous battle for the bridge at the end is made up. At best, the story is very loosely based on a soldier in the 101st Airborne who lost three of his brothers in combat. That’s where the similarities between truth and fiction end.
Another myth I found my team believing was that D-day was an all American enterprise. They were wrong again. There were five invasion beaches designated for the operation – Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, and Sword. Only two of these – Utah and Omaha – were American. The other three were British and Canadian. It was truly a masterstroke of Allied cooperation on land, sea, and air. What baffles the minds of operational planners today is that the entire operation was coordinated without e-mail, spreadsheets, or power point. There were no “power point rangers” on the SHAEF staff. There are twice as many personnel on the Multi National Force – Iraq staff today as there was on SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) staff for D-day planning.
I could go on and on but I’m limited by time and space. D-day was sixty-three years ago today. Other than passing notice there were no events at LSAA that signified this important date. Soldiers went about their business just like the soldiers did so many years ago. A common bond exists between those soldiers of D-day and the soldiers of today. Just like their predecessors, soldiers of today are extremely loyal to one another. They have an intense belief in what they do and want to succeed in their mission. In their free time they try to disappear from the war around them and have as much fun as possible. There is a feeling of homesickness gnawing at their guts constantly. They’ve all seen and experienced things that their friends back home will never understand. That’s why when they go home they won’t tell “war stories” to people who can’t relate. However, they will always open back up about their experiences to those they shared them with. Call it a clique if you’d like. I prefer to call it a brotherhood.
Back on Memorial Day my team took the afternoon to watch “Saving Private Ryan”. It is a very good movie but not without flaws. Every time I watch it I notice something else. While watching the movie I realized I wanted to ask my team a question regarding the story it told. I decided to wait until today. The question I asked the team was whether or not the story in the movie was true. I was amazed. By unanimous response they said the movie was a true story. Some of them were passionately convinced of this. I hated to break the bad news. Although the movie is told with the backdrop of history, the story is entirely fictitious. There was no Private Ryan or a mission to find him. Even the tumultuous battle for the bridge at the end is made up. At best, the story is very loosely based on a soldier in the 101st Airborne who lost three of his brothers in combat. That’s where the similarities between truth and fiction end.
Another myth I found my team believing was that D-day was an all American enterprise. They were wrong again. There were five invasion beaches designated for the operation – Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, and Sword. Only two of these – Utah and Omaha – were American. The other three were British and Canadian. It was truly a masterstroke of Allied cooperation on land, sea, and air. What baffles the minds of operational planners today is that the entire operation was coordinated without e-mail, spreadsheets, or power point. There were no “power point rangers” on the SHAEF staff. There are twice as many personnel on the Multi National Force – Iraq staff today as there was on SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) staff for D-day planning.
I could go on and on but I’m limited by time and space. D-day was sixty-three years ago today. Other than passing notice there were no events at LSAA that signified this important date. Soldiers went about their business just like the soldiers did so many years ago. A common bond exists between those soldiers of D-day and the soldiers of today. Just like their predecessors, soldiers of today are extremely loyal to one another. They have an intense belief in what they do and want to succeed in their mission. In their free time they try to disappear from the war around them and have as much fun as possible. There is a feeling of homesickness gnawing at their guts constantly. They’ve all seen and experienced things that their friends back home will never understand. That’s why when they go home they won’t tell “war stories” to people who can’t relate. However, they will always open back up about their experiences to those they shared them with. Call it a clique if you’d like. I prefer to call it a brotherhood.
05 June 2007: Don't buy Chinese pick-up trucks!
After starting the week at a blistering pace we slowed to a crawl today. All the external training we had scheduled was accomplished by the end of the day on Monday. I had planned for the training to continue into today but there was no need. So my team got a breather. I had some soldiers up from Kuwait who were supposed to stay through Wednesday. Since I didn’t have anything for them to do I let them schedule a flight back and leave a day early. There’s simply no sense in making people wait or making up something bogus to fill the schedule. For the most part my team pursued personal matters.
I need to clarify a few things about my NTV. Previously I reported it as a Nissan Admiral. That’s incorrect. It’s actually a Chinese-built vehicle. The thing is as crudely constructed as a pick-up can be. The interior is literally falling apart around me. There are only 600km on the odometer! So far one of the AC adjustable nozzles came out of the console, the lid of the center armrest compartment came right off the hinges, the glove compartment door warped to the point you can reach inside even when closed, and the AC fan control only works on occasion. Although the truck has a 4-cylinder engine it drinks fuel with a vengeance. I have to fill up every 100km. Bottom line? It’s a piece of shit. I don’t think it will make the next year without falling apart. I’m afraid to ask how much the contract is for the Army to lease the thing. I’d be certain the price would make Avis very envious.
Another day came and went in a very uneventful fashion. I think it was a Tuesday. I will take this occasion to send congratulations to friends of mine back home. Congratulations to Rob and Leslie on the birth of Curtis! Congratulations to John and Meghan on the birth of Ella! Welcome to the incredible journey of parenthood! God bless!
I need to clarify a few things about my NTV. Previously I reported it as a Nissan Admiral. That’s incorrect. It’s actually a Chinese-built vehicle. The thing is as crudely constructed as a pick-up can be. The interior is literally falling apart around me. There are only 600km on the odometer! So far one of the AC adjustable nozzles came out of the console, the lid of the center armrest compartment came right off the hinges, the glove compartment door warped to the point you can reach inside even when closed, and the AC fan control only works on occasion. Although the truck has a 4-cylinder engine it drinks fuel with a vengeance. I have to fill up every 100km. Bottom line? It’s a piece of shit. I don’t think it will make the next year without falling apart. I’m afraid to ask how much the contract is for the Army to lease the thing. I’d be certain the price would make Avis very envious.
Another day came and went in a very uneventful fashion. I think it was a Tuesday. I will take this occasion to send congratulations to friends of mine back home. Congratulations to Rob and Leslie on the birth of Curtis! Congratulations to John and Meghan on the birth of Ella! Welcome to the incredible journey of parenthood! God bless!
Monday, June 4, 2007
04 June 2007: Sprinting into Monday
Today was unique. The reason is because we had a mission to support another unit without the need to travel. One of the bigger units we support just happens to be here at LSAA. I had my team come into work early before we all headed over to the conference room to set up our presentations. The rest of the morning was spent teaching our standard class set. Normally it takes us at least two days to knock out this type of training. However we finished up with this unit in less than a day. It’s rather technical, but basically it’s because they didn’t require a large portion of our training. I don’t believe in filling in time with unnecessary training so we wrapped up early. Everyone was happy.
Earlier in the morning I awoke to find the Red Sox-Yankees game finishing up. I wish I hadn’t watched. In the last two innings I saw that bush-league asshole A-rod hit a homerun. Then the meat of the Sox lineup failed to deliver in the bottom of the ninth. It took me most of the day to shake the foul mood. I know the Sox are having a super year so far but any time they lose to that NY team it sucks. I guess this was the “low-light” of the day.
As the day was winding down I made my usual trip to the gym. The AC has been out for a few days so they’re relying on fans. It is almost unbearable to do cardio inside or out. I pick the lesser of the two evils and run on the treadmill indoors. When I’m finished I’m so drenched I could pass for having jumped in the pool. I’m courteous though – I always thoroughly wipe down the machines when I’m done. Gym etiquette applies even when deployed. Unfortunately, most Joes don’t abide by that rule. The result is weight plates randomly placed on racks, sweaty equipment, and attachments never returned to their proper place. The TCNs who work there fight a losing battle daily. I try to do my part but I’m extremely outnumbered.
After starting the week at a sprint my team will be back in slow motion tomorrow. We’ve still got a ways before getting busy again. I’m encouraging them to take advantage of the lull to take their 4-day passes. The standard 4-day pass program allows the soldiers to travel to Qatar and stay on the AF base. There they can participate in a host of MWR activities, drink beer, and travel off-post to western-style restaurants like Chili’s, Outback, and Applebees. Qatar is one of the countries whose major industry is tourism so there are lots of resorts, night clubs, and shopping opportunities. Drinking is allowed as well. I’ll wait until some other time to take my 4-day pass.
Earlier in the morning I awoke to find the Red Sox-Yankees game finishing up. I wish I hadn’t watched. In the last two innings I saw that bush-league asshole A-rod hit a homerun. Then the meat of the Sox lineup failed to deliver in the bottom of the ninth. It took me most of the day to shake the foul mood. I know the Sox are having a super year so far but any time they lose to that NY team it sucks. I guess this was the “low-light” of the day.
As the day was winding down I made my usual trip to the gym. The AC has been out for a few days so they’re relying on fans. It is almost unbearable to do cardio inside or out. I pick the lesser of the two evils and run on the treadmill indoors. When I’m finished I’m so drenched I could pass for having jumped in the pool. I’m courteous though – I always thoroughly wipe down the machines when I’m done. Gym etiquette applies even when deployed. Unfortunately, most Joes don’t abide by that rule. The result is weight plates randomly placed on racks, sweaty equipment, and attachments never returned to their proper place. The TCNs who work there fight a losing battle daily. I try to do my part but I’m extremely outnumbered.
After starting the week at a sprint my team will be back in slow motion tomorrow. We’ve still got a ways before getting busy again. I’m encouraging them to take advantage of the lull to take their 4-day passes. The standard 4-day pass program allows the soldiers to travel to Qatar and stay on the AF base. There they can participate in a host of MWR activities, drink beer, and travel off-post to western-style restaurants like Chili’s, Outback, and Applebees. Qatar is one of the countries whose major industry is tourism so there are lots of resorts, night clubs, and shopping opportunities. Drinking is allowed as well. I’ll wait until some other time to take my 4-day pass.
03 June 2007: TCN Karaoke Night at Green Beans
Everyone should know the drill by now. Sunday means a day off. I took advantage of that. How you may ask? I slept in until about 0800. Then I loitered over coffee for a couple of hours. Around noon I ate lunch. Afterward was a two hour nap. Once the grogginess wore off I headed to the gym. A shower followed and then supper. That would have been a wrap except that I decided to go to the PX. As long as I was out I figured I’d go the west side PX (since it’s nicer). That’s where my Sunday highlight came into being.
Once at the PX I heard music coming from the food court area. After my shopping was completed I walked around to investigate. There I found a bunch of TCNs singing karaoke outside the Green Beans Coffee. They had chairs set up all around a stage with an outdoor stereo system. It appeared they were all from the Philippines. I had to pull up a chair and watch. It was hilarious. I think every one of them was in line to sing something. When they did it was always something like a song from Grease or Xanadu. I never remembered so many Olivia Newton John songs. There were also a lot of Elton John songs. These folks took their karaoke seriously too. They were swaying, dancing, and making love to the microphone. When one sang the rest would cheer, dance, and sing along. Every one of their tables had an ample supply of near-beer. I must say that it was fun to watch. I didn’t even think about singing. This was their gig. Before I knew it, I’d been watching them for almost two hours. Time flies when you fill it with ersatz fun.
The only reminder this whole time that there was a war on was the steady drone of aircraft coming and going. The west side PX is right next to the Catfish Air flight line. Every singer had to compete with the rotor blades of Blackhawks and Chinooks. I got back to my room just before midnight. I guess it was a full day off
Once at the PX I heard music coming from the food court area. After my shopping was completed I walked around to investigate. There I found a bunch of TCNs singing karaoke outside the Green Beans Coffee. They had chairs set up all around a stage with an outdoor stereo system. It appeared they were all from the Philippines. I had to pull up a chair and watch. It was hilarious. I think every one of them was in line to sing something. When they did it was always something like a song from Grease or Xanadu. I never remembered so many Olivia Newton John songs. There were also a lot of Elton John songs. These folks took their karaoke seriously too. They were swaying, dancing, and making love to the microphone. When one sang the rest would cheer, dance, and sing along. Every one of their tables had an ample supply of near-beer. I must say that it was fun to watch. I didn’t even think about singing. This was their gig. Before I knew it, I’d been watching them for almost two hours. Time flies when you fill it with ersatz fun.
The only reminder this whole time that there was a war on was the steady drone of aircraft coming and going. The west side PX is right next to the Catfish Air flight line. Every singer had to compete with the rotor blades of Blackhawks and Chinooks. I got back to my room just before midnight. I guess it was a full day off
Sunday, June 3, 2007
02 June 2007: My thoughts on "Pirates of the Caribbean"
True to plan, I closed up shop early today so we could all go see the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. No offense to all you POTC aficionados out there but that movie stunk. I’m really glad it was free to watch. I couldn’t believe how long it was. There were long stretches of boredom. I couldn’t help but notice how all the pirates but one were always greasy, grimy, dirty, and unkempt. Who was that one “pirate” who was always clean and perfect? Keira Knightly of course! That was ok with all the Joes in the theater. I heard a lot of suggestive mumbling in the theater when she was on the screen. That didn’t make up for a bad movie though. My butt was flat as a pancake when the movie ended. By the way, that whole sequence where they “unleashed” Calypso was perhaps the goofiest, stupidest, and ridiculous sequence I’ve seen in any movie. Oh well, I can’t complain. None of my soldiers were unhappy about getting out of work early to see a movie. If you haven’t seen the movie yet I’d recommend you wait until it’s on DVD.
For the most part it was a busy training day. I had my team hard to work from around 0830 until we left for the movie at 1600. We did break for an hour at lunch and went to DFAC 1. It turned out there was a culinary training event going on for the Army mess cooks. They were being graded on various concoctions and specialties. This wasn’t what was being served to us – the standard mess chow lines were our fare. However, shortly after we arrived the grading event ended. The mess cooks then shared their creations with regular Joes in the DFAC. We were fortunate enough to be at one of the tables they brought their dishes to. I pushed my cheese steak sandwich aside and feasted on baked fish with pear-roasted polenta and mango salsa. One of my soldiers made short work of a shrimp burrito. The food was excellent. It was a lucky break for us. I asked the chefs when we’d see that on the DFAC menu and the answer was one word – never.
Once we left the Sustainer Theater everyone was released until Monday morning. I hit the gym for a little while and then chilled back in my room. That was about it for the day.
As predicted, June is rolling by at a steady pace. I’m proud to say it will be July before we know it. Oh, and the Red Sox thrashed the Yankees again.
For the most part it was a busy training day. I had my team hard to work from around 0830 until we left for the movie at 1600. We did break for an hour at lunch and went to DFAC 1. It turned out there was a culinary training event going on for the Army mess cooks. They were being graded on various concoctions and specialties. This wasn’t what was being served to us – the standard mess chow lines were our fare. However, shortly after we arrived the grading event ended. The mess cooks then shared their creations with regular Joes in the DFAC. We were fortunate enough to be at one of the tables they brought their dishes to. I pushed my cheese steak sandwich aside and feasted on baked fish with pear-roasted polenta and mango salsa. One of my soldiers made short work of a shrimp burrito. The food was excellent. It was a lucky break for us. I asked the chefs when we’d see that on the DFAC menu and the answer was one word – never.
Once we left the Sustainer Theater everyone was released until Monday morning. I hit the gym for a little while and then chilled back in my room. That was about it for the day.
As predicted, June is rolling by at a steady pace. I’m proud to say it will be July before we know it. Oh, and the Red Sox thrashed the Yankees again.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
01 June 2007: "Less-filling, tastes like ass"
It feels great to roll on into another month. Today progressed at a steady drumbeat. I’ve some soldiers from my parent unit visiting for training. They arrived this morning from Kuwait. My team was very efficient in getting them into their billets and ready for an afternoon of training. After they had lunch we kicked off an effective training scenario that we’d been planning for the past week. Everyone seemed to be happy and learned a lot. We’ll continue the training tomorrow. My goal is to wrap up training Saturday in time for the entire team to make the 1700 showing of “Pirates of the Caribbean” at the Sustainer. Fortunately, we had a few IDF attacks today to help welcome our visitors. The AC in our office went to shit today as well so we had to swelter through the training.
My highlight of the day was probably catching up on the latest episode of Sopranos. Let me clarify, it was the latest episode to reach me. I’m behind you fans back in the states by at least two or three episodes. After I watched this latest one I’ve still got four to go.
While I was watching I consumed some St Pauli Girl non-alcoholic beer. Personally, I think that all non-alcoholic beers suck. Tony Soprano summed them up well when he described them as “less-filling, tastes like ass.” Well I will admit that the St Pauli Girl stuff is the first I’ve tried that actually resembles beer in flavor. General Order #1 is seriously hurting the beer neurons in my brain. I’ve been daydreaming of Yuengling and Shiner Bock a lot lately.
Who knows? Maybe in my absence Yuengling will expand their distribution to include Rhode Island. Now that would be something to look forward to for certain. Yuengling draft is even better than the delicious brew in bottles. The same could be said for Shiner Bock. Shit I need to stop this discussion. My mouth is watering at the thought. I need to focus. By that I mean focus on something other than beer. I’m starting to sound like Homer Simpson.
It’s hot, it’s June, and dust storms are on the way. I hope the AC gets fixed soon.
My highlight of the day was probably catching up on the latest episode of Sopranos. Let me clarify, it was the latest episode to reach me. I’m behind you fans back in the states by at least two or three episodes. After I watched this latest one I’ve still got four to go.
While I was watching I consumed some St Pauli Girl non-alcoholic beer. Personally, I think that all non-alcoholic beers suck. Tony Soprano summed them up well when he described them as “less-filling, tastes like ass.” Well I will admit that the St Pauli Girl stuff is the first I’ve tried that actually resembles beer in flavor. General Order #1 is seriously hurting the beer neurons in my brain. I’ve been daydreaming of Yuengling and Shiner Bock a lot lately.
Who knows? Maybe in my absence Yuengling will expand their distribution to include Rhode Island. Now that would be something to look forward to for certain. Yuengling draft is even better than the delicious brew in bottles. The same could be said for Shiner Bock. Shit I need to stop this discussion. My mouth is watering at the thought. I need to focus. By that I mean focus on something other than beer. I’m starting to sound like Homer Simpson.
It’s hot, it’s June, and dust storms are on the way. I hope the AC gets fixed soon.
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