30 December 2007: As if I don't have anything better to do

I apologize that my blog entries have periodically been sparse. It's not that I don't have material - I do. It's just that the animal called awards keeps rearing its head. There is some sort of sliding scale that determines the standards my higher command is using as guidance. Unfortunately, the slide on the scale has a sail attached. Every time the wind blows the slide moves, thereby changing the guidance I'm supposed to follow. I thought that I had everything finished to command's satisfaction. The last direction I received was "no MSM's! You must submit BSM's or ARCOM's only". Based on that guidance, I jumped through the hoop to adjust all the awards I had previously submitted. Surprise! Late today I find out the wind must've been blowing that slide around again. New guidance - everyone in Iraq needs to be written for BSM or MSM. What? Why was I getting static about MSM's just 24 hours ago? Whatever, I'd rather have the option of MSM than not. Fortunately, this doesn't affect every award. I only have to rewrite five.

Oh yeah, I also have work to do. So the end result is I have less time to blog. At least I have this venue to bitch. I certainly hope this is the last time I have to touch these awards.

I was glad to see the Titans beat (barely) the Colts 2nd string. I believe it will be a short visit to the playoffs for the boys from Nashville. It's better than not making the playoffs at all. Anyway, it's the Patriots year.

29 December 2007: Patriots Perfection

Love'em or hate'em, the Patriots have done what nobody seemed to believe a team could do in the age of salary cap - they've finished the regular season 16-0. Granted, there are still three more wins to go for the season to truly be the greatest ever. However, give them their props. Back in August I made a "shout-out" to the Patriots at the LSAA PAO. I don't remember exactly how it went, but I do remember saying, "look forward to hearing this a lot - Brady to Moss, TOUCHDOWN!" I never could have guessed how accurate that would be. What a season for me to be deployed!

I gave my team an "admin day". Most of the units here at VBC are giving their soldiers as much time off as possible right now. It's not that the war is on hold. It's just that when soldiers aren't going outside the wire they aren't getting tasked with mundane work. It will pick back up after New Year's. We don't have any units redeploying for a few months. The big cycle we've been working is complete.

Apparently, the Ron Paul 2008 campaign has an insider here at Camp Liberty. I stepped into a trusty KBR port-o-jon to find it festooned with "Ron Paul for President" and "Vote for Ron Paul". I guess one of his campaign staffers had a Sharpie handy when he visited the port-o-jon. That was smart campaigning if you're looking for Joe's absentee vote. The port-o-jon is the one place Joe is guaranteed to pay attention to the latest shared public service announcements.

28 December 2007: Joe knows fine dining

The good news for today was that I completed the latest iteration of awards. By the time all was said and done, I had written (or re-written) six Army Commendation (ARCOM) awards and four Bronze Star Medals (BSM). The sad thing is several soldiers on my team deserved recognition greater than ARCOM's for their service. I had originally written them up to receive Meritorious Service Medals (MSM). Then my command passed on guidance that soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan who had performed combat service could only receive either the ARCOM or BSM. The MSM would only apply to non-combat service in places like Kuwait. The unfortunate thing about this is the MSM falls in between the ARCOM and BSM. It was an ideal fit for some of my team who didn't quite have strong enough service accomplishments on this deployment to merit a BSM. Essentially, my command's guidance forced me to "downgrade" several of my previously written awards. For two soldiers, I was able to build a good enough narrative of accomplishments to "upgrade" their award to BSM's. I truly hope this will be the last round of awards. I went back through the past four months and found five separate entries in this forum where I was writing, re-writing, and fretting over getting awards completed. Some of you are acutely aware of how difficult the awards process in the military can be.

On my way to lunch I paid a visit to the friendly KBR port-o-jon. Once again - paydirt! I got an update on what Jody has been up to back home. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jody, I will fill you in. Jody is the generic name given to the guy back home who's stealing your girl, wife, or significant other. Joes frequently refer to the cadence they sing in formation as "Jody Calls". I hadn't put much thought into what Jody has been up to so I'm glad Joe thought to remind me (and others). As I turned to walk out of the fine facility of plastic and blue water, I saw the Jody update. It read as follows:

"Don't worry. Jody is paying all your bills with your check, feeding your dog, and having a great time with your wife. Happy Deployment!"

I truly appreciated the public service announcement.

The DFAC was packed. Once I filled my tray with tasty vittles I had to search for a seat. I squeezed in next to a couple of Joes. I was attempting to watch the nearest TV but couldn't help tuning in to the Joe talk. One of the Joes was from West Virginia. Apparently, his family had asked him if he had heard something on the news. "I told them of course I have! I'm in Iraq, not some other planet!" Then he took a bite of chicken wing. After a few chews he looked at his buddy and said something profound.

"Man, when I get home the first thing I'm gonna do is eat me some serious KFC!"

Sorry Mom, Joe is all about fine dining. Joe knows fine dining.

27 December 2007: Awards and more HAZMAT

Christmas is over, New Year's is coming up, for a couple of days in between the units come back to life. Most units gave as many people time off as they could for Christmas. The ripple effect was that my team was in a holding pattern until the units came back to life. Today we sprang back in action. Some HAZMAT containers needed to be inspected and sealed. These belong to yet another unit headed home soon. They just missed being home in time for Christmas. We got an early start. The containers were sealed and ready by about 1400.

After we finished we caught a late lunch at the MND-B DFAC. We barely made it in before they closed. Apparently, the new management (4th Infantry Division) has done away with the fifteen minute grace period at closing time. Once we wrapped up chow, I released everyone for the day. I got back to my hooch to find that the saga of awards isn't over.

Yeah, I know... I specifically wrote all the awards for my team back before I went on R&R. Unfortunately, I don't run things at the top. My old "higher" had submitted a suspense date for all our awards to be submitted back in October. In November, they had a change-of-command and new management arrived. Shortly afterward, we learned that the old commander departed without even looking at the awards he had demanded we submit. Now the new command is reviewing the awards (two months later) and finding errors. We're the ones that have to correct the mistakes, editing comments, or format changes. I, like everyone else, was taken by surprise. The rest of my day was taken up at my desk while I rewrote awards.

Although it truly sucks, I'll work as long as it takes to make certain my team's awards are correct and submitted on time. They've earned that and much, much more.

26 December 2007: Impatience leads to stupidity

Impatient people are often prone to make dumb decisions. Today is an excellent case in point. I had two members of my team flying in to BIAP to help out a couple of days. One is an Army Staff Sergeant and the other a Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer. Originally, they weren't flying in until around 1030. Not surprisingly, the arrival time changed. Unlike normal flight changes around here, this time the flight arrival time turned out to be a couple of hours early. That caught me by surprise. As soon as I found out they had arrived I jumped in the NTV and headed to BIAP. The drive takes about twenty minutes. Unfortunately, the Staff Sergeant became impatient and made a stupid decision. It ended up making something simple become a complicated waste of time.

When I arrived at BIAP I couldn't find my team members anywhere. The impatient SSG had no idea where on Camp Liberty he could find us - it's a big place. Yet he just couldn't sit tight and wait for me. He and the CPO boarded the shuttle bus and left, not knowing where in the world to go and having no way to get in touch with me. So when I arrived at BIAP I ended up standing around with my thumb up my ass wondering WTF? After waiting and watching for about thirty minutes I drove back to Camp Liberty. On a hope and prayer I drove past the hooch belonging to another NCO on my team. The two impatient ones were not there. I had the SGT jump in the truck with me and we started brainstorming where they may have gone. What resulted was a two hour joyride around Camp Liberty. We looked at the PX. We stopped by the unit where the inspections were supposed to take place. We stopped by units we've worked with in the past. We cruised shuttle bus stops. Finally, I suggested we drive by Liberty Pad. What the hell? We'd looked everywhere else. Lo and behold, there they were. They were sitting with their gear and looking clueless. I was not happy.

I didn't waste any time letting the Staff Sergeant have a piece of my mind. Although I kept it professional (I didn't even raise my voice), I did make it very clear that his impatience had only succeeded in wasting an additional two hours of our time. There were no hard feelings. I won't be as calm if it happens again.

In my experience in this line of work, impatience leads to stupidity. It happened again today.

25 December 2007: Merry Christmas from Camp Liberty!

I'm bucking my tradition of posting my entries the day after. Christmas is just too important. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Camp Liberty dawned bright this morning to the sound of both outgoing and incoming artillery and mortar fire. It was almost as though intended. I took it as celebratory fireworks. I didn't exactly leap out of bed. A better description would be that I crawled out to find my presents. I made coffee and lounged all morning. I sent many wishes off online so that friends and family would wake up with greetings.

The DFAC has new decorations that were put up overnight. I found Santa's sleigh and reindeer to be particularly amusing. I recall an episode of South Park where Santa was shot down over Baghdad. We had all the fixins' of a traditional Christmas dinner. Since the day is still going, I'll eat my holiday supper twice. There isn't anything going on with my team today. We are just relaxing and enjoying the day.

To all my family and friends - I miss you all and love you. I am home in spirit and feel your love from a distance. 2008 is almost here. I'll see you all soon.

Merry Christmas from Camp Liberty!

24 December 2007: Stockings hung by the fire with care

Ah, Christmas Eve.... The anticipation is in the hearts of so many. Tomorrow is Christmas! Yet, somehow it just isn't. While we can all look at the calender and know that it is the yuletide season, the spirit just isn't nearly as strong. We have each other - our extended family that we serve with. At least we aren't alone. Camp Liberty is poised. The decorations are up. The schedule for the DFAC celebration has been posted. Even the contracted Ugandan guards checking ID's are wishing everyone "Merry Christmas." I love Christmas and believe in everything it stands for. That means Christmas truly does abide in my heart. It doesn't stop me from feeling homesick. I know I speak for a lot of Joes.

I spent a little time with my two soldiers that remain here at Camp Liberty with me. We went to the postal facility to pick up mail. I had about five cards but no packages. We talked a little about Christmas. I admitted that although I had put up what little decorations I had, I still just wasn't feeling the season. Is it really Christmas Eve? They admitted feeling the same way.

Back in my room, I pulled the presents out from various people back home and arranged them under my wreath. True to tradition, I won't open the presents until the big day. I made a quick strike on the gym and was surprised to see it as full as ever. I came back to find the water temporarily shut off in my hooch. That meant a towel dry after a quick baby wipe rub down. I watched "Elf" on AFN. I walked over to the chapel for a candlelight service. It was a brief service that was a prelude to midnight mass. There were a lot of Joes crammed into that tiny chapel. I had to stand all the way at the back. Christmas spirit was alive and well. For the first time this entire month, I believed that it really is Christmas.

Soon I'll be opening my presents!

23 December 2007: Goodbye to Hud and Taco

One of the greatest aspects of my position as Team Chief has been having some of the Coast Guard's finest working for me. I continue to be impressed by their professionalism, dedication, and commitment to mission first. My team could not be complete without them. I've witnessed them work tireless, selfless hours serving soldiers. They have endured every hardship without complaint. Every one of them volunteered to be in Iraq as part of my team. Once they arrive, they don't want to leave until our missions are complete and the team can leave together. Unfortunately, I'm not in their Chain-of-Command because this isn't an established Joint-Service unit. They work for me based on a memorandum of agreement between my Army command and the Coast Guard. That means when the Coast Guard says one of their own serving on my team has to return to Kuwait I can't stop it from happening. I don't go down without a fight. I do my best to delay the departure as long as possible. Today I lost two of the best. I've fought their departure for almost two months.

Hud is a Boatswains' Mate First Class from Houston, TX. Taco is a Petty Officer Second Class from San Antonio, TX. Hud came to my team back in July and has been on mission for the entire time. He has done everything from helicopter hops to some of the remotest places in Iraq to riding convoys south of Baghdad to conduct inspections at tiny patrol bases. Hud endured rocket and mortar attacks and earned the Combat Action Badge. I joked with Hud that we're all safer now that he's leaving because he's a mortar magnet. Taco joined the team back in September. Although he's been with me a shorter time, he's been continually on mission and worked side-by-side with Hud the entire time. I've never seen either of these men down, bitter, complaining, or even angry. To the contrary, we've laughed until our sides hurt. We're all brothers - regardless of our parent service. I'm humbled, honored, and proud to have served with such incredible people. Hud and Taco, you will be sorely missed.

I took them to BIAP today for their flight. It was sad to see them go. A Specialist on my team rode along. I think he'll miss them more than any of us. After the plane left, we got back in the NTV and headed back to Camp Liberty. Martinez said, "We sure have seen some people come and go haven't we Sir?"

"Yeah Martinez, we sure have."

22 December 2007: Motivation check

When it comes to defining something noteworthy, today doesn't fall into the description. After staying up until 0400 making sure my team got back from Prosperity, I had nothing in mind but recovery. I slept in. Around 0930 I got up. It became impossible to sleep. I guess there had been a mortar attack around 0800 that aroused me from a deep slumber. Once my eyes popped open it was impossible to get my sleep back on. I lounged with coffee until noon.

The two Coast Guard personnel that I've had with me were called back to Kuwait by their chain-of-command. It's unfortunate because they volunteered to be here and want to remain in Iraq for the duration of their deployment. I ran interference as long as I could to keep them here. With our work winding down it's becoming impossible for me to keep delaying sending them back. After lunch I loaned them the NTV so they could start looking for a flight back to Balad. They have to go there first to clear their hand receipts with the unit that provides us billets. A few hours later they stopped back by my hooch to drop off my mail. I let them keep the truck for now. They have a flight for tomorrow.

I didn't even walk over to the gym today. Motivation was slack. Christmas is upon us but it just doesn't feel like it. I guess I'll have to make up for it next year.

Speaking of Christmas, there are two shopping days until the big day.

21 December 2007: Joe sums up the drudgery

Even when Joe says something cliche it's a pearl of wisdom. Something about the way he expresses himself puts all existence into complete focus. There's never any gray area with Joe. He wastes no time getting to his point. Joe's truth hurts sometimes but he doesn't care. When it comes to summing up the drudgery of daily existence here he can even make a time-honored phrase come to life with vivid clarity. Here's my latest example. I was on the way to the DeFleury DFAC and had to make a pit stop. The handy KBR port-o-jon was on the way. Joe put it all in perspective once again.

Joe: "Different day, same old shit. Same shit tomorrow, different day"

This solicited a response of approval. Another Joe wrote "Amen" just below. Yeah, Joe understands the drudgery. He's been there, done that.

My four personnel returned from Prosperity Base. They were supposed to return at 0030. It's never too late in the year for a weather delay. The helicopters from Washington LZ didn't arrive at Liberty Pad until 0330. I waited, shivered, paced, and passed the time for three hours. It would have been easy to just go back to the hooch. Nobody could give me a straight answer on when the flight would arrive - just that it was delayed. I waited. They finally made it.

What a land of extremes this place is. Just three months ago we were sweltering in 120-plus temperatures. Now it's low thirties at night. Next comes the rain.

20 December 2007: And then there was one

My NCOIC left Camp Liberty to head out for his R&R. For now there's one person on my team here - me. It will be short-lived. The four team members currently in Prosperity Base will be flying back in a day or so. In the meantime, I'm in a position I've not been in before. I'm on mission by myself. It's not panic time though. I planned it like this. Right now we're practically finished in Liberty. It's a good hub for me to centralize our work. That's why I'm here. Now that it's just me, I have a pick-up truck to myself. Normally, I let the team maintain control of our NTV. Since it's just me for now, I've taken possession.

I drove my NCOIC over to Liberty Pad to see him off. His flight path was from here to Balad (so he could collect a few things for leave) and then to Kuwait. The pax area was packed. It's getting down in the 30's at night now so everyone was shivering while they waited. Present were personnel headed to Taji, Balad, Washington LZ, Falcon, and another location. Liberty Pad is not a very big place. Normally flights arrive one or two at a time. Tonight something happened I've never seen before. Every flight arrived almost simultaneously. Within three minutes there were ten Blackhawks on the tarmac disgorging passengers. This caused a considerable amount of confusion for the pax terminal personnel. They were frantically running around, talking to crew chiefs, and checking manifests. By my count, it took over thirty minutes for all the helicopters to collect the correct passengers and fly off. I stayed the whole time to ensure my NCO departed without a hitch. His flight was not only the very last to load, it was also the helicopters the farthest distance away. However, everyone loaded up and the helicopters departed. I watched them fly off. As is protocol, they blacked out the lights shortly before they flew outside the VBC perimeter. I then climbed in the NTV, cranked it up, and waited for the heat to warm me back up.

So now it's just me for a couple of days. I've got an NTV with a full tank of fuel, no work planned, and all of VBC to explore. It's party time!

19 December 2007: MND-B TOA

MND-Baghdad held the official "Transfer of Authority" (TOA) ceremony today. 1st Cavalry Division passed the flag to 4th Infantry Division. I attended the ceremony at the MND-B HQ. I know that 1st CAV is very happy to be going home. Fifteen months is a long time to be deployed. By the same token, 4th ID is very eager to assume control. We always talk about the importance of conducting a "right seat ride" between the outgoing and incoming units every time a TOA takes place. It's a good concept and a very important part of the process. Normally, it also breeds animosity. The incoming unit almost always has an arrogant "know-it-all" attitude and views the outgoing unit with contempt. Meanwhile, the outgoing unit is tired, ready to go home, full of wisdom, but has very little patience for the arrogance of the incoming unit. By the time the official TOA ceremony is held the general opinion is it couldn't happen soon enough. As soon as the ceremony was over the outgoing and incoming units wasted no time. The HQ building had an immediate facelift both inside and out. When the day began the HQ was completely adorned with 1st Cavalry Division memorabalia and displays. By the end of the day, not a single 1st Cavalry insignia could be spotted in the entire building. Everything had almost instantaneously been transformed to 4th Infantry Division - the colors, the wall displays, the Division patches, and any other aspect of memorabalia. I couldn't believe how fast the transformation of the HQ took place.

My parent unit will be conducting a TOA with our replacement very soon. A teleconference had been arranged so that we could chat with the key leadership of the incoming unit. They are a reserve unit based in Brooklyn, NY. The teleconference was something they requested and coordinated a couple of weeks ago. I made it a point to get to a phone so that I could participate. At the appointed hour I dialed in the access number and code. The message was that the "conference leader has not yet activated the call. Please stand by." Then I was treated to funky department store music while I waited. After about twenty minutes the system announced that the conference leader had still not activated the call and to try back later. WTF? I called down to Kuwait to talk to someone in my parent unit. They were as shocked as I was. Where were they? It turns out they just didn't show up and they didn't let us know the teleconference was a no-go. Thanks. This is exactly how the animosity between incoming and outgoing units gets started.

I enjoyed wasting an hour of my evening for a teleconference that didn't happen. I guess they were busy. It is the Holiday Season.

18 December 2007: USCG with a CAB

Do you want to know something that's a rarity? Coast Guard personnel in Iraq is a rarity. Do you want to know something that's even more of a rarity? Meeting someone in the Coast Guard who's earned the Combat Action Badge. I don't know how many USCG personnel actually work in Iraq. I do know it's safe to say that at least half of them work for me. As of today, I've also got a Coast Guard Boatswain's Mate First Class who's earned the Combat Action Badge. I received the official orders for him and my Army NCOIC that authorize both to wear the CAB. They earned the honor for performing their duties while rockets were impacting around them at a distance of 100 meters. Several other members of my team also have CAB's pending for separate hostile fire incidents.

Right now I'm almost alone at Camp Liberty. Half of my team is at Camp Taji, where they've been for a month now. Four other members of my team are at Prosperity Base. I'm here with my NCOIC. He's about to leave on R&R. Once he's gone I'll be alone for a couple of days.

Being alone doesn't necessarily make for exciting blog entries. I'll try though.

17 December 2007: I take one for the team

Our biggest customer by far has been Multi-National Division - Baghdad (MND-B). The outgoing MND-B HQ is 1st Cavalry Division. MND-B is the largest maneuver division in Iraq. Currently, it consists of eight separate Brigade Combat Teams. My team has redeployed (or is in the process of redeploying) every single one of the outgoing BCTs. It has been a huge undertaking, requiring a lot of long hours, working in multiple FOBs, and continually splitting up my team to meet various demands at different locations. We've definitely been up to the task. Today, MND-B held a ceremony to honor my team for their ongoing support of the redeployment process. The Division G4 presided. He presented each of us a Certificate of Appreciation. What's more is that each of us were presented another certificate that authorizes the wear of the 1st Cavalry Division patch as wartime service insignia. That's significant in that 1st Cavalry Division has accepted my team into their "Band of Brothers" for this deployment in Iraq. We've been recognized forever as one of their own. We'll wear the patch proudly.

While the ceremony was the highlight of our day, there was still more work to do. Not only did we have more work at Camp Liberty, we also needed to fly over to Prosperity Base for mission support there. Prosperity Base is only about a five minute helicopter ride from here. It's in the middle of the Green Zone. We would have to fly from Liberty Pad to Washington LZ (adjacent to the U.S. Embassy). Someone from Prosperity Base would pick us up and drive us back to where we needed to be. Our showtime wasn't until midnight. When we got there the place was packed with people waiting on flights. It was a clear, cold night. Once we checked in we stood outside shivering and waiting. Around 0045, we were told to line up - our helicopters were on the way. A few minutes later two Blackhawks landed. The crew chief had bad news. One of us would have to be bumped due to unexpected space limitations. Without hesitation, I pulled myself off the flight. The unit in Prosperity Base needed both of my Coast Guard inspectors and my two movement planners. I was not mission essential for this trip - they were. I turned around, tapped my senior NCO and told him he was in charge. I'll try to get over (if necessary) in a day or so. My team is so experienced now they don't need supervision for everything. I trust them.

By the time I got back to my hooch they had already arrived at Prosperity Base and e-mailed me a status update. My team rocks. I don't mind taking one for the team.

16 December 2007: Nothing but football

My team was completely off today. We're right on the verge of another phase of this mission so I made certain they took today for personal business - whatever that might entail. I really didn't have much to do. My activities included some online Christmas shopping, working out, and napping. I laid low all day. After last week's football debacle in the MWR I decided to find a small TV for my hooch. That mission was successful, thereby negating the need to walk back to the MWR for football. Instead, I watched in the comfort of my cozy hooch on Liberty pad 8.

AFN aired the Patriots-Jets, Steelers-Jaguars, and Browns-Bills. They were all good games, played in excellent winter football weather. I primarily watched the Pats game. They won but it was ugly. The undefeated season continues. I have to say that the Jaguars are looking like the team nobody wants to play in the post-season. As much as I dislike that team, they really look tough. I liked how they smacked the Steelers in the teeth. I really hate the Steelers.

That was the day off. Football reigned supreme.

15 December 2007: Ten shopping days until Christmas

As strange as it seems, it's almost Christmas. I received a package from my Sister and Brother-in-Law. It had a couple of goofy, humorous gifts to keep the air light around here. They also sent several packages of venison jerky. I've already ripped into one - hickory smoked - and it is awesome. I hope I wasn't supposed to wait until Christmas.

Two of the plaques I had ordered were incorrect when I first went to pick them up. I stopped by the bazaar today to find they had been repaired. As long as I was in the vicinity, I stopped by the PX. That's just the way it works. If you're in the vicinity of the PX you have to stop in regardless if you need anything. The place was packed (it's pay day). I'm always amazed at all the useless stuff Joes spend their money on. There were three lines of Joes toting stuff like movies, stereo equipment, TVs, and on and on... I bought something but it paled in comparison. The latest issue of MHQ (Military History Quarterly) was on the magazine shelf and called out to me. I'll have it read cover to cover in a couple of days. After that, I'll commit it to memory and drop it off in some orderly room nearby.

The highlight of the day was getting a phone call through to my parents' house. I just happened to catch my sister-in-law and two nephews over for a visit. They are going to Germany for Christmas so I wouldn't be able to talk to them when I call back on the big day. My sister-in-law was raised in Germany and her mother's family all lives there. I was able to speak to Mom and Dad too. Unfortunately, my Dad and I had only been speaking for a few minutes when we were cut off. I tried to get back through but it was a no-go.

Winter has definitely arrived in New England. All the more reason I would rather be there for the holidays.

14 December 2007: Submitting awards - again

I submitted my team's awards prior to departing for R&R. The original suspense date provided by my command fell over the two weeks I'd be gone. I labored over the awards to make certain they were correct, accurate, and fair. This morning I received an e-mail that I had to resubmit them (for the third time since R&R). The original awards were written to be signed by my unit's next level of command. It turns out that they redeployed without signing - or even reviewing - the awards. That meant the signature blocks on all the original awards had to be changed to reflect the new chain-of-command. I did that back in November. Now I had to correct some "minor" errors on formatting of dates and petty shit like that. I promptly took care of this and got the awards resubmitted. It is extremely important to me that my soldiers are properly recognized and rewarded for their exemplary performance on this deployment. It's just comical to me, though, that we're told to submit our awards so early only to find that two months later they still haven't gone to our higher headquarters for approval.

The awards were my major diversion for today. I had to run to MND-Baghdad HQ to take care of this stuff. All the awards have to be digitally signed. This process requires a military ID card reader on the computer. It's a secure process that allows you to sign documents with a certified signature that can be e-mailed without scanning. I spent a few hours over in the division G4 cell using one of their computers. Afterward, I held an in-progress review with the G4 and the Division Transportation Officer. They were very pleased with the assistance my team has provided. They're even happier in the knowledge that almost all their brigades are finished. We'll be completely finished redeploying the division in the next three weeks.

Finally, I must give props to my homeboys from Appalachian State. You opened the season knocking off Michigan in The Big House. You finished what you started. Yes, the Appalachian State Mountaineers won their third straight NCAA 1AA National Championship by defeating Delaware 48-21. Once again, the party is in Boone, NC. Congratulations!

13 December 2007: "But today IS Thursday"

Ah, the holidays..... Decorations are displayed, parties are planned, families are together, snow on the ground... Uh, wait, Dammit!! I must've dozed off. Well, at least the decorations are being displayed. I've seen lights strung in the orderly rooms, garlands in the DFAC, trees with presents underneath, inflatable snowmen, and even saw a convoy of armored vehicles drive by while blaring Christmas carols over the loudspeakers. Yes, it's holiday spirit in all its glory. There are eleven shopping days until Christmas. Everyone better hurry on down to the PX before they sell out!

Today one of my NCOs reminded me of how easy it is to forget the day of the week around here. Several of my team were returning from FOB Loyalty to Camp Liberty and would arrive later today. We only have one NTV so its imperative to make certain to coordinate a ride from the airfield (in this case, they were flying into BIAP). I called up my NCOIC and reminded him to be at BIAP for their arrival. He responded with, "But sir, they aren't flying here until Thursday!" I rolled my eyes and responded, "But today is Thursday." He exclaimed, "It is? No!"

I couldn't fault him. I do it all the time. We got it sorted out. Everyone is back at Camp Liberty now. Our mission to FOB Loyalty is complete.

12 December 2007: My shrinking team

I get asked a lot about what it is my team actually does. I'll attempt to keep it simple here and, at the same time, not violate OPSEC. After all, Squeakers is very real and I don't want him nibbling my toes in anger while I'm trying to sleep. My team is called the Deployment Distribution Support Team - Iraq (DDST-I). We're the only team of its type in Iraq. We perform a very vital function in the redeployment of units of brigade-size and larger. Most of the brigades are referred to as Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) because of their unique balance of infantry, artillery, armor, and other specialized war fighting subordinate units. The BCTs deploy for fifteen months. When they come over they are tracked by sophisticated automated movement plans that control all the phased-planning time lines of getting from home station to their FOB in Iraq. This system also provides all the In-Transit Visibility (ITV) of their major end-item equipment (tanks, trucks, etc) and shipping containers. Back at home station the BCTs have assitance through their respective Installation Transportation Office (ITO). This office is normally comprised of civilian contractors, GS-level DOD employees, and a small Army Movement Control Team (MCT). The ITO takes care of ensuring all the equipment is documented, shipped, and that all the automated movement plans are executed. It's a well-oiled machine. It's more difficult when it has to be done in reverse from a combat environment.

The first major obstacle is the fact that there is no ITO for the BCTs in Iraq. That's where my team comes to play. We're like the ITO Forward. I have a section of soldiers that are experts in Transportation Coordinators' Automated Information Management System (TCAIMS). That's the computer software that creates all the movement plans and provides the ITV for equipment. I also have a section that certifies container documentation and serviceability for shipment. Then come my Coast Guard personnel. They are known as the RAID, which stands for Redeployment Assitance Inspection Detachment. My RAID can place the USCG seal on all HAZMAT containers at the FOB. That prevents the HAZMAT containers from being inspected at the port in Kuwait. I can't even start to express how much time and effort we save the BCTs in terms of frustration prevented at the port.

Once a BCT arrives in Iraq I will open up a dialogue with them. Over the next several months my team will provide assistance in TCAIMS and container certification. About three months prior to the BCT redeployment, my team will teach classes that provide overview of the redeployment process, HAZMAT documentation, and automated movement planning. My TCAIMS section will develop the movement plan for the BCT. Independent of my team, the BCT will order Common User Land Transportation (CULT - the trucks that will move all their equipment from their FOB to the port). About two weeks prior to the CULT arrival, my team will arrive to execute all their movement plans, supervise documentation of their equipment, provide the ITV, and seal their HAZMAT containers. VOILA!! We are the ITO Forward! Now you can go back, read my entire blog, and all the missions I talk about will start making sense. Meanwhile, every time you read in the news about the return of a Brigade Combat Team from Iraq you'll know that my team made it happen.

I really don't have that many people on my team. We are highly mobile. Practically everything we do is at the FOB of the supported unit. Balad is just where we are based out of. I've spent all of eighteen days in Balad since mid-August. By the time this deployment is complete my team will have spent well over 250 days on the road. We prefer it that way. I sent one of my soldiers back to Balad today so he could clear his hand receipt and then return to Kuwait. He's going on R&R and by the time he comes back we'll be done with the bulk of our missions. For that reason, I've instructed him to stay in Kuwait after his R&R. I won't need him here and can't justify bringing him back. He's not happy about that but he's accepted this. That's another wonderful thing about my team - they all volunteered to serve with me and want to stay in Iraq for the entire deployment. Over the next few weeks I'll be sending several of the current team back to Kuwait. By the end of January I'll be down to a skeletan crew until our replacements arrive.

It will be a shrinking team. However, where transporters are concerned I don't think so few have ever done as much as what we have accomplished on this deployment. I'm damn proud of all of them and would gladly serve with any of them again. We aren't finished though. There's still some work to go before we go home.

11 December 2007: Another sign of the end

About three weeks ago I stopped by the Iraqi Bazaar here in Camp Liberty. While there, I placed an order for plaques for each of my team members to thank them for their service during this deployment. It's normally a tradition to give soldiers something (other than an award) that commemorates their time and effort. Today I went back to the bazaar to pick them up. They were all ready, but two of them needed to be corrected. I took all the others with me and left the two plaques that needed to be fixed. The vendor promised they'd be fixed by Saturday. It's a big milestone for the deployment to be doing this. In about three weeks I will present each of my team with their respective plaques. From that point forward, our primary purpose will be preparing for the end of our deployments. We'll be conducting inventories of all our equipment, updating out continuity books, documenting all the AARs for the missions, and preparing the handover training we'll give our replacements once they arrive. Picking up the plaques represents yet another sign of the end. It's coming up fast.

The rest of the day was spent focusing on mission support requirements. We ensured that we could keep our billets at Camp Liberty long enough to complete our present missions. Another huge guarantee was that our NTV would continue in our possession throughout the duration. VBC/Liberty is a big place and it would really suck to be footbound. The last thing we attempted to do was get our flu shots. The TMC (Troop Medical Clinic) was out of flu vaccine. They told us to come back Sunday.

By Sunday I'll be down to 82 days remaining.

10 December 2007: Sigmund "Joe" Freud

I think it should be really clear by now that Joe is an expert in everything. You want to talk sports? Joe is fantasy league central. Do you have questions regarding finances or investments? Joe wrote the book on money management. Have you ever been in need of marital, or relationship, advice? Joe trained Dr. Phil. Are you looking to buy a car? Don't waste time researching online or money on "Car and Driver" - just ask Joe. While I was visiting Camp Slayer today, I found that Joe can chalk yet another subject on his "expert" block - Psychiatry.

I had been over to the Victory Base area during the morning in a vain attempt to find someone I needed to talk to. Since I was already in the vicinity, I decided to eat lunch at the Camp Slayer DFAC. Back in early 2005 I had lived at Camp Slayer for about two weeks prior to moving over to the Green Zone. It's the high-rent district where VBC is concerned. There are lots of contractors, coalition, and sister services working at Slayer. As you would expect, the DFAC is better stocked than the normal Joe DFAC.

Before I walked into the DFAC I had to answer the call of nature. Directly across from the "Fish Palace Gym" (named so because it's a former Baath Party playhouse adorned with aquatic statues and now serves as the Slayer gym) was a row of port-o-jons. As soon as I stepped in I realized that, once again, I'd come to the right stall. The notes from an entire counseling session were on the wall for everyone to see. It was a psychiatric treatment session given by Sigmund "Joe" Freud to another Joe in need. Here's how it played out -

Angry Joe: "The Army can burn in hell!"

Joe Freud: "Now tell me how you really feel?!"

Angry Joe: "The Army is a joke!"

Joe Freud: "Tell me about your mother"

Angry Joe: "What does my mother have to do with it?"

Joe Freud: "It's a Freudian thing!"

I guess the session must have adjourned at that point. In a few days I'll have to see if the session was concluded. Joe's skills never cease to amaze me.

09 December 2007: Experience breeds indifference

If there was a way I could make this blog a three-dimensional sight and sound experience I would. There are so many aspects of day-to-day existence in any-FOB Iraq that I simply cannot convey. I know I've made mention of this before. Everyone here just builds up a natural immunity to all the bizarre events. The more experienced we become the more indifferent we are to just about everything. Here's a case in point. Around 1500 I went to the gym. There weren't many people there so the workout was a snap. After about thirty minutes of weights, I jumped up on a cross-trainer. Shortly after there was a loud "WHUMP" close by. The shock rocked the Scorpion MWR. Although a couple of Joes stopped and looked around, every Joe adjacent to me on the cardio-machines didn't miss a beat. I kept right on with my workout. A few minutes later the guy next to me said, "that seemed kinda close." That was the only acknowledgement anyone gave to the near miss. Like I said, experience breeds indifference.

Here is my recommendation to all the brash, trash-talking players out there in the NFL. If you want to really look like an idiot on gameday, just do this - in the week leading up to your team playing the Patriots make certain to guarantee to the media that your team is going to win.

08 December 2007: Lots of moving pieces

Adaptablility is a hallmark characteristic of my team. We run into a variety of scenarios and situations that require us to adapt and demonstrate flexibility. It may be because of terrible living conditions, poor phone or internet connections, delays in flights, or simply differences in the way the various units we support conduct business. We are truly on the homestretch right now. Ever since mid-August we've been moving around from place to place, working long hours, and assisting a lot of units in the massive project of getting their equipment home. We've saved some of the busiest scenarios for the end. I've got a lot of moving pieces right now. To illustrate, let me make mention of the different locations I've got personnel working right now. In order to meet mission requirements, I've got folks here at Camp Liberty, up at Camp Taji, over at FOB Rustimayah, and even a couple in FOB Loyalty. I can't be everywhere at once. But my team has become so proficient over the past few months that they don't require me to know what work needs to be done. I'm very proud of them. For everything they've done over the course of this deployment, every selfless hour spent assisting other soldiers, my team will have earned the right to go home.

We've only got a few more weeks to go for our missions to be complete. There were Christmas carols playing in the DFAC today. Is it that time of year already?

07 December 2007: A happy day for Army Football

A prayer has been answered! Paul Johnson has been named the new coach at Georgia Tech. His "reign of terror" at Navy is over. He has shown no mercy on Army. He made my prediction come true - Army never defeated a Paul Johnson coached Navy team. Every Army fan in the world should be celebrating right now. The flip side of this is every Georgia Bulldog fan in the world better be worried. Georgia Tech will be coming after you with a vengeance.

Now how might this whole thing backfire on Army? There are several scenarios. Unfortunately, given the poor track record of leadership at Army where the football team is concerned, this situation may actually prove how misguided Army football really is right now. The worst case scenario would be that a.) Army does nothing to change their offensive system or approach to football in general; b.) Navy, in need of a new coach, hires Jerry Moore from Appalachian State. This "worst case" scenario would guarantee that Navy's current 6-win streak would extend to 12 straight wins over Army. Who's Jerry Moore you ask? Well he has Appalachian State on the verge of winning its third straight National Championship. He also defeated Michigan at The Big House on opening day. He's definitely an ideal fit to take over at Navy. Navy Football, unlike Army, is well managed so hiring a guy like Jerry Moore isn't a stretch. Army fans, let's hope that my worst case scenario doesn't come true. If it does - particulary the part about Army not changing a thing in its approach to football - I will completely lose faith in Army Football altogether.

The best case scenario (and most unlikely) will be that Army completely revamps its system to the style of football played by both Navy and Air Force. In addition, Navy simply hires someone from Paul Johnson's staff to take over the program. This scenario would definitely create hope for Army and would be the move in the right direction. Hell, I may even go to the Army-Navy game next season if this happens. What happens in the next few weeks will be very telling for the future of both Army and Navy football programs. Today was a glimmer of hope for Army. I'm extremely happy for my friend Paul Johnson. Georgia Tech is going to run roughshod over the ACC in coming years.

I sent my Coast Guard folks to Rustimayah today to conduct HAZMAT inspections. They'll be out doing mini-FOB hopping over the next few weeks. There is serious light at the end of our tunnel right now. We are rapidly closing in on the proverbial finish line.

Let us not forget the significance of this day in history. The lesson in preparedness is always applicable to the survival of our country and our way of life. 66 years ago today the Japanese launched a successful attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. It was an appalling demonstration of what can happen when we as a nation let our guard down. Let us be ever-mindful of history and never allow our nation to be lulled into a false sense of unprepared security. Do not ever think that something like Pearl Harbor could never happen again. September 11, 2001 proved that even today our nation can be taken by surprise with catastrophic results. Our nation's history is the very key to understanding how to guarantee our future.

06 December 2007: Reflections on TQ

It's nice to be finished with TQ. There was something about the place that just didn't sit well with any of us. I'm not certain I can place my finger on one, distinct reason why. There was a huge lake adjacent to the place. That should have made for a unique distraction from the normal, dreary existence. However, we couldn't get near enough to the water to enjoy the fact that it existed. A couple of us did attempt to walk to the lake - only to discover we'd been deceived by the desert's ability to distort estimation of distance. On first glance we thought the lake was only about a mile away. Once we started walking we realized that it was more like four miles away. After covering half the distance, it also occurred to us that we wouldn't be able to walk right up to the shore. A perimeter fence and guard posts prevented this.

Although there was an MWR at TQ, it's internet service only worked for about ten minute spurts. The gym was extremely spartan. Its cardio equipment was in disrepair. The Marines all seemed happy though. All they want to do is pump iron. There was plenty of that to push. From the map of TQ, we knew there was a second half of the base on the opposite side of the airfield. We never made it there to see what it was all about. I'm sure it was more of the same. All in all? TQ is a place I'm glad to have in the rear view mirror.

Camp Liberty has become my home away from Balad away from home. Today we were greeted with almost gale-force winds. It was the most blustery day I've had on deployment. For some reason, it didn't pick up the dust. That was a good thing. The wind did make a total mess though. Trash cans were upended and the spilled contents were whipped around everywhere. Somehow I managed to keep my boonie cap from blowing off. I did see several Joes chasing down their caps. It's a comical scene - so long as I'm not the one doing the chasing.

05 December 2007: Goodbye TQ!

The natural inclination of my team would have been to sleep in. Unfortunately, we couldn't. Our first order of business was to run back to the pax terminal for 0730. Once we were there, I handed over our ID cards to see if we could manifest back to Liberty. I received both good and bad news. There was room for four of us. Three would have to chance space A. It was a sad prospect for some. I had to prioritize who was manifested based on mission critical personnel. We didn't have to return to the pax terminal until 1715. I told everyone to do whatever they wanted until then. I went to breakfast. Then I cruised over to the MWR to attempt the internet. Afterward came a stop at Green Beans for some more coffee. Once I took a healthy shit it was time to cruise over to the chow hall for lunch. I don't know what my team did. I never saw them again until time to walk back to the pax terminal. I slept the afternoon as best I could.

The evening was a repeat of the night before except that we all managed to get on the CH-46's. I loaded with the other three that were manifested. After several minutes, the crew chief turned the lights back on, lowered the ramp, and walked back onto the tarmac. To our elated surprise our other three team members were allowed to board. Although you couldn't hear anything from the noise, I think several cheered. Then we took off into the night sky bound for Camp Liberty.

Somehow, I managed to sit next to the only window on the helicopter that was open. For the entire flight I was subjected to gail force, freezing winds. I thought the irony - made it out of TQ, died from exposure. A CH-46 vibrates a lot too. I looked around at my team and they all resembled bobblehead dolls. Thank God the flight went by relatively fast. We were back in Camp Liberty in about thirty minutes. We couldn't wait to get back to our respective hooches. As soon as I got back, I dropped my gear and clothes in place and went straight to the shower. It was a luxurious event. TQ - been there, done that.

04 December 2007: Stars fall upon us

The previous day and this morning there was a huge flurry of activity among the Joes living at Hotel California. There was an awards ceremony for their unit today to recognize their deployment. It wasn't just that it was an awards ceremony - LTG Odierno (MNC-I Commander) and a Marine Major General (MND-W) were going to be present for the ceremony. As a result, the Joes were out scrubbing their equipment, cleaning the area, and rehearsing for the ceremony. It made my team's job difficult because we weren't able to get people to assist us with container inspections. I instructed my team to "clear the AO" during the awards ceremony. We didn't need to be included because the ceremony wasn't for us. Just before noon the stars fell upon us. That means the generals arrived. A huge entourage of vehicles screamed across TQ to the airfield to pick them up. The unit started forming up for the big ceremony. My team and I left for the chow hall.

Around 1430 we cruised back over to Hotel California. The generals were gone, the ceremony long over. As sense of order descended back onto the unit. We were finally able to finish up our work. I guess it was about 1630 when we completed everything. Even though the unit was extremely gracious, we beat feet over to the airfield to see about a flight out. TQ is a pretty crappy place. My team isn't a bunch of tourists. When our work is done it's time to move on. The good news that greeted us was that there were flights back to Liberty. The bad news was that we were space A and low on the list.

Regardless of space A or not, we waited and hoped for the best. Around 2130 we geared up and walked out to the flightline. About twenty minutes later a couple of Marine CH-46 Sea Knights touched down. These are cargo helicopters that resemble miniature CH-47s. As we sat and shivered, the personnel who were manifested boarded the aircraft. Much to our chagrin, the helicopters then took off - leaving us in the quiet, cold field to ponder our fate. After standing there with our thumbs up our collective asses for another thirty minutes, the Marines running the flightline walked us back to the pax terminal and explained that we would have to come back in the morning. In the meantime, we were to walk to the transient billets. It wasn't as bad as it seemed. The billets were only about 200 meters away. It did suck, though, to be stuck another night in TQ.

We checked into transient billets. My team was assigned a heated tent filled with bunk beds. I was assigned to the "VIP" area. It was VIP in name only. The place was another tent. The only difference was that it had single beds instead of bunks. When I walked in I was met with a chorus of snores and darkness. Breaking out my flashlight, I made my way down to an open bunk. A couple of farts rang out. I picked the only bunk that didn't seem to be next to someone snoring. Boy was I wrong. Once I was finally in the prone position I fell asleep. An hour later I was rousted from my sleep by an industrial saw mill. It was the guy next to me. I exclaimed out loud, "That's a fuckin' no-go." Then I kicked his bed to make him stop. He did, but only for a short time. That was the pattern of the rest of the night.

03 December 2007: Hotel California

I have to set the record straight. I hate that song. I could go the rest of my life without ever hearing it again. It never occurred to me that I'd actually have to stay at the place. Likewise, I never would have suspected that the place was in Al Taqaddum. I have confirmed that there is no wine here. It's a sad looking series of buildings that serves as a transient billeting area for units passing through TQ. My room was a simple concrete cell with a mattress and AC/heater. I couldn't complain though. My team were all placed in an open blockhouse with folding cots. All around the Hotel California is desolate desert. There is a giant airfield adjacent to the buildings that hosts a constant stream of transport aircraft. Other than that? One of my team members summed the place up when he said, "Sir, this is what I pictured when I thought of Iraq."

The base is run by the Marines. Marines are basically the same as Joes (don't ever tell them that though). The only thing different is some of the terminology. Latrines are referred to as "the head." That suited my Coast Guard guys fine. The DFAC is still called the chow hall (very old school). Marines also do a lot more organized physical training than the Army. Every morning on my way to the chow hall I passed a group of marines sweating and grunting to all kinds of physical torture. However, if you get around a group of Marines and listen in on their conversation you'll find that they speak the same language as Joe. For example, as I was exiting the chow hall I listened in to a couple of Marines. There is a designated area right outside the entrance of the chow hall called the smokepit. It's the area where people can "smoke'em if they got'em." The Marines I was following were debating the merits of the smokepit.

Marine one: "Man, why's the smokepit right here?"

Marine two: "Why the fuck do we need a smokepit anyway?"

Marine one: "Huh? So people can smoke dumbass!"

Marine two: "No, I mean this is Iraq. It's a fuckin' war zone. We should be able to smoke anywhere we want. You know what I mean?"

Marine one: "I don't smoke so I guess it doesn't matter."

Marine two: "Dude, that's not the point. We're in a fuckin' war here. We shouldn't have to be told where to smoke. Fuckin' smokepit is totally garrison."

As you can guess, I was very entertained. I wanted to hear how the debate turned out but had other things to do. My team was working diligently to get yet another unit's equipment and containers ready for redeployment. These Joes are extremely happy to see us because they'll be home exactly three days before Christmas. It's all in a day's work for us.

It is very windy, dry, and cold here.

02 December 2007: Welcome to Al Taqaddum (TQ)

Today had an early, annoying beginning. I had stayed up past midnight checking e-mail and sulking over the latest Army-Navy game fiasco. Around 0200 I went to bed. It didn’t take long before I realized there was an unusual noise coming from outside my hooch. Something was banging on the wall just outside where my head lay on the bed. It had also started to rain so there was no chance I was going out in the mud to investigate. The knocking and banging was just enough to keep waking me up. I finally did fall asleep but it didn’t last long. A huge thunderstorm rolled in and the resulting noise rocked me back out of my slumber. My good night’s rest was shot to hell.

Since I was already up I went to breakfast early. The rain had made a shitty mess out of everything. I tried to stay on gravel for my walk to and from the DFAC. It was impossible. The end result was an extra pound of spackle on my boots by the time I got back to my hooch. Everything turns into a complete quagmire. It had fortunately stopped raining. Now it was just cool, wet, and muddy. I’ve explained the texture of this mud before. It’s back. I commandeered some slate shingles and an old wooden pallet to create a stoop for my hooch. Something had to be done to cover up the mud. It isn’t the greatest landscaping job but it was a field expedient solution.

Since it had stopped raining I decided to investigate the culprit of my sleep demise. Sure enough, it was a cable that was sheared and dangling just outside my hooch. The wind was making it knock around – thus keeping me awake. I whipped out my trusty Gerber tool (every Joe has one of these) and cut it off. Problem solved! I have no idea what the cable was for and don’t care. My neighbor is probably without AFN now.

My team’s order of business was to travel to Taqaddum (or TQ). This is a Marine Corps FOB near Ramadi. It’s adjacent to a very large lake that I believe is called Lake Haditha. It will be a first for us. TQ is new territory for us. Flying there required catching a couple of Blackhawks from Liberty Pad. Our show time was 1730. Once we checked in, we were told the helicopters were running late. With that in mind, I sent some of our guys over to the nearest DFAC to grab everyone some chow. A big group of Iraqi special forces arrived with their U.S. advisors and began lining up in chalks. Shortly after dark a couple of MI-17 helicopters arrived and took them off for their mission. It was extremely dark due to cloud cover. Once chow arrived I took my food inside the tent and sat down to eat fried chicken and sliced cucumbers. No sooner than I opened the box someone was yelling in the tent, “Anyone going to TQ? Get your gear and line up!” Dammit! The helicopters were supposedly running late. I took four huge bites of chicken and shoved a handful of cucumber slices in my mouth - throwing the rest of the food away as I walked outside. My mouth was completely full. That was my entire supper.

It’s cold enough now that the windows are back on the Blackhawks. This is so the heater can run in the crew compartment. The helicopter holds eight in the back, three facing to the front for a total of eleven. All of my team and our gear climbed in the back. I climbed into a forward facing seat adjacent to the door gunners. It wasn’t until after we took off that I realized my error. The door gunners are open to the elements. I froze my ass off in gale force winds all the way to TQ. I sat stiff and tried not to let it show. I couldn’t look like a pussy in front of the door gunners could I? I wasn’t wearing my fleece, gortex, or gloves. It’s cool though. I made it ok.

I think it was around 2000 when we rolled into TQ. Our ride wasn’t there (what else is new) so we had to wait around. There wasn’t much to see. Although they had a VIP room for O5/E9 and above, I stayed outside with my team. We didn’t have to wait long. A couple of Captains arrived in a bus to pick us up. We loaded up and drove over to the transient billet area. It’s a series of buildings named “Hotel California”. I had a quick series of planning meetings for our mission and then we were off to bed.

Thanks to the dangling cable, today began at around 0200. I think my watch read 2300 when I turned out the lights. Now we’re “living it up at the Hotel California.”

01 December 2007: So how was my prediction?

Yeah.... Army blown out again by Navy. At one point in the game, one of the announcers summed it up well when he said, "this is a familiar scene - Navy all over Army." Paul Johnson, my old high school offensive line coach (I played running back), has done what no Navy coach has ever done before - 6 straight victories (none of them even close games) over Army. But let's look at something else he has done with Navy that is also unprecedented. He's won five straight Commander-in-Chief's Trophies by going undefeated against Army and Air Force for five straight years. Paul's teams are 11-1 versus service academies. Two straight Navy senior classes have graduated without ever experiencing the pain of a loss to either Air Force or Army. Navy's lead in the Army-Navy series is now the largest it's ever been at 52 wins, 49 losses, 7 ties. Back at Army we still revere former coach Jim Young as though he were a god for what he did with the Black Knights back in the late 80's. Admittedly, it was a remarkable turnaround but it pales in comparison to Paul Johnson. If we were to compare Paul with the all-time greats of service academy coaches he places on a par with Fisher DeBerry (USAFA) and almost on the same level as Earl "Red" Blaike, who coached Army to three national championships. And it's not just that he's winning against Army and Air Force, he's guiding Navy to winning seasons and bowl games. This will also be the fifth straight year Navy has had at least 8 wins and gone to a bowl game. Does Navy have better athletes? No. Paul Johnson is simply a better coach. I hope for Army's sake that a bigger school finally offers him a job. He's earned the right. He'll be a winner wherever he goes. I've said this before and I'll say it again - Army will never defeat a Paul Johnson coached Navy team.

Now let's break down my prediction for the game versus the actual score. I predicted Navy would win 49-14. Obviously, I didn't guess the final score correctly. However, let's look at how accurate my prediction of the blowout actually was. The actual final score was an embarassing Navy 38 Army 3. My prediction was that Navy would beat Army by a margin of 35 points (49-14=35). The actual margin of victory for Navy? 35 points (38-3=35). Some of you are going to argue the old "yeah, but if Army had scored on the opening drive, hadn't fumbled on the goal line, hadn't allowed that kick return..." Folks I watched the game too. Navy kicked Army's collective ass. Football isn't a game of what if's. It's a game of who laid the wood on game day. Navy took Army out behind the woodshed again. They were better prepared, better coached, and the better team all-around. If you don't agree with this then you are in complete denial.

How did I watch the game? I commandeered a TV in the Scorpion MWR. I refused to let any Joe change the channel. Even when they tried to argue that it was a blowout and that other games were on, I refused. In the service academies it is tradition that we watch the entire game from opening kick-off right down to the singing of the Alma Mater at the end - no matter what the score. This was Army-Navy. It only comes once a year. Like every other Army alumni, fan, et al, I'm already saying wait till next year! Go Army! Beat Navy!

I do know that Army certainly won the "spirit commercials." They normally do. My favorite was the "Got Goat" commercial. However, when they were doing the service to country segments where senior players would introduce themselves it seemed to me that every single Army senior was branching Air Defense Artillery. What's up with that? Normally, ADA was the branch that all the cadets who weren't academically ranked high enough for Infantry, Armor, or Aviation ended up selecting. I guess the Army senior football players were all literally gunning for the goat. That is, they were all gunning to be the class goat (lowest academically ranking cadet come graduation time).

Attention Duke University, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Southern Methodist, Michigan, or any other major college football program in need of a coach - HIRE PAUL JOHNSON! You definitely will not regret your decision. For the sake of Army fans worldwide - PLEASE hire Paul Johnson! Pretty please with sugar on top!

30 November 2007: What happened to this month?

It flew by. I think November passed seemingly faster than any month to date on this deployment. I'll chalk it up to being busy. I didn't spend a single day in Balad. As a matter of fact, I haven't been to Anaconda since I left back on 29 October. My hooch is probably crawling with spiders and scorpions by now. I'm just kidding (I hope). Actually, it occurred to me that at the beginning of each month KBR comes around to each hooch at LSAA and services the AC. They leave a note when they leave to notify you that they were in your room to conduct maintenance. The crew is going to walk into my place to find the exact same note they left for me at the beginning of November. I hope they don't assume I left for good. My stuff is still there. At the rate my missions are going there may be three identical maintenance notes sitting on my bed below the AC. Wouldn't it be ironic if when I return the AC doesnt' work? That would be bad because it's starting to get cold enough at night to turn on the heat and the AC doubles as the heater.

My intent today had included driving over to the MRAP fielding office to see if we could tour the new MRAPs. I underestimated the amount of work we had to complete. By the time we were finished it was way too late. I guess we'll try another day. Worse comes to worse I'll just ask some Joes to give me a tour. As fast as they are getting fielded it won't be hard to do.

It was steak night at the DFAC. On face value that would seem a good thing. I love steak - medium rare and USDA Prime. That's not what's being served at the DFAC. We're fed mystery cuts of beef that are cooked until they are practically jerky. Then we're given flimsy plastic utensils that break as you attempt to cut through the tanned leather. I normally go hungry on steak night.

We're on the eve of Army-Navy. I'm sticking with my prediction. I hope I'm wrong. I want to be wrong. If I'm wrong I want you all to post that I was wrong. I just don't believe my prediction is wrong. However, let me state boldly and emphatically -

GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY!