DAY 63 / JAN 30

DAY 63 / JAN 30

It started out in the usual way, well, usual in that I overslept through my alarm and rushed to get to my meeting on time.   At the meeting, I got bad news.  The guy we meet with to brief our convoys is going to be moving on to something else, and his replacement is none other than that damned officer who I had issues with at NTC and then again here.   Lovely, it's shaping up to be a great time in the near future.  I wonder how much it'll change, or if he'll just continue to be his usual fucked up self and not get anything done?   I know he's pretty useless so far, but I hope he doesn't try to useful and just screw everything up.  The unit has also recently changed the format for the paperwork we fill out to send people outside the wire.   Now, instead of one page with all the pertinent information we have THREE.  They try to pass it off as only TWO but they have only put X number of vehicle slots on the second page and we are required to put X+1 vehicles into any convoy.   So, by default we have to use another page for a new total of three.  So much for a paperless office.

 

A family friend apparently committed suicide recently.  I knew that he was down on his luck, but he was always a chipper fellow.   My mom sent me a note saying what happened (but not that it was a suicide) and a link to a guest book.  I even posted a comment on the guest book.   Strange, that even though I didn't know he committed suicide, my comment is still appropriate - even more so, I suppose.  I was really just lamenting the fact that I didn't make time to talk to him more, or email him.   You never know when you won't get another chance.  The thing I remember most about him is when he used to live with us and we played some game on the computers, a tank game actually.   The funny thing was that we didn't have the book and so couldn't get into the game right away.  The game used the book to ensure that you didn't have an illegal copy, which we did, and it asked us for random questions from the book, (ie. What is the third word in the first paragraph on page 56?), and we'd GUESS at the answers.   We knew that some of them were one thing or another so we'd just guess those over and over 'til we got it.  Getting in was half the fun!

Anyway, that's my memory.  And the funny thing is, I just recently picked up a game very similar to the one he and I played back then because I was reminiscent of it.

Suicide is bad.   Just for the record.  And, in the end, it's no one's fault except the person who did it.  Whether they were weak, or depressed, or whatever – it was their choice and no one else should be guilty or feel responsible for it.   Could someone have done something?  Maybe, maybe not.  Hindsight is 20/20 and people like to think that maybe somehow they are responsible or should have done something differently, but the bottom line is – they did it to themselves.   Just make sure it doesn't happen to you.

DAY 64 / JAN 31

DAY 64 / JAN 31

            Finally to the end of January!  Tomorrow is payday and I should be able to pay almost all of my bills for the month with my first paycheck!   What a deal!

            I've already flipped my calendar over in preparation for February.   I know that the Official Ground Hogs day is the 2^nd, but it seems like we're already in it.  Every day is the same.  Although I bitch about the meetings, a least it breaks up the monotony.   Maybe I should go and find a game to play or something… maybe I should go do PT more often… but by the time I get all ready to go, it seems like I'm out of energy.

            I apologize for such a thoroughly pointless blog, but in the end, I realize that it's more for me than you.   You all are just spectators of my thoughts and observations from across the sea.  I won't go so far to say you are figments of my imagination, but you could be!  

            Ok ok, just kidding… normally I don't write directly TO anyone anyway.   I just write the daily goings-on and will continue to do just that.  This is just a tangent from the usual.  I promise.

            PS.  I need to get a pillow.

 

            Oh, something DID happen today!  I picked up a book from the library.   It's another Dan Brown book called … well, I forget what it's called, but something to do with Deception… I think.  His writing style is easy to read, goes quickly but still makes you want to get to the next page.   I still think Da Vinci Code was the best and I particularly am fascinated by the little cylindrical safe system used in it.

 

 

jan 29

DAY ?? / JAN 29

            Now that I realize that I have been undisciplined in keeping up with exactly how many days we've been gone, I need to got back and fix those old posts.   I know that today is JAN 29 and that it is Sunday. 

            I slept in LATE today – and it felt good.  I finally got up at about 1045 this morning, had a hot shower and finally came into the office around 1100 or so.

            Nothing exciting or even eventful to report today.  One of our patrols went out and came back without incident, but that is about it.   Things have been very quiet on the FOB and even relatively quiet outside the fence.  Why?  I don't know.   Could it have anything to do with the Anti-Iraqi factions that recently broke off from Al-Qaeda to take up their own operations in another part of the country?   I suppose it could, but the actual cause of anything around here is very vague.  The cause and effect is hard to see from my place on the board.

            I guess the only thing of import that happened today was that I was able to extract just a bit of vengeance on the soda thief.   Here's the back story:  Every day at lunch and dinner I bring two cans of soda (unopened) from the DFAC and put them in the fridge in my CP area.   I do that so that eventually it will get full and people can have a drink from time to time – me included.  Well, while I've been trying to stockpile this fridge, someone from the ops area has been secretly taking the sodas and drinking them, without bothering to replace any, ever.   Clearly, the point is that the sodas be drank, but also, it would be nice if the other people that worked here helped stock too, right?  So, I asked who it was, so I could let them in on the plan and then they could help.   Just like back home with my kids, "someone else," drank the soda in the fridge and no one would 'fess up to it.  Today brought a tiny bit of vengeance.    I saw one of the sodas I had brought, opened on the counter and asked who's it was.  The only guy in there said it was his, and indicated that it was the Ops NCO who was drinking them.   Finally, a straight answer.  Rather than just confront him, which would have been way too easy (on him), I slipped a little of my wife's salsa juice into his drink and rubbed it around the lip of the can.   Her salsa is VERY hot and spicy and leaves an after effect that lasts for days.  As I was leaving, I saw him come back in and pick up the can.   What happened after that is still a mystery.

            The other thing I managed to do today was start on a small project for the folks back home regarding the structure of Army Units (ie.   Squads, teams, platoons, etc).  I thought I was going to do something small – maybe a one page diagram that explained it all.   Of course, that wasn't enough for me – I wanted more detail.  Now, the presentation (done in Powerpoint of course), is about six pages long and growing.   I hope to finish it tonight, but we'll see.

            Another of my jobs here is to monitor the webpages and blogs of my Soldiers so that I can see if they are putting OPSEC information out.   It also gives me something to look at and helps provide insight to the morale of the troops.  Today I noticed a blog from a Soldier about patrols.   No big deal, nothing wrong with it at all.  The only thing I noticed is that the person who wrote it has only been on two patrols since we've been here and he talks like he's doing daily gun runs.   Ah, well, whatever makes them feel better.

            Internet went down again, go figure.  I had planned on going to the gym for a little basketball today, but didn't because I'm waiting for the internet to come back up.   As it turns out, it's a good thing I didn't.  The floor is being fixed (although I don't know what was wrong with it), and won't be operational for a few days.   I guess that's a good thing because it eliminates the guilt of not going to the gym when I could be.

DAY 5? / JAN 27

Day 5? / JAN27

            It rained a lot last night.

            Woke up with a headache, but it went away (mostly) after a cup of coffee from Ackbar and Jeff's Coffee Hut.   They aren't really Ackbar and Jeff, but that's what my wife calls them – from the Matt Groening characters.

            When I got to work, I plugged in my computer and subsequently got shocked.   After a bit of testing, I discovered that ANY metal on my computer shocked me.  I looked around and ensured that my powerstrip wasn't under water – which it wasn't.   After a little bit more investigation I found that the place where the powerstrip linked into ANOTHER powerstrip (yes, I know its not safe… etc) was underwater and had shorted the ground for my plug.   So, any metal was transmitting electricity to me.  When it dried out, it was alright again.

            I've been making "friends" with some of the Turkish and Iraqi people who run the shops, learning their names, talking about their families – mostly so I can learn a bit about their culture – but also so I can get a discount on their goods.. =)   Just kidding.

            The guy who runs the DVD/Video Game/Electronics store (one of them) is a good guy, or seems to be.   His name is Haeden (maybe?) but its pronounced Aiduh.  He recognizes me when I come in and we shake hands and chit chat for a bit before I get whatever I need from him.   He is Iraqi from Baghdad.  His family is there, but he lives on the FOB.

DAY 5? / JAN27

Day 5? / JAN27

            It rained a lot last night.

            Woke up with a headache, but it went away (mostly) after a cup of coffee from Ackbar and Jeff's Coffee Hut.   They aren't really Ackbar and Jeff, but that's what my wife calls them – from the Matt Groening characters.

            When I got to work, I plugged in my computer and subsequently got shocked.   After a bit of testing, I discovered that ANY metal on my computer shocked me.  I looked around and ensured that my powerstrip wasn't under water – which it wasn't.   After a little bit more investigation I found that the place where the powerstrip linked into ANOTHER powerstrip (yes, I know its not safe… etc) was underwater and had shorted the ground for my plug.   So, any metal was transmitting electricity to me.  When it dried out, it was alright again.

            I've been making "friends" with some of the Turkish and Iraqi people who run the shops, learning their names, talking about their families – mostly so I can learn a bit about their culture – but also so I can get a discount on their goods.. =)   Just kidding.

            The guy who runs the DVD/Video Game/Electronics store (one of them) is a good guy, or seems to be.   His name is Haeden (maybe?) but its pronounced Aiduh.  He recognizes me when I come in and we shake hands and chit chat for a bit before I get whatever I need from him.   He is Iraqi from Baghdad.  His family is there, but he lives on the FOB.

            There is a group of Turkish people who run a carpet and rug shop out of a wooden building inside a hanger here.   They are nice also, and I'm buttering them up so I can get a discounted rate on a carpet when I leave.  I'm taking pictures so my wife can decide what, exactly, she wants.   The prices are reasonable – I think.  The largest, a 12'x9', is roughly $350-$400.  They go down from there.

            There is another Turkish guy who is opening a new tailoring shop.   He is trying to get his business started, but with the transition from the last unit here to us, there has not been a lot of business (who wants to buy a suit that they cannot wear for a year?).   I think his name is Bareesh.  He also is selling foam furniture made here by his family.  I don't think I'll be getting anything from him, but we'll see – maybe a locally made tie for a relative of something.

            Internet is still down.  Makes it hard to get anything done – well, anything except work of course.

            Had a relatively successful "O-call."  Successful in that I was actually able to get some work done because the people I had to talk to were there.   I figure as long as I have to go, I can at least get something out of it.

DAY 5? / JAN 26

DAY 5? / JAN26

            I managed to force myself out of bed a bit earlier today and was rewarded with a nice hot long shower.   This is bad – even though it seems good.  Now, I know that if I get up earlier, I might get some hot water.  I don't really want to get up earlier, but now its getting harder not to get up earlier.

            It rained a bunch last night and of course I went back to the CHU late – it was very dark.   I had choice but to walk through the water to get back to the CHU, but given that it was pitch black, I also didn't get to choose how deep the water was where I walked.  I actually managed to get to bed without being too wet.

            This morning was a bit different however.  In the light I was able to see exactly how deep I THOUGHT the water was (even though it really didn't have any grounding in reality as to how ACTUALLY deep it was).   I got more wet watching where I was going than I did when I couldn't see.  Maybe I'll close my eyes when I go out later.

            The artillery fired again last night and is firing again this morning.   They have been very active over the last few days.  Yesterday they fired about 10-15 rounds that I could count and today I've heard almost 7 already and its only 8:15am.   I wonder if they have targets or are just firing to hear our heads rattle.  I'm sure that they are firing for a mission, I'm just curious as to what they're trying to hit.   But, in the end, if their shooting keep the mortars from falling – by all means, fire away.

            Feeling very tired today.  Managed to finish the beginning of the property database I am creating for the company.   I inputted over 1000 pieces of equipment with serial numbers, lins, and all sorts of other good stuff.  It should make the rest of the years worth of inventories much easier – I hope.

            Got to bed early, with a headache.  Internet went down.

DAy 5? / JAN 26

Day 5? / JAN 25

            This morning was rough.  Somehow, I managed to drag myself out of bed after the alarm went off three times and I skipped the morning shower.   I hate early showers because there is never any hot water and there are a bunch of people in it.  

            It rained again last night and the mud is back in force!  I love it.  I never cleaned my boots from the last time so I don't feel bad walking through the puddles! 

            Sometime early this morning we fired about 10 outgoing rounds that rocked my CHU.   The only reason I know they were outgoing is because no one came looking for me for 100% accountability.  We upgraded the uniform today for some reason – no one I've talked to really knows why.  

            Today, I managed to conquer the world.  My armies successfully defeated the throngs of my OPS NCO and Training NCO armies to dominate at Risk II on the computer – another successful day.

            More lightning today with the rain… kind of a strange feeling to have the roll of thunder intermixed with the shock of outgoing rounds.   Today has been different in that I think we've fired more artillery rounds today than I've heard so far.

           Wow, big lightning just now with a thunder that rolled over us for about 10 seconds.... glad I'm inside... not glad that WHAT I'm inside is a metal building with a bunch of antennas all over it.

 

 

            I just read an article about a palace in Baghdad that had been destroyed with bunker busting bombs and cruise missiles during the first stages of the war.   Underneath the palace was an underground command center that was untouched by the numerous bombs and rockets.  Clearly, Saddaam was prepared for the type of aerial assault that we unleashed on him – so the question that I have is, why did we find him in a hole?   I'm thinking that maybe he wasn't in Baghdad or this bunker when we attacked.  That he was outside of the city, doing whatever and didn't have the opportunity to get back.

            What I find interesting is the fact that the bunker was completely intact (unfazed by the bombs) when the Rangers got to it and blew the doors open to clear it.   It has since been looted and destroyed by the locals, but it would have been interesting to see what was there.  I still think there is something else there that has been missed – a secret passage or something.   It would be interesting to find.  But, alas, I'm sure that I'll never be down that way.

            As it turns out, the bunker was designed by the great-grandson of the woman who designed Hitler's Bunker – which as I recall did have secret passages.

Day 5? /

Day 5? / Jan 24

            It was a busy day.  Had a bunch of paperwork to get started on so I can get it done.   I have to consolidate the property books into one easily usable database.  The actual set up isn't difficult; it's the input of data that is a bitch.   I'm about halfway done and have over 400 entries.

            One thing that did happen was Jack came by and we let him borrow a 3k generator for one of his radar things.   I even got the guided tour of the operations and how things work.  Cross-training in action! 

            Other than that, a slow slow day.  Didn't get to the PX to get a pillow like I wanted to, but just ran out of time.

Day 56 / Jan 23

            Another morning with a meeting, and another morning with nothing but a not-quite warm shower – oh, how I loath waking up in the morning.   On top of it all, it's a bit chilly here and running that 50 feet to the shower to find out that there is no hot water does not make for a good start to the morning.

            I did manage to down a cup of coffee before rushing out to my meeting, but I forgot to take some paperwork with me.   Now, I have to run back down across the FOB to deliver the paperwork.  Just another morning.

            Ran into Jack (the FA buddy) again today.  He picked up his wire for his phone and can run it anytime he gets a chance.   He's been busy running around with this thing and that thing, so that's why I haven't seen him in a couple days.

            Decided to try to work a little gym time into my schedule right after dinner, assuming something like a crazy meeting doesn't jump up in there.   I don't think I'll start with an every day schedule, but work into slowly, maybe once a week.  Or maybe a couple times a week, and for starters, I'll just play some basketball and get the heart rate up above "stagnant" where it stays when there are no mortars falling or people trying to blow us up.

            So, I managed a quick run through the gym tonight.  It was about the same as usual, I played a couple games of basketball, got thoroughly smoked (both physically and by losing horribly), didn't make any baskets, but I did manage to steal a few balls.   A typical night on the court.  No one would ever voluntarily pick me for their team (with good cause), so in order to get on a team I have to be the first one on the team (so I get to pick the teams – really, even I wouldn't pick myself, but I'm a bit selfish and so I always do).

            The best part of the day comes on the way back to my office from the a site.  It was dark, the moon wasn't out yet, but I managed to weave my way successfully through the concrete barriers into the open field.   I was feeling pretty cocky, thinking I could see great in the dark, blah blah blah, and was following the lights back to the office.  Things were going great, not so much as a stumble – then it happened.   My foot contacted something on its outswing and completely threw off my balance.  My body kept moving forward as the lower half of me met a waist-high plastic barrier and stopped.   I nearly flipped over it, but managed to stop myself with a well placed elbow to the plastic and a hip check (completely out of my control).  I bruised both places but managed to stay upright - barely.  Thankfully it was too dark for anyone to see….  I limped back to the office, laughing at myself all the way.   It's the world's little ways of humbling you that work the best.

DAY 55 / JAN 22

DAY 55 / JAN 22

            Slept WAY in today.  Probably too much sleeping in, sets my schedule up to stay up too late tonight!   I didn't get to sleep until about 2am this morning and got up around 11ish.  Tomorrow is another meeting day, so I have to be up for that.   Pretty quiet on the FOB today, no attacks and we even down graded the uniform, again.  And STILL didn't get mortared.  What fun.   I managed to mail off some letters to assorted family members today, and by the time they get them, I might even remember what I meant to write.

            I keep trying to call my kids in Washington, but so far have had no luck.   I tried three times yesterday and twice tonight, to no avail.  I couldn't call last weekend because of the black out.  If I don't get ahold of them soon, I'm going to start calling during my daytime (their nighttime) and see how their mother likes that.  

            I did try calling during my day today and, of course, got just the answering machine.

The Homeless

During my morning shower, I was contemplating the plight of the homeless.  Why?   I have no idea, I just started thinking that we could use CHUs to house the homeless back in the US.  But, the real problem with homeless isn't the lack of housing, is it?   Nope.  It's not.  After some thinking I came to the conclusion that the real problem facing the homeless isn't actually being homeless – it's a lack of self-respect; not a lack of employment, or money, or any of that.   As a matter of fact, millions of dollars are pumped into the homeless plight every year by governments across the country.

 

            **At this point, I'd like to say that, no, I've never been homeless so I am not relating from personal experience.   However, I've also never jumped off of a bridge, but I know that it could be hazardous to my health.  While personal experience is handy, it is not by any means necessary to deal with or come up with a solution to a problem.   If it were, everyone would have to repeat the same mistakes that everyone else makes in order to deal with the situation properly in the future.  We must learn not only from our mistakes, but from the mistakes of others in order to get better.

 

            Now, back to the issue at hand:  homeless people (for lack of a better term) need assistance in regaining their self-respect.   In order to do that, governments (local and federal) should worry less about shelter and food – which are plenty, and more about getting the homeless off of drugs and alcohol and helping them to find jobs where they can once again become a part of society.

            I think one reason that homeless shelters are so ineffective is that they are a lot like jails – no personal space, no sense of being able to make your own decisions, everyone is cramped up in one or two rooms with a bunch of other people who may be bad influences.   If we could make little homeless communities with CHUs and give each homeless person their own mini-home, maybe they could regain some sense of independence.   Now, I'm not saying to give EVERY homeless person a CHU, because if you did that, you'd have people who didn't care to improve themselves living amongst people who do and that wouldn't work.   The CHU program should be part of a bigger program that assists the homeless in recovering from whatever brought them down and regaining a foothold in life.  They would have to earn a space in the CHU lot by working and maintaining certain higher functions of civilization.   Maybe later, I'll expound on the program. 

But, anyway, the CHU part would be something like this:  a series of CHUs in a controlled area by a city.   The residents would have security made up of the newly working homeless who lived there.  They would have communal showers and bathroom that were cleaned by more residents (part of their job).   It would be near a bus stop.  There would be certain rules to follow and a mini-government to ensure compliance with them.   Because it would only be comprised of people who earned the right to be there, each would have a sense of pride in being there and being around the people they were with.  Homelessness isn't a disease or affliction, its an attitude and outlook that can only be changed by the person experiencing the situation.  

I am 100% confident that if I were to lose EVERYTHING I had (down to the clothes I'm wearing), I could be put in ANY city or town in the USA and recover to a decent lifestyle. Why?  Not because of any skill I have, not because of any experience I have.  Only because I am confident that with the things I control (when I go where, what I do with my time, etc), I can convince someone to give me a job and then work my way up from there.   Anyone with free will can make something of themselves in the USA.  No question.

UAVs

            Back to those pesky UAVs (of which there are more than one type – actual UAVs and bigger than the other, smaller UAV called a Raven).  The thing that gets me about UAV pilots is that they are really little more than glorified RC plane or video game operators and they get treated like they are demi-gods.   They have to follow all the same rules as REAL pilots – which they aren't.  They can't pull guard, must get 8 hours sleep before they fly, and during our training, they couldn't be bothered with going to a bunker during an attack or defending the perimeter against the OPFOR.   UAV pilots are way to high on their own fake flying job.  They act the they are real pilots, which they aren't.   But, anyhow, enough of my ranting.  And, for the record, I know I haven't met them all, and I know they aren't ALL like that.  Just the ones I've dealt with.

DAY 54 / JAN 21

DAY 54 / JAN 21

 

            This morning was wonderful.  I sent a Soldier to my morning meeting and slept in.   Even then, I had a difficult time peeling my eyes open and dragging my ass out of bed.  The only thing that got me up and moving was knowing that people were waiting for me.   Eventually I slipped from beneath the mink blanket and groggily put my shower shoes on.  I grabbed my shower bag and slithered to the shower building, about thirty feet away.   The other nice thing about the morning was that the Big Voice (PA System) had just downgraded the uniform.

            The nice thing about sleeping in is that there is never a line for the shower and you get all the hot water you want.   When I have to get up early, its about 50/50 that there is enough hot water to get a good soaking.  So, once in the shower, I proceeded to do the usual things, soap, rinse, shave and brush my teeth.

            And wouldn't you know it, no sooner do I start to shave than I hear the high pitch warble of the big voice siren (that sounds like a police siren under water).   As the hot water rains down on me, I hear that there is direct fire (people shooting at the FOB), and indirect fire (people lobbing mortars or rockets at the FOB).   We've been here long enough that I know that the siren usually comes well after the actual incident, so if you're not already injured or killed, you probably won't be.  I finished my shower and went back to the CHU to get dressed.   So much for a uniform downgrade.

            After that, it was time for a quick chit chat with the wife and then I had to go to the memorial ceremony for the Soldier who died earlier this week.   The ceremony was sad, as they always are.  There were a massive amount of Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels and even a General or two here for the ceremony because it was the first casualty from our division.   There were approximately 10-15 Blackhawk helicopters on the flight pad – it would have made a wonderful target for the insurgents.

            In the afternoon, a sandstorm rolled in.  Not a bad one, but it did limit visibility to about 100 meters.

            Received another two boxes and a postcard from home today.  No one can ever know, until they've experienced it, how much a simple postcard, or box from home it.  It doesn't even really matter what's inside.   Just the fact that someone took the time and effort to send you something means everything.  And even though I know they are coming, and I'm not surprised, it always makes my day that much better when I receive stuff.

           

            To those who wondered about the low flying UAV:  Usually they fly quite high (so they don't get shot down), but when they take off and land, they of course come in quite low.   As it happens, my CHU seems to be directly underneath that flight path so they come in low and sound like they are going to create an unrequested skylight in my CHU sometimes.

DAY 53 / JAN 20

DAY 53 / JAN 20

            We upgraded the uniform again because the election results are supposed to come out today.   I guess we think that the locals might be unhappy enough to drop a mortar or two on us, or maybe we're just being overly cautious.

            The other day, outside of one of the LSA's, a guard post saw some people digging a hole while another guy watched from a nearby building.   The LSA sent out a patrol to check on the people, and then they checked on the hole and found a mortar tube, a bunch of rounds, RPGs, and AK-47s.  I think it's kind of stupid to be emplacing that stuff within sight of a guard tower.  But, they can't all be insurgent masterminds, I suppose.

            We have UAVs that fly over often and they fly so damned low I wonder sometimes what would happen if it crashed into my chu.   They really aren't THAT big, but still.

Our Battalion has no picked up another tradition that would better be left tonight.  Tonight we had an "O-call" where all of the officers and 1SGs get together for an hour of so off bullshit.  Lovely, can't wait.  So far, we lucked out and didn't have these, but now, apparently we are starting them up.

            So, now the O-call is over and was cut short by a couple of incoming rounds.   It never was a good idea to put all of the officers in the Brigade in the same spot at the same time.  Maybe next time we'll learn.

            Our counterbattery still amazes me with how it feels just like an incoming mortar explosion.  We fired off a volley or two and it just rocks the building.   Maybe someday I'll learn to distinguish it.

Google Earth meets Geocaching

Google Earth.  Google Earth is a web based program that enables you to view the earth from satellite images and aerial photos in a fluid, scrolling manner.   The resolutions vary and the images are not exactly up-to-date, but it's a great program for checking stuff out around the world and getting an idea what things are like.   Well, another fun thing to do is Geocaching – which is like a treasure hunt with GPS.  There is a web site you go to that tells you where (by lat and long, or utm or whatever setting you want) there are geocaches in your area.   Now, Geocaching and Google Earth have come together and so you can view where the geocaches are in your area simply by logging on to Google Earth and clicking the appropriate button.   It will make geocaching much less time consuming to get started.  Why does it matter now?  As it turns out there are approximately 8 geocaches that I should be able to find on various FOBs in Iraq.   Of course, I won't make a special trip over dangerous roads to get there, but once there, it'll be a bonus to look them up and find them. 

Truce with Terrorists?

Now, we hear of a truce deal offered by Bin Laden (and of course rejected by the US).  Well, at least we know he's still alive enough to be killed.   I was worried there for a minute that he might have just died in obscurity and we would never have the satisfaction of capturing of killing him.  In the end, he is the reason we are here.

            It is the policy of the United States that we do not negotiate with terrorists.  Clearly that is the only way to deal with them.   Once you begin to negotiate, you only encourage more terrorism.  However, if Bin Laden was the king or president of an actual country, then we could negotiate a cease-fire with him – assuming that he actually had a country to be at war with.   Sometimes it seems that the only difference between a terrorist like Bin Laden and a non-terrorist country, like Iran, is that the ruler of Iran has land and somehow that gives him credibility (and something take away, I suppose).   Bin Laden has nothing, so he's a terrorist.

Iraqi sunset

DAY 52 / JAN 19

DAY 50  52/ JAN19

            Is it really 50 days since I left home?  It only seems like last year!   Or maybe some year before that.  Anyway, its been too long and every day is one more day too long.  But, every day is better than the last, and we've been over that before.  

            Hmmm, but after a quick count, a reconciliation if you will, I think that we really have been here a total of 52 days, not 50.   Here's the math…. 2 days of November 2005, 31 days of December 2005 plus 19 days of January 2006 = 52 days.  Look at that, I just got two more days!

            Another quiet day on the FOB.  We have a detail practicing for the memorial coming up soon.   Back home, they would be using blanks for the 21 gun salute (really 7 guns x 3 volleys = 21), but there are no blanks in the Iraq theater – only live rounds.   So, now the issue is, do we fire live rounds for a 21 gun salute here?  If so, that's a lot of clearance that need to be made for where the rounds might land.   Also, we'd need to practice with live rounds too because it changes the way the rifle functions.  With blanks, its easy because they do not have enough powder to cycle the rifle completely without a blank adapter.   So, the Soldiers have to go through the whole charging handle issue when they fire the blanks.  With the live rounds, they will cycle just fine – that changes the whole system of the 21 gun salute.   Interesting.  I wonder how the other units have dealt with this – I've never heard of the issue before.

 

            Arg, some things just don't come together sometimes.  I recently had to send a patrol up north of here to fix a satellite system.  When we got there, we found out that the part we took was not enough – more was broke.   So, we got that part together from somewhere (flown in here), and then drove it up (3 hours one way over dangerous roads).  Now it turns out that even more is wrong with the system and MORE parts are being flown in here to be driven up there (which brings me to wonder why they can't just FLY them up there in the first place).   So, here I am, all ready to send yet another convoy of signal Soldiers on the road in a hurry to fix a piece of equipment that isn't really even ours (although we are somehow expected to fix it).   And then I find out that my convoy that went out today, is stuck halfway between here and there because of a blown head gasket on one of our trucks.   Thankfully they are on a FOB and safe.  They will be towed back here as soon as possible.  But, now I can't send out a patrol any time soon because I'm out of vehicles to do it with.   Ahhh, does the fun never end?

            But, you know, still no attack and I don't worry about going outside and hearing the whistle.   Don't get me wrong, I still keep an eye out for where I can jump if shit starts to fall, but I don't get a nervous feeling walking around outside.

 

DAY 50 / JAN 18

DAY 50 / JAN 18

A banner day in Iraq, or at least on FOB Warhorse. I received a total of 4 boxes of mail – and all from different people! What a great day, can they get any better?! In fact, my wife sent a DVD of some tv from home and it has changed the way I play (er..work) on the computer. I used to have the internet open and some music in the background, but now, with music videos and tv shows on, I have them in the corner, the internet on the top and this little box in the other corner. Multitasking at its best.

Other than that, I has the usual meeting this morning, sent a patrol out to the north and put out small little fires here and there. A wonderful day.

And, because every day is closer to going home, its always better than yesterday and not quite as good as tomorrow. Every day my glass gets more full. I'm making up milestones to amuse myself. The next one is the big 50 days away from home and after that it's the "less than 300 days to go" milestone. I have to take it in pieces, a year just seems too long to worry about all at once.

I've also discovered that Google Earth will mark Geocaches on its map automatically – that would have made life easier back home looking for the damned things. But, now that I know, I've discovered that there are about four of them at one of the FOBs we frequent (but none on mine, yet).

I got an advertisement for a realtor and accidentally clicked on it. It showed a nice house in Manitou Springs, near where we are now, and I was curious as to the price. It was about $300,000k. Ouch, but when I saw the monthly mortgage price I was shocked to see that it was LESS than my BAH – good deal. But, Manitou Springs is not exactly close to where I work, and who knows how long we'll be there? Maybe for future reference.

My request for magnets was well received and I'm adorned my CHU with magnets and stuff held up by magnets. I plan to leave most of the magnets for the next sucker to get stuck here, but there are some very strong ones that will come with me. Heck, I might just take them all home and give the rest to my kids. We'll see how I feel in 10 months.

Well, the fun time is over, the internet blocking software came back up today and I can once again no longer get to my blogs to review or edit them, so you'll just have to deal with my numerous double posting and bass-akwards numerbing.

DAY 49 /JAN 17

DAY 49 / JAN 17

The first full day without our gear was successful. We had no attacks, and all was well. We downgraded yesterday, but today was the first day free of the 30 lbs of gear.
There was some outgoing fire from 3/29, but those were the only booms heard today.
Nothing further for today – ho hum, another day down. One day closer to home and that makes it better than yesterday.

DAY 48 / JAN 16

DAY 48 / JAN 16

            Still under blackout.  I think I explained blackout in a prior entry, but just in case I didn't – a blackout is when someone in our Brigade is killed or seriously injured and the family must be notified.   In order to ensure that the family is properly notified, the Brigade cuts off communication from the Brigade back to home so that Soldiers don't go tell their wives or friends who then go and tell someone and eventually it gets to the relative of the deceased before the Army gets their team together to take care of it "the right way."   It has its ups and downs, but the thought behind it is honorable.

            Other than no communication to home, its been a regular day: meeting in the morning (that I almost missed because I woke up late – 0800 for an 0830 meeting).   I ended up missing my morning shower and was unable to procure any coffee before the meeting so I was dragging myself around all morning.  Not a good start, but not a bad day all in all.

DAY 47 / JAN 15

DAY 47 / JAN 15

            I'd like to say it was another uneventful day, just a Sunday walk in the park so to speak, but I can't.   Tonight we had our first BLACKOUT for a 3 BCT Soldier.

            It was not from our company, but was from our battalion.  I don't have all the details, but apparently a Soldier from another company was killed and two others injured when their M1114 had an accident (details unknown) with an M1A2 Abrams tank.  I don't have names or other details and couldn't give them out if I did.  But, I'm sure it'll be in the news soon enough.

            I wish good luck and best wishes to the injured and to the family of the deceased.  I hope that no more are killed here.   Whoever it was that was killed was our first, and I hope, our last.

DAY 46 / JAN 14

DAY 46 / JAN 14

 

            Another day of nothing important.  Which is good.   Managed to avoid a meeting this morning by sending a patsy (he'll have to do me job someday, so he might as well get used to it).  And then, I found out I have no meeting tomorrow!   That's great!  I can sleep in again!

            Other than that exciting development, nothing new.  So goes the war.   We are hearing rumors that other sites are moving here for one reason or another, and that's good.  It means that the Iraqis are getting better and better and more able to secure their own sites.   Good for them.

            On the internet here, a lot of websites are blocked for one reason or another (porn or excessive bandwidth usage usually) and as I was wandering around the internet, just browsing the sites I noticed that some that should have been blocked, weren't.   Odd, I thought, and I mentioned it to someone who explained that every once in awhile (once a week or so), the blocking server goes down for a reboot and during that short time frame (maybe 2 hours), you can get on and access those sites until it comes back up.   Good to know, so now I can check my blog at those hours and hopefully stay updated that way.

            Nothing else happened this evening.  All quiet.   Hoping for a uniform downgrade soon.

Weapon Upgrade

As mentioned ealier, I picked up a couple of new, heavier weapons. This is one of them. Sorry I can't publish more posts with pics, but the limited window to do it is roughly 2 hours per week (and I just found that out tonight).

DAY 45 / JAN 13

DAY 45 / JAN 13

            Friday the 13^th and no attack.  Good deal.   No black cats, no ladders, none of that good stuff.  Its been over a week since the last metal rain, but I still think its more due to the fact that movement in the mud is slow at best.

            We've picked up some more firepower in the form of 2x 7.62mm machine guns from another company.   We also picked up rounds for it.  Now, we just need to get people qualified on the systems and they'll be ready to roll.

            More meetings this morning followed by coordination with another unit to get people from here to there (wherever there might be).

            I also almost had one of my emergency leave folks also miss his movement to where he flies out due to some miscommunication within my battalion.   If I had listened to them, he'd still be here, waiting for the movement which already left.

            Once they said to wait, I went to the BN that was actually running the convoy and asked them when and where to be.   They told me that the convoy was already at the gate and was leaving in 10 minutes.  I grabbed a humvee and my Soldier and drove him to the gate where I made sure he got into a truck.   Some things just don't get done unless you do them yourself.  It's a sad truth.

            The day ended with a game or two of basketball, at which I am not very good.   But I try hard, and move fast, and I play a fair defensive game.  My offense consists of throwing the ball to someone else, or missing a shot.   My team ended up losing, but at least the game was close – next time they won't be so lucky.

            Getting in good PT around here is hard, especially when we're wearing our IBAS all the time we're outside.   Once we can downgrade a bit, we'll be able to get in some football or something during the day, and that will help a lot.

DAY 44 / JAN 12

DAY 44 / JAN 12

            Still no action on the FOB, and that's a good thing.  It's now been one week since the last mortars fell here, and I hope that its many more before they fall again.  My theory on the lack of action is that the insurgents don't like going out in the mud and rain any more than we do.   The sand is more like a thin dust and when it gets wet it turns to a very thick, very deep mud.  It gets on everything and makes moving rough.   If you're not careful where you walk, you sink it up to or past your ankle and even in boots, that's not good.  So, the bad guys are running around in tennis shoes or sandals and if they were to try and mortar us in the mud, they would most likely be killed by counter fire because of their inability to get out of the area in a hurry.   So, they don't attack when the mud is thick.  That's my theory.

            The day was uneventful, just handling the usual maintenance and supply issues.   I sent another troop to the meeting this morning (I figure if I go to more than half and to the ones where I have to say anything, I'm good).  Its good for him, someday, he'll take my place.  

            It gets harder and harder to keep a daily track of what's going on because it seems like I could almost cut and paste from the days prior and not miss anything.

            So, I started to keep a little log of what I could write about and I'll insert those into these as I go along.

            Like for instance – blogs.  Before we left the PAO (Public Affairs Office) came and did this big presentation on how blogs are bad for OPSEC and that, while its ok to have a blog, Soldiers and their superiors need to be sure that nothing OPSEC related is being put on the blog.   Now, we're here, supposed to be checking our Soldiers' blogs for OPSEC violations so we can take care of it at the company level first – before it gets too far out of hand.   But, what do they go and do – they block all the blog related pages.  How can I check a Soldier's blog if I can't go see it.  Maybe they think that by blocking the website, a Soldier can't blog and they eliminate the whole issue.   But its not that simple – as I'm clearly demonstrating.  While I cannot go SEE my blog, nothing prevents me posting to it via email (which I do, obviously).   So, it's a curious situation the Army puts on its leadership – how do we monitor something we can't see?  I guess I'll have to try and track down an answer to that.

           

            Everyday someone asks me if I'm going to stay in or get out.   Well, nearly everyday, and I tell them the same thing, every time – I'm taking it on a day-by-day basis.  On one hand, the Army pays decent, provides plenty of food, clothes, house, etc and takes care of my family relatively well.   On the other hand, I'm here, far from home, NOT taking care of my family and forcing the to fend for themselves.  So, it's a tough call as to whether or not I'll stay in, some days its this and others its that.   If I had a little scale, it would bounce between 40-60 on a regular basis (50 being completely undecided, 0 being "not a chance in hell").  I think, until that moment comes where I have to decide, I'll remain undecided – but I'll lean this way and that.

            If I could guarantee my family the same lifestyle they live now working somewhere else, I would take it.  But, saying that, I think that indicates a lean to not staying in.   Because it's not about money, but family, and if that's true, then the separation from family isn't worth the money. Hmmm… points to ponder.

DAY 41 / JAN 09

DAY 41 / JAN 09

 

Another day, another dollar.  Nothing to report as unusual or exciting.   I spent most of the day on the internet, searching for this or that, getting info and good stuff like that.  I was able to chat with my wife for awhile at night which was nice and then called her.

My FA buddy has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get all of his stuff done, which is no surprise.   I don't know that he's had a chance to run his line to the jack yet, but hopefully he'll stop by later and we can find out.

Another day down and its one more day closer to going home.

DAY 43 / JAN 11

You may have noticed a misplaced entry here or there… read below and you'll see why, I can't go to the blog site and check things out.

 

DAY 43 / JAN 11

 

            Today was the official TOA (Transfer of Authority) between the 4ID and 3ID on Warhorse.   With that said, nothing is different.  Not even the sign in the DFAC has changed from the 3ID patch to the 4ID patch – and that's surprising.   Usually when we take something over we graffiti everything with the Ivy Diamond. 

            Other than the TOA and some outgoing fire, the day was quiet.   Had the usual meetings and that's about it.  All in all, just one more day closer to going home.  I think the number left is right around 322.   It seems like a lot, like a very lot, but we're getting there, one day at a time.

            Tonight it rained heavily and flooded everything again.  Just when the mud was starting to dry, it rains again.  Dammit, I'll never get my boxes out of the milvan!  I don't want to take them out when the ground is soaked and I damn near have to wade through a lake to get to my CHU.   If I were carrying one of my boxes, I think I'd sink into the mud and be stuck until someone grabbed the wrecker and pulled me out.

            Maybe I'll try again another day.

DAY 41 / JAN 09

DAY 41 / JAN 09

 

Another day, another dollar.  Nothing to report as unusual or exciting.   I spent most of the day on the internet, searching for this or that, getting info and good stuff like that.  I was able to chat with my wife for awhile at night which was nice and then called her.

My FA buddy has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get all of his stuff done, which is no surprise.   I don't know that he's had a chance to run his line to the jack yet, but hopefully he'll stop by later and we can find out.

Another day down and its one more day closer to going home.

DAY 42 / JAN 10

DAY 42 / JAN 10

 

            Once again a slow day.  Although this morning I did manage to get to a meeting, pick up some big guns for the company and coordinate with the mayors cell to get another radio shot in.   The radio that these guys are using is huge and puts out enough RF energy to bake a hotdog just sitting in front of it and to make sterile anyone who stands in front of it long enough.   Good stuff.  And its not even a weapon!

            We sent a patrol out to some of the FOBs and they returned without incident.   We still need to get together a patrol team or two to make this easier, but its coming along.

            I also managed to put together a maintenance plan for the company showing where all of our equipment is and its maintenance stats.

            All in all, we're getting along.

 

            At dinner I sat down with a contractor who runs fuel around the FOB filling generators and the like.   We got to talking, just casual – where you from, married, kids, what do you do, and so on.  This contractor was from Louisiana, just north of Fort Polk and in the US he was a truck driver.   He sounded a little like Bubba from Forrest Gump, but just a little.  I asked him why he took a job working here, far from his kids and family, danger all around, and his answer wasn't surprising.   He said that he was a truck driver and that the gas price increases on diesel made it so he didn't make enough to survive back home.  So, he had to take a job here, running diesel to all of the numerous generators on post.   And then he mentioned something that is completely ironic and understandable at the same time.  Back home, he couldn't afford to keep his truck full of diesel because of the prices.   Here, at the end of the day, he says he sprays 2500 gallons of fuel on the burn pit – really a complete waste of fuel.  It seems to me that that's like a person coming from a place with no food, nearly starving – coming to a place where food it just throw out at the end of the day.   He would look at that and think, "how can I have not had enough back home, when here they waste it."  An interesting commentary on where and how the government spends money and what its priorities are.

 

            But, that's life and nothing we can do about it.  Another day down, and its bed time.  Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.