DAY 17 / DEC 15

DAY 17 / DEC 15

 

Another one of those days, except I can say that at least SOMETHING changed.  We moved into a temp CHU (just for tonight) so that another unit could move into the transient tent we were in.  It isn�t a big change; I still can�t unpack or plan anything, but at least its one step closer to getting where I�m going.  Tomorrow should be the day we actually move to our assigned CHUs and then its just a matter of time before the rest of the company arrives.

This morning, I tried my first coffee from the �Green Beans Coffee Shop� on the FOB.  I had a hot white chocolate mocha and I must say that it was actually not bad.  They don�t have anything on Starbucks, but beggars can�t be chosers.  I can�t say that I�ll get one daily (because I won�t � not at $3.50/per), but from time to time, I might stop by from a little pick-me-up.

            The real story of the day is that the Iraqis had their elections, and boy did they.  Personally, I think the elections went better than expected.  There was a high Sunni turnout (who during the last election didn�t vote much and are probably the cause of most of the insurgent activity), higher than expected, and in some areas they actually ran out of ballots!  I think it�s a good sign that the Sunnis, who originally didn�t want any part of the new government are seeing that the only chance they have to get their point across in a democracy is to vote and to participate in the political process.  After all, I once read that, �Politics is war without bloodshed, and war is politics with bloodshed,� or something to that effect.  Maybe the �bad guys� are getting the picture and want to get into the process before the process runs them over.  The fact that the Sunnis voted in mass numbers shows that the end actually could be near � not near enough for us, I�m sure, but maybe near enough that we won�t have to come back, again.

            So, all in all, not a bad day as far as a day deployed away from home in a foreign country where other people might be trying to kill you for no other reason except that you wear a particular set of clothes.  There was a nice sunset that colored the clouds with orange and pink and a cool breeze almost all day that kept the temperature down.  We arrived at a good time, the weather is comparable to home (in the spring or early fall � not the winter), and we should experience the entirety of Iraqi seasons.  Coming in now will help to eliminate some of the acclimatization problems that we would have had coming in the summer.

            Another point that I maybe forgot to make in my initial description of being here is that at night, there is a policy of light discipline � which means that the vehicles moving around at night don�t use their headlights (but use their parking lights only), the doors to everything are always closed to keep the light from escaping, and generally its just dark.  On LSA Anaconda (near Balad), they have lights on all the time, the FOB has 24 hour bus service and flood lights that keep everything lit all the time.  The reason our FOB does dark every night is just in case someone out there is trying to drop something on us, we�ll be harder to hit at night, and the targets will be less identifiable.  There is a good thing to being dark at night; the stars shine brighter here and with such a flat landscape, if you get up high enough (like on a hesco barrier), you can see the entire sky from horizon to horizon.

            So, we moved into our temp CHU for the day � which will be very much like our permanent ones, so here�s a little description:

            A CHU is basically a metal container (like out back at walmart where they hold all their excess stuff).  It has a door in one side, two windows that are blocked up (to prevent any fragments from coming in), a linoleum floor and a row of fluorescent lights across the ceiling.  The walls are all metal, of course.  Our CHUs are wired with 2x 220V outlets, and 8x 110V outlets (110V is what everything is the US runs on; the rest of the world uses 220V).  The windows have flimsy Venetian blinds on them.  Some CHUs have amenities that are being left behind by the outgoing troops � small fridges, homemade entertainment centers, maybe a TV or two that they can�t sell, bed frames and mattresses that were probably supplied by the Army.  Most of the ones without actual bed frames have had some sort of jury rigged 2x4 contraption built to hold a mattress off the ground.  Most Soldiers will be sharing a CHU with two other Soldiers, some with only one and the most important people are allotted their own (only the Commander and 1SG).  Personally, I�m glad that I�ll be sharing, because just being in here now, with one other person, it�s kind of lonely.  It would be hard to imagine what it would be like with no one else coming in, ever.  People are social animals, and although a little peace and quiet �me-time� is necessary from time to time, most people like being around other people.