On the Road Again

I realized that I had let this blog go by the wayside during the busy times out here and I dont want to make that mistake again. That is why I am all of a sudden making a flurry of posts to try and not only catch everyone up but really show whats going on out here.

The past few missions I have gone on have been pretty exciting and interesting to say the least. We went on one mission maybe a week or so ago and were at this secure compound close to one of the rivers, which one I dont remember, and an IED went off about 1000 meters away. We could hear the explosion and it took out a random civilian car and injured 2 people. The quick reaction force from the FOB responded out there and helped handle the situation. We just went about our business no problem at all. A few days later we got hit with indirect fire again, like I described in a previous post, but like always they were inaccurate and ineffective. The rockets didnt even make it to any of the areas that soldiers are at and some were shot out of midair by the IRAMs. Speaking of the IRAM system, when they do the test fires to make sure they are functioning correctly, they are so loud and obnoxious you can hear them from all over the base. I guess I would rather deal with the noise than not have them work, right?

The last mission we went on took us to the Police Headquarters. It was really interesting because we are trying to get them situated like an American police unit would be. The PRT has brought in computers and all kinds of technology for them to use that it was very interesting to see. They are in the early stages of applying ballistics technology to link weapons to crimes, dna technology is being studies jointly with the professors at the university, and they finally have software to start fingerprinting not only all the inmates they already have in custody but also all the other citizens. Whats weird is that when two people have the same name, they refer to them based on their parents names as a means of individualization. It was neat to see those tools being established and the satisfaction of the PRT members that they are making a difference. While we were there the 3 soldiers and myself that were the security detail had a lot of fun. When the PRT go into a meeting of some sort, in this instance with a police general, the other 2 stand outside and guard the door. Well a soldier and I stood outside for about an hour and a half and tried communicating with the Iraqi Police guards the whole time. It was hilarious. It could have been a scene from a comedy movie where people try to talk to each other in 2 very different languages and have no idea what on another is saying except for the hand and arm signals we passed and could barely make sense of. We all were laughing at each other and trying to talk. I took a bunch of pictures and after I would take one they all wanted to see what it looked like and for me to take more. They also want me to print them and bring some back so they can have them. My soldier uses dip which is a form of chewing tobacco. He went to put some in his mouth and then convinced one of the Iraqis to try it. That was hilarious because the guy had no idea what he was doing and he had it all in his teeth and everything. All the Iraqis were laughing at him until he finally spit it out. After that, I convinced one of the guys to trade patches with me so I gave him a 4ID patch for his Ministry of Interior patch. We had a good time.

The best part about all of the Iraqi soldiers is their strong desire to be just like us. Whenever we go somewhere it is each to see how they are trying to be like the American soldiers that had been there before. The gear they wear and buy is to copy what we look like. US soldiers all wear knee-pads but most of the time they are annoying and uncomfortable so they fall down to our shins. When the Iraqis see this they go out and buy knee-pads and wear them around their shins. They think they are shin guards and thats what they are for because they see ours like that. Some of them wear armor and they go out and buy pouches to put on their vest to look like us, but they have nothing in the pouches they just want to wear pouches. They all wear boots that are tan and they tuck in their laces because they see that is what we wear and what we do. It really is interesting how much they just want to try and live up to us and what we do professionally. That is one of the most interesting things I have learned. The Iraqi Army soldiers especially want to be just like us. The Lieutenant wants to talk to me, and only me. He wants the same respect that my guys give me, and he gets it because that is the only way to officially be able to train them the way they need to learn in order for them to take over and us to leave. So far it has been a very enlightening experience being here.

Of course, pictures to follow:

CONGRATS

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Yesterday morning / early afternoon my amazing girlfriend graduated from DeSales University! She graduated cum laude which is pretty awesome in my opinion and now officially has her RN degree. I guess she wont be a practicing nurse until she takes the boards in June but in my book she is a nurse now. My nurse!

Im so proud of all the hard work and dedication over the past few years you have put into achieving a goal you set for yourself. It is a testament to the extra effort you have put into your studies especially the last 2 years without having me around to support you from your side but only from a distance. I am really proud of you for being able to handle all of the stress you have in addition to the fact that you only get to see your boyfriend monthly, if that, and now not really at all.

I am really sorry that I could not be there to spend this once in a lifetime experience with you and share in the moment. You were in my thoughts all day yesterday and today and I am always hoping the best for you. I was cheering to myself during the time that you were graduating and going up to receive your diploma. I know that this whole situation and experience we are in and working through right now is difficult. Its hard being apart to being with but half a world makes it that much harder. Just know that you are always on my mind. The littlest things remind me of you. I cant wait to congratulate you in person when I eventually get to come home on leave.

I love you sweetheart.

routine

well i certainly have not posted in way too long of a time period. i guess i have just been letting everything slip my mind lately and not taken the time to come up and post to tell everyone how things are going.

so far everything is going very well. all of the missions we have gone on and participated in have been successful to the point that our PRT members are getting done what they need to accomplish. the fact that they all come home in the same form that they went out in is a testament to our keeping them safe. so, therefore we are all working together to accomplish something here and hopefully work ourselves out of a job sometime very soon. we have been to probably 15 - 20 different location so far and have gone outside the wire almost 5 times a week. usually we have a few days we go in a row and then a day off and that pattern continues the whole time. even when we have a day off from missions our guys are kept very busy doing maintenance on the vehicles and cleaning weapons. im sure there is no more an intimidating image than that of us rolling around on the streets and parking in front of building with up-armored vehicles and mounted machine guns sticking out and scanning the area. not to mention when we walk around with all of our gear on carrying our M4 rifles. i cant even imagine what the united states would be like if instead of traffic lights we had cops at every single intersection. and at major crossroads on highways we had the army stationed with checkpoints verifying passes and stickers. traffic in the US is already bad, imagine all that on top of it and think about traffic jams and how long it would take to get to work!

for the most part our days are becoming routine and all of the guys are getting set into some sort of schedule so they can plan out their time wisely. for the most part everyday we have checks on our vehicles and equipment, we have a patrol and security brief, we have an intel update, and then we roll. when we come back we refuel, wash down the vehicles, and prep them for the next mission. after that soldiers have time to go to the gym, watch tv or movies, diddle around on the computer, go use the internet, but more often then not, napping is the priority.

right now we are still in tents and the living situation is not the best that i could be. we are all pretty cramped but i guess it could always be worse. the worst part about the tent is the temperature. it is so hot outside and so cold in the tent that the temperature change is so drastic it makes me get headaches. hopefully i dont get sick. i dont know why all the guys like it so cold it just isnt comfortable at all for me.

im going to put up a few picture with this post and try to do that from here on out so you can get a sense of what things are like and see what it is we see. i hope all is well back in the states!

Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Hopefully I get the chance to talk to my mom today but in any case I want to wish her a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope that you and dad get to spend a nice day together enjoying yourselves doing something fun and relaxing. I know you have been working very hard recently so you deserve to take some time off to yourself. Hopefully the knowledge that I am ok and everything is going well out here will make you feel a little relieved about the situation and allow you to relax some more. Also, I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day all friends and family that are Mom's, and thank them for their continued support and the love they have given and blessed me with over the years. I know many people are reading this blog so that they can keep track of how I am doing and how things are going and I want to thank all of you as well for making comments and showing me your support.

While along the lines of me being thankful, I want to thank all those very much who have sent care packages. Again, thank you mom for being so supportive to me but also to my platoon by sending toys and goodies for me to pass out to the guys. I really am lucky to have the support system that I have and it is amazing to be able to rely and lean on everyone back home especially with me half way around the world. I can really see just in the dynamic of my platoon that not everyone is as lucky and those that are as fortunate in some ways are not in others. I have everything I could ask for. Close Family Friends sending packages with hygiene products, a incredibly loving girlfriend to send me anything and everything I ask for, and family that will always be there for me.

So, now that I have adequately given a brief thanks to my mom and all those who are continually supporting me, let me describe a little bit about Mother's Day in Iraq.

Today was a very long and tiring day to say the least. This morning we were up bright and early around 0500 to start preparations for the days missions. Typically this consists of getting all vehicles and gear ready to roll, loading up all weapons, doing pre-combat checks and inspections on personnel and equipment, making sure we have all communications programmed, getting chow, loading coolers with ice, water, and gatorade, and then giving a patrol brief. This concludes a few hours later at which point we go and pick up the specific PRT members that are the focus for the mission of the day. Today we got to the location right on time because we ran into a lot of Sunday traffic going through downtown Basra (pictures to come). We were there for an eventful 3 hours. During the time we were sitting waiting for the meeting to conclude, I decided not to go in but to stay in the street with the vehicles, it was quite exciting. My interpreter didn't get a chance to eat breakfast so he asked if he could walk down the street to a hole in the wall falafel joint. I went with him as his security element with one of my other soldiers because I wanted to walk around and talk to people, see what this little store was like, and try to make a positive American influence. First I must say, the falafel was delicious and my terp brought back one for everyone in my truck, a very generous gesture although 6 falafels cost him only 3 dollars. While in the store they were very talkative and gracious that we stopped by, taking pictures with us and of us, I got pictures of a bunch of Iraqi Police that were hanging out in the store drinking chai. It was very interesting and a great experience, every time we go back to that site I will be stopping by to say hi and grab some good local grub to eat. Hopefully I don't have any ill effects tomorrow in the latrine! After that we went back to the trucks to wait some more and we saw an incredible sight. 11 cows walked past us randomly, all by themselves, wild to say the least, in the middle of the road. Nobody even cared! Then to make it more incredible, they stopped and started eating trash off the sidewalk and off the street. Not grass mind you they were like scavengers eating trash, TRASH, that was just thrown in the streets and on the sidewalk and in the gutter. It was incredible I was dumbfounded. I got a picture of them too because I just could not even believe it. After that nothing really interesting happened while on the missions.

Later on this afternoon after we had already returned, debriefed, eaten lunch chow, and I had completed the plan for tomorrow an issue came up. I have a soldier whose wife is pregnant with their first child and we have been trying to get him home for the past week so he can be there for the birth. He is getting thrown around and given excuses left and right as to why they cant let him go and its really a shame to see they way the system is turning against the soldier. The Army always talks about how important the soldiers and their families are yet when something can be done that's simple and would not affect our ability to operate, they decide not to act. We have been trying to get his family and the doctor to send an appropriate red cross message that is worded in they way he needs to justify him going home but its not happening. Not to mention the case got more serious when her water broke over 24 hours ago and now she is high risk for infection and they will have to do an emergency operation. Its really hard because I don't understand what it is he is going through and as much as I try to explain the reasons for why he keeps getting denied the ability to get leave, it doesn't sit well with anyone. Its just one of the difficulties of being young and in charge of guys that not only are older but also are in completely different stages of their lives than I am. Luckily I have NCOs that support one another and I can rely on to be their for him but it just pains me knowing there is little to nothing I can do for him and to help out his situation.

Well I don't want to end on a negative note so I'll end with a joke ... please excuse the foul word at the end of it.

"An organization is like a tree full of monkeys, all on different limbs at different levels. Some monkeys are climbing up, some down. The monkeys on top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. The monkeys on the bottom look up and see nothing but butt-holes."

Description of Pictures

So I figured that my next post should be a description of the photos and explain what is going on in each of them since my parents decided to make comments on all of them and ask questions regarding the majority. I will start with the ones posted in Pictures 1 and end with the ones posted in Pictures 7. Hopefully I am able to answer the majority of questions and explain a little bit about whats going on and what it is.

Pictures 1:
There are 2 pictures with the airplane in them. That is the rundown airplane that we flew on all the way from Colorado to Kuwait. It made stops in Bangor, Maine and Shannon, Ireland before eventually landing in Kuwait. The 4 guys in the one picture are all E-6s or Staff Sergeants that are in my Platoon. The 2 pictures with the USO sign are from the concert we were able to attend while at Camp Beuhring that featured the Zac Brown Band. The pictures are slightly out of order I recognize that.

Pictures 2:
The rugby ball were in a crate for sale in the Ireland Airport, I figured they were pretty Irish so I took a picture of them. The dogs in that picture were "Soldier Greeter" dogs. The Bangor airport is a big refueling terminal for flights going in and out of theater and the USO there hires greeters. These dogs belonged to a couple that were there greeting us. They were very playful and raised everybody's spirits. The license place is of the bus that got us to Camp Beuhring, it said Kuwait on it so I took a picture, plus it turned out pretty neat with the shadow. The other picture is obviously of my weapon with the M320 Grenade Launcher attached to it.

Pictures 3:
Here you see a picture of me and also of the Paladins that I control. Since the other Platoon pushed out to a different location, I am in control of all 4 M109A6 Paladins and their support vehicles. The other picture of me is while I am inside the MRAP simulator that I described in an earlier post. The Tabasco sauce was on every table in the DFAC and I thought it was funny that all the writing was in Arabic. The final picture of an enlarged jersey barrier was along the road we took to get out to the Artillery Range. The graphics on the barrier were pretty funny so I took the picture while on a moving bus.

Pictures 4:
Here you can see the Paladins loaded up on the 18 wheelers that we used to bring them to and from the range and how they were transported out to Basra. Also that is a picture of the drivers, they were oh so willing to be photographed. The tower is the observation post that the observers called for fire from. The picture of the 3 LTs include myself, LT Huth the HHB XO, and LT Pivito a LT from Alpha BTRY 3-29.

Pictures 5:
Now for the camels. I was able to get up close and personal with the camels and they were very calm and it wasn't a problem at all. Here you can see a baby and also the Bedouin with his travel camel. He did not speak English at all and I described that whole situation earlier. Camels are pretty cool and it was neat to see them in person, an arms length away, and not just at the zoo. The other picture is of the FDC crew that we took out to the range with us. It includes my chief, computer operator, radio operator, and myself.

Pictures 6:
These pictures include more of the men that are in my Platoon. There are 2 different gun crews and I am in the picture with one of them and my Platoon Sergeant (the bald white guy) is in the other picture. In addition we have a range control vehicle which was funny because the range control people were all Americans that come over and do short stints. They are just as difficult to work with as the ones at Fort Carson. Their truck was pretty neat though. The other picture is of me and 3 technicians that work at Camp Beuhring. They came out to support us in case we had any mechanical issues they were already on site.

Pictures 7:
The first picture is of the tent that housed about 60 of us. It was cramped and not good hygienically having us all that close together breathing and spreading germs. A lot of people got sick including me. That is part of the process I guess and what everyone has to deal with. The middle picture is of the actual MRAP simulator with the vehicle inverted to simulate a rollover. We had to climb out after they spun it a few times. The final picture with all the HMMWVs in it is of all the vehicles we trained on while in Kuwait. Every picture posted is from Kuwait. I just wanted everyone to get a chance to see what an Up-Armored HMMWV looks like with its turret.