Well today is Sunday and the end of the week. We get to show up to work at 1000 hrs. At 0615 I was wide awake and when you're living in a 8x9 foot room with only a bed, nightstand and a wall locker and the only other amenity is an air conditioner and my trusty old shortwave radio that is on it's third Iraqi tour there's no reason to lay in bed pondering whether Sun stock will reach $20 while I am here or whether my favorite soccer team Betis will be relegated to second division like they were when I was over here during Desert Shield/Storm. So up and at em I headed for the showers, changed and hit the coffee shop before taking the bus to work.
The shuttle buses here is our means of travel from one FOB to another within the green zone or IZ as they tend to call it. They have various stops within the IZ and depending on where you are going there are different bus numbers. Due to the threat of mortars and other things that tend to ruin peoples days we have to wear our IBA (body armor) and our kevlar helmets. It is rather funny seeing the embassy staff or other civilian contractors wearing some nice Italian suits with a flak vest and helmet on. Somehow I don't envision our CEO Jonathan Schwartz riding in his limo from the city to work wearing a flak vest and with his ponytail hanging out from under his helmet with a cellphone stuck in his ear!
I finally got briefed on what my new job is and of course can't mention all the details but it they decided to use my Army logistics background, civilian supply chain experience and program management experience at Sun when they selected me for this position. I was to have been the OIC for the Iraqi Army National Supply Depot, but instead will be the Program Manager Officer for the construction, equipment and parts acquisition, setup, implemenation and training of the Iraqi soldiers for the National Maintenance Depot. Additionally I will also be overseeing some projects at the Supply Depot and Ammuntion Depot. So I have been receiving some briefings as to status of the project, who my Department of the Army Civilian and Iraqi Army counterparts will be. The first of my many meetings will be tomorrow and I have some catching up to do as the train has already left the station and all I see is the smoke of the engine that is way ahead of me. Like everything in life this is not a sprint but a marathon and I love marathons.
The logistics section that I work for is notorious for smoking cigars and my boss Colonel A (a West Pointer whose family is from the Basque Region of Spain) is always seen with a cigar in his mouth. Today I had an excellent Hoyo De Monterrey cigar while we talked shop out in the courtyard after working out at the gym. We both had a laugh as both he and I were on the treadmills earlier cranking out 6:30 miles and this Air Force guy with a nice beer gut got on the treadmill next to us and was running at about a 10:00 pace and after about 15 minutes got off the treadmill and looked like death was near as he was huffing and puffing! The gym here at the location where we work at is real nice, they have treadmills, elliptical machines, stairmasters, free weights and weight machines. They have to have these gyms because with the food they serve in the chow hall if you didn't work out at least once a day you'd be on the Army Fat Boy Program in a heartbeat. They have those killer 1500 calorie breakfasts: eggs, sausage, ham, biscuits and gravey, waffles, pancakes, omellettes, cookies, cake, baskin robbins icecream etc. For lunch besides the main line they have burgers, burritos, franks, onion rings, fries, etc. Bottom line if you don't watch what you eat you'll either be moving up a few sizes in your Army uniform or you cholesterol level will be in the high 200's if your lucky not to get a heart attack or stroke!
Key thing when you get here is to try to get into your battle rhythm, ie your daily routine. With 12 hour shifts being the norm you need time to decompress and get out of the office, so besides running and working out they have lots of other activities here in the IZ, aerobics, karaoke, chess, ping pong, country dancing and 2 steppin, etc. This was my first chance today to go to church services here in the IZ, we have a new priest and I was laughing when I saw him with his robes on , you could tell he was wearing shorts underneath and was sporting a pair of Nike's. I know that in my parish back home Father Jim would have had a field day if an alter server was dressed like that. But when it's 98 degrees and you have to be going from place to place to give mass, you might as well be as comfortable as can be while delivering the good word of the Lord!
Guess I gotta run and get ready for tomorrow, from what I have been told I will be here for another 2-3 weeks before heading up north to manage the project.
Hope all is well with all of you back home and those April showers will give way to those May flowers!
Go A's!!
29 April, 2007
28 April, 2007
Good Morning Baghdad!!
This morning I finally awoke in the International Zone (IZ) here in Baghdad after 26+ hours to travel 350 miles and using 5 means of travel, the only one I did not use was the donkey!
As I had already mentioned we were awaiting for our travel arrangements to be resolved prior to heading out. The previous day we did not fly because of the huge electrical storms and the sand storms they had in the Baghdad area. We were told to be ready to move at 2230 hrs on 26 April. The buses and baggage semi pulled up and we loaded our gear and boarded the buses with our Navy counterparts. I was flight commander so after discovering there was a Seaman that was not on the manifest they had to update it and off we went to Ali Al Salem (AAS) to catch our flight. Upon arrival I checked the group in, we downloaded the bags and built 2 pallets which would accompany us to Baghdad. We sat outside awaiting the bus ride to the tarmac for our plane, and at 0230 we got on and after a 10 minute ride got off and loaded the C-130, and took up every available web seat there was except for one. They loaded the two pallets and we took off almost 45 minutes ahead of time.
Most of us were just excited to be heading north and start our jobs since we had done all we could in Kuwait. I must have just fallen asleep when one of the Air Force crew chiefs told me that there were some mechanical issues and that the plane would have to turn back, we were over Iraq so around we went and landed. The flight was just a few minutes shorter than had we gone to Baghdad. The Soldiers got out and when I told them we were in Kuwait they throught I was pulling their leg. Us senior guys knew that this mechanical issue was not going to be fixed any time soon and that we would have to spend some serious down time at AAS. Sure enough I checked into flight ops and our next showtime was at 1140 hours so they gave us a huge tent so we could sit or lie down on a few cots inside. Most of us headed off to chow and call our wives and read some email, as there is not much happening at 0530 in the Kuwait desert.
It was starting to get hot with the sun coming out and I knew that it was going to be a scorcher of a day. At 1140 our Soldiers were back in the tent or smoking area and were to remain there until our buses arrived. It was tough to get some sleep since we were sucking down some serious water and the heat was making it unbearable everytime we had to hit the head. At 1310 the buses arrived and after we got all geared up with our IBA and rucks I then had to call manifest roll call under the Kuwait sun, board the bus whose AC was on high but the inside the bus it felt hotter than hell. We arrived at the tarmac, sat on the buses for about 10 more minutes. By this time sweat beads and were running down my legs and my upper body was soaked in sweat. We got on the aircraft under the hot did I say real hot Kuwaiti sun and after getting strapped in we sat there for 30-35 of the longest minutes of my life in that hot inferno, it must have been 130 degrees in there, all of us squished in their like sardines, all geared up with a wisp of breeze coming from the back of the aircraft every couple of minutes. Then they loaded on the pallets and you could kiss what little breeze we had goodbye. Everyone I looked at was covered in sweat and to top it off after having sucked down water like crazy then sitting in the aircraft for 40 minutes while watching the Air Force guys chilling out in the shade with the wind cooling themselves off, some of us were wondering was this some kind of Army Experiment to see how long until one of the guys locked and loaded a round into their weapon telling the Air Force to either get the show on the road or let us get out of there for a few minutes. We took off on time and landed almost 90 minutes later in a cooler Baghdad International Air Port (BIAP).
We swiped our ID cards and took a seat for the briefing. Got briefed and it took about 35 minutes for us to meet our coordinationg rep at BIAP. Good news was that our guys heading to the Phoenix Academy would be flying out later that night on CH-47 Chinook Helicopters. With the coordination being done I handed our folks over to another Colonel Darel Maxfield, both of us go back to when we both commanded battalions at the sametime. He was also going with those Soldiers to the Phoenix Academy. I now had to find my ride from BIAP to the International Zone (IZ) which is only 20 miles away but is in a completely other world. It took a shitload of phone calls to headquarters and when the first person I spoke to said "oh we weren't planning on you arriving so soon" I almost wanted to scream! I finally let them know that I was trying to catch a bird, once I did I would let them know. I was able to book a seat on Catfish Air, which is the name of one of the aviation units and these guys fly certain routes at certain time. So in the meantime I jumped in the back of a HMMWV and caught a ride to the chowhall. They had steak and shrimp and scallops. It was great and since I was still soaked in sweat from that flight I grabbed myself a four scoop vanilla icecream from Baskin Robbins to celebrate my arrival into Iraq. Walking back from chow the whole place was a quagmire, as it had rained a lot in the past 36 hours everything was covered 4-5 inches deep in mud. Let's see here mud in the desert, hmmm something must not be right.
The flight was at night which tends to be the norm when flying over Baghdad for security and means of self preservation. The birds were flying with no lights and pilots and gunners were using Night Optical Devices (NOD's) while flying. We stopped and had to get out for hot refuel then back on. We stopped at one of the camps to let some Soldiers off and pickup new ones, then we finally landed at IZ-Washington. It was interesting seeing Baghdad at night and from the air with the window open and the rush of cool fresh air in ones face was rather invigorating. From above it all looks rather calm, though I would venture to say that in some areas on the ground the same could not be said. I was picked up by Major Starnes from the J-4 who I met when I was out here in December. We had to make two trips to my temporary hootch, he left and after unpacking and taking a long awaited shower it was lights out at 0045 hours, just over 26 hours on the road and I finally was in a bed with my eyes closed.
I slept in this morning got up at 1030, then went over to the gym did my 5+ miles on the treadmill (damn I hate those things) I must be spoiled running in the bay area along the Guadalupe River, or along the trails off the Dumbarton Bridge. But thanks to my IPOD and some ESPN Sports Center on the tube the miles went by quickly. A quick shower, some chow, then here I am at the MWR internet cafe site reading email and updating the blog. That's it for now, I am heading to Phoenix Base where the J-4 is to meet my boss and figure out what he wants me to do for the next year. I have been told I may be here anywhere from1 week to a month, guess I'll find out in a few minutes.
Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera!!
As I had already mentioned we were awaiting for our travel arrangements to be resolved prior to heading out. The previous day we did not fly because of the huge electrical storms and the sand storms they had in the Baghdad area. We were told to be ready to move at 2230 hrs on 26 April. The buses and baggage semi pulled up and we loaded our gear and boarded the buses with our Navy counterparts. I was flight commander so after discovering there was a Seaman that was not on the manifest they had to update it and off we went to Ali Al Salem (AAS) to catch our flight. Upon arrival I checked the group in, we downloaded the bags and built 2 pallets which would accompany us to Baghdad. We sat outside awaiting the bus ride to the tarmac for our plane, and at 0230 we got on and after a 10 minute ride got off and loaded the C-130, and took up every available web seat there was except for one. They loaded the two pallets and we took off almost 45 minutes ahead of time.
Most of us were just excited to be heading north and start our jobs since we had done all we could in Kuwait. I must have just fallen asleep when one of the Air Force crew chiefs told me that there were some mechanical issues and that the plane would have to turn back, we were over Iraq so around we went and landed. The flight was just a few minutes shorter than had we gone to Baghdad. The Soldiers got out and when I told them we were in Kuwait they throught I was pulling their leg. Us senior guys knew that this mechanical issue was not going to be fixed any time soon and that we would have to spend some serious down time at AAS. Sure enough I checked into flight ops and our next showtime was at 1140 hours so they gave us a huge tent so we could sit or lie down on a few cots inside. Most of us headed off to chow and call our wives and read some email, as there is not much happening at 0530 in the Kuwait desert.
It was starting to get hot with the sun coming out and I knew that it was going to be a scorcher of a day. At 1140 our Soldiers were back in the tent or smoking area and were to remain there until our buses arrived. It was tough to get some sleep since we were sucking down some serious water and the heat was making it unbearable everytime we had to hit the head. At 1310 the buses arrived and after we got all geared up with our IBA and rucks I then had to call manifest roll call under the Kuwait sun, board the bus whose AC was on high but the inside the bus it felt hotter than hell. We arrived at the tarmac, sat on the buses for about 10 more minutes. By this time sweat beads and were running down my legs and my upper body was soaked in sweat. We got on the aircraft under the hot did I say real hot Kuwaiti sun and after getting strapped in we sat there for 30-35 of the longest minutes of my life in that hot inferno, it must have been 130 degrees in there, all of us squished in their like sardines, all geared up with a wisp of breeze coming from the back of the aircraft every couple of minutes. Then they loaded on the pallets and you could kiss what little breeze we had goodbye. Everyone I looked at was covered in sweat and to top it off after having sucked down water like crazy then sitting in the aircraft for 40 minutes while watching the Air Force guys chilling out in the shade with the wind cooling themselves off, some of us were wondering was this some kind of Army Experiment to see how long until one of the guys locked and loaded a round into their weapon telling the Air Force to either get the show on the road or let us get out of there for a few minutes. We took off on time and landed almost 90 minutes later in a cooler Baghdad International Air Port (BIAP).
We swiped our ID cards and took a seat for the briefing. Got briefed and it took about 35 minutes for us to meet our coordinationg rep at BIAP. Good news was that our guys heading to the Phoenix Academy would be flying out later that night on CH-47 Chinook Helicopters. With the coordination being done I handed our folks over to another Colonel Darel Maxfield, both of us go back to when we both commanded battalions at the sametime. He was also going with those Soldiers to the Phoenix Academy. I now had to find my ride from BIAP to the International Zone (IZ) which is only 20 miles away but is in a completely other world. It took a shitload of phone calls to headquarters and when the first person I spoke to said "oh we weren't planning on you arriving so soon" I almost wanted to scream! I finally let them know that I was trying to catch a bird, once I did I would let them know. I was able to book a seat on Catfish Air, which is the name of one of the aviation units and these guys fly certain routes at certain time. So in the meantime I jumped in the back of a HMMWV and caught a ride to the chowhall. They had steak and shrimp and scallops. It was great and since I was still soaked in sweat from that flight I grabbed myself a four scoop vanilla icecream from Baskin Robbins to celebrate my arrival into Iraq. Walking back from chow the whole place was a quagmire, as it had rained a lot in the past 36 hours everything was covered 4-5 inches deep in mud. Let's see here mud in the desert, hmmm something must not be right.
The flight was at night which tends to be the norm when flying over Baghdad for security and means of self preservation. The birds were flying with no lights and pilots and gunners were using Night Optical Devices (NOD's) while flying. We stopped and had to get out for hot refuel then back on. We stopped at one of the camps to let some Soldiers off and pickup new ones, then we finally landed at IZ-Washington. It was interesting seeing Baghdad at night and from the air with the window open and the rush of cool fresh air in ones face was rather invigorating. From above it all looks rather calm, though I would venture to say that in some areas on the ground the same could not be said. I was picked up by Major Starnes from the J-4 who I met when I was out here in December. We had to make two trips to my temporary hootch, he left and after unpacking and taking a long awaited shower it was lights out at 0045 hours, just over 26 hours on the road and I finally was in a bed with my eyes closed.
I slept in this morning got up at 1030, then went over to the gym did my 5+ miles on the treadmill (damn I hate those things) I must be spoiled running in the bay area along the Guadalupe River, or along the trails off the Dumbarton Bridge. But thanks to my IPOD and some ESPN Sports Center on the tube the miles went by quickly. A quick shower, some chow, then here I am at the MWR internet cafe site reading email and updating the blog. That's it for now, I am heading to Phoenix Base where the J-4 is to meet my boss and figure out what he wants me to do for the next year. I have been told I may be here anywhere from1 week to a month, guess I'll find out in a few minutes.
Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera!!
26 April, 2007
Still Waiting and Good News From Sun
Well we are still here in Kuwait and that meant a chance to sleep in for a change. Tried to get more than 8 hours of sleep but when your drinking water all day and your getting close to 50 that means getting up and walking about 50 yards to the porta-johns and at 0530 there is plenty of light in the sky since they don't do daylight savings time in Kuwait. So I decided to get one last run in and did a 6 miler inside the FOB perimeters. The guys were in good spirits during breakfast and then it started to rain off and on the entire day. We packed our belongings and waited for what we thought would be our movement but that fell through so it was unpack and get ready for at least another night or two or three. Last night was surf and turf at the chow hall so you had an option of steak with crab legs or fried shrimp, I stuck with the crab legs and fried shrimp and it wasn't that bad. Last night before I hit the sack some of us sat outside and enjoyed a great electrical lighting storm which then turned into a rain storm. I must have been tired because I hit the sack at 2130 and fell asleep while the tents lights were on.
Today after breakfast we got a chance to do laundry since most of us were running low on clothes to wear and we don't know the turn around time for laundry where we are heading to. It is a hot one today upper 90's and running around in my gym clothes with SPF 30 on my face I feel like I got burned in the 20 minutes I was out walking to the laundry location. Hopefully we'll be able to call Carmen today and later this afternoon we'll find out what transporation plan looks like for us.
On the home front it was good to see Sun post a profit for a second consecutive quarter. The $67M earnings was an improvement over last years Q3 loss of $217M. That means all the hard work by the folks in WWOPS especially those in ACF had a positive note, thanks guys for a job well done! Though stock took a dive yesterday as usual because of the analysts fears, here's hoping that by the time I get back it's in the $20 range and maybe I can retire while Carmen still goes to work every day! Yeah Right!!
Gotta go and finish packing my bags again and hopefully we can get out of here soon and begin to go to work up north.
Today after breakfast we got a chance to do laundry since most of us were running low on clothes to wear and we don't know the turn around time for laundry where we are heading to. It is a hot one today upper 90's and running around in my gym clothes with SPF 30 on my face I feel like I got burned in the 20 minutes I was out walking to the laundry location. Hopefully we'll be able to call Carmen today and later this afternoon we'll find out what transporation plan looks like for us.
On the home front it was good to see Sun post a profit for a second consecutive quarter. The $67M earnings was an improvement over last years Q3 loss of $217M. That means all the hard work by the folks in WWOPS especially those in ACF had a positive note, thanks guys for a job well done! Though stock took a dive yesterday as usual because of the analysts fears, here's hoping that by the time I get back it's in the $20 range and maybe I can retire while Carmen still goes to work every day! Yeah Right!!
Gotta go and finish packing my bags again and hopefully we can get out of here soon and begin to go to work up north.
24 April, 2007
Training Completed and Time to Move North
At last we have completed the required training here in Kuwait. Today was our rezero M4 range, to ensure that our weapons were still zeroed from the last time we fired in Kansas. Wakeup at 0430 hrs for the third day in the row and on the road at 0615 hrs. We took a bus to the range which was about 3/4 of an hour outside of Camp. The usual morning fog and overcast skies surprisingly remained that way and of course we all know that it always rains in April in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert right? Yeah right, sure enough just about the time we laid down in the prone position to begin shooting our first rounds it starts to get real windy and the sand pickup and starts beating my face pretty good, then it starts raining and with so much sand and dust in the air when the drops hit the ground instead of being clear they are muddy so the goggles are full of mud splatter, the targets are flapping like crazy and the sudden realization that this will not be as easy as I thought and I might be here for awhile kicks into overdrive.
Sure enough I just couldn't get comfortable with the sandbags I was using for support and instead of the 9 shots it took to zero in Kansas it was 18 rounds before I finally got the shot group that I wanted. They it was time to rezero with our CCO (Close Combat Optics) and that was a 12 shot ordeal. Bottom line I am ready to go and I know that my trusty M4 will not let me down. We finished up at 1130 hrs and then had to clear the range. Before leaving a huge herd of camels swung by and we got a chance for some closeup shots with the camels. They decided not to get to close to me (must have been the uniform that was on it's fourth day of wearing since I sure wasn't about to put on a clean one to roll around in the sand with).
We got back and after lunch had our last Iraqi language class, finished up with that and the Soldiers were done for the day. I still had meetings to attend and get our flight info from the Ops folks, obviously can't say anything about when we are leaving, how many of us etc. I will definitely let you know after the fact. We also got issued our basic load (ammo that we will be carrying with us into Iraq) for our M4 and M9. Cleaning the M4 today was a bear besides the carbon from firing today, there was sand in every nick and cranny of the weapon and just when I thought I got it all, some more sand showed up in hard to get spots. I found out later this evening that instead of going to the additional training they have for us in a undisclosed location in Iraq that I have been redirected to the IZ so I can spend time with my soon to be boss, an active duty Colonel and after getting my marching orders from him as to what I will be doing and what he expects out of me will be joining my teammates at their location. Funny thing is that my 3 other duffle bags are already at that undisclosed location, so I guess I will have to make due with what's in my rucksack and other duffle bag, and rely on quick turnaround at the laundry.
Great to see line units out here and speak with the young Soldiers and Marines at the mess hall or at the rifle ranges, I forgot that once I was their age,and in our unit you just don't see those young Privates, Private First Class or Lance Corporals. When you see the 18-19 year old kids back home with their pants hanging half way down their asses and their baseball caps on sideways or backwards you tend to generalize and figure all are like that, but these Soldiers and Marines make you realize that there are still young adults who are serving with pride and doing a great job in very harsh and dangerous conditions! One of the Marine Units has been out in these parts (Kenya, Djibouiti and Kuwait) and will continue onward back to NC after training in a few more countries along the way.
I am looking forward to actually sleeping in tomorrow since we have no training and after those early wakeups it will be nice to just sleep for at least 7 hours! I got to go and get my haircut, call Carmen and then stop by the chow hall to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the tent and calling it a night.
Go Army!!
Sure enough I just couldn't get comfortable with the sandbags I was using for support and instead of the 9 shots it took to zero in Kansas it was 18 rounds before I finally got the shot group that I wanted. They it was time to rezero with our CCO (Close Combat Optics) and that was a 12 shot ordeal. Bottom line I am ready to go and I know that my trusty M4 will not let me down. We finished up at 1130 hrs and then had to clear the range. Before leaving a huge herd of camels swung by and we got a chance for some closeup shots with the camels. They decided not to get to close to me (must have been the uniform that was on it's fourth day of wearing since I sure wasn't about to put on a clean one to roll around in the sand with).
We got back and after lunch had our last Iraqi language class, finished up with that and the Soldiers were done for the day. I still had meetings to attend and get our flight info from the Ops folks, obviously can't say anything about when we are leaving, how many of us etc. I will definitely let you know after the fact. We also got issued our basic load (ammo that we will be carrying with us into Iraq) for our M4 and M9. Cleaning the M4 today was a bear besides the carbon from firing today, there was sand in every nick and cranny of the weapon and just when I thought I got it all, some more sand showed up in hard to get spots. I found out later this evening that instead of going to the additional training they have for us in a undisclosed location in Iraq that I have been redirected to the IZ so I can spend time with my soon to be boss, an active duty Colonel and after getting my marching orders from him as to what I will be doing and what he expects out of me will be joining my teammates at their location. Funny thing is that my 3 other duffle bags are already at that undisclosed location, so I guess I will have to make due with what's in my rucksack and other duffle bag, and rely on quick turnaround at the laundry.
Great to see line units out here and speak with the young Soldiers and Marines at the mess hall or at the rifle ranges, I forgot that once I was their age,and in our unit you just don't see those young Privates, Private First Class or Lance Corporals. When you see the 18-19 year old kids back home with their pants hanging half way down their asses and their baseball caps on sideways or backwards you tend to generalize and figure all are like that, but these Soldiers and Marines make you realize that there are still young adults who are serving with pride and doing a great job in very harsh and dangerous conditions! One of the Marine Units has been out in these parts (Kenya, Djibouiti and Kuwait) and will continue onward back to NC after training in a few more countries along the way.
I am looking forward to actually sleeping in tomorrow since we have no training and after those early wakeups it will be nice to just sleep for at least 7 hours! I got to go and get my haircut, call Carmen and then stop by the chow hall to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the tent and calling it a night.
Go Army!!
23 April, 2007
Mounted Combat Patrol Out In The Middle of God Knows Where!!
I am hot and sweaty and I must reek pretty bad because even the flies are staying away from me here in the computer trailer! We just got back not too long ago from our final day of Mounted Combat Patrol (MCP) and I like the rest of the team are glad it's over. These past two days have been long and hot but the training has made up for the climate. Yesterday after doing several rehearsals and crew drills as to what we would do during various scenarios and conducting a rehearsal ride we finally got to go live and conduct our MCP. I was just a HRGIB (High Ranking Guy In Back) riding in the back seat of a HMMWV as part of the aid and litter team. The course was fairly long and it took well over two hours to complete. What made this course much better than the one at Ft Riley is that there was actual interaction with Arabs so we had to use our knowledge of Arab language and some of the cheat cheats and charts to help communicate with the locals that we had to encounter on our way.
The course had been set up with houses made our of wood and mannequins dressed, junk cars etc and throw in the real people and vehicles driving along the course and it gave most of the Soldiers who have not been our here before a taste of what to expect. As one can imagine they hit us with IED's, there were some casualties that us in the aid and litter team had to go out and give first aid, and move them to helo landing area for them to be medevac'd out. One of the Soldiers that we had to put on the litter and move under a sunny hot Kuwaiti sun was a big guy with all his gear on and although I have been working out a lot and uping the weights I had to drop the litter and ask for assistance on my end! I got to use my limited Arabic on a person who was role playing someone taking pictures of the convoy at one of our halts and supposedly was a reporter from Al Jazeera but without any creditionals etc. I thought my English was bad but my Arabic or what ever I was muttering didn't work too well, before I finally confiscated the camera and gave him a receipt from Uncle Sam for it. We succeeded to engage and destroy the bad guys and complete our mission only to have the vehicle I was in get hit with an IED at the end.
Today we actually went out to another course and this time used real ammo as part of the live fire. The course was long and the crew served weapon systems got plenty of targets and rounds to shoot with. Once again we were aid and litter and one of the Sergeants in the vehicle got plenty of exercise carry Soldiers and providing first aid. After that MSG Munoz and I were Range Safety officers who had to ensure camels and vehicles didn't get onto the course so as not to get shot at. Must have seen a couple of hundred camels while we were out there baking in the hot sun, thank God the HMMWV's have AC but it was still very hot.
Tomorrow we get what is most likely our last chance to bake and lay in the sand while we are here as we have our zero range where we get to fire some rounds to ensure our sights on our M4's is still good so if and when we need to fire at someone while in Iraq we know we'll hit our targets.
All in all the support here for the troops in terms of places to eat, the PX, Morale Welfare and Rec facilities makes it easier for the Soldiers to relax when they are done with training fo the day. For our team we just want to get out of here go to Iraq and get started with the jobs that we have been selected to do for the upcoming deployment period. After almost 90 days of training we are chomping at the bit.
Gotta run and go to the training meeting tonite, and after that looks like tonite might be cigar night for some of us guys after I squeeze in run.
The course had been set up with houses made our of wood and mannequins dressed, junk cars etc and throw in the real people and vehicles driving along the course and it gave most of the Soldiers who have not been our here before a taste of what to expect. As one can imagine they hit us with IED's, there were some casualties that us in the aid and litter team had to go out and give first aid, and move them to helo landing area for them to be medevac'd out. One of the Soldiers that we had to put on the litter and move under a sunny hot Kuwaiti sun was a big guy with all his gear on and although I have been working out a lot and uping the weights I had to drop the litter and ask for assistance on my end! I got to use my limited Arabic on a person who was role playing someone taking pictures of the convoy at one of our halts and supposedly was a reporter from Al Jazeera but without any creditionals etc. I thought my English was bad but my Arabic or what ever I was muttering didn't work too well, before I finally confiscated the camera and gave him a receipt from Uncle Sam for it. We succeeded to engage and destroy the bad guys and complete our mission only to have the vehicle I was in get hit with an IED at the end.
Today we actually went out to another course and this time used real ammo as part of the live fire. The course was long and the crew served weapon systems got plenty of targets and rounds to shoot with. Once again we were aid and litter and one of the Sergeants in the vehicle got plenty of exercise carry Soldiers and providing first aid. After that MSG Munoz and I were Range Safety officers who had to ensure camels and vehicles didn't get onto the course so as not to get shot at. Must have seen a couple of hundred camels while we were out there baking in the hot sun, thank God the HMMWV's have AC but it was still very hot.
Tomorrow we get what is most likely our last chance to bake and lay in the sand while we are here as we have our zero range where we get to fire some rounds to ensure our sights on our M4's is still good so if and when we need to fire at someone while in Iraq we know we'll hit our targets.
All in all the support here for the troops in terms of places to eat, the PX, Morale Welfare and Rec facilities makes it easier for the Soldiers to relax when they are done with training fo the day. For our team we just want to get out of here go to Iraq and get started with the jobs that we have been selected to do for the upcoming deployment period. After almost 90 days of training we are chomping at the bit.
Gotta run and go to the training meeting tonite, and after that looks like tonite might be cigar night for some of us guys after I squeeze in run.
21 April, 2007
Training and Jet Lag
Most of us have jet lag and the first couple of nights it was tough to get some decent sleep. The AC in the sleeping tent is so damn cold at night that I am glad I brought my heavier sleeping bag for now. Porta johns and combat showers (get wet, lather, rinse, get out) are the norm since water is a scarce commodity just like conservatives are in the bay area. 15 gallons per Soldier is the figure used for planning for water. We had some IED class today taught by a British Sergeant Major and the guy was funny but I swear I could only understand 50% of what he said. Yesterday we had a full day battle staff on IED's and most of it was classified and I like so many others in our group thought it was the best classroom block of instruction we have received since being mobilized. It was hot but windy so it didn't feel that bad.
Today we went out to the range and did some hands on training and maintenance on the M240B and M2 50 Cal machine guns. Then in the afternoon we did some hands on training with some Russian weapons and got to fire some AK-47's at various targets. That was fun but by the time we got back late in the afternoon the heat and jet lag was taking it's toll I must have fallen asleep a couple of times on the ride home. Ran with one of the guys after cleaning weapons tonite did about 5 miles in a balmy 82 degrees and plenty of diesel emissions from the generators. Still have to call Carmen tonite after I get off the computer reading my Army email. The next two days will be Mounted Convoy training and live fire exercise and the temps and sun will be a killer these next two days, at least the HMMWV's have AC in them. I imagine that by this time next week I will be in Iraq, so better enjoy the rest of my stay here. Good to see the A's swept the Angels and are in first place, Go A's.
Today we went out to the range and did some hands on training and maintenance on the M240B and M2 50 Cal machine guns. Then in the afternoon we did some hands on training with some Russian weapons and got to fire some AK-47's at various targets. That was fun but by the time we got back late in the afternoon the heat and jet lag was taking it's toll I must have fallen asleep a couple of times on the ride home. Ran with one of the guys after cleaning weapons tonite did about 5 miles in a balmy 82 degrees and plenty of diesel emissions from the generators. Still have to call Carmen tonite after I get off the computer reading my Army email. The next two days will be Mounted Convoy training and live fire exercise and the temps and sun will be a killer these next two days, at least the HMMWV's have AC in them. I imagine that by this time next week I will be in Iraq, so better enjoy the rest of my stay here. Good to see the A's swept the Angels and are in first place, Go A's.
19 April, 2007
Finally in the Sandbox
Well it's Thursday 19 April and this is my first morning here in the Sandbox. We arrived at the Kuwait airport at 1600 hrs yesterday after a 20 hour flight from Kansas. (Great way to spend a birthday) Right now I am at Camp Buehring which is the main reception area for inbound Soldiers.
Tuesday was deployment day so after clearing out our rooms and stacking our bags outside for pickup (4 duffle bags and a rucksack) we headed to the chow hall and meet with our BG Regua our Assistant Division Commander.
After chow I headed to the gym where the manifest was to take place, I was the Chalk Commander and wanted to make sure everything was set up for when the troops came in. Manifesting was quick, your carry on bag was checked to see if it would fit under your seat, you were weighed with all your gear you were wearing to include flack vest, weapons and carry on bag. I weighed almost 100 pounds more with my gear. After that they swiped our card and we sat in the bleachers. They had food and coffee that volunteers had baked and provided. We changed patches from the 1st ID to our 104th Timberwolf patch. Colonel Alexander said a few words and then our chaplain said a prayer. We then filed onto the buses for our ride to the airport at Forbes Airfield in Topeka Kansas. We were originally flying to Indy to pickup troops there then to Labrador NF, Budapest Hungary and finally to Kuwait. We flew a 757-300 so it wasn't too bad.
After picking up troops in Indy we then were told that with the Nor'Easter hitting the east coast that the Labrador stop was cancelled and we would fly to Shannon Ireland. We stopped off in Shannon for one hour and they let us get off at 0230 hrs to hit duty free. Back on and off to Budapest Hungary where we were not allowed to get off and they changed flight crews. From above Budapest reminded me a lot of Germany. Finally arrived here at 1600 hrs. After transferring via bus to a holding area while the bags were removed, we got water and then onto Camp Buehring a 2 hour bus ride out in the middle of the desert. After arriving we got our inbrief, did the ID card swipe which starts our taxfree and combat pay status and then to our tent where we will be staying.
I called Carmen last night to let her know I arrived and hit the sack. Ran 6 miles this morning in the small dust storm, today's high to hit 90. Will write later today, since I am up on 30 minute time limit.
Tuesday was deployment day so after clearing out our rooms and stacking our bags outside for pickup (4 duffle bags and a rucksack) we headed to the chow hall and meet with our BG Regua our Assistant Division Commander.
After chow I headed to the gym where the manifest was to take place, I was the Chalk Commander and wanted to make sure everything was set up for when the troops came in. Manifesting was quick, your carry on bag was checked to see if it would fit under your seat, you were weighed with all your gear you were wearing to include flack vest, weapons and carry on bag. I weighed almost 100 pounds more with my gear. After that they swiped our card and we sat in the bleachers. They had food and coffee that volunteers had baked and provided. We changed patches from the 1st ID to our 104th Timberwolf patch. Colonel Alexander said a few words and then our chaplain said a prayer. We then filed onto the buses for our ride to the airport at Forbes Airfield in Topeka Kansas. We were originally flying to Indy to pickup troops there then to Labrador NF, Budapest Hungary and finally to Kuwait. We flew a 757-300 so it wasn't too bad.
After picking up troops in Indy we then were told that with the Nor'Easter hitting the east coast that the Labrador stop was cancelled and we would fly to Shannon Ireland. We stopped off in Shannon for one hour and they let us get off at 0230 hrs to hit duty free. Back on and off to Budapest Hungary where we were not allowed to get off and they changed flight crews. From above Budapest reminded me a lot of Germany. Finally arrived here at 1600 hrs. After transferring via bus to a holding area while the bags were removed, we got water and then onto Camp Buehring a 2 hour bus ride out in the middle of the desert. After arriving we got our inbrief, did the ID card swipe which starts our taxfree and combat pay status and then to our tent where we will be staying.
I called Carmen last night to let her know I arrived and hit the sack. Ran 6 miles this morning in the small dust storm, today's high to hit 90. Will write later today, since I am up on 30 minute time limit.
17 April, 2007
Running Out of Time
Sorry that I haven't written any sooner but I have been very busy between spending time with my wife Carmen and the kids and my parents and brother and sister visiting these past two weekends. On top of that I am very short and my next post will be from theater, so you can imagine all the work that some of us have been doing getting ready to fly out of here. I can't give any more details but will fill you all in from over there once I get access to a computer.
The Colonel
The Colonel
09 April, 2007
06 April, 2007
Mounted Combat Patrol
These past three days our section had what is our last required training event the Mounted Combat Patrol (MCP). I missed day one since I was required to attend some foundation training but did participate during the last two days. The first day according to the team was spent doing rehearsals as to how to react to the various threats that a convoy can come up on, such as traffic circles, overpasses, hostile civilians, possible vehicle borne IED (VBIED), IED's, sniper fire, a disabled vehicle, etc. After going through the various rehearsals each of the various teams drove through a 18 mile course and were had to react to three to five instances of threats listed above. The goal of day one was to see which of SOP's needed to be rewritten or massaged after going through the course, and the team had to rewrite some of their SOPS.
On the second day we changed convoy commanders, drivers and gunners so that more Soldiers could get a chance to participate in those roles. I was a vehicle commander and the last vehicle on the convoy. It was a long 18 miles as we were hit with an IED, sniper fire, our convoy was hit and one of the vehicles was destroyed and we had to perform first aid on several of the Soldiers. Later on we linked up with another vehicle and got hit with mortars on the road. We got to fire plenty of blanks from the M240B machine gun on our HMMWV and from our M4's during the exercise. We definitely did some things right on that convoy and we found out that there were some areas that we needed to improve on.
Later that evening the next days convoy commander asked me if I wanted to be a gunner and I jumped at doing that, somehow forgetting that the weather for the next day was a low of 18 and high of 35 with rain and snow showers. We were up and out in the parking lot early this morning to get the vehicles ready for todays mission. Our drive up to the range was uneventful and once we arrived for the live fire exercise (LFX) the OC's gave us a safety brief while the wind was doing it's best howling! They then took each of the serials out on the course so that we could see what the course looked like and what to expect and which weapons could be used at the various sites. Our group was chosen as the second one to go, so we had to wait until about 1130 hours and then it was time to pickup the live ammunition do our last minute checks on the weapon systems and get ready to rock and roll. We used three vehicles, two had M2 50 Cal machine guns mounted and the other one had a M240B machine gun. I was on the last vehicle with the 50 cal.
The first scenario enabled the two 50 Cals to fire at various vehicles and dismounted troops targets. Being able to fire the 50 cal on this type of course at the various targets was a lot more fun than the pop up targets at the previous machine gun ranges. On a couple of scenarios some of our team actually got out shooting their M-4's at dismounted troop targets while us machine gunners were firing at the moving vehicle targets. On one of the scenarios the OC's simulated a wound to our driver and we had to get the Soldier out of the driver seat and into the back so we could move and provide first aid to the Soldier. Although it was cold out there I think that we were so pumped up doing this course plus the fact that we would begin our 4 day pass later that evening that time flew by quickly. We no sooner cleaned up the range picking up the brass and links and were heading back to top off the HMMWV's that it began to snow, yes snow! Four days earlier we were at 84 degrees and now it was snowing and coming down pretty good.
After getting fuel it was time to clean the machine guns and get our weapons turned in. We were the last group of Soldiers to finish training for the day, the rest of the task force was done by 1200 hours and many had already made the mad dash to the Kansas City airport. By 1800 hours we were done and had finished picking up our rental vehicles. I was planning to hit the road by 1930 hours having CPT DeCecco, CPT Welch and SFC Bernier riding with me to the airport. They were heading to Philly, Pittsburgh and Boise respectively where as I was waiting for my family to arrive from San Jose. I will post something either Tuesday or Wednesday after getting back to Ft. Riley.
On the second day we changed convoy commanders, drivers and gunners so that more Soldiers could get a chance to participate in those roles. I was a vehicle commander and the last vehicle on the convoy. It was a long 18 miles as we were hit with an IED, sniper fire, our convoy was hit and one of the vehicles was destroyed and we had to perform first aid on several of the Soldiers. Later on we linked up with another vehicle and got hit with mortars on the road. We got to fire plenty of blanks from the M240B machine gun on our HMMWV and from our M4's during the exercise. We definitely did some things right on that convoy and we found out that there were some areas that we needed to improve on.
Later that evening the next days convoy commander asked me if I wanted to be a gunner and I jumped at doing that, somehow forgetting that the weather for the next day was a low of 18 and high of 35 with rain and snow showers. We were up and out in the parking lot early this morning to get the vehicles ready for todays mission. Our drive up to the range was uneventful and once we arrived for the live fire exercise (LFX) the OC's gave us a safety brief while the wind was doing it's best howling! They then took each of the serials out on the course so that we could see what the course looked like and what to expect and which weapons could be used at the various sites. Our group was chosen as the second one to go, so we had to wait until about 1130 hours and then it was time to pickup the live ammunition do our last minute checks on the weapon systems and get ready to rock and roll. We used three vehicles, two had M2 50 Cal machine guns mounted and the other one had a M240B machine gun. I was on the last vehicle with the 50 cal.
The first scenario enabled the two 50 Cals to fire at various vehicles and dismounted troops targets. Being able to fire the 50 cal on this type of course at the various targets was a lot more fun than the pop up targets at the previous machine gun ranges. On a couple of scenarios some of our team actually got out shooting their M-4's at dismounted troop targets while us machine gunners were firing at the moving vehicle targets. On one of the scenarios the OC's simulated a wound to our driver and we had to get the Soldier out of the driver seat and into the back so we could move and provide first aid to the Soldier. Although it was cold out there I think that we were so pumped up doing this course plus the fact that we would begin our 4 day pass later that evening that time flew by quickly. We no sooner cleaned up the range picking up the brass and links and were heading back to top off the HMMWV's that it began to snow, yes snow! Four days earlier we were at 84 degrees and now it was snowing and coming down pretty good.
After getting fuel it was time to clean the machine guns and get our weapons turned in. We were the last group of Soldiers to finish training for the day, the rest of the task force was done by 1200 hours and many had already made the mad dash to the Kansas City airport. By 1800 hours we were done and had finished picking up our rental vehicles. I was planning to hit the road by 1930 hours having CPT DeCecco, CPT Welch and SFC Bernier riding with me to the airport. They were heading to Philly, Pittsburgh and Boise respectively where as I was waiting for my family to arrive from San Jose. I will post something either Tuesday or Wednesday after getting back to Ft. Riley.
03 April, 2007
Opening Day 2007
Hard to believe that it’s opening day once again and although two games were played yesterday the A’s open their new season today against the Mariners with Dan Haren on the mound. With a new manager Bob Geren and some new players on the roster Mike Piazza, Todd Walker, Shannon Stewart etc it should be a great team this year and if the pitching staff stays healthy there is no reason the A’s can’t win the West Division like last year and make it to the World Series. Either way, though I won’t be home to catch any of the games adn eat those wicked Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries while downing a nice marzen, however I once again subscribed to MLB Audio Game Day and will be able to catch the games archived since there is an 11 hour time zone difference from
It feels like opening day out here in
This past weekend the Soldiers that I will be working with threw one hell of a BBQ in what could be called less than appropriate weather with rain and wind. They had it all, ribs, brisket, chicken, burgers, hotdogs, brats, veggies and plenty of beer, spirits and wine. They started barbequing at 1700 hrs and finished with the last of the food at 2030 hrs. I left the party just after 2200 hrs and from what I was told there were still folks out there at 0400 hrs. Due to the inclement weather, some tarps were set up, a large shelter tent was set up and a fire pit was used and there was plenty of wood to keep all the revelers nice and warm, the alcohol helped too. For me it was probably the last chance to party with the Soldiers since this coming Easter weekend is our four day pass, the following weekend my parents and sister are coming down to see me and sometime after that it will be wheels up for me and I will have to play it by ear as to when I will be heading over.
I, like the Soldiers really want to get out of here and get over to the box so that we can begin doing our job that we were mobilized to do and help the Iraqi Army get up on it’s feet and transition as much responsibility and operational capability to them so we can finish up and leave for home after our time is up over there.
Go A’s!!
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