It's hard to believe it is already summer, I guess that means instead of highs of 112-114 the temp will works it way into the 120's! This is like the cold the difference between 112-116 is not noticeabe just like -25 to -30 isn't noticeable because at that point your frozen anyways.
I will be travelling the next couple of days so I figured I better knock out a quick blog. I was reminded the other day by the two Captains working on the satellite dish that they were not dicking around as I had said in the blog, instead they were hard at work. I agree with them especially since the following day two Colonels whose names will go unmentioned were also on the roof assisting with the satellite and I can assure you that we were not dicking around but were actually getting some work done, and the following day we were at it again and this time there is a strong signal but there are other issues that IT support is working on.
Work has been getting tougher as of late, with a staff of four of us, two Soldiers and two DA civilians working this project, we are pulled so many ways that I sometimes wish I could say the magic word at Sun IBIS hire and snap my fingers and get an additional 5-10 folks like that. Good news is that they are in the pipeline and should be arriving soon, which will be a relief to us. Besides trying to get funding approved for work that is required above and beyond what was originally planned and submitting documents for statement of works for things like guard service, life support such as DFAC's, setting up a Dept of Public Works section and getting fuel for the various power sources it's been a wild ride as of late.
I visited the 40 Jundi who will be the first group of Depot workers at boot camp the other day, and I think they were shocked that an O-6 actually went to see how training was and how they were doing. I know I always complained about living in those old WWII era barracks at Ft. Knox and Ft Riley when I went through basic and advance training. Life for us even though we thought it was miserable was better than where they were staying at. They were in 20 man tents, the AC although on full blast just couldn't get the temp down to the low 80's and with no windows except the front door it was hot and muggy inside. Soldiers being Soldiers wanted to graduate and head back to their families for a couple of weeks. They will be graduating next week and then can enjoy sometime with their families before heading back for some advanced training and then finally training at the Depot. Other than that boot camp looked like what all of have gone through during our military careers.
Last night we got the fire lit and we all sat around smoking cigars outside with a star filled sky and enjoying everyones company. One of the guys had a birthday so someone had gone to the PX and bought a frozen cake so we got to sing happy birthday and eat some darn good cake.
A quick shout out to the running gang out there in Los Gatos! Being 11 hours ahead I was able to do my Saturday run before you all did. Only did 5 miles on the treadmill and the leg was doing okay which means next week I can finally hit the roads. I miss you all on the runs and even though sometimes the Alma loop gets boring, it sure beats running on the treadmill!
That's about it for now since I am heading back to the hootch from the office since it's a little past 2200 hrs out here.
Talk to you when I get back from my travels.
The Colonel
23 June, 2007
19 June, 2007
Life in Taji
I know some of the folks have asked me what's a typical day out there in Taji. Well for starters I am lucky in that I have a single room which means I have plenty of space. The only amenities I had in the room when I moved in was a bed, a decent size wardrobe, and two night stands and plenty of dust in the room. Since then I have bought some of those container units they sell for the dorms at the PX, which gives me some additional space in the wardrobe since there were only two drawers. I bought a couple of 5X9 foot rugs so at least when I get out of bed I'm not standing on a dusty tiled floor. One the guys next door gave me a old DVD player, so I bought a 14' TV, a coffee maker and that's about it for furniture for now.
The bathrooms and showers are about 40 yards away, which isn't too bad now that it is hot out, but imagine that in the winter during raining season it will be a different story. The showers and bathrooms are cement buildings not metal trailers. There are two separate facilities one for each sex, each has 10 showers, the other building has 8 sinks, 10 toilets and I guess 6 urinals but hey whose counting. The MWR (Moral Welfare and Recreation) Center is about 40 yards away too and that is where there is a gym. Now that I finally can run yeah!! I get up around 0545 hrs and head off to the gym to do my cardio workout. After that it's the showers, get dressed and head off to work. I live about 5 miles away from work, it seems farther because the speed limit is anywhere from 30 mph to 5 depending where you are on post. I am in 7th heaven driving a GMC Sierra 4X4 Crew Cab with a long bed pickup! I don't know if I will be able to drive that small Ford Escape when I get back home, (Carmen that F-150 4X4 I have always been wanting to buy seems to come to mind)! I got my KRTY stickers on the bumper but there is no country station and except for one hard rock station, one contemporary music station, the British Forces station all we have are a good dose of Arab stations, and I don't know about you but it just doesn't have a twang! We sort of live out in the boonies which is nice since the density is lower out our way. I'm usually at work by 0745, then go to the chow hall which is next door. It's an nice facility has plenty of big screen TV's so I usually catch ESPN sports center or baseball tonite while I eat breakfast. The DFAC's have a whole slew of food, sausage, bacon, omelletes to order, eggs (powdered due to bird flu) pancakes, waffles, hot oatmeal, grits. You can also get dry cereal, juices galore and fresh fruits.
We have a 0830 staff meeting and then it's back to the grind, either in the office or as of late out and about at the Depot construction site, or linking up with other units to discuss fuel or infrastructure issues. The Australians are now here and they will be teaching the first set of Depot level classes for the Iraq Jundi (Soldiers) beginning in late August. Right now it's course curriculum, procuring parts for weapon repairs, generator repairs. My assistant SSG G is always out and about getting more furniture for the classrooms, ordering supplies for the Depot, etc.
I also work closely with the folks back in the IZ since they support me with issues that I need resolution when dealing with the Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MOD), and with other folks on the J Staff. Lunch is usually a to go affair so I an eat and work at the office, then before you know it it's dinner and more work until 2000 hrs or so, when I usually wrap up and clean off the desk and head for home. A couple of days a week I hit the weights in the gym and other than that it's reading a book or the magazines that I get. Believe it or not what I miss most besides my family and friends is that trusty old Fry's Electronics and Home Depot which are only a couple of miles away back home. No such luck here, the PX is not too big into electronic gadgetry so right now I am trying to get the cables that link the DVD to the TV since the hand me down DVD didn't have cables. I still frequent Fry's but its Frys.com and it takes 5-7 days for delivery.
The Captains are still dicking around trying to get the satellite dish that a bunch of chipped in and bought up and running so that we can get some email in our rooms. A shoutout to my brother Roy for supporting the troops and buying us a 24 port switch that we needed for the internet. Last night they thought there were possibly some hardware issues, one of the guys CPT Nap is an IT guy on the civilian side so I guess he's the OIC of this project. All I know once we get internet then we can skype and use webcam with our families!!
Since there is no laundromat here on base KBR does our laundry. We can drop off up to 20 pcs and it will be folded and ready for us the next day, and yes Carmen I still keep mixing whites with colors and it shows on my running shirts as they have become sort of gray! I know it's a guy thing!
Well that's all for now, I have to quick meet up with one of the engineers to go over our build schedule and sign off on some docs.
But before I go I imagine that my brother in law Pepe and my nephews are gloating over Real Madrids winning the Spanish Soccer Championship over Roy's Barca. I'm just happy that my Betis didn't get relegated finishing a lowly 16th place. And how about those A's 6 games over 500 and sweeping the Giants over at Pacbell a couple of weekends ago in the Bay Series! Go A's!!
Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera!
The Colonel
The bathrooms and showers are about 40 yards away, which isn't too bad now that it is hot out, but imagine that in the winter during raining season it will be a different story. The showers and bathrooms are cement buildings not metal trailers. There are two separate facilities one for each sex, each has 10 showers, the other building has 8 sinks, 10 toilets and I guess 6 urinals but hey whose counting. The MWR (Moral Welfare and Recreation) Center is about 40 yards away too and that is where there is a gym. Now that I finally can run yeah!! I get up around 0545 hrs and head off to the gym to do my cardio workout. After that it's the showers, get dressed and head off to work. I live about 5 miles away from work, it seems farther because the speed limit is anywhere from 30 mph to 5 depending where you are on post. I am in 7th heaven driving a GMC Sierra 4X4 Crew Cab with a long bed pickup! I don't know if I will be able to drive that small Ford Escape when I get back home, (Carmen that F-150 4X4 I have always been wanting to buy seems to come to mind)! I got my KRTY stickers on the bumper but there is no country station and except for one hard rock station, one contemporary music station, the British Forces station all we have are a good dose of Arab stations, and I don't know about you but it just doesn't have a twang! We sort of live out in the boonies which is nice since the density is lower out our way. I'm usually at work by 0745, then go to the chow hall which is next door. It's an nice facility has plenty of big screen TV's so I usually catch ESPN sports center or baseball tonite while I eat breakfast. The DFAC's have a whole slew of food, sausage, bacon, omelletes to order, eggs (powdered due to bird flu) pancakes, waffles, hot oatmeal, grits. You can also get dry cereal, juices galore and fresh fruits.
We have a 0830 staff meeting and then it's back to the grind, either in the office or as of late out and about at the Depot construction site, or linking up with other units to discuss fuel or infrastructure issues. The Australians are now here and they will be teaching the first set of Depot level classes for the Iraq Jundi (Soldiers) beginning in late August. Right now it's course curriculum, procuring parts for weapon repairs, generator repairs. My assistant SSG G is always out and about getting more furniture for the classrooms, ordering supplies for the Depot, etc.
I also work closely with the folks back in the IZ since they support me with issues that I need resolution when dealing with the Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MOD), and with other folks on the J Staff. Lunch is usually a to go affair so I an eat and work at the office, then before you know it it's dinner and more work until 2000 hrs or so, when I usually wrap up and clean off the desk and head for home. A couple of days a week I hit the weights in the gym and other than that it's reading a book or the magazines that I get. Believe it or not what I miss most besides my family and friends is that trusty old Fry's Electronics and Home Depot which are only a couple of miles away back home. No such luck here, the PX is not too big into electronic gadgetry so right now I am trying to get the cables that link the DVD to the TV since the hand me down DVD didn't have cables. I still frequent Fry's but its Frys.com and it takes 5-7 days for delivery.
The Captains are still dicking around trying to get the satellite dish that a bunch of chipped in and bought up and running so that we can get some email in our rooms. A shoutout to my brother Roy for supporting the troops and buying us a 24 port switch that we needed for the internet. Last night they thought there were possibly some hardware issues, one of the guys CPT Nap is an IT guy on the civilian side so I guess he's the OIC of this project. All I know once we get internet then we can skype and use webcam with our families!!
Since there is no laundromat here on base KBR does our laundry. We can drop off up to 20 pcs and it will be folded and ready for us the next day, and yes Carmen I still keep mixing whites with colors and it shows on my running shirts as they have become sort of gray! I know it's a guy thing!
Well that's all for now, I have to quick meet up with one of the engineers to go over our build schedule and sign off on some docs.
But before I go I imagine that my brother in law Pepe and my nephews are gloating over Real Madrids winning the Spanish Soccer Championship over Roy's Barca. I'm just happy that my Betis didn't get relegated finishing a lowly 16th place. And how about those A's 6 games over 500 and sweeping the Giants over at Pacbell a couple of weekends ago in the Bay Series! Go A's!!
Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera!
The Colonel
16 June, 2007
Back Home in Taji
On the 11th I had a great meeting with my Iraqi counterparts that lasted 2+ hours and we got some key decisions made and each have our work cut out for us during these next couple of weeks. I am trying to get them to take a longer range look at what lies ahead not just what’s out there the next few weeks. Long range planning is key to lots of things and I am trying to get them to look out to the start of the new year and what we have to do know to make sure those things can be accomplished. Hell I’m already figuring out the itinerary for the 15 days of Rest and Relaxation (R&R) that the four of us will be spending in early next year!
The only sour note of my visit was one of the LTC's that I often eat breakfast with so we can watch ESPN Sports Center and talk about baseball while I am here in the IZ, had a negligent discharge. And no that's not something that happens during sex, but occurs when someone is clearing their weapon prior to entering the DFAC and a round gets fired. The reason we clear our weapons is so if for whatever reason we had to chamber a round because we were in the red zone or had our magazine in the weapon, we have to go to green status and make sure that 1) no round is chambered and 2) that we have no magazine in our weapon and 3) that our weapon is back on safe, so we don't shoot ourselves or one of our buddies. It takes about 10-15 seconds to clear your weapon the right way, because after you lock your bolt to the rear you need to do a quick visual inspection to make sure no rounds are in the chamber and to ensure you removed the magazine. Some of the guys out here think they are at the OK Corral and do it so damn fast there is no way in hell they even have time to check the chamber. Unfortunately for this LTC, three strikes and your out 1) he one did not remove his magazine, 2) he chambered a round and 3) he did not have his safety one and when he went to reholster his weapon he shot himself in the leg and the round came out by his ankle. Luckily there was a doctor nearby and he was transferred to the hospital down the street in a matter of minutes. He partially tore his artery in his leg and is in Germany right now and if all goes well will recover and not lose his leg. Beside that pain he gets an article 15 and a General Letter of Reprimand. As our OC's drilled into our brains at Fort Riley, slow is good, fast is bad when it comes to clearing our weapons. I would imagine that is a hard way to learn a lesson!
Flying home was interesting. After dropping off my linen at the billeting office and turning in the key I made the 1 mile walk to the PAX terminal at the landing zone it must have been about 103 degrees and with full battle rattle and my 40 lb ruck I was definitely feeling the heat. Luckily there was room in the terminal which is air conditioned. About 90 minutes before my flight time, they started cancelling some flights due to sand storms up north and the SSG told me that at the movement rate and direction of the storm my destination was in the path and sure enough about 45 minutes before the flight all flights north of Baghdad were put on weather hold. At about 2330 hours I asked what the chances were that the hold would be lifted soon and he told me that I would be better off getting some sleep and they booked me on another flight for the next evening. Back it was to billeting and luck would have it my room was still vacant so I was able to hit the sack late that night and tried my luck the following day. I called ahead on the secure line and was told all things were good to go. It must have been Groundhog Day because 30 minutes before the flight they announced a 1-2 hour weather hold due to sand storms once again, and the wait began! Luck would have it that the Ops Sergeant from the previous night was also working that shift plus he had to head north that same evening, so he began to call all the various ops centers to see which choppers based up north were still in the Baghdad area. It must have been my lucky night as there was one still down our way, so we left 90 minutes late and this one made a lot of stops more than I can ever recall, but it was a cooler evening and except for some anti chaffing flares while on approach to one of our locations it was an enjoyable but long flight home.
I gave a couple of GI’s a ride in my pickup and these guys were young sergeants who every day go outside the wire patrolling in the various villages and depending on the mission may actually end up going door to door hunting down the bad guys. It was nice getting to hear their side of the story and to find out what they go through each day. I definitely have a much easier job and living conditions than those guys do and am awe at what they have to do each day, and that these guys are professionals and know that they have a job that has to be done and done right and are very optimistic and upbeat about what they do! After calling Carmen telling her that I had just moved back up here for the time being it was way past 0100 hrs and time to call it a day!
Well that’s all for now, it’s nice to be back home or at least what I call home for now.
The Colonel
The only sour note of my visit was one of the LTC's that I often eat breakfast with so we can watch ESPN Sports Center and talk about baseball while I am here in the IZ, had a negligent discharge. And no that's not something that happens during sex, but occurs when someone is clearing their weapon prior to entering the DFAC and a round gets fired. The reason we clear our weapons is so if for whatever reason we had to chamber a round because we were in the red zone or had our magazine in the weapon, we have to go to green status and make sure that 1) no round is chambered and 2) that we have no magazine in our weapon and 3) that our weapon is back on safe, so we don't shoot ourselves or one of our buddies. It takes about 10-15 seconds to clear your weapon the right way, because after you lock your bolt to the rear you need to do a quick visual inspection to make sure no rounds are in the chamber and to ensure you removed the magazine. Some of the guys out here think they are at the OK Corral and do it so damn fast there is no way in hell they even have time to check the chamber. Unfortunately for this LTC, three strikes and your out 1) he one did not remove his magazine, 2) he chambered a round and 3) he did not have his safety one and when he went to reholster his weapon he shot himself in the leg and the round came out by his ankle. Luckily there was a doctor nearby and he was transferred to the hospital down the street in a matter of minutes. He partially tore his artery in his leg and is in Germany right now and if all goes well will recover and not lose his leg. Beside that pain he gets an article 15 and a General Letter of Reprimand. As our OC's drilled into our brains at Fort Riley, slow is good, fast is bad when it comes to clearing our weapons. I would imagine that is a hard way to learn a lesson!
Flying home was interesting. After dropping off my linen at the billeting office and turning in the key I made the 1 mile walk to the PAX terminal at the landing zone it must have been about 103 degrees and with full battle rattle and my 40 lb ruck I was definitely feeling the heat. Luckily there was room in the terminal which is air conditioned. About 90 minutes before my flight time, they started cancelling some flights due to sand storms up north and the SSG told me that at the movement rate and direction of the storm my destination was in the path and sure enough about 45 minutes before the flight all flights north of Baghdad were put on weather hold. At about 2330 hours I asked what the chances were that the hold would be lifted soon and he told me that I would be better off getting some sleep and they booked me on another flight for the next evening. Back it was to billeting and luck would have it my room was still vacant so I was able to hit the sack late that night and tried my luck the following day. I called ahead on the secure line and was told all things were good to go. It must have been Groundhog Day because 30 minutes before the flight they announced a 1-2 hour weather hold due to sand storms once again, and the wait began! Luck would have it that the Ops Sergeant from the previous night was also working that shift plus he had to head north that same evening, so he began to call all the various ops centers to see which choppers based up north were still in the Baghdad area. It must have been my lucky night as there was one still down our way, so we left 90 minutes late and this one made a lot of stops more than I can ever recall, but it was a cooler evening and except for some anti chaffing flares while on approach to one of our locations it was an enjoyable but long flight home.
I gave a couple of GI’s a ride in my pickup and these guys were young sergeants who every day go outside the wire patrolling in the various villages and depending on the mission may actually end up going door to door hunting down the bad guys. It was nice getting to hear their side of the story and to find out what they go through each day. I definitely have a much easier job and living conditions than those guys do and am awe at what they have to do each day, and that these guys are professionals and know that they have a job that has to be done and done right and are very optimistic and upbeat about what they do! After calling Carmen telling her that I had just moved back up here for the time being it was way past 0100 hrs and time to call it a day!
Well that’s all for now, it’s nice to be back home or at least what I call home for now.
The Colonel
10 June, 2007
Back in Baghdad
Well I am back in the IZ once again doing a myriad of tasks for a short time. Several of us are down here to review some of the technical specs on bids for one of the contracts up at the Depot. We flew down on the 7th and it was a very hot flight, since it was over 100 degrees when we lifted off and that was after sun down. I must have been brain dead because instead of sitting with facing the rear of the aircraft I sat in the end seat facing the front. I never was able to relate to Dantes Inferno when I read the book but about 3 minutes in flight I suddenly had a greater appreciation of what hell was like. Hot wind hitting me in the face and even though I had my Kaenon protective eyewear on the force of the hot wind was too much so I basically flew with my eyes closed or my head turned the facing the inside of the aircraft. I was glad to hit the ground and get out of there. I lucked out and instead of staying in the small 8x9 foot hooch I got a wet trailer. By wet I mean that there is a bathroom, wash basin and shower between two trailers. This is nice because that means you don’t have to go outside to the restroom. I got a single room and it had a telephone and color TV. It’s been weeks since I have been able to watch any TV in a relaxed manner, even though we have TV’s in DFAC there is so much noise that it’s hard to follow the programs. Here in the Mideast the Arabs don’t dub the movies or shows instead they keep the original audio and use close caption in Arabic. Carmen you would have loved it there were 3 different CSI Las Vegas’s running at the same timeslot, one on AFN and the other two on Arab channels! I finally got to watch the Factor with Bill O’Reilly. The next day being Friday which is a sleep in day most of the folks were nowhere to be seen this morning, but we started at 0830 hrs. We had to get briefed on what is legal and illegal when reviewing the bids and what will land us in jail if we don’t follow the rules. Then we started the review. I was able to take some time out to track down some actionable items that I need resolution on before heading back north. Such as dropping off my Army laptop for turn in, getting updates on the new structure of the Iraqi Army that will be manning the Depot and everyone’s favorite subject fuel and how to get some more of it.
I was able to work on a couple of contracts that I am trying get for life support activities i.e., setting up DFACS for the Iraqi’s, barracks maintenance, security upgrades, etc. I have found out the hard way that money can’t buy you everything here in Iraq. There are some things that just take plain old time and all the money in the world will not get anything expedited. Being a Poli Sci major and a political junkie I have always held our form of government especially the 10th Amendment (“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people”), in high regard. And though many politicians want to expand the powers of the Federal Government I prefer to let us the people decide at the state level what is best for us. Unfortunately here there is a very strong federal government and nothing gets approved here unless it is approved by various committees and then either the Prime Minister (PM) or the Minister of Defense has to sign off on the document. So some of the changes that we need to implement has to go to the MOD (Ministry of Defense) which is our Dept. of Defense, then reviewed by various committees and kicked around like a soccer ball at recess and when it is said and done the PM must sign the doc. I somehow don’t see VP Cheney signing off on the same docs that we would be processing in our Army, much less Sec of Defense Gates or even the Chief of Staff of the Army. It drives me crazy and has made me realize that this project is not a marathon but more like one of the ultras that I tend to run. The problem is that I am still not at the starting line but feel like I’m still at home trying to figure out what I am going to wear for the race, shoes, hat, shirt, what flavor gels I will take with me, power bars etc. There is just so much boots on the ground and foundation work that is required that the critical path end date feels like years away!
I was able to work on a couple of contracts that I am trying get for life support activities i.e., setting up DFACS for the Iraqi’s, barracks maintenance, security upgrades, etc. I have found out the hard way that money can’t buy you everything here in Iraq. There are some things that just take plain old time and all the money in the world will not get anything expedited. Being a Poli Sci major and a political junkie I have always held our form of government especially the 10th Amendment (“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people”), in high regard. And though many politicians want to expand the powers of the Federal Government I prefer to let us the people decide at the state level what is best for us. Unfortunately here there is a very strong federal government and nothing gets approved here unless it is approved by various committees and then either the Prime Minister (PM) or the Minister of Defense has to sign off on the document. So some of the changes that we need to implement has to go to the MOD (Ministry of Defense) which is our Dept. of Defense, then reviewed by various committees and kicked around like a soccer ball at recess and when it is said and done the PM must sign the doc. I somehow don’t see VP Cheney signing off on the same docs that we would be processing in our Army, much less Sec of Defense Gates or even the Chief of Staff of the Army. It drives me crazy and has made me realize that this project is not a marathon but more like one of the ultras that I tend to run. The problem is that I am still not at the starting line but feel like I’m still at home trying to figure out what I am going to wear for the race, shoes, hat, shirt, what flavor gels I will take with me, power bars etc. There is just so much boots on the ground and foundation work that is required that the critical path end date feels like years away!
07 June, 2007
Back in the Dorms and Wheres' the Party?
Finally I am no longer living out of a duffle bag and my ruck sack, I signed for my room on the 2nd and stayed up late that night emptying out my duffle bags and the boxes that I present from the states with all my military and snivel gear. When I walked into the room it reminded me of my dorm room at UW-Whitewater. This room is definitely longer and somewhat narrower. The window due to force protection is sandbagged from the outside to 1) keep any shrapnel from a rocket or mortar attack from entering the room and it keeps any light from the room from shining out during the night. The building exterior remind me of a Motel 6 or those old motels that are on HWY 41 between Ryan Road and Drexel Ave in Franklin WI. I am lucky though as a Colonel I get a single room so there is only one bed and one wall locker in the room which makes it a decent size and it is a cement building not a trailer! It was 45 + days since I packed a couple of those duffle bags that I forgot what I had packed. Needless to say some of items went back into the duffle bags and unlike some of my peers I don't need knee pads to get my work done so those went into the duffle bags also.
The first night we were sitting outside smoking some cigars and BSing and I hear this thundering boom and off course get up and start heading to the hootch for cover. When I get up I pull that same quad muscle and all the guys are laughing at me because it was out going artillery fire. No one told me that there is an artillery unit close by depending on what's going on outside the wire periodically will support some of the ground troops with artillery. Now it is not uncommon to be sleeping and you suddently hear the loud booms of the cannons, I imagine that soon I will get used to it and will just rollover and continue sleeping. Talking about big booms, a couple of days ago I had just finished getting served in the chow hall and was looking for a seat when there was this huge and I mean huge boom and the DFAC (dining facility) shook like an earth quake. At first many of us thought that a huge rocket had landed outside the DFAC, so I just dropped the tray on a table and made my way to a duck and cover outside the DFAC. After a couple of minutes there was nothing else so it was back to the DFAC and finish eating. Come to find out it was a VBIED (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device) that went off outside the wire. It had over 400 lbs of explosives and I would imagine did a number in the vicinity where it went off.
I got to play Lieutenant again the other day. The Iraqi soldiers that were supposed to be attending boot camp seems they never made it to boot camp. I was out checking some of the construction sites and ran into some soldiers at the depot site. Our interpreter asked them if they belonged to the depot and they said yes that they had just finished training. That struck me as odd since the only way to get out of any military boot camp worldwide is to either be carried out in a body bag or to graduate. Come to find out they showed up at the follow on course they were supposed to have taken after graduating from boot camp. So I spent the next 2+ hours coordintating with the senior Iraqi Depot officer on post who was Major J of the Iraqi Army to ensure that by 0830 the next morning the troops were moved out of the billets they were staying in, had all their personal belongings and were on the bus which would take them to boot camp. Sure enough Major J came through with flying colors and when I showed up at 0830 they were in formation waiting to get on the bus. I was impressed since timeliness is not something the Iraqi's are known for. They reported in on time and democracy was saved for at least another 24 hours, these guys attending this cycle of boot camp were key since all the training we will be doing later this summer and fall hinged on them graduating from boot camp. I could now concentrate on my real duties as a PMO.
Things are starting to take hold at the work site, contractors are working on the main small arms building at this time, we have several small jobs for improving security and cleaning up and razing condemned buildings in the queue for funding, and once that happens we can execute and get this place cleaned up and starting to look like a real military complex.
Good news from the home front (I usually call home or HQ6 calls me every two days), with school ending, report cards were received and Ascension for the third semester in the row got a 4.0 in nursing school and she still doesn't have a boy friend, with great news like that what else could I ask for! She starts a nursing internship this summer at Kaiser in San Francisco. Javier had over a 4.0 with his AP classes so that is good news and I am impressed that he like his dad got an A in history! Looks like he'll be getting his drivers license sometime this summer, so San Jose watch out!! How about those A's took the first three games from the Red Sox and today go for the sweep, it good to see them at 4 games over .500 in June, they usually are about 15 games below .500.
The Colonel
The first night we were sitting outside smoking some cigars and BSing and I hear this thundering boom and off course get up and start heading to the hootch for cover. When I get up I pull that same quad muscle and all the guys are laughing at me because it was out going artillery fire. No one told me that there is an artillery unit close by depending on what's going on outside the wire periodically will support some of the ground troops with artillery. Now it is not uncommon to be sleeping and you suddently hear the loud booms of the cannons, I imagine that soon I will get used to it and will just rollover and continue sleeping. Talking about big booms, a couple of days ago I had just finished getting served in the chow hall and was looking for a seat when there was this huge and I mean huge boom and the DFAC (dining facility) shook like an earth quake. At first many of us thought that a huge rocket had landed outside the DFAC, so I just dropped the tray on a table and made my way to a duck and cover outside the DFAC. After a couple of minutes there was nothing else so it was back to the DFAC and finish eating. Come to find out it was a VBIED (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device) that went off outside the wire. It had over 400 lbs of explosives and I would imagine did a number in the vicinity where it went off.
I got to play Lieutenant again the other day. The Iraqi soldiers that were supposed to be attending boot camp seems they never made it to boot camp. I was out checking some of the construction sites and ran into some soldiers at the depot site. Our interpreter asked them if they belonged to the depot and they said yes that they had just finished training. That struck me as odd since the only way to get out of any military boot camp worldwide is to either be carried out in a body bag or to graduate. Come to find out they showed up at the follow on course they were supposed to have taken after graduating from boot camp. So I spent the next 2+ hours coordintating with the senior Iraqi Depot officer on post who was Major J of the Iraqi Army to ensure that by 0830 the next morning the troops were moved out of the billets they were staying in, had all their personal belongings and were on the bus which would take them to boot camp. Sure enough Major J came through with flying colors and when I showed up at 0830 they were in formation waiting to get on the bus. I was impressed since timeliness is not something the Iraqi's are known for. They reported in on time and democracy was saved for at least another 24 hours, these guys attending this cycle of boot camp were key since all the training we will be doing later this summer and fall hinged on them graduating from boot camp. I could now concentrate on my real duties as a PMO.
Things are starting to take hold at the work site, contractors are working on the main small arms building at this time, we have several small jobs for improving security and cleaning up and razing condemned buildings in the queue for funding, and once that happens we can execute and get this place cleaned up and starting to look like a real military complex.
Good news from the home front (I usually call home or HQ6 calls me every two days), with school ending, report cards were received and Ascension for the third semester in the row got a 4.0 in nursing school and she still doesn't have a boy friend, with great news like that what else could I ask for! She starts a nursing internship this summer at Kaiser in San Francisco. Javier had over a 4.0 with his AP classes so that is good news and I am impressed that he like his dad got an A in history! Looks like he'll be getting his drivers license sometime this summer, so San Jose watch out!! How about those A's took the first three games from the Red Sox and today go for the sweep, it good to see them at 4 games over .500 in June, they usually are about 15 games below .500.
The Colonel
01 June, 2007
Frequent Flier Miles and Where are the Peanuts??
It's been a very busy week plus since the last time I wrote. Here in Taji the week went by very quickly as it has been boots on the ground time for myself and the two other folks that are currently assigned to my group. SSG Gamboa who is the PMO Administrative NCO and Jeremy Way the Corps of Engineer Resident Engineer for this project. No sooner were we on the ground than we were going through the respective build areas to see what contracts needed to be set up to take care of ancilliary projects that required prior to the heavy duty refurb and construction that will take place. Getting rid of junk and old destroyed vehicles, razing condemmned buildings, security improvements as you can never have too much security etc. Though I have been in theater over a month one thing is working in an office with AC and another is spending most of the day outside in 110 weather. By 2100 hrs I feel like a piece of wet spaghetti and am ready to hit the sack after a nice shower to get all the dust. dirt and sweat off of me.
As for command and control we have some of our Iraqi counterparts up here so I am able to do tactical weekly meetings and then meet in the IZ with the group of Iraqi counterparts to do more of the strategic planning. Ownership in a project is key for me and I want them to know that they need to roll up their sleeves and work with us and meet us half way. So what better way to do that then schedule meetings in their new HQ which for now is lacking furniture and the electricity to run the AC and lights. At our meeting earlier this week it was too damn hot to meet in what will be the conference room so we pulled the table outside and sat under the overhang with those lounge chairs that we use at the beach or attending our kids soccer games. I was sweating like a pig and I know that they were to and it was nice to see them wiping their foreheads with a hankie. The only reason we were outside is that I can't power the AC's without fuel and they are responsible for the fuel. So unless we get some fuel to power up the generators prior to next Monday we will be sitting outside once again and they will be feeling the pain just as bad as my team is.
I had to go back to the IZ to linkup with my boss and meet with my Iraqi counterparts, so what better way to go back then fly, which is what I did late evening on Memorial Day! Unlike showing up to the airport with shorts, a polo shirt and some sandals or tennis shoes it's the full battle rattle. We have check in just like back home and then it's wait until your bird(s) arrive. The flights vary in routes and destinations but it is much like a shuttle service. We were lucky that the bird I was in all were going to the same place so we didn't have to do the shuffle which occurs when the poor guy in the middle seat with one of two bags has to get out. It was the first time I got to see Baghdad at night for such a long time, you don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out it makes sense to fly at night with no lights on so the bad guys can see you! From what I saw Baghdad has some nice neighborhoods and then it has it's share of not so nice neighborhoods. With the curfew on there was little to none vehicle traffic except for Iraqi Police, and Iraqi and Coalition Army vehicles on the roads. I thought that it would be a lot cooler up in the air, but it was hot and the wind blowing through the cabin (no windows are used for obvious reasons during the summer). I also got a glimpse of what some of the other US bases look like. Thank God I had my camelback in my ruck so I was able to drink while in the aircraft. Needless to say we got no peanuts on the trip but I racked up the miles and was worth it seeing how well the flight crew do their job. They have their procedures down pat and are so professional in what they do, it's seeing stuff like this that makes one realize what a great experience it is to serve in the best Armed Forces of the entire world! By the time I humped the ruck from the airfield to my hootch I was totally drenched so much so that my note cards that I carry in my ACU breast pockets were completely wet!
I was only going to spend 2 days in the IZ but that turned to 4 since they had booked me a flight home and the various meetings and budgeting sessions that I had took up more time than I thought. The Contract Office is finishing up on the largest contract we will be putting out for bid soon so we had to meet with them and go over some areas where more info was needed. It also gave me a chance to meet with Brett and ask him for some additional info on the project, and of course spend some of yours and my taxes procuring necessary supplies and equipment for the project. The nightly cigar sessions were the highlight as I got a chance to bs with the folks I trained with at Ft Riley plus catch up on the latest news from the IZ. Instead of going to the cafeteria and getting a Petes coffee we all sit outside (last night there were at least 14 of us) smoking cigars, talking about home, about wines (my favorite topic) and yes every once in a while shop talk!
I finally cleaned out my transient hootch since I left some uniforms and other necessities there since I knew I was coming back and headed back to the heloport with two rucks. We didn't have so many folks this time on the helo so I was riding by myself for the last two stops. I didn't make it back to the hootch until 0330 hours and have been up since 0830 this morning. Jeremy told me that today we get to pickup our room keys, he and I have been sharing a transient room so each has our own bed and all our dufflebags and rucks are on the third bed. It will be nice to finally get my own room and be able to empty my ruck and set up my room and put away some of the gear.
That's all for now hope you all had an enjoyable Memorial Day for us it was just another day although the true meaning of Memorial Day was not forgotten as we did have a moment of silence at 1200 hrs to honor those who have paid the ultimate price here in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Colonel
As for command and control we have some of our Iraqi counterparts up here so I am able to do tactical weekly meetings and then meet in the IZ with the group of Iraqi counterparts to do more of the strategic planning. Ownership in a project is key for me and I want them to know that they need to roll up their sleeves and work with us and meet us half way. So what better way to do that then schedule meetings in their new HQ which for now is lacking furniture and the electricity to run the AC and lights. At our meeting earlier this week it was too damn hot to meet in what will be the conference room so we pulled the table outside and sat under the overhang with those lounge chairs that we use at the beach or attending our kids soccer games. I was sweating like a pig and I know that they were to and it was nice to see them wiping their foreheads with a hankie. The only reason we were outside is that I can't power the AC's without fuel and they are responsible for the fuel. So unless we get some fuel to power up the generators prior to next Monday we will be sitting outside once again and they will be feeling the pain just as bad as my team is.
I had to go back to the IZ to linkup with my boss and meet with my Iraqi counterparts, so what better way to go back then fly, which is what I did late evening on Memorial Day! Unlike showing up to the airport with shorts, a polo shirt and some sandals or tennis shoes it's the full battle rattle. We have check in just like back home and then it's wait until your bird(s) arrive. The flights vary in routes and destinations but it is much like a shuttle service. We were lucky that the bird I was in all were going to the same place so we didn't have to do the shuffle which occurs when the poor guy in the middle seat with one of two bags has to get out. It was the first time I got to see Baghdad at night for such a long time, you don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out it makes sense to fly at night with no lights on so the bad guys can see you! From what I saw Baghdad has some nice neighborhoods and then it has it's share of not so nice neighborhoods. With the curfew on there was little to none vehicle traffic except for Iraqi Police, and Iraqi and Coalition Army vehicles on the roads. I thought that it would be a lot cooler up in the air, but it was hot and the wind blowing through the cabin (no windows are used for obvious reasons during the summer). I also got a glimpse of what some of the other US bases look like. Thank God I had my camelback in my ruck so I was able to drink while in the aircraft. Needless to say we got no peanuts on the trip but I racked up the miles and was worth it seeing how well the flight crew do their job. They have their procedures down pat and are so professional in what they do, it's seeing stuff like this that makes one realize what a great experience it is to serve in the best Armed Forces of the entire world! By the time I humped the ruck from the airfield to my hootch I was totally drenched so much so that my note cards that I carry in my ACU breast pockets were completely wet!
I was only going to spend 2 days in the IZ but that turned to 4 since they had booked me a flight home and the various meetings and budgeting sessions that I had took up more time than I thought. The Contract Office is finishing up on the largest contract we will be putting out for bid soon so we had to meet with them and go over some areas where more info was needed. It also gave me a chance to meet with Brett and ask him for some additional info on the project, and of course spend some of yours and my taxes procuring necessary supplies and equipment for the project. The nightly cigar sessions were the highlight as I got a chance to bs with the folks I trained with at Ft Riley plus catch up on the latest news from the IZ. Instead of going to the cafeteria and getting a Petes coffee we all sit outside (last night there were at least 14 of us) smoking cigars, talking about home, about wines (my favorite topic) and yes every once in a while shop talk!
I finally cleaned out my transient hootch since I left some uniforms and other necessities there since I knew I was coming back and headed back to the heloport with two rucks. We didn't have so many folks this time on the helo so I was riding by myself for the last two stops. I didn't make it back to the hootch until 0330 hours and have been up since 0830 this morning. Jeremy told me that today we get to pickup our room keys, he and I have been sharing a transient room so each has our own bed and all our dufflebags and rucks are on the third bed. It will be nice to finally get my own room and be able to empty my ruck and set up my room and put away some of the gear.
That's all for now hope you all had an enjoyable Memorial Day for us it was just another day although the true meaning of Memorial Day was not forgotten as we did have a moment of silence at 1200 hrs to honor those who have paid the ultimate price here in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Colonel
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