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