6 Months in the Box!!

Wow it’s hard to believe that six months ago I hit the box for my second visit to Iraq, this one coming 16 years after my first deployment. They say that time flies quickly when you’re having fun or some resemblance of fun!

Yesterday was our fuel delivery and much like previous adventures in receiving fuel this one was no different. SSG Gamboa was out of the AO so it was Major Youngs turn to participate in this team building, patience waning event that all of us love so much. The trucks arrived late due to the large number of vehicles that had to be searched prior to getting on base. As requested this time the company brought a portable pump with meter so that we could reconcile our numbers. I swung by the fuel farm late in the afternoon and they had only downloaded one truck. Our reading and their reading did not match and based on the appearance of their meter you could tell that hadn’t been calibrated since Christ was a corporal. We pay on what we received not what they say they delivered, so after she discussed this with their boss back in Baghdad, he said they would not pump us the remaining 65K liters of fuel. By the time they had cleaned up the mess they created it was past 1700 hrs and the gate was closed so we told them to stage the vehicles along the road and I would escort them to the gate in the morning, since it was Major Young’s day off.

I had coordinated with the RSU to get MP escorts because we knew that getting fuel into this base is difficult, getting it off the base ranks just below the Cubs winning the world series. I called the Iraqi Army letting them know to let these trucks past the bridge on their way back to Baghdad. I also prepared a memo for them to carry so that if stopped at checkpoints the police would know that they were allowed to be carrying fuel. We get to the gate and the Iraqi Sergeant waves the trucks through, the Lieutenant tells them to stop saying they can’t leave post with fuel. My interpreter and I approach him and show him the memo, but to no avail. The base commander has to give his approval in a memo and get it signed and stamped. I remind the Lieutenant that this isn’t Iraqi fuel but fuel purchased by the coalition and that the Iraqi Colonel as we would say back home doesn’t cut the chorizo in this instance, but I do. After he speaks with the Colonel we are cleared, and off the trucks head out the gate. I thank the US MP’s and head to my vehicle, but something in the back of my brain said “stick around this isn’t as easy as it looks”. Sure enough they move about 50 feet and stop again. I head back up to the gate and now there is an Iraqi Major who is telling them they can’t leave without the Colonels signed and stamped memo.

I was steaming before dealing with the Lieutenant and before I could jump all over this guy, it’s my interpreter who jumps on him telling him all that had just occurred. I don’t understand Iraqi but he points to his rank and I’m thinking he’s pointing out that 1) he’s in charge and that he doesn’t believe the LT or 2) that if he lets these trucks out of the gate he’s gonna get his ass chewed out by God knows who. His own Soldiers even told him that the Colonel had allowed the trucks to leave. So he calls the Colonel again and this time the Colonel says that the vehicles can’t leave without the signed and stamped doc. I tell him what he can do with him self, all the while reminding the interpreter to not interpret what I just said. The MP’s had hung around and offered to let these vehicles use the tank trail and escort them out another gate that is controlled by Americans and that’s what we did.

Much like the old Warsaw Pact countries who after living for 45 plus years in a communist dictatorship, change doesn’t happen over night, the same here in Iraq. The older officers who were in the previous regime can’t make or let me rephrase that, don’t want to make any decision that could have adverse impact, for fear that they will be punished severely. Even though that is no longer the case regarding punishment, it weighs heavily in the backs of their minds and they seem to be paralyzed by fear. I see it in my meetings with the Iraqi Depot staff, the day that the General is not there and I am asking for some type of resolution or decision to be made, no one wants to make a decision, it has to be the General. In our Army a Captain or Lieutenant would make that decision and life goes on. SSG Gamboa who is the NCOIC often runs the meetings when I am gone, or I will let him handle several sections of the agenda, and the eyes of the Iraqi’s shows bewilderment in that a Staff Sergeant is given broad responsibilities and gets the job done! The younger officers are more pro-active and they are excellent examples of the work that has been done by the coalition forces in the training they provided at the Officer Basic Courses. A side note on punishment handed out by the previous regime. The depot area has three jails and without getting into our headcount of Soldiers for obvious reasons, let’s just say that there is enough space in those jails to house well over 25% of the force. Can you imagine that ratio in our Army.

The good note today is that the Iraqi’s at the Depot have really been cranking out the work that has been delegated to them. Now that they are living at the Depot, the General has more of his staff with boots on the ground and it shows. Without me even asking today, they wanted to sit down and go over the action items from two weeks ago and provide me with the required docs and memos needed. We drove around the south depot and the General was concerned about the security of buildings and has already implemented some changes. I am impressed and that really made my day. Unfortunately we are still waiting on the Ministry of Defense for some decisions to be made, they are very slow, bureaucratic and think of your worst experiences at the DMV renewing your license or car registration and multiply the wait and hassle by 20 times and you’ll understand what I mean. I am heading down to Baghdad next week precisely to go over those issues we have here with the MOD folks and also with our HQ.

That’s it for now I am heading to bed early tonite since I have a 12 miler to do tomorrow, as I am gearing up to run the California International Marathon (CIM) here at Taji on 2 Dec. I asked them if I could enter and when they found out where I was located at and was planning to run the marathon here they said they would support us, so I am trying to convince a couple of my buddies to see if they want to run with me on the 2^nd as a group and complete the marathon. CIM will provide us with the running shirts and finisher medals.

The Colonel