Wow hard to believe I have been mobilized 10 months as of 25 November, as the saying goes "time goes by quickly when you're having fun"! Things are really starting to pick up at the Depot. We now have some sort of construction going on in every building but 5 so that means I am getting out of the office a lot more to walk the sites, check up on issues that have arisen and talk to the USACE Quality Assurance Reps on their findings and resolution of those deficiencies. Today was a typical day, there was an issue with the component cleaning building regarding the doors which swing inside as they open and the available clearance between the doors and the blast booths that will be located inside the building. The USACE rep stopped by last night and told us about the issue, so this morning we went out and had the contractor measure the layout and we could see where the doors would hit the booths. So after reviewing the equipment layout we realized that we could move the 40 ft long blast booths 4 feet deeper into the building and still be able to have clearance for forklift traffic in the building.
I got a chance to confirm my suspicion that on the DPW building the water troughs that collect the runoff around the building did not actually drain into the sewer but instead the water would remain stagnant at the end of the trough! I had asked about it the other day when I saw them rinsing off the driveway and noticed water gathering instead of disappearing, but since it was under the grate I couldn't tell if they had plugged the drain for now with plastic and would remove it later. So today I removed the grate and kept searching for the plastic cover but there was none. The contractor never put the drain in, duh!! So it's on their dime to have to cut away the cement and insert a drain from the trough to the sewer. Right now for us the long lead item for all these buildings tends to be the crance whether jib or bridge cranes. The bridge section and motors tend to take a long time to be manufactured and shipped up to Taji.
I later stopped over at the Iraqi PMO Headquarters to sign for computers, printers and scanners that had arrived for the Generator Repair Building. So I inspected the items, signed for them and subsequently hand receipted them to my Iraqi counterparts who were waiting with baited breath the receipt of these laptops since they have no computers and are not allowed due to force protection to bring in their personal laptops onto the Iraqi side of base. I know that our interpreters will be happy campers now that they don't have to type documents for the Iraqis. They still owe me the SOP's for the handling of the weapons that will be repaired at the Depot. I can not sign over to them the keys to the secured storage until I approve their SOP and am satisfied that they have the proper internal security procedures, inspections and paper trail for maintaining custody of the weapons. Lt Shaw AKA "junior" is working with an Iraqi officer assisting him on what is required and providing guidance.
A couple of quick shoutouts for Brenda and Stephen thanks for the package of goodies that you sent me, the running socks and drink powders will come in handy this Sunday when I and a couple of running buddies of mine will be running our California International Marathon (CIM) here in Taji. I and SSGT Mike one of the guys I ran with at Ft Riley down in the IZ got another 18 Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors to run down there so the CIM has graciously supported us in running their Marathon and have sent us t-shirts and finisher medals. Pictures to follow! Mom and Dad thanks for the pates and the smoked salmon. The only thing I will be missing on my Friday night tapas nights is the company of my family and a nice glass of wine. I guess that grape juice will have to do for now!
That's all for now I am heading over to grab some chow to go as the Aussies invited me over to their base camp to smoke some cigars, drink some non-alcoholic beer and shoot the breeze around their evening bonfire.
The Colonel
28 November, 2007
25 November, 2007
Some Pics from the Past Few Days
The DFAC's Thanksgiving Decoration Spread!!
I Did Not Inhale!! SFC Fowler AKA "The Soccer Mom" and Others Doing the Hookah
The Poker Gang!!
Part of Our Thanksgiving Spread
Cutting the Turkey!!
Major Gamble and I Wearing My New Aussie Slouch Hat at Aussie BBQ
Here are just a few of the photos that were taken during our two BBQ's that we had earlier this week. It was great to have two consecutive BBQ's and just have relax and enjoy the festivities for a change. Tonite is Sunday night and I took today off so that SSG Gamboa who is an avid NFL fan can stay up late watching the games tonite and sleep in tomorrow. This week will be a busy one as we have lot's to do with the small arms facility in terms of repair parts and weapon inventories, and the generator farm construction of the new generator and fuel tanks.
Talk to you all later!
The Colonel
Talk to you all later!
The Colonel
22 November, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Tom the Turkey Pays Us a Visit
(SFC Dempsey the "BBQ King" and I with Tom the Turkey)
Greetings from Taji Iraq on this Thanksgiving 2007. For all of you out there I wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!! Today being Thanksgiving I told my crew at the office that we were shutting down at 1400 hrs today to enjoy and partake in the various Thanksgiving activities. I had volunteered to do some of the food prep and cooking today. Just after 1415 I headed out of the office and came back to the hootch. I changed and I joined SFC Dempsey the Taji National Depot Supply First Sergeant in getting the Thanksgiving Meal ready. He was able to purchase some steaks and his father sent from the US two frozen smoked turkeys that believe it or not were still frozen upon arrival here in Iraq. By the time I got there he was finishing up preparing the marinade for the steaks. We opened the steaks and placed them into the baggies full of marinade and let those babies soak for a while. In the meantime, we got the BBQ ready and enjoyed a nice cigar and some non-alcoholic beer while soaking up some rays. Although it had been cloudy of late, today it was sunny, breezy and a temp of about 74, not bad for Thanksgiving.
At 1600 hrs we lit the charcoal and waited until those briquettes were nice and hot, and the steaks were the first thing on the grill. Some of the other Soldiers at 1630 went to the DFACs to pickup the various condiments, vegetables and other items for the feast. Others had made mash potatoes, dips, desserts and had banana breads and other food items sent from home just for today. After removing some of the steaks from the grill it was time to throw the smoked turkeys (2 each) onto the grill wrapped in foil. By 1730 hours it was time to start eating, I got the honors to carve the turkeys. The Soldiers really enjoyed the steaks and turkey, plus all the food. Right after the first wave had eaten the Aussies arrived and we had to make some more steaks. Soon after Cigars and a bonfire were in store as we all congregated around some of tables and the fire to enjoy everyones company.
Through out the evening you could hear everyone talking about how they celebrate Thanksgiving and wouldn't it be nice to have a nice glass of _____________ (insert your favorite alcoholic beverage) to enjoy with the dinner! I know that for some of the interpreters this was their first Thanksgiving spent with American troops and they were still stuffed from the official Thanksgiving lunch at the DFAC that had the usual Thanksgiving spread just like back home! I passed since one large meal was enough, plus I still had memories of last years Thanksgiving when I ate too much too quickly and thought I was going to burst at the seams! Beside missing the family the only thing missing was the cranberries and pumpkin pie at our feast, plus a nice scoop of breyers ice cream on top of the pie. We all agreed that even though we were far away from our families and friends we had a lot to be grateful for on this day, and the chance to enjoy Thanksgiving with each other was definitely something that would not be forgotten for many years.
This was our second BBQ in two days. Last night the Aussies had a BBQ at their area which is adjacent to ours and we all had a great time over at their place. They are getting close to their departure date so for them it was a nice way to have a nice shindig with us and enjoy each others company. The Aussies have been great help for us here at the Maintenance Depot and the Supply Depot. For most of the Soldiers it has been their first time working with Soldiers from other countries that are part of the Coalition. I have gone full circle, having worked with Canadians, Brits and now Aussies, only the Kiwi's remain.
That is all for today, I have copied below the official proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln which created Thanksgiving Day in 1863 and now 144 years later we are once again a country at war and the parallels are very similar.
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless America
The Colonel19 November, 2007
One Down More to Follow!!
Well Rich and Brett some good news that you all can appreciate from North Carolina and Australia!!
Finally the first building of the new Depot was completed and turned over to the US Government Rep--me! Last Wednesday late in the afternoon the US Corp of Engineer Rep. George C, Larry F. the senior AMC rep here on the ground, the PM for the company that refurbished the facility and I had our final walk through of the 4 buildings that comprise of the Small Arms Facility. The work on this started in late May and here we were almost 6 months later finally getting to move into the facilities. This was the first facility to be worked on and we all learned plenty of lessons, from difficulties getting supplies delivered due to curfews, holidays, damaged bridges, etc. Vendors not coming through on their contractual agreements, sub-contractors not having a sense of urgency in getting things done on time, sub-standard equipment being sent back, etc.
I was not able to get a good picture of the facility so I will go up the water tower tomorrow to take some nice pics which will give you all a better idea of what these facilities look like. Now we are waiting for the company that is supposed to have delivered all but the long lead items to ship the remaining items to us, so that the USACE can have a contractor install and set up the equipment that has been purchased for the site. At the same time we are ordering the electroplating equipment and the target optics and accoustic equipment for the firing tunnels. Since this equipment is very technical it made sense for AMC to have their small arms subject matter experts on the ground to measure and order this equipment. The contract guys in the IZ are working with the supplier for the equipment to light a fire under their asses so we can get this equipment now, they are only 1 1/2 months late and I finally got fed up with the "we are loading the truck this week" only to ask them the following week where in the hell is the truck and find out the damn thing hasn't even been loaded yet. I have asked that these guys get negative reports so that when they bid again for another project that info is available and this lousy performance will cost them points in the past performance category.
I have a one star general that is keeping the heat on my fourth point of contact to have this up and running by mid January and right now with the equipment delay, the fact that the Depot Integrtor Contract that was supposed to have been awarded in late September, then late October, then 10 November and now 30 November has not yet been awarded. With the Aussies leaving soon and no DI contractor yet there will be no left/right seat battle handoff so I will get the training package ad will have to hand it off to the Training Advisor that I just hired when he gets here in mid December.
At the PMO office we are working in getting the weapon repair parts that were left over from the Saddam days inventoried and brought over to our facility so that we can use them to begin repair of the Iraqi weapons thus saving us taxpayers money by not having to purchase these repair parts. On top of that the Aussies have used the Iraqi Small Arm Techs in training to triage the captured weapons on hand and conduct a quick inspection and segregate repairable weapons that we will work on later, and those that will be destroyed by the MOD. Once we get them sorted out and annotate the serial numbers then we can process these get them ready for repair work. I have the Iraqi's working on the internal process of moving weapons from one depot to another, maintaining inventory and serial number accountability, storage and security requirements, daily handling/storage and the return process of weapons back to the Supply Depot. This is the point where they need to step up to the plate since the depot is theirs, I am here to make sure it gets built and that they do the necessary work and develop the required SOP's to ensure the depot can operate. I am no expert in the Arabic language but have come to the conclusion that the phrase Ascension and Javier remember all to well from their childhood "move with a purpose" and "sense of urgency" is not found in Arabic and this has caused me to age what feels like 5 years and what non-gray hair I had on my head to become gray! But those stories will be told when I am back home with my family and friends enjoying a nice cold one or a glass of wine!
Time is starting to fly quickly as evidenced by the fact that lots of people are now on their 15 day R&R and you begin to sense that we are on downward slope. For those of us who still haven't gone on our 15 Day R&R you can see what it has done to those who have already returned. As the day they leave approaches nothing but nothing will ruin their parade, they are upbeat and on the day they are leaving they are all smiles and laughing, knowing that even though it is a big hassle getting from Taji to BIAP to Kuwait and finally on the freedom bird, they will be home with their loved ones in 4-5 days time. When they get back they seem to walk taller, their bags under their eyes are all but gone and they have huge smiles on their faces. I still have a ways to go for mine but Carmen and I are both counting down the days until my R&R and the chance to see each other again! Besides I haven't gotten a good night kiss from Cheenie since April nor have I seen Javi doing his best rendition of some of the stupid antics that I am accused of having taught him when he was younger live and in prime time, it just doesn't have the same effect on the web cam!
This Thursday I am shutting down shop early for Thanksgiving. SFC D are expert cook ordered 3 turkeys and we will be having our own Thanksgiving BBQ. I told him that I would help with the cooking and as the saying goes fun will be had by all!! It's been a long while since the last time I worked on Thanksgiving. I think it was in 1990 when we were rail loading our equipment for deployment from Ft Riley to the desert. I remember eating at the DFAC with my parents, Carmen and Ascension, then changing into BDU's and working until 0 dark hundred at the rail head! I guess that we all have a lot to be thankful for, as we all now it could be worse than it is.
Things over here in regards to the Iraqi military is starting to change as the transition is ramping up and soon will be in full force. Our leadership in the IZ has put the IA on notice that most of the services that the US Army has provided will be transitioned over to the IA once the current contracts expire. This is good news for us taxpayers and I believe is necessary in order to the get the IA and Government to take ownership and financial responsibility for services that are critical to the success of Iraq going forward. This affects two areas that are near and dear to my heart, the generator farm and the fuel for the generator farm. Currently we are funding the operation and maintenance of the generator farm to include repairs of poles and high voltage wires. The new 6 month contract that is being solicited has a training program funded to train the IA or MOD representatives so that in six months when the contract is over, they will have been trained and the battle handoff will have taken place. The generator mechanics will be trained by the DI, so that all aspects of operating and maintaining the facility will become an Iraqi responsibility. As for fuel I have a blanket purchase agreement for lets just say a lot of fuel which is earmarked for the depot. We have some units that are on the grid who are consuming more fuel then they are providing based on the paltry fuel allocation amounts that MOD approved. Our HQ has already notified MOD of the requirement to allocate fuel to the generator farm and that failure to do so will cause units to be removed from the grid. This next week unless we receive fuel from one of the key units I will have the honor of having our contractor shut off power to that units electrical grid. Maybe when MOD gets some calls from some PO'd IA generals about having their power turned off , they may do something about it. I guess we'll see in about a week!
Looks like the weather will start cooling off more later this week, highs will drop to low 70's and lows will actually be around 45. So far no rain but the humidity is starting to rear its' ugly head and the mud factor has increased and it seems everywhere one goes we are tracking mud around.
That about it for now, thanks to all of you who have dropped me a quick email note, it's good to receive some email from all of you and I really appreciate it!
A couple of quick shoutouts, to Ray L thanks for the box of tea and Halloween goodies, to my sister in law Mari Censi gracias por las revistas de vino que me mandastes el otro dia. No sabes las ganas que tengo de beber un buen vinito tomando unas tapitas!
Mom make sure when dad gets back home you work him hard so that he gets that new knee rehabilitated as soon as possible so he can chase you around the house just like the good ole days!
Carmen un dia menos!!
The Colonel
Finally the first building of the new Depot was completed and turned over to the US Government Rep--me! Last Wednesday late in the afternoon the US Corp of Engineer Rep. George C, Larry F. the senior AMC rep here on the ground, the PM for the company that refurbished the facility and I had our final walk through of the 4 buildings that comprise of the Small Arms Facility. The work on this started in late May and here we were almost 6 months later finally getting to move into the facilities. This was the first facility to be worked on and we all learned plenty of lessons, from difficulties getting supplies delivered due to curfews, holidays, damaged bridges, etc. Vendors not coming through on their contractual agreements, sub-contractors not having a sense of urgency in getting things done on time, sub-standard equipment being sent back, etc.
I was not able to get a good picture of the facility so I will go up the water tower tomorrow to take some nice pics which will give you all a better idea of what these facilities look like. Now we are waiting for the company that is supposed to have delivered all but the long lead items to ship the remaining items to us, so that the USACE can have a contractor install and set up the equipment that has been purchased for the site. At the same time we are ordering the electroplating equipment and the target optics and accoustic equipment for the firing tunnels. Since this equipment is very technical it made sense for AMC to have their small arms subject matter experts on the ground to measure and order this equipment. The contract guys in the IZ are working with the supplier for the equipment to light a fire under their asses so we can get this equipment now, they are only 1 1/2 months late and I finally got fed up with the "we are loading the truck this week" only to ask them the following week where in the hell is the truck and find out the damn thing hasn't even been loaded yet. I have asked that these guys get negative reports so that when they bid again for another project that info is available and this lousy performance will cost them points in the past performance category.
I have a one star general that is keeping the heat on my fourth point of contact to have this up and running by mid January and right now with the equipment delay, the fact that the Depot Integrtor Contract that was supposed to have been awarded in late September, then late October, then 10 November and now 30 November has not yet been awarded. With the Aussies leaving soon and no DI contractor yet there will be no left/right seat battle handoff so I will get the training package ad will have to hand it off to the Training Advisor that I just hired when he gets here in mid December.
At the PMO office we are working in getting the weapon repair parts that were left over from the Saddam days inventoried and brought over to our facility so that we can use them to begin repair of the Iraqi weapons thus saving us taxpayers money by not having to purchase these repair parts. On top of that the Aussies have used the Iraqi Small Arm Techs in training to triage the captured weapons on hand and conduct a quick inspection and segregate repairable weapons that we will work on later, and those that will be destroyed by the MOD. Once we get them sorted out and annotate the serial numbers then we can process these get them ready for repair work. I have the Iraqi's working on the internal process of moving weapons from one depot to another, maintaining inventory and serial number accountability, storage and security requirements, daily handling/storage and the return process of weapons back to the Supply Depot. This is the point where they need to step up to the plate since the depot is theirs, I am here to make sure it gets built and that they do the necessary work and develop the required SOP's to ensure the depot can operate. I am no expert in the Arabic language but have come to the conclusion that the phrase Ascension and Javier remember all to well from their childhood "move with a purpose" and "sense of urgency" is not found in Arabic and this has caused me to age what feels like 5 years and what non-gray hair I had on my head to become gray! But those stories will be told when I am back home with my family and friends enjoying a nice cold one or a glass of wine!
Time is starting to fly quickly as evidenced by the fact that lots of people are now on their 15 day R&R and you begin to sense that we are on downward slope. For those of us who still haven't gone on our 15 Day R&R you can see what it has done to those who have already returned. As the day they leave approaches nothing but nothing will ruin their parade, they are upbeat and on the day they are leaving they are all smiles and laughing, knowing that even though it is a big hassle getting from Taji to BIAP to Kuwait and finally on the freedom bird, they will be home with their loved ones in 4-5 days time. When they get back they seem to walk taller, their bags under their eyes are all but gone and they have huge smiles on their faces. I still have a ways to go for mine but Carmen and I are both counting down the days until my R&R and the chance to see each other again! Besides I haven't gotten a good night kiss from Cheenie since April nor have I seen Javi doing his best rendition of some of the stupid antics that I am accused of having taught him when he was younger live and in prime time, it just doesn't have the same effect on the web cam!
This Thursday I am shutting down shop early for Thanksgiving. SFC D are expert cook ordered 3 turkeys and we will be having our own Thanksgiving BBQ. I told him that I would help with the cooking and as the saying goes fun will be had by all!! It's been a long while since the last time I worked on Thanksgiving. I think it was in 1990 when we were rail loading our equipment for deployment from Ft Riley to the desert. I remember eating at the DFAC with my parents, Carmen and Ascension, then changing into BDU's and working until 0 dark hundred at the rail head! I guess that we all have a lot to be thankful for, as we all now it could be worse than it is.
Things over here in regards to the Iraqi military is starting to change as the transition is ramping up and soon will be in full force. Our leadership in the IZ has put the IA on notice that most of the services that the US Army has provided will be transitioned over to the IA once the current contracts expire. This is good news for us taxpayers and I believe is necessary in order to the get the IA and Government to take ownership and financial responsibility for services that are critical to the success of Iraq going forward. This affects two areas that are near and dear to my heart, the generator farm and the fuel for the generator farm. Currently we are funding the operation and maintenance of the generator farm to include repairs of poles and high voltage wires. The new 6 month contract that is being solicited has a training program funded to train the IA or MOD representatives so that in six months when the contract is over, they will have been trained and the battle handoff will have taken place. The generator mechanics will be trained by the DI, so that all aspects of operating and maintaining the facility will become an Iraqi responsibility. As for fuel I have a blanket purchase agreement for lets just say a lot of fuel which is earmarked for the depot. We have some units that are on the grid who are consuming more fuel then they are providing based on the paltry fuel allocation amounts that MOD approved. Our HQ has already notified MOD of the requirement to allocate fuel to the generator farm and that failure to do so will cause units to be removed from the grid. This next week unless we receive fuel from one of the key units I will have the honor of having our contractor shut off power to that units electrical grid. Maybe when MOD gets some calls from some PO'd IA generals about having their power turned off , they may do something about it. I guess we'll see in about a week!
Looks like the weather will start cooling off more later this week, highs will drop to low 70's and lows will actually be around 45. So far no rain but the humidity is starting to rear its' ugly head and the mud factor has increased and it seems everywhere one goes we are tracking mud around.
That about it for now, thanks to all of you who have dropped me a quick email note, it's good to receive some email from all of you and I really appreciate it!
A couple of quick shoutouts, to Ray L thanks for the box of tea and Halloween goodies, to my sister in law Mari Censi gracias por las revistas de vino que me mandastes el otro dia. No sabes las ganas que tengo de beber un buen vinito tomando unas tapitas!
Mom make sure when dad gets back home you work him hard so that he gets that new knee rehabilitated as soon as possible so he can chase you around the house just like the good ole days!
Carmen un dia menos!!
The Colonel
17 November, 2007
That's My Girl !!
Taking a Well Deserved Study Break!!
11 November, 2007
Happy Veterans Day
First off Happy Veterans Day to all those veterans out there who have at one time or another served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America to ensure that this country remains free and is the beacon of hope to millions on this earth! A quick shout out to some veterans that I know be it family, friends or co-workers: My dad, Uncle Ken, Uncle John, my cousin Mark, Ray, Rich, Don AKA "Sarge", Flora, Sluggo, and of course all of us 104th and IRR Soldiers who deployed to Iraq as members of Task Force Desert Wolf. Today was a normal workday for us, the DFAC had made a couple of large cakes with Veterans Day Messages on the cakes. I don't know which tasted better the cake or the three scoops of ice cream that I had on top of the cake!!
As to rumor control, based on the picture from my last blog, that is not a shadow above my lip created by my big nose but a quasi-mustache that I am working on. I won't tell you what my better half said, but already a warning order has been issued by her regarding having a mustache and my 15 day R&R which is coming sometime later this year. I'll see what the next couple of weeks adds to the mustache and then will decide what to do with it!
Thank God it is the end of the week and tomorrow I have my off day, as between last Sunday and today we had 4 visits of General Officers and I think that I got to brief a total of 12 stars this week, so I am closing in on the 50 star mark! I enjoy the visits because I get a chance to talk up the Depot and what we are doing and what the end state will be, but with the email traffic regarding visits which seem have the schedules changing by the hour, the rehearsals on some of the visits because there are various hand offs required during the visit, and just the time that is lost and the work that piles up makes these visits a hassle at times. We are working on a parallel project that ties into the Depot and has some high visibility and the timeline from my project impact this other project. Everyone wants updates, projected completion dates, occupancy dates, etc. Good news is that this coming week I will finally be able to sign for the first refurbished facility the Small Arms Facility. It still needs to have the large power equipment installed and other equipment and ancillary items moved into that facility.
The construction and refurb continues and all day long trucks are coming and going and that makes for a nice sight as you can see the daily progress and the transformation of the old depot into something larger and more user friendly. The project that I had my eyes on and which finally started today is the Site Refurbishment, which will enable us to get the old buildings torn down and the north depot cleaned up so that it looks like a depot should.
I am on day 4 of holding down the fort by myself and all is well to date. The Aussies have been taking care of the interpreters which frees me up to attend the various meetings with the RSU regarding the Generator Farm, Fuel and the DFAC that is located on the Depot footprint. I have finally been able to convince our BG that it did not make sense for me to have ownership of the Generator Farm since no longer was I the only customer and besides the RSU is basically the unit which runs/controls the activities on the Iraqi side. I had mentioned this to the RSU Advisor LTC M whose from the Air Force and he agreed so when BG S arrived for his visit earlier this week we ran it by him and he said, agreed what's next?
We are trying to get some funding to operate and maintain the generator facility for an additional six months. But before we can get it approved we have to provide a transition plan for the Iraqi Army to take over and maintain this facility after the six months. That sounds easier than it really is, you can plan all you want but unless you get buy in and more importantly the financial support of the MOD all your plans will go for naught. The atmosphere back in the IZ is one that basically is stating that the wallet/checkbook of the US taxpayers has been closed and is no longer available, which I am totally in favor of. Now that the security aspect of Iraq has improved now it is time for Iraq to grab the bull by the horns and take charge of their country, so that we can focus on transition and advisory roles with the Iraqi military. The paradigm shift in the financial backing by the US still hasn't sunk in yet for the Iraqi's and many of us still believe that the Iraqi's are hedging their bets on the US military bailing them out of precarious scenarios with our taxpayer money instead of the them picking up the tab. I guess that only time will tell.
My boss is up here this weekend on a fact finding mission regarding the logistics supply chain services here in Iraq from the various touch points from the port of entry to the various distribution points. It gave us a chance to discuss the depot and the parallel project and the issues that I currently am working on trying to get resolution. He is a senior Colonel and has a maintenance background which is a plus when we discuss the depot. He has lots of good ideas and more importantly is a good listener and the dialogue between us gets results!
Before I sign off a couple of shout outs: For my running group which last Sunday ran the Silicon Valley Marathon in San Jose and as usual the females kicked some serious butt! Mimi "Every marathon I run qualifies me for Boston" R finished 8th in the Women's Race, Judy "Every marathon is a PR" S finished 10th and won her age group, and Berta "I may bring up the rear on our Saturday Runs but come race day I will kick your ass" R finished 12th. The guys didn't do too bad either, Jun "I have nothing to prove since I already finished in the top 10" C finished in 97th, and Patrick 'if there isn't 7000 ft vertical climb somethings wrong with this course" N finished 127th. I have three more weeks until my "shadow" California International Marathon which I am running here at Taji with a couple of guys, meanwhile a group will be running in the IZ the same day. It's been a good week for running and next week will be my last long run before the race, I will have to squeeze in a 15-16 miler and see what I feel like the next day.
The weather has been cooling off and this week and next week the highs will be in the upper 70's and the lows in the mid to low 50's. Right now at 2330 hours it's 68 degrees and will get down to 60 degrees. Now that it is cooler I no longer have to run the AC at work which means I finally began using my hearing aids again, because with the AC I had a hard time with the sound of the trim vane and the air whooshing by. Now that I am wearing them I can really tell my hearing loss and now can hear everything.
That's it for now, hope you all have a nice week this coming week!
The Colonel
As to rumor control, based on the picture from my last blog, that is not a shadow above my lip created by my big nose but a quasi-mustache that I am working on. I won't tell you what my better half said, but already a warning order has been issued by her regarding having a mustache and my 15 day R&R which is coming sometime later this year. I'll see what the next couple of weeks adds to the mustache and then will decide what to do with it!
Thank God it is the end of the week and tomorrow I have my off day, as between last Sunday and today we had 4 visits of General Officers and I think that I got to brief a total of 12 stars this week, so I am closing in on the 50 star mark! I enjoy the visits because I get a chance to talk up the Depot and what we are doing and what the end state will be, but with the email traffic regarding visits which seem have the schedules changing by the hour, the rehearsals on some of the visits because there are various hand offs required during the visit, and just the time that is lost and the work that piles up makes these visits a hassle at times. We are working on a parallel project that ties into the Depot and has some high visibility and the timeline from my project impact this other project. Everyone wants updates, projected completion dates, occupancy dates, etc. Good news is that this coming week I will finally be able to sign for the first refurbished facility the Small Arms Facility. It still needs to have the large power equipment installed and other equipment and ancillary items moved into that facility.
The construction and refurb continues and all day long trucks are coming and going and that makes for a nice sight as you can see the daily progress and the transformation of the old depot into something larger and more user friendly. The project that I had my eyes on and which finally started today is the Site Refurbishment, which will enable us to get the old buildings torn down and the north depot cleaned up so that it looks like a depot should.
I am on day 4 of holding down the fort by myself and all is well to date. The Aussies have been taking care of the interpreters which frees me up to attend the various meetings with the RSU regarding the Generator Farm, Fuel and the DFAC that is located on the Depot footprint. I have finally been able to convince our BG that it did not make sense for me to have ownership of the Generator Farm since no longer was I the only customer and besides the RSU is basically the unit which runs/controls the activities on the Iraqi side. I had mentioned this to the RSU Advisor LTC M whose from the Air Force and he agreed so when BG S arrived for his visit earlier this week we ran it by him and he said, agreed what's next?
We are trying to get some funding to operate and maintain the generator facility for an additional six months. But before we can get it approved we have to provide a transition plan for the Iraqi Army to take over and maintain this facility after the six months. That sounds easier than it really is, you can plan all you want but unless you get buy in and more importantly the financial support of the MOD all your plans will go for naught. The atmosphere back in the IZ is one that basically is stating that the wallet/checkbook of the US taxpayers has been closed and is no longer available, which I am totally in favor of. Now that the security aspect of Iraq has improved now it is time for Iraq to grab the bull by the horns and take charge of their country, so that we can focus on transition and advisory roles with the Iraqi military. The paradigm shift in the financial backing by the US still hasn't sunk in yet for the Iraqi's and many of us still believe that the Iraqi's are hedging their bets on the US military bailing them out of precarious scenarios with our taxpayer money instead of the them picking up the tab. I guess that only time will tell.
My boss is up here this weekend on a fact finding mission regarding the logistics supply chain services here in Iraq from the various touch points from the port of entry to the various distribution points. It gave us a chance to discuss the depot and the parallel project and the issues that I currently am working on trying to get resolution. He is a senior Colonel and has a maintenance background which is a plus when we discuss the depot. He has lots of good ideas and more importantly is a good listener and the dialogue between us gets results!
Before I sign off a couple of shout outs: For my running group which last Sunday ran the Silicon Valley Marathon in San Jose and as usual the females kicked some serious butt! Mimi "Every marathon I run qualifies me for Boston" R finished 8th in the Women's Race, Judy "Every marathon is a PR" S finished 10th and won her age group, and Berta "I may bring up the rear on our Saturday Runs but come race day I will kick your ass" R finished 12th. The guys didn't do too bad either, Jun "I have nothing to prove since I already finished in the top 10" C finished in 97th, and Patrick 'if there isn't 7000 ft vertical climb somethings wrong with this course" N finished 127th. I have three more weeks until my "shadow" California International Marathon which I am running here at Taji with a couple of guys, meanwhile a group will be running in the IZ the same day. It's been a good week for running and next week will be my last long run before the race, I will have to squeeze in a 15-16 miler and see what I feel like the next day.
The weather has been cooling off and this week and next week the highs will be in the upper 70's and the lows in the mid to low 50's. Right now at 2330 hours it's 68 degrees and will get down to 60 degrees. Now that it is cooler I no longer have to run the AC at work which means I finally began using my hearing aids again, because with the AC I had a hard time with the sound of the trim vane and the air whooshing by. Now that I am wearing them I can really tell my hearing loss and now can hear everything.
That's it for now, hope you all have a nice week this coming week!
The Colonel
07 November, 2007
Unsung Heroes
Jeremy our Corps of Engineer Project Engineer and IAs I have tried to make the similarity of what we are doing in post Saddam Iraq and what happened in post WWII Europe under the Marshall Plan, there are many infrastructure projects and improvements that are being made to make Iraq a better place for its citizens. Jeremy is one of those guys whose job it is to rebuild schools, hospitals, and other facilities that affect the average joe. He completed his third year here in Iraq and the picture above was his going away ceremony. I have known Jeremy since the second day I hit the ground in the IZ and was told that he was the Project engineer. Since that time we have had good times together seeing the work being accomplished, have gotten into our fair share of arguments regarding time lines, construction delays, changes in design, holdups at construction services etc. But at the end what made the two of us work closely together and respect each others opinions and ideas was that fact that we have a large mission at hand and one can not operate or function without support from the other. Jeremy for 2+ years worked daily in everyones favorite Baghdad neighborhood "Sadr City" building and refurbishing over 7 schools and 2 hospitals. He once showed me pictures of before and after and seeing the girls and boys faces all lit up sitting in their new school really made you think why we must see this through for the youth of Iraq to have a future and be able to live in a free and democratic country. Jeremy has seen it all, his vehicle has been shot at, partially destroyed by an IED, one of his female engineers was shot and killed by terrorists on her way home from one of the projects. Her crime working with coalition forces trying to rebuild schools for children.
If one year here seems like eternity, imagine three years in Iraq going outside the wire daily to oversee construction and design of buildings that he was managing. Jeremy should be on the freedom bird heading home right about now and is heading back to his home state of Oregon and will finally get to drive his 2005 F150 Pickup which has less than 2000 miles on it since it's been in his parents garage for the past three years. Jeremy thanks for everything you have done on the TNMD Project and more importantly for your work reconstructing the schools and hospitals to make this country a better place for it's citizens.
Sunday as I mentioned we had some Iraqi and coalition senior officers come and visit the Depot. I counted a total of 9 stars which should be 28 stars so far as I work my way up to that coveted 50 star mark. It was the first time since I have been here at the Depot that Iraqi Senior Military leadership visited the depot. It gave my Iraqi counterpart BG S a chance to speak with some of the decision makers about the depot, what issues we have here, where we need their assistance in making things happen at the MOD so that approvals on manning, parts, Soldier in-feed can occur. They liked what they say and seemed appreciative of what we the US taxpayers have purchased for them. While the Iraqi's went ahead and were discussing the depot I got a chance to speak with the coalition one star about the same issues and the expectation is that most of our message was received and now it's wait out mode for us.
You can tell we're getting closer to Thanksgiving as a bunch of the folks here just headed out on their 15 day R&R or will be heading out in the next few days so that they will be home for Thanksgiving. I will be somewhat challenged later this week as Major Young is headed out on Tuesday for her R&R and SSG Gamboa heads out this Thursday for his 4 day pass in Qatar. For planning purposes the 15 day pass usually means you'll be out of the loop for approx 21-24 days and the 4 day pass 6-8 days with travel. I would never had let both of them go at the same time but Major Young put her R&R in while she was at her other unit and I wasn't going to make her change it since she like most of us have made reservations at destinations away from our home of records. That being said I will get my chance to do some busy and dirty work for the period that SSG Gamboa is out, getting a chance to once again deal with vendor deliveries, shuttling the translators to chow or to the front gate as they go or comeback from their 5 days of monthly vacation, and with what ever else pops up.
That's it for now as I am heading off to the gym to work out for a while and burn off some of that DFAC food!
The Colonel
06 November, 2007
Bust a Move
After we finished downloading the vehicle that had the equipment purchased for the first three facilities that will be operational soon, we headed back to the office and started joking about nothing every comes easy here in Iraq, and how it seems that something so relatively easy is just the opposite. SSG Gamboa suddenly told us that he knew the reason why this equipment delivery was so difficult and caused us so many problems:
As he said so eloquently:
"Just another example of why nothing is ever easy in this F#@%ING country............ When you have an Egyptian driver working for a Kuwaiti trucking company contracted by American Ex-Pats, delivering equipment to Iraq, having their vehicle searched by Ugandan security guards, getting refueled by Indian/Pakistani nationals at the fuel point, all the while using Iraqi interpreters to communicate with American Soldiers"!!!!
Friday we went down to the warehouses to finish unpacking the boxes which had numerous smaller items inside. After we did that the Iraqi's arrived as requested so they could inventory the items and prepare to sign for the equipment and fill out the required Iraqi property forms which I will have to scan and send to our J-4 shop so that we can get it added to their property book. It actually took less time that I thought as we had it all laid out and the Lt who speaks decent English was calling off the items numbers and I got a chance to practice my arabic and they were laughing big time at my horrible pronunciation but we had a good time getting the job done. On my way back I swung by their office to go over a couple of docs and they had issues with their brand spanking new Kyocera Copier. Supposedly the first sheet feed correctly but the rest were either getting jammed or nothing was happening. I asked them if they read the operators manual and I should have known better, since us guys don't waste our time with such trivial instructions. Being a 12 year veteran at Sun and 26+ years in the Army if there is something that I can do right it's unjamming a copier. Without the manual, they couldn't find it even though they had only signed for the copier an hour earlier, I went to work and 5 minutes laters it was copying like a charm. I did my best rendition of the moon walk that I usually do when I fix something or save the day and they were pissing in their pants laughing by the time I got done with busting the move!
That afternoon I headed down to the South Depot to work with the guys who manage the suck trucks (septic waste and porta-johns) to lay out the perimeter for a fence that we will be installing to allow them to continue to dump the waste in the sewage pump station and not have access into the depot. Needless to say that the hour plus I spent there was rather smelly and I have a new appreciation for the guys who drive around these suck trucks all day long sucking out the waste. Back at the office I had the Major finishing up on the PR&C's for the last few items that we needed to purchase, so we could get it in front of the finance committee and have them approve it, plus she will be heading out in a couple of days for her 15 day R&R, and anything not finished will be mine to complete.
Saturday was one of those days that you feel you haven't accomplished anything. Between answering emails about info that the folks want from the IZ, working with the Iraqi's on their manning roster and getting a heads up late that afternoon that some important people were heading to the Depot on Sunday, which caused a whirlwind of activity as I had to quick throw together some handouts to discuss issues at the Depot. I got back to the hootch just before midnight and by then everyone was in their rooms probably sleeping so I grabbed a can of non-alcoholic beer, a nice cigar and sat outside star gazing and enjoying the tranquility of the night between the choppers either landing or taking off at the helipad.
I decided to hit the sack around 0130 knowing that Sunday was going to be a very busy day!
The Colonel
As he said so eloquently:
"Just another example of why nothing is ever easy in this F#@%ING country............ When you have an Egyptian driver working for a Kuwaiti trucking company contracted by American Ex-Pats, delivering equipment to Iraq, having their vehicle searched by Ugandan security guards, getting refueled by Indian/Pakistani nationals at the fuel point, all the while using Iraqi interpreters to communicate with American Soldiers"!!!!
Friday we went down to the warehouses to finish unpacking the boxes which had numerous smaller items inside. After we did that the Iraqi's arrived as requested so they could inventory the items and prepare to sign for the equipment and fill out the required Iraqi property forms which I will have to scan and send to our J-4 shop so that we can get it added to their property book. It actually took less time that I thought as we had it all laid out and the Lt who speaks decent English was calling off the items numbers and I got a chance to practice my arabic and they were laughing big time at my horrible pronunciation but we had a good time getting the job done. On my way back I swung by their office to go over a couple of docs and they had issues with their brand spanking new Kyocera Copier. Supposedly the first sheet feed correctly but the rest were either getting jammed or nothing was happening. I asked them if they read the operators manual and I should have known better, since us guys don't waste our time with such trivial instructions. Being a 12 year veteran at Sun and 26+ years in the Army if there is something that I can do right it's unjamming a copier. Without the manual, they couldn't find it even though they had only signed for the copier an hour earlier, I went to work and 5 minutes laters it was copying like a charm. I did my best rendition of the moon walk that I usually do when I fix something or save the day and they were pissing in their pants laughing by the time I got done with busting the move!
That afternoon I headed down to the South Depot to work with the guys who manage the suck trucks (septic waste and porta-johns) to lay out the perimeter for a fence that we will be installing to allow them to continue to dump the waste in the sewage pump station and not have access into the depot. Needless to say that the hour plus I spent there was rather smelly and I have a new appreciation for the guys who drive around these suck trucks all day long sucking out the waste. Back at the office I had the Major finishing up on the PR&C's for the last few items that we needed to purchase, so we could get it in front of the finance committee and have them approve it, plus she will be heading out in a couple of days for her 15 day R&R, and anything not finished will be mine to complete.
Saturday was one of those days that you feel you haven't accomplished anything. Between answering emails about info that the folks want from the IZ, working with the Iraqi's on their manning roster and getting a heads up late that afternoon that some important people were heading to the Depot on Sunday, which caused a whirlwind of activity as I had to quick throw together some handouts to discuss issues at the Depot. I got back to the hootch just before midnight and by then everyone was in their rooms probably sleeping so I grabbed a can of non-alcoholic beer, a nice cigar and sat outside star gazing and enjoying the tranquility of the night between the choppers either landing or taking off at the helipad.
I decided to hit the sack around 0130 knowing that Sunday was going to be a very busy day!
The Colonel
01 November, 2007
Nothing Ever Comes Easy in This Country
Americas Team--The PMO Staff: SSG Gamboa, Major Young and I
The title says it all, it is my new mantra. "Nothing ever comes easy in this ______ country"!! (fill in the blank with an adjective of your choice depending on what mood you're in)
We have been very busy as of late. Since we are now working out of the PMO building on the Iraqi side of the base with the daily interface with our counterparts we are all over the place. Major Young was down at the IZ running the gauntlet for us trying to get the money requested for the various upgrades and required equipment. She arrived back late tonite and from what she told me, she was able to get approval on all but one of our projects which still needs to be massaged a little bit to become more palatable to the money folks down in the IZ. My head is bruised on the right side from banging it on the wall each time I hang up the phone with the folks in the IZ after discussing money.
Six more buildings refurbishments/upgrade contracts were awarded on Monday which is great news for us. With that most of the facilities are now either being worked on or work will commence in the next 2 weeks. At the same time those are being worked on the USACE folks are working on the infrastructure upgrades and trying to resolve our pump station issues to remove some of the water that flooded some of the construction ditches.
Today I spent most of the late morning and late evening with the Iraqi's going over some of the building issues and other internal issues pertaining to facilities and trying to get some traffic redirected away from the construction sites. As has been the case all along, there needs to be some city manager function on the Iraqi side of the base to ensure that new construction, services and life support functions are managed from one point to ensure there are no undesired second or third order effects based on decisions made independent of other organizations on base. A perfect example is the DFAC on our Depot. It was supposed to be one of the last ones brought on line by the Iraqi Army. We attended several meetings and were basically told that it would not be operational until springtime. That fit in perfect with our base upgrades since it would allow us to build a fence to keep traffic from the DFAC away from our Depot.
The other week I was approached by one of the NCO's telling me that the DFAC would be number two in line. I told him to have the Iraqi General call BG S who is the Iraqi General in charge of the Depot. Four days later we come to find out the DFAC is operational. We still have no been able to get the fence built because based on the original schedule there was ample time to get the contract awarded and the work completed. The Iraqi Army has not approached us on requesting electricity and providing us fuel for the electricity consumed. They just went ahead and did it, and the hell with the anyone else. Right now I am trying to run down the IA Food Service officer to speak with him regarding electricity and fuel, because as the saying goes no pay no play and that pay is fuel.
I had told the company that was delivering equipment to the Depot who the point of contacts were and our contact numbers. So today I just happened to read email between lunch and heading back to the Iraqi side. I noticed that according to the Company their driver was at the gate that we told them to approach to deliver the goods. I sent SSG Gamboa with translator in hand to that gate to pickup the truck and escort them to our depot location. He called me about 20 minutes later saying he could not find the truck at the gate. I in turn figured out that maybe they were at the other gate, so I grabbed one of our translators and headed to that gate. No such luck, so I spoke to one of the Soldiers who radioed his folks and they confirmed what I had already suspected, there was no truck at that gate or inspection area. Instead of Where's Waldo, we were playing where's the delivery truck game. At the same time we had the AMC guys, waiting at the Depot with the Aussies and the forklift to assist with unloading the equipment.
I get back to my office and the trucking company says they can't get hold of their driver after I requested some additional info on the truck and driver. We will try again tomorrow morning to see where this guy is at.
Yesterday we ate lunch over at COL M's office, he is the Maintenance Battalion Commander and we (the PMO staff) were instrumental in him getting barracks for his Soldiers at the Depot and we wanted to show us his appreciation. I was pleasantry surprised at the lunch, we had fish, salad, eggplant soup, rice, pita bread and chicken, plus dessert. The fish was very tasty and I ate everything else except the chicken. We had a good time discussing a myriad of topics and getting to know him better. We left with full stomachs and a better appreciation of his unit and their role.
That's it for now, it's way late as there was soccer tonite and with the 2 hour time difference between Spain and Iraq the games didn't finish up until 0100 hrs our time. As usual my team lost again at home 0-3 and the good news is that the fans were booing the president big time with my favorite chant: "Lopera Vete Ya".
The Colonel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
