Colonel TS's Deployment Adventures

My Normal Blog

2008-09-19T07:20:00.002+03:00

Just thought I'd let you know that my normal blog about life (post mobilization) in Silicon Valley can be located at http://pichi6.blogspot.com/

The Colonel

Back to Work and Time to Close It Down

2008-09-08T23:18:00.003+03:00

Apologies for not having updated my blog like I said I would after I got back home but the few times I started to write I kept saying "screw it and I'll get to that later". We'll that later kept being pushed out and I guess that today is the day to post and close her down.

I enjoyed my 3+ months of leave and vacation thanks to the US Army and Sun. It was a great feeling to do what I wanted to do, get up when I wanted to get up and basically enjoy some serious down time, and also gave me a chance to get fat and happy!! On top of that there was plenty of work to do around the house. May was rather hectic, the same night I got home Javier had his Confirmation. The next week Ascension received her Nursing pin and the week after that she graduated from University of San Francisco with her BS in Nursing.

We got a chance to do some traveling while I was still on vacation. Carmen and I went down to Paso Robles for a couple of days. Besides getting out of the house and having some time alone, it had been years since we were there and the wine is just awesome. Getting a chance to visit the various vineyards for two days and tasting the great Zinfandel and Rhone style wines made the trip a blast. I went home (Wisconsin) for about 10 days to spend time with my parents and sister and her family. Plus on the 4th of July my parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary so all of us congregated in Milwaukee to enjoy the celebration and get a chance to meet lots of old friends and family. We also got a chance to spend a week down in the Florida Panhandle along the Emerald Coast in Panama City Beach. After 13 months in the desert it was nice to just be able to chill out on the beach, swim in the ocean and enjoy all that great seafood! I have been able to spend time with my family and that is what I have enjoyed the most of my vacation!!

I have been back at work since 11 August, and just as I had thought I had been voted off the island, meaning that my old job no longer existed, which wasn't surprising. Prior to leaving I had handed off that job to another Program Manager, so I was offered another position in the same group but now a Manager of the Customer Backlog Management group which handles the key Sun accounts. So bottom line is that I am learning a new job and getting back into the heart of operations which is what I wanted to do.

I found a new unit the 1st Brigade 75th Division at Camp Parks which was my first reserve unit that I joined in 1995 but back then it was 1st Brigade 91st Division. It was reflagged last year and I know a fair number of the officers in that unit. I begin drilling later this month. As for the rest of the PMO team, Major Young is working down at USARC HQ in Georgia and she sounded very happy last time I got an email from her. She's going in front of the O-5 board soon and I am sure that she will be selected for LTC. SSG Gamboa finally finished his BNCOC, I was there at his graduation. He should make E-7 at this coming board, and it looks like he too is making a career change and is applying for the AGR program. Filly the interpreter who was like a brother to me was dismissed from his job in Taji due to performance issues and I'll leave it at that. Bob is putting in his paperwork for a Visa to come to the US as part of the special program that allows interpreters to apply for Visas based on their performance as interpreters for the US forces and as gratitude for their sacrifices they have made putting their lives on the line in support of coalition forces.

I look back at these past 16+ months of mobilization and deployment and I am proud to have once again been able to answer the call and deploy into harms way. Yes this deployment was different that Desert Shield/Storm, the circumstances, living conditions, coalition, enemy were all different. But the underlying theme was that we were helping people in need to become free and get a chance to enjoy the freedoms that we as Americans have enjoyed and worked so hard to maintain since 1775. Was it worth it? A resounding yes it was, as I could see the difference that we made in Taji and in other places inside Iraq. Someone asked me when I got back what would happen if called upon again by my country to deploy. I told them that I would once again answer the call wherever need be. As Thomas Jefferson said: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

Thanks to all of you who read the blog, sent me emails during my deployment, sent me care packages, prayed for my safety and sent me many words of encouragement. Also thanks to those who stayed in contact with Carmen and the kids to see how things were going on the home front. Although I am home there are still over 160,000 members of the Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan serving in harms way, please keep them in your prayers!

"God Bless America"

The Colonel

Mission Accomplished-I'm Finally Home!!

2008-05-06T08:20:00.008+03:00

The bus pulled into Camp Funston (FOB Army Strong) a little before 0500 hrs. We got off the bus and were piled into the sterile area's gym and given the first of many briefs welcoming us and what laid ahead. After the brief it was time to temporarily turn in our M4 and M9 for the day. We then were given our schedules for the upcoming three days and it was back onto the bus and we headed to our barracks where we would check in, pickup our bags and for us lucky ones meet our families.

We pulled in just about the time that light was coming up and I anxiously scanned the parking lot to see where Carmen was. Just seeing her face and smile while I waived to her from bus was worth the wait as I hadn't seen her since we said our "see you laters" in Frankfurt Germany in mid-January during my R&R.

I got off the bus and gave her a huge hug and it felt like I had never left her. After our hugs we headed over to the barracks. From the corner of my eye I saw someone drop a camera lens cap and when I looked over to tell that person they dropped the lens cap I realized it was my daughter Ascension, then my son Javier jumped from behind a car. I was shocked since I knew that Carmen was going to be at Ft. Riley, but never expected my two kids. What I found out later was that all along the kids were going to be at Ft. Riley but Carmen fed me the hook and line I bit off on it thinking that Javier was at home since he supposedly had gone to prom that weekend and his sister was home minding the house. By the time I gave them their hugs I looked up to see my parents also had showed up and this was indeed a real homecoming!!

My family and I at Ft. Riley (Mom, Javi, I, Dad, Carmen and Censi)

Another photo op with Carmen and Censi

After grabbing my bags we headed back to Manhattan for a breakfast and then to the hotel. The next couple of days went by quickly and yet slowly. That afternoon we had some more briefings, turned in our weapons for good, then it was the 1st ID welcome home ceremony at the gym. The next day starting at 0530 hrs we had our personnel and medical briefings and outprocessing. That meant more shots, tests and updating personnel records. The next day it was time to turn in our TA-50 at CIF, and as most had already said it was for me the easiest CIF turn I had ever had in my almost 30 years of being in the military. We signed our DD214's that afternoon and since I had told the Army that I needed to be home in time to attend my sons confirmation on they got me special travel so I could get out of Ft. Riley early the next day. That night in the barracks it was for most of us a last chance to say our goodbyes before we headed out the next morning. I had to catch the van at 0400 hrs which would take me to the Manhattan Airport. From there it was to Kansas City International, then through snowy Denver and finally arriving in San Jose International Airport.

At the airport Carmen, my daughter Ascension and Kathie Sylvia one of my co-workers at Sun were there for my arrival. As luck would have it only one of my bags arrived which meant someone out there in netherland was my duffle bag.

Kathie and I at the San Jose Airport

Carmen and I at the San Jose Airport

I finally arrived home around 1500 hrs and there on the garage door was a banner that my daughter had made which said "Welcome Home Dad".

Finally Home

That night after Javiers confirmation I finally got a chance to sit in my favorite recliner and that is when it really hit me that I was really home! I am still getting used to things here back home as it has been over 15 months since I left home on 25 January knowing that I would not be back until I had demobilized from this tour. I imagine that in a couple of days I will finally be able to let this sink in believe that I am home for good!

I will wrap up my blog in a couple of days with one last blog since I am still trying to grasp all that has went on in the past 15 months and what I learned from it.

The Colonel

Back in the USA

2008-05-01T01:19:00.003+03:00

As the title says I am finally back on American soil and it is a great feeling! It took over 30 hours from the time we cleared the barracks in Kuwait until we arrived here at Ft. Riley. On the 26th we were told that our clear the tent time was 2200 hrs and that we would be wheels up at approximately 1030 hrs in the morning. So most of the Soldiers chilled out and slept on their cots knowing that we were not going to get much shuteye that night. We had our final brief that morning then I went to work out then lounged around the tent. At 2200 hrs we were told that the truck would be there at 2300 hrs and after loading the truck with our bags, we boarded the buses for Ali Al Salem which is where we would clear customs and clear theater. We arrived a little after midnight and checked in for our flight. As in any military plan there was plenty of waiting around for the mandatory customs briefing on what you could and couldn't bring to the US. Finally around 0500 hrs we made our way out of the briefing tent, picked up our duffle bags and made our way over to customs.

These guys make TSA look like amateurs. The US Navy customs guys were very thorough. We first had to empty out our pockets, backpacks and all the stuff that was strapped to our uniforms and run those thru the x-ray machine, then we got wanded. After that it was grab your bags and when we were called by a Customs Agent we then moved forward to the location which we were assigned. Once there you had to empty out the entire duffle bags and rucks that you had. The customs guys went item by item checking to make sure we had no body parts, weapons, hand grenades and any of the 100+ contraband items that you couldn't bring into the country. Here I was thinking that we just spent one year in a combat and now here we are expected to go through customs on our way home. Incredible to say the least!! The real reason they do this isn't so much for customs but the stuff that guys want to bring home that the Army won't let them. Any of you who have been in the military know that when you pack a duffle bag it takes some planning to get 200 pounds of crap in a 100 pound bag. Yet when the customs guy finished searching each bag everything was placed in a huge bin. After 3 duffle bags and my ruck sack I then had the honor and pleasure to repack my belongings in the same bag and manner as before.
Unfortunately when one is sweating like a pig and is under the gun to get the stuff packed ASAP, things don't turn out like they are supposed to. I was one of the last ones through customs and out the door into freedom. Once we got through the customs portion we were in a lock down area where we couldn't get out and had to remain there until it was time to get onto the bus which would take us to the military side of Kuwait International Airport.

From Ali Al Salem we got onto the bus which was supposed to stop before arriving there but as usual there was a change in plans and those of us who had been drinking water non stop because it had been a sweat box in the customs area were dying to take a piss but to no avail. We then sat in the buses for about 30 minutes waiting to load up the plane and could not get off the bus until we were authorized to get onto the plane. The order was finally given and we headed to the plane, and as an O-6 I got to sit in front of the plane in normal seats but we basically had our own row to ourselves which was nice. The plane was supposed to take off at 1020 local time but there were issues with the fire alarm in one of the rest rooms, then they couldn't start the plane and there we sat on the tarmac for almost 40 minutes with the temp over 100 degrees. I fell asleep since I hadn't slept at all for the past 24 hours. We finally got off the ground at around 1145 hrs and we were finally on our way to the US of A.

We had a 6+ hour flight to Shannon Ireland and were told that we could not consume nor purchase any alcohol while we were in Shannon. It was a cold, rainy and dreary day in Ireland but that didn't ruin our day as we headed into the airport for a 90 minute stopover. I got out and after seeing there was nothing worth buying headed back into the aircraft and finally caught wind of the main issue at hand. We had topped off with enough fuel to get us to Topeka Kansas, but with the rain and the weight of the plane due to the MITT teams bringing on board 4 duffle bags plus their rucks, the plane could not abort a takeoff with the weight it had. So the plan was to download a certain amount of fuel, the only problem was that the fuel truck designated for that mission only had a 5K liter capacity and after picking up the fuel had to go over to another part of the airport to drop it off. Talk about a time waster, what was supposed to have been a 90-120 minute stop ended up being almost a 4 hour logistical nightmare. I had a good time shooting the breeze with Adelle the Irish girl who was handling the refuel and stop at Shannon and the pilots who were from the west coast. I was kept in the loop on what was going on so I could relay that info to the DOC at Ft. Riley so they knew what was going on and to let the families know about what time they could expect us.

We finally got out of Shannon and because of removing the fuel no longer had enough to make it safely to Topeka, so instead we headed to Bangor Maine which was an 8+ hour flight. When we got there, they had about 20-25 VFW and American Legion reps at the airport to welcome us home and shake our hands as we came down the walkway. We spent about 90 minutes in Bangor so I was able to call Carmen and let her know where I was. We then headed to Forbes Field in Topeka KS for our last aviation leg of the journey. We arrived there approximately 22 hours and 40 minutes after wheels up in Kuwait City. It was 0308 hrs in the morning in Topeka.
We then got in the buses and were escorted by an honor guard on motorcycle all the way to Ft. Riley. The third step had been completed and all I needed to know was when was I going to see Carmen again here at Ft. Riley.

The Colonel

Working my Way Back to the US of A

2008-04-27T23:03:00.001+03:00

My last day in Iraq was really uneventful which is a good way to end my tour over here. I was able to sleep in until 0700 hrs, and a little after 0800 First Sergeant Anderson came by and said that we had a 1000 hrs show time at the Air Pax terminal. We hit the PX and the EOC to check email and at check in were told that our flight would be leaving at 1400 hrs and that baggage was to be turned in at 1100 hrs.

After turning in our baggage we hit the DFAC and it was rather ironic that on my last day in Iraq I happened to eat at what was for me the best DFAC so far. It was run by the Air Force (no surprises there) and the selection of food and other entrees was really impressive and it wasn’t too congested like DFAC 1 in Taji.

At 1300 hrs we were told to be at the gate and they bussed us to the aircraft and we climbed on board the C-130 and it wasn’t too full so we had empty seats between each of us. At 1355 we were wheels up and phase II had been accomplished, getting out of Iraq!! The flight was uneventful and I got a chance to peek outside the window right about when we crosses into Kuwait airspace and all I could see was sand. It was weird knowing that 17 years earlier I was on the ground directly below with the Soldiers of A Company 701^st MSB working our asses off supporting the Division in prior to, during and after combat operations. We arrived in Ali As Salem at 1515 hours and SGM Laos was waiting for us and we transferred to the bus which had the rest of the 104^th folks on this serial who had flown in earlier from the IZ (BIAP).

We then boarded the bus which would take us to Camp Virginia which is basically the same type of camp as Camp Buerhing was when we arrived, both are out in the middle of the sandy desert surrounded by camels. The big difference is those of us at Camp Virginia are going home versus those Soldiers in Buerhing who are just arriving. At Camp Virginia we were bedded down in the same white style tents that we had in Buerhing, where you can sleep at least 80 guys in there but we had about 30 which wasn’t too bad. We sort of have an idea of when we will be leaving this camp for Ali Al Salem and our flight home but they have not released the final date or time. While we are here except for a couple of mandatory briefs the rest of the time is our free time so I hit the gym and did my 6 mile gig on the elliptical trainer. I then hit the internet café to look at some of my email. Other than that the wait out mode continues and only time will tell when we get the green light for onward movement. Until then it’s chill out mode and the chance to relish the fact that we are no longer in Iraq and that life is good!

The Colonel

Get Ready, Get Set, Go

2008-04-25T21:40:00.002+03:00

I have officially relinquished my role as the Taji National Maintenance Depot Program Manager to DJ as of the 22nd, since I was busy trying to get my things in order, cleaning up the room, packing, sending boxes home etc. I noticed that once I did relinquish that role, the bags under my eyes starting going away and the weight on my shoulders was lifted big time.

As much as I burned old uniforms, documents, books etc that I no longer needed nor wanted I realized that I still had accumulated lots of things that needed to go back to the US with me. Since I do not want to have to make two trips dragging my items I needed to hit the post office one last time to mail home a couple of more boxes plus my coveted humidor that is fully loaded with some great smokes. I also sold my electronic items that I had bought over the one year period such as TV, DVD player, microwave, fridge, satellite dish and receiver, computer table etc. Plus I gave away the storage units with the personal hygiene items I had not used.

So yesterday as I got up and ran one last time before heading out, it occurred to me that I may not get all the items I still had left on the bed into my duffle bags and sure enough it was one last run to the post office where everyone said "didn't you say you were done yesterday mailing things home"? I took care of that ran down to the dark side and said good bye to some of the guys from the MITT's and BSU's and finally headed back to my room and gathered my gear and went back to the office to finish up on some last minute paperwork.

The time finally arrived for me to head out the door to the helipad so it was saying goodbye to the AMC guys and the other guys in the office. Then it was saying goodbye to my favorite interpreter Filly who I consider as a brother, that was hard to do. This guy has lived a year of hell, surviving two bomb explosions, his wife getting shot, his soon was almost abducted by gun point, yet he cheerfully continued to work for us an interpreter. Since he is only a few years older then I we got along great and would take alot about our families, life in general, politics etc. They say the world is a small place and one can only hope that he is selected for one of the visas that the US government issues to interpreters so he and his family can immigrate to the US.

The temperature gauge in the shade at the helipad read 102 when we arrived to wait for our flight to Balad which is north of Taji. From there we would fly onto Kuwait and link up with the remainder of the fourth serial of our reserve unit. The choppers arrived and it was the longest 250 yards I have ever walked in my entire life. Full battle rattle on, my ruck which weighs a ton, and the two duffle bags which one of the guys jokingly said weighed as if I had stuck some Iraqi women in them. Step by step, you could feel the sweat rolling down your back, then your legs, throat parched as I tried to find that damn nozzle on my camelback but to no avail! Finally I got to the chopper and got the stuff loaded and away we went. Although it was hot the air that circulated through the aircraft felt like heaven. I had never flown north of Taji so the view was spectacular with lots of farms and orchards sprinkled throughout the Tigris basin.

We finally got to Balad and then it was a shorter walk but still it felt like death valley out there. I had previously coordinated with the AMC guys for rooms and we were able to also get a Suburban to move around post in. After grabbing some chow and getting settled into our rooms, taking a nice cold shower I was able to watch some US TV and then took a rare 2 hour nap. What a relief, although I was still in Iraq it was finally starting to settle in my brain that I on that journey home. We the four of us who were the last 104th Division guys out of Taji had completed the first and most important leg of our journey, getting out of Taji. I didn't have to worry about the depot, nor status reports, nor updates nor meetings with the Depot Integrator. All of that I left behind when I got on that beautiful UH-60 in Taji!!

The Colonel

One Year Anniversay

2008-04-21T12:00:00.002+03:00

The other day 18 April was special for two reasons, one it was my birthday and this is the third birthday I have celebrated in this part of the world and if all goes well should be the last birthday I celebrate over here. Two it was one year ago that we arrived in theater and it’s hard to believe that one year has already gone by! I am officially short and by short I mean not by stature, but that I do not have much more time here before I head back home to demobilize and sleep in my own bed once again with my better half HQ-6. My replacement DJ has things under control which enables me to finish up on the last few deliverables that I have and pack my things. I am finishing up on the MTOE (Modified Table of Organization and Equipment) comparison so that we can line up the job skills that need to be trained with the Iraqi Soldiers who will be assigned to the Depot. This Tuesday will be my last meeting with the Iraqi’s and after the meeting I am officially done here at Taji.

I have started packing up my things and have already shipped some items home and another box to Ft. Riley so I don’t have to do the duffle bag shuffle on my way out of Iraq. My goal which looks attainable is to have two duffle bags and my trusty camel back backpack and that is it. We are still coordinating our flights out of here to Kuwait, where we will link up with the remaining members of the Task Force and we will then travel together back to the USA. I still have to sell my remaining items which some of the interpreters and others want to buy from me, then it will be sweep mop and get the room inspected on the last day and then it’s hasta la vista baby!!

Work has been both long and satisfying these past several weeks, we have put in some long hours as part of our left seat right seat. Also we have signed for some additional buildings, such as the South Receiving, the upstairs offices to the South Paint Bldg which will be the HQ for the South Depot. Additionally DJ signed for the security upgrades work that has been completed. Today we had another meeting with AECOM to go over their equipment purchase, receipt, install and commissioning dates and what that means as to start dates for the OJT phase in the various buildings. DJ and his crew will have their hands full with the training that starts on the 13^th and getting the Iraqi Army to ensure they have new Soldiers who will be assigned to the Depot so we can ensure there are enough cheeks in the seats in the training and OJT training phases.

It’s weird knowing that some of the things that I am doing these past few days are the last time I will be doing those things here , but then again one year is a long time and I am itching to get back home. So it's time to get those medical tests and shots, fill out the various surveys, turn in items that I no longer need.

Major Young and her group hit Ft. Riley yesterday after being stranded at BIAP for 3+ days, due to two huge dust storms that reduced visibility to less than 50 feet and left a nice fine powdery layer of dust on everything. The dust storms were surreal as you could barely see the sun and everything was dark brown and the wind was doing a great job blowing the stuff all over the place. Just walking to the DFAC was a bear even with glasses on the powdery sand got in my eyes. They said this was one of the worst ones they have had in a long time, yeah I'm sure Al Gore would be blaming this on global warming!

BG Swan my senior rater having a good laugh pointing at my Tour Guide tab which I threw on at the last minute to get my picture taken with him during my last VIP visit that I was in charge of.

Well that's it for now I gotta run and grab some chow and hit the post office.

The Colonel

Back from the IZ

2008-04-16T00:11:00.003+03:00

Just got back in tonite from a quick two day visit to the IZ with my replacement DJ. We should have left Taji early on Monday but someone screwed up on our Aviation Movement Request (AMR) so when we called up and asked what's going on, and they realized that there were two Colonels who were stuck in Taji because of someones mistake we were able to get another lift out of Taji on our CG's birds and headed over to BIAP where there was a crew change. It gave us a chance to grab a nice cold frapuccino from the coffee sh0op, shoot the breeze with the pilots and crew and then head to the IZ where we arrived in the early afternoon. After getting our rooms squared away off we went to Phoenix Base so that DJ could meet the folks who he will be dealing with going forward.

For me it was a bittersweet visit as many of the faces that I knew were no longer there as they had been replaced by the new crew and more importantly they were already home with their families. So yesterday we hit I believe most of the key offices and groups so DJ could get points of contact and associate names with faces which is very important since we are out in the boonies and it's tough to get the folks in the IZ out to Taji to visit and discuss issues. We spent a good hour with the contract folks to go over our Depot Integrator project and the project from hell which is the new generator and fuel tank project for the generator farm. Most of you know about Seinfelds "Soup Nazi" episode, well we have a contractor Nazi who never heard about the customer is always right and instead just shoots us off some of the most bizarre emails I have ever seen in my life, blaming us for all his troubles etc. This guys can't get from A to B and that is why we want to end the contract before he screws up anymore and as my dad would say "he's a worthless as a tit on a boar pig"!!

We got to brief our boss about the project and he was happy with where we are at, although we have to make a few minor tweaks regarding equipment receipt and installation on the plan. At least we got final buy in to the class schedule and facility readiness date. With that DJ now has the road map that he needs to get from here to there during his tenure as PMO.

As you all have read lately the IZ has been getting rocked by rockets and it had been a long time since I had to get into my IBA and seek cover, and we got a chance to do that at various times during our two day visit. Awareness and the seriousness of these attacks and drills was obviously heightened since our MNSTC-I crew lost two officers several weeks ago (one from our Division back home) when the building they were in was hit by a rocket. It's as if they know there is a new crew coming in because the same thing happened last year when our Division Soldiers arrived in the IZ in late April and early May. We were getting hit all the time and it puts a whole new perspective of being stationed in Iraq.

The bus ride back to the temporary hootch before we headed to the helipad was full of 104th Soldiers who were heading to BIAP that night on their way home. The flight home was uneventful and it was nice seeing Baghdad at night and the cooler air felt good. that will more than likely be one of my last helo flights here in Iraq as I am what is called "getting short" and my time to leave here is approaching quickly. When DJ and I got back I told him that we would probably see our folks at the heavy lift pad waiting for their flight to BIAP and sure enough there were a lot of Soldiers either milling around or laying on their rucks playing the waiting game. I got a chance to see Major Young and some of the IASSI folks and we shoot the breeze while they were waiting. We finally said our final "see you laters" and headed back to our hootchs, since their flight was pushed out a few more hours.

Our left seat right seat is now reversed as DJ is now leading the meetings and making the decisions and I am advising and answering questions if he has any. Prior to the IZ visit we were burning some serious midnight oil and I reminded him that the sooner he found his battle rhythm the sooner things would see more natural and that the 0745-2400 hrs stuff will end up kicking his ass as this job is like a marathon with one step at a time and the need to pace oneself is key if you want to survive, stay fresh and get results. Two more buildings the Radiator Repair Facility on the North Depot and the Component Cleaning and Prime paint facility were signed over by us from the Corps of Engineers.

That's about it for now.

Back to the Grind!!

2008-04-07T18:42:00.003+03:00

The morning of our flight I was wide awake at 0500 hrs so I got up, finished packing and headed down to the restaurant for a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport. George and I had agreed to meet at 0700 hrs so when it was 0705 I called his room and no one answered, I called again later with the same result. I finally knocked on his door and woke him up, I guess he had received a wakeup call and fell to sleep again. We were out the door at 0735 for what was to be a 60-75 minute ride to the civil airport, where we had a 0900 show time. What a rip off here in Jordan for us tourists, they get 10 Jordanian Dinars (JD) for transit visas and then when we left we had to pay a 20 JD departure tax.

The C-17 arrived late and once on board we were told that we’d be there for at least one hour until take off. I fell asleep and woke up when we were in the air. We got to BIAP and it was just strange thinking that only 75 minutes away I was swimming in the dead sea and the pool enjoying some downtime and here I am back to the real world of Iraq.

View from the 5th Floor at the Marriott

SSG G the AMC rep picked me up, I went to get my weapon and we arrived back at the AMC compound on FOB Liberty. I got the rest of my gear, changed ate chow and then I got shuttled to the Liberty Helipad. Fortunately for me my folks up in Taji got me booked on a evening flight so I wouldn’t have to spend a day in BIAP.

I think they and I both thought that this was going to be one stop flight but I guess they figured I needed to check out some FOB’s that I never have been too before I leave Iraq at the end of my tour. I was going to be getting off at the 6^th stop. So I had the chance to see the following FOB’s from the darkened sky; BIAP, Falcon, IZ-Washington, Rustimaya (which still stinks as bad as the last time I was there), Prosperity and finally Taji. We got a chance to fly over everyone’s favorite Baghdad neighborhood Sadr City, it seemed calm even though just days earlier all hell was breaking loose with the militias and the IA and Coalition Forces.

My replacement COL DJ Dunn who I had met when he was over here in October as part of their recon and Major Young were at the Helipad to pick me up. After shooting the breeze and getting a quick update on what had occurred while I was out, I was finally dropped off at my hootch. Inside although warm the hootch was covered with a light layer of dust everywhere. I had left the AC on but set high and while I was out it reached 97 outside so with the AC on and the constant dust storms they had caused all the dust.

It was nice to be back at my home away from my real home, though the same familiar faces were gone since the TND crew deployed back home last month and are already back with their loved ones. Since the new crew that replaced them didn’t want to pay for internet service the guys dismantled the router and switch so the few of us who are still here from the original group no longer have internet access in our hootches which sucks big time. SSG Gamboa our NCOIC left with that group and he’s at Fort Riley going to some NCOES classes. Major Young’s replacement is also here and she’ll be out of here soon and I know that she’s looking forward to seeing her three children and husband back in Arizona. I too am getting short but am too busy at work to even think about getting out of here yet!

I have already started the left seat right seat with DJ and all is going well. I signed for the Generator Repair Facility at the Track Depot and the remaining 3 warehouses on the Wheel Depot. The Receiving Facility will be signed for on Tuesday, so things are finishing up on most of our buildings. Now we are in the training phase here at the Depot. The first 20 students completed initial Level I Depot training class and start the level II class tomorrow. On top of that the 60 day OJT at AECOM for the M1114 project kicks off on Tuesday. We originally were supposed to receive most of the students graduating from the OJT but as usual plans change and now were will receive a paltry 16 Junood.

It’s starting to get hotter out here and my goal is to finish up my tour without it reaching triple digits, somehow I got a feeling that I will not meet that goal. Well that’s it for now, I will update the blog in a few days.

Before I forget here are some pics from when I was in Jordan that one of the guys took.

This is about as close to Hell as I plan to get!!

Petra

Up on the side of the mountain with Petra in the valley

The Colonel

Thank You State Department

2008-04-05T15:36:00.005+03:00

I am finally back in beautiful sunny and dusty Taji after completing the last leg of the TDY trip to the

. It is bittersweet, I was really enjoying my down time in Jordan (more later) but it is nice to finally sleep in my bed again.

Sunday morning the alarm went off at 0’dark hundred and by 0700 hrs we were on the road to the Birmingham International Airport. I was not looking forward to travel back to the middle east. We got to the airport and said goodbye to the Security Team and the Depot folks who accompanied us since our arrival in Dallas the previous Sunday. WE made our way to the check in counter and we got there so early that we were the first ones in line. I waited for the Iraqi’s to check in and that’s when the fun started. I should mention that WalMart stock took a sharp rise in prices last week thanks to the Iraqi’s who loved the place and did there fair share of stimulating the economy. I think the Demos stimulation plan is all wrong, we should have chartered several hundred airliners and brought Iraqi’s over to the US on a 48-72 hour shopping spree. The amount of money that they would have spent would have jumpstarted the economy in a heartbeat. Besides hitting the Walmarts, they also enjoyed the smaller mall in Anniston and the Best Buy store.

As you can imagine when you buy a lot of stuff you need more suitcases or bags because if not either your suitcase will run out of space or will weigh a ton, Sure enough most were over the weight limit on the one bag so here are 4 out of the 7 officers opening their suitcases and shifting around their clothes, purchases, etc. They would then get the suitcase reweighed only to be told your only 7 pounds over and once again the shuffle started over again. After 30 minutes of this they finally got checked in and several were now carrying plastic Walmart bags as carry ons. I would have taken pictures of this but my digital camera went on the fritz at Talladega Superspeedway, the gears on the lens are not working correctly so the lens is not shutting all the way.

We got to Charlotte and literally walked what seemed like a mile going from the commuter plane terminal to the other end of the airport. We had a few minutes to grab a sandwich knowing all too well peanuts for lunch wasn’t going to cut it for us. Onto to New York (JFK) and after the train ride to the international terminal we found out that the check in counter wasn’t going to open for another 3 hours. Yes the State Department was responsible for the airline connections and we now had a 7 ½ hour layover at JFK. So we grabbed a couple of tables put them together and went to the Iraqi’s favorite fast food restaurant that would have made Colonel Sanders proud KFC. After we got them settled in and fed a couple of us did what any normal GI would do when faced with a long layover and the NCAA on TV. We hit the Sam Adams bar and got a few cold ones, some killer nachos and wings and enjoyed some basketball. We checked in did some last minute shopping and then got to our gate, hit the bar for one last cold one and it was on our way to Amman Jordan.

Eleven hours later we arrived in Amman at 1700 hrs, and having left at 2300 hrs EST, most of us got some decent sleep on the flight. It took forever to get the Iraqi’s though Jordanian immigration and then the missing luggage monster popped it’s ugly head. After almost one hour they finally located the last of the missing luggage and we got the Iraqi’s on their bus to the hotel no thanks to the State Department who failed to show up. The last thing we needed was an international incident, but thanks to the US Army we took care of business that the State Department dropped the ball on. One of the guys called our hotel and were kindly told that our reservations were cancelled because there was the SOFEX convention and they needed the rooms. We called our POC at the US Embassy in Jordan and no one picks up, no surprise here since they never showed at the airport they sure as hell weren’t in their office. We started calling the major hotels but only got the no vacancy response. At that point with a couple of us being Marriott members we called the Amman Marriott were told sorry but there are rooms available at the Marriott in the Jordan Valley (Dead Sea). Let’s see 45-60 minutes away from the center of Amman wasn’t what we wanted but then again, swimming pools, sun, the dead sea, plenty of pool action, great food and drinks you get the picture, they didn’t have to twist our arms any more.

The Marriott was awesome, from my window and balcony I had a view of the dead sea, the swimming pools, unfortunately the only thing that was missing was my better half! Major Sanders and I grabbed some dinner at the sports bar in the hotel and watched some Champions League Soccer. We called it a night around 2300 hrs since we were going to Petra the next day. It was nice to sleep with the balcony doors open listening to the water of the fountains by the pool and smelling the fresh air of the Dead Sea.

The next day we played tourist and headed down to Petra, which was about 3 ½ to 4 hours from the hotel according to everyone we asked. Doug drove, I was navigator and shotgun and George slept in the back seat most of the way. We went through about 4-5 towns and small cities and saw it all, goats hanging outside the butcher shops, street venders all over the place, people walking down the middle of streets as if they were on a Sunday stroll oblivious to the fact that they were impeding vehicular traffic, old men sitting drinking coffee staring at us and probably saying to the others, “what in the hell are those 3 Americans doing in this one horse town’? The scenery was awesome on the drive and it really gave us a better view and take on Jordan, the people, the land and what it has to offer. It also reminded us that on the way back we were going to take the 4 lane highway and save ourselves some driving time. Needless to say the directions and signs here in Jordan leave a lot to be desired and they never had the business district only posted so we ended up taking the main road through the entire village or town since we had no clue of the bypass road. We finally get to Petra and no where is there a sign which tells you where the ruins are. We stopped and George asked this guys sitting outside a camper how to get there, the guy he finds out is Italian and speaks no English so once again my Spanish comes in handy and the with a mix the Italian I know and Spanish we start talking and he gives me directions on how to get there.

Petra is awesome and you can spend an entire week to visit the entire site, obviously we took the short two hour guided tour and got a chance to see several of the key buildings plus learn about how Petra was settled, why they built the various tombs, buildings, the meaning of certain symbols, etc. The rock formations coupled with the construction that took place from 0100-0700 AD was mind boggling.

Petra Architecture

More Petra Buildings

There were tourists from everywhere and from what the guide said last year over 1M persons visited Petra and this year they are expecting it to increase to 1.2M I left convinced that this is definitely a place that I want to come back and see with Carmen. We headed back to the hotel and got back in time to see the sun set on the Dead Sea and it was beautiful.

Sunset at the Dead Sea

After dinner as we headed back to our rooms we heard some Arab music coming from one of the many lounges at the hotel and when we stuck our heads in we could see a belly dancer doing here thing and busting a move! So we grabbed a seat had a drink and watched the last 25 minutes of the show. I was laughing because since I have been here in Iraq I always ask my Iraqi counterparts when they planned on taking me to a belly dance joint and here I was in Jordan watching one! She danced pretty good I guess but I prefer watching Shakira doing her moves on some of her videos any day of the week!

I was beat that night having only slept 3+ hours the night before since I was wide awake at 0430 hours and went to the gym that morning. This time I slept almost 11 hours. Got up did breakfast at their buffet and hit the Dead Sea and swimming pool and just chilled under the sun and got caught up on some of my reading. I then headed to Amman and linked up with George, Saad and his better half Tala. We went out for some drinks had dinner and then I took a taxi back to the hotel since we were heading back to Iraq the next day. But that’s a different story!

Talladega Nights-The Legend of Colonel Pichi

2008-03-30T05:20:00.004+03:00

Colonel Pichi at Talladega

Yes that's me at Talladega Superspeedway and yes I am now a NASCAR convert after having driven 6 laps at the Superspeedway this morning. I remember growing up watching NASCAR racing on ABC Sports and Cale Yarborough number 21 was my favorite racer. But after high school I really didn't follow NASCAR that much and while in Germany I became a fan of Formula One racing which I still watch on TV when I get the chance. But today was something special. We finally took the long drive from Red River Army Depot in Texarkana to Anniston Army Depot here in Anniston Alabama on Wednesday. I was lucky enough to get to ride and drive in a Ford Explorer versus the bus. We drove through Louisiana, and when we got to Mississippi we stopped for lunch at a riverboat casino to eat at the buffet in order to give the Iraqi's a chance to taste some American cuisine. After lunch we visited and got a 90 minute tour of the Battle of Vicksburg site. I reminded Major Sanders from Alabama that us Yankees did prevail in this battle, and below is the monument dedicated to the Soldiers from Wisconsin who fought in this crucial battle. Old Abe the bald eagle is on top of the monument.

Wisconsin Monument with Old Abe

We then arrived in Anniston late on Wednesday and toured the depot on Thursday and Friday. I was most interested in the small arms facility since that is the first one that will be functionable at the TNMD. We spent about 45 minutes at that facility but I could have stayed there for a couple of hours since there was so much to absorb. We were also able to see their disassembly and reassembly site, their machine shop, turret shop, component shop and various other sites. The Iraqi's got a chance to ride in an M-1 tank as it did it's test drive, I passed on the chance having already driven a M-1 while I was stationed with the 1st Armored Division.

Last night we had a dinner at the Berman Museum here in Anniston and before dinner we got a chance to see all the art and military collections that were collected by COL and Mrs Berman. I was impressed at their WWII exhibits specially the weapons collection and uniform collection of all the main players in WWII. Dinner was excellent and I enjoyed the company of several of the key local community representatives, and once again the Southern hospitality was top notch.

Today being our last day the Chamber of Commerce and local community provided us with a chance of a lifetime, to actually drive a stock car at the Talladega Superspeedway for 6 laps. We got out there at 0730 and after some instruction changing into the driver gear and getting fitted with the helmet we received our final tips and it was gentleman start your engines. I was selected to drive number 11 and the local driver who was in the passenger seat was Jeff who had driven in NASCAR events but now is happy driving smaller venues on weekends plus working at the depot and being a mayor. Climbing into the vehicle was a chore and after getting my neck harness hooked up and being strapped in there was not much room at all to move around in. We got the green flag and after getting pushed out of the pits and shifting into gear away we went. I didn't get into fourth gear until I was half way around the 2.66 mile tri-oval and then when Jeff told me to get into fourth away I went. The first real lap on the track on turn one which is banked at 33 degrees was a little queasy on the stomach but after that it was pedal to the metal as I maintained my death grip on the steering wheel thinking "damn I'm going 165+ miles an hour and if I screw up I could really do some serious damage out here". My fourth lap was the fastest lap as I hit 167 mph and passed a couple of cars along the way. I guess that you're supposed to climb as high as possible in the curves but human instinct tells you otherwise. On the last lap I had Jeff pull the steering wheel to the right so that I was about 3 feet away from the wall and all I could think about was how much closer did he think I could get before I hit the damn wall!!
Before I knew it the checker flag was waved, I never saw the damn thing and the ride of a lifetime was over. I knew that I probably could have gone a little faster but for my first time I was a happy camper. I definitely have much more respect for these guys who do this for 500 miles at a pop going 180+ mph with 30+ guys on the track just inches behind each other. As I told the guys doing 80 mph at Taji along the supply depot road won't be the same anymore!!

After we got back it was more shopping at a mall and then I headed up to the room to do some Army work, then worked out and finally after more than a year got to eat some sushi at a restaurant nearby. Granted the ambiance and sushi wasn't as good as Kazoo's back home but it was a great way to wrap up the trip. We then had some wine and smoked some nice cigars outside the hotel while watching it lightening and thunder. Tomorrow we are on our way back to Jordan, so I will write some more when I get back to Iraq. Unfortunately for me my digital camera in NMC and there will be no more photos until I get back home and get the camera fixed.

The Colonel

It's Great to Be Back in the USA

2008-03-28T04:39:00.005+03:00

As the title says, it's great to be back in the USA even though it is only for one week and then it's back to Iraq to finish up my tour! Last Saturday we headed to the airport in Amman and what a CF!! Just to get into the ticket counter area you have to pass a control point and there were a ton of people trying to get through and even though we had almost 3 hours the prospect of waiting in that line just to even get to check in was already starting to irritate me. Luckily for us they have a service for about $30 that will expedite you through the first checkpoint, through security checkpoint and finally to the counter so that you can check in almost immediately. I am usually tight with my money but even if the price was $50 I would have paid it in a heartbeat. We got through the first checkpoint quickly but the second one took a while longer, and what didn't make sense was after we went through it was obvious that would could avoid that checkpoint and they wouldn't have even noticed. The feeling that one had when we went straight to the front of the counter for the express line was heaven, the normal line must have had 150+ folks and it was moving as fast as Hillary moved when she was getting shot at by the so called sniper in Kosovo in 96!!

3 out of the 4 of us got checked in and Major Sanders the guy who set this all up was told that his ticket had been cancelled and instead he was booked on the Amman to NYC flight that took off over an hour earlier. Calls to SATO travel in the US and Bahrain finally were to no avail and finally they said stand in line and there may be some tickets left over! Our flight leaves at 1130 and at 1100 there must have been at least 50 people still in line checking in. I realized that the plane wasn't going to leave until everyone was on the plane. So I quick went through Customs and grabbed a sandwich and went through security checkpoint 3, and then 4 who stop me because I have a flashlight with batteries in. They confiscate the batteries but when searching my ruck which has everything in there but Carmen, they never find the 12 AA batteries that I always carry just in case, go figure!

Onto the aircraft and when I get to my seat in row 31 I realize that the seat cushion had been used by Royal Jordanian Airlines since they achieved their independence from the Brits!! If there was one inch of padding it was a lot, I looked around to snatch someone elses seat cushion and was shocked to see that all were the same. I snagged an extra blanket folded it and that gave me about 1/4 inch more to sit on whoopeee!! The flight was uneventful and we finally landed in Chicago. They told us what the time was there and I changed my watch accordingly, which was the incorrect time by an hour but hey after all they did say it was 1642 hrs when it was really 1742 hrs which would have an impact later. I called Carmen while we were still in the air over circling around O'Hare and told her that I was arriving an hour early.

We got through customs although 2 of the Iraqi's got stopped for the random checks at immigration. We finally got our luggage and I headed out the door and what a great site to see, my parents and sister Christina had made the drive down from Milwaukee to see me. I hadn't seen them since April 07 when they visited me a couple of days before we flew out of Riley for the box. Here all this time I thought I had an extra hour until my 2030 flight so we are chilling having some coffee and catching up on everything, when Christina says don't you have to get going, I tell her no that it's only 1900 hrs and I still have another 90 minutes until my flight leaves, she says no, it's 2000 hrs and you better hope security is not that long or you're in trouble!

Christina, The Colonel, Mom and Dad at O'Hare

I'm through security in a heartbeat grab a sandwich and before you know it, we're landing in Dallas and then it's a 3+ hour bus ride to Texarkana TX, and by the time I empty out my luggage and hit the sack its 0345 hrs on Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday we did lunch, took the Iraqi's around town, to a auto dealership where they got a chance to see up close Dodge, Cadillacs, GMC's, Saturns, Dodge and Jeeps. We later took them through several neighborhoods so they could see houses, we stopped at one of the guys from Red River house and it was gorgeous and huge. I didn't realize it that it was the first house I had been inside since I left home in January 07. We then went to Walmart so they could do some shopping. As good tourists they spent a bunch of money there to stimulate the economy since Congresses stimulation package is a joke! The still have few billion to spend until they catch up to what we're spending in Iraq!!

The next two days we spent at Red River Army Depot touring the various facilities. Red River is a wheel depot where they rebuild all of the wheeled vehicles in the US Army to include engines and transmissions that are sent separate for rebuild. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the depot so I don't have any.

I will keep you up to date as we travel to Anniston Army Depot in Anniston AL.

The Colonel

Good Friday in the Holy Land-Who would have ever thought!!

2008-03-24T06:32:00.002+03:00

I had hit the sack late on Thursday night knowing that more than likely we wouldn’t be doing anything in the morning. It was nice to sleep in and then go to the gym for a quick workout on the elliptical machine. Speaking of which my left hip is a lot better as of late with the exercises I am doing plus not running on the roads, but instead on the elliptical trainer.

At 1315 Major Sanders, Col Alberto and I linked up with Saad, Tala, Zoorah, and we headed off to the Dead Sea which is located about one hour south of Amman. The drive was beautiful as you could really appreciate the geography of Jordan, lots of hills, valleys, terraced farms, olive trees, sheep, etc. We arrived at the Dead Sea and opted to go to the right and see the where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.

Baptism Site Map

We had to get on a lorry with seats and they drove us to the site of the baptism. After a good 500 meter walk toward the River Jordan we finally came upon the site, according to the tour guide, it was discovered in the 90’s and like many sites located by rivers, nature took its course and the River Jordan no longer flows at the exact site. Here I was a Roman Catholic on Good Friday the day that Jesus was crucified standing at the exact site where 2000+ years ago Jesus was baptized. It was definitely something I will never forget.

Actual Baptism Site

We were able to continue to walk towards the River Jordan and there several of the folks in the tour had their baptism gowns on and jumped into the river. Most of us were content touching the river as if to say we were here. The River Jordan is only 7 meters wide at that location and on the other side is the Holy Land Israel and the “West Bank”. Up the hill on the West Bank you could see the Jew’s had several buildings and temples and the Israeli flag seemed to wave slowly in the wind.

The West Bank

What was somewhat out of place were the Jordanian Army guard posts along the River Jordan protecting Jordan from Israel. I could not see any Israeli guard posts from where we were at, but am sure not too far away from that location they exist. We hiked back to the lorry stop and then took the bus lorry to the start. From what I gathered they are starting to build up the tourism at this site. The Greek Orthodox Church completed building a Church at the drop off site, the Roman Catholic Church is currently under construction. There were several tour buses while we were there and with this being Holy Week what better time to visit the Holy Land, still Jordan could definitely improve their tourist infrastructure at this location which is one of the most coveted locations for Christians through out the world.

We then headed toward the Dead Sea resorts about 15 kms south of the baptism site, and stopped off at a Moveinpick Resort to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening. The resort reminded me of the resorts in Marbella or Santi Petri in Southern Spain. The swimming pool was huge and the ladies stayed there enjoying the view of the Dead Sea and the shade while us guys decided to swim or float in the Dead Sea. We changed into our swim suits and made our way down to the shore and it is very rocky and the footing is all stones, but after getting knee deep one only has to turn around and lay on your back and presto you’re floating big time. It felt weird being able to float without any effort, as ones feet stick out of the water while laying on your back.

Major Sanders and I Floating in the Dead Sea

The water is so salty I wet my mouth and it was awful. I still remember rinsing with salt water when I was a kid and had an infection in my mouth, that tasted nice compared to this. Lots of people put on some mud before getting into the Dead Sea, I preferred not to. We must have spent about 30 minutes enjoying the scenery and floating along. Before changing we headed into the pool just above the shore and were able to witness a beautiful sunset on the West Bank.

Later we got a chance to walk around the resort and check out the various sites and activities, they have 3 or 4 swimming pools, spas, cafes, etc. We then enjoyed an excellent buffet dinner of Middle Eastern cuisine and some Amstel Light on tap. Our table was on the terrace and it was so nice none of us wanted to leave as the conversation and company was perfect and time seemed to stop. But all good things must come to an end and we had to head back to the hotel knowing that the following morning we’re heading to the US on our tour.

The Colonel

TDY Day 2

2008-03-21T13:34:00.005+03:00

Major Sanders and I on the C-17 enroute to Amman Jordan

We arrived at BIAP at 0645 and got into line to show our docs at the counter and met Seinfelds Soup Nazi counterpart here in Iraq, at the check in counter. Everything he looked at was not up to his standards, we had our entire packet prepared by one of our LNO's and thanks to him it was a quick 2 minutes while he was going over our paperwork. But some of the folks in front of us were getting beaten down by the Checkin Nazi and for a while I marveled as a contractor could literally bring a GS 12 or Colonel to their knees while scrutinizing their paperwork, country clearance, passports, orders etc.

After that mess I was glad to get the hell out of there and ran into one of the O-5's from our J-4 shop LTC Sower who was at BIAP awaiting transportation to Kuwait on his way home for good. He was part of the first cycle of our folks who had already completed their left seat/right seat and RIPTOA with the crew that replaced them. He was out there smoking a nice cigar and I was able to get caught up on the latest stories of what was going on in the IZ, since we are usually left in the dark up at Taji when it comes to our counterparts in the IZ. We grabbed chow at the DFAC then it was briefing time, turn in your gear that needs to be palletized and wait around for the aircraft to arrive. Once that happened it was grab your gear, go inside the waiting area and finally board the aircraft. We were lucky in that we were flying on a C-17 which means not getting squished by other folks and having plenty of leg room. Off we went and arrived in Amman Jordan about 90 minutes later. Then it was customs, buy a visa and off to the hotel where we checked in and linked up with some of the folks we were traveling with families. In our group it was three officers Maj. Sanders from the J-4 shop, Col Alberto and I. We had a cultural affairs rep with us and one secretary who was heading to Amman for a conference.

Our cultural affairs reps wife works and lives in Amman and his cousin works here also so they picked us up at the hotel and took us to eat and get some sight seeing. We ate at this Iraqi restaurant and I swear I gained at least a kilo. It was 5-6 courses with salads, beef, lamb, chicken, hummus, eggplant, pickles, dessert, chai, coffee and God knows what else to include beer which was great!! All throughout the meal they were doing the hookha.

We then headed downtown where we stopped and hit some of the local shops, then headed to the Roman Theater/Citadel which was constructed in 100 AD, then they took us up to the top of one of the hills here in Amman where there were more Roman ruins plus a great view of the city itself.
Standing outside the Roman Theater in Amman

Major Sanders and I pumping some iron in Amman

We got dropped off at the hotel around 1800 hrs so I hit the gym and then the indoor pool for a nice relaxing swim and later that evening we hit an Indian restaurant at the hotel and after I got back did some emails, chatted with Carmen on line and hit the sack getting ready for day three and our planned visit to the Dead Sea. We are expecting our Iraqi Military counterparts to arrive sometime today and will link up with them tomorrow at the airport when we fly to the US.
Sunset in Amman from my hotel

TDY Bound Day 1

2008-03-21T12:55:00.008+03:00

Me in the front row of the UH-60

Iraqi landscape from the air vicinity north of Baghdad

Close to Baghdad

As the title says I am TDY (Temporary Duty) bound to the US of A, where I haven't been since 17 April 2007 when we left Ft. Riley Kansas. As I mentioned in another email, we are escorting 8 key Iraqi officers to several Army Materiel Command Depots in the US so that they can gain the necessary insight as to how our depots are run, the complexities of the depots and many other aspects of depots. As usual I will post info after the fact for OPSEC reasons. The adventure or as others call it "Boondoggle" started on the 19th when COL Alberto and I departed Taji bound for the Camp Liberty adjacent to the IZ and BIAP. At first it didn't look to promising when the day before our NCO went to the Taji International Helopad to confirm our flight and was told that we were scheduled for the 23rd. She told the rep at the airfield to recheck the original request and all that was heard was "ah shit I screwed up", and worst part was that it involved two Colonels who had to be at BIAP on the 20th to fly out. The Ops cell then created a mission and sure enough at 2400 hrs I was informed that I had a showtime and flight. So the morning of the 19th off we went down to Liberty. As usual I always run into someone at the Helopad and this time it was 1SG Gonzalez who was there shipping off one of his new replacements back to the US because the Soldier had arrived into country pregnant which is strange since when we deployed last year the female Soldiers had to take a pregnancy test at the Mob site and until the results were confirmed right there were not allowed to manifest on the flight to theater. Looks like he'll be on my lift also when we rotate out of theater. The flight was uneventful but at least it was daylight so I was able to get off a few shots. Which you are able to see above.

At Liberty we got checked in at the AMC office there and it was a normal workday and with the various computers they had there I was able to knock out those last emails and updates that were required before we were to head out the next morning. It is a small world and sure enough we ran into one of the O-6's and his CSM at the AMC offices and got to talk some shop regarding TNMD and the M1114 IROAN project that is taking place in Taji. While I was there CSM showed us an EFP Electronic Formed Projectile that has been so lethal to our vehicles and the US has confirmed that Iran is shipping these to Iraq for Al Qaida and the insurgents to use. Here is a picture of one that was recovered from a vehicle that got hit by the EFP and the good news is that no Soldiers were killed or injured in this blast.

EFP

Later that evening I had to go and turn in my weapon and IBA since I wasn't going to need these in Jordan the US for my trip. I was dead tired that night and hit the sack early knowing that our showtime for the flight to Jordan was going to be an early one. Luckily for me as always I packed my trusty poncho liner because the trailer was cold and it got a lot colder that night and I was nice and warm!!

Windy and Wild Taji

2008-03-16T00:11:00.003+03:00

What a wild night two nights ago! It was a slightly overcast in the afternoon and around 1700 hrs the cold front came through and the wind shifted the temperature dropped and then it got windy and wild. The winds were about 30-35 MPH but then the gusts started getting up in the 50-60 MPH range and anything that wasn't sandbagged down started to fly. At around 2400 hours the wiind died down and it wasn't until morning that you could see the damage that was caused by the winds. The DFAC that the Iraqi Soldiers use to train on had two thirds of it's roof peeled back like a can of sardines, I don't know if it was the wind that caused it or a combination of wind and the less construction quality of the roof. Around or living areas, the metal poles that support our comms and TV cables were snapped in half so there were wires all over the place and blocking the roads. Satellite dishes were laying on the ground having been blown off the roofs, mine was good to go since I had recently put about 6 additional sandbags on the support base and that saved the day for me. As I drove to the depot all the trash that had been laying around or in piles was spread all over the Iraqi side of post and was piled up along side the fences. When I got to the depot there must have been at least 10 tree limbs strewn along the road. Late yesterday the dust started picking up and it has been less than 400 yards visibility all day and with that visibility nothing flies except medevac choppers.

We are busy moving our remaining items to PMO Bldg. on the dark side (we call it dark side because since they don't have much fuel the lights are usually out on their side of post). As of this Monday all of our operations will be handled from there which will make coordination with our Iraqi counterparts that much easier, especially since they don't have nor will have for a long time internet. I personally am looking forward to it since I will be to get status updates on the spot from the Iraqi's and they will have no place to hide except their Quarters when I come looking for them.

That's about for now, but before I hit the post button just wanted to give a big shout out to Censi for having passed her HESI nursing exam last week. USF won't let the nursing majors graduate or take the state boards unless they pass this test and she scored very high so now they want her to tutor her peers who did not achieve the required and get them ready for the next HESI.
Now all she has left are her final exams in early May and interviews for the job hunt! Censi great job and enjoy your last spring break as a college student, next year at this time you'll be working for a living and paying taxes so the buffoons in DC and Sacramento can spend it on pork barrel projects!

The Colonel

Starting to Feel Like Sun Here at the Depot

2008-03-12T23:52:00.003+03:00

It's been a long while since I sat in or dialed in to one of the many Sun meetings that we must attend on a weekly basis. The lack of meetings has been one of the highlights of my tour over here. People that know me know that I hate meetings and my mantra when it comes to meetings is less is better! The only meeting that the key folks have to attend here at the Depot is my morning 0830 meeting where in 20 minutes we get status updates on what's on everyones plate, where I get to ask for updates or areas that need focus, a quick round table, and the "let's go to work" closing. Since all of us are all over the place during the day the comms is constant and if I need an update on one of the buildings all I have to do is walk over to the Corps of Engineer building or I more than likely will run into one of their engineers at one of the job sites. However with the Depot Integrator on board and as we approach critical mass on some of the construction it has become evident that there has to be some meetings so that critical info can be exchanged.

Although the meetings are kept under one hour which is the max my brain will function before it shuts off, I think that we are up to 5 set meetings a week and God knows how many impromptu ones if we are in crisis mode. Between the bridge crane and stand alone crane issue and the indicative list finalization and reconciliation there have been a flurry of those as of late! On top of that I have now split the Iraqi Army meeting into the north and south depots to reflect the MTOE and usually after those I am either ready to hit the gym and take out my frustrations on the elliptical trainer or I just go out for a power walk while looking at the construction sites to clear up my mind and refocus on what's out there!

SSG Gamboas replacements finally arrived this week so he is busy doing his left seat right seat with the two NCO's that will be part of the PMO team. I was able to get an additional head for our group based on all the work that SSG G has been doing and the fact that one NCO is not enough when our group is doing 2-3 tasks at the same time. Major Young's replacement won't arrrive until later this month and we have been able to get her extended for an additional two weeks so that she can cover down in my spot while I am on my TDY trip which I will elaborate on after it's over and I am back in Taji home of the real wild west! It's sometimes funny to see the expressions on SSG G's replacements as he explains some of his duties or they see first hand some of the stuff we have to put up with out here in Taji especially on the dark side (Iraqi Side). From what I have seen so far they will do just fine and am confident that they will have a better idea of what their job role is and duties are in the next few days. The joke around here is that my replacements name is COL Nobody since at this point there is no one slotted as my replacement. Although my boss said that the first O-6 who has the MOS qualification will be diverted to the Depot to replace me, I honestly don't imagine I will see him or her until early April.

Construction work at the Depot continues to move forward, as yesterday I signed for 2 more completed buildings; the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) facility and the Automotive facility. I also looked at the second floor of the Paint Building in the south depot and there were just a few minor issues that I had them touch up before I sign for that area of the building tomorrow. In addition I should be signing for another of the warehouses at the South Depot in the next 2 days.
I am still on the mend with my ITB so I have been hitting the elliptical trainer 4-5 times a week trying to get ready for this weekends marathon. Due to the injury I will not run it but instead will do two 13.1 segments this weekend on the elliptical trainer and as we would say here in Army get "constructive credit' for the marathon which mean a t-shirt and finishers medal. The guys in the IZ will be running the marathon at an undisclosed location (more to follow on that).

That's about it for now just wanted to give my wife Carmen a happy birthday shout out since yesterday the 11th was her birthday and rumor has it she really didn't celebrate it because she's waiting for this old Colonel to get his butt back home so that both of us can celebrate our birthdays together! Happy Birthday Carmen!!

The Colonel

Really Earning my Tour Guide Tab

2008-03-09T00:35:00.006+03:00

What a week it has been! It seems like it was only last Sunday night I was tossing and turning in bed thinking about the upcoming VIP visit that was lined up for Monday. I usually don't get involved in the detailed planning regarding security, seating chart for the vans, route selection etc., for these visits but the BSU commander LTC Meyer is out on his 15 day R&R Leave so with two Majors who are more than capable to pull it off, the folks down in the IZ wanted me to earn my pay and take charge of the impending visit. So I had to go over to the BSU and dial in on concall (just like back at Sun) to discuss every damn detail of the visit, knowing too well that by the next morning the protocol folks would make several changes to what was discussed.

Our visitor was none other than the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Admiral Mullen who had requested during his visit to Iraq and Afghanistan to come out to Taji to check up on the National Maintenance Depot, the M1114 HMMWV repair project and the trainup of the Iraqi Soldiers who would be assigned the HMWWV's once they were repaired. To top that off about 20 Soldiers from several active duty battalions were going to be re-enlisting and the CJCS was going to do give the re-enlistment oath to the Soldiers.

So it was a toss and turn night, and seemed like every hour on the hour I would awake to think about what could go wrong that we hadn't discussed or planned for. Monday morning at 0'dark hundred the fun began and we linked up at the LZ with our vans and escorts, The MNSTC-I folks arrived first and soon after the CJCS and his huge entourage arrived. After the usual meet and greet that is done at the airfield with the dust and dirt flying all over the place we moved over to the overhang adjacent to the LZ and the CJCS greeted the Soldiers who were re-enlisting, conducted the ceremony, signed the docs and each of the Soldiers got their photo taken with him. Then it was off to the races and the Track Depot was the first stop on the tour. I gave the usual windshield tour of the tour to explain the vehicle flow, give some detailed info on what will be refurbished at the site and where we are at with construction, equipment install and training of the Iraqi Army. We then got a chance to get out and walk thru the Small Arms Repair Facility and discuss in greater detail some of the training and repairs that will be done at this site.

We then visited the M1114 repair site facilities then I got a chance to give another windshield tour, this time of the South or Wheel Depot. He then asked that we show him the building which was still under refurbishment so we stopped off at the Paint Facility, and took him inside to show him what was going on. Sure enough they were knocking down a wall to make room for the paint booths and there was the CJCS climbing on a pile of rubble to take a look for himself. After that I handed off the tour to one of the other guys whose site the CJCS was going to visit and got to sit back and enjoy the banter inside the van as certain pressing topics were discussed amongst the CJCS and some of the MNSTC-I Generals and Colonels. I was very impressed of his grasp of what was going on and how much detail he already knew about the projects here at Taji. You'd figure that he is so busy with other things that for him to know about what we are doing and the questions he asked was remarkable. He is really a down to earth kinda guy and the 20 minutes that I got to brief him and answer his questions was a great experience that I don't think I will be forgetting for a long time!

The following day Dr. Mowaffak al-Rubaie a who is a trained neurosurgeon and also happens to be the Iraqi National Security Adviser visited the installation and unlike the previous visit, we had one hour briefing to go over the state of the military, the transition role and what we are doing here at Taji in the maintenance arena. It gave us a chance to discuss the Depot, Mechanics Training, drivers training, the M1114 project, unit fielding of the HMMWV's etc. Our Iraqi counterparts were involved in this tour and as the saying goes nothing goes to plan when the Iraqi's are involved. As much as we wanted to keep on schedule to ensure that the visit would be over on time for the helos. I had told the General that I advise that we had 10 minutes per depot and that included a 5 minute drive through each or the depots and then 5 minutes in the small arms facility and 5 minutes in the main wheel facility. I told the General to be waiting outside the headquarters building at the given time and sure as shit he's no where to be seen as we pull up. I go running inside and he casually walks outside to greet the NSA and instead of getting into the vehicle proceeds to drag the NSA into the building and starts briefing him on the depot. Luckily for me our Deputy Commanding General said TS don't worry about it let them do what they want. After 10+ minutes it was off to do the drive through then we went to the small arms facility and finally to the south depot.

I tagged along for the rest of the tour after jettisoning the General at the South Depot since I and Colonel Alberto had seats on that bird so we could go back to the IZ for some meetings at MOD. The sky started to turn darker and then came the dust and wind and next thing we knew all birds except for medivacs were grounded. They called up the Rough Riders who are our convoy escorts to come up to pick up the NSA and take him back to the IZ. The package had to be delivered that same day and with the choppers grounded as the saying goes: "when it positively absolutely has to be there at a given time call the Rough Riders. The NSA I believe has already survived 3 attempts on his life. I had not been down MST Tampa since July and it was intersting to actually see the Iraqi countryside at ground level versus a birds eye view from the chopper. We arrived safe and sound with no incident and spent about 30 hours in the IZ until we flew back Wednesday evening from IZ-Washington with a couple of stops in between.

It was back to work on Thursday trying to get caught up again knowing that on Friday we had another visitor. I forgot the name but he was the under-secretary to something in DOD and was a retired Rear Admiral. His trip along with a GS-15 was to see what we were doing here at Taji that was tied to the strategic defense level for Iraq. That was a more laid back visit and went really well as he was shown some additional sites here at Taji.

Saturday it was meetings with our Iraqi counterparts, sign for the top floor of Bldg 3051 which is the final drive facility on the north depot so that the Depot Integrator can use that space for thier headquarters and to train the Iraqi Depot Production staff later on. I also signed for the first warehouse that was built in the south depot and we really need it as some of the ASL for the HMMWV's started arriving recently.

The last few nights we have been sitting around the fire enjoying a good smoke and some fine company as the weather has been really great, high in the 80's and at night in the mid 60's. For some of the folks on the ground there are not too many more opportunities to enjoy the fire and company as the left seat/right seat training will begin soon. For some of us the chance to light up a good cigar is a necessity as our humidors are maxed out and we are trying to ensure that all our cigars will fit inside when it's time to ship our belongings back home!

Yesterday besides having to go in for couple of hours I was able to start sorting through all the items I have gathered up in the past 13+ months and trying to figure out what I plan to toss in the garbage for burn in the pit or send him. It was nice to be able to wear shorts again and enjoy the sun, from the looks of it they are saying it may rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

I am having problems trying to upload pictures from the CJCS visit, when I resolve the upload issue I will post them.

The Colonel

Warm and Sunny!!

2008-03-02T22:36:00.001+03:00

What a gorgeous day today, upper 70’s with plenty of sun made it real nice outside. It’s about 1815 hours and the sun just dipped below the horizon, I am sitting outside with a t-shirt and shorts, my A’s cap and smoking a nice Gurka cigar writing this blog. I slept in this morning but forgot to turn off the phone and sure enough got the dreaded 0830 call which woke me up for good although I had been laying in bed trying to figure out when to get up! I was able to enjoy a nice coffee while talking to Carmen on the phone sitting outside with the sun keeping me nice a warm. Looks like she’s ready for me to get my ass home as soon as possible and I agree. I was kidding with her that this weekend was one of my favorites back home, it’s when the Russian River Wineries have their barrel tasting and it’s a great chance to taste some young Pinot Noirs. She laughed and said that next year we’ll be able to go!!

I have been taking my Celebrex anti-inflammatory medicine, stretching and working out on the elliptical trainer and I feel a lot better with my ITB. Today I did 10 miles on the elliptical and feel good, and will probably sleep like a rock tonite!

Although I was off today I had to go in today to resolve some issues we are having with the new contract and how to activate some of the task orders that the contractor needs turned on so that they can bring in some workers but not execute the entire CLIN. Then it was over to the RSU to work on some final details on some visits that we will have coming up. We have a bunch of new folks on the ground and had to ensure they knew the routes and all the logistics was coordinated, which is something us loggies enjoy doing. Then it was over to the depot to check up on some construction, there was holiday this past week and most of the sites were shut down since the workers were off and there was a curfew. I usually joke with my interpreters that I gotta change religions because over here there is a holiday at least twice a month and one with a 3-5 day pilgrimage every two months. Makes you wonder sometimes how anything ever gets done over here if you get my drift.

The big thing over here is that the Iraqi Army is finally getting serious on cleaning their side of the base up. The place usually reminds me of Sevilla FC’s soccer stadium which is nicknamed by us Beticos as the pigstye! The are plastic water bottles, trash and garbage strewn all over the place. It is not uncommon to see Soldiers in the back of trucks throwing their soda cans and wrappers out the back as if it’s nothing. The RSU commander has started cracking down on the garbage problem and has driven around notifying commanders to start picking up the stuff and keep it clean. Hallelujah is all that I said, as I am blue in the face from telling the BG here at the depot that here we are spending a shit load of money to fix the place up the least they could do is maintain the place clean. So today as I drove down the one road along the north depot you could see that they have been picking up the trash not everyday but often enough that it looks okay but still doesn’t meet the boy scout standard I grew up on that you leave a camp site cleaner than it was when you arrived. We recently split the depot up in two so there is staff that now is in charge of each site, I told the officer in charge of the south depot to hop into my truck and took him along the outside of the perimeter of the depot and showed him all the trash that has been there for weeks and that he needed to get it cleaned up starting today and that not having enough Soldiers wasn’t a valid excuse. I will check up tomorrow to see if he blew me off or actually did start to clean up the mess. Yesterday the guys at the Track depot while cleaning along the roadway adjacent to the depot drove their truck into the wall and knocked down an 8 foot portion of the wall. The wall is at least 6 feet off the road so how one goes about hitting the wall is unknown to me. Now comes the fun part, having them repair the wall, as I kindly reminded them that the US taxpayers will not be paying for the repairs!

Today the guys at the guys working at the supply depot were all smiles, as they finally met their replacements who are here at Taji going to the Phoenix Academy which is an 8 day course which provides instruction on the Iraqi language, Force Protection, how to be an advisor etc. They picked them up and brought them over to the supply depot and then to Tomahawk Village to show them their soon to be homes for the next year. I was talking to CPT Nap and he said it’s no longer a dream, and they will be going home soon now that their replacements are here and will begin their left seat right seat training in about a week.

That’s about it for now, looks like we’ll be in the 70’s and low 80’s for the next 10 days which will definitely make life a little nicer here in Taji.

The Colonel

Broke Dick in Rainy and Muddy Taji

2008-02-26T22:36:00.002+03:00

I should have known better. My running mileage was increasing at a decent rate, my weekly long runs were increasing by 2 miles each Sunday and I was starting to feel much better physically and realized that the Shadow Shamrock Marathon that was going to be held in Baghdad next month was just a few weeks and that a 4 hour marathon was in reach. I finished my long run the previous Sunday and felt a little sore on my left hip. On Tuesday I ran and after the run the pain in my hip was more noticeable and on Wednesday besides my hip it felt like someone had literally kicked my ass. Advil rest and no running I figured would make the pain go away. No such luck and finally yesterday I threw in the towel and decided that even Colonels have to go on sick call once and a while, so in the middle of a beautiful Taji downpour where the water and mud was already 3 inches deep off I trudged to the medical clinic. Once they saw what I was there for they sent me to the Physical Therapy building to be treated and they were right. I walked into the treatment room and there were 4 Iraqi medical Soldiers who were observing the Physical Therapist as part of their training. After a few minutes of talking and explaining what I had, the Captain had me go through some movements, asked me where it hurt and shook her head and said those three syllables that make us runners cringe, the infamous ITB (Iliotibial Band) Syndrome. It was the inflammation along the band that is causing the pain and with special stretching, anti-inflammatory medicine and low impact training this should be less noticeable in 7-10 days. So I have been doing the exercises that I was given to do, taking my medicine and yesterday did 7 miles on the elliptical trainer and the pain is less noticeable today then yesterday.

It is still raining off and on today and with the new sidewalks at least we don't have to walk in the mud, but the footing is treacherous and it feels like your walking across a hockey rink with leather soles. The weather channel here in Iraq screwed up big time yesterday, on the 10 day extended they had said it would rain in the morning, but on the short range a few days ago they no longer predicted rain. It began raining in the late morning and by lunch time this place was caked in mud and 2-3 inch deep water, with winds of over 50 mph. It moved my satellite dish enough to where I lost my signal so I guess that when it's drier on the roof I'll get to use those telecommunication skills I have learned somewhere to see if I can redirect the dish to catch the signal once again. We had a special meeting with our counterpart and their departments general from the MOD. We got a chance to discuss replacement parts, what will be going on depot wise for the next 6 months out and our upcoming Depot Tour in the US for our Iraqi counterparts. For the first time since I have been working with the Iraqi's they actually prepared us a lunch and went all out, they invited all the generals on the post and the slew of Colonels. We had a rice and vegetable dish with sweet raisins cucumbers, lamb meat, other vegetables, pita bread and desserts. Then we had my favorite Chai tea and it was back to work on a full stomach and I now know why these guys take Iraqi siestas after lunch because I sure as hell wanted too while I was fighting off the Z-monster at my desk.

Tomorrow I will be signing for another building, the transmission building in the wheel depot, which will be the first facility in the south depot that will have been completed. This will enable the Depot Integrator the ability to begin installing equipment once it arrives and they have their installers on the ground. As mentioned in my previous post the Bridge Crane issue has hit critical mass and I am working with the DCMA (Defense Contracting Management Agency) who are supporting us on the contract side of the house and QA and compliance to get me a legal review as to what options we have on who has to install what, when and based on what engineering/structural evals.

The guys in the IZ told me today what I sort have known all along and that is there currently isn't a replacement designated for me at this time. It looks like there is for Major Young, SSG Gamboa and the new NCO position that we have created, but I am the odd man out on this one. As I told my boss from day one as long as I am home to see Ascension graduate from college in mid May they can keep me here as long as they want to. The replacements for the guys at the supply depot are already here in country but are attending some mandatory training for the next 10 days, then they'll start their left seat right seat training and when that's over the supply depot folks will redeploy back to Ft. Riley then home. Since Sardina is Murphy in Spanish I more than likely will be the last 104th rep leaving Taji for home.

I have begun sorting through my things and throwing out old magazines, donating books and DVD's to the MWR facility down the road from us. I will be sending some items home so I don't have to drag 4 duffle bags through the heat of Iraq and Kuwait when I head back to the US. For those of you who are still intent on sending care packages, this next week should be the limit on sending care packages because anything after that I doubt I will be able to use and will give those to the Chaplain for him to distribute to Soldiers who have a greater need for those items and goodies. Regarding care packages, Tia Carol I still haven't received the one that you told mom that you sent two weeks ago, and Terri and Dennis I did receive the box of chocolate chip cookies and they are long gone, having been devoured as breakfast and snacks last week by me and co-workers and my expanded waistline is proof that they were very delicious!!

That's all for now as I am off to the restroom to brush my teeth before I hit the sack and am looking forward to that 40 yard walk in the slop called Taji mud!

The Colonel

Was It Really 25 Years Ago??

2008-02-24T01:58:00.002+03:00

It is hard to believe that 25 years ago today was my first day on active duty as a new Second Lieutenant! I still remember that mom dropped me off at the airport on a cold and windy morning in Milwaukee and in the early afternoon I had arrived at sunny and hot Fort Bliss Texas. I checked into housing and the fun started! We had a small OBC class there were 16 of us and after you separated the reservists from us active duty guys there were only 9 of us. Out of those nine Fly Boy and Boeller retired from Active Duty, Vinnie got thrown out for smoking the weed, and I believe that Sluggo and I are the only ones still serving as reservists on active duty. He’s and O-5 and I like to remind him of that every chance I get since he always had one day of rank over me until I made 0-5 and I always caught hell from him for that. He’s in Gitmo working with the detainees and looks like he’ll be doing that for awhile.

I have had the chance to serve with some great Officers and Soldiers some who really went places. My first 1SG in Germany was none other than Sergeant Major of the Army (Retired) Robert Hall. The second battalion commander I had in Germany was LTG (Retired) John “Jack” Costello. At the same time it has been a small world. The current Program Manager that is working the Depot Integrator Contract here at the Depot is LTC (Retired) Robert “Bob” Cini who was my boss during Camp Challenge during the summers at Fort Knox, during my tenure teaching Army ROTC. Sluggo who was my best friend at OBC ended up coming down to our Battalion in Germany and actually ended up in the battery I was an XO in. One of the students who was a cadet at NIU where I taught Army ROTC at ended up as a co-worker of mine at Sun Microsystems in California.

Some of you might be asking did he spend the $150M and the answer is yes and no, I did spend a large chunk of change about $92M although we still have the hard part of identifying the parts that belong to the non-US vehicles and weapons which may take us awhile. The Iraqi’s of course send me their official MOD stamped list of vehicles that I had asked for months ago and had received a partial list from my counterpart which I used to come up with and get buy in to buy parts for. Of course they provide the list but when I asked for parts manuals or bill of materials for these vehicles I got the deer in the headlights look, and reminded them that the longer it takes them to get me that info the less money I have in the bank and once I am out then they will be the ones who buy the parts going forward.

We had the MNC-I (Multi National Corps-Iraq) Commander and his key staff come out to the depot this past Wednesday to pay us and some of the other activities a visit. He just took over 9 days ago and is already getting out to see what’s out there. These past few weeks with all the GO visits and getting a chance to sit in on briefings and riding in the same vehicles as these senior leaders has given me a different perspective as to what it takes to be a GO, and all the different tasks and responsibilities these GO’s deal with on a daily basis is mind boggling!

The building projects continue to move forward and in the next two weeks I should be signing for a couple more buildings. My boss from the IZ was out here with the last visit and I got a chance to ask him where we are at regarding our upcoming replacements and I wasn’t too surprised when he said they still didn’t have a replacement for my deputy or for my slot. At least it looks like SSG Gamboa has a by name replacement and we may even get the other Soldier who will be slotted in a newly created position. That is key since SSG Gamboa is the guy who gets things done with contractors, manages the interpreters and does a whole myriad of tasks day in and day out. He’ll be leaving early since he has to knock out some mandatory military education classes back in the US before getting off of active duty, so he can get promoted! Some of the other folks that are from our Division but are working in other areas here at Taji already have been in contract with their replacements and that is usually a good sign because that means you can really see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The visiting AMC Depot Commander arrived today and he’ll be here for about 3 months working with the depot commander and his immediate staff as a mentor and advisor. This will help me with my job since I can now focus on getting the construction completed and training/curriculum set up for the Iraqi Soldiers and not have to worry about spend time on the mentoring/advising side of the house! He’s from the one of the Depots in Pennsylvania and from what he told me has spent four years in the old Soviet Union working with their troops and I believe that will help him in this new role.

The new issue of the day are the over head cranes that we have identified for some of the buildings, which will be using the current rails but will need the actual bridge portion to be ordered. Who is going to certify the current rails as meeting the required weight and structural standards, getting the proper measurements, etc.? The USACE, AMC and the depot integrator are all involved and something tells me that this discussion will come to a head in the next 48 hours. The Iraqi Army unit in the aqua zone already used their 50K liters of fuel they delivered to the generator farm for the month so we cut off their power two days ago and told them no fuel no electricity.

Well that’s about it for now, I had hoped that I would be able to run tomorrow my long run but my left hip is still rather sore, I guess the roads have taken a toll on my body and I will have to stick to the elliptical trainer in the gym to get my miles in. I guess that time will tell.

The Colonel

How to Spend $150M???

2008-02-18T22:10:00.002+03:00

Yes you heard right, I am in the most enviable position I have ever been in, how do I spend a cool $150M of our taxpayer money on ASL (Authorized Stockage Listing) at the Taji National Maintenance Depot. A depot is not just bricks, mortar, equipment and Soldiers, if you don't have any parts in stock to install when rebuilding vehicles, engines, generator and small arms then you don;t have a depot. I knew this moment was quickly approaching, as I have lost some sleep and usually the first couple of miles on my runs the only thing I think about is the depot and what obstacle looms in the distance trying to slow me down. For the longest time it's been how do we go about ordering the necessary parts for the depot all the while ensuring they will be the right ones and will be used.

We started this process a couple of months ago when I gave the indictative list (list of vehicles and equipment that was in the Iraqi Army and MOI (Police) inventory to my Iraqi counterparts to highlight what MOD wanted to repair at the Depot. I got it back and they basically wanted to repair every damn thing they had in their inventory except the M35A2 US Army 2 & 1/2 Ton trucks (they hate those things). I told the General that no the Depot could not order enough parts to repair all those items, plus some of the density numbers were so low it didn't make sense to repair. Believe it or not they have 8 ambulances in their inventory and a couple I don't think you'd survive on a trip to the hospital if you were injured! He went ahead and reviewed it again, pared down the number I looked at it, added some of the American vehicles (the M35A2 and M Series 5 Tons). Added my comments and sent it to the J-4 maintenance folks who sat on it, were reminded to review it and finally reviewed it making some changes which made sense. I had one of our Marine Warrants check it out, since those guys are high speed and low drag. I gave it to the AMC rep Robert who looked at it prioritized which vehicles were to be repaired first based on our building and training schedule. We did the same for the weapons and generators.

Now came the fun part. Guys do you have part manuals for all the Russian, and other Warsaw pact equipment so we can order parts? I already knew what the Iraqi's were going to tell me it was nyet! We linked up with the guys who do third line maintenance and were able to get a decent portion of the part numbers but not all of them. You're probably asking how in the hell can you totally tear apart and rebuild a tank if you don't have all the necessary parts? That's a damn good question and one that my replacement have plenty of time to think about!! The American vehicles are not a problem since AMC has those part numbers and the number that are needed for every vehicle based on historical repair rate. But here in Iraq without a Support Command to manage this information they have no clue as to what the failure rate is on their parts and to top it off my Iraqi counterparts are no help at all.

With the AK47's, it's the same as with vehicles, unlike the M16 or M4 the AK has been built in 13 countries and not all the parts of a Romanian AK will work on a Chinese one. That's easy what is the breakdown of the AK's in the current system? Well we know there are XXXX in the system but no one has a clue as to the country of manufacture. We had end user certificate paperwork but that only means what country they came from, ie a Romanian contractor shipped up 10K AK's but maybe they were built in Montenegro! Okay how do I know what part number to order if I don't know which contractor we are going to order from? Sure a hand guard is a hand guard, but is it a Z1234-56-789 or a 987-09876-09, well that depends on the contractor! You get the drift.

Generators there must be at least 30 manufacturers out there and not even now the Iraqi Army does not have one or two suppliers for generators. Most of the small ones we're better off shit canning them than rebuilding them. The AMC guys have been able to ID a couple that we'll work on so we'll order those parts, but getting the generators into our shop is like getting a 10 year old to pickup his room in less than 5 minutes before heading off to school! It'll happen sometime after the Cubs win a world series!! Back home and every where else you turn in a piece of equipment to be repaired and you get a hand receipt which shows that I now have that piece of equipment and as long as you have that piece of paper you can account for where that piece is. Not so in Iraq, it is better to have 10 generators that are circa 1980's sitting in a corner of your barracks area totally trashed than to lose sight of them (though you have the hand receipt) for a couple of days so they can get fixed. I have always commented that the Iraqi Army has the largest collection of useless paperweights in the whole world!

We have until the 20th to finish up on the ASL and the guys at AMC are burning the midnight oil completing the listing so I can review and send up the package in bits and pieces tomorrow and the 20th. Bottom line is more than likley I will not be spending all of that money and it will be gobbled up by another more urgent project, which suits me fine, since all of us have decided that it is better to buy what we actually need than to spend taxpayer money for stuff that more than likely will sit on a shelf and never be used. At least the parts we haven't been able to identify we can still work on getting the part numbers and if there is more funding than they can be ordered then, if there is no more funding I guess the Iraqi Government will be picking up the tab which suits me just fine!

Other than that all is well, yesterday I did a nice long 16 mile run with one of the guys here. We did 13.1 together and he had to split so I ran into the gym and did the last 2.9 on the elliptical trainer since my quads and hips were killing me. Running on these roads which are really crowned and are made of a sub base material is like running on cobble stones and you do that for any amount of time and the body says no mas!! Tonite nothing's flying since it got dusty and windy this afternoon and if I was back home would bet that it was gonna rain, because it smells like rain but that doesn't work over here.

Before I go here's a shout out to my brother in law Pepe and his two sons who are die hard Real Madrid fans, seems they got their asses kicked by my Real Betis Balompie team 2-1 on Saturday night! So this ones for you guys: " Asi Asi Asi Pierde El Madrid" y "Viva Er Beti Manque Pierda"!!!!!!!

The Colonel

Springtime in Iraq

2008-02-14T22:46:00.002+03:00

Although we still have a little over a month until the official start of spring, it sure has felt like it these past 4-5 days. Highs in the low 70's or upper 60's with Sun except when the oil refinery smoke blows over the base. The best part of the rise in the temperature is when you get up in the morning and it's no longer 36 or 38 degrees and you have to bundle up just to go to the rest room or showers. It's been short pants and a light jacket. According to the interpreters March will be even better before it starts getting too hot in April and onward.

I have been delinquent in posting because I have been burning the midnight oil as of late and by the time I get back to the hootch, go to the gym and workout and shower it's almost 2300 hrs or later like tonite. It's a quick dinner then a few pages of the book that my sister in law gave me for Christmas/Reyes and lights out until the next day. It's hard to believe that it's been just over a month since I said goodbye to Carmen and the kids as they headed back to California and I to Iraq. Time flies when you're having fun or are busy, I'll let you try to figure out which one it is.

Everyday there seems to be a little surprise on the job site. Lately one of the buildings has been giving the contractor, USACE, AMC and I a headache. The South Depot Paint Facility seems to have voids under the building which we nor anyone else knew about, so in the past 7 days the contractor has found 3 decent sized voids which if not filled in or supported properly could be trouble down the road. Obviously if the contractor can resolve the issue without charging us additional funds then it's a "Big Red One" day, but if not then I have to get the old knee pads out of my duffle bag and beg the folks in the IZ to "show me the money" so we can fund the additional cost. Murphy I have discovered is also alive and well here in Iraq, his name is Fagur and he's been all over the place. We had to empty out one of the warehouses and move that material into a completed warehouse so the contractor could refurb the warehouse. They had already done cement and asphalt work around the warehouse, so the Iraqi's brought over a 5T truck to load up and make a couple of trips. Unbeknown to any of us the cement work had not yet cured the required number of days so the truck did some damage to the driveway. I was livid not at the Iraqi's because they did what we told them to do, but the contractor who didn't put up the required barriers and engineering tape to ensure no one entered into the area which still had not cured. I told USACE that it was the contractors fault and that they need to make sure that he repairs the damage and this time better mark off the work area.

The funny thing about this project is that several other projects are tied to either the maintenance portion of the depot or are using our footprint to set up their operations because we have the facilities or will soon have the facilities. The US Army as it rolls out the MRAP's (Mine Resistant Armor Protection) vehicle has a shitload of HMMWV's that have taken a beating for the past 4+ years. So as the Iraqi Army and police force continue to modernize it makes sense to repair these vehicles and sell them to the Iraqi Government. Those repairs are taking place here at Taji and they are using part of our footprint and once we have several of the facilities completed will have IA Mechanics working on those repairs at the Depot. Besides the vehicles there is an on the job training (OJT) program set up and after 90 days working on HMMWV's some of those mechanics will be reassigned to the Depot so that the Depot Integrator can then train them on more advanced mechanical skills and assign them for that training in the facilities which require automotive maintenance skills.

Because of the joint training plan and facilities we are getting a decent flow of visitors and press to our location, and that keeps us busy. Last week we had the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (GEN Cody) pay us and the HMMWV Repair Site a visit, the visit went well as I got a chance to show him the track and wheel depot and walk him through the Small Arms facility. I don't mind the visits since we get a chance to show the senior ranking officers all that we have done here at Taji, but it's the getting ready that we could all deal without. We usually laugh and call it Operation Gumby since we have to stay flexible and be able to change directions while in mid-stride. Seating charts, routes, schedules, etc. , the guys over at the RSU most who tend to be Air Force are really great in supporting us with these visits and are so used to the changes that they roll with the flow! It's sort of funny when you're discussing the logistics of a visit and you realize that while you are talking about version 7 some of the guys still have version 5 or 6 which only came out a couple of hours earlier.

Well I just stuck my head out the door and they said it might drizzle tonite and they were right, it's raining very lightly and it's supposed to be on and off the remainder of the evening.

Well it's time to hit the send button and call it a night!

The Colonel

Depot Construction

2008-02-06T23:31:00.001+03:00

Concrete and other debris from the disassembly and reassembly buildings

Removing old Concrete Reassembly Building

Small Arms Facility

Staging Yard

The New USACE Engineer Mr. Potato Head at the job site

Here are some pictures from the North Depot that I took the other day while I was signing for beneficial occupancy a couple of warehouses. This gives you an idea of what is going on at the Depot. As you can see although work is serious and we do some long hours there's always time for some fun! The good news is that every building is either completed or being worked on at this time, with all but 4 on schedule to be completed on time. In a couple of the buildings we have contractors installing equipment that will be used by the Iraqi Army. I will try to post some more pictures of the South Depot in one of the later posts.

Time is flying quickly as it seems that I am either tied up in giving tours at the Depot or reviewing reports and working with the Iraqis on getting some issues resolved. Earlier this week the Deputy Commanding General came to Taji. Since it was his first visit he got the long tour and we had a good time showing him and some of his staff around the depot. He's British and with a great sense of humor and is well versed in logistics. Today we had some Ph'D's from various think tanks visit and although they are not high ranking officers, they actually carry more weight around, since they tend to write articles regarding policy, testify at congressional sub-committees and some of the lucky ones pop up every once in awhile on CNN or Fox News to discuss Iraq. So we get hit with questions that most military generals aren't going to ask. How many Iraqi's are employed by the contractors who do work here, will there be civilians working at the depot, etc. I am getting close to my 50th star (total number of stars that the generals I have escorted have). I learned a new word last week in Arabic-fagur which means "Murphy" . Last week I had the flat tire in the mud, today another flat coming back from the LZ and when I got back at the office I let out a loud Fagur and the interpreters were rolling when I told them why! They volunteered to fix the flat so this time I let em fix it. I believe that is flat number 6 for me since I have been here, incredible but when you see the roads and all the garbage and debris we have to drive over it makes you wonder why only 6 flats!

Talking about driving and roads, today when we were doing the test drive of the route for the visitors a convoy of lowboys pulling T-55 tanks was in front of us so I was able to get around them, and on my way back here they are going down the wrong side of the road hauling ass, so I flick my lights telling the guy that hey this isn't London get on your side of the road, he in turn flashes his and the chicken contest is on. Now granted the Dodge Durango is a decent sized SUV, but it's no match for a tractor trailer that is hauling a tank. So both of us keep going rambling down the road, the guy next to me starts to wonder if I have any plans to get out of the way. I yield at the last second and give the guy the one finger victory salute as he drives by! No sooner then this and we are pulling into a round about and this other buffoon is going the wrong way and decides to cut the corner by about 30 feet and just misses me by a couple of inches! I didn't have time to give him the salute but did call his mother a few names!

I had fun explaining to the interpreters about Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday and with yesterday being Ash Wednesday we had services at 1800 hours and I came back to work. I had to laugh because most if not all the AMC guys are from either east Texas or Alabama which is not the Catholic hot spot in the US. I would imagine that most of these guys are baptists or other fundamental Christian denomination. So I kid you not 8 or 9 of them stopped me and said sir do you know that you have some grease or something on your forehead. I stop tell them yes and that those are the ashes from the our Ash Wednesday service, they sort of looked at me funny and I had to chuckle and tell them that it's Catholic thing!

With tomorrow being Friday and their day off lots of Soldiers were in civvies making their way to the gate so they could go home for a couple of days. I love to see how a truck with a 10 foot bed will stop, about 8 guys will get on, it will stop in another 200 yards for more guys to pile on, etc etc. By the time the truck makes it to the gate there must be half of San Jose on the back to the truck hanging on for dear life and it doesn't even phase them at all. They walk on all sides of the road, cross whenever they feel like it and at night you have to be extra careful as they have no reflective vests, or gear on and you can't even see them. I would imagine that out here that it's not the animals that end up as road kill but the Soldiers!

Well that's all for today, it's late and all I can hear are the Chinooks at the heavy lift pad dropping supplies off and picking up Soldiers to take them where ever.

The Colonel

More Construction and Visitors

2008-01-31T21:37:00.000+03:00

Briefing the Army G-4 and my Commanding General in the Small Arms Facility

At the LZ after dropping off the visitors

Away they go, now it's time to get caught up at the office

Since I wrote last, it's been very busy at the Depot. The contractors keep on working some long hours and it shows as most of the construction is either ahead of schedule or on schedule. Except for two buildings the Generator Repair which has issues regarding the design spec for the jib cranes and the blast facility which had design issues with the pre-fab building, everything is running smoothly. I signed for the second building the other day, the DPW (Department of Public Works) which was finally ready for beneficial occupancy after the second walk through inspection. This is perfect timing as the contractor installing the equipment for the first three buildings has already installed the 6 pieces of large machinery in the small arms facility and they were eagerly awaiting for the DPW so they can start with that building.

There were a few surprises on one of the sites, the junk yard outside the depot is in the process of being cleared so that a road can be built which will be primarily used to receive and ship vehicles here at the depot. When the contractor was clearing some of the debris they came upon not one or two but three bombs that were dropped during the combat phase of OIF. So we had to call the EOD team and have them do a sweep of the entire area that was to be worked on, defuse the bombs and give us the green light for construction to resume. Things are back to normal after we got the EOD OIC to sign a memo stating that no other ordnance is located along the route.

Late on Saturday I got the email to have me check my SIPR (Classified Email) for a headsup on a visit to the Depot. Word was that the Army G-4 who also happened to be the highest ranking female general officer (LTG-3 stars) was going to be up here for a visit and that my CG also a LTG was coming up here also with the usual entourage. That was all they said, now I have been around the block a few times and my pet peeve is an email announcing a visit and nothing else regarding coordinating instructions. But as the saying goes when in charge be in charge so it was easy to get the wheels in motion regarding security, vehicles etc. The funny part was no one else was notified about the visit even the reps of the other locations that were to be visited. Once we got things rolling came the emails from the staff guys in the IZ. You'll need vans for transportation, don't forget to do a dry run of the route, don't forget those name tags so the generals and staff know where they will be sitting in the van, say positive things, no whining etc etc etc. We're up here scratching our heads laughing all the while asking ourselves how in the hell did they think we (LTC M an Air Force guy and I) got promoted to Colonel and Lt Colonel. Do you think in our combined 51+ years in the military we never did a dog and pony show for VIPS? Yeah like when they ask me how things are going I am planning to go into some tirade about how this sucks!! We're professionals and were going to get the job done regardless of what it takes. Some of the guidance made me feel like I was a 7 year old going to visit a aunt for the first time being told not to make a fool out of myself and embarrass the family!

As usual besides the pre-visit anxiety, the visit went off without a glitch, pickup at the LZ, coffee and muffins for breakfast, the slide show, the vans with name tags, the drive to the various sites, the walk throughs of the key buildings our bosses wanted to show them. The visit was great in that the G-4 got a chance to see all we are doing here at the TNMD and at the IASSI (Iraqi Army Service Support Institute) as part of the transition of logistics to the Iraqi Army both in training and in facilities. It was the CG's first chance to visit the Depot since he was here last August, and he liked what he saw. That's good news for me since a less than stellar visit would have meant some adult supervision would have been coming my way from the IZ, and that is the last thing I would have wanted.

I finally found what my dad always referred to when he spoke of someone who was worthless as "worthless as a tit on a boar pig"! My Iraqi counterparts staff consists of approximately 10 officers most are competent, a couple so so and there is one, Major K who could ruin a wet dream without even trying. The guy's a weasel and Javier when he was ten had more common sense and drive than this guy has. Anything directive you give him will not be accomplished and on top of that he has an excuse for everything, and of course it's never his fault. The unit has 39 Soldiers who still do not have their winter jackets as they were not issued one when they went through boot camp almost 7 months ago. SSG Gamboa who is on his well deserved 15 day R&R has told this Major what to do until he's blue in the face and 3 months later the Soldiers still don't have jackets but you know damn well the Major has his jacket. It was cold, windy and raining this morning and if you don't have a jacket to keep you warm and dry well you get the drift. So at todays meeting I asked the General what the status was, he looks to Major K for an update and wouldn't you know it, still no jackets and this time it's the American NCO who runs the clothing issue point fault! Up until then I was chilling for most of the meeting, but when he said that the interpreters looked at me because they knew how badly I wanted to jump up and rip his lips off for lying like a dog! Long story short no jackets and I told the General that if I were him I would personally take clothing records show up at the Iraqi officer in charge of the clothing issue point and force the issue of his Soldiers not getting their jackets issued to them 6+ months after the Soldiers went through boot camp, and not to leave until he gets the 39 jackets and don't waste his time sending the Major because couldn't figure out how to get his head out of his ass if he tried and to take Major K's jacket and give it to the Soldiers pulling guard duty since these guys are the ones doing the dirty work. I had already told the General the other day that Major K sits on his fat ass watching TV and eating all day and it shows, and as far as we were concerned my guys will no longer have anything to do with him. Stay tuned next week to see if those 39 Soldiers are still without jackets.

It's raining again today and Murphy is alive and well here in Taji. I was about ready to head over to the DFAC tonite to grab some chow to go since I had to finish some reports when one of the AMC guys said the Durango I drive had a flat. You already saw what the parking lot looks like from the other day, there wasn't much standing water but a shite load of mud. Of course I had to crawl under the vehicle to get clear off the mud so I could get the jack set up properly, then when it comes time to pull the flat tire off it won't budge. The interpreters who were helping me were trying their hardest to pull off the tire also but to no avail. One of the AMC guys said that on Dodges the tires sort of rust on and the best way to loosen the tire was to slightly tighten the lug nuts and drive in circles until you feel the tire come loose and that's what I did. At the end I was pretty much covered with mud on my pants and rain jacket. I grabbed my chow and must have looked pretty bad because a bunch of the Soldiers were looking at me like what in the hell was this Colonel doing, don't they usually sit on their asses and give orders all day!!

Well that's it for now, tomorrow is another day and there's more project management dragons out there which are trying to delay the project that I and the team must slay to stay on course!

The Colonel

Gone a Year Miss A Lot!!!!

2008-01-25T23:04:00.000+03:00

Outside my Hootch by the Cigar Pit

The road and walkway to the showers

Good Ole Taji Mud

My parking spot outside of the office

Norse Avenue by the DFAC

Wow, it’s my one year anniversary as a mobilized Soldier! Hard to believe that one year ago I walked out of my house back home vowing not to return until my mob was complete. No more select comfort bed, that leather recliner next to the fire place where I always read my newspapers, walking “Lady” the family dog, no more chores around the house (Yeah). Since then it’s been Ft. Riley, Kuwait and Iraq with some unique stories and adventures along the way. As one can imagine it’s been downhill in terms of time remaining with boots on the ground over here and the one year mob is the last serious hump along the way at least as we can foresee. The bad buys and the man upstairs can always say otherwise, so you have to remain alert, focused and keep you head in the game until you’re on that bird flying over the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border!

On Wednesday morning I awoke and when I opened the door to step outside and go take the morning shower it was raining or better said pouring and there was water and mud everywhere! I had gone to bed around 2245 and it was still cloudy but you could tell rain was in the air, and it looks like after midnight it started to drizzle, rain then pour. As you know Taji was a part of the Iraqi Marshland but was cleared over 35 years ago and the water table is not too deep and this land is flat, so with at least 2+ inches of rain the water really can’t go anywhere. You get the picture. That is why gravel is spread on top of the ground so that you can avoid stepping in the Taji Mud which comes from the same family as superglue and plaster. There was no way in hell I was going to wear my Merrell's and get them covered in mud so it was on with the hiking boots, go take a shower then on with the boots again all the while getting some cross level weight training accomplished while walking. It was great driving to work as the back roads were a mixture of mud, mud and more mud so in about a 1/8th of mile the Durango was coated in thick mud, the windows were all brown and I was having a ball 4 wheeling my way to the main road. That wasn't much better and with the crown a could of non 4WD pickups had slid off the roadway into the ditch and were buried to the axle.

Outside the building there are large brushes that you wipe your boots on and by the time your done you have mud on your face, jacket, uniform etc. The buildings all lay out cardboard and you navigate down hallways on cardboard. If your lucky just outside your building you'll have a 3-5 inch deep puddle of water that comes in handy to rinse your boots and attempt to get the mud off. Those gore-tex boots are worth their weight in gold as you get to keep dry while not having to avoid the puddles and holes full of muddy water. A couple of us old timers agreed that the closest you can come to this stuff is at Graf (Grafenwoehr) Germany around early spring when the tank trails are just one big mess, as you head off to the gunnery range or do some maneuvers. It will probably be one week before the post dries up most of the way, and then we'll be back to square one next time it rains.

Things are picking up here at the Depot now that the Depot Integrator is ramping up their staff. We have already given them the green light to develop the curriculum, purchase all the equipment for all the Depot facilities and the technical/vocational building where the classroom training will take place. With some of our buildings scheduled for completion in late February and March getting the equipment here on time and installed is key. Unlike the other contractor who is well over 8 weeks behind their delivery schedule. The equipment installer is waiting for the remainder of the Small Arms equipment to arrive so that they can finish up that building, and move over to install the equipment for the DPW building. I am waiting for the call from USACE that we can do the final walk through of the DPW tomorrow and then if it's good to go I can sign beneficial occupancy of the building and turn it over to USACE who will then give it to the contractor so they can install the equipment.

We had two BG's visit on Monday and the visit went well and believe that we will be receiving more visitors both military and civilian who want to see what our taxpayer money is funding and how the transition is coming along for the Iraqi Army. Today a couple of us had lunch over at the Iraqi Army Maintenance Bn Commanders office. COL M is without a doubt one of the best IA officers I have seen since I have been here, he takes care of his Soldiers, works them hard and hold them accountable for their actions and gets the mission done. His lunches and dinners are very tasty and several of his Soldiers are cooks, they set up a bakery in the AO from scratch and his Soldiers and us eat like kings! Today it was beef and chicken kabobs, rice with raisons, salads, rice and meet wrapped in leaves, pita bread, some kind of tangy soup and plenty of chai tea and turkish coffee to keep us awake after eating like kings! I would eat there every day but when you're in a hurry you don't have time to wait and socialize 30-45 minutes before eating then do the same after. You lose about 2.5 hours for lunch and I just don't have that much time to lose, now if he only had a take out window that would be great!!

Well that's all for now, tomorrow more work, plenty of reports to do and we;ll be saying goodbye to a couple of our AMC reps who will be leaving us after since their 6 months are up.

The Colonel

Back in the Saddle

2008-01-20T17:22:00.000+03:00

Well they say you miss a day and you miss a lot, my R&R kept me out of Taji for 3 weeks to be exact by the time you add in the travel times between the FOB and the airports of debarkation and embarkation. I finally arrived back late Wednesday evening the 15th from BIAP. I for a while didn't think I'd be leaving BIAP when the choppers arrived, besides the confusion that was evident there was some cargo that needed to be thrown on the UH-60's which had not been manifested. So I just waited outside along the flight line and tried to listen in on the pax rep and the crew chief as they began to discuss the situation. Besides being hard of hearing having your earplugs on with the roar of the choppers in the background and if I caught every 3-4 words I was lucky. After 15 minutes we were good to go and we made our way to the choppers. Except for assisting the guy next to me who had never flown on one of these birds before get his harness and seatbelt on it was an uneventful flight and Major Young much to my surprise was waiting at the helipad and took me back to the hootch and gave the keys back to my Durango and it was gassed up and had been washed.

The next day was information overload between reading my email inbox that luckily maxed out on 9 January which made it easier to review the 400+ new emails. The status updates from the PMO staff regarding everything that had gone on while I was out, and the cold that I had made it for a looooong day. By 1830 I was whipped and called it a day.

The good news while I was out, the 4 star general and undersecretary of the US Army visit went very well. Construction continued on the depot structures with only one building substantially behind on it's timeline. The best part was that as was given to me via oral comms the Depot Integrator contract for the Depot was officially awarded and the new Depot Integrator, the JCC-I folks, the PMO and AMC staff had their first face to face meeting the previous week.

I had missed the snow from the 11th but the mud was evident and at least with the cold weather and night kept most of us from tracking the stuff all over the place. It has been colder than a witches +#$ the past few mornings, lows 26-29 and that 40 yard walk to the latrines every morning or late at night is more of an adventure and brings back those cold memories of when I was here in 90-91.

Looks like they are finally trying to build a sidewalk outside of DFAC 2 because there is none and with no street lights the term roadkill takes on a new meaning. Our laundry drop no longer has a one day turn around, but it is now two days which is a bummer especially for us athletes who could get a quick turnaround on our PT gear. The artillery guns up until last night had been quiet for more than 3+ weeks. Late last night around 2300 hours a couple of salvos were launched and once again it was quiet on the western front. Father John the 1st CAV priest is no longer here so we once again have the previous priest who rotates through on Saturdays. Don't know what order he is from but since we do about 10 Hail Mary's during mass I would bet my money that he's a Marianist.

I have had many meetings since I have been back, especially with the new Depot Integrator. Dropping the CLIN's (Contract Lines) for the various services that they are contracted to cover. I had a meeting yesterday with some of the folks from the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) who will be assisting us managing this 2 year contract which is worth millions.

Today being Sunday I got a chance to sleep in and try to rid myself of this damn cold. It also gave me a chance to do some major late winter cleaning in the room. It sure needed it and is finally clean and uncluttered.

Tomorrow I am back to running and will have some fun burning off those couple of pounds I gained while enjoying that great Bavarian and Italian cuisine. Rumor has it that I would have been asked to leave Garmisch had we not left when we did since the quantity on hand of hefeweizen beer was dwindling at a rapid rate and rumor has it that I was the main culprit for large spike in consumption! It had been over 20 years since I last had hefeweizen on tap and to be honest with you I could drink that stuff while eating sausage and cheese for breakfast! Hey as the saying goes "it's five o'clock somewhere'!

Well that's it for now, this coming week looks like we will be having some visitors up to depot and I believe that with the Depot Integrator ramping up we will be having many VIPs coming through to see what's going on in the depot.

Time seems to be going by so quickly and this is the last big push for construction and the Depot Integrator mobilization, and with all that still needs to take place the remaining time I have here should go by quickly.

The Colonel

In Iraq Waiting for Transportation

2008-01-15T16:23:00.000+03:00

I am now here at BIAP, and am amazed that here at BIAP they finally started investing in setting up a decent air and helo terminal. Before it was just 3-4 tents where operations and waiting areas were and now they have a couple of new buildings which are high speed, with ample waiting area room and accessible LNO and flight counters so those of us who are travelling can get the info we need in a quick manner. To top that off they actually have a MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) sponsored internet cafe which is where I am at while I wait for the last leg of my return flight up north. At least now some of us can check up on our emails or update our blogs instead of sitting in the shade on a picnic table with our fingers stuck up our fourth point of contact waiting for our flights showtime.

It is hard to fathom that less than 48 hours ago I was sitting the Frankfurt airport eating my a nice schnitzel sandwich washing it down with a nice Hefeweizen on tap and then 5 hours later I was in Kuwait and after an hours drive at the Air Base in Ali As Saleem, where with the cold and wind felt much colder than Garmisch. I had forgotten after all these years how cold it really is out in the middle of the desert where the wind pierces through most jackets or fleece. All night long in the sleep tent you could hear the tents outer panels flapping with the winds. As I sat earlier today at the air terminal in Kuwait you could see in the eyes of some of the Soldiers that coming back from their R&R was hard on them. I got a chance to speak with a couple of Soldiers and they said that it was hard for them to leave home again especially with young kids. I now understand why when we return from R&R there is a Chaplains briefing since for some coming back to Iraq or Afghanistan is not pleasant nor something they can digest easily.

I was glad that we linked up in Europe, as I had told Carmen from when I got mobilization orders that I had no intentions of coming back home until my mob was over with. I did not want to sleep in my own bed or get used to all the comforts of home, to then have to leave and go back to what we currently have. At Fort Riley the family came out to spend the four day pass with me and the same here in Europe. I do have to admit it was nice not having to use flip flops to take a shower, that there was always hot water, that toilets only needed to be flushed once and you could throw the toilet paper in the toilet instead of the waste basket. That there were at least 5-7 channels in English to watch on the TV. That there was always wine or beer in the fridge when you opened it up. That the bed was actually larger than the dorm size twin we sleep on over here, and the best part was when I rolled over Carmen was actually in the same bed and it wasn't a dream! Ascension got to give me the standard rendition of the good night kiss 3-4 times in a row before as usual I told her to go to her hotel room and leave me alone. I can also confirm that Javi is officially related to me based on the similarities of some of the pranks and antics he was doing during the trip, I somehow remember doing some of the same things. Plus it gave us a chance for the four of us to be together for a fair amount of time, back home the only time we are together is on the weekends that Ascension comes home from College and I hopefully don't have Reserves that weekend.

I did not think about work at all while I was out and except for the one doc that I had asked the folks at the Depot to send me for final review while I was on R&R, the was the furthest thing from my mind. That being said I am looking forward to going back to the Depot and finish up what we are working on. The Depot Integrator Contract was finally awarded on 25 December and I know that the folks back at the Depot already had their first face to face meeting last week. The AMC Commanding General was there last week also and it gave Major Young the Deputy a chance to do the honors and give him and his entourage the tour of the Depot so that he could see for himself all that has been worked on since his last visit in August. I am curious to see if the last 4 buildings or sites have started construction, what the status of the equipment installation is for the first three buildings, etc. Now that the Depot Integrator is beginning to mobilize things will be very busy at the Depot and the sooner they can begin to train the Jundi in the Depot related skills and purchase and install the equipment then the sooner the Iraqi's can begin to conduct initial depot related repairs. I still do not know will be replacing our group later this year when our tour is up here in Iraq. I obviously want to know so that I can get in touch with that Colonel to let him/her know what's going on and provide them with the info they need to read up on so that our transition can be smooth one. From the discussions that I have had with my boss we expect the transition to last about 30 days due to the complexity of the project. Most transitions here take 10-14 days in a sort of left seat right seat format. They arrive watch and shadow you, you explain then you let them start to do the work and assist them, answer questions and then one morning you wake up and run like hell to that chopper that is taking you to BIAP and don't look back!

They say the Army is a small world and indeed it is, while I was in Frankfurt when I finally got to the departure gate I heard someone saying "TS over here". It was COL E who is the Red River Army Depot Commander and who has been over to Iraq twice working with our crew regarding the Depot and AMC's support of the depot. We got a chance to talk about Christmas, our vacations and then some shop. When it come time to board the aircraft Doug is sitting in the same row and I was. Then at Kuwait I ran into the Senior Lawyer for MNSTC-I who was heading home on his R&R and got some updates on a couple of our projects from the legal standpoint. Based on these discussions as usual it looks like some things keep moving to the right on the timeline.

Well that is all for now my next blog will be from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field ooops I mean my hootch.

The Colonel

Back in the Box

2008-01-14T12:21:00.000+03:00

Well as you probably figured out I haven't posted for over two weeks and the reason was I was on my 15 day R&R. I left out of Taji on the 26th and got to Kuwait on the 27th and thanks to CSM L I was on a Frankfurt bound airliner on the 28th. Carmen and the kids arrived on the 29th in the morning and we were off to enjoy our 2 weeks together.

We had a great time travelling through parts of Germany and Italy plus a side trip to Austria. Day one we travelled to Nurnberg where Carmen and I lived while I was stationed there in the 80's. We got to show the kids the old city and Ascension saw where she lived in Schwabach prior to us redeploying back to the US. The O'Brien Kaserne is now used as a business park and our old housing units now house Germans.

We then headed on the 30 down to Munich and spent three days there, getting to see all the sights. On New Years day since everything was closed in Munich we headed to Salzburg the birthplace of Mozart and the "Sound of Music". Although it was cold and snowy we had a good time and the kids got to appreciate some of the scenery and sights.

On the second of January we flew from Munich to Rome and spent 3+ days in the eternal city. We could have stayed there for a couple of more days, since with so much to see, there just wasn't enough time to see everything. On day one we say all the key sights, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and other key monuments and piazza's and palazzo's. On day two it was the Vatican Museum, St Peters Basilica and other sights at the Vatican. Day three was the Roman Colosseum, the various other ancient Roman sites around the Colosseum and then we headed back to see the last few sights at the Vatican.

On the 6th we headed towards Florence via Assissi. What a beautiful walled town, Carmen had wanted to see the town and the church where San Francisco of Assissi was buried. We then attempted to visit Gubbio but it was foggy and getting dark and visibility was nil so we decided that it made sense to continue onto Florence.

We spent a day + in Florence and saw the key sights, no museums as I was kindly reminded by Ascension that everyone but me should know that museums are closed on Mondays! Obviously you can see that my liberal arts training in college went to waste as I had no clue about that. So we saw the Duomo, climbed all 414 steps of the Campanario next to the Doumo and got our stair master workout taken care for the day.

The next day was a quick jaunt to Pisa to see and climb the leaning tower of Pisa, see the duomo and watch Carmen drive 100+ mph on the autostrada in order to make it back to Rome to catch our flight to Munich. I let her do the driving in Italy since it's like Spain and I hate driving in Spain where no one follows the rule of the road and she copes with it like its just another drive in the countryside.

We spent the last 3 days at Garmisch at the AFRC Edelweiss Lodge and the weather and scenery was beautiful, we hadn't been to Garmisch since 86 and the new lodge was awesome. We took the kids to see the Neuschwanstein castle, the next day they went snowboarding in the Alps while Carmen and I got to go shopping in Garmisch and enjoy the time together. Then it was a long drive up to Frankfurt where the next day they departed back to the US. I got to spend one last day there before heading back to the box.

Time went by quickly but the trip was very satisfying and it gave us a chance to be together and show the kids a part of Europe they had never seen before. It was great to see the family once again and at least this time saying goodbye at the Frankfurt Airport wasn't that bad knowing that it's all downhill from here.

I am now in Kuwait awaiting transportation that will get me to my final destination in Iraq.

I will try to post some photos once Ascension the "official photographer" downloads them for me to view.

The Colonel

Merry Christmas From Taji

2007-12-25T23:31:00.000+03:00

Merry Christmas from Taji Iraq

Greetings from Taji on this Christmas Day 2007. As you can see from the photo above we had our Christmas Dinner/BBQ after work today and after enjoying a nice steak and ham dinner we had a Christmas Gift Exchange and after that was over we all posed for a couple of group photos. Above is the gang from the Taji National Supply Depot, my crew from the Maintenance Depot and a couple of other 104th Soldiers from other parts of the post. Although we are far away from our families at this time of year as you can see we have made the best of it and enjoyed each others company today.

I was busy today trying to finish up on a couple of the reports and due out that I had to finish up and with it being rather quiet as the Iraqi's are still coming back after their Eid festivities. It was nice to sleep in then get to work around 1000 hrs. For lunch the DFAC served a huge Christmas day lunch with decorations and there even was a Santa with his female elves, us guys didn't want to sit on his lap instead we preferred to sit with the elves but Santa said they were off limits for obvious reasons! Larry the AMC PMO will be leaving us in a couple of day so I got a chance to give him a MNSTC-I coin and say a few words. He has been a great help these past 6 months and has been the steady factor on the project, especially when I get all riled up with some of the BS that gets thrown our way, he's level headed and was always able to get my head back in the game! I told him that if I ever get to Texarkana we're gonna hit a nice BBQ site and enjoy some nice Texas brisket and beer, something which is missing out here!

I was able to speak to the family early this morning while they were at Mom and Dads eating their Christmas Eve dinner, they sounded like they were having lots of fun. Late tonite I finally got hold of them and got the play by play as they opened up some of the presents. I later called my brother Roy and spoke to him and the kids.

We had Christmas eve mass on Saturday evening at Church with the Chaplain out visiting the other FOB's our Christmas day mass will be held tomorrow the 26th. And yes Javi and Ascension we sang all of my favorite Christmas songs during mass and yes I still sing off key!

Before I close for the night I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and for all of us over here next year we will be back home with our families and more importantly if the success of the surge and the counterinsurgency continues the number of Soldiers who are over here now will be reduced and not so many of them will have to spend Christmas away from their families.

I will leave you all with a poem that was written by a Marine in the 1990's and is appropriate this Christmas Day 2007.

The Colonel

A Soldier's Christmas

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

It Feels Like A Winter Wonderland!!

2007-12-20T23:12:00.000+03:00

I would have posted earlier but been having problems getting onto blogger as of late, so that is the delay. The temperature has taken a turn south these past 2 days. Yesterday it was cloudy and not too hot about 54 when right around the time I got back home the wind picked up and it started to rain. Needless to say it cleared up and this morning it was a crisp 38 degrees and it felt a lot colder than that. Knowing that I am starting to catch the Taji Crud as they call it I did the next best thing this morning and turned off the alarm and slept in until 0645 instead of going out for a run. I worked out tonite in the gym for a change. The walk to and from the restrooms and showers is something I don't look forward to before the sun rises in the morning. Everyday feels like I am camping and have to walk down the road to go to the public showers and restroom. This evening when I got back SSG Gamboa was sitting around the fire ring and he had a nice fire going so that warmed things up.

Earlier today the AMC guys and I joined the Corps of Engineers and the contractor and we went to the DPW building and had them show us the punch list of discrepancies and quality issues that needed to be resolved. A couple of the issues they needed our input as to what solution we wante. Based on what we saw the building should be ready for beneficial occupancy probably the first week of January. I wish I could say the same about the Generator Repair building but that jib crane issue still remains and it more than likely won't be resolved and the crane foundations poured and cranes tested until late January or early February.

With the Eid once again taking place to celebrate the Hadj in Mecca there a but just a few Iraqi's on the Iraqi side of base, the workers all went home so construction has come to a grinding halt for 4-6 days. It makes it easier for us to take care of administrative tasks that need to be handled and allows us to have those planning meetings that we never seem to find the time to conduct because we are all over the place once our morning staff update meeting ends.

The civilian contractor that I hired as the Depot Training Adviser arrived on Monday. Pete is a retired LTC from the Army and has vast experience in the curriculum development, training programs and evaluations, which is why he will be my main point of contact when dealing with the Depot Integrator in the area of training the Iraqi Army. He's been busy just learning about hte project, the various timelines that we are tracking for facility, equipment and Soldier training so that he can work with the DI Head Trainer once that contract gets awarded and the winning vendor arrives boots on the ground.

Earlier in the morning I went with the RSU (Regional Support Unit) Advisor LTC M whose from the Air Force to go check out some warehouses on the coalition side that had Iraqi tank and track parts. I had been over there earlier but the gate to the remaining warehouses was locked and now was open. Some of the parts looked like they were serviceable but they definitely were old parts as the boxes were from the Royal Jordanian Army which had supplied the Iraqi's prior to and during Desert Storm. With no one to catalog them I sure don't want those sitting in the warehouses at the Depot gathering dust just in case one day the IA needs them. I told them that they should send over some of the Iraqi maintenance officers from the Armor Division on post and we were later told that they had been there earlier, grabbed what they needed and what we saw was garbage or in all actuality a prime candidate for scrap metal.

I finally got the green light to go ahead and submit the parts list for purchase of some repair parts for the weapons and generators that we will use for training the Jundi. So I have the AMC guys working on pulling me a list of all the parts that are used to rebuild US weapons and Non-Iraqi generators. Getting the weapons repair parts for Iraqi weapons is going to be the fun part.

Lots of folks are heading out or have already left for their R&R since many want to spend Christmas with their families. In the meantime many of us continue to receive packages from our families, friends and total strangers with items for us and plenty of snacks. I feel like a 7 year old who just came back from trick or treat and have the goodies spread out on the floor so I can pick and chose what I want ot snack on next. I got packages from Uncle John and Tia Carol, Brenda and Stephen, Terri and Dennis (those chocolate chip cookies are awesome). I got a couple of boxes from strangers for "Any Soldier". I have increased my workout time due to the increase in calories from all the goodies. I had been trying to watch what I was eating but I guess I can ease up for a couple of days so I can finish wolfing down the goodies! I am amazed at the generosity of the folks back home who without even knowing us are sending the men and women of the armed forces supplies, food, hygiene items, cards, etc. I know that politically many of us have our differences but the care and outpouring of support for the troops is what really makes me damn proud to be an American and makes this country the best on this planet!!

Well I better get off my soapbox and finish up its just past midnight and I have to hit the sack!

The Colonel

We Are The Champions!!!

2007-12-16T19:35:00.000+03:00

Champions

Third time's the charm as my alma mater University of Wisconsin at Whitewater defeated Mt. Union 31-21 to claim the NCAA Division III Football Championship avenging two previous losses to Mt. Union in the past two finals and snapping their 36 game winning steak! I was fortunate to follow the game online thanks to ESPN and the match ended at 0330 hours our time here in Iraq.

Today besides sleeping in since it was my day off I got a chance to send off some letters, clean the room and work on the roof trying to get my satellite dish fixed since I have been without TV and radio for two weeks. After an hour or so we (one of the Iraqi Engineers and I) finally got it up and running and that's good news since I can now listen to soccer on the radio and my Betis plays today. Now all I need is the decoder card for La Liga so I can watch the soccer games instead of listening to them.

This week the new Training Advisor that I hired will arrive, he will be supporting our office on the training side ensuring that the various classes that the Depot Integrator sets up and conducts. Additionally he'll be the one who manages and reviews the curriculum that the DI develops for the Iraqi Army Depot training. The Iraqi have another Eid beginning on the 19th or is it the 20th this week which means that my counterparts will be off again for 4-5 days, so things will be slow and it will give us a chance to finalize prioritizing the task orders that we will have to drop once the DI contract is awarded.

That's about it for now.

The Colonel

Good to Go As of Late!!

2007-12-14T21:07:00.000+03:00

Taking a Break After a General Officer Visit

Well it’s been a busy couple of days up here in Taji with construction and VIP visits. Monday I got a chance to visit the South Depot and take a look at the work that had been done the past couple of days and it was obvious that the contractors are working quickly to get as much of the outdoor work completed before the rainy season. The receiving yard is coming along well and it should be a couple of weeks before the new warehouses will be erected. The blast facility is basically on hold while the contractor procures the prefabricated facility, it was in the specs but somehow they thought they could fabricate it in Baghdad and when the USACE asked us if that was acceptable we said not only no but hell no. I am amazed at how a contractor won’t even blink an eye if they have to fabricate something instead of purchasing the same product but of higher quality. That is the problem we have with the jib cranes in the generator repair facility. The subcontractor instead of purchasing the cranes from a crane manufacturer decided to design and fabricate their own. For us Americans with all the litigation there is, if God forbid a crane malfunctioned due to design errors I don’t think any of us would even attempt in designing and creating 6 jib cranes. Well they did and the USACE told them that their design was flawed and did not meet the standards, so they submitted new designs were told no and have finally realized that they will have to go to a jib crane manufacturer and order the cranes. Meanwhile this has pushed the completion date to the right at least 30 days if not more! What’s the mantra again: “Nothing ever comes easy in this country”! True oh so true.

On Tuesday we had a visit from BG T the chief of the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) group based out of the US. He was here with 2 of his Colonels taking a look at some of the product that had been bought with FMS funds. These funds are from the Iraqi Oil revenue which is good for us US taxpayers. The more monies they spend on FMS the less we are paying and it makes sense as we transition functions for the Iraqi military to the Government of Iraq. The General who hadn’t been to Taji for just over a year got a chance to see all the changes that had taken place, both on the coalition side and more importantly on the Iraqi side. Besides showing him the plans and facilities for an upcoming project he got a chance to walk through a couple of the buildings being refurbished. He really liked what he saw and more importantly I was able to get some info from one of the Colonels regarding small arm repair part purchases and FMS funds.

On Wednesday we had our meeting with the Iraqi PMO staff and it went well and this time I did not leave in a PO mood. The General finally got a chance to brief the key MOD officials regarding the MTOE. It seems that when the SEC GEN of MOD had visited the depot last week all he did when he got back was talk about the depot and the changes that were taking place and that the MTOE needed to be approved since it was delaying getting Soldiers trained. From what rumor central and the Vegas bookies 2-1 odds have it, the MTOE has been approved and now we are just waiting for the actual docs to see how similar or different the doc is from what we discussed and submitted. I won't believe it until I see it with my own two eyes! Looks like more new recruits will be showing up and we pounced on the chance to ask them if they had ordered more mattresses, linen, blankets and pillows for these Soldiers as we had reminded them to do several months ago. They said they had requested it but that the items hadn’t arrived and SSG Gamboa reminded them that taking care of troops is key and there is no excuse for not having the items on hand when the new soldiers arrive.

That afternoon BG S my senior rater was visiting and let’s just say his visits are not up there on my top 10 fun things to do in Iraq list. The last time he was here I believe I lost about 2 of the 6 pounds I have gained over here in a 10 minute timeframe as he chewed out my ass for awhile (generator farm contract) , but then gave me a pound of it back and was happy at the end of the visit. I knew that he had just come back from his R&R since I had run into his aide down at the IZ. I had been in the small arms facility resolving an issue with the door frame and caging for the storage area. So I grabbed my notes, a short Vegas 5 Gold cigar and lit up and reviewed what I was going to brief him on. He showed up and was all smiles as I shook hands and led him into the small arms facility where they are already installing equipment and making some minor remodeling to add special doors, repair damaged floors etc. The bridge crane wasn’t complete the last time he was here and he loved seeing that. After a 10 minute walk through of the facility with changes we sat on the curb and talked about my evaluation, and I got a chance to let him know the status of the ancillary projects that are tied to the facility. He was a very happy camper and we hopped in the van and did a drive through of the north and south depots, and with all but 4 of the buildings being worked on he was impressed at all that had been worked on and the changes from his last visit. We took him to the helipad he was all smiles and shook our hands and told us to keep up the good work and away he went! It was almost 1645 and if we were back home it would have been a “hey guys lets go out and grab a drink to celebrate and the first round is on the Colonel” moment, but alas it was a "let's go back to work moment"! After the visit they dropped me off at the depot again where I had to discuss a few things with the engineers and finally take care of some paperwork back at the office.

That's about it for now.

I can't end this blog without mentioning my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks football team will be playing for the third year in a row in the NCAA Division III Championship Game AKA "The Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Virginia where they are facing the same team which has beaten them the previous two times Mt. Union. Let's see if third time is lucky and they bring home the Championship Trophy. Unlike Division I football this is the real deal where players pay their own tuition, actually graduate from college in four years with a degree that won't land them at a 7/11 pulling graveyard shift and the closest these guys ever get to jail is doing an internship at the State Prison in the summer as part of their Criminal Justice major!

Go Warhawks!!

The Colonel

Back from Baghdad and Thank You Kellie!!

2007-12-10T19:18:00.000+03:00

As you can tell from the picture I finally got a chance to go to a USO show, and I got pretty lucky. I had flown down to the IZ on Friday morning with the group of officers and Iraqi dignitaries that visited both the Maintenance Depot and the Supply Depot. Besides my boss COL M, the Deputy Commanding General (DCG) a British BG was there as was the Secretary General (SECGEN) of the Ministry of Defense (MOD). I got the chance to brief the SECGEN about the Maintenance Depot and showed him the Small Arms Facility and he really enjoyed what he saw and was not aware of all that had been done so far on the project. So as a tasker I have to prepare a briefing with pics on the depot and brief him at a later date.

On the chopper back to the IZ I hopped into the first one since the second one looked full and after throwing my ruck into the chopper and climbing in and strapping myself in I look over and low and behold it's COL Alexander the Task Force Commander sitting there next to me with a big ass smile on his face. I shook his hand and asked him what the hell he was doing up in Taji and he told me who in the hell was in the second chopper because they were at BIAP and got diverted to Taji to pickup the dignitaries. Once I landed at the IZ I get out and while heading to the terminal run into COL Buechler one of the other guys on the task force who I hadn't seen in a long time. It's amazing that everytime I fly I run into my buddies either at the pax terminal or in the bird!! As usual I got a small 8X10 foot hootch over by the embassy, someone over at KBR housing must not like me or something to that effect. After downloading gear I headed over to the coffee shop and had my triple non-fat latte that I had been craving for a long time and off to work I went.

I briefed my boss on what was going on up at the Depot, sycnched up with CPT M the liaison officer in the J-4 section and we discussed all the things that tend to keep me up at night that pertain to the Depot. I then visited Wayne the bean counter and actually got a compliment from him (a rarity) that I was holding the line with the Depot budget and the few PR&C's that I was trying to get approved didn't look like fluff to him and were needed!! By the time I finished the rounds it was almost 1930 and every time someone opened up the door you could smell the cigar smoke from the guys outside. I ducked out for a quick smoke and was handed a Hoya de Monterrey Churchill from Habana which took me a long time to finish and it was definitely a nice cigar. By 2100 I had to head back to the office finish up the slides for the next day and off to the hootch.

That next morning at 0900 I attended the 3 hour meeting that pertains to the Contracting foks here in the IZ and the MG and the RADM who is replacing him were running the meeting. I got to brief the Depot Integrator Contract Status and more importantly what the status of the Depot was. There were a couple of O-6's from other commands that had questions on the project since they had add on projects that needed parts of the Depot to be completed before they could implement their project. After the meeting the General, a couple of the Contract Officers, his lawyer, Wayne and I met to go over the deadline, what he was expecting from his folks as to their time line to meet the deadline and what needed to happen between now and then.

After I got back I ran into MSG B who was an E-7 when I took over the Battalion back in April 2003 at Camp Parks and is now over here running the DFAC. She knows that I like country and asked me if I was interested in seeing Kellie Pickler in concert. I told her, :yeah right Kellie Pickler here in Iraq give me a break". Although up in Taji there have been concerts the artists are not national draws and it was ironic because the previous week Bill O'Reilly on the his "Radio Factor" show criticized the USO precisely for the lack of big name acts in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2007, and supposedly had the director of the USO on his TV show. When she told me it was for Sunday I was bummed since I was to fly out late that evening.

I got a chance to run with SSG Mike who hosted the CIM in Baghdad, and we did 6 miles in the IZ. It was nice to run on real roads and see real cars not just SUV's and dirt. The only thing I don't like from the IZ is that there are T-walls everywhere and you can't see anything to your side just cement T-walls. From what he was telling me looks like we may be hosting the Shamrock Marathon in the IZ in March, which means I have 6 months to increase the mileage and see if I can crack 3:50 so when I get back home I can qualify for Boston again and run there in 2009. After the run I had a couple of more meetings and was told the bad news that I was not confirmed on the flight that night and they had to rebook me on a Sunday evening flight. That was good for two reasons, now I could see the concert and smoke with the gang that night.

Sunday besides meetings and working with the Wayne on the budget, MSG B asked me if I was going to be at the show and I told her yes and she said that she would reserve me a seat. So at 1340 I headed over to the DFAC to lineup for the doors to open for the 1400 hrs show. I sat down with a couple of my buddies and MSG B saw me and told me that I had a seat reserved and when she point to the front row I was like you gotta be kidding me. I was sitting in the middle of the first row about 8 feet from where she was to be performing. At this time I was kicking my self in the ass for having forgotten my camera back in Taji, yes Carmen besides forgetting to buy what you tell me to by at Safeway I tend to forget other things if not written down. At 1355 hrs she came out and starting talking to us while the crew put the final touches to the speakers and other equipment. Since they fly in Blackhawks they travel light so she had two of the guitarists she travels with, a couple of speakers and that was it. She sang 5 songs from her current album Small Town Girl: Small Town Girl, My Angel and the three singles that were released from that album, Red High Heels, I Wonder and Things that Never Cross a Mans Mind and Independence Day from Martina McBride. She answered questions that the audience asked her, said that she really enjoyed coming over to Iraq with her band to sing with the troops and that her grandfather was a Marine and that got the Marines in the audience all riled up! We never got a chance for a meet and greet since they had a couple of other shows that day so off she went to another FOB. It was nice to listen to her sing and in person she's the same as she was on American Idol two years ago. She definitely has talent and I would believe like Carrie Underwood and Josh Gracin who sing C&W she'll be on the charts for a long while.

I finally got out later that evening and today am back at work. At least I will have tomorrow off, well sort of as my luck has it every time I take a day off an official visit is scheduled at the last minute to visit the depot, so I guess that for a couple of hours tomorrow I'll be a tour guide and get a chance to brief some visitors on the Depot.

That's it for now, it's almost 2100 hrs and I am heading off to the PX to see if there is anything new, I doubt it, but then again it's been awhile since I was at the PX last, at least I won't have to fight for a parking spot like some of you are having to do this time of the year outside of the malls or Walmart.

The Colonel

Lights Out

2007-12-04T23:08:00.000+03:00

Just got back from the Air Field as I had to submit an AMR (Aviation Movement Request) for an upcoming flight from Taji to the IZ and back again. Found out late this afternoon that COL M the J-4 can't make a briefing where they want to discuss the Maintenance Depot so as the PMO I get the nod to tap dance my way through another briefing! Right now I don't have clue who the audience will be, but the fact that they want me to brief means there will be some stars sitting in the front row for this brief. I decided to get down there the morning before the brief so at least I can link up with COL M and review the slides. Plus it gives me a chance to discuss the project with the bean counters and the other staff members who I need to rely on for support at the IZ. Plus that gives me a chance to meet up with some of the other Colonels and fellow 104th Soldiers and get the latest news as to what's going on with our comrades who are spread out all over Iraq.

Tonite leaving work around 2030 hrs the lights here at Taji went out, don't know what the cause was but it was the perfect excuse to start a bonfire in the fire pit and smoke some cigars and shoot the breeze with the gang, since we had no electricity and what fun is it to sit in your room with a flashlight on? Now that it gets dark quickly (sunset is at 1654 hrs) and it is cold most everyone when they get back from work go directly into their rooms and shut the door. Got to hear some good R&R stories from the folks who just came back, looks like you get home quickly but once you get to Kuwait and are making your way back to Taji, you sit around and wait for choppers and that wait can be anywhere from 1-3 days, depending on the weather, available aircraft and missions at hand. While we were standing around the fire, Lt Barker our resident contractor who manages construction projects back home was putting the finishing touches to the jacuzzi, yes jacuzzi here outside our hootches. Since all of us have different civilian backgrounds a fair amount are construction workers or weekend builders, so they put their minds together and utilizing connections here on base were able to procure enough odds and ends to build a jacuzzi. Old pumps, water heater coils, stave tanks, wood to build the deck, no California Redwood but who cares. Piping from contractors who have pieces left over from project, you name it all of us were able to scrounge and come up with the necessary items to make it happen. Everyday for lunch and after work the LT and his sidekick SSG C could be seen hammering away and tinkering around. From what we've been told it should be ready to go this weekend. Tonite a pickup with a water storage tank pulled up and downloaded water into the jacuzzi.

Meanwhile at the depot we got our second load of equipment for the small arms, generator repair and DPW facilities. The contractor who is to setup and install the equipment signed for the keys to the small arms and starting tomorrow will begin the minor infrastructure changes necessary to install some of the larger pieces of equipment. They say nothing ever comes easy in this country and the other day was a perfect example. As they were removing the bridge crane from the Transmission Building at the Wheel Depot, the contractor did not secure the crane correctly so when it was being lowered it swung and hit the wall and pushed out about 4 inches the wall to the building. Now they have to do some obvious structural work to fix the problem they caused. USACE so far has not approved of their repair plans because the plans they recommended were not up to US standards, so they are still trying to figure out how they will fix the damaged wall.

Finally we are letting our counterparts know that they have to begin to solve their own issues since the three of us at the PMO office are swamped with the actual depot project itself and all the behind the scenes work that needs to take place. Last week we had given them a headsup that previous life support and logistics issues that we were handling and resolving was now up to them to resolve via the Iraqi Army military channels. So today in the meeting they asked me if we were going to provide them with fuel for their vehicles, and I just had to smile and say no, but last time I looked you did have 15 jerry cans (5 gal each) in one of your storage areas with fuel and that should keep you going for a week or so. After that I guess you'll either get fuel from one of the other Iraqi units here on base or will have to walk. At least the chow hall for the IA is adjacent to the depot and is within 100 meters. We have briefed them about the Jundi infeed that MOD has said they are working towards fielding, with the object being that with new Soldiers comes billeting requirements, beds, mattresses, pillows, blankets, sheets, wall lockers etc that they will have to order through MOD channels so the new Soldiers upon arrival will have a place sleep and put their belongings into. As the US Army is no longer into providing the Iraqi's life support funds, the IA has pulled their contractors once the contract has expired and is shifting towards an IA self reliance, which is somewhat interesting to watch as an American. As previously mentioned when it comes to long range planning our military is years ahead of most countries in the world, whereas the IA is not used to making long range plans, and the long range for them is only a couple of weeks to a couple of months out. So when you no longer have a contractor running your DFAC, maintaining your generators, providing water, pumping out the shitters, etc and the expectation is that the Army will now do that but you haven't equipped them with the proper equipment and manning structure to do that, the shit literally hits the fan in minutes!

Although they are going through growing pains much like when we give our kids some freedom or more responsibility and they make mistakes and learn from them so are the Iraqi's. The good part for us taxpayers is that Iraq is now forced to use their oil revenue monies to purchase equipment and other entities that previously were supplied by us and other coalition countries. They still have a long ways to go, but as the saying goes in order to run you first have to learn how to crawl and walk! I am sure that in the next few weeks there will be many days of frustration for my counterparts but that is the price one has to pay in order to become self suffient and rely on internal assets to get the job done instead of having someone resolve the problem or issue for you. I guess that only time will tell.

That's about all for tonite, just wanted to give my son Javi a big shoutout for yesterday since it was his Saints Day--Saint Francisco de Javier.

The Colonel

Race Day Part Two

2007-12-02T12:15:00.001+03:00

Guess I'm as ready as I will ever be!

The First Few Strides

That was easy, where's the beer?

Happiness is getting nice and muddy on a Sunday morning instead of laying in bed!!

Well as you can tell by the pictures the weather improved somewhat so I could get out there and hit the pavement and mud as I attempted to run the CIM. Right about 0745 there was a slight break in the weather so I figured it was the perfect chance to start. I was lucky to run into one of the guys who had no problem taking the first two photos. I no sooner got out the gate by our barracks and it started to rain but there was no lightening, the road for a little over one mile was nothing but mud and with the crown on the road I felt like Paul Simon's song "Slip Sliding Away" as I tried to maintain my running posture all the while my shoes were just one solid piece of mud which weighed about 2 extra pounds. As I tried my luck on the gravel I then started kicking up the gravel and a rocks and that wasn't an option either. I finally got on some harder packed road which was not covered in that much mud and that made my life a lot easier. At about 2 miles it stopped raining but the wind picked up and gusting about 20 mph from the southeast. I was lucky because to the south where the rest of the gang was running at in Baghdad had lots of black clouds and looked rather menacing.

As I headed towards the 3 mile mark I was surprised to see a jet airliner at about 2-3K feet in the air heading to BIAP. We never see airplanes so that was an interesting site. I hit the turnaround point for the course and headed back to the start. I was not looking forward to the muddy road that I had run on earlier and sure enough it was back to sliding all over the place. I finished the first lap 6.55 miles in 57:52 and my knee which up to that point had not bothered me started to let me know that it sore and that the 4 days rest although it helped had not cured the bruise. I kept on plugging away on lap two knowing that it was my last lap and trying to not think about the knee that much. A couple of advis seemed to work and it was on this lap that I was running and heard from behind me on a loudspeaker; "Sir, don't forget that the speed limit is 10 miles an hour"! It was one of the Soldiers from our Division who handles security and he was riding in his patrol pickup and using his PA system. After doing the last turnaround I started the final portion of the lap and except for the left knee felt rather strong, so I picked up the pace and a couple of other Soldiers I knew drove by and honked! As is the norm I popped a jolly rancher into my mouth with about 2+ miles to go and that sugar rush felt good as I headed for home. With the wind the road started to dry out a little bit but the mud was still there but not as slippery as before.

I finished up the final loop in our area and completed the run in 1:55:00 on the money, which gave me a negative split on the second leg of 57:08, hell I'll take that any day of the week. I did my cool down set up the camera to take a couple of photos and it was time to head back inside as it started getting cold. The temperature at the start was 61 with a 15 Mph wind, but at the finish it had droiped to 58 with 20 Mph. winds. As you could see I was caked in mud and that nice long hot shower hit the spot for me. I am disappointed in that I could not run the full marathon distance but based on the circumstances I am happy with what I accomplished and tomorrow is another day and I will have another opportunity to hit the roads and at least my knee is not screwed up too bad.

That's it for now I grabbed some lunch at the DFAC and am super tired so I think I will take a short power nap and that will make the rest of the day that much more relaxing.

A tired but happy Colonel!!

Race Day (Part 1)

2007-12-02T06:24:00.000+03:00

Well it's 0630 and I should be out pounding the pavement and dirt this morning doing the Shadow California Interational Marathon (CIM) here in Taji with 2 other guys but for now I am holed up in my room listening to the crack of thunder amid the flashes of lightening! Last night there was some lightening but no thunder more like the electrical storms back in Kansas so I figured that by 0 dark hundred this morning those would be well over, but at 0520 this morning just a few minutes before my alarm clock was set to awaken me there was a huge thud that shook the building and it was obvious that it was thunder and not an incoming round. The two females next door let out a nice scream of fright which I could hear from inside my hootch. I reset the alarm clock to 0600 and fell back to sleep hoping that in 40 minutes I would be good to go. That was not to be the case.

For it had rained last night and is doing so now and just to do the 40 yard walk to the latrine my Merrells are caked in what is known as Taji mud, even though I was walking on the sub base road and sidewalk. I am now enjoying a nice cup of coffee while waiting for the lightening to move onto the east and let me get out there and run. The wind has picked up and this is somewhat ironic that 6-7 years ago one at CIM I remember Mimi telling us that the morning she was to run the race it was raining sideways and there was a 25-30 miles an hour wind. Her ex-husband was to run with her and told her to go without him since there was no way in hell he was to do 26.2 miles in a downpour and windy day.

I still have my hopes that I will be able to do the 26.2 but more than likely will with a half marathon. On Tuesday while working out at the gym I got off the elliptical trainer to tell the attendant to turn on the ceiling fans and when I did I banged up my left knee against some gym equipment and have a nice bruise just above the knee cap which has been bothering me since. I have taken advil and been icing it but it is still bothering me and as much as I want to complete the marathon, I know from past experience better to go for less and run another day then to be sidelined for weeks with a more serious injury. I was to have run with two other guys, but last night MSG D called me at 2200 hrs and told me that he was heading home on emergency leave as his brother just died. MSG D has just come back from his 15 dayrs R&R and this was sudden. The other guy is injured so I guess it will be a solo run just like my Monday morning long runs. 0648 and now it is coming down in buckets and still lightening so the waiting game continues.

I am wondering if the guys in Baghdad have the same issue as we do here? Difference down there is that they are running on pavement and in an urban area versus me out here in what I call the Wild West! Last count they had 20+ runners and were being escorted by a HMMWV gun truck and had am ambulance to bring up the rear. They also had a four lap course laid out and most of the runners were doing the marathon relay but 5 were doing the marathon and I know that one was trying to qualify for Boston she's fast and should probably win the race down there.

Well I am heading over to shave, wash up and get my running gear on so when there is a break in the weather than I will be on my way.

(To Be Continued)

Another Day Another Dollar

2007-11-28T19:11:00.000+03:00

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

Some Pics from the Past Few Days

2007-11-25T18:51:00.000+03:00

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

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2007-11-22T20:46:00.000+03:00

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 Colonel

One Down More to Follow!!

2007-11-19T12:11:00.000+03:00

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

That's My Girl !!

2007-11-17T22:23:00.000+03:00

Taking a Well Deserved Study Break!!

One big shout out to my favorite daughter (she happens to be my only daughter) Ascension AKA Cheenie who was inducted into the USF Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau which is the International Honor Society of Nursing last Sunday. She is finishing up her second to last semester at the University of San Francisco and has done extremely well academically and as the photo above shows she's been hitting the books really hard which makes both Carmen and I happy. Although I missed the ceremony and still haven't received the pics which is why I had to use this one above, at least I will be home when she finally graduates in late May 2008. Congrats Censi, keep hitting the books and remember stay away from the boys until you at least graduate!

Happy Veterans Day

2007-11-11T22:03:00.000+03:00

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

Unsung Heroes

2007-11-07T23:57:00.000+03:00

Jeremy our Corps of Engineer Project Engineer and I

I know from what is published back home in the newspapers and online the press really doesn't make to many references to all the infrastructure work that is being done here in Iraq, instead they dwell upon the death and destruction by the idiots who think they're gonna get some nookie nookie on the other side by blowing themselves up and killing infidels.

As 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

Bust a Move

2007-11-06T21:37:00.000+03:00

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

Nothing Ever Comes Easy in This Country

2007-11-01T00:43:00.000+03:00

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

Time to Reflect About Life Here in Iraq

2007-10-28T13:29:00.000+03:00

My Tour Guide Tab

As previously mentioned I have finally earned the coveted CMATT Tour Guide Tab. Those of you not in the military there are various specialty tabs that Soldiers are awarded for attending speciality training such as Special Forces (Green Berets), Ranger, Airborne, Sapper, etc. Our group here in Taji decided that we needed our own special tab which recognizes the qualities and attributes that one requires in order to be able to pull off the perfect tour of our facilities for visiting dignitaries. Speaking loud enough for all those to hear, being able to walk backwards with out stepping into one of the many holes and ditches, spewing out square footage, completion dates, cost of facility repair, number of personnel to be trained, etc. Training may not be as rigorous as the true tabs that Soldiers wear, but hey if your gonna brief generals and senior Colonels we need to have our ducks and numbers in order! Here I am showing off my tab to some of my peers. We for obvious reasons wear this tab under our pocket cover and only pull it out when giving a tour of our respective areas. Other such fictitious tabs are the Power Point tab which is only authorized for those J staffers whose main contribution to the war effort are their meticulously prepared Power Point presentations which Generals are briefed on each day. They are truly Power Point Warriors because without Power Point Presentations the American Army would come to a stand still. It is amazing that D Day was pulled off by General Eisenhower and the rest of our allies without the use of Power Point Slides especially those with the moving figures and objects!!

Since it's Sunday and my day off I slept in until 1000 hrs and then showered cleaned up my room, did some PMCS on my M9 pistol and will be heading off to the chow hall soon for lunch. I had my cup of Kona coffee with some of mom's oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies which reminded me of when I was a kid and used to help mom make those cookies, she always let me use the left over dough to make a huge cookie which was mine to eat later. It got me to think about what I have come to miss and not to miss during my first half of the tour over here in Iraq. So here goes in no particular order:

Things I miss from home/USA:

1. Carmens Spanish cooking-right now I would kill for a nice plate of arroz con pollo or un guiso de carne con patatas y guisantes or filetes
2. Ascension jumping into our bed late an night right after I turned off the light to kiss me good night not once or twice but at least 4 times, then yelling from her room Dad do you love me and not stopping until I say yes!
3. Sitting in our patio at night shooting the breeze with Carmen while sipping a nice glass of wine
4. Watching Javi play soccer with his club team or high school team
5. Sitting on my recliner in the living room reading the Wall Street Journal in the evening
6. Having to only get up and walk about 10 feet to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night instead of taking the 40 meter walk here in Taji
7. Our after dinner discussions at the kitchen table with the family where the discussion can go anywhere from work, politics, school and other topics in general
8. Working outside on Sundays on the lawn, sprinklers, hedges listening to the A's or Raiders play on the radio or talking to Carmen as she trims here rose bushes or gawks at her tomato plants which produce killer sized tomatoes. I have to keep reminding her that this is America the land of the Super Sized
9. Taking Lady our dog on a walk or mini-run to the park near our house
10. Spending 5 minutes peering into my wine cellar trying to figure out which wine I should open up for dinner that night
11. Taking a coffee break at Suns cafeteria with my co-workers
12. Sleeping on my select comfort mattress knowing that I will not have to worry about bed springs or a sore back the next morning
13. High speed internet
14. Going to the grocery store and spending 20 minutes walking down the wine aisle drooling at wines I would like to buy except that my cellar is full of wine
15. Swinging by my parents house knowing that I will be offered some snack or a liquid beverage of my choice and can spend 30 minutes shooting the breeze with them
16. Running down the tree lined Happy Valley Ave on my morning runs listening to my IPOD and enjoying the scenery
17. Saturday morning runs with the gang out in Los Gatos running around the Lexington Reservoir or going on one of Mimi's many loops
18. TIVO-enough said
19. Children running around the neighborhood
20. Betis games on TV
21. Going running with Carmen and getting a chance to be together for a change
22. Jamon Serrano with queso manchego and bread from Costco and those tostadas con aceite served on Saturday or Sunday mornings in our kitchen
23. Driving across the Dumbarton bridge as the sun goes down to the west
24. Doing the dishes with Carmen
25. My BBQ
26. Pulling up to the house after work and seeing that Carmen is already home
27. Javi doing the same stupid antics and things that I did when I was a kid and listening to Carmen say that he had to take after me because her family doesn't do those things
28. Driving Ascension on Sundays back to school on I-280
29. Listening to Michael "The General" Savage on my drive home
30. Walking by Carmen in the kitchen and purposely bumping into her or accidently sliding my hand along her back side knowing that she hates it and I just love it, right Carmen?
31. Pickup trucks with NRA stickers
32. Sushi on Friday nights
33. Dad's churros on the weekends
34. Dogging out my brother in law Pepe on the phone when his Real Madrid loses a game
35. The smell of garlic in the mornings when I go outside and grab the newspaper during the summer
36. Low fat cheese cream for bagels
37. Frys electronic store
38. The Wine Club
39. KRTY San Joses "Hot Country" although I try to stream as much as possible, because of # 11 below I usually am screwed
40. Carmen giving me a pellisco de amor which is a true oxymoron if I ever saw one

These are things that I don't miss from home or will miss from Iraq when I leave this place

1. Smell of smoke in the air in the mornings
2. My neighbors across the street who think it's perfectly normal in the US to play tacky ranchera music at 125 db and have our house shake off it's foundation
3. Those cars sporting the Vote for Kerry bumperstickers and not having a support our troops sticker on their car
4. Hybrid cars using the HOV lane driving 55 mph in order to get 65 MPG from their cars
5. Listening to Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi on the radio or TV
6. 0800 hrs concalls with the UK
7. Meetings that don't start on time because the Iraqi culture doesn't allow for timeliness
8. Dust everywhere and I mean everywhere
9. Lady whining at 0400 hrs because she has to go outside and drink water or urinate
10. My hootch shaking at 0200 hrs when the Artillery Battery is shooting off some serious rounds at the bad guys
11. Slow internet service
12. The same meals served in a 7 day cycle
13. No printed newspaper to read that isn't at least 4 days old
14. Having to pass through TSA security at the airports
15. Having to pay $50 to fill up my Ford Escape back home when here gas is free (well sort of)
16. Homosexual and gay diversity rainbows on vehicles telling us how great of a lifestyle homosexuality is and what all of us normal folks are missing out on, like AIDS, STD's and just plain bizarro behavior!
17. Having to walk outside of the building to speak on the telephone because the T-Walls block out all signal strength, it is not uncommon to see 3-4 of us walking around in circles in front of our building speaking on our cell phones, from afar we must look like a bunch of penguins waddling in circles
18. Cops with Radar guns, although the MP's here just got radars and are out on the loose, except unlike cops back home they don't have Krispy Kreme bellies
19. Waiting 2 minutes and 50 seconds for the traffic light to change on Mitty and Lawrence Expy, since we have no traffic lights here on Taji
20. Save the Whales, Amnesty International, Save Tibet and Peace is Patriotic bumper stickers
21. CNN and the main stream media
22. Having to stand in line at the post office to mail a letter or buy stamp
23. Morons who don't know how to drive
24. Being limited to either ACU's or PT uniform as my choice of clothing here in Iraq
25. The mud that sticks to your boots and will not dry off here in Taji, had NASA used this stuff for the ceramic tiles on the Space Shuttle, the one that burned up during reentry would have been spared
26. Iraqi Soldiers driving the wrong way on the road without any worry or concern at all while you are honking and giving them the finger for being stupid and driving like some of the people back home do
27. Triple flushing toilets here because the water pressure is non-existent and nothing seems to go down
28. Listening to the Iraqi's say in shalla "God Willing" for their plan to get something done, while I remind them that in shalla will not fill out a request form and submit it to MOD to procure equipment

That's it for now, I am going to drop off my clothes at the laundry and do some reading before Spanish soccer starts later this evening.

The Colonel

Hump Day and It’s All Down Hill From Here!!

2007-10-26T21:43:00.000+03:00

If earlier the previous week I hit the 6 month mark, on the 23^rd I hit the equator or as we call it hump day on my tour here in Iraq. Since I arrived on the advance party I get to spend an extra 10 days here in Iraq. Two days later I hit the 9 month mark of my mobilization on active duty.

Flat Trevor and I at Phoenix Base in Baghdad.

On Monday my new boss and a few of his staff came up from the IZ to get a boots on the ground walk through of the logistics support and installations here on the base. I had a meeting and was putting out some contractor fires that morning so I caught up with them when they were in the National Maintenance Contract Vehicle Repair Site. They also visited the track repair and ILAV (Badger Site), before visiting the Depot. I gave the usual tour but spent some additional time on process flow and made sure that we got a chance to see the generator farm. I was able to make my pitch on additional funds without sniveling.

They left early in the afternoon and I in turn left late that evening. I was happy to be flying at night especially with the lower temperatures, it makes traveling more palatable. It was a straight shot to the IZ-Washington, and after checking in, getting my temporary hootch, I headed over to the MWR Internet Café to shoot Carmen a text page letting her know that I arrived safe and sound. I was bushed so I hit the sack early and as I laid down on the mattress, it became evident that it was in dire straits and I honestly believed that General George Washington slept on the same mattress during the Battle of Yorktown! I felt like the cork in a wine bottle and the springs were like the cork screw!

I ran around the embassy compound for a 6 miler that morning and off I went to Phoenix Base. I linked up with the AMC O-6 who is here as the adviser to the Iraqi Maintenance Depot and we met with the Brigadier General who is in charge of the Depot and his counterpart in the MOD. The meeting went well and we were able to discuss the MTOE, infeed of Soldiers and the officer fielding of the depot. That afternoon I met with the JCC-I group to go over several contracts that I have out there waiting to be awarded, trying to get a better understanding of the timeline that the Depot Integrator Contract will have once it is awarded. I paid a visit to my favorite bean counter in J4 and we discussed future spending and what PR&C’s are up in the air due to spending constraints. Before I knew it, it was cigar smoking time outside in the Pirates Cove and it was great to see the folks that I hadn’t seem in almost two months.

The next day I had to take care of some admin paperwork and on the way to see my task force Sergeant Major I ran into our groups General BG S. He asked me about the project and when I told him there were a few issues I was told, “grab a seat in my office and let’s talk when I get back in two minutes”. I told him the issues I had in reference to the Small Arms facility and that we would not be ready to open the facility during the date that we had announced earlier this year. While I explained the reasons why and some assistance that I needed from his group, he called one of the Majors who handles some of the logistics and for about 10 minutes let us know that he was not a happy camper at the slip in the start date and based on deliveries and in-feed of Soldiers we now have a new date. I now have a new date and will definitely be massaging and managing all the upcoming tasks and events to ensure that we meet the deadline! When the Major and I left the generals office we grabbed a latte and discussed what needs to happen going forward and what each of us needs from each other in order to pull this event off!

I had to chase down in the afternoon some vehicle density lists, weapon repair parts, discuss a couple of maintenance related projects that will impact the depot and some of the footprint that I manage. In between all this work I was able to meet some of the folks from our Division and get the latest scoop on whose doing what and what we’re doing up in Taji. That evening the J-4 and I ate dinner together at the DFAC and had a nice discussion on our roles and what his vision is pertaining to the Depot and what support I can get from the J4 shop going forward. Once again the gang was outside smoking cigars and a couple of us stayed late talking about politics and the future of Iraq.

On Thursday morning I ran and once I got to work I finished up the brief that I was planning to give to the J4 about the depot. I got called into a reorg meeting so I could assist in defining the PMO sections headcount and role going forward in the project. If approved I don’t think that I will benefit from the increase in headcount but the guy/gal that will follow me will. The brief went well and he’s going to be assisting me in getting the funding that I need for the additional items that are required for the depot. I did the usual rounds in the late afternoon picking up items to take back to Soldier here in Taji and left the base around 1930 hours. Packed, grabbed some chow, turned in my linen and headed over to the Pax terminal. I was booked for one of the late flights and with a full moon I opted to stay outside to wait for my flight. It was awesome seeing the choppers come in with the moon in the background. My flight left about 30 minutes late and Taji was the first stop so I got lucky. After getting back to the hootch and unpacking, shooting Carmen a text page letting her know that I arrived safe and sound it was time to hit the sack around 0030 hrs. It was nice to sleep in my bed!!

The Colonel

6 Months in the Box!!

2007-10-18T20:15:00.000+03:00

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

Getting All Caught Up

2007-10-16T23:18:00.000+03:00

As most of you have probably read in the papers not that you wanted to read it but it was forced upon you by the press Ramadan has finished up here and what occurs after that is a celebration that ranks up there with our Christmas or Thanksgiving. They call it the Eid ul-Fitr, and depending on whether you’re a Shiite or Sunni you get to celebrate and feast for about four or five days, throw in some travel time and you get the picture. This whole country shuts down big time. If you’re a Christian your screwed, where in the hell is the ACLU when you need them????? Oh I forgot for the ACLU Islam is good Christianity is bad, I keep forgetting I must have fallen asleep during those sensitivity training classes we had at drill!! Our Soldiers last class was on Thursday and we released them at 1300 hours and all of them except 2-3 made a bee line to the gates on post and headed for home. I don’t know who moved faster the Soldiers or the officers, because by Wednesday the Senior Officers Quarters was like the OK Corral empty, big time!

A few of us thought that maybe the Iraqi Army should continue with the fasting at least on the officers side of the house. From what I see you really don’t have to look at the rank of the officers uniforms, just look at their bellies the bigger the more senior they are. Dad you’d be a General here in Iraq!

Where as most of the US Transition teams are taking off because they have no Soldiers to work with, we are using this time to get caught up and concentrate on getting those small but vital things taken care of. Major Y has finished up on most of the PR&C’s, now getting them approved by the finance folks in the IZ is another issue. You gotta love those bean counters, most of our facilities have come well under the estimated cost and the amount that we got budgeted for those facilities, thanks to the team scrubbing and getting rid of things that the Iraqi’s probably don’t need for their depot. Do you get kudo’s , a pat on the back, nada, zippo. But God help you if the actual cost of the winning bid exceeds the cost that was budgeted and funded for that building. Who cares if you have already saved over $12M, the finance folks start drooling and begin going into a maddening frenzy and rant, “what do you mean you need more money, what are you building up there a Taj Mahal”? You need to relook at the plans and start cutting out fat, there’s no money for the difference. Excuse me, what happened to the money we already saved you? I guess their hearing aid batteries die and they can’t hear anything you’re saying. On days that I have already run my only stress relief is to ensure I bang my head against the wall a few times and I suddenly feel much better! They say laughter is sometimes the best medicine, so we all look at each other and then start laughing about the “guys in the IZ who have no clue what is really going on telling us how to manage your project and how to suck the proverbial egg!”

Tomorrow should be one of those days that will go by like lightening. Our NCOIC is down in the IZ testifying in a non-judicial punishment trial which leaves the Major and I. As luck would have it, tomorrow we’re getting another fuel delivery and as you read earlier, those are like a circus and take up a large part of your day, so the Major will be handling that. I in turn have to take one of our interpreters to the gate for his vacation and pickup two other interpreters who are coming off their break. Problem is that at the same time I have to be somewhere else to meet the PDSS (Pre Deployment Site Survey) folks that will replace us next year. I was one of the guys who did this for our group last December. Basically it’s like a recon where you visit the areas that you’ll be working at, speak with those who are there, get info, soft copies of docs, SOPS, pictures and points of contact. At least one of the other O-6’s will do his brief first, which should give me time to drop off and pickup the interpreters, they know that I don’t wait more than 5 minutes, so if they are late they’ll be sucking some pond water and will have to wait until I am done with the PDSS folks.

I plan on giving them an overall view of the project, showing them the north and south Maintenance Depots, walk through a couple of the buildings that are being worked on and then answer any of their questions. I spent 2+ days when I did the PDSS last year, they have 3 hours, go figure! Good news is that I finally earned my tour guide tab. A couple of the guys at another site here at Taji conduct so many tours that they decided to have the alteration shop make a tab much like a Ranger or Airborne tab that says Tour Guide. Since it has a Velcro backing they store it under the pocket cover, but put it on your left shoulder when they are giving a tour. Few if any Soldiers notice it and when they do they usually bust out laughing. The criteria is 25 tours or 50 General Stars (total number of stars that all the generals you have briefed have combined). I am way over 25 tours and right now am at 18 stars and may get number 19 tomorrow depending on who decides to show up from the IZ.

The hot weather has finally ended as of late this afternoon. The wind has shifted and right now we are at a nice 81 degrees which at 2200 hrs in unheard of. Our high was 94, for the next 10 days it looks like highs in mid 80’s and lows actually working themselves into the mid 60’s. It is sort of the same kind of weather that we get back in San Jose during the summers, except here we have the smoke and hazy skies.

Guess I have rambled on long enough this evening, damn I could use a nice glass of Cabernet or Pinot right about now. Here I am typing away listening to some Level 42, got the door of the hootch open and you can actually feel the coolness from outside. It’s almost like sitting out on the patio at night at home, but as they say almost doesn’t count except in horseshoes or hand grenade fights!

The Colonel

Finally Getting There

2007-10-13T22:07:00.000+03:00

This was a quick week, for a couple of reasons, having Monday off eats up a day, but more importantly all of us have been busy here at the PMO. We have been submitting additional PR&C's for a couple of buildings that had not been approved yet by the finance folks, plus some additional generators, security and the 800 meter road that we still have to figure out the name for.

We still have some sewage and water issues, that I will be able to speak with our head engineer from the IZ who is coming up here next week and he can see for himself the issues we have, and if we get his okay then we will be able to make the necessary repairs to get running water and sewage on the depot.

Today we went ahead and inspected the Small Arms Facility with the Corps of Engineers, the Contractor and AMC. It was my first chance to do this and at least with the Corps of Engineers and the AMC reps I knew that if I didn't catch something they would. I had been going to the work site daily since I got back from Qatar because the contractor had been given a 2 week extension and I was getting calls from the IZ asking me about the status of the facility. Our punch list of deficiencies was not that long and except for an oversight between our plans, the Corp of Engineers and the contractors regarding an additional security fence the deficiencies were minor and should be taken care of by tomorrow COB. We are still waiting for the two large fans that are somewhere between Baghdad and here and the bridge crane motor which is also on its way. It's amazing what took place in these 120 days, the building looks a lot better and once we get the equipment installed this will be a great facility and will enable the Iraqi Army to fix all their weapon and weapon systems. I will try to add a couple of pictures these next few days so you can see what it looks like.

The other two parts of the puzzle have mixed results. The equipment that was ordered for this facility and two other facilities had been ordered in July and should have begun arriving in September. I had been working with the folks in the JCC-I office as to these dates and slippage in arrival dates. When I left for Qatar I told the folks at the office that more than likely the first shipments would arrive when I was gone. I got back and nothing, I checked with the Supply Depot because sometimes our shipments get routed there, but nothing. After bugging the JCC-I rep in the IZ since Sunday I finally got an answer that the shipment still hadn't left Kuwait. I thought this was odd since the shipper had said that they were planning to ship a truckload in late September. I was not a happy camper, as I have got a facility that is ready for beneficial occupation and now the equipment isn't here to install. On top of that two shipments are somewhere on the ocean and I more than likely won't see those until November/December.

The other piece of the puzzle is Soldiers. We have already started training the first group of Soldiers, another group start boot camp next week. Since HQ's wants to start repairing weapons in December they have asked if I wanted to divert some of the Soldiers graduating this week from boot camp to the Depot via a one time 3 week small arms repair course. We discussed it and the Aussies said yes they could run another course for some more Soldiers. This will enable us to get these Soldiers through the level 1 Depot training and they will be available to work on the weapons once we start operations.

Right after that it was off to church, clean the office, grab my favorite dinner, vegetable curry on rice and since it was Saturday I splurged and grabbed some onion rings. Right now I'm listening to the Denmark-Spain Euro 08 Qualifier, it's 1-2 for Spain with a couple of minutes to go. Tomorrow since I have off I can stay up late tonite and sleep in tomorrow. The game is over Denmark 1 Spain 3, that's a perfect way to end this blog. Guess I will go outside and shoot the breeze with the guys who are watching some college football outside and smoking cigars.

I just got mail delivered and my nephew Trevors "Flat Trevor" finally arrived after being in transit for almost 26 days. Rumor has it he was hanging out at BIAP for a week or so avoiding flights up to Taji by missing his show time, so he could chill out and not have to do any work back here at Taji. Now that Flat Trevor is on board, he'll be kept busy and will have some great stories and photos to share with his class back home.

Aupa Espana y ZHP!!

The Colonel

Taji Army 10 Miler Run

2007-10-09T21:44:00.000+03:00

MSG Duncan, Chief and I

In conjunction with the US Army 10 Miler Run that is held every October in Washington DC during the AUSA Conference, most posts here in Iraq and Afghanistan held their own Shadow Run on the same day as the run held back home. Taji was no different and the run was scheduled for a 0700 hr start time. I had been worried that I would not make it back in time from my pass, but that no longer was an issue.

I had been training for this run by going longer on my daily runs, 6-7 miles, although I decided not to do any PT while in Qatar so I could get a total relaxing vacation. KBR were the guys responsible to set up the run. To their credit, they do a pretty good job and have great T-shirts for the runs. All I know is that when I get back home and show up at some of the races, the T-shirts will be noticed. The one thing that KBR could use some help on is correctly setting up a course as you will soon read about in the blog.

I had no clue who would be at the run from the folks I usually see at the runs. I did run into MSG Duncan and Chief from the COIN Academy. MSG Duncan is a fellow 104^th Soldier who was in my Battalion Task Force both at Fort Hunter Liggett and Ft Riley.

There were a couple of other folks there to include the 1^st Cav Divisions Aviation Bde Commander who I see in Church on Saturdays.

I was hoping to settle with a sub 77 minute run as my goal, since I knew that was in my reach. Anything less than 77 minutes I would not complain. I decided to run with my trusty camelback which I use for all my runs, that way I wouldn’t have to rely on the water points which leave a lot to be desired.

It was a cool morning about 78 degrees which was cooler than Chicago for the start of their death valley temps run that same day. The good news was that the cloud cover from the previous days thunderstorms were still around and that would mean less heat but unfortunately more humidity. Not wearing my hearing aids I did not catch the course description which had a couple of late changes due to force protection, since part of the run was originally to be held along the inside perimeter road, but was axed due to possible sniper activity. Why worry about heart attacks when there are snipers around!!

Off we started and I started in the mid pack and soon was passing runners who had started off too fast or should have been behind us at the start. Except for the few civilians all of us were wearing our respective service PT uniforms, so there was a literally a long gray line making it’s way down the road. I looked at my watch after about 7 minutes and starting eye balling the road ahead to see where the mile marker was, I kept looking and found nothing, after 8:30 I stopped looking and realized that once again KBR did not set up any mile markers. I am sure for 95% of the runners that wasn’t an issue, but for those of us who like to know where we are at and what our time is that is key. At about 14:30 I started looking again but to no avail. There was a water point, but with only one poor soul pouring water into cups you can imagine what a CF that was! Nothing like the 100 oz of water in the ole camelback to suck on! The wind was in our faces and coming crossways which kept us cool, but as we headed towards where I live and run at it became evident that the sun was getting hotter and these next few miles would not be a cakewalk. At about 3 miles based on my watch MSG Duncan and Chief caught up to me and I ran with them for about 2 minutes and realized that I had to put the hammer down and pick it up, so off I went. I spent the next mile picking off runners one by one and when I hit the magic 35 minute mark I was in overdrive and was on my way home, having picked up the pace considerably.

I kid you not it was getting real hot and what I noticed was that between that water stop around mile 2 there was nothing for the next 4.5 miles. I was thirsty even though I was sucking down the water and wondered what the others who had no water were going through. More than one person that I passed said after seeing me pass them and wearing a camelback “why didn’t I think of that”! At around 6.5 we turned into some minor head wind and there was a water stop. I picked up the pace a little bit more and was focused on a group of about 20 runners about 200 meters in front of me. At around 8 miles I had passed them up and could see the DFAC where we started from and was wondering how they were going to tie in a loop to get us to the 10 mile mark. When we turned the corner and headed to the DFAC I started wondering if this was the finish line or not, because my watch still had me out another mile plus at a 7:45 pace. But then I could see people walking and by then it was too late to get into the 200 meter rush to the finish. I hit the imaginary tape at 1:05:13 which I know for a fact was not a 6:30 mile pace, so I figured out that the course was approx. 8.5-8.7 miles long. Once again with no mile markers I had to calculate with my gut reaction on my pace. (Carmen a Garmin mini GPS for Christmas may not be a bad idea hint…hint). Judging from what I saw at the finish line I probably finished in the top10-15% of runners, not bad for an over worked 48 year old Colonel.

MSG Duncan came in about 3+ minutes behind me and chief another minute or slow behind him. We grabbed out T-shirts, stretched, took the photo and split. Although Sunday was supposed to be my off day, the general and the new J-4 were coming to visit Taji and I sure didn’t think me being off was too smart of an idea so I worked that day and took off Monday. Of course as luck would have it they never got to my office that day, so I could have taken the day off, but instead I got some decent work completed on the project.

As an after note I did speak to the KBR rep and told them that for their next race I would volunteer to measure out the course and mark the mile markers so that on race day the runners would have an idea what their splits are. So I guess that I will be busy later this end of the month walking and marking the 5km course.

The Colonel with the sore quads!!

Back to Reality

2007-10-07T00:41:00.000+03:00

I was almost positive that I would not be spending most of my day 5 in Qatar and when I went to check the departure board it was 0100 hrs on day 5. I had already sorted all my items so I stayed over at the Top Hat and drank the last of my allowed beers for the day and then headed back to pack, turn in my linen and sign out of billeting and make the trek back over to the MWR site for the departure formation. I had thought in advance that we would be flying out relatively soon after that departure formation but I was in for a long night. We arrived and were told that we had a tentative wheels up time of 0600 hours, and I'm saying to myself 5 hours until take off whose on drugs here! We did roll call and then grabbed a last cup of joe and shuffled onto the bus for the ride to the military airbase. The bus ride took about 45 minutes and then it was grab your gear and wait out here. We did that they collected our ID cards and we were then called into the terminal and told to grab a seat and we would get out boarding cards issued to us later.

We must have sat in the waiting area for at least a good two hours, at least the Indians were beating up on the Yankees which made time go by quicker. We finally got our boarding pass and were called to the gate, we then went to another holding area to wait until the buses would take us out to the plane. I was hoping for another C-17 or even a C-141 because they are quicker and more comfortable. As the buses took us out onto the tarmac I watched as we drove by the C-17's and C-141's and when I saw the row of C-130's I knew I was in for a long and uncomfortable flight. As the senior ranking officer I hung in the back until everyone got on and took the last seat which means leg room and a place to lay your ruck instead of having it sit on your lap for a 3 hour flight. We took off at 0515, I fell asleep soon after we took off but it really wasn't a deep sleep, and woke up a little before we were above Baghdad. You knew that you were close when the plane started the corkscrew descent and it made the roller coaster ride at the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz seem real tame, and I think that a few more abrupt turns and the Soldiers would have started puking big time!

We arrived at about 0805 and I went through arrivals, booked me a flight for the next day since there were no seats available that day for Taji and headed to the bus stop to catch the shuttle to Stryker Village across the way from BIAP. I got there and really didn't know what to expect for billeting as I was tired and just wanted a place to rack out. I got off the bus and saw a KBR rep there and asked them where the billeting office was. He looked at me and with a huge smile and southern drawl said Colonel follow me and we'll get you squared away. He told one of the attendants to get me the keys to one of the VIP rooms and off I went with my gear following the attendant. I lucked out big time as instead of being assigned to a large tent where there were 16 cots for officers, being an O-6 I got a small connex sized room with two beds, a desk, mini fridge, wall lockers, AC and TV. It's times like these when it hits home that I'm a really a Colonel and at this rank we do get some upgrades, but damn it took me 25+ years of hard work to finally be able to enjoy these upgrades.

I racked out for about 5 hours and then did the shower and shave drill and took a nice stroll in PT gear around Stryker. This is a huge area and with all the tents looking the same you could easily get lost, especially at night since there are no street lights like back home. I had to laugh at the PX, they had TV's of all sizes from a 14" like the one I have to some 42 " screens, all along I kept thinking who in the hell has that much room in their hootch to store it? I picked up some items that we don't have in Taji and sure enough they had the condom shelve stacked with condoms, let see only 3 beers a day on pass, but all the condoms you could ever want. I love the Army!!

After dinner I went back to the hootch, watched some TV and realized that I didn't miss not having American channels in Taji to watch. At about 2100 hrs I called it a day since I had to get up at 0 Dark hundred (0300 hrs) to shave, pack the few items I took out of the ruck, clean the room, checkout and be at the bus stop by 0400 hrs to catch the ride back to the terminal at BIAP. I got there and the flight show time was pushed back 30 minutes so I figured that I would grab me some java, but the coffee shop was closed so it was back to the outdoor waiting area. Show time came we waited for about 30 minutes since the flight was pushed out some more and finally made our way to the choppers that had been sitting there while the crew and passengers went to the chow hall to pickup breakfast, since they were flying as of 0500 hrs that morning. Once everyone got back they started their pre-checks while we waiting on the tarmac under cloudy and dark skies. It looked like it was going to rain and sure enough you could see lightening to the west and the morning sun rise was undetectable due to the cloud cover. I am not a brain surgeon but knew that lightening and helicopters don't mix and sure enough we got the "weather hold" warning. I wasn't too happy but the good news was this crew was real tired and had to get back home and in order to do that had to fly past Taji so bottom line I was going to get a ride on that bird, the question was when. Some of the passengers on that flight were fellow 104th Soldiers so we laid down on the tarmac with our rucks as back support and shot the breeze and tried to catch some zzz's between lightening, thunder and some rain drops. About one hour later we were cleared and I was back in Taji in a short 13 minute flight. I was gone for 6 days and 9 hours which for those of us having gone on a 4 day pass to Qatar is a record for speed, as most are gone anywhere from 8-10 days! I wouldn't have minded another free day in Qatar but to spend another day at Stryker would have made me gone mad!!

As much as I miss my real home, I sort of missed by home away from home and it was good to be back home and in some familiar surroundings.

The Colonel

R & R Day Three and Day Four

2007-10-04T18:36:00.000+03:00

Ziad and I

I finally made it to the Villagio Shopping Center and had chance to take a look around before I was to link up with Ziad. The mall is very new and not all the stores are open yet nor are the restaurants in the food court. With the painted sky above, the second floor facades lit and the architecture of the stores it really looked like one was walking down a European street. The mall was a mix of Santana Row with the design and Valley Fair with the stores, except for several small kiosks the stores were of a mix of the usual mall stores, plus some upgraded stores, ie Zara, Lacoste, Massimo Dutti, etc. The gondolas floating down the canals was a nice touch. Ziad showed up right on time and we both made the comment that we basically looked the same, he hadn't aged since I last saw him in Kansas, I unfortunately had mostly white versus the light grey hair of 7+ years ago.

We decided to go and eat and that was the probably the best way to get caught up with our lives. He took me to a Syrian restaurant and we ordered lots of small plates and then a main entree. It was quiet a sampler and I got a chance to try lots of Syrian food, grape leaves with rice and meat inside, artichoke pieces with garlic and olive oil, eggplant with some spices with garlic and olive oil, chickpeas and yogurt, pita with small pieces of lamb, some empanadas with lamb meat, marinated lamb brains, some meat rolled up in dough and fried-I called it Syrian Sushi because that is what it looked like. The main entrees were skewers of lamb, chicken, beef and mixed vegetables. We ate to our hearts content and talked about everything, kids, our better halves, work, politics, soccer (who would have guessed) and what's in our plans for the future.

Unfortunately all too soon it was time for me to head back to the bus for the ride back to post. We got the kodak moment picture which is above, said our goodbyes and if all goes well I should be here one more time before my year is up and we'll get a chance to see each other again. I reminded him that next time it's his turn to see me back in California. We'll see what happens.
On the way back there was a major accident on the road heading back to base so we got to see Doha au noit as we drove through neighborhoods which I don't think the driver even knew existed as he was trying to get to another road which would take us to the base. The trip lasted almost an hour. I hit the pub for my ration of beers and then spoke to Carmen and hit the sack.

This morning it was sleep in and do the laundry since I will either be leaving late tonite or sometime tomorrow and depending on how long I will be in BIAP waiting for transportation, it is better safe than sorry when it comes to having enough clean clothes to last for 3-4 days if necessary. I then headed off to the PX to take one last look at some souvenirs and then it was a visit to my favorite place the swimming pool. I was there for about 3 hours and took a well deserved nap laying in the shade. The water was nice and felt great each time when I got in. I ate a late lunch wolfing down a Chile Mushroom Burger and fries, not knowing when I will get another chance to eat something like that. Funny thing is that even though they have a DFAC here I have avoided eating there like the plague since when I get back to Taji that will be the only game in town!

I headed back to the room, showered got all my things on the bed ready to pack tonite if I leave late tonite, if not then I'll pack the ruck tomorrow when I get up. Right now I am at the MWR site chilling out reading my personal email, blogging and in a few minutes will grab a beer and some dinner here. In about 90 minutes they will post the departure formation time so I would rather eat so if I have to pack and clear quarters I can do so quickly.

That's it for now, if I don't leave until tomorrow I may post something but more than likely I will update you all when I get back to my temporary home sweet home Taji Iraq.

The Colonel

R & R Day Two and Then Some

2007-10-03T15:22:00.000+03:00

I am finally starting to like this place, even though with Ramaden our chances of seeing some scenery off the base is limited, at least I am not in Taji working and with all the sleeping in I have realized that this is definitely habit forming. Today I slept in and after getting my coffee and bagle headed to the pool, where this time I made sure to put SPF45 on my belly to not get burned. After a couple of hours there I headed back to the room, changed signed up for the inland sea tour and another shopping mall visit for Day 3. I ran into a couple of the guys from my Division and decided to linkup with them later in the afternoon. I grabbed some lunch over at the food court and then we shot some pool and did the usual war story tradeoffs. I then headed back to the room changed and waited for our mall bus to arrive. As luck would have it there was a tanker that overturned at the main gate and with the fuel spill we were delayed leaving for 30+ minutes. So by the time we got there it was 1900 hrs and we had to be back on the bus by 2100 hrs. One of the guys I met on the bus, we decided to grab dinner first then check out the mall. The food court was alot like our food courts but with a more arab/indian flavor to it. I went for the curry shrimp with salad, vegetables, colored rice, Arab bread and some Iranian tea. It was nice to eat something local and varied for a change. The mall is the third largest one in Doha and was basically a typical western mall, except they had some definitely Arab stores but most was like ours. It gave me a chance to check out the jewelry, especially with two women in the house whose taste is about the same when it comes to earrings and other jewelry. Carmen reminded me of the type of jewelry she likes and I couldn't figure out if she was hinting at something or not. I must not have had my hearing aids on when she was explaining what she liked!

We got back almost at 2200 hrs and it gave me a chance to grab a a couple of beers and head to the room for the night. It was going to be a short night since I had signed up for the inland sea and sand dune tour. 0600 hrs came around pretty quick and I was at the MWR site by 0655 for the 0700 hrs meeting time. We all got into Toyota Land Cruisers and headed off the base and past the airport before turning out to the sea. We got to a section of huge sand dunes and the drivers let out some air in the tires and off we went 4 wheeling. The 4 wheeling was pretty tame if you ask me but at least it gave us a chance to see another part of Qatar that we had never seen before. We than arrived at the sea location where they had set up like a camp. There were the usual bedouin tents with AC, some open but offering shade, and tables and chairs under straw roofs where we could sit and go into the ocean and swim. The bouyancy in the Persian Gulf we were located in the Dalwhat Salwa Bay was incredible you could literally float and I must have spent 20 minutes treading water effortlessly.

We got a chance to play some beach volleyball and then had a nice Qatar lunch arab style sitting on cushions in an AC tent. Chicken, beef and lamb kabobs, three types of salad, hummis, pita bread, rice and some fruit. After lunch I headed back into the water where some of the folks decided to partake in smoking some Arab tobacco via the hookah! It was then time to get back into the land cruisers and do some more 4 wheeling and then head back to the base. The traffic was lousy and there must have been more roundabouts then they have in Chiclana Spain!

I was all coated with salt when I got back to the room so I took a shower discovered that there is that spot on your back where you sort of can't reach to put on sun tan lotion, well guess who got burned there, yours truely. So obviously I can't put any lotion on that spot so I am screwed until more than likely my skin peels there.

I guess that's it for now, as I am heading back to the room to change grab a quick snack and get ready for the Villagio Mall which is like the Villagio hotel where they have a canal going down the middle and there are gondolas, with the painted ceiling to look like a sky. I am looking forward to seeing my friend Ziad tonite and get a chance to spend a couple of hours with him at dinner in the mall.

The Colonel

R&R Day One

2007-10-01T22:39:00.001+03:00

No alarm clock to wake me up this morning is what I was dreaming about as I laid in bed this morning oblivious to what time it was. I finally checked my watch and it was 0850 which was a nice way to start day one! I headed over to grab a Mocha (not as good as the ones back at Sun) a muffin and off to the swimming pool to rest, relax, knock off a few chapters of Laura Ingrahams "Shut up and Sing" and actually maybe even go in the pool and get my hair wet. I found a reclining chair and made sure I got most of it under the shade so I wouldn't get burned. So I put the usual SPF 45 on my face, legs and shoulders just in case I decided to go into the pool. It was nice and reminded me of Spain except there were no topless women around! ;>) Actually the female Soldiers can't wear a two piece suit unless they have a t-shirt on and us guys can't wear speedos!

I have always known that a high percentage of Soldiers tend to have tatoos, but what I saw today really blew me away. I think that average guy had 3-4 tatoos, the female Soldiers weren't too far behind either. Out of the 25 Soldiers there today, maybe 5 or 6 of us didn't have any tatoos! You name it they had it, eagles, Chineese symbols, flowers, barb wire, dragons and the best one was the guy who had the American flag tatooed on his arm. Each time he walked by I didn't know if I should stand up and salute old glory!

It was so nice to lay down and just relax and read, I did go swimming a couple of times and yest Ascension I did get my hair wet! The music on the PA system wasn't too bad, there could have been more twang but as long as I can understand the lyrics and the music isn't bad I don't mind. Unfortunately there was a 45 minute period of rap and I thought I was going to die, I couldn't understand much except the four letter words that seem to come out every sentence or so and the references to the female gender starting with the letter H.

I headed back to my room and got ready for the 1400 hrs signup which is where we have to go and signup for the next days activities. As previously mentioned with Ramadan all but two activities were cancelled. I really don't feel like going to an inland beach in SUV's through sand dunes to swim in very warm water with jelly fishes and have a BBQ in the hot sun. So it came down to going to the malls. If you would have told me last year that I would be looking forward to going to a mall I would have said that you were crazy. But yes I do want to go to a mall, not so much to go shopping but to link up with my buddy Ziad and spend the time at the mall with him and enjoy dinner. So tomorrow night I will be going to the Hyatt Plaza Mall.

I spent some time watching the movie Borat at the MWR site and then headed back to change to sign up for the sponsorship program, which is where a Soldier or Airman based here signs out one-three Soldiers and takes them to where they want to go for the evening. With Ramadan you have to be wearing long sleeves, long pants, no earrings for guys and closed toed shoes. When I got back to my room to change I realized that my stomach was sore, I took off my shirt and I was redder that a lobster. Putting one plus one together I realized that the shading they had at the pool provided shade but didn't keep out the UV rays, so I was burned below the area where I put suntan lotion on my shoulders and neck and face. Not good, although I have been putting moisturing cream on I will be sore tomorrow.

At the end even though I signed up not enough people left post so I stayed here and read, went to Chiles for dinner and am hear at the wireless area drinking a few beers and listening to the folks try Karaoke! Right now two guys are making Garth Brooks cry with their rendition of "Friends in Low Places", such a great song massacred!

That's it for now, time to give Carmen a call and see how things are back at home, then it's off to bed, as the sun and humidity have taken it's toll on me.

The Colonel

R&R Day Zero

2007-10-01T14:58:00.000+03:00

As I mentioned in yesterdays blog, I didn’t hit the sack until 0600 hrs. I slept in until approx 1200 hrs and decided that with this being day 0 I might as well go check out this post and see what there is to see and do around here. I walked into the bathroom and was amazed at how nice it was! I guess that after almost 5 months up in Taji using porta-potties and taking showers where the floors are wet with water and slippery as hell this was nice, no this was really nice! My accommodations are better than most since I am a Colonel. We get our own rooms with TV/DVD and plenty of room. The rest of the Soldiers and officers share open bays and depending on what your rank is there are more or less Soldiers in each of the bays. The building we are in makes me feel like the movie Cocoon. It is a large warehouse that has AC. Inside the warehouse there are double decker connexes which have AC, two bed, two wall lockers, TV/DVD, a table with two chairs and some night stands. The lighting inside the warehouse is low so that the Soldiers can sleep at all hours of the day since there are some Soldiers stationed here who work nights and sleep during the day.

After showering and changing I decided to head out to the MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) Building which is a huge warehouse fitted out into individual rooms, large TV areas, and other sites. This is where we were briefed early this morning. They have DVD’s to check out, an USO area with books, TV, play station and other amenities. DSN Telephones which we can use to call back to the states and speak with our families. Computers to check up on email and free snacks.

In the back of the building they have a huge TV room, billiards (about 10 tables) a stage, wireless internet area, bowling alley, and what everyone wants a couple of restaurants where they serve beer and wine something that we are not allowed to consume back in Iraq. The scenario is much like a town with a main walkway with tables and a couple of establishments such as a wine bar, pub and restaurant.

After checking that out I decided to head to the PX and check out what it was like. Although the PX is smaller than Taji’s they have lots of smaller shops that sold jewelry, rugs and other souvenirs. It had the usual food court, with BK, Subway and a pizza joint. They did have what I haven’t been able to find up in Taji, one pound bags of sun flower seeds!

I then decided to take a walk instead of using the shuttle bus to go check out the pool and the Chevy’s restaurant. The pool definitely looked nice and more than likely I will swing by there tomorrow to lay in the shade and catch up on my reading. Since it was late and the DFAC had already closed I decided to eat at Chile’s. Having eaten at the DFAC’s since I have arrived in theater I decided to eat what I usually can’t. So I had the chips and salsa just like Carmen and I do when we go out for snacks back home on a Friday night. I then decided to eat their original burger and it tasted soooooo good, it was as if I had been transported back home and was sitting in the Chile’s on Stevens Creek Blvd with Carmen sipping my beer and she her margarita. It was a nice way to ease into this 4 day R&R.

I decided to walk back to the room and the first thing one notices here is the humidity, unlike back in Iraq where a bad day the humidity may get up to 30 percent here it remains at about 70 percent and it is muggy and just plain uncomfortable in the sun. Once again I should have taken the bus because although I was wearing my A’s cap my face was red and as Javier would say, I look like “Tomato Man”! I finally headed back to the MWR site where I called my friend Ziad who lives here in Qatar and spoke with him for a bit. He and I became friends on the Spanish Soccer Site and actually met for the first time when I was TDY in 1997 at Ft Leavenworth, he lived in Wichita, KS. We had linked up with another guy on the list Pedro who lived in Manhattan KS. We keep in touch via email and after almost 10 years I am looking forward to see him again, this time though he is no longer single but is married with two kids.

Tonite I grabbed my computer and hit the wireless site where I currently am now, grabbed some nice Kulkenny Irish Lager, ate one of my favorites for dinner-Nachos and listened on line to my beloved Betis play and actually win tonite. Once I get done with this blog I will be calling Carmen and then will sign out a DVD “V for Vendetta” and head home to watch it.

That’s it for now, I will let you all know of my adventure tomorrow on my official day one of R&R.

The Colonel

R&R in Qatar

2007-09-30T16:20:00.001+03:00

Well after 5+ months in the box it was time to take some well deserved Rest and Relaxation in Qatar. The US has a base here called Camp As Sayllyah (CAS) and I had put in my pass during the first week I was in theater for 1-4 October.

This is perfect timing for my R&R, we graduated the first class of Iraqi Soldiers that will be working in the Depot on the 27th. The Australians had taught the first phase of training (23 day training cycle) and we had a nice ceremony, gave out diplomas, honor graduate and some other awards. The Iraqi Deputy Commander spoke, as did the Aussie Senior Officer and myself. The Soldiers were happy to have finished phase one and to then have 10 days of vacation. With them being gone, these next 10 days were more a refit for the Aussies and to prepare the OJT instruction and materials, take care of paperwork and for us finalize some logistics issues, and continue to get the Depot ready in terms of life support and the upcoming refurbishments.

In order to get you to Qatar the Army has to get you to the closest AF Base. Although I am closer to Balad, since I was in Baghdad when I filled out my pass form, they listed BIAP as my departure point. I booked a chopper flight early in the week for a flight on the 29th towards evening since it's cooler and safer to fly at night. The night before I go and check on flight times and the SGT says I am good to go but on the manifest they have me going to Liberty not BIAP. I told him nicely that I had checked BAIP, he goes and looks at the paperwork which did say BIAP. Unfortunately Thiele-Sardina means "Murphy" in andaluz and there were no seats going to BAIP since that was the 6th stop and that leg was full. But he would see if I could get on the later flight and for me to check the next morning. Ditto same problem and there are no seats on the later flight, but Victory has a shuttle that will take you to BIAP Pax terminal so I figured that was better than not flying last night.

At church yesterday right before I had to go to the pax terminal Father John's sermon was about our guardian angel and that we need to constantly communicate with them so that they can help us out when we need them. That was probably a good sermon to have to right before my pass. I checked in for the flight to Liberty and once we got on the tarmac we were told that the chopper had mechanical issues, so we spent about 45 minutes laying down on the ruck sack looking at the gorgeous moon and stars above. It's somewhat strange that here out in the middle of Iraq that for 45 minutes you can forget where you are and just admire how peaceful this world is. I finally got going and I arrived with no problem to Liberty. After waiting for almost an hour the shuttle bus arrived and took me to BIAP. While driving between the two bases which are connected, we must have passed numerous fuel and supply convoys that were waiting to pull out with much needed supplies. The road network is perfect for women who are at full term in their pregancy and want to go into labor, there are more pot holes and ruts than in all of San Jose (which was rated this year as the worst city in the US in this category) on that stretch of road.

When I check I was expecting the usual you have to come by tomorrow at 2100 or 2200 hours for your checkin since my pass started on 1 October and they try to get you their late the day before or on your actual start day. Instead the Sergeant says there are no scheduled flights but there may be one that leaves at 0200 so stop by at 0100 and will let you know. So with the temps in the mid 80's it felt great sitting out in the screen covered waiting area until 0100 hrs. I stopped by the desk and she told us that we were lucky that the flight was a go, but they had to unload cargo, refuel and load additional cargo. At 0200 we were on the C-17 which is the first time I flew on this plane, it is huge and unlike the C-5 where the seating compartment is above the belly of the plane here you sit in the belly but the fold down seats are much more comfortable than a C-130 or C-141. We had to help the crew roll back a ways a 13 ton 750KW generator that had been loaded too far forward. The four of us Soldiers besides the two generators had the plane to ourselves. It was a quick and quiet 2.5 hour flight to Qatar as we all fell asleeps right away.

We arrived in Qatar, went through customs, waited for our LNO to come pick us up and after the mandatory briefing, linen pickup, the sun had come out (0545 hrs) I hit the sack at 0600.

All in all I was happy to have avoided staying an extra day in BIAP, today the 30th is then my 0 day which means tomorrow is the start of my first day of R&R. I guess I can thank my guardian angel for squaring me away last night and early this morning.

The Colonel

Just Another Sunny Day in Taji

2007-09-25T22:47:00.000+03:00

I had just finished my 6 mile run this morning when the sun started to rise and after a mad dash to the room to grab the camera I was able to snap off this shot looking to the east. What you see in front of you is junk, trashed Iraqi Army equipment from Desert Storm and OIF piled into that area waiting to be moved and recycled. It has been rather enjoyable as of late running in the dark of the morning, as temps are now in the mid to low 70's. It's relatively quiet except for some birds that gather along the canal and are singing away, that and the hundreds of bats flying about along the trail (dirt road) make for some interesting running.

Today was one of those non-stop days. I had known that some folks from the J-3 (Operations) and J-6 (IT/Communications) were coming up to Taji but they did not send me their arrive info on the secured computer. So I went about getting as much stuff done this morning as quickly as possible because once they arrived it would be none stop discussions and tours. LTC T the J-6 arrived a little after 0900 hrs. So we discussed the internet project that I was trying to get funded so I can get connectivity, a service contract and all the hardware and software required for our headquarters bldg. We walked through the building, he picked my brain with all types of questions and options that I had available and based on my answers he will finish completing the packet with the estimated cost of the equipment. All I kept hearing was Dell this and Dell that and I reminded him that Dell wasn't the only option and what about Sun, so the wording on the bid will say Dell or other comparable brand. Hey might as well try to get some revenue going for the homeboys! Luckily for me I an not the one making the final decision on what to purchase so I can still put a plug in for Sun and not have to worry about going to Leavenworth after this tour!

The J-3, COL A and his MSGT L from the USMC called and we scheduled the inbrief and tour of the depot for 1245 hrs. He just took over as the J-3 and wanted to see the depot, so I gave him the standard brief with updates and then we went to the depot. We drove through the south depot and then stopped and checked out a couple of the buildings being worked on at the north depot. After explaining all that was going on and the coordination he was surprised that we did all that work with so few people in our shop. I reminded him that we tend to work longer hours here at the Depot than the folks down at the IZ, and because there are so few of us we tend to work closely together amongst other agencies here because if not we will fail miserably!

I had several other meetings with the Air Force guys at the RSU regarding the generator farm. SSG G was having fun at the fuel yard receiving fuel from our contractor and I am sure that I will here the adventures of what hoops he had to jump through to receive the fuel. I have asked HQ's for monies to buy a fuel meter reader for the fuel intake site so that we can have an accurate picture of what we are receiving in terms of liters, instead of dipping, measuring the tank and asking God for guidance as to what we really think we received from the contractors. The meter reader cost $8K and the finance folks (sorry Carmen) said no that it cost too much. I reminded them that it would probably pay itself in the first 4-5 deliveries by giving us the accurate amount of fuel received but they didn't want to hear it. I felt like telling them that next time we have a delivery they need to get their asses out of their chairs and air conditioned building and come down and do what we have to do, and rest assured we would get that pump FedEx'd to us quicker than a New York minute.

Sunday was my off day and I really enjoyed it. I slept in until 1000 hrs., called Carmen via Skype. Then it was clean the room and after showering go to the PX. I went in APFU (Army Physical Fitness Uniform), that PT shorts, shirt, running shoes and weapon. It was so enjoyable going incognito where no one knows who you are and not having to salute every 10 seconds. The PX folks are trying their hardest to keep the shelves filled with items especially toiletries and food, but when you have so many Soldiers it becomes a losing battle. I hit the subway sandwich shop for a late lunch, I know that back home I am not a Subway guy and would rather go to Quiznos for a sub, but when all you eat is DFAC food, that footlong Italian sub with the works sans mayo tasted pretty damn good. When I got back I read some of the magazines and then it was 1800 hours and that's when soccer starts in Spain, so I tuned into the Spanish radio station and enjoyed listening to the matches. Late that evening I opened up some of the brie and crackers and various dips that I have and enjoyed my dinner with some alcohol free beer. I was craving for a nice Pinot Noir or Chardonnay but that will have to wait a few more days until I get to Qatar for my 4 day R&R pass.

Tomorrow looks like it will be the first day since late June that the high for the day will not be in triple figures. Well it's almost 0030 hours I since I don't run on Wednesday mornings I will get an extra hour plus of shuteye which I need. Even with vitamins and working out, this job takes it's toll on you and with the heat, being constantly on the run and being multi-tasked by the end of the evening I am usually ready for the sack by 1100 hrs. That's it for now, thanks to those who have emailed me as of late, Suzy, Tom, Sheila and Brian from Sun. It's nice to hear from you all back home, keep working hard as quarter ends on Sunday and need to get that stock up there and get the bonus!! Take care and will update you all later this week.

The Colonel

Dog Days of Summer No Longer

2007-09-22T20:24:00.001+03:00

Apologies for not having written anything all week long but between getting up at 0530 to go out and run and not getting back into the hootch until past 2100 hrs free time is rare and that usually means skyping with the family or reading my running and wine magazines until I fall asleep in bed. Then it's up at 0 Dark Hundred and the start of another day.

You can tell it is now autumn here in Iraq. We are still hitting the 100's but the Sun isn't so direct bearing down on you anymore. The evenings are now more enjoyable and when I hit the trails before 0600 on my runs it's in the mid 70's. Today it actually reached a nice 72 degrees. We should start seeing 90's as the high and start reaching into the 60's at night. Something tells me when we are in the dead of winter these 70 degree mornings will seem like heaven, since that 40 yard walk to the showers and rest room when it's in the 30's and 40's will be a eye opener!

We've been busy obligating the remaining 2007 monies for the construction project, the last three days 10 additional buildings were funded at a cost of $25M for the upgrades/refurbishment or new construction like some warehouses and the blast building. That basically means that by the end of the month work will be ongoing in at least 15 buildings here at the Depot. As I always tell people that Thiele-Sardina means Murphy in Spanish and sure enough the one refurb that will impact the depot the most was misrouted and sent to another agency for approval and now they are trying to get those monies back where they belong. That funding will enable us to tear down the old buildings, fix the front entrances, guard houses and do a massive cleanup of this base. You can not imagine the junk that is laying around here on our part of the post and elsewhere. Old combat tanks, trucks, train cars, tires, artillery cannons old jet engines, you name it it's here! On top of that in the outlying areas here on base, people stop and throw their garbage into the quasi trash dump. One of these days I will post some pics of the equipment that is worth a mint in scrap metal, unfortunately the bureaucracy here hasn't decided in the process or given the green light for the Ministry of Defense (MOD) to sell this junk. Part of our depot will contain a DRMO and DeMil yard which will sort out the equipment for the MOD to then sell the scrap metal and the monies from those sales can go to the treasury and be spent on the countries infrastructure.

This week we will be moving into the new joint Iraqi-US PMO headquarters at the depot. I will be in meetings with my counterparts to review their organization and align it to the manning roster that will be required to operate the depots buildings.

Its almost 2200 hrs and I can smell the fine aroma of cigar smoke that is coming from outside vicinity of the poker table so I guess I will be taking a break to go over and partake in some nice conversation while smoking a nice cigar. The only thing missing is a nice cup of brandy or some port wine.

Talk to you all later!

The Colonel

Hot Wings on a Saturday Night

2007-09-15T20:01:00.000+03:00

Well it's finally Saturday night and I am now back in the hootch finishing up on my dinner from the DFAC. Saturday nights is Chicken Wing night, and that is usually an uplift and a great way to end the week. Tonite it was not different, some atomic hot wings, vegetable curry and those nice greasy onion rings which is great for the ticker and the arteries!

Our staff here at Taji has increased this week, as the Major that I interviewed several weeks ago and hired finally arrived at Taji on Tuesday and she has hit the ground running. Major Y is a 104th Soldier who was working in the J-4 section in the IZ and with her business background and the fact that she has a lot of experience handling all the purchasing paperwork she is a perfect fit in our group. Beside with a deputy I can start concentrating on the more strategic decisions that need to be made and let more of the day to day and tactical work and decisions to her.

Wednesday we had a site visit for the DPW (Department of Public Works) contract that we are trying to get set up at the Depot. With barracks, work offices, buildings and equipment that needs to be maintained to include water, sewage and electrical infrastructure. The visit went well and with the AMC guys busy on a road trip I got the chance to give the tour and walk through of the facilities.

We are getting set up in our joint Iraqi-US PMO building which is located on the depot grounds. More than likely next week we will begin to work out of this building during the day while still keeping our offices here on the coalition side, as the internet hasn't been installed yet in the new building.

Yesterday and today were busy days with me training up the new Major on what we do, what she is responsible for and getting her set up with her internet account, vehicle and introducing her to the persons that she will be dealing with on a daily basis. We submitted today to finance 4 purchases for equipment, equipment installation and refurbishing and upgrades of 8 warehouses.

Yesterday I closed down the shop early since we were having a BBQ by the billets, our cook SFC D who was the BBQ King at Ft Riley was in charge of the grilling and as usual he did not let us down. The steaks, burgers, dogs and ribs were out of this world, all the salads that the Soldiers got in their to go boxes from the DFAC were served and we had a great time. Later that evening we had our outdoor movies we saw the movie "Blades of Glory". It wasn't like home but with a non-alcoholic beer and a nice 5 Vegas Gold Cigar in the warm evening breeze it felt really nice. The BBQ gives us a chance to see the other folks that we trained with at Riley, since their schedule is different then ours and they head off to work before we do and we arrive well after they are back in the dark.

Tomorrow is Sunday which means I can sleep in and enjoy a relaxing morning breakfast and do some reading and the usual cleanup of the room.

Time to sign off and listen to the soccer games on Spanish Radio.

The Colonel

Life is a Bowl of Dust

2007-09-14T14:50:00.001+03:00

Dust and more dust seems to be the story of late, for three days that's all we had in the sky and the picture above was taken at around 1745hrs and that's about all you could see of the sun.

We are still moving forward with the development of the Depot. The power is on and everyday brings more progress. Unfortunately there are still issues with the power grid and some of the work that was done when the electrical grid was built. Until we can get the warranty work completed we can still not do a full fledged infrastructure test. I missed the water geyser that occurred when the pump house was turned on and water began to flow into the pipes, as we mobilized to see where there were more water main problems the flow of water stopped. From what we found out later the main water line coming from the coalition side was turned off cutting off the water flow. We are still not able to inspect the sewage lines due to the water issue.

I was glad that the NCOIC SSG G came back from his 4 day pass in Qatar. They say that the NCO Corps is the backbone of the Army and that was driven home while he was out for the 10 days, since you lose at least 2 days traveling to and from if all goes well weather wise. He manages the 6 interpreters that we have working for PMO group to include translating for the Aussies in the classes they are giving the Iraqi’s. With him out I had to take over some of the admin work involved like driving them back and forth to chow and work when the Aussies couldn’t. I had to go out again and escort some trucks from the south gate to our depot so that they could drop off some supplies. Coordinate lots of the day to day activities with the coalition team that supports us, work with the Iraqi’s on life support issues etc. He had a great time and filled me in on what to see and not to see when I go down there later this fall. Except for my 15 day R&R this will be the only chance I get to leave Iraq while I am here so I am looking forward to those 4+ days in Qatar and the almost 8 days away from the daily grind up here.

The other day I had to assist the Iraqi’s with picking up some vehicles from the Supply Depot Class VII yard for initial issue. The 40 jundi have been using two Chevy Silverado Crew Cabs as their only mode of transportation and if you want to see something scary check out how many Iraqi Soldiers you can fit in one of those trucks both in the cab and bed, it’s scary! These vehicles were ordered and sat in the will call section for a couple of weeks while 1) we tried to get fuel for the vehicles, 2) coordinated drivers to drive the vehicles from the Supply Depot, and 3) ensure the guy who could sign out the vehicles was there. I called ahead to CPT Nap the Ops guy and told him although it was getting close to lunch hour that we would be over there in about 30 minutes. We arrived at it was 1125 which in our world means jack, but here you are on the edge of the start of their lunch hour or is it hours and hours and hours! I walk into the office with one of the Iraqi Majors and let the Iraqi Captain know that we are here to pickup the truck. He looks at the clock, then his huge gut which is probably growling because he had more than likely finished breakfast a couple of hours earlier and announced we were too late and that it was their lunch period. I smiled and said to his interpreter that we had called in advance and are here to pickup the vehicles that we have in will call. He says that’s a no go and in a cocky manner of fact say that these had been on will call for almost 3 weeks and why the hurry now. I have been told that at times I am an excitable guy and I was livid as I reminded him that if the Iraqi Supply Depot soldiers wouldn’t siphon out the fuel from these vehicles to power the depots vehicles I wouldn’t have had to get fuel for these trucks and please stand up when speaking with a senior officer. He’s yelling at the interpreter to tell me something, I’m yelling back at the poor interpreter telling him what he can tell the Captain, and the verbal tennis match goes on for a couple of minutes and by the way my guys are not going to wait until 1400 hours which really means 1430 hours because nothing ever gets done here on time. The US Depot Senior Advisor comes outside to see what all the ruckus is about and when I explain what’s going on he basically toes the Iraqi line on this one and says you're lucky we have assets today to assist if not you might not have gotten these vehicles for a couple of days, my jaw hit the ground in awe while listening to him basically say that the Iraqi’s can do whatever they please instead of holding them accountable for failing to follow standard procedures, and their lack of urgency and not taking care of their customers in a satisfactory manner.

We got them to handle the will call at 1300 hrs which was a victory of sort and some poor Iraqi Soldiers missed out on their long siesta, good for them!! I went out to the yard at around 1400 hrs to check up on how things are coming along and find out where the forklift we are supposed to draw is since we need it to move some supplies. They are trying to get one of the vehicles started, obviously no one ever went to the yard to prep or ensure the vehicles would be ready for the customer to pickup. Batteries dry, no fuel as it was siphoned dry, and all of us who have had diesels before know what a pain in the fourth point of contact they are when they run out of gas. Long story short after 90 minutes of struggle they are able to start the vehicle and move it with the gas I got from the Generator Farm.

The next day I swung by to look at the other truck and it was missing a roof, when I asked them where it was, come to find out it was issued like that, no tire jack, or tarp on the back, etc. And oh by the way none of the trucks now start. I let the folks back in the J-4 know that the vehicles the TNMD was supposed to be issued are basically inoperable, and we need another issue so we can turn these in and get vehicles that are operable. I have to hand it to my guys, they were so desperate for a vehicle that they accepted anything they could get their hands on, I advised them that isn’t how its’ supposed to work and when we draw the replacements all equipment will be on hand and the vehicles will start ASAP and have the roof on!

Now that summer is coming to an end since I have been outside a lot these past couple of weeks I am finally used to the weather, as evidenced the other evening when I had to go to the depot to linkup with one of the engineers. It was about 1815 hrs., about 98 outside and I just drove down the road with the window open no AC and it felt like a normal day and I was very comfortable. That’s scary!!

Well that’s all for tonite, got to get up and run about 10 miles tomorrow to make up for the run I didn’t get in today since we had to be at work by 0700 due to a contractor visit, but that’s another story.

One big shout out to Ascension my daughter who finally hit the big 21 on the 10th and can legally drink! That’s not to say she never got a six pack of her favorite Class VI beverage thrown in one of the boxes that she was taking back to school after spending the weekend at home compliments of the Senior Quartermaster in the family!

The Colonel

100 Years of Real Betis Balompie

2007-09-12T20:40:00.000+03:00

Just a quick note today the 100th anniversary of the founding of my beloved Real Betis Balompie Soccer team from Sevilla Spain.

Viva Er Beti Manquepierda!!

Arturo

Let There Be Light!!

2007-09-07T19:18:00.000+03:00

As I left off last week, we finally received our first major shipment of fuel, but nothing is easy over here. Unfortunately for me the NCOIC of our section was in Qatar on his pass so I was left to fend for myself and it was a zoo. I got the email from the vendor that his trucks were going to see if they could make it through the bridge site. I got a call at around 1230 stating that the fuel trucks were at the Southgate. So I grabbed one of our interpreters (A) and we headed off to the gate. Once you arrive there you have to be in full battle rattle and there is nothing better than standing in the sun when it’s 114 out and can feel the beads of sweat rolling down your back. Getting these guys on post was a different experience and off to the generator farm we headed. Once we got there I see the guys pull out instead of a hose a plastic tubing 4” diameter much like the ones we use back home to catch water from our gutters at the end of the spout. I asked the driver where was his hose and he told me what I was seeing was his hose. No clamps to tighten the hose to either the discharge or receiving end. So it takes about 45+ minutes to figure out a way to rig it using rubber from the inner tubes. Obviously until the pump on the receiving end begins to really crank there is fuel spillage and at .85 cents a liter I’m not a happy taxpayer. The stick for dipping the fuel is broken and there are no markings on it, so calculating total fuel received was not going to be an easy chore. Just like back home right? The first truck is almost empty when I get a call that another contractor had arrived with a shipment of consumable items we needed for our work shops, and he didn’t have the proper credentials to make it to the south gate and instead I had to meet him at the first manned gate there is on the edge of the Iraqi side of the base. Definitely not a good sign when these are the places that the terrorists target for their VBIED attacks. Full battle rattle, locked and loaded I get waived by the south gate guards, then the US guards and finally the interpreter and I arrive where the driver was.

I get out and he’s talking all the while he has a his 9mm mag and pistol in one hand waving it around as if this was the norm. Here I’m thinking to my self yeah the mag is out but does he have a round chambered and why does it seem to be pointing away from him and towards us? The order is in the back of the van and the bag carrying some of the supplies is broken so some of the bottles of oil are strewn about the floor and here we are trying to pickup the bottles so I can begin to inventory the items before transferring it to my vehicle. After 25 minutes counting the items, discussing future deliveries and moving the product I am flying down the road trying to get back to the south gate and generator farm. The US guard stops us, inspects the vehicle and asks me whether I was from Taji, figuring that this dumb Colonel was stupid enough to drive a non armored vehicle outside the wire, I smiled and told him that I was based out of here and had just gone to the first gate for a delivery pickup.

Back to the generator farm and they were still downloading fuel and it was obvious that all 5 tankers would not be downloaded prior to the gate closure time. The drivers were hungry so I gave them some MRE’s and water and told them which MRE's had pork. Once the third vehicle was empty I had to escort them back to the southgate and in order to get them out the guards inspect the fuel trucks to make sure they dumped their entire load and are not trying to steal the fuel to sell elsewhere. Since the rigged seal on the hose worked only so well ;>) there wasn’t enough suction so one of the tankers probably had 50-75 liters of fuel in it. I asked the guard at the gate where he could drive up a ramp to unload the fuel and was there a collection point for the fuel, they said no, just pull into the gravel parking lot which has a slight rise and dump it there! I’m sure the EPA would have loved it. Lesson learned for next time, bring jerry cans to catch the extra fuel so the Iraqi trucks in our depot have fuel. Got the fuel downloaded from the other two trucks, reverified by inspecting the storage tanks total fuel delivered, told them where they could park for the night and we got them dinner.

The next morning which was Sunday my sleep in day and my “take the entire day off” day was screwed since we had to get them out early and notify the units at the bridge that they were coming through. So after getting them out I took the rest of the day off and got caught up on my reading and cleaning the room.

With the fuel the generator farm began to power up amid all the testing and preparations and on Monday the zone which had been inspected and all electrical substations and transformers were good to go was powered and on the grid. The north depot had some issues with transformers not being grounded properly, so I had the electricians fix the three transformers that fed the three buildings I needed most, and Tuesday night after just over 100 days up here in Taji we finally had power! The Iraqi soldiers were happy campers that evening as they could finally sleeps in AC billets instead of sweltering 90+ degree heat at night. The timing was perfect as the Aussies had been using a small 60Kw generator to power up the building where the depot classes had just kicked off on Monday. These are our first group of Iraqi Soldiers going through depot training, we started with 42 prior to them going to boot camp and had 40 after boot camp, we lost one due to medical issues, so these 39 are the trailblazers. The Aussies constructed temporary classrooms and work areas for the small arms, generator repair and welding courses that they are teaching.

Now I’ll have to start setting up my office at the Depot which should facilitate Depot discussions with my Iraqi counterparts on a daily basis. Unfortunately until now they work out of Baghdad and come out here once a week to for our meeting and just leave one officer out here to manage things. We have lots of items to work on, plus are expecting shipments to arrive next week and all the supply paperwork has been prepared on our side, they will now have to do the same.

Before I sign off for the day a couple of shout outs, one to Ray L a good friend from back home and retired Naval Officer sent me a nice note with some candy, and Tia Carol and Uncle John who sent me a nice card. Thanks

The Colonel

Challenges Ahead

2007-09-02T22:09:00.000+03:00

As the saying goes "nothing ever comes easy" and that seems to be the motto around here as of late! The big push here has been getting the generator farm (15 1MW generators on line). Thanks to the 1st Cav Division they paid the monies to have RMS start up the generator farm which has been dormant since December 2006 because of lack of fuel. At the same time the generator farm was being checked out, they were also high potting and checking out the 11KV lines that run to the various parts of the post, the transformer boxes and inspecting the lines.

We had been approved for our first fuel delivery but as the motto goes that still wasn't a reality. As you all probably read several weeks back a bridge that is located along the main route between Baghdad and Taji was partially destroyed and that has created a huge chokepoint along this route for various meetings. All traffic going north and south now has to use the same lane at the bridge site and this is a four lane road (2 lanes on each side). Additionally the bridge site is protected by the Iraqi Army (IA) and unless they are made aware of certain deliveries or convoys the wait there can be several hours long and many vehicles get turned back. Our fuel delivery was tied up because of this bridge. Then the contractor didn't send us the required info to get them past the bridge. When we finally offered them US Convoy security support, the issue was his drivers didn't want to be seen with American troops, then it was the drivers didn't want to go to Taji and he would have to switch out drivers. At that point I picked up the phone and called the contracting officer and told him this contractor wants American Greenback and now it's time to have him walk the walk! And if there was any other delay in the fuel I would request another vendor and this guy can go to hell! All this unfolded when the 7 day vehicle curfew was imposed to prevent any violence during one of the pilgrimages to a shiite shrine. Now I thought us Roman Catholics had a lot of religious holidays but these guys take the icing on the cake!!

As RMS has continued to inspect the various power generation equipment they have noted numerous deficiencies from the work of the company that built the generator farm and installed the high and low voltage lines through out the base. Unfortunately for us until some of these deficiencies are resolved we will not be able to start pushing power out to the grid. Stay tuned more to follow next blog.

The first shipments of equipment that were purchased for the Small Arms, Generator Repair and DPW facilities will arrive next week. I had originally thought that I would have to sign for the equipment and then get it added to the Depots Property Book as a US Army asset. Instead I have been advised that since this equipment was brought for the IA by US funds that it can not be added to the US Army property book but instead the IA will have to sign for the equipment after I approved the receipt of the material and sign off on the DD250 which will then allow the Army to pay off the vendors who shipped us the equipment. Property Accountability in the Iraqi Army leaves a lot to be desired because signing for property means taking responsibility for something and in the old regime if you were responsible and something went wrong than you were screwed with either prison or an early meeting with the grim reaper. So getting them to not get so uptight when it comes to taking responsibility for property or actions is trying at times. I will be letting them know what will have to happen prior to arrival of the equipment and ensure that they get their property book set up properly to annotate their new property.

SGT A who was loaned to our group in mid June left our group since he was redeployed to another location in Iraq. He has already been missed since he was here for over 8 months and knew all the ins and outs as to how to get things done, who to contact etc. Good news is that I hired from the IZ Major Y who had come up here earlier to interview for the Deputy PMO slot. I told her to finish up what she was working on at J-4 and to schedule her arrival here NLT 10 Sept. Her arrival should help since I will be able to hand off some of the day to day activities and concentrate on some of the longer range items that are sticking their ugly heads out and keep me up at night. AMC has sent us three new individuals to support this project, and this should help us since we will be required to do the technical review for the equipment that the bidders will purchase as part of the contract they bid on.

Well that it for now, the big question is when I post my next blog will we have power in out depot area?

The Colonel