28 May 08 Care Packages and Night Shift

28 May 08 Care Packages and Night Shift

A co-worker is away on his vacation so I'm on the night shift for
about the next 3 weeks or so. Most contractors over here get a
vacation every 4 or 6 months. KBR employees get a vacation every 4
months but my company gives me a vacation every 6 months. Below are a
few pics of me in the dark. It can be difficult to take a decent pic
in the dark with a cheap camera. So these will have to do. Note my
'anti-radiation' belt. Ok, it's actually just a reflective belt and
everyone here (soldiers and civilian pukes) is required to wear one
after dark. If you don't wear one, you might be denied entry to the
DFAC or PX after dark and you can also be ticketed. Getting one of
these 'tickets' is not a good experience as it's tantamount to a
speeding ticket. In my 3 years in Iraq, I've never received a ticket
(but have gotten close!) Last night at about 12:30 AM, the CRAM (R2D2
looking automatic machine gun) went off as I was coming out of the
DFAC. It's LOUD and the tracer rounds made it look like a red laser
beam. We didn't go to Code Red so I suspect that there's a big dead
bird out there somewhere. Of course, we'll never know for sure.
Also the Brigade Chaplain came by today and gave away some extra care
packages. I know they're extra since these get distributed to
soldiers first (and rightly so). It's really GREAT to get anything in
the mail and I very much apreciate getting the care packages that I
have received.
(Thank You) I've been asked 'what do I need' and honestly, there
really are very few things that I 'need'. The Army does a great job
at providing for the basic needs here. And of course, like many
things in life, what I 'want' cannot be put in a box.
R/Chris

28 May 08 Covered Porch

28 May 08 Covered Porch

The battalion has a back porch area where people can gather for a bbq
or a small Army cermony. About a week ago, someone (Army) decided to
get a large mesh tarp and have it put up over the porch as the direct
sun can be pretty intense during the summer. Now Army personnel are
here for up to a year and if they're here one summer, they've usually
rotated back to the states by the following summer. Also during the
summer we'll get the most intense wind storms and sand storms. And
about this time last summer, the Army personnel (different team then)
decided to put up a similar tarp over the porch. Well, during the
first wind storm, that tarp was ripped apart and subsequently taken
down. This new tarp is more mesh and it's resting on a wooden base.
So maybe this time the covered porch will last past the first wind
storm?
R/Chris

26 May 08 Memorial Day Flamingos

26 May 08 Memorial Day Flamingos
I've not posted any updates the last several days. There's really not
too much new and frankly,

I'm tired. Just tired of stuff.
I'm also on nights for the next month to cover a coworker on vacation.
Today is Memorial Day and so we put out the pink flamingos. I'll put
them away after dark before

someone tries to steal them. We're missing a few so far, so that's
not a big deal.
R/Chris

23 May 08 Pizza and stuff

The last several days have been very uneventful. Fortunately it's
been sunny and warm and clear which is much better than putting up
with the dust. The corporate headquarters had a 'pizza day' for all
employees but it's not like we here in Iraq can just jet back for
pizza. So we went to Pizza Hut here for pizza and below is a pic.
Also is a pic of the fron of the PX and some of the stores that have
popped up around it. There is a large porch in front of the fast food
places and the wide pic below turned out pretty good color wise so I
included it as well.
R/Chris

16 May 08 It's sunny, it's dusty, it's....

16 May 08 It's sunny, it's dusty, it's....

Today it's dusty...again. Tomorrow it'll probably be sunny and nice,
but who knows. And with the dust, come the attacks. We've had 'Code
Red' once already today and it's not even noon. Fortunately it's also
noticeably cooler when it's so dusty. Eh, such is life in Iraq.
R/Chris

15 May 08 Bosnians and Sex Ban Lifted...in Afghanistan

15 May 08 Bosnians and Sex Ban Lifted...in Afghanistan

This last weekend I was at the Green Beans coffee place on the west
side and saw Igor whom I worked with at Tallil a little over a
year ago. (Igor is in the pic in the solid red shirt below.) Korman
is in the checkered red shirt and both are Bosnians and we were
all receiving medals for doing such a swell job! Anyway, Bosnians are
generally white people from SE Europe who happen to be Muslim.
(Serbians are not Muslims, thus the whole Bosnian-Serbian conflict.)
A lot of Bosnians discovered that they could work for the US
Army and make a lot more money than they would in the Bosnian economy.
Before working for the US Army/KBR in Iraq, Igor was a
professional soccer player in Bosnia which while glamorous still
didn't pay what he makes in Iraq. Now the US Army pays for a job
based on the job AND based on that persons Nationality. US citizens
get 100% (and of course are subject to US income tax), Canadians
get about 90% and Bosnians get about 50-60%. I believe that the
reasoning is that the cost of living is much less in those countries.
Needless to say, Bosnians are accutely aware of this differential.
Igor and I had some pleasant small talk and he said we should get
together again some time. I left him my email address and I've not
heard from him since. I don't think I will either.

The Army also tries to implement some 'dumb' rules that while lax in
enforement, still carry the weight of law if needed. Recently
the Army has modified its stance in Afghanistan on a rule that is
virtually unenforceable. It should only be a matter of time before
such progress of allowing responsible adults to act like responsible
adults comes to Iraq.

And the Porta-John arsonist is still on the lam.

R/Chris

13 May 08 It's a nor-easter blowing in from the sou-west!

13 May 08 It's a nor-easter blowing in from the sou-west!

Today the weather is pretty bad. Nothing is flying here at all and
communications/internet have been intermittent. It's been windy,
dusty and even rainy and through it all it's been a hot day as well.
The gunfire from the other day picked up again and on my way 'home'
from the gym last night I could see some tracer rounds from that
direction. There were even a few booms this morning as well. Now
when this sorta stuff happens its natural to think 'gee - I wonder
what was happening over there.' Fortunately or unfortunately these
things are on a 'need to know' basis. So in all likelihood, I'll
never really know what happened.

12 May 08b Surreal lunch run

12 May 08b Surreal lunch run

I go running at lunch to keep in shape and work off a gut. I follow a
routine and do some situps and pushups along the way. Yesterday
I was doing situps at the location in the pic below and saw an Apache
helicopter in the sky, high above the trees to my left. We see
helos all the time here as they're mult-purpose aircraft but an Apache
helicopter has only one mission - to shoot stuff. Anyway I then
saw another helo join the first one and they were sorta circling. I
pretty much thought nothing of it and went back to my situps. At
about situp number 5 and with my headphones playing Finger 11 -
Paralyzer loudly, I heard 50 cal machine gunfire even louder! So I
got
up and sure enough 'there's a rukus going on over there' less than a
click away (kilometer or about 1000 yards). I first thought that I
should probably move further away or just cut the workout short as
stray AK-47 bullets can easily travel 1000 yards. (the weapon of
choice for bad guys is the AK-47) But then I thought, chances are
pretty dern slim that I'd get hit or anything so why not just finish
my workout. And so I did finish my workout with gunfire going on in
the background. It all just seemed a bit surreal...
Also, as an FYI, below is a pic of a water bladder. They're about 4-6
tall and contain many thousands of gallons of water.
R/Chris

12 May 08 Leaks abound

12 May 08 Leaks abound

Today is Monday and again the weather is warm and sunny. No dust,
clear blue skies and it probably won't even hit 100F today. Usually
by this time of year there are some hot days but that hasn't
happened...yet. I'm just glad it's not dusty as it really isn't
healthy at
all to breath in all that crap. The lawn is looking great even
without the beloved flamingos. About half the flamingos we absconded
to
'flock' another Sergeant Major and the other 1/2 I've temporarly
hidden to prevent their theft. I'll put them out again but frankly
I'm
expecting a continueing 'pink flamingo attrition' as its hard to keep
ahold of the critters!
Also there are water hoses and water bladders everywhere here on base
to get water to where it is needed/wanted. Dirt, sun and constant
pressure changes combine to wear out the material that the hoses and
bladders are made of in just a year or so. Leaks are pretty common
with hoses and the leak seen here will probably be fixed within a few
days. Hose leaks are pretty easy to find as you just need to look
for any oasis of green. Water bladders rarely leak very long as any
small leak quickly becomes larger and larger until whoosh!

09 May 08 The dust is back

09 May 08 The dust is back

The dust is back. "It comes in on little cat feet" and just hangs
there. Just like during fog, it's not windy at all, just dusty as all
get out. It's not a good day to go running but it is much cooler when
it's dusty here. It'll probably only make it to the low 90s here on a
day that would otherwise be low 100s. Eh, given a choice I'd rather
have the sunny blue skies.

Also to answer some earlier points. The knife fighting is not Kuntao
Silat but rather basic Army edged weapon training.
Yes, the weather usually is hotter here but the dust storms have kept
things cooler. It will get hot soon enough though. And days where we
hit 120F will not be uncommon.
Where I work it is about 1/3 military, 1/3 Army 'civilians' and 1/3
non-Army civilians (like me). I read somewhere that about 120,000
civilians are employed by the US Army (directly or indirectly) in Iraq
but most of these are probably Bosnian, Indian, Phillipino, Nepalese,
Ugandan, etc.
The dust 'storms' are more a nuisance than a real storm. The sand
storms are much worse as small rocks and stuff will get blown around.
It's simply dangerous to go outside during a sand storm but
fortunately, those don't last long. The dust storm kicks up fine dust
that can be very unhealthy to breath and can last for several days.

R/Chris

050908 Pink Flamingos

050908 Pink Flamingos

Some time back I asked if anyone had any pink flamingos he/she would
care to send to Iraq for the 'lawn'. I was
pleasantly surprised to hear from Michelle at lawn-greetings.org
offering such and quickly accepted her gracious
offer. So just a few days ago we put the flamingos out. I was
envisioning a sort of avant-gard art display.
Iconic Americana comes to an Army base in Iraq sorta thing. Well the
flamingos initially had a mixed review (as
perhaps provocative art always does). Some thought they were great. A
certain Sergeant Major was not initially too
happy that they 'marred' his lawn. Well, that was the first day and I
think after someone explained that he should
be honored to have been 'flocked' he then quickly warmed up to the
idea. Now the MPs (military police) evidentlly
REALLY liked the flamingos and on the second night an MP vehicle
stopped and tried to 'russle' our flamingos! So the
flamingos were retired for a day or so and then I put them back out.
Below are some of the pics we'll see how long
the flamingo remain before they 'fly away'.
R/Chris

08 May 08 Movies, etc.

08 May 08 Movies, etc.

The last few days have been great weather and only about 90F or so.
Frankly it's not realy good running weather
until it is about 100F but that'll happen soon enough. Alot of people
are concerned that there's not enough
'off-work' stuff for soldiers/Civilian pukes to do over here. I don't
think that is the case at all. The Army gets
first rate movies as you can see from the recent movie schedule (pic
below). The movies are shown in a very nice
theater that even has a balcony and a red-velvet curtain. AND, like
most large buildings here, the theater is
'battle-hardened' on the side and from above (pics below). In-coming
mortar!? Eh, no problem, pass the popcorn
(free of course) and continue watching Iron-man! Of course, if you
don't want to watch a movie there is knife
fighting class (pic below) that is going fine. I've discovered that
much of knife-fighting is grace and right now I
still have the grace of a white guy at a black dance. Eh, hopefully it'll come.

05May08 Lawn update, warm, sunny day in Iraq

05May08 Lawn update, warm, sunny day in Iraq

When it's not ridiculously hot or dusty here in Iraq, the weather can
really be quite nice, such as today. Below is a current pic of the
lawn. So far it's doing well and really looks/smells great when
freshly mowed. At times the verdant slash of green seems out of place
in an otherwise brown, dusty environment. During the day here it's
only about 105f to 108F so we'll see how the lawn fares in the 120F
heat that has yet to come.

The other pic shows me inside the compound. Areas within the base are
fenced off for security reasons (thus the fence). The big hose is
fresh water. Many utilities here (like water and electricity) are not
below ground but right on top or over it. If this base is ever made
permanent, then these utilities would be buried. But for now, they're
not.

050408 Crazy guy on a bike and Shorts

050408 Crazy guy on a bike and Shorts

You ever wonder where those crazy guys riding a bike alone along a
road waving a Vietnam Veterans flag got started? Well, change
'Vietnam' to 'OIF' (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and you'll probably see
this guy (pic below) stateside within a few years.

You'd also think that with Iraq being so damn hot that more people
over here would wear shorts but that is not the case at all (at least
for one's work clothes). KBR does not allow its employees to wear
shorts (on work time) and and the military does not allow shorts in
any work uniform here but British, Australian and Italian do allow
shorts! The US military doesn't allow it due to 'cultural
sensitivities'. Most solders get around this by simply changing into
their PT uniform (shorts and a t shirt) while going to the PX, Burger
King, DFAC (dining facility), etc. The company I work for DOES allow
it. So shorts I wear!

Below also is a Gator logo that is pretty dern good. Behind it is a
guard tower. On the other side of the fence, local Iraqis grow
tomatoes and sunflowers.
R/Chris

050308b Porta-John arsonist and Knife-fighting Class

050308b Porta-John arsonist and Knife-fighting Class
Evidently someone is REALLY bored at Balad and going around setting
Porta-Johns on fire. Urgh, someone out there
is now known as the 'Porta-John arsonist. Dubious indeed! AND
they're taking application for the Balad Variety
show! If ONLY I knew more show-tunes (er, and could carry a tune.)
Also, you'll find two pics that were taken at the knife-fighting
training I'm involved in every Tuesday and
Thursday nights. The instructor is SFC Reina and I can tell you that
his 'not so hard' hits are NOT really that!
They hurt! I've got bruises on my arms to prove it and one of the
guys in class has a bruise on his chest as a
reminder too. You can pretty much read the entire article and from
the article you wouldn't know that HALF the
class is civilian! (eh, Army discrimination, suck it up!) In one of
the pics is me but you'll have to look
closely to find me. (my back is all you see). The white guy with all
the tats is an English bloke and uh, he
works 'special forces' here at Balad (read mercenary). Very nice guy,
but not one I'd want to go up against. I
hope to get some better pics soon.

03 May 08 Locals Iraqis and Funerals

03 May 08 Locals Iraqis and Funerals
Today it's STILL warm and sunny and NO dust! With weather like this,
it just sucks a lot LESS being in Iraq. I'm emailing my blog
inputs so I can't see any comments until I am able to check the blog
about once a week from a non-Government computer. I do
appreciate comments and feedback though. There are lots of local
Iraqis who are glad that the US is very (for varying reasons).
The pic below is a local guy and here's his story as told by an Army
captain who knew him.
"This guy was a kid when I was here in 03. We picked him up on the
street, and he started by getting us stuff that we needed it at
the Bn. He also spoke English, so we used him as an interpreter at
times. My company took him about 60 miles away from his home to
work in a village called Domiz (in the north). He somehow found
Trans. To and from. My BDE commander didn't like this idea at all,
but he always came through for us. He eventually worked at BDE and
DIV staff. He was showing me pictures with GEN Petraeus and COL
Anderson. I was getting my haircut last night, and this kid said,
"were you in Speicher a week ago?" I said that I wasn't. When I
took a closer look at him, and a few minutes of telling stories to the
soldiers there, we figured out how we knew each other. This
was the kid that worked for us in 03. I told him that I preyed for
him and the other interpreters that worked for us. Many of them
were killed when we left. I asked him if he faced any punishment for
working with us. He said that several of his family members
have been killed, because he worked for us. He also said that he had
been hit by 3 VBIEDs, several IEDs, and had been ambushed
several times. He was set up by Iraqis to have him killed. He was
proud to work for us, and now works with Special Ops, and
Blackwater. When he worked for us in 03, they paid him $100 a month.
He said he now makes $2000 a month. I thought this was a
story worth sharing. I was really glad that we caught up. There are
a lot of Iraqis that are putting themselves on the line to
help us. Don't believe everything you see on T.V.
Thanks"
On another note, I found myself saying "Sergeant Major 'so-and-so'
must stil be away for a funeral" several times this last week.
Simply put, people die here (in Iraq) who normally wouldn't die until
much later in life in the states. Matt Maupin was such a
solder who was abducted in an ambush near Baghdad on 4/9/4 and his
memorial service was last week at the Great American Stadium in
Cinncinati OH. The service was attended by over 40,000 people and one
of those people was a solder who works here.

01 May 08 The grass is green and it's warm and sunny in Iraq

01 May 08 The grass is green and it's warm and sunny in Iraq
Today the weather is again just perfect in Iraq. The grass on the
'lawn' is very green and will again need mowing by the end of the
week. One of the main missions here at Balad is equipment repair and
swapout. The HUMMV is being replaced my the MRAP (mine
resistance ambush protection vehicle). The HuMMVs are being
'sold/lent/given' to the Iraqi forces as MRAPs come available. Here
are two good pics of MRAPs. Below are also a few pics of me from today
sporting a new haircut. I usually go for only 2 weeks before
I get a haircut but this time went for almost a month. Most military
get their haircut every week and at only $3 a haircut, it's a
deal. And the lawn is looking good but I still have my doubts as to
how it'll do when it hits 120F every day. And while 120F is a
dry heat, it's still damn hot.