053009 Memorial Day, Being a Contractor and A Few Pics

Memorial Day was Monday and for the most part, it was just another day
here. There really is very little distinction between days in Iraq
since everyday is a work day. Some contractors get a day off (it's in
their contract that they work only 6 days out of 7) and some Army and
AF units give their people a day off (usually Sunday). But generally
speaking every day is just like the other.

Also, there are generally 3 'types' of people here on base and there's
a distinct hierarchy as well. At the top is military personnel. They
'own' the base and every now and then one of them reminds you of this.
Next are DAX personnel. DAX are civilian who work directly for the
Army or AF. To see what these type of jobs are like visit
usajobs.com. DAX also currently wear a military uniform over here
but is changing next month. Evidently it irked too many generals to
see civilians in a military uniform with a pony-tail half way down
their back. Frankly it irks me as well to see someone does respect
the uniform enough to keep himself in shape. Some DAX (such as a
GS-15) are 'equal' in privileges to a full colonel. It's not uncommon
for the second in command at a battalion or a brigade to be a civilian
DCO (Deputy Command Officer)(DAX). The last DCO at the command where
I am located was known for delighting in firing contractors. Most of
the firings were truly justified but some were...debatable. The last
group (and the 'lowest') is contractors (of which I am.) About 35% of
contractors are prior military. I'd say the other 65% are a cross
section of US society at large.

The two pics above also give a feeling for life in Iraq. Internet is
available at work but a lot of people get it in their hooch as well.
Private internet is your window on the world outside of the base.
With a high speed connection you can Skype to your delight or download
MP3 files (which is blocked on the Government network) or go to many
'good' web sites to exercise some freedom outside of the 'rules'. It
just depends upon your ISP (who just might be some guy in the trailer
next to you.)

The Yoga pic shows an example of a myriad of activities available to
soldier, airman and civilian here on base. The Army really does a
GREAT job of providing an outlet to some normal life outside of work
12 hours a day. Unfortunately, these activities vary by base so what
is available at JBB (Joint Base Balad) may or may not be available at
Camp Speicher. Generally soldier and civilians alike don't get to
pick one's duty station when headed to Iraq. It really depends upon
the 'needs of the Army'. And of course even if you DO end up at a
camp that you like (as either a soldier or civilian) there is no
guarantee that you'll stay there.

This is just part of what life in Iraq is about.

R/Chris

050709 Don's Zoo and Blood Donation

050709 Don's Zoo and Blood Donation

Up to about a year ago the hospital here at Balad was still in tents.
The tents were pretty big but still they were tents (think MASH 4077).
The new hospital is a metal building complete with a second roof for
mortar protection. They treat all sorts of patients here including
local Iraqis. I used to do some volunteering there but after a few
trips when they had nothing for me to do I stopped going.
Every now and then the hospital also has blood drives. I find it
ironic that when I'm in the states I cannot give blood at an Army
blood drive since I've been in Iraq. But in Iraq they WILL take my
blood - go figure.
Any way, a co-worker recently left Iraq for stateside and he left all
his damn stuffed animals for us (gee thanks). Any way, what to do
with all these damn things? The answer was to donate them and send
corporate a Good Will story. I drafted up the story, slapped on a pic
and have copied here below.
=======================================================================================================
Don's Zoo Has a Second Life
After 4½ years as the site lead at Joint Base Balad, Don left Iraq
recently to return stateside and pursue other opportunities with
Stanley Associates in Virginia. Now after 4½ years anywhere, one
generally accumulates lots of 'stuff' and part of this stuff was Don's
zoo. You see, the Mrs. had (over the years) sent stuffed animals that
with the click of a button would play a melody. From a lion singing
'In the Jungle' to a trio of penguins singing 'rock around the clock',
the animals would entertain visitors in the Stanley-Iraq office. So
when Don left Iraq, he left his 'zoo' here to be donated to the 332nd
Medical Group field hospital. The 332nd routinely treats local Iraqi
children for everything from burns to serious life threatening
conditions. A stuffed fuzzy animal and a smile can help transcend the
language barrier to start a young patient on a successful road to
recovery. The stuffed animals were delivered to the hospital by
Stanley Associates employees Tom, James and Chris. The toys were
warmly received by the staff and later distributed to 4 young Iraqi
patients. We were later informed that the kids were delighted to each
receive two stuffed animals and even more delighted to discover that
each played a song! How many times CAN a young Iraqi patient
listen to 'In the Jungle'? Evidently the answer is 'a lot'!
=======================================================================================================

050609 Damn Dust in Iraq

When I went into the DFAC yesterday at lunch at 12:30 PM the sky was
blue but there was the typical white dust on the horizon up to about
15 degrees. When I left the DFAC less than an hour later it was
orange outside and dust was everywhere. There are several things I
worry about while living in Iraq. One (of course) is incoming mortars
and bullets. Second is the bugs. The mosquitoes here carry malaria
and leachmaniasus (a disfiguring disease evident among the locals).
And third is the dust. When the dust kicks up crap from everywhere
(and thus everything) is tossed into the air. In Kandahar 'ganastan
(aka Afghanistan), one is told during the incoming briefing that a
high percentage of the dust is fecal matter. It's no wonder that
there are so many upper respitory infections after a dust storm. Just
one more damn thing trying to kill me here.
R/Chris

05 May 09 Heat Stress 4

05 May 09 Heat Stress 4
Living and working in Iraq can be very monotonous at times. There are
no weekends or holidays per se but rather every day is simply a work
day. It really isn't that difficult and in some ways it's an 'easier'
existence. Generally one's 'social circle' is limited to those with
whom you work. This too can be a dual edge sword. If you're in a
combat unit and a cohesive fighting unit is crucial to your success
(or your life) then building a strong rapport with your coworkers
(fellow soldiers) is great. However if you're a contractor who works
with diverse individuals from different backgrounds, hanging with
coworkers may not be something you want to do after 12 hours at work.
In either situation, you're generally stuck with what you get and it
can be difficult (but not impossible to change things.) Any way, it's
starting to get hot here. Pretty soon it will be too hot to do much
outside mid-day. Above is a pic of a flag football game. It's a great
pic and looks better full sized (just click on the pic.)
R/Chris