062210 Art Imitates Life

062210 Art Imitates Life

The US Army has had to 'modernize' in many ways. Some are good (much
better food now), some are not so good ('Stress Cards' for recruits),
and some are well...they are. I can't relate to the some of the old
propaganda posters (Rosie the Riveter) but I can certainly relate to
Homer J. Simpson. I might just wear my PPE now!
R/Chris

061810 The Saints (cheerleaders) are in Iraq

061810 The Saints (cheerleaders) are in Iraq

At Balad there are all sorts of visitors to Balad, Iraq here that come
from the states. About a year back the Speaker of the House (Nancy
Pelosi) was here. Of course that visit was an official visit but the
USO routinely schedules 'moral' visitors (coaches, B-TV star, comics,
entertainers, WWF wrestlers) and even Cheerleaders. From what I've
seen and heard, the coaches and entertainers and even WWF wrestlers
are allowed to 'talk'. That is they get a mic and can say what
inspirational words they might want to say. Cheerleaders do not get
to talk. They are introduced and get paraded around and might say
'hi' but that seems to be about it. I'm not sure if it's a good thing
or not. But like alot of things in Iraq, it is what it is. Above are
some pics. Whoop-di do...
R/Chris

061710 I'm sorry, I cannot call you. There is bad weather in Austria.

061710 I'm sorry, I cannot call you. There is bad weather in Austria.

The last few days have been fairly dusty but today it's a little
clearer. Probably not clear enough to go running at noon but
certainly better than the last few days.
When I was in the US Navy 20 years ago a personal letter was about the
only means of communication off the ship to the real world. Today
from this 'ship in the desert' (JBB Iraq) there are a myriad of
communication avenues but with this progress comes new dependencies.
So far this morning our internet connection here has been severely
degraded and so I cannot check the server status on machines at other
bases. Also the phones here are all VOIP (voice over internet
protocol) so no calling or receiving calls from the states for a
while. All of this is because there is bad weather in Austria. Who
would have thunk it!? Another hub of concern is northern New Jersey.
Bad weather in northern New Jersey means no communications in Iraq.
In fact I've been told that the connection between here in Iraq and
the states 'hits' a dozen or so intermediary sites. So if you can't
call me (or anyone else in Iraq check the weather in Austria, or
northern New Jersey or...
R/Chris

061610 How hot is it anyways ('bama speak)?

061610 How hot is it anyways ('bama speak)?
If you've ever been to Las Vegas when it is 110F outside you know it's
really not 'that bad' since it is a 'dry heat'. And if you've ever
been to Singapore in August (I have) when it is 99F out AND 99%
humidity you know how bad that is even though it's not over 100F.
Well, at 123F, it's hot whether it's a dry heat or not. The rocks on
the ground are even hotter as I found out with a IR sensor the other
day (they registered 130F). If you walk by a t-wall at night you can
still feel the radient heat long after it's dark. And Lord you have
to be careful touching any metal that is outside during the heat of
the day. So how hot is it in Iraq??? Damn hot!
And yes, proper English would be 'how hot is it any way?' However
this is Iraq and most people here are from south of the Mason-Dixon
line and...when in Rome...so to speak. So 'oil' and 'tire' are now
one-syllable words. And it's 'how hot is it anyways?'
Such is life in Iraq.
R/Chris

061510 Army Birthday, Lots 'o stuff to do at JBB and 'All this for just one beer?'

061510 Army Birthday, Lots 'o stuff to do at JBB and 'All this for
just one beer?'

Today is the Army birthday and they put out this flyer with all this
stuff to do. I've said it before that the Army does a great job of
extra stuff to do while here in Iraq (because otherwise it can really
suck!) I've attached a few of the posters above here too. Now the Air
Force (not the Army) has decided to 'really celebrate' the Army
birthday and has declared it a beer day (Just ONE beer that is.)
Below are the conditions but ya gota wonder...is it really worth it???
(remember, all this for just ONE beer!)
----------------------------------------------------
Ladies and Gentlemen of JBB,
You know what they say about all work and no dePLAYment. it's BAD! So
indulge in a little dePLAYment this week and make sure your folks do,
too!
Enjoy a celebratory beer in honor of the Army's birthday TODAY!
We are offering one beer to Airmen who are 21 years of age and older.
Serving times will be on Monday, 14 Jun 10, from 1800-2100 at the H6
MWR. A
few ROEs:
o No bags will be allowed into the facility during that time, and
bags leaving the facility during that time are subject to search
o Loaded Weapons + Beer = No
o Beer must be consumed in the H6 MWR and empty cans must be thrown
away in H6 MWR
o No operating vehicles (cars, bikes, etc.) after consuming beer
For additional instructions or questions, please contact your chain of command
----------------------------------------------------
R/Chris

061410 Iraqis on base

061410 Iraqis on base

Soon (maybe a year or so) JBB (Joint Base Balad) is to be turned over
to the Iraqi Army. Whether or not there'll be an American presence is
truly anyone's guess (truly). There are already Iraqi Army (IA)
personnel on base and I've seen them at the DFAC during lunch as well.
For the most part, their English is pretty good and they're cordial
individuals. I've never discussed politics nor religion with them and
I get the impression that neither is that important since being an
Iraqi soldier is just a job they are doing.
Above are a few pics.
R/Chris

060810 Combatives and Uniform Posture U3

060810 Combatives and Uniform Posture U3

The US Army used to have a game where the goal was to push a big (10'
tall), rubber, inflated ball past the other teams goal line. While
it sounds pretty innocuous, it evidently wasn't and after enough
twisted ankles and broken bones the 'game' was forbidden. Similar
'games' have come and gone and here at Balad, they're trying another
one. It's called Combatives and it's 'sorta like MMA' but you cannot
'strike' your opponent. Other wise you get points by doing the
following:
2 Points---------Take Down: From the standing position, the fighter
places his opponent on the ground but fails to gain dominant position.
3 Points----------Take Down: From the standing position, the fighter
places his opponent on his back and gains a position past the guard:
side control, mount, knee in the stomach, north-south, etc.
3 Points----------Pass the Guard: From between his opponent's legs,
the fighter clears the legs and gains side control or the mount.
3 Points----------Sweep: From the guard position, the fighter changes
positions, placing his opponent on his back.
3 Points----------Knee on belly (Knee Mount): From side control, the
fighter establishes one knee in his opponent's chest / abdomen and the
other knee up and away from him and stabilizes himself.
4 Points----------Mount: The fighter establishes the mount with both
knees and feet on the ground.
4 Points----------Back Mount (Rear Mount): The fighter establishes the
back mount with both feet hooked in position.
1 Point --------Stalling: From either within the guard or side
control, the fighter must try to improve his position. The judge will
give three warnings and then award a point to the other competitor. If
the stalling continues, the judge gives three additional warnings, and
then awards an additional point, continuing this pattern until the end
of the match or action is conducted.
2 Points--------Passivity: Fighter disengages from the top position,
the referee awards two points to the other fighter.
We'll see how long this lasts before it too is forbidden.
Also we've been in Uniform Posture U3 for about a day now. This means
that one has to wear a flak jacket and helmet unless one is in a
hardened structure. The ONLY hardened structures are the DFAC, the gym
and the chapel. Fortunately the dust is keeping the heat down. But
carrying aound an extra 40 pounds or so of gear is still a hassle.
And yes 'technically' I'm supposed to wear this gear while in my hooch
and sleeping (like THAT will happen!) Generally we go to this
condition when the intel warrants it. Soooo, something is up... We
just don't know what it is.
Above is a pic of the Combative flyer and two pics of me in Uniform
Posture U3. The reason the pics above are blurry is due to the dust.
Also, here's a pic of my recovered bike. Not a bad bike but certainly
not worth stealing and risking one's military career or one's job in
Iraq.
Such is life in Iraq.
R/Chris

060710 Dusty but not a 'hot hot' day and 'My bike is back!'

060710 Dusty but not a 'hot hot' day and 'My bike is back!'
Today it's a very dusty day here at Balad. We've had great weather
the last week or so (clear blue skies). But with the clear blue skies
comes the heat. The other day it was 123F. Today it's VERY dusty and
noticeably cooler. We may not even break 100F today!
Also my bike was stolen about a week ago. I left it unlocked for
MAYBE 15 minutes when I went to the DFAC and BAM, it was gone. I
mentioned the theft to several people asking them to keep a lookout
for it and the other day someone came back from the DFAC and said a
bike matching the description of my bike was over at the DFAC. I
jumped in the car and went over there and BAM, there it was. So...I
'stole' it back! The theft hadn't even bothered to cut off my old
lock but I sure did cut his lock off right away.
Anyway, here are some pics of life around Balad that were posted on
the shared drive. They show what goes on around here. It's
certainly not exciting work but it needs to be done. Parts of Balad
will soon be turned over to the Iraq Army by the end of the year. So
while there are a few Iraq Army personnel on base now, by the end of
this year there'll be many more.
R/Chris