031211 More closures at JBB and where will I get a haircut after Oct. 9th?

031211 More closures at JBB and where will I get a haircut after Oct. 9th?

 

The other day we received the notice above.  There are now many empty spaces on base where previously there was a trailer and some sort of business.  There are also a lot few soldier and airmen at Balad but I heard somewhere that there still are between 5,000 and 7,000 military personnel at Balad (JBB).  As a taxpayer this should interest you since YOU are paying (some small part) of JBB.  About a year ago I naively thought that when the President said the "US would completely withdraw from Iraq by December 2011"  meant exactly THAT!  And yes, the US ARMY is on schedule to do just that, pull out by December 2011. BUT the US Department of State is ramping up it's presence here and though there's been no official notice, it sure looks like there'll be a US presence in Iraq for many years to come.  I came to Iraq for a job and an experience and I'm also getting an education in 'how things work', so to speak.  Most (if not all) of the other contractors (and some military) are hoping to transition to State jobs (I being one of them.)  This blog is about what it's like to be a contractor in Iraq for the US Army and it sure seems that part of that is the eventual transition to State (Germany, South Korea, Bosnia...etc!)

It's been and it will continue to be interesting to see how the transition goes.  Heck, where am I supposed to get a haircut after October 9th?  Maybe it'll be like the beginning again where we all lived in tents and you got your haircut from a buddy.

R/Chris