Well, Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! It’s something like 10:30 pm, and I am sitting here still in Taji, waiting for the internet to connect. I hope everybody is having a great dinner, lots of fun, friends and family.
The Iraqi’s had a wonderful lunch and dinner set up for us. I was a little wary at first, since they don’t know or understand about the holiday, but as it turned out, it was ok. They put on a very big meal, complete with turkey, ham, steaks, stuffing, and the whole thing. Lots of desserts, (but not enough chocolate for my taste) drinks, and they even decorated. The whole thing was very heartwarming and made us all feel better.
It’s interesting how we tend to treat the holidays sometimes. Everything is so commercialized, and every holiday has some gimmick or sale point that we are hammered with. Cute Christmas polar bears (buy Coke!!) fancy elves (Keebler’s elves, by the way) Cupid (at your local Hallmark Store) and the list goes on and on. Even the movies we watch that are supposed to make us feel better about the holidays, some moral tale about right over wrong; they are loaded with product placements, fancy gadgets, and impossibly beautiful people. Last year when I was here, I had this conversation with my cousin, about how incredibly powerful the media is, and its pull on society as a whole, how it spins things, directs our attention, and makes us forget about something less important. I mean, this whole war was nothing more than a big spin, wasn’t it? Incite the Americans, get them to rally around the flag, than launch them into a an epic battle against an obviously weaker and unprepared foe. Create a mystical hero (Jessica Lynch, the blonde bombshell warrior) and craft some story about heroic deeds and plaster it on every newspaper and television show in the free world. Go “inside” to tell the story of evil insurgents, and heartbreaking drama of villagers freed from “oppression”, getting and receiving food, smiling, laughing and voting. It all sounds so nice and perfect, just like a Hollywood ending. Makes you want to donate money.
But down here, where we don’t have the commercialization, where the spin has no hold on us because we are out of touch with the rest of society (no TV, no newspapers, limited internet access), where life does go on without regard to time, the holiday has a different feeling. I think, as I looked around the room at dinner, I saw 300 guys glad to be alive, glad to be safe, glad to be together. Some said prayers in thanks, some were a little gloomy that they missed their families, but in general, we were thankful for the chance to live one more day. We are thankful for being given an opportunity to make something better for somebody. We are thankful that the cooks and workers gave so much for us and asked for nothing in return but our acceptance and maybe a thank you or two. We are just thankful to BE, and that’s all there is to it. Maybe the pilgrims felt the same way, when the Indians showed up with food to share. Maybe the pioneers understood as the made their way across the open plains.
Maybe I am just gloomy because I am stuck here in this shithole…
No, well, a little. Anyways, thanks for making us feel better guys, and happy thanksgiving to everybody.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
Anonymous said...
HI... YOU DON'T KNOW ME... IS BETTER THAT WAY... WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING... I'VE BEEN IN TAJI FOR ABOUT 10 MONTHS... THIS BASE IS BETTER THAN IS HAS EVER BEEN... YOU ARE STILL LIVING IN THE PAST... APPARENTLY YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES LEFT A BIG SCAR ON YOU... LET IT GO MAN... GO WITH THE FLOW.... I'VE BEEN IN COUNTRY FOR 15 MONTHS STRAIGHT.... I'VE SEEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU COME AND GO... THEY ALL SUCK... YOU DON'T BRING ANYTHING TO THE IRAQIS... SO, WHY YOU ARE HERE FOR....???? JUST TO WRITE YOUR LAME BLOG....???? JUST FAKE AN INJURY AND GO QUIETLY BACK TO THE STATES... I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SERIOUS "INCIDENTS" AND IF IT'S NOT FOR THE IRAQIS FIGHTING NEXT TO ME, PROBABLY I WOULD NOT BE HERE WRITING TO YOU... SO, I RECOMMEND TO EMBRACE THE SUCK, GO WITH THE FLOW, AND YES, STOP WRITING LIES TO INOCENT PEOPLE.... THIS COUNTRY CAN BE STEERED TO THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT NOT BY PEOPLE LIKE YOU... BUT BY PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE TO RECONSTRUCT AND POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THESE IRAQIS AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS....IN ADDITION, PHOENIX ACADEMY DON'T SUCK.... YOU ARE WITH THAT ATTITUDE.... AND IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME... IS A LULL FOR ALL YOU "GUNG HO" DUDES TO REFLECT IN THE REALITY OF YOUR OWN MEAGER AND POINTLESS EXISTENCE.... BY THE WAY, I AM NOT A "FOBBIT"..... MAYBE YOU SHOULD BECOME ONE...
Normally, I wouldn’t bother to respond to individual comments, but I have to interject because sometimes people remark with comments that come from outer space, so it becomes the duty of responsible people to reply.
Nowhere in any of the comments did I ever say that Camp Taji sucked. I think my comment was, that it basically looked the same, except a little neater. Now, the anonymous commenter says he has been here for 10 months, and I must give him credit, because that’s a long time to be here, but I helped build this camp, worked with the first Iraqi units to set up here, spend many long days and nights building the facilities, and remember walking the streets with hundreds of soldiers picking up trash along the fences, so I know what this camp used to look like and I can say from experience it is a little neater. Now, if the commentor can infer anything deeper from that, well, you need to work for FOX news.
Commentor also says he has seen people like me come and go. We don’t bring anything to the Iraqi’s. I assume that commentor thinks that all I do is sit at my desk at write blog entries. I think my goal is the same as every body else:
Take care of my Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen.
Train and advise the Iraqi Army/Police to do the job that will enable them to secure the nation.
Bring my people home.
What else is there? Along the way, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the finest people on both sides, Americans and Iraqi soldiers working side by side. I have lived with them, fought with them, trained with them and grieved over them when they died, so I think I can say that I bring a number of skills and experiences to the table. I know that when I leave here, I will have done everything that I could to help the people of this country, and that makes me happy.
Now, commentor says that Phoenix academy don’t suck. Now, call me stupid, but I don’t remember anywhere where I said it sucked. What I said was that I get the feeling that it is going to be pointless. The reason I say this is simple. Prior to the Army units getting deployed, they spent 5 weeks doing pre-deployment/advisor training at Ft Someplace or other. The Marines did 3 weeks at the Foreign Military Training Unit/SCETC/Advisor Course. Air Force does some 3 weeks, and the navy guys train with the Marines. So, all 4 services have advisor courses, then they all come to Iraq and do the same thing over again. That would seem to me to make the training redundant, and BAM! Pointless. How much does this cost, to do the same training 5 different ways? I don’t know how commentor feels, but I am pretty sure the majority of the people do not need the same class over and over and over again. So, why do it? Why not let the services either
Stop doing individual service advisor training and allow the Phoenix Academy to do its job,
Eliminate the Phoenix academy and mandate the type of training the services are doing.
Sounds like a simple solution to me.
Lastly, commentor says that Phoenix Academy is a lull for us “Gung Ho” dudes to reflect in the reality of our meager and pointless existance. I suppose in commentors mind, the statement has some relevance and was intented as some kind of written jab or insult. I fail to understand the nature of the insult, it sounds like commentor is a little upset about the reality of where his own life is going. But I submit that the reason we are here is to ensure the basic freedoms that all humans should be entitled are not erased from this country, and I think that the majority of us “Gung Ho”dudes share the same goal. And, as I read comments, I suspect that commentor is part of the same collective mindset with the same general goal as everybody else here. That would make commentor, just like the rest of us. But then, maybe I am wrong. Maybe commentor is the Savior of the Iraqi People, and we should all be grateful to be in commentors prescence. Maybe commentor is the key to the democratization of the middle east, because he alone is not Mr. Gung Ho.
Or maybe commentor should just do what every American has the right to do, just turn the channel if you don’t like what you see….
Oh, another thing. What is a “fobbit?”
HI... YOU DON'T KNOW ME... IS BETTER THAT WAY... WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING... I'VE BEEN IN TAJI FOR ABOUT 10 MONTHS... THIS BASE IS BETTER THAN IS HAS EVER BEEN... YOU ARE STILL LIVING IN THE PAST... APPARENTLY YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES LEFT A BIG SCAR ON YOU... LET IT GO MAN... GO WITH THE FLOW.... I'VE BEEN IN COUNTRY FOR 15 MONTHS STRAIGHT.... I'VE SEEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU COME AND GO... THEY ALL SUCK... YOU DON'T BRING ANYTHING TO THE IRAQIS... SO, WHY YOU ARE HERE FOR....???? JUST TO WRITE YOUR LAME BLOG....???? JUST FAKE AN INJURY AND GO QUIETLY BACK TO THE STATES... I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SERIOUS "INCIDENTS" AND IF IT'S NOT FOR THE IRAQIS FIGHTING NEXT TO ME, PROBABLY I WOULD NOT BE HERE WRITING TO YOU... SO, I RECOMMEND TO EMBRACE THE SUCK, GO WITH THE FLOW, AND YES, STOP WRITING LIES TO INOCENT PEOPLE.... THIS COUNTRY CAN BE STEERED TO THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT NOT BY PEOPLE LIKE YOU... BUT BY PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE TO RECONSTRUCT AND POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THESE IRAQIS AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS....IN ADDITION, PHOENIX ACADEMY DON'T SUCK.... YOU ARE WITH THAT ATTITUDE.... AND IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME... IS A LULL FOR ALL YOU "GUNG HO" DUDES TO REFLECT IN THE REALITY OF YOUR OWN MEAGER AND POINTLESS EXISTENCE.... BY THE WAY, I AM NOT A "FOBBIT"..... MAYBE YOU SHOULD BECOME ONE...
Normally, I wouldn’t bother to respond to individual comments, but I have to interject because sometimes people remark with comments that come from outer space, so it becomes the duty of responsible people to reply.
Nowhere in any of the comments did I ever say that Camp Taji sucked. I think my comment was, that it basically looked the same, except a little neater. Now, the anonymous commenter says he has been here for 10 months, and I must give him credit, because that’s a long time to be here, but I helped build this camp, worked with the first Iraqi units to set up here, spend many long days and nights building the facilities, and remember walking the streets with hundreds of soldiers picking up trash along the fences, so I know what this camp used to look like and I can say from experience it is a little neater. Now, if the commentor can infer anything deeper from that, well, you need to work for FOX news.
Commentor also says he has seen people like me come and go. We don’t bring anything to the Iraqi’s. I assume that commentor thinks that all I do is sit at my desk at write blog entries. I think my goal is the same as every body else:
Take care of my Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen.
Train and advise the Iraqi Army/Police to do the job that will enable them to secure the nation.
Bring my people home.
What else is there? Along the way, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the finest people on both sides, Americans and Iraqi soldiers working side by side. I have lived with them, fought with them, trained with them and grieved over them when they died, so I think I can say that I bring a number of skills and experiences to the table. I know that when I leave here, I will have done everything that I could to help the people of this country, and that makes me happy.
Now, commentor says that Phoenix academy don’t suck. Now, call me stupid, but I don’t remember anywhere where I said it sucked. What I said was that I get the feeling that it is going to be pointless. The reason I say this is simple. Prior to the Army units getting deployed, they spent 5 weeks doing pre-deployment/advisor training at Ft Someplace or other. The Marines did 3 weeks at the Foreign Military Training Unit/SCETC/Advisor Course. Air Force does some 3 weeks, and the navy guys train with the Marines. So, all 4 services have advisor courses, then they all come to Iraq and do the same thing over again. That would seem to me to make the training redundant, and BAM! Pointless. How much does this cost, to do the same training 5 different ways? I don’t know how commentor feels, but I am pretty sure the majority of the people do not need the same class over and over and over again. So, why do it? Why not let the services either
Stop doing individual service advisor training and allow the Phoenix Academy to do its job,
Eliminate the Phoenix academy and mandate the type of training the services are doing.
Sounds like a simple solution to me.
Lastly, commentor says that Phoenix Academy is a lull for us “Gung Ho” dudes to reflect in the reality of our meager and pointless existance. I suppose in commentors mind, the statement has some relevance and was intented as some kind of written jab or insult. I fail to understand the nature of the insult, it sounds like commentor is a little upset about the reality of where his own life is going. But I submit that the reason we are here is to ensure the basic freedoms that all humans should be entitled are not erased from this country, and I think that the majority of us “Gung Ho”dudes share the same goal. And, as I read comments, I suspect that commentor is part of the same collective mindset with the same general goal as everybody else here. That would make commentor, just like the rest of us. But then, maybe I am wrong. Maybe commentor is the Savior of the Iraqi People, and we should all be grateful to be in commentors prescence. Maybe commentor is the key to the democratization of the middle east, because he alone is not Mr. Gung Ho.
Or maybe commentor should just do what every American has the right to do, just turn the channel if you don’t like what you see….
Oh, another thing. What is a “fobbit?”
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Just another day in paradise?
Well, I lied. I told myself last year I would never come back to Camp Taji, but here I am once again. The smell here is about the same as it was before, a mixture of trash, oil, dirt and sand. The base itself looks similar to what it looked like before, except it is a little neater. Somebody has been picking up the trash around the camp. I don’t see any dogs running around, but its winter and maybe they are just to lazy to come out. We will see what happens in the evening.
We are at the Phoenix Academy, an Army run school for Transition Teams. I get the feeling that it is going to be pointless training, and I am dreading it. Not because it’s difficult, but because I am going to be so bored that I will probably open my big fat mouth and piss off people who are only trying to do their job. I can see looking at the syllabus that it’s going to be a big waste of time, and I have discussed with my bosses the necessity of telling the staff, “Hey, we don’t need to do that, lets move on.” Still, I think they don’t want to make waves and are going to just ride the current as it carries them forward. This group is so different from the last group. We were definitive, creative, and forward thinking. We made the rules, than changed them as we needed to. This group seems content to just let the rules guide them, which is a bad way to get started when your business is to make the rules. I guess time will tell what the groups are capable of doing.
We got our unit assignments yesterday. I can’t say the unit we are going to yet, and it really doesn’t matter to me, because it’s all pretty much the same. I can say that the unit will be stationed at a Camp I had been to a couple of times. Decent logistical support, lots of sand, and lots more sand. Summer is going to suck hard.
Here is a snapshot of my day yesterday, just so you understand how things are going...
5:30 am got up. Went to chow.
6:30 return from chow. Went to internet café.
7:30 returned from internet café. Repack bags
8:30 Moved bags to staging area. Return to tent area to wait for busses
9:30 Still waiting for busses
11:30 Still waiting for busses
1:00 pm. Had a 2 hour brief with Army Colonel. Learned nothing.
3:00 Still waiting for busses
5:00 Still waiting for busses
6:30 Busses arrived.
6:40 Busses drop us off at flight line
6:50 Waiting for helicopters
8:50 Still waiting for helicopters
10:50 Still waiting for helicopters
12:50 Still waiting for helicopters
1:00 am helicopters show up. We load and move to Taji
1:30 We arrive at Taji
2:30 We go to sleep
You can tell that the old adage, “Hurry up and wait,” is alive and well in today’s military.
We are at the Phoenix Academy, an Army run school for Transition Teams. I get the feeling that it is going to be pointless training, and I am dreading it. Not because it’s difficult, but because I am going to be so bored that I will probably open my big fat mouth and piss off people who are only trying to do their job. I can see looking at the syllabus that it’s going to be a big waste of time, and I have discussed with my bosses the necessity of telling the staff, “Hey, we don’t need to do that, lets move on.” Still, I think they don’t want to make waves and are going to just ride the current as it carries them forward. This group is so different from the last group. We were definitive, creative, and forward thinking. We made the rules, than changed them as we needed to. This group seems content to just let the rules guide them, which is a bad way to get started when your business is to make the rules. I guess time will tell what the groups are capable of doing.
We got our unit assignments yesterday. I can’t say the unit we are going to yet, and it really doesn’t matter to me, because it’s all pretty much the same. I can say that the unit will be stationed at a Camp I had been to a couple of times. Decent logistical support, lots of sand, and lots more sand. Summer is going to suck hard.
Here is a snapshot of my day yesterday, just so you understand how things are going...
5:30 am got up. Went to chow.
6:30 return from chow. Went to internet café.
7:30 returned from internet café. Repack bags
8:30 Moved bags to staging area. Return to tent area to wait for busses
9:30 Still waiting for busses
11:30 Still waiting for busses
1:00 pm. Had a 2 hour brief with Army Colonel. Learned nothing.
3:00 Still waiting for busses
5:00 Still waiting for busses
6:30 Busses arrived.
6:40 Busses drop us off at flight line
6:50 Waiting for helicopters
8:50 Still waiting for helicopters
10:50 Still waiting for helicopters
12:50 Still waiting for helicopters
1:00 am helicopters show up. We load and move to Taji
1:30 We arrive at Taji
2:30 We go to sleep
You can tell that the old adage, “Hurry up and wait,” is alive and well in today’s military.
Let the party begin
We arrived in Baghdad after a 13 hour delay at Kuwait Airport. Apparently, our plane got hit by lightning or something like that, because the altimeter was busted and had to be replaced. I don’t have a problem with waiting, because I suppose when you enlist in the military, you kind of get used to it. It’s the insanity of it all that sometimes gets to me. We got up at 2 a.m to stage gear for a 5 a.m flight, which turned into an 8 am flight, which turned into a 7 p.m. flight. So we sat around in the tent/terminal, before we finally got the go ahead to leave. Not to bad. I did finally get to catch up on some badly needed sleep.
My neck finally caught up with me last night. I think between the flight, wearing the helmet all day, and the lack of sleep, my head was starting to pound. I think as I start to wear the helmet more, it will get better, but for now my neck feels like shit and its making my whole body ache. So for now, I am living off of Excedrin, Gatorade, and coffee.
Another interesting point. I don’t care what anybody says about KBR/Halliburton, those guys rock. There is nobody that could support us the way these guys do. Midnight last and I was sitting in the mess hall, drinking fresh hot coffee, eating a steak, and watching Good Morning America on ABC. I remember during the first Gulf War, we didn’t even have electricity in the tents, and now we have hardwood floors, air conditioning, and some of the best food ever served up in any war. Honestly, it’s like Hometown Buffet in the mess halls. My hats off to those KBR guys...
I didn’t mention it, but we weren’t in Iraq 15 minutes before we heard our first firefight. Just outside the airport gates, about a mile or so away. We didn’t participate, but it was easy to see that everybody was a little nervous.
Welcome to the shit boys….
My neck finally caught up with me last night. I think between the flight, wearing the helmet all day, and the lack of sleep, my head was starting to pound. I think as I start to wear the helmet more, it will get better, but for now my neck feels like shit and its making my whole body ache. So for now, I am living off of Excedrin, Gatorade, and coffee.
Another interesting point. I don’t care what anybody says about KBR/Halliburton, those guys rock. There is nobody that could support us the way these guys do. Midnight last and I was sitting in the mess hall, drinking fresh hot coffee, eating a steak, and watching Good Morning America on ABC. I remember during the first Gulf War, we didn’t even have electricity in the tents, and now we have hardwood floors, air conditioning, and some of the best food ever served up in any war. Honestly, it’s like Hometown Buffet in the mess halls. My hats off to those KBR guys...
I didn’t mention it, but we weren’t in Iraq 15 minutes before we heard our first firefight. Just outside the airport gates, about a mile or so away. We didn’t participate, but it was easy to see that everybody was a little nervous.
Welcome to the shit boys….
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Made it to Baghdad finally. Of course, its freaking raining. If there is anything I remember, its the smell, because it hits you like a bomb and all the bad memories come back, and you wish you were someplace else.
I have been fighting sleep to try to get rid of the jet lag, and I think I finally achieved it. Its 10 pm, and I am tired, so I suppose that is a good thing. Right now there isn't much going on, at least with our part in the war. Who knows, I suppose things will change here soon, you can never have to much downtime. I had a conversation with some of the other Marines and we came to the concensus that if we never fire a shot, and never leave the camp, that would be just fine with us. But, you know I am not that lucky, an d I have this magnet attached to my ass that attracts all kinds of the wrong type of attention. Time will tell I suppose..
The guys are getting into a routine now, giving classes and stuff. Learned how to restore breathing to a guy with facial injuries today. Pretty gross. This is why I don't do medical.
I have been fighting sleep to try to get rid of the jet lag, and I think I finally achieved it. Its 10 pm, and I am tired, so I suppose that is a good thing. Right now there isn't much going on, at least with our part in the war. Who knows, I suppose things will change here soon, you can never have to much downtime. I had a conversation with some of the other Marines and we came to the concensus that if we never fire a shot, and never leave the camp, that would be just fine with us. But, you know I am not that lucky, an d I have this magnet attached to my ass that attracts all kinds of the wrong type of attention. Time will tell I suppose..
The guys are getting into a routine now, giving classes and stuff. Learned how to restore breathing to a guy with facial injuries today. Pretty gross. This is why I don't do medical.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Worwind flight to the ArabWorld
I hate don’t mind plane trips most times, but this had to be one of the longest trips I have every been on. From San Diego, we flew to Minneapolis and sat in the terminal for 8 hours. Sounds painful, but Bloody Mary’s take away a lot of the pain. I swear I could drink these all day. The flight was pretty full, but the lady who sat next to me was HUGE and she had that smell that some overweight people have. That ammonia/BO smell that just doesn’t go away. I thought that maybe I was asleep for part of the flight, but maybe I had passed out.
The trip to the airport was terrible, mostly because it was at 3 in the morning. The driver was doing 85+ and she had the radio on so loud we couldn’t here the buss engines. Anyways, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. I think I might sleep through the whole thing.
The KLM flight to Amsterdaam was actually pretty nice. I watched one of the Miami Vice episodes. You gotta love that show. Funny that I can't get anybody else to watch it with me.. So we have a 9 hour layover in Amsterdaam, and they have these lounge chairs that I am writing from. Like patio loungers, but with leather. Very nice. I am waiting for the pool girl to come up and bring the drinks. So far nothing but scary looking women in the airport today. Although, there was this one girl, incredibly attractive, semi watching us at the terminals. How Ironic, she is Arabic..
The trip to the airport was terrible, mostly because it was at 3 in the morning. The driver was doing 85+ and she had the radio on so loud we couldn’t here the buss engines. Anyways, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. I think I might sleep through the whole thing.
The KLM flight to Amsterdaam was actually pretty nice. I watched one of the Miami Vice episodes. You gotta love that show. Funny that I can't get anybody else to watch it with me.. So we have a 9 hour layover in Amsterdaam, and they have these lounge chairs that I am writing from. Like patio loungers, but with leather. Very nice. I am waiting for the pool girl to come up and bring the drinks. So far nothing but scary looking women in the airport today. Although, there was this one girl, incredibly attractive, semi watching us at the terminals. How Ironic, she is Arabic..
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