As you regular readers know, I am extremely careful to leave out specific details concerning my unit, where we are located in Iraq and other facts such as the real names of my comrades. This is for their protection but also gives me the freedom to write about our life here without putting them in danger.
Click here for a rather ironic article about security violations on blogs and official websites.
Though I fully support what the military terms "operational security" (keeping key details away from the enemy), I am continually frustrated by the arbitary and silly removal of information that someone has deemed "sensitive." More and more government websites, which used to be sources of helpful information, have been so "dumbed down" in the name of security that they are worthless. Unfortunately, printed sources of information - remember libraries, with real books? - are disappearing rapidly thanks to the power of the Internet. Argh.
Okay, that's the end of my rant.
On a lighter note, one of the nice benefits of being deployed here is the nearly total absence of cell phones. I actually get to enjoy meals in the mess hall in peace and without having to constantly listen to the personal telephone conversations of those around me. I will miss that extra bit of silence when I finally return home.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
It Has Been a Long, Long Week
It is Sunday here, and I have a few minutes of quiet time to post after what seems like the longest week of my life. Our months of training together in long, stressful command post exercises have been put to the test in ways I didn't think possible.
You probably about a suicide bombing in Northern Iraq that killed nearly 250 civilians. You may not have heard about a major bridge being destroyed in Baghdad, and the heroic efforts to restore it.
The bridge destruction was a crisis of major proportions for us. Unfortunately, I can't provide a lot of details about "why," but take my word for it. This was one of the most difficult professional challenges I have ever faced...and it isn't over yet (though the situation has improved). If we had been given this scenario as a training problem, we would have dismissed it as unrealistic. Instead, my comrades and I quickly learned just how much worse it could have been.
The bombing was a senseless tragedy perpetuated against a group of people who were completely innocent...neither Shia nor Sunni and not a political force of any kind. We were all shocked by the devastation and brutality of the attack, but were blessed with a chance to do something about it. The great young soldiers and NCOs of my unit here at Enormo helped make sure that food, tents, blankets and cots were quickly shipped north to assist those who survived the attack. I was humbled and enormously proud to be present as these great Americans pulled together and focused on getting help to those who needed it most.
As if these events weren't enough, the local insurgents have been attacking FOB Enormo with mortar fire every day (sometimes twice a day). Fortunately, their aim is pretty bad.
If things stay quiet, I hope to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in days.
You probably about a suicide bombing in Northern Iraq that killed nearly 250 civilians. You may not have heard about a major bridge being destroyed in Baghdad, and the heroic efforts to restore it.
The bridge destruction was a crisis of major proportions for us. Unfortunately, I can't provide a lot of details about "why," but take my word for it. This was one of the most difficult professional challenges I have ever faced...and it isn't over yet (though the situation has improved). If we had been given this scenario as a training problem, we would have dismissed it as unrealistic. Instead, my comrades and I quickly learned just how much worse it could have been.
The bombing was a senseless tragedy perpetuated against a group of people who were completely innocent...neither Shia nor Sunni and not a political force of any kind. We were all shocked by the devastation and brutality of the attack, but were blessed with a chance to do something about it. The great young soldiers and NCOs of my unit here at Enormo helped make sure that food, tents, blankets and cots were quickly shipped north to assist those who survived the attack. I was humbled and enormously proud to be present as these great Americans pulled together and focused on getting help to those who needed it most.
As if these events weren't enough, the local insurgents have been attacking FOB Enormo with mortar fire every day (sometimes twice a day). Fortunately, their aim is pretty bad.
If things stay quiet, I hope to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in days.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
TOA (pronounced "toe-uh")
The big day has finally arrived...TOA, or "transfer of authority." At 10:00 this morning, my unit officially took on its mission here in Iraq.
The last couple of weeks have been arduous at best as we tried to gain as much knowledge as possible from the unit we relieved. We've been training for this for months, but there is no subsititute for being here and gaining informal, institutional knowledge. For me, 16-18 hour days have been the norm. I would arrive at around 6:30 after a quick breakfast, meet with my "counterpart" (the officer I replaced) for about an hour of briefings and knowledge sharing, work and attend meetings from 7:30 AM until about 9:30 PM and conclude the day with more briefings with my counterpart until about 11:30 PM or midnight. After that, it was off to bed for a few hours sleep before getting up the next morning to start again.
Our counterparts are now on their way back to the U.S., and I wish them a safe journey home. They have worked just as hard as we have during these past few weeks and made sure we were ready to take on this mission. My counterpart was an exceptionally smart and level-headed officer and I was sorry to see him go. He would have been great to work with over here.
Thanks for all for the e-mails and real mail that have been flowing in. Wow! It has been difficult to keep up...e-mails have gone unanswered and even "real mail" has gone unopened as I've poured most of my energy into this transition period. This will be a very busy year, but I have started to establish a more normal routine and will be getting caught up. Tonight's post and a several e-mail replies are the first baby steps in that direction.
Oh... the transfer cable for my digital camera arrived so I will be posting a few photos (after I reduce them to a manageable file size).
The last couple of weeks have been arduous at best as we tried to gain as much knowledge as possible from the unit we relieved. We've been training for this for months, but there is no subsititute for being here and gaining informal, institutional knowledge. For me, 16-18 hour days have been the norm. I would arrive at around 6:30 after a quick breakfast, meet with my "counterpart" (the officer I replaced) for about an hour of briefings and knowledge sharing, work and attend meetings from 7:30 AM until about 9:30 PM and conclude the day with more briefings with my counterpart until about 11:30 PM or midnight. After that, it was off to bed for a few hours sleep before getting up the next morning to start again.
Our counterparts are now on their way back to the U.S., and I wish them a safe journey home. They have worked just as hard as we have during these past few weeks and made sure we were ready to take on this mission. My counterpart was an exceptionally smart and level-headed officer and I was sorry to see him go. He would have been great to work with over here.
Thanks for all for the e-mails and real mail that have been flowing in. Wow! It has been difficult to keep up...e-mails have gone unanswered and even "real mail" has gone unopened as I've poured most of my energy into this transition period. This will be a very busy year, but I have started to establish a more normal routine and will be getting caught up. Tonight's post and a several e-mail replies are the first baby steps in that direction.
Oh... the transfer cable for my digital camera arrived so I will be posting a few photos (after I reduce them to a manageable file size).
Friday, August 3, 2007
Welcome to FOB Enormo
I’ve arrived…home sweet home for the next 12 months.
As the name suggests, FOB Enormo is a pretty big place. It is an old Iraqi Air Force base with tens of thousands soldiers and civilians living here on any given day. It is quite a mix here: Army, Navy, Air Force, a few Marines, US government civilians, US government contractors and “third country national” (TCN) contractors. There are very, very few Iraqis on the FOB and their access is tightly controlled. The TCN contractors are from a bewildering array of countries…mostly Asian and Middle Eastern. Many of the guards who protect places like the PX, the dining facilities and our work compound are from various African countries. They are very serious about their duties but still much friendlier overall than the rest of the TCNs. I’ll probably learn a little Swahili before this deployment is over. Right now, my vocabulary is limited to “hello” and “how are you.”
One of the most surreal aspects of being here is that you can’t go anywhere—ANYWHERE—without your weapon. You are not allowed in the dining hall without a weapon and the guards at the PX will give you a very hard time if you don’t have a weapon (though they are slightly more lenient than the dining hall guards). The only time I am not armed is when I’m in the shower, working out or sleeping…but the pistol is within arm’s reach when I’m sleeping or showering. I’m luckier than most since my assigned weapon is a 9mm pistol.
Unlike Kuwait, we actually have some trees on FOB Enormo. In addition to palms, I think we have a number of what appear to be cedar trees. I’m not a tree expert but I will eventually find a few minutes to research what they really are. The trees don’t really provide any shade but they do make the place a bit more scenic than the vast deserts of Kuwait. I have yet to see any grass. Everything underfoot is either dirt, gravel or pavement.
There is also a steady buzzing of cargo planes, fighter jets and helicopters. Jets and planes remind me of my younger days living on Air Force bases in the US. The helicopters tend to fly rather low over our work compound. I enjoyed the sound at first, until I realized why the helicopters were coming in so low: our work compound under the final flight path to the base hospital, so most of the helicopters I hear and see are Medevac aircraft bringing wounded soldiers into the hospital or launching to pick them up. The sound of those engines now pains me. Fortunately, the helicopters are touching down at a newly improved hospital staffed by skilled and dedicated military medical professionals.
As the name suggests, FOB Enormo is a pretty big place. It is an old Iraqi Air Force base with tens of thousands soldiers and civilians living here on any given day. It is quite a mix here: Army, Navy, Air Force, a few Marines, US government civilians, US government contractors and “third country national” (TCN) contractors. There are very, very few Iraqis on the FOB and their access is tightly controlled. The TCN contractors are from a bewildering array of countries…mostly Asian and Middle Eastern. Many of the guards who protect places like the PX, the dining facilities and our work compound are from various African countries. They are very serious about their duties but still much friendlier overall than the rest of the TCNs. I’ll probably learn a little Swahili before this deployment is over. Right now, my vocabulary is limited to “hello” and “how are you.”
One of the most surreal aspects of being here is that you can’t go anywhere—ANYWHERE—without your weapon. You are not allowed in the dining hall without a weapon and the guards at the PX will give you a very hard time if you don’t have a weapon (though they are slightly more lenient than the dining hall guards). The only time I am not armed is when I’m in the shower, working out or sleeping…but the pistol is within arm’s reach when I’m sleeping or showering. I’m luckier than most since my assigned weapon is a 9mm pistol.
Unlike Kuwait, we actually have some trees on FOB Enormo. In addition to palms, I think we have a number of what appear to be cedar trees. I’m not a tree expert but I will eventually find a few minutes to research what they really are. The trees don’t really provide any shade but they do make the place a bit more scenic than the vast deserts of Kuwait. I have yet to see any grass. Everything underfoot is either dirt, gravel or pavement.
There is also a steady buzzing of cargo planes, fighter jets and helicopters. Jets and planes remind me of my younger days living on Air Force bases in the US. The helicopters tend to fly rather low over our work compound. I enjoyed the sound at first, until I realized why the helicopters were coming in so low: our work compound under the final flight path to the base hospital, so most of the helicopters I hear and see are Medevac aircraft bringing wounded soldiers into the hospital or launching to pick them up. The sound of those engines now pains me. Fortunately, the helicopters are touching down at a newly improved hospital staffed by skilled and dedicated military medical professionals.
Heading North
(written on/about July 20, 2007)
After a few days in Kuwait, I was paroled from my stay at our desert camp and put on a flight north to Iraq to my new home—which I’ll call “FOB Enormo.” My colleagues, alas, will be spending another few days in Kuwait including a couple of nights at a remote training range with none of the comforts of home.
Since we had been staying in a large tent with no furniture except for our cots, I was able to pack up in short order. One item of discussion was how to set up our IBA for the trip north. On arrival in Kuwait, we were instructed that we could remove the side armor, groin protector and arm guards that provide additional protection (and are generally intended for use by soldiers out on convoys). This was a welcome relief since these items add both weight and heat to the armor.
As we prepared for our flight, however, word filtered in that we were to re-attach all of these components to our armor. There was much grumbling since we had already packed these pieces. Several of my colleagues noted that no one from the unit would be there to check up on us as we departed and thus we could likely wear whatever we wanted. I asked myself, “what would my family and beloved Elf want me to do? “
It took me about 10 minutes to find and re-attach the additional armor.
I bid brief goodbyes to Tommy and Apollo (John was nowhere to be found…probably up at the recreation center). After a short prayer from our chaplain, we loaded the bus after nightfall for the trip to the airfield. It was difficult to see many stars due to dust and artificial lighting, but there was a beautiful crescent moon as we set out. The bus trip was quiet; some of us slept while others were lost in their own thoughts. The body armor and the live ammunition we were issued when boarding the bus were clear reminders that were heading into potentially dangerous territory.
We flew north on a C-130 cargo aircraft, along with soldiers from another unit and their gear. The first stop was at their base in northern Iraq, which meant that would have a multi-hour flight and would actually pass FOB Enormo during the initial trip north. The addition of a second stop also meant that we would have two opportunities to enjoy the dubious thrill of a combat landing.
Our “combat landings” were rather anticlimactic. I had been told by others that we would make a very steep descent—kind of like riding a roller coaster—along with a lot of various evasive maneuvers as we got closer to the ground. Our landings were a little faster and a bit steeper than a typical airline landing, but they weren’t anything like a roller coaster (unless it was a kid’s coaster).
On arrival at FOB Enormo, we were treated to the first order of business: a video about what to do when you hear the alert sirens sound on FOB Enormo in the event of a rocket or mortar attack. Wow. I was extremely tired from the trip but I had no trouble staying awake through the video!
It is going to be an interesting year.
After a few days in Kuwait, I was paroled from my stay at our desert camp and put on a flight north to Iraq to my new home—which I’ll call “FOB Enormo.” My colleagues, alas, will be spending another few days in Kuwait including a couple of nights at a remote training range with none of the comforts of home.
Since we had been staying in a large tent with no furniture except for our cots, I was able to pack up in short order. One item of discussion was how to set up our IBA for the trip north. On arrival in Kuwait, we were instructed that we could remove the side armor, groin protector and arm guards that provide additional protection (and are generally intended for use by soldiers out on convoys). This was a welcome relief since these items add both weight and heat to the armor.
As we prepared for our flight, however, word filtered in that we were to re-attach all of these components to our armor. There was much grumbling since we had already packed these pieces. Several of my colleagues noted that no one from the unit would be there to check up on us as we departed and thus we could likely wear whatever we wanted. I asked myself, “what would my family and beloved Elf want me to do? “
It took me about 10 minutes to find and re-attach the additional armor.
I bid brief goodbyes to Tommy and Apollo (John was nowhere to be found…probably up at the recreation center). After a short prayer from our chaplain, we loaded the bus after nightfall for the trip to the airfield. It was difficult to see many stars due to dust and artificial lighting, but there was a beautiful crescent moon as we set out. The bus trip was quiet; some of us slept while others were lost in their own thoughts. The body armor and the live ammunition we were issued when boarding the bus were clear reminders that were heading into potentially dangerous territory.
We flew north on a C-130 cargo aircraft, along with soldiers from another unit and their gear. The first stop was at their base in northern Iraq, which meant that would have a multi-hour flight and would actually pass FOB Enormo during the initial trip north. The addition of a second stop also meant that we would have two opportunities to enjoy the dubious thrill of a combat landing.
Our “combat landings” were rather anticlimactic. I had been told by others that we would make a very steep descent—kind of like riding a roller coaster—along with a lot of various evasive maneuvers as we got closer to the ground. Our landings were a little faster and a bit steeper than a typical airline landing, but they weren’t anything like a roller coaster (unless it was a kid’s coaster).
On arrival at FOB Enormo, we were treated to the first order of business: a video about what to do when you hear the alert sirens sound on FOB Enormo in the event of a rocket or mortar attack. Wow. I was extremely tired from the trip but I had no trouble staying awake through the video!
It is going to be an interesting year.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
More Bursts to Follow
Greetings from FOB Enormo, Iraq! (Yes, I've arrived. No, "FOB Enormo" is not the actual name of the location where I am stationed.)
Internet access to work on this blog is a little difficult as I have to rely on the fairly scarce morale & welfare computers to do so. 'Net access is no problem at work, but working on a blog on my "official" computer is a big no-no. We are also incredibly busy as we prepare to officially take over from the unit we are replacing. However, I have been working off-line and should have several new posts up in the next couple of days.
Internet access to work on this blog is a little difficult as I have to rely on the fairly scarce morale & welfare computers to do so. 'Net access is no problem at work, but working on a blog on my "official" computer is a big no-no. We are also incredibly busy as we prepare to officially take over from the unit we are replacing. However, I have been working off-line and should have several new posts up in the next couple of days.
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