Another day...

Good morning. I am back at HQ, still in Iraq and hating it. At the base that I was at we were given a pass down, plan of the day for the following day. We knew what we had to do the next day and we rarely deviated from that plan. But here, it is a different story. It seems like there is no plan, just don't get caught doing nothing. Extended lunches, "workout" breaks are authorized. It's a joke. I'll just have to get used to it.

Anyway...
I will be here for about six weeks and then we will begin the "bug out" process. Meaning, we will be heading home! I am not sure if I am going to make it home in time to see the baby pop out but it will be great to be able to hold her in my arms for the first time. And of course my sons and wife are in for some serious TLC.

Take care...

Moving on...

As I mentioned yesterday, many of us, from the original crew will be moving to other projects, some have yet to be announces. As is the norm around here, everybody has unconfirmed stories about how bad things are at other bases. If someone starts a story with "I heard..." it is usually BS and if it ends with "...they said" you can bet that someone is stretching the facts a bit. But still, the not knowing is what gets to just about everyone. The bad side to all of this is that some of the folks that do not deal with change very well decide to taking it on the rest of us. Again, this is part of the game that we are all playing right now. Needless to say, tension is high and for good reason. We, NMCB 18 are represented in every corner of this country but thanks to the power of the web and sat phones rumors and in some cases bad news, are only a click away. And not just on our end, oh no...

Stateside, our immediate family members were invited to sign up for an on line open forum. This should be a great way for folks to keep informed and do the whole support group thing. From what I have read, it is being used to spread some viscious rumors about what we are doing out here. According to the forum we are all sleeping around, partying and just raising all kinds of hell. (not necessarily in that order either) Is this happening in some places, at some bases. Yup. But not everyone is doing it. All it takes is a couple of bad apples to turn this morale thing on its head.

Some of our counterparts have headed home on emergency leave, family emergencies, loss of loved ones etc. In some cases the strain of the deployment was too great and so the decision was made to step out of the relationship now. And the command will not, in most cases, allow for these folks to head home to deal with these types of situations. So for the next two months or so we are forced to move forward with all of this excess weight. It bites.

But back to this internet thing...

Obviously, I am taking advantage of it. I'm keeping my gente up to date with what is going on and this is making it easier for me to keep my journal on track and up to date and it has allowed for me to post some cool pics too.

Pic 1: Alfa Company, Road Crew. L to R. Woody, Bulldog, Shawn, Marty, Johnny and Z.
Pic 2: Our base chapel and the medical department. Notice the terrain. It takes it's toll on knees, toes etc. Especially with the average age of our unit being 37. Bunch of old farts out here...ha!

Changes....

So no sooner do we get the word that we are starting the turnover process, we then receive word that a couple of guys will be leaving our crew ASAP. So I'm bumming around thinking about my buddy Marty and how much this place is going to bite without my bud around to joke around with that I get the word that I will be leaving too. Not only that but all of the equipment operators and construction mechanics that came out with the original crew will be leaving in the next few days. I will be heading back to our homebase to spend a month putting my artistic skills on exhibition. The command found out that yours truly is pretty handy with spray paint. (I will not admit to any wrong doing) That is what I get for drawing on, "ruining" the blank pages to my sisters Nancy Drew novels. Seriously though, each battalion that has come before us has left their mark on one of the shop walls. My chain of command wants me to do something that is going to blow the others away. I am just the man for the job. Ha! The thing is that this project will only take a couple of days but someone told them that I needed at least three weeks to do it right. I'm thinking about turning on the DaVinci in me. Show up in the morning or whenever I feel inspired, go into the shop, stare at the wall for hours mummble a few colorful words, spin around and leave. Come back after lunch, stare at the wall for a few more hours and then storm out of there again. Next day? Repeat. I plan on doing that right up to when I find out the exact date and time my flight heads out of here.

It has begun...

Good morning!
The first pic is of me wearing one of the t-shirts that was sent over from a group called "Hero to Hero's". Out of the 50 or so t-shirts that they sent this was the only one that fit. Ha! I better stick to my diet! The odd thing is that fire departments from all over the country take part in this program and the one that I am sporting is from the Edmonds (Wa.) Fire Department. Weird!
The real cool thing about this program is that in May I got a chance to go down to Ground Zero. I went down with a group of reservists and it was definitely one of the most amazing and heart wrenching experiences of my life. I recommend checking it out before they start rebuilding.

Pic two was taken just before we rolled out on one of our missions. Looking at the pic now, I am not so sure that painting the bucket in yellow was such a good idea. Crap.

Anyway, great news! We have now officially started the turnover process with the next battalion. We received word that they have started to trickle in to the base where they will go through their pre deployment training. There is always a fear that for some reason or another a battalions training will be put on hold but it looks like these guys had everything lined up prior to getting the call up. On this side of the pond we have begun with our demobilization process. We are going through some of the preliminary transition processes. And to be honest with you some of it is completely pointless but at this point I will do just about anything to get my ass back home.

Speaking of which, I received word yesterday morning that I have been approved to go home on the "early bird". I will be stateside about ten days before the rest of the crew which means that I will be home in time for the arrival of our little girl. Yes, we will be adding another member to our little clan. It is going to be an amazing time for us. No, I am not going to be one of those overly protective dads, that is a job that her two brothers have been groomed for. Ha!

Funny...

I decided to vent a bit and let my frustrations over the Cowboys losing a game that was in the bag and my blog and e-mail were pinged over and over and over again. Funny how some trash talking, about a GAME, will get people going. Yes, when I lived in Washington, although I was not "a huge fan" of the Seahawks, I did root for them. The Cowboys are America's Team but for some reason, their games are rarely televised up north. I think it has to do with lack of reliable cable/sattelite service. I do hope that the Seahawks make a good run of it, and if they somehow manage to make it to the Super Bowl, I will root for them just like I, we, as in my famly, did last year.

Enough of that....

I need to share something that I received this morning...

Redneck Man's pick up lines1) Did you fart?cuz you blew me away.2) Are yer parents retarded? **cuz ya sure are special. **3) My Love fer you is like diarrhea . *I can't hold it in. **4) Do you have a library card?**cuz I'd like to sign you out. **5) Is there a mirror in yer pants? *cuz I can see myself in em. **6) If you **was a tree** I **were a** **Squirrel, **I'd store my nuts in yer hole. **7) You might not be the best lookin girl here, **but beauty's only a light switch away. **8) Man - "Fat Penguin!"Woman - "WHAT?"Man - "I just wanted to say something that would break theice."9) I know I'm not no Fred Flintstone, *but I bet I can make yer bed-rock. **10) I can't find my puppy, can you help me find him? **I think he went inta this cheap motel room. **11) Yer eyes are as blue as window cleaner.12) If yer gunna regret this in the mornin, *we kin sleep til afternoon. **and.... the best for last!13) Yer face reminds me of a wrench, **every time I think of it my nuts tighten up. *
George....thanks for sharing.

Y'all take care. STILL TRUE TO THE SILVER AND BLUE!

Cowboys

Up until 1998 or so I thought that the Seahawks were a good arena football team that once in while received an invite to come out and play a primer game or two against the Raiders or some other team from the NFL. Somewhere along the line I found out that they were an actual NFL team. I think it had something to do with Paul Allen and Bill Gates making a contribution or two.
A few years later they make it to the Super Bowl and they blow the only chance they will have to win the big one. Their coach decides to show his true charachter by crying to the media and placing the blame on the refs. Nice move. A year later they hobble into the playoffs, playing in the weakest division in all of pro sports and the talk of another run to the Super Bowl is running wild. Please
Yes, they did beat the Cowboys or did a miscue and NOT the Seahawks, cost the 'Boys the game?
Anyway, the Seahawks will be out of the playoffs next week and I will be back to feeling like myself again.

Jan. 07, 2007

Every day I have the privilege of enjoying some of the bes sunrises and sunsets that I have ever witnessed. This country is not as ugly as I had imagined it. Yes, the weather can be incredibly hot and cold, from one day to the next. But overall, it's not that bad. The Euphrates River is less than a mile away from us. It is as nice and as wide, if not wider, than the Columbia River. Along the banks of the Euphrates you will find acres and acres of lush palm groves, bamboo fields and other vegitation that I have never seen before but it is beautiful. At first glance the people out here are not openly friendly but once you give them an opportunity they open up, smile and will offer you just about anything that they own. But still...
If any progress is being made, we don't really see it. I understand why we are out here but the overall feeling is that once we leave this country there will be another Saddam ready to take over this country.

Jan. 04, '07

Good morning. Here are a few pics for y'all to check out. Clockwise from top left. Pic 1 is of most of the personnel that are at this COP with me. We have folks representing Washington, Oregon, North Cal, Idaho, Montana and Texas. Yes, I took the liberty of "tagging" the loader. Hey, it's my rig. Pic 2 is what this place looked like before we got here. Notice the tents at the right. That's what the marines were sleeping in before we showed up. Pic 3 is what our job sight looks like now that we have finished with this part of mission. When we got here it looked like a no win situation but we finished ahead of schedule. Pic 4 was taken during one of our x-mas photo ops. We were also getting ready to say good bye to our Officer in Charge. He is the one in the middle. Anyway, that's me on the right. And it would not be x-mas without the stockings, Santa hats and an M-16 at the ready.
Happy New Year everyone.