26 Feb

With an arrival time of 4 AM and a "late" factor of 5 hours I felt I would take the risk and set my alarm for 0400 and when I woke I would relocate the radio to my ear in the hopes of catching the "10 minutes out" call from our look-out. My calculated risk paid off. The convoy arrived at about 6:45...yes - two and a half hours of "extra" sleep - hey...it's the little victories that get me through the day. This second set of visitors was from the same Brigade so they followed the decisions that were made yesterday and by about 2 PM they were sitting down to have a late lunch. Overall a smoother transition for the second group of 1500 visitors; there are still areas that need improvement but it could have been a lot worst. Catch ya later...

25 Feb - Sunday

As with any new group comes new and exciting adventures. Our new visitors were to arrive at 2 AM; but they showed up on our doorstep at 7:30 AM. The entire reception team were up at 1:30 AM preparing for their arrival and since there was not sign of the convoy - we would have seen their lights about 5 miles prior to our front gate - and in order to take advantage of the time difference between the US and Iraqi I took this opportunity to touch base with my family. After a lengthy call I made the decision not to go back to bed because as luck always has it - as soon as I would have taken off my boots our guests would have arrived. Or worst yet, I would have fallen into a deep sleep and despite the radio being next to my ear I could have easily slept through the numerous calls for my presence as our guests waited at the front gate. With no sign of our guests by 6:20 I decided to get some breakfast and at 7:25 I was off to bed. As you can already tell I never made it bed, so with our guests approaching I grabbed some coffee and headed out to do my job. When I meet up with our new guest I encounter our first obstacle - they do not speak Arabic or English - they speak a Kurdish dialect. Therefore, I spoke in English, my translator spoke to their translator in Arabic and their translator spoke to the person I was really "talking-to" in Kurdish...man talk about the message getting "lost in translation" - this would be the perfect example. As you can guess all our conversations were three times as long compared to the "twice-as-long" conversations I have become come to accept. We had one big issue that took over 5 hours to resolve, but once we reached a solution soldiers and vehicles began to move. By 6 PM, yes eleven hours after their arrival the last vehicle was parked and all the soldiers were in their quarters. This left us just enough time to have some dinner and get to bed because the next group is schedule to arrive in 10 hours, 4 AM. However, we were up until about midnight having meetings and making final arrangements with our new guest to ensure tomorrows training was ready to go. Have a good night.

24 Feb - Saturday

As one battalion departs another battalion arrives. The fact that none of the soldiers from the first group were injured during their 10 day visit was a success in and of itself. As we prepared for the arrival of our new guest we took about two hours to review what we did correct, what we did wrong, and what we can do to improve our procedures for the arrival, training, and departure of the next group. Overall the meeting went well but next time we do a debrief from our "10-day" visitors I will expect the Iraqi's to lead the meeting not the Coalition. The last twelve days have been very challenging and very rewarding, at least two of the twelve days have been rewarding. Anyway, the next few days will be even more interesting as our new guests are slated to arrive in the whee hours of the morning.

23 Feb

Day two of our "mission" to the local school. Since Friday in Iraq is like a Saturday in the United States we knew there would be no kids in class today so our trip to the school was to conduct "Operation Band-aid." Okay...I just made that up but our purpose for today's trip was to provide medical treatment to the adults in the community. Although our purpose in the past has been to visit and help the kids in the school, our medical staff has always found a few extra minutes to treat those adults patiently waiting outside the school seeking medical attention. Therefore, in order to continue to foster a good relation between the Base and the local community we decided to have an "adult medical clinic" day. So, at 0700 we got back in our trucks and headed back to the school to help those who needed some medicine and/or medical advice. At 0600 we distributed fliers to the community informing them that a temporary medical facility would be established to help with their medical needs. We had male and female doctors on hand in by the end of lunch time we were packing-up and heading back to base. My best guess is that we provided some level of medical services to over 300 adults and an additional 80 children. It was another successful visit to the local school; our success is only a result of the generosity and support from the folks back in the States. Thank You for helping us touch the lives of people you will never meet - the parents and kids of the local community thank you. Have a great weekend.

22 Feb

It has been just under 2 months since we last visited the local grade school, so today we made a surprise visit and it turns out we had a bit of a surprise ourselves. Apparently on Wednesday evening the President of Iraq declared Thursday the 22nd as a National Holiday and therefore, school was cancelled. Since the schools here do not get "snow days" I suspect any last minute school cancellations are always celebrated by the children and of course, frowned upon by the parents - there are just somethings that are consistent across all cultures. So...how does one save the day on a rainy day off? You convince the kids to go back to school and you feed them; and that is exactly what we did. Not only did we bring smiles to the kids but I am sure we brought a few minutes of relief to some parents. Within a few minutes of our arrival we had over 300 kids in the school; the school only instructs 170 children. Every kid left with a pair of new shoes, and a full stomach; and the majority of the children also received a back-pack, a soccer ball and a few other small goodies. Over all it was a great success. I contributed all the items I received over the last 2 months and for those of you who are putting last minute touches on some more goodies for the kids, please know we will be making another trip in the not so distant future. I believe I will be around for only one more visit but I have no doubt regular trip to this school and some other outlining schools will become a event. Above is a pic of me helping keep the kids in line as they make there way to lunch. Maybe it was good that school was cancelled for the day - this way we were able to provide a nutritious meal and new shoes to 305 kids vice the 170 that normally attend. I guess you could say today we brought some sunshine to an otherwise rainy day for some local children.

21 Feb

There are some Iraqi soldiers who are squared away, honest, dedicated, and hard working individuals; and then there are others who are just the opposite. It is these "opposites" that I have cause to write about today. After one week in the new barracks the 1500 Iraqi soldiers have caused over $2300 in damage to the facilities. Most of the damage is to the showers and sinks but some of the damage was done to several of the fixtures within the living quarters. These rooms are probably some of the nicest rooms they have seen in a long time and will see for at least the next 90 days. And although they did not strip the rooms of all the amenities, there were numerous rooms in which we found items that were removed or changed for no apparent reason. But the highlight of the day was at night when each Iraqi was to get a new set of uniforms and boots before they departed our area tomorrow morning.

In short - it was a mob scene. The Iraqi Officers were nowhere to be found so the soldiers just pushed and shoved their way to the front door hoping get in so they may get some new stuff before it was all gone. The above picture is the front door where the issuing of new items began. If you look closely you can see the Iraqi soldiers pushed-up against the doors and window. I can sit back and chuckle at this situation because for once I was not involve in operations. With was a British Coalition operations and although there were some US personnel involved, me and my team were just observers for this activity. I was not about to get involved. So I took my picture and headed home for the evening. I found out the next day that the evolution ended about 3 o'clock in the morning.
Speaking of heading home...its time for some rest. Have a good night

20 Feb

Our 1500 guests have been here for about a week now and so far we have managed to keep everyone alive. There have been numerous high ranking officers who have visited our location. Above is a picture of me with a couple Iraqi Officers, one interpreter and one of the many Generals that has visited our area in the last four days. The visits can be summed up in a few words. "Wow, this place has a lot to offer Iraqi and US units - there is a lot of room out here - I think we should start using this space." And now we get the chance to excel...yet again - great. Have a good day.

19 Feb

You would think that a country that is struggling to get back on its feet would try their best to fix a garbage truck and not just throw it away...right? Well in all fairness the operator of the garbage truck did not mean to dump the truck into the burn pit, but as you can see that is exactly what happened. I will not bore you with the details but let me just say the truck driver did not listen to what he was told and sure enough the truck slid down the embankment and into the pit. As we were standing there trying to figure out how to get the truck out of the pit something exploded in the pit. Whatever exploded was muffled by the garbage that was plied on top of it, all we heard was a boom and a small cloud of dust and saw little debris. It only took 25 minutes to pull the truck out of the pit - it could have been a lot worst. Every day is an adventure that is for sure - until the next adventure...have a good night.

18 Feb -Sunday

The pic is of me and two of the Dining Facility Managers, the one on my left is the senior manager.

After a long meeting with the two LtCols last night it was obvious the Senior Dining Facilities Manager dropped the ball on getting enough food for the 1500 Iraqi Soldiers that arrived this week. My 9 o'clock meeting with the Senior Dining Facilities Manager started off calm but half way through I started "poking him in the eye" because of in ability to plan for the incoming soldiers. The forceful tone in my voice stemmed from the fact that I told them ten days prior to the Battalions arrival that he needed to ramp-up for the incoming soldier - had he chose to make an effort I would have been more understanding of the Battalions early arrival. But he chose not to listen to any of my input and it caused me and our guest many problems. As the day progressed I continued to trouble shoot more "small fires." However, later that evening I had the opportunity to increase my cell phone collection.

One of the security precautions we are taking is to eliminate the use of cell phones in and around our area by visiting personnel; this policy was established to ensure our security against potential enemy fire. At 8 PM I took a walk around the Battalion area and confiscated seven cell phones. If they turned-in their cell phone when they arrived - they get it back the morning they leave our area. If I confiscate it after they have the opportunity to turn it in, its mine. Anyone want a cell phone? All you need to do is pay for shipping and handling - just 10,000 Dinar.

17 Feb - Saturday

For those of you following my Blog I am sorry I am so far behind - 5 days to be exact. In the last few days I have been the mediator between two Iraqi LtCols and the Dining facility Manager, yelled at the the Senior Dining Facility Manager, I have observed and helped direct one evening meal, I "acquired" seven cell phones, yelled at two Iraqi LtCols, conduct a meeting with two Iraqi Cols, inspected 300+ rooms and facilities, moved 2 conexes (large metal containers), received four days of Iraqi VIPs (Generals) and two days of US VIPs (Generals), and all while preparing for an upcoming mission to visit the local grade school.
So...on Saturday the 17th I had the "distinct" pleasure of organizing an "on the spot" meeting between the two visiting Battalion Executive Officers (LtCols) and the Dining facility Manager. The short version is that the Battalions - about 750 each - were not getting served the correct menu. The soldiers knew it and they were angry that they were not getting enough food. The lack of food was not necessary the dining facility manager fault because he was hired at the last minute. After pointing out that the Battalions were sent here with only a few days notice - it was agreed that the Dining Facility and the Battalions would need to be flexible. The short notice of their arrival combined with the fact that they are the first set of soldiers through this training program is reason enough to give everyone a few days to work out all the bugs and issues. In addition to this topic of food service I had 3 other point to make. The one point that I made clear was there was to be not food in the living quarters - we are in the desert and mice and rats tend to appear out of nowhere when the weather gets warm. At 2310 I reiterated this point as we were getting up to leave the area. My closing statement went something like this. "Okay so we all agree no food in the rooms - because the mice will find any leftover food and long after you are gone the mice will arrive." With out skipping a beat one of the LtCol said, "that's okay the next Battalion will just have to bring cats." Great a funny LtCol - that's just what I need. Well at least I left the meeting with a laugh. See ya tomorrow -

16 Feb

Another week down, another week closer to going home. Another 40 friendly military soldiers arrived today with another 100+ new Iraqi Soldiers arriving a few hours later. Hopefully we will get some more logistic soldiers to help us coordinate and supervise all the additional requirements for these troops and/or visitors.

15 Feb

Well I have some good news from my life outside the military. As I mentioned in a previous post my passion in life is to fix, create and tinker with just about anything. Well...I teamed up with a good friend and after a couple of years of creating, designing, and paying close attention to the detail, it looks like our product will be heading to a shelf near you...well at least it's heading that way. My friend, who is also named Greg, and I have designed, presented to major toy companies, and now...helped to bring to market a board game. The game debuted this week in New York at the Javits Center for Toy Fair 2007. We received a fair amount of interest in the game, we got several small orders and...keep your fingers crossed...in a couple weeks we should hear some feedback from some well known Retailers as to whether or not they would like to place an order for the upcoming fall and/or holiday season. Wish us luck...

14 Feb

Happy Valentines Day to all the readers back in the States. I hope you get the chance to spend a few extra minutes with that special someone in your life. As for me and the guys...we all sent a little something home to let the family know we love and miss them. I had a chance to shop at the local mall - seen above. Despite the large selection of cigarettes, "advance copies" of upcoming DVD releases, some DVDs of current 1st run movies, and some genuine fake watches I was unable to find a suitable gift for my wife - thank goodness for the Internet. Have a great day.

13 Feb

The above picture was taken after a secret meeting between the officers at our facility and about 20 local Sheiks. Iraqi lesson #9. The Sheiks are both the Mafia Boss and Mayor of their area; and in case you were wondering there is a Head Sheik who gives guidance to all the other Skeiks. But here are a few bits of interesting information. Once you are a Sheik, you and your family retain that role until there is no one left in your family to fill your shoes. As the Sheik if you are failing to meet the needs of your people they will "replace you." Your son will get the message and make some changes to ensure his own survival. I am not sure if the Head Sheik is always the wisest of the Sheiks or he is born into the position. Stay tuned for more exciting Iraqi lessons.

12 Feb

So...half of the 1500 visitors arrive today, 24 hours early and as I feared they arrived at 8 PM, in the dark. It was pretty exciting for the first few moments - they wanted to do something - we said, "Absolutely not." They said, "Why not," we said, "Because that is not the safe way to do it." They said, "Fine...we are leaving," we said, "Good we did not want you here anyway... - Okay the last part is not true but I am sure you get the picture. After a few minutes of heated conversation everything calmed down and eighty-two vehicles and 750 Iraqi Soldiers later the inspection was complete and seven hours after they arrived at our front door the new buildings were occupied. Other than being hungry the soldiers were in pretty good spirits. We will see how things turn out in the morning when there is no water or food for them. However, the Life Support Contractor did arrive today with some workers...I am skeptical that they will be able to have breakfast ready for them in the morning. I guess we will see...

11 Feb - Sunday

I can see the train wreck approaching. The local Life Support Contractor providing: food, water, sewer, trash, cleaning and maintenance services, has yet to have the new workers, who will be servicing the 1500 Iraqi Soldiers, arrive to our area. That means in the next 36 hours over 50 people need to be hired and trained to accomplish all the support for the incoming soldiers. If past performance is any indication of future accomplishments - the Life Support Contractor will fail to meet his requirements. You can bet that I will be safely behind the cement walls of our compound when the bad news of no water or food is given to a mob of angry, hungry and smelly Iraqi Soldiers. I think I will let the Iraqi Logistics section handle this one.

10 Feb - Saturday

Well I have some good news and some not so good news...
First, all the recent "visitors" have recognised the potential of our area. So much so, that we will soon see a boom in our population. The good news; we should get more Ice Cream and Lobster. The not so good news; I will be even more busier then before but hopefully that will pass the time faster. The influx of 1500 visitors is just the start of our busy schedule. I fear the arrival of these visitors will be a huge learning experience for all involved...I hope they do not arrive at night - that would only complicate matters. Today I had a three hour meeting with the local Contractor who overseas the food, water, sewer and trash sub-contractors. I am not sure I will have any patience to take home with me after this tour. It takes a lot of effort to speak slowly and in simple sentences so the translator can understand my information and accurately translate it in Arabic. As can be expected, using American slang or common American phrases often gets me the "deer in the headlights" look from the translator. So our three hour meeting is really a 70 to 90 minute meeting reworded and translated in order to conduct a conversation with an Iraqi citizen. Oh well...I guess it beats working on Power Point twelve hours a day.

9 Feb

As the pace begins to pick-up around this area my Friday morning wake-ups are getting earlier and earlier. Today we got word 1500 visitors are due in next week; we were not expecting these visitors for another week to ten days. On top of dealing with sneaky sub-contractors I now need to expedite my time line for receiving these soldiers. So now, not only can I not fire the existing sub-contractors I must find/approve a few more sub-contractors to fill the additional requirements. Finding workers in my area is not too tough but finding ones who have trucks suitable for our needs is a challenge. And although it is the main contractors responsibility to hire adequate help I have found it is worth our time to "keep our thumb" on the contractor to ensure the job gets done correctly. Additionally, we have a few more VIPs scheduled to visit tomorrow...great...another tour of our area.

8 Feb

Sometimes you do not realize how good you have IT until you spend a few days without IT; or in this case doing IT. When it comes down to IT there are four things necessary to keep us happy and healthy, S.W.E.T; a Sewer system, Water, Electricity, and a Trash plan. In the last few days I have been up to my knees in IT, well...two of IT to be exact...you guested it, Sewer and Trash. Okay...maybe up to my knees is a stretch but nonetheless I have been dealing with them. After a brief investigation is seems the trash truck has failed to sufficiently dump the trash into the "burn pit" but rather they leave the garbage neatly piled on the edge of the pit. The combination of the "trash guys" in ability to follow directions, and the recent 30 mph winds has spread garbage across our area. It looks like every rock, stick and dried shrub has a piece of trash clinging to it. And with the slightest breeze the trash appears to be hanging-on to its new friend in hopes that it will somehow be rescued from its inevitable burial. How long does it take plastic to bio-degrade?? Oh yea...never! To add excitement to my life I heard the Sewer water is being dumped only a few hundred yards from some of our buildings. Great...by the time this is over I should be able to add "Educated Environmentalist" to my resume. Tomorrow should bring a few interesting conversations with the local contractors.

7 Feb

Well February is 25% over...hey everyday matters when I am counting the days until I go home. I think this is the first day I have eaten three Iraqi meals in a row...my stomach and I agree that there is no reason to repeat this feat anytime in the future. Here is how I get "talked" into have an meal with the Iraqis. In the middle of a conversation, in-walks the junior soldier with a big silver platter of food, the conversation stops mid sentence as the senior Iraqi in the room stands-up and points to the food saying, "Please...lets finish after we eat." If you do not eat they think the food they prepared is not good enough for you, so to avoid offending them you partake in the meal. As I start eating they continue to put more and more food in front of me. Iraqi Lesson #8. When a guest sits down to dine with an Iraqi it is common practice to give half of the meal to the guest. For example, if one of the four people at the table is a guest, three of the four will share half of the main course, and the guest gets the other half. Only after it is clear that the guest is finished eating will the other three individuals at the table partake in what remains of the visitors portion. Needless to say this is very hospitable but it does go overboard, at least compared to what I have experienced in the America culture. So for those who are wondering...even though I had three Iraqi feast there was enough room for a small bowl of "Very Berry Strawberry Ice Cream," I guess I will just have to run an extra mile or two tomorrow. The weekend is halfway here...hang-in-there.

6 Feb

Today I would like to take a moment and welcome to my blog a group of young and enthusiastic students; a fourth grade class from New Jersey. Ms. B and her students send a Christmas package to me and the other Marines and Soldier here in Iraq. Over the last few weeks we have exchanged e-mails and recently I heard they were logging on the Internet to read my blog. So, here is my official welcome to Ms. B and her 4th Graders - I hope you guys and gals enjoy the blog and, as time permits, I will continue to do my best to answer your letters. As for life in Iraq today, the only note of interest is that our "farm" is growing. Cassy, a local female dog, is the newest addition to our family of animals. We now have, a Cassy, Roy - the turkey, and two cats. At this rate I expect a goat, two sheep and at least one camel to take up residence in our area prior to my departure in June. It seems are population is growing in more ways than one. Have a good day.

5 Feb

Based on the last few weeks I have come the realization that my days of "turning wrenches with the troops" are coming to a close; I guess my job as an Advisor officially places me in the "management" role. And I believe even after I return to the States I will remain in the "management" role except when I "strap-on" my helicopter and take to the sky's over San Diego. For those of you who know me, you know how much I love to tinker with and/or fix stuff. At least in a squadron I get the opportunity to "play" outside the office at a few times a week, but as an Advisor my days of "playing" have been limited to the few soccer games I have enjoyed with the Iraqis and the couple hours spent shooting rounds (bullets for your Air Force readers) on the firing ranges. The highlight of the day was dinner with the senior Iraqi officer again, notice the spread of food - all the food was prepared for the six of us in the picture. I think I will need to start fasting between our twice-a-week meals with the Colonel. Time for bed - see ya tomorrow.

4 Feb - Sunday

My latest adventure stem from the company who was hired to provide Life Support for my location. Life support is defined as providing food service, water service, maintenance/repair, and janitorial service for our area. I will not bore you with the details but in short, they are not providing enough personnel or assets to accomplish their mission. For example, in the new dining facility (see post 18 Jan) the workers are sleeping in one of the back rooms because the company will not provide them with transportation back and forth to the berthing area located about five miles away. Additionally, the company has failed to provide enough workers to maintain the bathrooms. So, at noon when I heard one of the senior managers of the Life Support company was in town I tracked him down, mentioned to him that there were some problems and I asked if he could help. Our fifteen minute "spur of the moment meeting" turned into a two and a half hour tour and discussion of the problems his company are causing me and my staff. The head manager seemed genuinely concerned and three hours later at our second meeting of the day he had a solution for all but one of the issues we addressed. In the next few days I will know if he was serious about his solutions or he was just paying lip-service to my concerns. Never a dull moment - until the next exciting adventure...

3 Feb - Saturday

Moving day number two. As the Iraqi Soldiers continue to relocate to the new buildings I continue to work with the logistic staff to ensure they are keeping a pulse on all the activities and services within our camp. As of today we now have two different locations up and running simultaneously; and I/we are responsible for keeping both of those areas operating smoothly. The problem we are facing is the hired contractor is not living up to his end of the contract. So...fire the contractor you say...I agree but this particular contractor is a part of a larger company that has ties to the top of the food chain in Iraq. Therefore, this company will not be fired no matter how many complaints the US or Iraqi's file; and we are not the only location experiencing problems with this company. I guess if you need job security in Iraq - getting your foot in the door with this company would be the way to go. Tomorrow I will discuss the current challenges with this company.

2 Feb

TGIF - at least I got to sleep in a little today; I was up at 7:30 because I had some e-mails to answer and some requests to send to my higher headquarters. Although Fridays are typically slow for the Iraqi Soldiers today was the exception; it was moving day. With the completion of two new buildings within our immediate area, the Iraq Soldiers began moving into their new buildings in order to allow us to re-occupy the older building. As we continue to grow - we are up to 23 personnel - we need to ensure our safety and security come first; and re-claiming their old logistics building was a key factor in achieving that goal. The Iraqi's spent all day moving and it looks like it will take the greater part of Saturday to finish the move. Unexpected to us, the US Coalition Team, the Iraqi Colonel decided to let some of the Iraqi Soldiers live in the new buildings. Instead of having all the rooms in the new buildings as offices and/or storage areas he has authorised some of the officers and enlisted soldiers to live in several of the rooms. Sounds good right - well there is a little known secret here in Iraq that I will share with you. I kid you not - there is a shortage of gas...well a shortage of refined gas and diesel to be specific, in Iraq. Yes - kind of ironic - one of the most "oil wealthy countries" on the planet has a shortage of fuel. Now, whether this shortage is due to an oversight, lack of refineries, or corruption is irrelevant; the bottom line is usable fuel is not flowing from the wells dug in every Iraqi's back yard and for the near future the Iraqi's are planning to ration their fuel. I bring this up because the generators for the new buildings require diesel fuel and in order to conserve fuel the generators will only be operating at certain times of the day. And right now it looks like between 3:00 and 9:00 AM and between 5:00 and 7:00 PM the generators will be off. This all sounds good until the temperature hits 145 degrees during the day and 120 degrees at night. The next few months should be interesting. I will keep you update on how this pans-out. In case you are wondering the US has enough fuel to keep our, the US Coalition Team, generators running 24/7. Have a good weekend.

1 February

Day number 60 of 180. I am 1/3 the way through my six month tour and one month closer to Christmas. Hey...when you miss a family Christmas you can bet I am eagerly looking forward to the next Holiday Season. Although February 1st marks a small milestone for my time in Iraqi it marks a huge milestone for my son - he is 5 today...well tonight - 11:28 PM, Pacific time, to be exact. I had the opportunity to have a 10 minute video call with him and the three most important women in my life - my wife, my daughter, and my mother who was in town for my son's birthday. I made the call early today about 7:40 AM, CA time, in the hopes of getting through to him before he went off to school. We have "dial-up" speed on our satellite Internet connection - or at least it seems that way sometimes - so it was a gamble as to whether I would be able to get through to him. Luckily I did, and I hope it made his day; because other than a bag of sand or a clump of mud there is not much I can send him from the middle of Iraq. Have a good day...the weekend is fast approaching.

31 Jan

Tonight I had the opportunity to dine with a few Iraqis from a town 30 miles away. They arrived and brought some lamb shish-kabobs, bread, and of course tomatoes and cucumbers. We began dinner at 7:30 PM and ate until about 9:00. The food was very good and a few of the guests spoke English so the conversation was quite nice. We had a little rain this morning but it cleared up by noon time and the sun was out by early afternoon. In the morning there is a chill in the air, about 45 degrees but when the sun breaks through the clouds the afternoon temperature gets up to about 65 degrees. I have no doubt that in about three months I will be praying for 65 degree weather even if it were at night. Speaking of night - have a good one.