SUNDAY AT THE OASIS

It's Sunday morning and my only opportunity to sleep in, which I did. The week sped by quickly yet the end seems so far away. I made the decision to give some of the Supply folks the full day off. They deserve it.

Last night the Chief's Mess (Chief's organization, for those wondering) invited the Officers over for dinner, in part to celebrate the Skipper's soon to be promotion to Captain. There was chicken, ribs, and steak, all delicious. A beer, or the like, would have really made the dinner. Oh well, you can't have everything, especially in Iraq. I had a pizza with the dentist Friday night, which helps to break the monotony of the Dining Facility.

We (the Navy) lost a sailor this past week. He was a Reserve Commander working for the Army Engineers traveling in an armored Suburban. The vehicle ran over an IED and there was nothing to be done after that. He was a CEC (Civil Engineering Officer) as are almost all Seabee officers, so the loss was keenly felt. We have a memorial service for him this week. Those I have spoken to agree that it was foolish to travel in an SUV, even when it's uparmored. It's too low to the ground and can't absorb that type of explosion. We've seen and heard of a number of MRAP attacks and in almost all cases, lives are saved that othewise were lost just a few short years ago. Our Battalion only travels in MRAPS and everyone has arrived back safely from convoys.

I have stayed in touch with another officer I met when mobilizing. He went to Peru, lucky guy. I enjoy receiving his emails, talking about how much fun he's having. The first picture I received in an email was of him at a soccer game, with thousands of rabid fans in the background. Another time, he sent a picture of him with the ruins of Machu Picchu in the background. As jealous as I am of his adventures, I find humor in being able to curse him for having such a good time. And I let him know it too. I think we both take delight in that. Well, I put the 'pen' down, so to speak, for awhile, to take care of business and then a tour of Abraham's Oasis. It's located on base, near the Euphrates, about halfway between the ancient cities of Ur and Haran . The oasis is mentioned by name in Islamic writings, although no specific stops on Abram's journey are referenced in the Bible or Quran. Still, it's one of the few stops for fresh water in an otherwise barren land, and it's reasonable to believe that Abraham stopped here to drink, bathe, and water his flocks. The tour was a culmination of four Sunday discussions of the three religions that considered him to be the father of monotheism; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The area was virtually unsettled for thousands of years until the early 1900s.However, in 1985, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used the land surrounding the oasis to build an air base and paid the villagers to relocate. As years passed and the air base grew to totally envelope the oasis, it became neglected and unkempt. In 2003, coalition forces gained control of the Al Asad Air Base, and two years later U.S. service members began picking up the trash and debris that had collected at the oasis, restoring dilapidated buildings and cleaning up a small cemetery containing the remains of veterans of the Iran-Iraq War. It was a nice to step away from the typical arid beige vegetation to something more lush and green. The families that lived by the oasis planted many date palm trees which are very tall today. The actual pond of water is small but teeming with tiny fish. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, just wandering the oasis.

My friend from Peru sent me an email from a friend of his in Baghdad, describing the different types of military folks working in Iraq and how they spend their free time. I felt it worth passing on and hope you enjoy it: 1) The Workaholic, at work until 11 PM each night cranking out more and more PowerPoint slides because there is nothing else to do, or you find the work fascinating, or your boss is a micromanaging idiot, 2) The Gym Rat, hopped up on Myoplex and protein shakes, whose goal is to bench 450 lbs and run a 6:00 mile on the treadmill by the time they leave as well as trying every new MWR-offered yoga, 6-pack abs and spinning class offered, 3) Siskel & Mohammed, watching the Top 1000 movies of all time on DVD including pirated movies from China (like the new Star Trek) weeks before they're even released stateside, 4) The Skype Junkie, calling home or friends for free via the Internet every night until the laptop battery runs out, 5) The Iraq Expert (self-proclaimed), the kind of guy that keeps up with "everything Iraq" but isn't interested in learning the language, the culture, or interacting with the people, just repeating what T.E. Lawrence said about the Middle East back in 1916, 6) Amazon.com Platinum Club, ordering books by the baker's dozen in order to catch up on 1) the classics, 2) any book claiming to make sense of this war because you don't feel like you get it yet, and/or 3) the "Twilight" series that you never would have had time to read at home, 7) Sun Tzu Armchair Warrior, knocking out the entire Naval War College Joint Professional Military Education Phase I course of instruction by the time you leave, 8) Christians in the Lion's Den, there's church on Sundays, choir practice, Bible studies, chaplains to see and charities to support every day of the week if you like, 9) Playstation War on Terror gang, playing first person shooter video games on their 225" plasma TVs at 15,000 decibels, shooting up Al Qaeda one restart at a time, and finally 10) A "Fobbit", someone who just likes to hang around the FOB (Forward Operating Base), doing a little Internet here, a little coffee at the Green Bean Cafe there, shoots a few hoops on the basketball court, drops off laundry at KBR every two days instead of five, but has never seen anything of Iraq besides work, the FOB, and the shuttle bus.

I thought the 10 types had some humor (and reality). I am running out of humorous things to say so I look for it anywhere I can. It's about 11:15 PM and I'm watching the Nedal/Soderling tennis match, already knowing the outcome but wanting to see how Nedal gets beat on clay. I'd like to watch the 2nd game of the Pittsburgh/Detroit series but that's on about 2:00 AM. Bummer. I hope everyone had a nice weekend!! Sorry for the length of today's blog. Take care.

THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER

It's Friday night and normally at this time I'm either at relaxing at home with the family, going to synagogue, or given it's Memorial Day weekend, hanging out at the outdoor pool that just opened. So Happy Memorial Day weekend. Have a nice weekend but take a moment to remember what it's really about.

It is now getting into the hot weather season and it can get warm here. I'm in my air conditioned office much of the time but I do get out to see what's going on in the compound. It's hot just for those few minutes. A few days ago it was over 107 degrees. I have this image of the movie, "The Chronicles of Riddick" with Van Diesel. One part of the movie takes place on a 'prison' planet (think Australia many years ago) where the prisoners are kept many miles below the surface. When the sun rises, anything on the surface is immediately burned to a crisp, including humans. Iraq's not that hot, thankfully. We haven't seen the worst of the heat yet so I'm getting psyched for the full effect. I guess I need to experience 'really hot' so when someone says it's hot in Atlanta, I can tell them they have no idea.

I rode my bike to the pool and swam again. While I don't sweat much even in the middle of the day, my mouth gets really dry. Again, the lack of humidity plays out differently than back home. Tomorrow I run in the monthly 5K run. Many of my Supply folks participate so I must keep face and do the same. Last week I watched a bunch of guys compete in the strong man competition. Wow!! There were some incredible lifting challenges and I could only watch in awe. It turns out that endurance is as important as strength. I think some of those guys learned that lesson the hard way.

I had an interesting experience at work recently. One of my enlisted personnel felt there was some disrespect going on in the chain of command. It turns out some time ago that a few of my Leading Petty Officers (LPO) and Chief have said a few things out loud about me that this enlisted sailor heard and recorded on paper (he tends to keep notes). So I'm reading his notes and wondering how I should feel about this. Actually I wasn't mad at all. I almost find it humerous upon reflection. I told myself a few years ago that I would not concern myself about people's opinion of me as long as I was fair, honest, and respectful of them. After that, it's all about getting the mission done. I'd like to earn their respect for being fair and honest, but I never expected to feel the 'love'. So I was hardly offended at the comments. Frankly the issue was not what they said about me but the danger of showing disrespect publicly. It's detrimental to good leadership, plain and simple.

Part of the challenge is that I was 'parachuted' in at the last minute to the unit, I am quite a few ranks more senior than they are used to, and I am not as pliable as a junior officer would be. They (the enlisted Supply leadership) have been in the Battalion for many years and have probably, for the most part, given direction to the Supply Officer. So I understand where they are coming from. Anyways, I met with my Chief to discuss the issue and approached it in a very positive manner. I explained how much I appreciate his expertise and that the Department would not be the success it is without his knowledge and leadership. I repeated my modus operandi of asking for their input on key decisions. However, that does not mean I will automatically do what they recommend. I do consider their advice and then make the best decision I can, based on all the facts I have at hand. Once I make that decision, I expect it to be carried out as one team with no dissent. I explained that it's important that the junior enlisted only know the final decision, not what went on behind closed doors. He understood. I told him to work with the LPOs and make it a general leadership training topic as opposed to pointing fingers. If things weren't challenging out here, something would probably be wrong. Other departments have had discipline issues resulting in Captain's mast (where punishment is meted out). We've been fortunate to avoid that.

We get another day off this weekend in honor of Memorial Day. That means a cook out of burgers (yeh burgers) at noon, followed by Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning off. That, is a good weekend for us. All that's missing is the beer or in my case, the cider.

My hockey team lost in the playoffs but certainly gave a great accounting of themselves. I'm still trying to catch the playoffs on TV. I just don't want to get up at 3:00 in the morning to see it. Hopefully this weekend I'll catch some games.

Loretta's sister, Carol, is in from Calgary and the family is delighted to have her with them. Erica graduates Saturday and so Carol will be there to see this exciting event. She will be with the girls for 10 days so it should be a nice visit. Congratulations Erica! Hannah has finished Grade 7 and has one more year of Middle school, then off to High school. She had a good year. Great work Hannah!

I've got to get my beauty sleep for tomorrow's 5K run. It's not too far but I don't run well in the AM. I need more time to lubricate my joints but at least it won't be too hot at that time of day.

Again, have an enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.

SUMMER IS COMING....SOMETIME

I keep preparing for the summer blast and the weather keeps toying with me. It's like expecting rain and it never comes. We're hovering in the 90s and in fact it's supposed to hit 99 degrees F in just a few days. I thought we'd be well into the 100s by now. Not that I'm arguing.... We are advised to keep hydrating and while I think I am, these light headaches and other indicators tell me I need to drink more. I am being tricked by the fact there is little humidity here. I ran 5 miles the other day and sweat less than I would playing 5 minutes of tennis in Atlanta. Don't worry Loretta, I will start drinking more to keep on top on this. In the meantime, the weather is survivable. It's actually quite comfortable in the early AM and tolerably comfortable in the evening. I rode my bike to the pool today and although my mouth was dry, I didn't feel too hot.

What other little anecdotes can I share with you? Well, for one thing, I met with some sailors from a sister Seabee unit in the South of Afghanistan. They were sent her to scour our construction yard for things needed back in Afghanistan. We're closing up shop (in the months ahead) and they're just getting started. We have the benefit of living and working at an established base whereas they are building from the ground up. They sleep in tents with bunk beds. We sleep in comfortable trailers or the like, with a maximum of two persons per room. I doubt they have anything near the amenities we have here, including better dining halls and recreation facilities. Apparently they have a gym the size of a postage stamp. We have a decent gym right in our camp and an even bigger one "downtown". I am very fortunate to be in Iraq, never mind the risk of attack being greater in Afghanistan. Although I could die of boredom at times, I won't ever complain about how lucky I am overall. Now, if I could only drop some weight......

The Chaplain is not only our Batallion spiritual leader but also someone to share your thoughts and concerns with at times of need. I hear he is a very busy man these days. I haven't seen him out and about these days. He used to linger around the smoke pit, puffing on his pipe. I think he's overwhelmed and the sad part of it is there's no escape. It's not like a psychiatrist that calls it a day and goes home (a real home). He can't even go out for a drink.

Ocassionally there are Command investigations to look into improper behavior. Every unit has it's share of these and I did some (investigations) back in Rota. My Junior Officer assistant is investigating one now. It's a kind of a funny situation but the results may not be for the person involved. When you're in the military and deployed like this, there is no such thing as "off the clock". You can't misbehave on your own time. Everyone knows this but "stuff" still goes on.

Our CSE (Convoy Security Escort) teams consist of young, highly motivated guys, eager to carry out the dangerous duties. They escort our work teams that carry out construction projects. The construction folks are probably a little older and then there's the HQ folks like me, that are typically even older. I definitely have more years of Service (and age) than most of the folks here but that's also a reflection of my rank.

The last little story I'll share is in regard to our Safety goals. The military takes safety very seriously. The words 'military' and 'safety' are an oxymoron but outside of combat, the miltary is very concerned about keeping people safe. We even have an office and personnel dedicated to just that role. Like you see in construction sites, we post the number of accident free days accumulated. The highest we've ever had is 15 days. None of the accidents were life threatening but with the work we do, they're bound to happen often enough. Most days, in the morning staff meeting, the Safety Officer tells us the current count. When we hit the 10 day mark there were nervous jokes about how we might actually get past the 15 day mark. Well, sure enough on the 16th day, the Safety Officer stood up and announced that an accident occured the night before. It wasn't even work related. Some young sailor decided he could jump a dirt berm with his bicycle and ended up sailing (notice the pun) over his handlebars and breaking his collar bone. I'm sure if he knew about the safety record he wouldn't have attempted the jump....yeh right!!

I've dribbled on long enough and if you're hanging in this long with me, you must either be family or have time on your hands!! But thank you none-the-less. Take care!!

TIME OF CELEBRATION

I may be in Iraq but the celebration of life events goes on at home. Hannah is turning 13 tomorrow, Mother's Day is Sunday, and Erica graduates on the 23rd of this month. So Happy Birthday Hannah, Happy Mother's Day Loretta, my mother and Loretta's Mom, and congratulations to Erica on graduating Lassiter High School shortly. I send my love and congratulations to my family. We'll celebrate again when I get home.

It's been a busy week in that the days seem to fly by. I've been going to 'school' for various certifications I need and a Seabee Pin (also called a "Bug") I'd like to earn. It's a little overwhelming to spend several hours a day (and night) learning new things while carrying out my regular duties. I now have an Assistant Supply Officer aboard to take some of the load, although that entails a certain amount of work as well.

Overall, the work is going well. We're almost finished inventorying every piece of equipment and supplies that we own and ahead of schedule. Almost as soon as that's done, we are already planning for the contingency of being the last Seabee Battalion here. Nothing's definitive yet, but we are planning for the 'worst' case. From a work load perspective, Supply has the most "stuff" to move out, so we're in the spotlight. As usual, it's just another challenge.

Tomorrow is a special day for us. Instead of the usual 6.5 days of work a week, we will be off Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. That may seem ridiculous by civilian standards but this is a treat. One day off!! It's also funny to think you expect someone to answer their phone late at night but it's true. I went to dinner tonight and came back around 8:00 PM. There was a message from someone else saying that I could call them up to 10:00 PM. Most of the senior enlisted and officers go back to work for a few hours after dinner to catch up on extra work. It's just how things work around here.

Last week, we had a long ball golf driving contest to raise money for MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). I hadn't played golf in a very long time but then I suspect others hadn't either. I was in for fun, whatever the cause or opportunity. The MWR team found a long, flat, open field and placed cones for out of bound markers. Somehow they came up with 5 drivers (who plays golf here) and I supplied the balls (remember I'm in Supply - don't ask). I came in a little late so some had already driven. I must say that I was pretty rusty and shanked 3 of the five balls. But 1 of my shots went straight and true for 285 yards, including some rolling. I had first place and the honor of the Supply Department at stake. Unfortunately, there were other challangers (and repeat ones) with better skills and I ran out of time and money to reclaim my rightful place. I settled for 2nd place with a vow to redeem myself once again.

Saturday afternoon, Supply will have a cook out in celebration of Mother's Day. We do have a fair contingent of mothers who I'm sure miss their kids vey much. We hope this celebration will ease their pain a little. We're cooking T-Bone steak that we inherited from the previous Battalion. With a little luck and a professional chef aboard, I am counting on the first good steak since I arrived. For a fait accomplis, I would only ask for a cold cider to wash down the food. Alas, no alcohol is allowed on base.

We finally opened our Battalion Barber Shop for business. I insisted on being the first customer. Our barber is actually a hair stylist instructor in the civilian world so I knew I was in good hands. I did notice more gray hair than usual falling on the cape. But that's life.

Well, once I again I need to say goodbye. It's late here while it's only mid-afternoon for those back in the USA. I'll write again in a few days. Until then......