HUMP DAY - HALF WAY HOME

Yeh! We've reached the half way point of our deployment. While there's still months to go, I've reached some sort of milestone to hang my hat on. We have a saying in the military "Semper Gumby', be flexible. It means anything can change at a moments notice, but so far we're tracking to the originally planned return date.

We had a Hump Day party this past Saturday which involved another cook out and games. The games mainly centered on a dunk tank filled with over 150 bags of ice (with water). For some reason, only the Chiefs were recruited as the dunkees. I think they could have doubled the money raised if they had recruited the officers as well. But as you learn in the military, never volunteer for anything!! So as smart officers, we stood on the sidelines and watched. Actually I paid a few bucks for the privilege of sinking a Chief. It was fun watching them get dunked as I've never seen them move as fast as that day. As the day wore on, the enlisted folks kept refilling the tank with more ice. The Chiefs were truly blue when they finished their 15 minute shifts. There were also groups of folks walking around with buckets of water (and on the roof) dropping water on unsuspecting sailors. I kept looking behind me. The Supply folks also put on a great cook out conisisting of ribs, chicken, corn on the cobb, macaroni salad, and cake or pie. We were able to secure the food supplies, pre-cooked, from the Dining Hall as an official function. Everyone seemed to have a good time and it was a break from the usual routine.

I grew a moustache for a few weeks just to see how it would come out and then shaved it off Sunday. Hannah did not like the idea of her Daddy having one, even though she didn't even see a picture of it. She sent me an email I though quite cute. She said something about "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" suggesting I should not have told her about it. The other man in the picture is my 'moustache mentor', the Command Master Chief. My moustache never got as bushy or black as his!

I tried out a new gym nearby our Camp. It was opened about a month ago but I've used the gym either in our Camp or Downtown. It's mainly used by contractors on base. This one is better than our gym but smaller than the one Downtown. However, it also has a computer and TV/movie room, pool table, and ping pong table. After I finished my work out I noticed a fellow by himself at the ping pong table. I haven't played in years and even then, it was just playing briefly with the family. I figured, what the heck, and asked if he wanted a game. He said he was awaiting his partner but happy to play in the meantime. We had a great practice and when his friends showed up, they asked me to play doubles. I've never played doubles ping pong in my life but it seemed like a fun idea. So I teamed up with the first guy (also a Navy sailor) against two Iraqi contractors. As a quick aside, I've met a number of Iraqi translators at the base. Most are from Iraq but not all. Typically, they are all Christian, as opposed to being Moslem, which makes them more reliable. One was from Michigan but born in Iraq. These two Iraqis were named John and George (Beatles?) from different parts of the country. They are all very friendly and typically do this not just for the money but also for the good of their country. Most of them earn the right to come to the US to live. After what they do here, it's difficult for them to do anything but leave the country. They do occasionally go home to visit but there's a risk in doing so. Well, back to the story... I asked the MWR rep for another two paddles but John says not thank you, I have my own paddle. As he pulls his personal paddle from his little case, I'm thinking about how badly we're going to be beaten. The real trick of doubles in ping pong is that each partner must hit every second shot to your side, as opposed to hitting whatever you can in tennis. There were plenty of times the opposition hit the ball to the other side of the table and I'm forgetting it's my turn I must return the shot. Despite my rustiness and lack of doubles play, we actually beat our competition, two games to one. And they were good! So, I'll have to look these guys up again. I think we'll have to buy a ping pong table when I get home. Loretta likes to play and I think the girls would enjoy it as well.

I'm now listening to NPR Radio talk about the withdrawl of Americans from Iraqi cities. It's true for the most part but we can respond to areas of difficulty as needed. We are seeing a rise in violence as Al Qaida is trying to make it look like they are in control but it is still far from the level of violence of just a few years ago.

Well, I've been at this for an hour now and want to take a little rest before going back to work. It's a little over 100 degrees today but feels nice compared to previous days. I hope everyone has a great week ahead.

CATCH UP TIME

I'm taking time during lunch to get on my computer since it's almost impossible to get internet access at night. The system here is slow, antiquated, and rarely able to stay up for more than five minutes at a time. So I'll take this opportunity to catch up with everyone on the news.

It's good to know that the weathermen in this region are as bad in their predictions as back home. They forecasted Tuesday and Wednesday to be enveloped in a sand storm but it's clear and sunny. Why should I be surprised? We did have lousy weather last week, which I attached a picture of. It looks like dusk or night but it's really late afternoon. Visibility diminished to about 20 feet. It was the worst storm I've experienced.

We had a full Sunday off for Father's Day. Supply had a great cook out, probably the best meal since being here. I didn't quite get a full day off due to some liaison problems with the Marines. I've had a great experience working with and for the military the past 23 years, but the military is not excluded from incompetence. No need to go into details but I find other Services sometimes operate inanely. On the other hand, they probably think the same about us.

Things have slowed down here somewhat so I have the opportunity to work on my SCWs (Seabee Combat Warfare) pin. It's fairly arduous in regard to all that I have to learn and present in a SCWs board. It's almost like going back to boot camp, having to learn about weaponry, defensive tactics, and the like. It's all theoretical, thankfully, so I don't have to go in the field. Earning a warfare pin is a definite plus for my FITREP (Fitness Report) and possible promotion. I also get to wear it proudly on my uniform. So I might as well get it while I can. I'll be happy when it's over.

I continue to swim at the pool and work out at the gym. Despite the hot weather, it's still nice to bike to and from. Since it's all I can do to stay fit, it's important to keep doing it! I am still having problems with my achilles tendon so I am limiting my running.

We're coming up on our half-way deployment time, so we'll be celebrating this weekend with another cook out and entertainment, including a dunk tank. I'll probably volunteer just for the opportunity to stay wet (and maybe cool). I'd like to volunteer my Senior Chief because he would raise lots of money. He's known as the "No" man, because it's difficult to get any supplies out of him. So, without knowing for sure when I'll get home, we're definitely close to the half way point in this deployment. I know Loretta and the girls are happy to hear that.

We lost a few folks to medical issues. There is a small hospital here but for more complicated requirements we send our sailors to Germany. We recently lost our Admin Officer, another Commander, for unknown medical reasons. She went to Germany for tests and was immediately sent home. Due to privacy issues, we're not privy to the reasons but, thankfully, none are for combat or combat stress reasons.

We get the news here via Stars and Stripes newspaper and television. Albeit, sporadic, I am able to keep up with most of the news from home and other hot spots, like Iran and North Korea. We also get intelligence briefings on these countries that add to the usual media coverage.

I can't think of much else at this time, except I've grown a moustache. Just something different to do for a laugh. I'll shave it off by this weekend no doubt.

Have a nice week!

SAND, SURVEYS & THE MISSING ID CARD

Today had a few twists to it, unique to Iraq and the military. First, we're having a heck of a sandstorm now. The high winds are whipping sand into the air which is then mixing with the falling rain. So it's like driving in a snowstorm but worse. It's probably more like driving into volcanic ash as you constantly have to use your wiper fluid and windshield wipers. Quite the weather! Driving to dinner at 6:30, it looked like the sun had already set. You could see dark brown clouds of sand looming nearby. By the time I parked nearby the dining hall, I could barely see 20 feet ahead of me. You could even see a thin layer of sand floating about the dining hall.

Earlier in the day, I completed a Command Climate survey which gauges the sailors' perceptions of the Battalion in regard to subjects of equal opportunity, morale, and leadership. Somewhere at the end of my particular on-line survey, a series of religious questions pop up, including if I believed in G-d, and did I think G-d was particularly vengeful, loving, or friendly. As I'm looking at these questions, I start to wonder what they have to do with the Command climate. There were 15 of these questions and if it wasn't for the fact I already answered 40 appropriate questions , I would have exited and voided the survey. So I finished the questionnaire, thought about it for a few minutes, and whipped up an email to the Skipper letting him know that I was not comfortable with religious questions being appended to a Command Climate survey. Later in the day the Skipper called me into his office to ask about these religious questions. I explained and he looked perplexed. He hadn't seen these questions. He then asked the XO and another officer who both said "no". So the only logical explanation is that somehow my survey mistakenly added 15 religious questions by accident. In hindsight it's amusing. Only in the military...

Yesterday towards the end of lunch I was relaxing upstairs in my loft when there was a loud knocking at my door and someone yelling "Four" (short for my designation as S4). With that tone, I figured it was an emergency or the Skipper. It was the Skipper, of course, and he was on a tear. At the start of lunch one of my sailors couldn't find his ID card, which he left in his computer. I happened to be in the area when this occurred and while it seemed obvious someone had removed it from the computer, the reason was unclear. He felt someone took his ID with malicious intentions. I said to wait until after lunch and then ask the other sailors who work in his space if they saw his ID card. I couldn't have been more clear. Well this sailor, who had complained a number of times that he was being unfairly picked on, was given an opportunity to air his grievances directly with the Battalion CO a few weeks back. In order to do so, though, he had to get permission from his chain of command, including me. As a quick aside, he and I get along fine and I've tried many times to help his see his concerns are more self-induced than anything. So I had no objections with him speaking to the CO and we signed the permission chit. Now, back to the story. The sailor takes his previous visit with the Skipper as an invitation to speak with him anytime he has an issue, which led the CO to become a little frustrated and charge into the Supply Office. So I jump into my boots, run down the steep ladder without lacing them up, and follow (more like run) behind the CO as he points to each of my sailors asking if they have this sailor's ID card. Along the way, I'm trying to lace up my boots and maintain some dignity. When the CO finishes with his questions, he turns to the sailor and tells him to get another ID card. The Skipper leaves and within minutes, one of my sailors appears with the ID card. He had pulled it from the computer in order to try and find the sailor who left it behind (you can't get into the dining hall without it and you shouldn't leave the card lying around). No malicious intent. You'd think the sailor who left the ID would now tuck his tail between his legs, realize the error of his ways, and apologize for creating such a ruckus. But no..... So we gave him formal counseling, reinforcing the importance of using the chain of command at all times. I even spoke to him offline, trying to get him to understand that his paranoia is unfounded. No luck.
P.S. I went to the Skipper to let him know that the ID card was found and that the sailor had not followed my earlier direction of waiting until after lunch. In turn the Skipper apologized and shared with me his reasons for storming about. We have a good working relationship and I know the CO isn't usually a bull in a china shop. Again, only in the military.....

I biked to the swimming pool today. Although the temperature was about 105 degrees (F), it wasn't that bad riding. I definitely wouldn't run in that type of heat. Getting exercise at lunch makes the day go faster and gives me more time at night to relax.

It was an interesting day and all humorous in retrospect. Oh, yeah, I also slept through three alarms on my watch and missed this morning's meeting. It's obvious I wasn't there because I have a seat at the "table". It's the first time that happened and the Skipper didn't even mention it to me. However, I have to set the example for my folks so I better not do that again!!

It's late once again and time for bed. I hope everyone has a nice evening!

POOL, PIGEONS, AND A BOMB

It's Tuesday evening and I have a few minutes before needing to attend a training class on communications.

I had a good weekend overall. The Supply Department invited another unit to a cook-out Sunday afternoon in appreciation of their assisting us with inventory a few months back. We held it by the outdoor swimming pool and cooked up a ton of ribs and burgers. We then ate inside so that folks could eat and swim as desired. Not what the old swimming warnings used to recommend but hey, this is Iraq. It was fun to see the troops, especially the older ones, jumping off the side of the pool trying to perform cannonballs . I played some water volley ball and enjoyed it immensely. Having the day off and just 'playing' , helped me to relax. It was also nice not to have to shave for one day. I plan to do this again for the Department.

This morning I was awaken by pigeons landing on my air conditioner at 5:00. Dawn comes early and on occasion the pigeons feel it their perogative to flit about noisily. I have to get up and bang the A/C or window in order to chase them off. Needless to say, I don't have this problem at home.

Late this afternoon, I received a call from another of our Supply yards on the base. Apparently they found an old artillery round that had been buried a long time ago. Who knows how long it had been there. One of our guys discovered it and reported it to EOD (Explosives Ordinance). EOD took it to an empty area of the Yard and blew it sky high. Thankfully everything turned out fine. No worries; just another day in Iraq. It's kind of funny since the yard where it was discovered is where we fill BOMs (Bill of Materials) and we always pronounce it like "Bombs".

I am a little lame today. I did my two mile run yesterday and my achilles tendon (I think) feels sore. It only happens when I run, so I have an excuse to not run this month's 5K. I did a late night work out (the advantages of having a gym 20 paces from the office and loft) and am now hoping to wake up at 3:00 AM to watch perhaps the final game between Detroit and Pittsburgh. I may be crazy but you don't get to watch hockey every day over here. Wish me luck in getting up and staying awake!!

I'll close it off now so I can get to bed. I hope everyone has a nice evening!!