Actions on contact

We received a briefing before we left on the convoy. It covered the routes, various radio frequencies and call signs, who was in charge of what, speed limits, and what to do if attacked.

We were told if an IED explodes in front of us, stop, back up, set up security and regroup. Shoot anyone overwatching the IED. Treat any wounded, call it in, and then move on. If it explodes by or behind us, same things except we roll past the area. If we receive sniper fire, we shoot back out of the windows and keep rolling. If it is a coordinated attack, RPG fire or an ambush, we pull over, attack into the threat, take it out, call it in, and move on with the mission. Sounds pretty simple. I'll bet it's more complicated than that if you actually have to do it.

War's hidden costs

I signed on to an internet computer the other day, and the previous user had left a message on the screen. Failed to close out his email, and just left the message up for all to see. I glanced at it at first, but it caught my eye and I ended up reading it.

I have posted this message, even though it is very personal, because I think it vividly portrays some of the not-so-visible sacrifices soldiers make when they go to war.

The message is from a soldier here. His Hawaii-based unit has been here a year, and was extended for a couple of months, to cover the upcoming elections. He was supposed to be home by the time he wrote this letter. I have changed all the names. The spelling, punctuation, grammer, and everything else is exactly as he wrote it.

According to this CNN article, the divorce rate among families where one soldier has been sent to war is as high as 21%. The Army is trying to deal with this. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/29/military.marriages.ap/index.html
***

to my beautiful wife,
hello baby, i just wanted to write you a letter to tell you how i truly feel about you. i dont know when you will read this, or if you ever will. but i have to tell you what it is that i cant hold inside of me any longer. this past 10 months has been a long ruff road for us, i cant even imagine what has been going on in your life for the past several months, simply for the reason we havent been that close as we were a yr ago. but in my life it has been horrible, this war has taken its toll on me, i am so exhausted-physically, mentally, and emotional. i am going to try to say somethings and i hope you dont take them the wrong way, i hope you try to understand me. Ruby Sue, when i first left back in Janurary, i had in my mind that we were inseperable, i knew with out a doubt that we could make it thru this year, and when i got back would be a time to celebrate our love together as one, that thought has been my strength to live thru day to day, i knew that the only way i could survive this place was to always think of you. and for the first 6 months or so. that was the case, but things have changed so much between us, your life has drifted so far off from where we were when i had to leave, i know you have had issues that you had alot of trouble dealing with, and i understand that your life has been hard, but i feel only because you let it. you let the stress of everday life burden you so bad that it effects everyone that loves you. and the part that hurts me so bad is that you have just pushed away, i dont know why, but i think it might be because you feel that you can fix all your problems on your own, or that i may be a part of your problems, but whatever it is, you have just left me alone, and it hurts so bad, and my dreams of seeing you when i return have been crushed because you wont be there, i am terrified of how i will feel when you are not going to be there. i am scared to death of being alone, after letting myself believe for the past year that you will be there waiting me, i'm sure i will get thru this, but i dont want to have to get thru it, i want my wife back, i want my kids back, and i want our family when i get back, i dont feel that you are being fair to your self, the kids, or me with your descision on not moving back to hawaii, i just hope that you can remember how it felt the last time i held you and how happy we were when we were together, and how happy the kids were. i feel gail needs a man in his life, but not just a man, he needs a dad, and he's not getting that there. you know that i can give him that, and chris will have plenty of friends to play with too. and our family was complete before i left and i know that if you just let it, then it can be again, ruby sue, you can not just let this love keep fading away, let me be good to you and your kids, let this family be together, give it a chance, what do you have to loose? the way things are right now couldnt possibly be any better than the way they would be if you were to come back to me. and if it is so bad that you just cant stand hawaii any more, even with me being there with you, then i wont ask you to stay, but i'm pleading with you to just come and see if it can work. i feel you owe me that as my wife, give us a chance again, you will see that i am everything i say i am as your husband, i will do all i can to support you and our kids, you will see that i love the kids, and you will defenitely feel the love i have for you, so if you have any feelings for me at all, please consider what i am asking, it might sound a bit much, but it will be OK when we are together, I have never wanted anything so much in my life, most men want less responsibility and more freedom to do what they want, but i want a family, i like the idea of having something else to live for other than myself, and i have prayed for you and the kids everyday since i have been here. and i prayed that we can be together as one family for always, i love you, gail, kim, and chris so very much, i would lay down and die for each of you to make sure that you could have all that you desire, i will be loyal to you and i will be faithful to you for now and forever, i will never want us to be apart, i will never ask you to stay somewhere alone that you dont want to be, and i will provide for you as long as i am able. and above all i will always always, love you with all of my heart, mind, body, and soul,
loving husband

View from the ground

Today I went with a convoy to visit a couple of other FOBs. We took several trucks and Hummers to deliver food, fuel, ammunition, water, lumber, and other stuff. We also transported some soldiers from the Finance section so the soldiers could work on pay problems, and could get some cash. One of the guys had a canvas briefcase full of cash, which he handed out to cash checks, for as cash advances.

Word from an old soldier; NEVER get a cash advance. You pay will be screwed up for months, or more. Guaranteed.

Anyway, crossing the Iraqi countryside by vehicle was different than from the air. First thing I noticed, the sheep herds are bigger than I thought. 50 to 1oo sheep was pretty common. Also, some of the sheep were actually goats. The area still smelled like oil. Take the lid of a can of motor oil and sniff it, and you will have a very good idea what it smells like in our area. Homes still appeared to be mud huts,but did see lots of nice flat-topped, large homes as well. Saw quite a few folks living in tents.

Although we drove for only 30-45 minutes, we went through 6 checkpoints. It would be tough to go very far with a bomb in your truck. Our military convoy just sailed through them, but all the civilian cars stopped. We bullied our way down the road. We drove down the middle, and the oncoming traffic had to pull over for us. (They drive on the right side of the road here, like in the US) We would not allow vehicles to trap us, or get caught up in our convoy. Once, we pulled to the left around a slow moving truck, and thus took up the other lane. An oncoming car had to screech to a halt and pull off the road.

We drive in the middle to avoid IEDs, as much as possible. However, that is kind of difficult. We are to watch out for carcasses, or heaps of trash, or boxes, or cars along the road, or piles of rubble, all of which can hide an IED. The problem is, this country is seriously in need of an adopt a highway program; it is amazingly trashy. Thus, every few yards something that could hide an IED. Can't stop for it all.

Also, our driver is busy driving. I'm sure he was watching for IEDs, but his first job is to drive, and he was constantly swerving around some slow driver, or to avoid a huge pothole, or to go through a check point, or something. The other guy in the front also looked for IEDs, I'm sure, but he was also talking on the radio, watching the vehicles behind us in the convoy to make sure they didn't get strung out, and watching the computer screen up by his face which contained the computerized map and GPS.

I tried to watch for IEDs, for a while. In the back seat, I could see the door post, and the window post, and the head and helmut of the guy in front of me, and the computer screen, and the snorkle (air tube for the engine), so I couldn't see anything ahead of us. I looked out my side window, but it is only about a foot square, and we drive 55 mph, so at best I'd just see something as it flashed by. We have to wear eye protection, and I had my ballistic sunglasses, which were great until the sun went down. After dark I just gave up and hoped for the best.

It was kind of cool as we pulled out. I felt a bit like Kid Shaleen in Cat Balou. Put on my gloves, strapped on the body armor, buckled the seatbelt, put in the combat earplugs (can hear normally, but if an IED goes off, they will stop your ears from rupturing), donned the eyewear, locked magazines into my M4 and M9, jacked rounds into the chambers, and pointed the rifle across my lap toward the window. (We leave the window up until we have to shoot; better IED protection). Ready for bear. The guy manning the .50 cal MG above also charged it, and was swiveling back and forth, looking for trouble. Lots of firepower in our convoy.

My driver got hit by an IED last week, driving a truck. Was not hurt, but was definitely impressed by the concussion. Said, "I didn't use to believe in earplugs, but now I think they're the most important part".

Couple of guys were joking about how the US is the world's peace keeper (soldiers). Said one, "Were an armed peace corps." Another replied, "We're the militant wing of the Salvation Army."

Office space

Our unit is replacing the unit that has been here a year. That unit was scheduled to leave by now, but got extended through the elections. Since they are still here, they are occupying the buildings and space we were to move into. We are kind of just wriggling in wherever we can. I don't have a predecessor, so I am blazing a trail. I have no office space or furnishings, no phone, nada.

It now looks like I am going to have a small building to myself, that is, my assistant and I. Large room (20x30) and 2 offices (10x10). Fairly new tin building, white vinyl walls and white patterned floor tile. I have been moved around a few times, but think this should be my permanent location. It is near troop housing, which is good because it is accessable to soldiers, and my job is to help soldiers.

I now have to get it wired for phones and internet access. It has heat and air conditioning (Yes!), and a TV satellite dish. Whether that works, I dunno.

Oops. Sorry.

We had some soldiers conducting a patrol recently. Four were riding in the back of a 2-seat Hummer, facing out. One of them (allegedly) saw an Iraqi head pop up behind a fence, then drop back down. The Iraqi then popped back up aiming an AK 47 at the Hummer.

Our hero was carrying an M16 with an M203 grenade launcher attached to it. The M203 is usually an indirect fire weapon. That is, the bullet (grenade) goes up in an arc and then back down. Good for shooting into a defile, or behind a fence, or something. However, at close range it can be used pretty much as a direct fire weapon.

So, our guy tries a preemptive strike. Unfortunately, instead of using his M16 to return accurate fire, he used his M203. He missed the AK 47 wielding Iraqi, and landed the grenade in some other Iraqi's living room, taking out the coffee table and wounding the homeowner. So, now we're paying about $1,000 for personal injury, and will replace the damaged household goods. Nobody is sure whether the soldier really saw a threat or not.

View from above

On Christmas day, I had the opportunity to fly in a Blackhawk helicopter to 3 different locations around Iraq. Some impressions:

We flew pretty low. The pilot would hop up and over power lines. I could see tree tops at my eye level. I estimate we were going about 100-120 MPH, but it's hard to tell. The pilot would bank and veer, turn right or left, and generally avoid flying in a straight line for very far. He seemed to be having fun. We kept the main side doors shut, but the gunners manned the machine guns and left their doors open.

The land is flat northwest of Baghdad, pretty much. We flew over an area of hundreds of springs. They just seeped out of the soil, and flowed downhill, joining other creeks, and eventually forming a river. I don't know if this is seasonal. Where the creeks flowed, the water eroded the soil, forming deep creekbeds, some as much as 10 or 20 feet deep. It reminded me of the Grand Canyon in the way multiple stream flows carved into the soil, though the soil was just brown and not very deep.

I saw lots of farmland. Most fields were plowed and prepared for winter. Some had stubble of corn, or grain. I saw no fences, and the fields are not square. Rather, they are just whatever shape seems to happen. I saw no rhyme or reason for the shape, other than following a stream or ditch. Not sure what they are growing, although we did fly over what had to be a date palm plantation. The fields were small, no more than 3-4 acres, and often smaller. Irrigation was mostly from gasoline powered pumps drawing water from a ditch, then flowing through the furrows. I saw one center pivot irrigation system.

Around Kirkuk I saw many tank and infantry fighting and survivability positions. For tanks, these are tank sized ramps down into the ground to the level that only the tank turret would be showing. Dirt berms were next to the ramps. (Pretty poor positions; very visible, and the dirt berms cannot stop a tank busting bullet.) These positions were out in the farmers' fields. Soft dirt, easily plowed back under, but completely left alone. Just plowed around and left. I guess the farmers are afraid to get rid of the positions. Shows the mindset of the farmers. The Kirkuk area smelled like sulpher, and the streams I saw all had oil slicks.

Flew over lots of villages, or hamlets. Homes are flat topped, and the same color as the soil, having been built out of mud. It looked like each family would had a compound surrounded by a mud fence. In the compound, attached to or part of the fence, were one-room structures. Some were bigger (perhaps multiple room), some were small. They just kind of lined up along the fence, leaving the center compound open. In many of them, the only 2oth century item I could identify was an automobile. Clearly, no electricity or plumbing.

We flew over many sheepherders. Each herd must have been pretty much a family affair. 20-30 sheep. Not white, but brown to black. We'd see a herd out in the open, and guy or two standing near it. The herder would usually give a friendly wave. If we flew right over the herd, the sheep would scatter. The pilot would usually try to bank and turn to avoid flying over the herds.

Army & Air Force, and rocket attacks

We are on an Air Force base, so the Air Force runs things. The AF just does things differently from the Army, and of course takes care of its pesonnel. Examples: We have a close drop off in CHUville for uniforms to be cleaned and pressed, and one on the other side of the base, requiring a buss ride. The close one; AF only.

We walk down a road to get to the chow hall. Across the street from the chow hall are the PX, laundry, Burger King, and recreation facility. Picture a "T". At the bottom of the T lives the Army. We walk along the road to the top of the T. On the right side, the show hall. On the left side, the PX, etc. Oh, and also the AF housing. Also, on the AF side, the road is paved and bordered by a sidewalk. The Army walks along the unpaved road to get to the facilities. When it's dry, we get dusted by every passing vehicle (2-3 times a minute). When it's not dry, we slog through the mud.

Our JAG officers with with the AF JAGs, and they all get along well. The AF JAGs invited our Army JAGS to their unit's Christmas party. The soldiers went, but were turned away at the door because it was AF only.

The other night in the rec facility, folks were just enjoying the evening. Rocketman lunched a rocket into the FOB, and the siren want off (telling us a rocket had landed). In the rec facility, the announcer said "All AF personnel report to bunkers." Didn't mention Army, which is just as well because usually on the AF and the civilians head for bunkers after a rocket attack. The soldiers usually just keep on doing what ever they were doing.

Which may sound stupid. However, the rockets come in only one at a time. Once you hear the "crump" of the explosion, and the alarm goes off, the attack is over. Kind of pointless to take shelter.

On that subject, we had had several rocket attacks. Usuallly they happen in the afternoon or early evening. To my knowledge, no one had been hurt by a rocket (definitely no one in my unit). A rocket did land on one of new up-armored HUMMVs and took it out, but it was parked in the motor pool at the time and no one was around it. I talked to a soldier who told me that his parking space was the point of impact, but a buddy of his had stolen it and parked his HUMMV there. My guy laughed about it and said that he told his buddy it would teach him not to steal parking spaces.

Office

I am finally making progess on getting my office set up. Soldiers have been finding me, in the chow hall or wherever, but having an office in CHUville will help. (CHU - Containerized Housing Units)

My office is in a building which will house a phone center and internet cafe. It is not open yet, but the phones and internet are hooked up, so I have connectivity for now. I hope this continues.

So far, I am seeing mostly pay issues. Now that we are here, the soldiers are entitled to hostile fire pay, hardship pay, and to tax free income. Some soldiers have not received this pay, and come to me for help. We also have various problems with soldiers who have been promoted, or married, who are not getting the correct pay.

There is currently a buzz about male-female proximity. A rule went out that males cannot be in a female CHU, and vice versa. Well, that's OK generally speaking, but what about the soldiers who are married to each other. They left kids and what not behind, and now they cannot even go to their spouse's CHU and watch a movie or talk about family issues. Also, we have leaders of one gender who have subordinates of another. They can't meet, either, except outside or in the mess hall (many don't have offices). So, we're working this.

Christmas In Iraq

Soldiers had a good Christmas day here in our FOB, as good as could be expected. On Christmas eve, 5 airmen followed a Santa around the chow hall and handed out candy. The male had on his helmut with antlers attached, body armor, some bells, and had his nose painted red. The 4 female airmen (I know, I know, but women in the Air Force are called female airmen) wore Santa hats, individual body armor, and elf hats, and various bows and red color splashes. Some sort of music was playing over loudspeakers set up for the occasion. Not Christmas music, though.

On Christmas day, I flew around Iraq in a Blackhawk helicopter, visiting soldiers with the General. We delivered mail and Christmas presents. Christmas dinner was pretty much the usual fare, but holiday oriented. Mashed potatos, gravy, stuffing, cranberry gel, etc. Did have a really nice selection of desserts. Army officers were serving the holiday meal, in accordance with a long-standing Army tradition. (Not sure if the AF has something similar). The Phillipino ladies who normally serve chow were dressed in holiday garb, and they walked around and giggled. A couple of them served dessert. They were all wearing short red dresses with spaghetti straps and white faux fur lining, high heels and bright red lipstick. I guess it might be interesting to some day spend Christmas in the Phillippines.

Mosul Chow Hall Bombed?

I'm hearing now that the attack on the chow hall in Mosul may have been a suicide bomber. That is not so surprising. For one, see my previous post. For another, it is not easy to hit a specific target by indirect fire, and it is particularly difficult in daylight, with makeshift artillery, when Americans are actively looking to prevent such attacks. If several shots are fired and adjusted in, it's possible, but for one accurate shot to hit the target, unlikely. So, suicide bomber seems the likely cause.

Iraqi in the Woodpile?

We have lots of folks working on the FOB here, and one has to wonder about some of them. The Air Force is paving the road in front of our living area. The project was delayed for a while when the paving machinery that was being brought on the FOB was discovered to have explosives concealed in it.
We have, I think, Phillipino women serving our meals, and have guys working in the PX, on construction projects, cleaning the facilities, and generally all around. We are constantly admonished not to get friendly with these folks, and to watch what we are saying around them. Sometimes I look at the guys and wonder, are you going to be launching a rocket into our FOB tonight? Most are friendly and seem OK, but one never knows.
We get rockets lobbed into our FOB every so often. They are pretty inaccurate, but again, I wonder if some of the workers here aren't giving battle damage assessment to the bad guys. Nothing we can do about it, I suppose. We are going to get a certain number of bad guys slip through the screening process.

Oily

The winds shifted yesterday, and the oil smoke plume was coming over our FOB. It has been smelling like petroleum since the shift. Also, the preparing to pave a road near our housing, and in prep they spayed the dirt with oil. It will be nice to get the road paved, as it kicks up a ton of dust now from all the traffic.

It rained the first day I was here, but has dried out since. There are still pockets of mud, though.

News

Tough to update the blog these days. Just got to my home for the next year in N. Iraq, and internet time is scarce. Get 25 minutes of terminal time, after waiting in line. Took 3 minutes just to get this open.

Was raining when we got here; very sticky mud. Although it has quit, it's still kind of muddy. I'm housed in a 1 person containerized room; pretty nice, all in all. Bathrooms and showers leave quite a bit to be desired. Chow is pretty much the same, but greater selection of drinks.

Haven't set up my office yet, and won't for a while. The unit we relieve is still here for a while, and space is tight.

At night can count 6 fires on the horizon. Some are natural gas flaming off oil wells. A couple are oil well fires; kind of an eerie glow to the night sky. In the day, see plumes of smoke all around us, and can smell petroleum in the air.

Businessmen

Yes, men, because all the contract workers here are men. We see some female foreign workers eating in the chow hall, but I don't know where they work.

Anyway, I understand that these jobs, primarily with KBR, are good jobs for these foreign workers. (I'm really curious how much they pay.) I'm told that the jobs carry a certain amount of status, that the workers consider themselves businessmen. This is particularly noticable with the guys who take our laundry. They mark the laundry bag with our SSN (last 6), name, and camp name. They inventory the laundry and mark down how much you turn in, and later how much you pick up. They are serious about this paperwork, mark it very carefully, hand you a copy, check it over, and do it all deliberately, and kind of slowly. After all, they are businessmen and this is an important job. Never mind the line of about 30 soldiers waiting outside to turn in laundry.

Oh, and quitting time is 1900. Even if you waiting in line for a half hour, and finally made it inside, they stop at 1900. And soldiers are not to complain about this, according to the Sergeant Major.

Rumsfeld spun

It has been interesting watching coverage of Rumsfeld's visit here To begin with, it didn't seem like that big a deal when he came, but it sure seems to be getting media coverage. Even more interesting is the coverage itself.

The media has focused on the up-armored vehicle question, and to a lesser extent the stop loss question and the second class equipment question. The controversial ones. My question, about soldier pay, has been reported, but not very widely.

Anyway, turns out that the question about up-armored Hummers was fed to the soldier by a reporter. We are concerned here about armor, of course, but not that concerned. To begin with, no vehicle that is not armored, at least to some degree, will drive north. The soft skinned ones will be shipped by contractor. Thus, not a huge concern. There appear to be an adequate number of armored vehicles to do the mission once we get to Iraq. More would be better, of course.

The cheer after the question was reported, andit did occur. I think I said "Yeah!" Yes, there was a cheer, but it was cheering a gutsy question, and was not so much a cheer like "Yeah, goddammit, what about the armor." It wasn't that big a cheer, either.

John Marshall, Talking Points Memo, mentioned the point about, essentially, we can never have enough armor. Marshall taking it that Rumsfeld was downplaying the need for armor. Having sat there, however, and not being a particular Rumsfeld fan, I took it as just a realistic statement. We can't armor everything. We've got to have some mobility and flexibility, and war is risky. Nature of the beast. Rumsfeld was right; we can't armor everything. Insufficient time and resources, no real need.

I have not seen anyone report how Rumsfeld stayed and mingled with soldiers. It was a real scrum. He was having his picture taken with soldiers, he was grinning, talking to soldiers, having a great time, spending his valuable time to just be with soldiers, no agenda, just letting them touch him and talk to him, crowd around him. "The rest of the story", as Paul Harvey would say.

Finally, I must say this gives me pause. I have poo-poohed the claims that the media is not reorting accurately from Iraq, and that the media over emphasizes the negative. Well, I'd say the media got part of this story right, but didn't cover the whole story, and gave the overall wrong impression.

Haji

Haji is the nickname for arabs used by soldiers. In Somalia it was "skinnys", in Viet Nam it was various things, "gooks, etc. A muslim who has made a trip to Mecca to visit the Haj is a Haji. Also, Johnny Quest's Indian sidekick was named Haji. So far I don't hear Haji as especially prejorative. It's more of just a handy shorthand reference. It's hard for us to tell the nationalities apart, so Haji is a useful generic reference, even for non-arabs.

We have lots of folks working here from India and Pakistan. They are darker skinned than most arabs. Still, they get referred to as Haji. "Watch what you're saying the mess hall; Haji works there and is listening."

Desert weather

Starting yesterday, it has been very humid here in the desert. This morning the vehicles all have moisture and condensation on the outside and windows. It wasn't raining, but I could see on the ground where a truck had been parked overnight, because of the dry spot. Today the wind has really kicked up and we're in a dust storm. Visibility is only about 1,000 feet. Should blow over in a day or so.

IEDs and Jessica Lynch

I went to a class on IEDs today, taught by a Sgt who was on a UXO team in Iraq, and who recently left to come teach the class. Very good class. Saw several videos of IED exploding, and learned about various techniques to deal with them. One point; if we see an Arab camera team filming a convoy, prepare for an IED or other attack becaue the camera crew was probably tipped off to the attack. Also, arrest the crew. Saw a video taken by a soldier, just filming as drove along. Passed a car, and boom. The soldiers were in an armored HUMMV, so only minor injuries. Unfortunately, the 3 Iraqi children walking along the road by the car bomb weren't so lucky.

Since I've been deployed, 6 months now, I have heard many, dozens, of mentions of Jessica Lynch and the 507th Maint Co. Invariably, these mentions are negative. The "Fightin' 507th" has become a poster child of screw ups, to soldiers. They got lost, they didn't have commo, they got separated, and they didn't maintain their weapons. The usual reference is "You don't want to be like the 507th." The media story was that due to dust and sand the weapons jammed. Well, sure, but not because of just one road trip. Almost certainly those mechanics were not maintaining their weapons. The 507th came up again today as an example of how not to be. Ironic that most of the public has a favorable impression of them as "heroes." Soldiers think of them as dumb-asses.

Rumsfeld the rockstar

Dec of Def rumsfeld choppered into our camp to address soldiers, on his way back from the Afghan inauguration ceremoney. We formed up at about 0730, marched to a hanger, and hung around listening to "Creed" until 0900, when he arrived. The CFLCC SGM told us how to act, to take off our hats, sunglasses and gators, and asked folks with questions to indentify themselves to the soldiers with microphones. They made no attempt to screen the questions, or otherwise censor us. Just wanted to ensure we could be heard.

The SecDef spoke for about 15 minutes, then took questions for a half hour. He talked about the afghan elections, first ever, and said that freedom and democracy are on the march. He talked of the important role of the American service members in bringing democracy, and he expressed his thanks, and the thanks of the American people. He extrapolated the effort to Iraq. All in all, a very good speech. Little spin or political justification, and heartfelt thanks and encouragement. Not long winded, but said some good things.

As he left, he was swamped by soldiers wanting a picture, which he obliged for about another half hour. He handled his questions with his usual intellect, no scarcasm, and some humor. I got to ask him a question about soldier travel pay. He didn't have an answer, but a Marine Captain scurried right over and got some info from me, and said that Rumsfeld assigned his top military aide, an admiral, to find an answer.

I don't much agree with the SecDef's politics, and I think he has made some large errors, such as disbanding the Iraqi army. Nevertheless, I can respect him and I appreciate him coming to visit us. We are not on a beaten path. As the CFLCC SGM said, if you come to Camp -----, you have to want to come here.

Up-armored HUMMVs

We seem to be getting a good quantity of the up-armored HUMMVs for our trip North. Some of them are brand new. They have bullet proof glass that is about 2 inches thick, and armor plates on doors, and surrounding the passenger compartment. The have air-conditioning and an internal communication system. They have panels that are supposed to identify it as a friendly vehicle to US aircraft. All this makes them much heavier than the un-modified ones. They also have larger engines and stronger suspensions.

They tend to be top heavy, and we have had several accidents with them so far. A flip and a couple of rollovers. No significant injuries to soldiers, thankfully. In each case, the soldiers were wearing seatbelts and helmets, whihc reduced injuries. In one case, the HUMMV had just pulled onto the highway and a speeding Kuwaiti rammed it from the rear, flipping it over. Soldiers were OK, but not so the Kuwaiti.

TP

We have no plumbing here, and so use only porta-pottis. TP tends to get scarce, so lots of folks just get a roll and take it with them when they need it. They sell TP in the PX, but it is pink and sold in rolls of 6. Probably useful for females, but too much for males.

On the other hand, TP is the only available paper product. We use it instead of a Kleenex. When we enter the chow hall, we wash up at sinks along the walls before entering the actual serving line area. There are water bottles with 3 holes in the lids, containing a pink handwashing liquid. You wash up, and then dry your hands with, yep, TP. Just doesn't feel right. Don't even think about using it to dry your face, especially if you have whiskers. It gets hung up on the whiskers and tears, and then you look like an idiot with TP shreds clinging to your face. I've seen it.

Camp Doha

Drove into Camp Doha in Kuwait City today. Saw a herd of camels on the way. The camelherder was just sitting on a lump of sand, watching the camels. No book, no earphones, no xhair, no vehicle or hootch in sight. Just out in the middle of the desert with the camels, black and white. They appeared to be grazing, but I couldn't see any vegetation. Looked like they were eating sand.

Saw a "Camping Area" on the way, and indeed saw lots of folks camping. Saw a bunch of tents pitched in the desert. Some big, like a small house, some smaller, but still and all large tents. Some had propane tanks and generators, and had lights on poles around the tents. I guess they use the lights to find the tents at night. Lots of tents had Mercedes' parked next to them. No vegetation, just tents on sand. I guess some are bedouins, some are city folks trying to get in touch with their roots.

Bought some Kentucky Fried Chicken in Camp Doha. It same with, coleslaw, unsalted french fries, and a hamburger bun instead of a biscuit.

Could see tall building s Kuwait city across the bay, but the air is polluted. 4 large smokestacks from the power plant were pumping dark smoke into the air.

A Kuwaiti passed us in an SUV. He was wearing the kifyiha ( the head scarf) and, sitting on his console, was a falcon.

As we left this camp, and left Doha, the gate guards checked to make sure we had weapons and ammo as we ventured out among the natives. Kind of startling, as usually you get checked to ensure no weapons when you enter a camp.

Kuwaiti Five O

I turn Fifty years old today. Never expected to be turning 50 in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert, just a few miles from the Iraqi border. War is more of a young person's game. It's often hard work and long hours, which is harder on older folks, although it's plenty hard on younger ones as well. We have any number of older soldiers. One of my roommates is 56.

To celebrate, another roommate said he'd buy me dinner in the chow hall. I'll probably have dessert. Caution to the winds, for a day.

Let there be light

When I was in Louisiana, a soldier in the know said it costs $500 per month per unit to rent those portable light sets. You've seen them on highway construction projects. They are a trailer with a generator, and four big lights on a pole that can be raised. I stood outside my hootch here and counted over fifty. I estimate that we must have at least 100 of those things scattered around the FOB. $500 times 100 is $50,000 per month in light set rentals. I'm getting a better idea of where $1 Billion a month is going.

Water, water everywhere

Although it is cool here and we don't have a great need for water consumption, we are certainly prepared for such an eventuality. Virtually every living space, tent, building, etc., has a pallet of cases of water sitting in front of it. 1.5 litre bottles of Rawdalain, Kuwait's Deep Ground Natural Mineral Water. There is large yard full of pallets of cases of bottled water. Since there is no plumbing here, and thus no running water other than what is trucked in and put in storage tanks, the bottled water is what we drink. Kind of wasteful, though, since it's hard to get through a quart and a half of water. Smaller bottles would get fully consumed. As it is, folks leave half full bottles lying all over. They proliferate like rabbits.

It never rains in...

Well, not in Kuwait. It rained for about 24 hours yesterday. Today was overcast, but cleared up a bit and we saw some sun. I was waiting for the water to stir up some insects, or frogs, or to cause some plant to spring up, but, nothing. The water just soaked in was was gone. I guess it gets so hot here that the soil is pretty much sterilized.

Talked to a soldier who had seen a baby camel out in the desert. I didn't see it, but I wonder, would a baby camel be cute?