Friday, December 26, 2008

A Sandy Christmas

Christmas has come and gone, and it is pretty much business as usual again. The cooks cooked us a great Christmas meal and alot of people were able to sleep in today, so it was a relaxing/ uneventful Christmas for most, which is a good thing.

Almost done with this inventory, but we are still a few items short. Hopefully this won't keep haunting me... but I will be out of here and on to C company in a few weeks. Now, it is just another waiting game...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

First Tactical Mission

So, I am still taking the inventory for HHC. Thus far, I have completed JSS Sadr City, traveled to Camp Taji and inventoried everything there and now I am at JSS Ur. "Ur" the name of the area as well as the base itself, is also going to be my future home in February when I take over a platoon here. Since I was here for a couple of extra days, the commander decided to put me on a mission. This past morning, I commanded a Bradely fighting vehicle, which was a pretty cool experience for my first time doing a real mission. We were only part of the extraction part of the operation (meaning we picked up some guys finishing a door to door search and also provided the firepower necessary if something went wrong), but the maneuvering was fun. It was a simple task, but I finally got my feet wet. Very unerving moving around at night in such a huge vehicle, but the crew was experienced which din't make it too bad. You feel pretty badass moving around in that hunk of steel.

Tommorrow, I'm headed back to Taji where I will then head to "Old Mod" which is the second to last destination on my travels so far.

Tchuss!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

My first task

So, I finally was given my first task at HHC: I am doing the 100% inventory of all the sensitive items (valuable equipment) within this company, which is composed of about 300 people, a crap load of vehicles, weapons, etc. Not exactly what I pictured myself doing in Iraq, but it is keeping me occupied for the next couple of weeks. All of the equipment is spread throughout the Brigade sector... so I will have to go to 2-3 bases in the Baghdad area to account for everything.

It is very tedious work, but someone has to do it each month apparently, and since I was the new guy, it was thrown on me. It will definitely kill some time before I get a platoon.

Not much going on in the area... a car bomb exploded a few miles down the road, one of our vehicles were blown up but no one was killed, and I think I suicide bomber tried to blow himself up at one of our checkpoints, but there was only one fatility... the bomber, haha.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Life at the JSS

JSS Sadr City is the name of the place I am at right now, don't think I mentioned that before. JSS is Joint Security Station, which is basically a much smaller version of a FOB or Forward operating base.

Life in the FOB is very different from life in the JSS. The buildings we are in is a former elementary school, taking up a few blocks of real estate. There are not many people here and the rooms are limited, so every one is really close together in the JSS. There are 6 other people in my room in the size of a small sized bedroom, so there is not much privacy. There is not much to do as far as recreation goes either. We have a computer and phone room, with 10 computers and a few phones, which during many hours of the day are filled up. We also have a small gym, which just got flooded out the other day along with 80% of the ground outside from the quick downpour that came the other day... and thats about it. It is not too bad, but it is difficult to keep yourself busy in your free time.

Not much going on as of yet. Waiting to get officially promoted by the Colonel (but I am already getting paid as a 1LT). I'm hungry...

Friday, November 28, 2008

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving edition!

So, it is my first thanksgiving not spent back home with my family. It would be cool to be back home, but I am still excited to finally be out here in Iraq. Not homesick too much, I only arrived in Kuwait two weeks ago.

My day started off by touring the sector with the Commanders personal security detail (PSD). He wanted to wish all the soldiers in the Battalion a happy thanksgiving, and they though it would be a good opportunity for me to check out the bases in our sector. I figured out that our sector, though very heavily populated, is pretty small, but it is also considered one of the busiest sectors in Iraq in terms of activity. From what I did see of the city from inside the MRAP (haven't patrolled on foot yet), it reminds me of China town: Open markets and stores, boxes of produce and food stuffed on pallets in the sidewalk, can't understand anything written on the store fronts, and dirty. A very very condensed china town full of Iraqis. The traffic is not that great either, especially with the occasional convoy rolling by. It was a little disconcerting being around so many cars and people, but it seems like the shia extremists don't really want to blow us up when so many of their own people are around us.

I got a chance to meet my new CO (commander/ company level) when I take over a platoon in a month or so. He seems pretty intense, and told me it will "start sucking" once I become a PL. The "suck" refering to... sucking... hard to explain. I am looking forward to it, and I wish it would come sooner than later.

Other than that, I will just be "a fly on the wall" for the next week, trying to absorb as much knowlege as possible about the area.

Finally, the thanksgiving meal I had was superb. Crab legs, steak, shrimp, deep fried turkey, etc. It was a damn good meal, especially coming out of a random ass post in the middle of Iraq. I stuffed myself and passed out for about an hour before I could function again.

Hopefully I just got my pay raise...

OUT

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

In the City center

I finally have arrived to my unit in Sadr City. The base only takes up a few blocks of real estate, and it is right in the heart of Sadr City. I just took a look outside of the base, and we are pretty much surrounded by the local residential buildings, etc. I arrived last night on a LOGPAC or a resupply convoy. It was my first time "outside the wire" but it went without incident. We were very well defended and were riding in MRAPS- the army's newest armored vehicle.

When I arrived, I got the chance to meet the Commander and a bunch of other people who work up in staff. The commander seems to have much respect over here and I was told he was probably the best battalion commander in the division. He gave me a quick welcome, and told me I will be shadowing him for a couple of weeks, getting a feel for what is going on in the area. I will be riding with his personal security detail or PSD. After that, I will probably work in Operations, helping out the S-3, and then sometime in January or February, I will finally get a platoon.

Yup

Monday, November 24, 2008

Getting closer

Finally got choppered to Camp Taji. The Blackhawk ride was really interesting... we got a real nice view of Baghdad from the air. For the most part, Baghdad is really worn down, roads are not that great, trash everywhere, palm trees everywhere... but it seemed like everyone was going about their business as if it were any other city. The largest and nicest things to look at from the air were the Mosques. The ride didn’t take too long, and we actually stopped at another small base on our way to Taji.

Taji itself is huge, used by Saddam’s henchmen back in the day. There is a lot of mud everywhere, not too much sand. Not going to be here for too long though, finally should meet up with my unit, for real this time.

So far, my contact with Iraqi's has been positive. They work on base, handling some of the day to day duties (food service, sanitation, etc). Like most Arabs, they are a very relaxed, care free type people, "Inshallah!" They are friendly, respectful, and I would not suspect them of trying to blow me up. But what I have realized is, it is the few bad apples (in this phase of the war) that are still ruining the peace, many of them not even Iraqis. With that said, I will still keep on my toes, but for the most part, I think I may enjoy being around them.

Yup

Friday, November 21, 2008

The safest-most dangerous city

So, I am here at Camp Striker (next to BIAP or Baghdad International airport) a little longer than I thought I would be. Seems like it takes a while to set up a chopper flight- the earliest I will be out of here will be Sunday. I should be headed to Camp Tajji, which is north of here, on the other side of the Tigris River near Sadr City. From there, I will meet my unit, which could be right at Tajji, or at two other COPs or Combat Outposts (sort of like a mini military base) in the heart of Sadr City. Sadr City, from what I have been hearing, has made huge improvements in security and infrastructure. I actually met my Battalion Commander today, and he told me I should be headed to Charlie Company, which I know nothing about, but I am very excited to be going because it almost certainly means that I will finally get a platoon!!

In the mean time, me and the 5 other soldiers with me headed to 1-6IN (my unit) have nothing to do… so to keep us busy, I started PT (physical training) sessions with them and also gave them a class on EOF or escalation of force. Going to try to do PT with them twice a day and give 1-2 classes a day just to keep them (and myself) actively engaged. Should help us keep our focus and be ready for the long hours of patrolling ahead of us once we get to our unit.

Finally, I made a crap load of money this month. Let’s just say being in a combat zone and being paid for living in Germany (while in Iraq) has its benefits. By the way, I get promoted in a few days as well. Chi-CHING!

OUT

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

War is Hell?

We loaded up the C-130 in Kuwait (very uncomfortable, reminded me when I flew in one during airborne school) and headed to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). From what it seems so far, Baghdad is held down very well by the coalition forces. Multiple walls of reinforced concrete line the airport and line all the buildings at Camp Striker (where I am staying temporarily till I link up with my unit in a few days). I have not been "outside the wire" yet, but from people I have talked too, Baghdad has been relatively quiet lately, and many places have a returned to a semblance of normalcy.

Camp Striker is quite extraordinary, but since we have been in Iraq since 2003, it makes sense. The DFAC (Dining facility) is possibly the largest DFAC in the world, bigger than the one in Kuwait. It has very long hours, comes fully equipped with all the Gatorade, energy drinks, taco’s, ice cream, potato chips you would need, has decent food in the short order and main order lines…, and just like Kuwait, it has a bunch of American fast food restaurants, PX, random souvenir shops, wireless internet everywhere, etc.

…too bad I won’t be staying there, haha. Probably a good thing, so I don’t spend my money on pointless things.

Hopefully, I will be out of this place by either tomorrow or the day after and finally meet up with my unit.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

An Ocean of Sand

Someone brought it up earlier, and others have agrees... thus far, Kuwait seems like I am at the beach, an endless beach... with no water. We went on a little run with the group of soldiers from Baumholder, and we ran far enough that all I saw was sand off to the horizon. Strangely, I felt as though I were back home in California, going for a run along the beach. The weather is exactly like California weather at the moment: 70+ degrees in the daytime, down into the 60s and night. Yes, I have yet to be here for an extended period of time, but as of now, I feel almost as though I am at home, a comforting feeling.

Of course, things may become different very quickly, so I will be preparing for that as well.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

So, I got a house, bought a car (Opel Omega- GM’s European brand), got my satellite broadcasting AFN (Armed Forces Network- US Broadcasts brought to service members around the world), set my house up nice, stocked the refrigerator…. And I get sent to Kuwait! Haha

It’s all good though, I wanted to be here sooner than later. Kuwait is not bad at all. The base we are on has a bunch of fast food chains, a huge PX, recreation rooms, wireless internet, gym, etc. Someone one told me that this place is Disneyland compared to some of the FOBs (Forward Operating bases- the posts where people are stationed in Iraq). The weather is really nice right now as well. It seems to be a nice 70 degrees all day long, and gets into the 60s at night… maybe cause it’s the winter time… dunno.

So, now I am just going to do some more training, and then in a week or so, I should be meeting up with my unit. Good stuff, all is well thus far.

OUT

Monday, November 3, 2008

Old things become new again

Went up to Hohenfels, Germany last week for IRT (Individual Readiness Training) or pre-deployment training. The training was alright, the instructions were very knowledgeable. It did not really teach me anything new, but I was able to brush up on some of the basic tasks I will be conducting in Iraq. The week went by real fast.

After we got back, we headed up to Koln with a new edition to the LT crew, Geordan, and his wife. I met him at RTB when we were on holdover. Koln is one of the largest cities in Germany, and there was alot to see, but we only had a short time to see it. The Cathedral in the center of the city was awesome. Not as big as the one we saw at Metz, but it was much more pleasing to the eye. We came in during a service, and when the organs went off with the choir in the background... breathtaking. It was a nice experience. When we first got in, we basically went on a pub crawl/ Restaurant bar crawl. Had some good beer, good wine, good times. Also visited an old Gestapo prison, Very cool stuff. Saw the small stagnant cells the prisoners were held, the torture chambers, etc. Very eerie, but educational.

The most embarrassing thing about the weekend was my crash course in driving a manual transmission car. When I first got it at the rental shop, I decided to take the opportunity to learn how to drive. It was a roooouuggh time trying to get the car out of the parking lot. Driving on the autobahn was no problem, but the stop and go of the city and some of the hills in Baumholder... made for a bumpy ride. When we rode into post last night, I was stalled at the gate, and kept stalling for about 10 minutes until I finally was able to get the car going... everyone was cracking up.. got to learn sometime right?

OUT

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Lost in Translation?

Weekend started off slow, had to go to a formation Saturday morning, so did not do much on Friday. That night, we just went downtown and ate at this BBQ restauraunt and I had the some of the best non-smoked ribs I've had in my life... funny that I had to come to a place in Germanyt for it.

The next morning after formation, we headed out to Bastogne, Belgium. It was about a three hour ride. The area we were driving through is as country as it gets. Open fields, cattle grazing, old stone houses, etc. We saw the monument dedicated to the US Army for what they did in Bastogne in WWII. I also bought a Beer stein, which brings my collection to 4 thus far.

After that, we back tracked and headed to Trier, Germany. This was the second time we have been to Trier. Once we settled into the hotel, Morgan said we should get some wine. So we bought two bottles of wine, cheese, and crackers and pretty much finished it all off- a rough start for the night (it was only 6 or 7). Then we ate at "Louisiana", a burger joint in the city square in Trier. Then we proceeded to the bars. We met a local student named Lucas, and we brought him along to join the fun, he was cool.

Little did I know, the night was about to take an interesting turn. We were walking down the promenade, and Morgan was yelling random things in English and German, which happened to get the attention of some punk ass kid. The kid and his friend began taunting Morgan, and they even started pushing and even slapped him! ha! Morgan kept saying "I am not going to fight you" in English and German. Eventually, they figured they were not going to get a fight out of him, so they began to walk away... but it wasn't over yet...

Lucas, the kid that we were hanging out with us decided to be "funny" and taunted the hoodlums, and they proceeded to run straight towards us, and it wasn't just one of them, there were 10 other guys that came out of nowhere and they were running at full speed straight towards us! Morgan took off at a dead sprint and I followed close behind... luckily, we outran them and proceeded directly to the hotel, laughing and in shock of what happened...

Absolutely ridiculous...

So, that was my weekend. Have pre deployment training all this week, should be a good time.

OUT

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Delays

So, I finally am at my unit (1-6INF, 2-1 AD) currently with the rear detachment. When I arrives on October 2, they told us we were going to deploy at the end of the month. Now, it seems as though it is up in the air if there are any flights leaving next month... on top of that, I have been selected to be the UMO (Unit Movement Officer), which means I have to undergo a few weeks of schooling to be qualified for the postion, which will delay my deployment even longer.

I am not sure if I should be honored to even get a job, or angry that I will probably not be a platoon leader downrange... Also unsure if not having a Ranger tab had anything to do with it. I certainly stand out with the group of 4 LTs that had there ranger tab, or maybe it was simply because I was the last one to arrive, or, it may have been a complement to me?

No idea... but hopefully things turn out for the better. I'm in it for the next 6.5 years (1.5 done so far) so I hope I have a positive experience sometime during my first 8 years, otherwise....

Hopefully I could blog about doing something awsome, in the mean time, not so much... as far as the army goes anyway.

Other than that, Germany is pretty awsome. In the past couple of weeks, I've traveled to Munich for Oktoberfest, Trier, Heidelberg, Idar Oberstein (local), Luxemberg, and Metz-France. This weekend, planning on taking a day trip into the Luxembourg and Beligum Ardennes which is only a few hours away. I also signed a lease to my house in Reichweiler, which is about 15 minutes from post, its pretty f*ing awsome, and definitely might be a little big for me, but I'll manage.

Also planning on buying a temporary whip while I am here waiting for deployment. I already rented a car for the week, but if I don't deploy soon, it would cost too much to rent... we'll see if I can find a reasonable car for the time being.

Yup, thats all for now, out