A Tribute to the JBB USO

When you arrive in Iraq, you are far from home and in an unfamiliar environment.  Most of Joint Base Balad consists of warehouses or working buildings dedicated solely to the Army mission, and it’s not a friendly, welcoming, or comfortable place. 

 As shown in past posts, JBB has many other ways to compensate.  I’ve discussed the swimming pools, the rec centers and gyms, the movie theater, the wonderful food at the DFAC’s.  One special place on JBB is the USO.

 USO stands for United Service Organizations.  The USO Website says “Since just before World War II, the USO has been the bridge between the American people and our men and women in uniform, conveying the heartfelt appreciation and support of a grateful nation. Whether it is a quiet place to go for rest and relaxation, movies refreshments, or a friendly face, the USO consistently delivers its special brand of service to the military.”  You may remember learning about Bob Hope or other entertainers going around during WWII to entertain troops in connection with USO events.  The USO has had facilities around the world dedicated to helping comfort troops.   Today, the USO has some lovely facilities in certain major airports, such as the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, which include things like free meals and snacks, video taping soldiers reading books to their children, and even a place to sleep if you are stuck overnight at the airport.  There are USO’s all over the world.

 The JBB USO is primarily a place to hang out and relax.  They have a big-screen TV which constantly has on a movie, two telephone rooms where you can phone the USA for free on a VOIP phone, and an internet room where troops can use computers.  They also have game rooms, and a great many books, magazines, and other little presents (e.g. toothbrushes, sunscreen, etc.) for the troops. 

 JBB’s USO was the first in Iraq, and it’s likely the best.  It’s located in one of the old Iraqi buildings, and surrounded by T-walls like every other building on JBB.  It’s very close to the Post Exchange and right across from the main East Side rec center and fitness center, and so it’s in the middle of the action at JBB.  Here is what it looks like in front:

  

When you enter, you see the front desk, which always has someone ready to offer help.  They also have snacks, including cookies, popcorn, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (make them yourself).  Of course, free water is available, as it is at most every building.  The military is required to give you water.  The front desk will set you up with a game, or a craft — they have these strings that people love to knot up to make bracelets, which is very fun and a nice way to make a souvenir from Iraq.

 Here’s the front desk:

 

The computer room:

 

The lounge, where people could use Wi-Fi on their laptops:

  

And of course the bathroom, which never really worked all that well:

 

When I was leaving JBB, the USO was in the middle of a major renovation, and they were getting a great deal of brand new furniture.  So it is likely that the USO now looks different than it did in these Aug/Sep. 2009 photos.  One other big project was the installation of the movie room, which you can read about here:

 http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=1862

 You’ll see my photo at the grand opening, sitting next to the cute Air Force gal.

 The USO has a very friendly staff.  I would go there pretty much every day my entire year, sometimes twice a day, and got to know them all.  It was a nice place to relax, read the Stars & Stripes paper, and maybe watch a movie.   Here is the USO staff, including Eugene (far left), myself, a couple of military volunteers, and Suzanne Sigurdson:

 

My very favorite thing was “Family Guy Fridays” at the USO.  This consisted of free pizza ordered from the Pizza Hut, and a FG marathon.  It was a lot of fun to watch Family Guy with all the other troops, and hear everyone roaring with laughter at the crazy humor in that show.  The USO is where I got hooked on FG.

 Here is Suzanne with a couple of visiting USO honchos. 

 Suzanne is a very energetic and happy person, she always greeted me when I came in.  Her husband lives in Iceland, while she works in Iraq.  She is presently organizing a female football league, and I wonder how well that is going.  Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to take photos of the two young guys from Washington State who often staff the USO. They left for leave before I could photograph them.  Those guys were 25 years old, and had long hair, which made them really stand out among the military crowd with the military haircuts.  But they were good guys, no doubt about it!

 The outside patio almost always had someone hanging out and smoking, or talking.  It’s where I parked my bike every day.  Even in the hottest parts of the summer, you’d see people hanging out here, especially in the evenings.  It was always dusty, but people loved it.  Here are a few soldiers hanging out on the back patio:

 

So anyway, this is my tribute to the Joint Base Balad USO.  I spent so many hours there, and greatly appreciated all that the USO did for the soldiers and airmen at JBB!   You are a great place, and a great organization.  Thanks to all who worked at, or volunteered with, the JBB USO!!!

Blogging in Iraq

There are a few more things that I’d like to say about the deployment to Iraq, so this blog will keep going for a few more months, maybe even longer.   The topic for today is blogging itself.

 When I started this blog, it was for two reasons.  First, to keep my family and friends informed about what was going on for me in Iraq.  It’s easier to do the blog than to try to explain everything to every one of my friends, and the blog allows the sharing of photos and other files very easily, which makes it a great way to keep in contact with folks back home.  So from time to time I’d email my friends and let them know to check on my blog, and kept a link to this blog on my Facebook page.

 The second reason I created this blog was to let the world know the truth about what life is really like in Iraq, which is a job that the media in general is not doing well.  I show pictures and descriptions of real life at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.  You can judge for yourself how well I’ve done this. 

 One idea I don’t think I’ve conveyed adequately is just how safe it is in Iraq for US personnel.  About 95% of the folks in Iraq never leave the base, even on a convoy.  The base itself is very well protected.  There is a 15-foot high fence surrounding the perimeter with motion sensors, and guard towers.  Nothing gets into our out of the base unless it’s carefully checked by some good security forces.  The entire year, I never heard of anything like a ground attack on any base anywhere in Iraq.  The only threat was the occasional mortar or rocket attack, perhaps once every week or two.  Most of these missed the base entirely, and those that hit usually hit the middle of a gravel yard somewhere.  So aside from the occasional mortar or rocket attack, being on Joint Base Balad is about as safe as you can be in the USA, really!  The entire year, nobody on my base died from enemy action, although some died from suicide, accidents, or medical conditions (e.g. heart attack).  I believe being in Iraq is just as safe for any soldier as being in any US city.  This is something you’ll never hear about in the mainstream media.  I also believe that the Iraqis generally like us, and look at US Forces as a source of stability, economic growth, and an honest broker in the reconstruction of their country.

 This blog has been a lot more popular than I thought it would ever be.  So far, it’s gotten over 50,000 hits.  It still gets 200 to 300 hits per day, over a month after I’ve left Iraq.  This is a great source of information on Joint Base Balad, which is why people keep checking it out.  This is the place to go if you want to see what a salad bar looks like at a JBB DFAC, or see the dance at the rec center, see an MRAP, or many other things.  Google Images lists my photos of the movie theater and pool as some of the most popular depictions of JBB.  Apparently I’m also one of the few places on the web to describe Camp Buehring, and that page gets a steady stream of hits.  I’ve also been pleased to get some favorable press, including this recent article in my hometown newspaper:

 http://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/news/2009-10-23/Neighbors/Blog_sheds_light_on_Army_life_in_Iraq.html

 So if anyone else in Iraq is interested in blogging, I hope that this blog provides some inspiration.  Bloggers are doing a fine job of showing the American people what is really going on in Iraq.

 Now onto the topic of some critics of this blog.  All year long, I’ve gotten the occasional negative email from someone wishing to attack the blog.  The most common reason is that the critic takes issue with the “OPSEC” (operational security) of the blog, a military way of saying that I have been giving away military secrets, or that this blog is otherwise illegal.

 Any discussion of this topic should begin with reference to Army Regulation 530-1, AR 25-2, and also U.S. Army Public Affairs Fact Sheet dated 2 May 2007, interpreting AR 530-1.  In addition the military command in Iraq has published MNCI Policy #9 regarding blogs (I’m posting all of these public documents here  AR 25_2; AR 530_1;  MNCI Policy #9; USA PA Fact Sheet on Blogging). 

 The main rules regarding a blog are:

 1.         A soldier should inform his or her OPSEC officer and immediate supervisor when establishing a blog.  Army Regulation 530-1. (I have done this).

2.         In no way will every blog post/update a Soldier makes on his or her blog need to be monitored or first approved by an immediate supervisor and Operations Security (OPSEC) officer.  America’s Army respects every Soldier’s First Amendment rights while also adhering to Operations Security (OPSEC) considerations.

3.         “Prevent disclosure of critical and sensitive information in any public domain” (AR 530-1, para. 2-1(c)(1).  Specifically, “Do not publicly disseminate, or publish photographs displaying critical or sensitive information. Examples include but are not limited to Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strikes, battle scenes, casualties, destroyed or damaged equipment, personnel killed in action (KIA), both friendly and adversary, and the protective measures of military facilities.” 

 If anyone cares to take the time to review these references, and then review my blog, I am convinced you will not find a single violation of any rule or policy in this blog. 

 Despite my adherence to the above, I still get emails like this one:

 ———————————————-

Author : Melinda Patterson

Comment:

Hi Brian.  Just a quick message.  I think it is really great that you kept a running journal on your stay and happenings in Iraq.  Unfortunately, I also think that it was meant to be private.  There are certain things that just shouldn’t be shared with others.  Sending comments to your wife to discuss things on how it is going for you and to get support is one thing.  Announcing it to the world is totally different.  As you should know being a soldier.  To release information on crashes and being under fire is uncalled for and may cause terrible thoughts and findings for family members.  Which is not your place or your job.  That is why we have family readiness groups.  It is also my opinion that you are putting your fellow soldiers in danger by some of the things you have said.  Especially to display maps of the camps.  That is like saying here is an open invitation.  You may be leaving, but there are others still serving, in which my husband being one of those soldiers still there.  So for you to compromise him or any other soldier is pure stupidity!  How you have gotten away with this is beyond me.  You should be reprimanded for this.  In closing, I do hope that you have a safe return to your home and family.  Every soldier deserves that!!!

———————————————-

 The email takes issue with me for several things, including:

1.  Talking about a helicopter crash on the base — I blogged about this two days after the incident was published in the newspapers, and disclosed nothing beyond what the newspapers already included.  Hard to see how one could possibly compromise anything by referring to something already in the newspapers.

2.  Describing being under fire   — Point taken, in that describing battle scenes and the protective measures of military facilities is prohibited.  The bottom line is that EVERYONE knows that we get rocket and mortar attacks, and this information is so widely known, that I don’t see how any reasonable person could take issue with my writing something like “The only threat was the occasional mortar or rocket attack, perhaps once every week or two. . . . ”  This is such a general report on the attacks, that I believe freedom of the press clearly takes precedence in this case.

3.  Displaying maps of the camps.  The maps I’ve posted are either taken from Google Earth (a public source of information), or are maps that are so out of scale that they could not reasonably be used for any attack on the base.  Bear in mind that we let thousands of Iraqis onto our bases, and the general location of most facilities is very well known to these folks.  The secrecy factor of these maps is extremely low, inasmuch as they are given to foreign nationals as well, and I see no realistic security threat caused by my posting the maps that are on this website.

I believe that the blog is 100% legal, and 100% proper.  Nothing on this blog is a threat to the lives or safety of US personnel anywhere.   Anyone taking issue with this is welcome to challenge this assertion, and my email address and contact information is prominently posted on this blog for you to do so. 

 There were several other emails written to criticize the blog, most of which were not nearly as articulate or constructive as Ms. Peterson’s.  I’m not sure what would motivate someone to write a nasty email to me, but hey, it’s the internet and anonymity makes people do weird things.

 The worst thing that can be said is that I posted some photos from the JBB airfield, and unknown to me there is some Air Force rule prohibiting any pictures from the airfield.  Even the Air Force folks who saw my pictures realized that there was no threat from the photos I posted, and so they did not take issue with my blog.  The bottom line is that nowhere in this blog, anywhere, is there any information that could be used to threaten American lives, or compromise sensitive information.  I invite others to take issue with this, and you are welcome to contact me with any concerns after viewing this blog.

 I was pleased to get several positive responses.  A few days after I got back, I received a lovely letter from Leah Ritter, whose husband was in the unit that replaced mine.  The letter stated “Thank you for your very wonderful Joint Base Balad blog.  The time, energy, and detail put into it has served as an invaluable resource for my family here. …  Searching for info on Balad, I came upon your blog.  Now I know what T-walls looked like.  It quickly became a resource for the kids and me to see what life was like at JBB – even reptile, bird & plant life….  Last night my 9-year old was tickled by the photos you posted of the Christmas Parade and the one of you on Santa’s lap…  Even the video of the Maine Troop Greeters at 2AM was great – Mark had told me he felt so appreciated by them in Bangor.  And now I’ve experienced what that was like for him.  My family appreciates your service to our country, your sacrifice of a year away from home and family, and your dedication in writing and sharing your experiences.”

 WOW!  Thank you very much Leah!!  I’ve gotten dozens of similar emails with similar thoughts, but this was the first actual letter, and it says it all so very well.  Ms. Ritter’s letter even included a nice family photo.  Anyway, I am glad to have done the blog, and I hope it helps others to understand life in Iraq.

 The above topics are very valid concerns, and anyone blogging in Iraq should be aware of the above discussion.  If you are ready to start blogging, I highly recommend WordPress (www.wp.com).  It is great, because you can put your text, photos, and other files including even video, all on the blog for the world to see.  Let other sites like Milblogging.com and the Thunder Run have a link to your blog, they are great at promoting military blogs.  Go ahead and get started, and let me know if you do!!

Back Home at Last

When I last posted, I was on the airplane flying from Fort Bliss, TX, back to March AFB in Riverside.  We got off the airplane on , Sept. 26, at about 8:30AM.  We walked off the plane, and were greeted by BG William Frink, as well as several other local army folks.  They had some Marines from the local base to pick up our luggage, which was nice.   Our group had about 65 or so people by this time, many cross-level soldiers having already left to go directly home from El Paso.

The big wigs made us wait around an hour or so, as they were organizing our “welcome home” procession.  So after waiting until about 10AM on that Sunday morning, we rode on two buses out from March AFB, and were greeted by an escort of about 25 motorcyclists.  The California Highway Patrol also closed down the Interstate 215 freeway for about five minutes for our caravan to pass.  So it was interesting to be in a bus escorted by a bunch of Harleys and the CHP.  We arrived at the Riverside Marriott hotel, and saw that the fire department was there with a flag raised on its fire truck ladder:

A large crowd was there to welcome us back.  Sorry for the bad quality of this photo, it was taken through the bus window:

They made us all get off the bus and get into a formation.  Of course, my kids did not understand, and rushed up to me anyway, delaying me from joining the formation for a few moments.  Here I am carrying daughter Rebecca towards the pavillion where we were forming up, while daughter Judy is right behind us:

The brigade commander gave a short speech for about 3 minutes, and then we were released.   It was a very happy time, because many in the crowd had not seen their family members for several months! 

The army provided us a free hotel room for two nights at the Marriott, so I took my wife and children out for some lunch, and then a swim in the hotel pool. My family and I went back home to Camarillo that evening, but I had to stay in Riverside until Tuesday.  The next few days were filled with some briefings.  They told us not to commit suicide again, and filled us in on our benefits for our service in Iraq.  We had nice meals at the hotel, and the hotel itself was a great place to have these briefings.  Here is a photo of  retired MG Paul Mock giving a speech at the hotel conference room:

On Tuesday evening, the big event was a “Welcome Home Warrior Citizen Award Presentation.”  More speeches were given, and everyone got a flag, a set of lapel pins, and coin.  WOO HOO!  Here is BG William Frink giving me my award:

We were finally released mid-morning on Tuesday, Sept. 29.  I drove back home to Camarillo.  It was good to see my family again, and of course we were very happy to be back together again!  Here we are as I’m picking up my kids from school right after returning to Camarillo:

It’s great to be back home, finally.  I have more to say, but that will have to wait for another post.   There are several other things to talk about in this Blog pertaining to Iraq, the military, and related subjects, so please continue to visit!

At Fort Bliss (it was better in Iraq)

We just finished our time at Fort Bliss. But I wanted to put up a post discussing only Fort Bliss, so that you the reader will have a basic understanding of what de-mobilizing is like.

Every reserve unit has a “Mob Station” from which it mobilizes and de-mobilizes.  The 304th Sustainment Brigade’s was Fort Bliss, which is in El Paso, Texas. 

As discussed in the last post, we had a very long trip from Kuwait to Texas ona chartered airplane.  When our airplane arrived at about 6AM, we were all very tired and beat.  The first thing they did was they made us all line up in a hanger-like building on Biggs Field, the Fort Bliss runway.  We then turned in our weapons.  Here is a photo of me a few minutes after our arrival, parting with my old friend for the last time:

After that, they gave us a TB test shot, and let everyone eat a little breakfast.  The eggs were runny, the potatoes rubbery, and the french toast was burnt to a crisp.   We were then taken to our barracks, where we were to spend the next few days.  The barracks were freezing cold, and dead cockroaches littered the floors.  There was nothing to do, and we were stranded in the middle of this inhospitable military base.  This was the first time I remarked that dining and living conditions were better in Iraq.

We were all quite exhausted, and so the first day there was nothing on the agenda.  I ended up sleeping from 10AM to 5PM, and then going back to sleep at 10PM again.   I wasn’t that badly jet-lagged, and woke up around 4AM the next morning.  They say that it is easier to travel from East to West, and this is true, judging by how severely jet-lagged I was the last time I flew from the US to Iraq. On that occassion I had a terrible time with sleepless nights for about 10 days.

Anyway, the days after our initial rest-day were spent at the SRP site (Soldier Readiness Processing).  We were doing our out-processing and de-mobilizing.  Basically this entails sitting through 4 hours of briefings, and then making sure our finances are correct, calculating final pay and our military separation date (as well as issuing DD 214’s), being medically and dentally checked, and turning in body armor.  Here is a view of the SRP site, which is in a big circus-style tent on Fort Bliss:

Note the lovely mountains in the background.  I think El Paso is a nice place.

Soldiers spent lots of time sitting in lines, waiting for their out-processing:

Occasionally someone would come out and shout at us for some various infraction.  By the end of this, I was becoming increasingly disgusted at the way the permanant party staff talked down to everyone, and treated us like cattle. But the process was over after a couple of days.  Nobody got into trouble, even though alcohol was available at shops all over the base. 

We had a farewell ceremony at the El Paso VFW Post 812, which is located in a very scenic spot on top of the mountain overlooking El Paso.  About half the unit left the next day on flights to their individual homes.  These were the cross-levels, people who were assigned to the unit only for the duration of the deployment.  The permanent 304th SB folks stayed on.

Very early on Sunday morning, we went back to the welcome site next to the airfield.  It’s a huge structure and it looks like this:

This is the same facility that we flew out of at the start  of our tour last year.  We had a chartered flight by Southwest Airlines, and I have to say, this was a real pleasure.   The Southwest crew was very friendly, and the flight went perfectly well. 

The Road Home

Right now I am at Fort Bliss, Texas.   When you leave Iraq, you don’t just hop on a plane and go straight home.  You must follow a de-mobilization process, which is similar to (but much shorter than) the mobilization that you go through before getting to Iraq. The basic way to demobilize is to fly from Iraq to Ali Al Salem (AAS) air base in Kuwait, and then spend a night or two at Camp Virginia, which is quite close to AAS.  If you are unlukcy, you’ll spend many nights at AAS.  We were lucky, and spent only two nights in Kuwait total.   All Army personnel must clear the CENTCOM theater through AAS, and then clear customs, and then wait in the Freedom tents for at least 10-15 hours before getting a bus over to Kuwait City Airport, and then flying back to the USA.  There are several routes, but the routes usually involve a stop on the flight from Kuwait City in either Leipzig Germany, or Shannon Ireland.  You then continue on to the USA, with possibly a stop in Bangor Maine, and a final destination that could be anywhere, but is often Dallas or Atlanta.

If you read my previous post about the 15-day leave trip, you know how miserable the process of getting home is (Link is HERE).  It was just as miserable this time, perhaps more so, but at least I was expecting it, so it didn’t discourage me as much this time.

Anyway, there are several more pictures that I took at Camp Virginia that I wanted to share.  This was my last day in the Middle East, and it’s worthwhile to share the pictures from Camp Virginia and the road home.

Camp Virginia is mostly a holding area for troops returning to the USA.  They have more things to do than AAS, and it’s slightly nicer.  One thing I liked is the Cinema, which plays sevearl movies every day.  The highlight of my day was watching the Hannah Montana movie, and part of “007 Moonraker.”  It’s in a tent, of course.  Here is the Cinema:

It’s air conditioned and has chilled water.  Not a bad way to spend a few hours.

There is a very nice chapel on Camp Virginia, complete with a grove of trees that must take a lot of water:

That’s my NCO, SSG Freddie Scott in front of the chapel.  Here is an inside view:

There are several hard-working third-country nationals (TCN’s), mostly from India or Nepal.  They do tough jobs, like cleaning the restrooms, picking up trash, and other such maintenance work.  Here is one guy with the unenviable task of emptying the trash can outside my tent in the blistering, 100+ degree heat:

There’s also much shopping, so that soldiers can blow their money in normal fashion.  Here is the Camp Virginia Food Court:

And a shop run by Indian guys, selling jewelry and exotic clothing:

I eat at the DFAC and avoid shopping for tshcotchkes.  I’m playing a game, to see if I can spend the entire month of September without spending a penny.  So far I’m succeeding. 

There are many other things to do on Virginia. There is a nice phone/internet center, a USO, and a rec center.

Anyway, we packed up and left for Ali Al Salem around midnight.  We cleared customs at about 3AM.  Our flight left around 5PM that same day.  We spent a hellish day in the Freedom Tents, imprisoned and hot with little to eat or drink, and waiting for our ride to the airport.  But like I said, we were expecting a hellish day, so it wasn’t that bad this time.

We finally got on the buses and headed over to KCI airport.  Here is the terminal.  For security reasons, we don’t go to the terminal, of course.  They bus us right up to our airplane, and we get on the plane and fly out:

We flew for 5 hours, and stopped in Shannon Ireland.  Not much to report about that place.  It’s just an air terminal that we visited in the middle of the night.  We then flew from Ireland to Bangor Maine, where we were warmly greeted, even at 2AM on a Tuesday night/Wed. morning!!  To view the video of our return to the USA, click below:

The Maine Troop Greeters

These folks are very nice to come out and meet every single flight that leaves or returns to the US from the Middle East.  To get more info, please visit their website:  http://mainetroopgreeters.com/ 

We spent perhaps an hour in Maine, and then continued our flight on to Biggs Field, at Fort Bliss, Texas.  It was good to be back in the USA again.  Here is our plane sitting on the runway at about 6AM, with a band that had come out to greet us:

And that is the story of my Road Home.  I have much more to post about, including how things are going here at Fort Bliss, and a few other Iraq-related posts I’ll get to later. So stand by for more on the story of my deployment to Iraq, and how I will get back home.

At Camp Virginia, Kuwait

My last day in Iraq was delayed for unknown reasons.  We finally flew out from Joint Base Balad to Kuwait on Sunday. 

 It was a strange last day.  The night before we left, there was a sudden, violent dust storm.  I was riding my bike, and ended up cycling right into a wall of strongly blowing dust.  This was followed by rain, which lasted off and on until the morning.  This was the first rain I’ve seen in Iraq since about April, and I was glad to finally have something to reduce the dust.  It was terrible news, though, because a helicopter crashed that night on JBB. According to the newspaper, one person was killed and 12 others injured, and the accident was caused by high winds, and the fierce sandstorm that I had experienced on my final night in Iraq.  As I was awaiting the flight home, there was an incoming fire attack, and so I had to get down on the ground and wait for the “all clear”.  So my last day brought some grim reminders of how dangerous it can be in Iraq.

 So anyway, the rain really cleared up the weather the following day.  No dust and just a light breeze, so our flight was able to leave slightly ahead of schedule.  We flew on a nice, gigantic C-17, and it was a quick flight of just over an hour to Ali Al Salem airbase.  Here is a view of the interior of the C-17 (note, you can click on these photos to enlarge):

 

We spent about 5 hours just sitting on buses after we arrived, which annoyed me greatly.  We got on buses after getting off the C-17, then got off to clear weapons, and got back on.  Then we got off for a silly briefing, then got back on.  Then got off to load luggage, then got back on. Then got off for another silly briefing, and got back on.  We finally arrived at our tents at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, around midnight.

 Camp Virginia is close to Ali Al Salem.  It is similar to Camp Buerhing, in that it is a desert landscape with pre-fabricated buildings and tents dotting the area.  When you deploy into Iraq, you stay at  Camp Buerhing.  When you re-deploy out of Iraq on the way back home, you stay at Camp Virginia.  Here is what it looks like:

 

And a map (not to scale) given to me by a third-country national at the rec center:

 

Of course, they have a USO, a phone center, a shopping mall, and of course everyone’s favorite coffee shop, for those who insist on paying for their coffee:

 

I got a little sleep in the tent last night. It’s not that bad here, and the weather is not brutally hot.  Then again, maybe I’m getting used to hot weather and walking around in sand by now.  I’m very excited to be able to go home soon!!

 So we’ll be here for a little while, awaiting our flight to the USA.

My Last Day in Iraq

I’m not sure when we are flying out of here, but it is very soon. When I first arrived here, one of the things I saw was this old “Wing Gate” of JBB, greeting arrivals here since the base was built by the Iraqis:

 

It’s the end of a year in Iraq. I’ve been thinking of a few things over the past few days. Over this year, I’ve read two great books:

•  The Price of Glory by Alistair Horne. Excellent history of the battle of Verdun in WW I, where 700,000 French and German soldiers died horrible deaths in an indecisive battle over several months.
• The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. A harrowing story about a soldier who served on the Eastern Front in WW II, and the terrible conditions soldiers faced during that war.

 Compared to what happened in previous conflicts, spending a year in Iraq really is no cause to complain. As you’ve seen through my previous blog posts, here in Iraq US forces have many comforts, including steak and seafood night as well as an endless supply of ice cream at the DFAC’s. Our lodging may require us to walk 100 yards to use the bathroom, but at least we have clean bathrooms and hot showers every day. We have phone and internet centers to help keep us in touch with home. There are gyms to work out at, and theaters and recreation centers to keep one amused. Chaplains and counselors galore assist with morale and spiritual well being.

 It’s easy to forget that there is an actual war happening. The base has gotten indirect fire perhaps once or twice a week from a mortar or rocket, but I’ve never seen or heard such an attack. The closest I ever came was one time when I was out riding my bike, I heard the alarm sound, and then later saw a plume of smoke about a half mile away where a rocket had struck in the middle of a gravel field. During this entire year, not a single person on Joint Base Balad has died on this base due to enemy action. That is amazing in itself, 30,000 people, military and contractors, all working together without a single death! Some have died due to suicide, medical conditions (heart attack, etc), and the like, although I don’t think we’ve had even a single accidental death on JBB this whole year either.

 I’ve done a great deal of legal work. JAG’s in Iraq do all sorts of things. Some are military justice specialists, who work on court-martialing soldiers or otherwise punishing misconduct. There is also Trial Defense Service, the military version of the Public Defender. Some JAG’s are contract and fiscal law specialists, dealing with things like Army purchasing of T-shirts to commemorate 5k runs on holidays, as well as contracting to supply water, transportation, or essential services and supplies here in Iraq. There are several JAG attorneys who just go to pointless meetings with commanders all day, and do other esoteric things. I think the civilian counterpart to them might be called “corporate counsel.” Here is a picture of me doing my job, meeting with local Iraqis out by the East Gate of the base, I went a bit further than usual, and saw the Sons of Iraq checkpoint where we are right at the exit of the base without going off, it was exciting to get so close to the real Iraq:

 

Coming to Iraq has been a good experience. I’m proud to have served my country in a war zone, and I believe the work I do here is important and contributes to the victory against Al-Qaeda, and the re-construction of a free and democratic Iraq. The Iraqis are just like people everywhere, they want to protect their families, make money, and see their country improve for the benefit of themselves and their children. There are a small minority of extremists and fanatics, but by now they have largely been defeated. The US and coalition forces have won in Iraq, and now we are working to turn over the country to a stable, free, Iraqi government. We are winning.

 The last few days have gone by quickly. I’ve been giving or throwing stuff away, and packing. We took an office photo yesterday, and here is our legal group, squinting as we look into the bright morning Iraqi sunshine while we stand in front of an MRAP:

 

Yesterday was sort of a spa day for me. There was not much work, and so I went to the pool to swim a bit and go off the high-dive a few times, and later got a manicure and pedicure. First time I’ve ever done that in my life, and it was nice. A surprising number of folks here avail themselves of the salon for facials, manicures, and massages. Like I said above, JBB is a pretty good place to be stationed if you’re going to be in Iraq.

It will be good to return to my family, especially my young children who don’t quite understand why I’ve been away for so long. So I can’t say I’m sorry to leave JBB. But it’s a good place to work, and like I say, I’m proud to have done my duty over the past year.   Auf Wiedersehen Iraq!

The Old and the New Places to Eat

Construction workers have started to tear down my beloved old DFAC #2. At the start of the job, the scene looked like this:

 

If you look closely, you’ll see dozens of stickers people had put up on the entrance wall. This was a beloved DFAC, and I must have eaten breakfast here 250 times until it was closed. You already know what I think of the new DFAC #2 (in the background, above). So I’m sad whenever I ride by this site. It now looks like this, with much of it torn down already:

 

 

There is a new place to eat now, it is called Ciano Italian Restaurant. It’s a brand-new construction, located next to the USO and across from the MWR East Rec Center, quite close to the PX. This place is doing good business, judging by the large groups of people that I’ve seen eating here. You can see that they’ve painstakingly recreated the aesthetic of Tuscany in this fine Italian villa:

 

Well, at least they have picnic benches on the porch, which some people like. The inside brings to mind the finest trattorias of Florence:

 

Most of the cooks are Turkish or Nepalese TCN’s. I don’t like this place. The entire thing is sterile and lacking in style, and the food consists of mediocre pizza for $10 a pie. I see no reason to eat here rather than going to a nice place like DFAC #3, where one can eat all one wants for free.  But then I’m a frugal person.

 And here is another interesting thing. There is a large, gravel and dust parking lot between Ciano’s and the USO building. Convoys come in to park here, so that the soldiers can go to the PX, rec center, or pool and gym. So it’s not at all unusual to see several heavily armed vehicles in this lot. On this particular day last week, I decided to climb up on several of the vehicles and have a look. Here is a view of a team of Strykers that had come in from one of the outlying FOB’s (forward operating bases):

 

The folks let me look around inside and even play on top of their Stryker, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.

 

This friendly private is the good  fellow who gave me the tour and took most of these photos:

 

There was a convoy of MRAP’s nearby, and I climbed up into the turret on top of one of these also. Here is a view from the top, looking at Ciano’s restaurant. Note how heavily armed the MRAP’s are, they have about as much armament as a Stryker (Cianos is in the background):

 

The weird black thing at the front is lowered during operations outside the base. It contains glow-plugs, which emit a lot of heat. The purpose is to defeat mines that would otherwise be set off by the heat of the engine.

 And that is what it’s like at the old DFAC #2 and the parking lot of the new Ciano’s.

T-Wall Art

When you first arrive in Kuwait or Iraq, one thing that you immediately notice is the abundance of T-walls. These concrete barriers are everywhere, protecting people from the possible rocket or mortar attack. They are called “T-walls” because they look like an upside-down “T.” They have them in Baghdad as well, and the Iraqis use them to protect against blasts from suicide bombers or the like.

 There are thousands of the T-walls all over JBB. I’ve heard that they cost about $600 each, which means there is millions of dollars invested just in T-walls on this base. I’d say it’s a good investment, because it does add a sense of security, and probably deters rocket attacks. T-walls are a cost effective way of protecting from explosions.

 Only a tiny fraction of T-walls are painted. Most of them are painted with a unit symbol, naming the unit and the commander and senior NCO, and signed by the artists. These tend to be dreadful artworks. Some have symbols disclosing what sort of unit works at the place with the T-wall. Here is an example of one of the better such T-wall art collections (this building houses the chaplain, IG, EO, and Reserve Affairs offices, among others):

 

Many T-wall paintings are fading after years of exposure to the harsh Iraqi sun and dust. I’m always hesitant to sit on any T-wall base, because they are invariably coated with a thick layer of sand and dust, which I don’t like to get on my uniform. Here’s one that still looks pretty good, even after a few years:

 

Some T-walls have excellent art. An officer in my unit, Amanda Gatewood, has been trying to assemble a collection of the best art on JBB to make a book. Not sure how well that’s going, here is the very best T-wall art I’ve seen so far, located behind the Air Force Hospital:

 

Finally, one artistic medium that I thought I’d mention are coins. Some are very artistic as well, and these can be a bit expensive to procure. I’ve gotten 5 so far during my trip to Iraq. Here they are, sitting on my desk:

 

(clockwise from upper left:

• 3rd ESC coin from BG Lally for getting the Hooah of the week for paying foreign claims.  Noteworth for the dogtag shape of the coin.
• MNC-I coin from MAJ Bill Stevens for giving a nice presentation on foreign claims.
• Air Force Chaplain coin given to me for going to church
• “Tops in Blue” an Air Force music/dance performing group gave me the aluminum coin.
• A personal coin from a MAJ Emmons (it has his name inscribed in it), given to me for giving legal assistance to him.

 Many other military folks have coin collections with dozens, sometimes over a hundred coins, and special display cases just to hold their coins.

 Much more could be said or photographed on the subject of military coins and T-wall art, but you get the idea now.

Keeping in Touch With Home

Servicemembers here in Iraq have many ways to keep in touch with folks back home. Most soldiers have access to a work computer, and the NIPR on these computers NIPR (Nonsecure Internet Protocol Router Network) is used to exchange sensitive but unclassified information between “internal” users, but basically you can use it to access the internet and send emails. This is in contrast to the SIPR (Secret Network), which is highly restrictive and does not allow communication outside the network. It is acceptable to make limited use of the NIPR network for morale purposes, so long as this does not interfere with your official duties.

 In addition to having internet on your NIPR computers, there are phone centers all over the place. AT&T has call trailers set up, where they gouge you on AT&T phone card calls. For this, AT&T has earned my enmity. But when you first arrive in the Iraq/Kuwait Theater, you have little other choice.

 It is not hard to find a DSN phone (Defense switch network), and you can use these to make calls to other US military DSN phones anywhere in the world. This can be useful to make a calling card call, or to be connected by a local operator. I find this a cumbersome and slow process, and rarely use DSN, even though it’s not hard to get calling cards for free on this base.  There are also the Spawar phones. These are very nice, and they are the phones that I use most often. They are VOIP phones, and it costs 4 cents per minute to call the US. Finally, the US has a lobby with 8 free direct-dial VOIP phones. There is often a line to use these, and many soldiers spend their half hour talking with family back home on these phones. VOIP phones have great call quality, and are the easiest to use.  Much better all around than DSN, and I prefer paying 4 cents per minute for the ease of use and better call quality. Here is a photo of a typical call center, this one is at the Red Cross building, a very nice place to contact home. If you look closely, you’ll see both internet computers and VOIP phones (using Spawar), as well as a bookshelf full of books that are being given away. (photo taken around 5AM,when the center was empty except for me and my bike helmet atop one of the computers):

 Here’s another shot of the USO at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait, with free direct-dials on the right, while people play video games on the left. Notice the ceiling, which is canvas in this glorified tent:

 

One of the stranger places on post is the JBB USO which has this DSN lounge, with 60’s-style egg-shaped chairs:

 

The best way to keep in touch with home is to get on a computer and use Skype for a video conference. This is free, but it’s also a bit of trouble to get to a computer with good internet access, and then set up the webcam and headset. Here is what this looks like (Judy is holding her beloved white rabbit):

 

Even the Ugandans, Nepalese, and Filipino workers can keep in touch with home, usually by going to the internet centers and then doing a chat with folks back home. Not the best way to keep in touch, but it is free, and these folks earn little money to afford phone calls to places other than the USA, which can be extremely expensive. Most of these Third-Country National (TCN) workers are earning about $500 a month, so they really need to watch their money. It’s good that they can at least use internet chat for free to keep in touch with home.  The TCN’s treat the internet like gold.  Here is a group of mostly Ugandan TCN’s at the MWR East Rec Center computer/phone room:

I heard a story from a guy who works at the internet cafe on a remote part of base.  Normally the Ugandans are extremely polite and friendly.  But a few incidents have happened where upon being told that their internet time up, they became somewhat verbally disagreeable.  Afterwards, they always apologize, and return to being polite.  Access to the internet can cause such disputes.

 Being away from your family for a whole year is hard. But on a base like JBB, there is every reason to phone, email, or video chat with home every single day.

 It can be hard to communicate with little kids. My two daughters are 4 and 5 years old, and phone manners are new to them. We’ve developed some games, like singing familiar songs, which usually gets them interested in the call. Judy even sang the “Baba come back” song which she made up on her own. Rebecca likes to sing songs from the Disney movie Mulan. On video chat, we like to play games like I make a face, and the kids tell me what kind of face it is (happy, sad, scared, etc.). The kids like to turn the webcam upside down, which they think is very funny.

 We also do things were we show each other pictures over the internet. For example, the kids can show me drawings that they did that day, and I can comment on how nice they are. I also get art projects from my kids in the mail, and the kids like to see me holding their work up to the webcam even though we are far away. Another game they like to play is hide and seek, where I go out of webcam view, and then direct the webcam to other parts of the room, until the kids are able to find me. I’m sure people can think of other ways to keep young kids interested in phone and video calls. Just talking face to face does not interest them much. Judy has learned to read while I’ve been gone, and sometimes she enjoys just reading a book to me while I watch.

 The military allows you to send letters for free, and I send two letters home every week, mostly because my kids love opening mail addressed to them.

 Ten years ago, when I was a young captain in Korea, it was much less possible to communicate with home. Letter-writing has always been possible, of course. But making a phone call would cost $3 a minute, and so was quite rare. Email was just coming into use.

 Last year, when I was at Fort Hood in October 2008 doing pre-mobilization training, I met up with another major who was helping my unit. I don’t remember his name. During our talk, he said that while he was deployed overseas, he found that he had some of the sweetest and most heart-felt communication with his family, especially his wife. I thought that this statement was counter-intuitive, why would this happen only when you are thousands of miles away?  But over the past year, I’ve seen that it is true. My wife and I have had many nice exchanges, and I have tried hard to show my appreciation for her efforts to watch the kids while I’m gone. It is good to know that when I come home in a few weeks, I will be coming home to a marriage that is stronger than when I left, and a house with more love than ever before.