Nature Part II

This is a short post, but I wanted to display two other photos I took recently. First are my friends the birds. These guys wait for me every morning, and they always ask for a handout.  Luckily, someone else has started putting out rice for them to eat over in the H-6 housing area.  Here [...]

Clearing my CHU

My unit is preparing to leave Iraq. Some of our replacements have already begun to arrive. This week was significant, because we turned in a great deal of equipment. Some was permanently turned in. Some was turned in to be shipped back to California. I’ve been able to turn in three large bags worth of [...]

The Cadillac Ranch

The aim of this blog is to show what life is like here in Joint Base Balad, Iraq. I’m grateful for all the folks who have written me and told me that they found this blog useful in that regard. Last week, a mother of an airman here wrote me and mentioned that she found [...]

Paying Claims

I have three legal jobs.  First is to provide legal assistance to military folks with any personal legal problem they might have. Most often, this is divorce or family law related, but it could include anything else such as debt problems, landlord-tenant law, military administrative matters, and a number of other legal fields. Second is [...]

My Birthday

My birthday is Aug. 9, and it was nothing special.  Aug. 9 is a Sunday, so it’s my day off.  I did the normal things that I do, namely call my family, do some exercise, read or watch movies in my room in the afternoon, then go to church.  I also made a trip to the [...]

The New DFAC #2

The big news for JBB this past week was the opening of the new Dining Facility #2. DFAC #2 is right next to the H-6 housing area where I live, so I go there every morning for breakfast. The old #2 was a comfortable, homey place, with very good food and a nice covered outdoor [...]

Nature on Joint Base Balad

JBB is not a beautiful place. It is completely flat, and lies a mile west of the Tigris river. JBB mostly consists of the gigantic airfield, large equipment and supply storage yards and warehouses, and a great many buildings and the gravel surfaced areas outside the buildings. T-walls are everywhere, and the most common color [...]