WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
Hello all
Today is March 20th, 2006. I apologize again for my blog entries being so few and far between these days. In the last few weeks we have been kept busy with several visitors and a trip to Camp Speicher in addition to our usual duties. As a result the last couple weeks have flown by, which while a blessing, has also kept me from being able to sit down and write to you all. So here it is in all its glory… my latest blog.
Unfortunately I have little to report. I suppose there has been a lot of “stuff” going on, but lately I have found that more and more our days here are beginning to blur. Like being caught in a perpetual “Groundhog Day” or something, each day comes and brings with it more of the same. I can’t complain too much though. One of our visitors divulged his schedule to us, which to me, seemed like a fate worse than death. 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a generous 12 hours a week to take off from the schedule as he sees fit. While some days we work much more than that I just simply can’t imagine the torture of having to watch the clock, like I know I would, day in and day out like that. So I guess that is really where we are at now, just trying to find the good in the bad so to speak. More or less adapted to our lives here and just trying to make the best of it.
I understand that Samarra has been in the news quite a bit lately, and that fact has caused a bit of anxiety for some of you. Well rest assured that things here are still quite normal. I have mentioned before in passing that quite often the things that are drummed up on the news don’t necessarily reflect the situation on the ground here. Well this seems to be no exception. Yes there is a large operation underway in the area and yes we are exposed to some of it. But our role here has gone unchanged and likewise our daily lives have seen little impact. In fact, if anything the operation has quieted things down a bit around the AO. (knock on wood) Perhaps because the insurgents are just laying low till the operation settles down, perhaps because they are on the run… only time will really tell. But if I had to guess, shortly after the operation completes things will resume to normal, whatever that means.
Now for a little of my brand patented tongue in cheek satire. Let me take a moment and reflect on my visit to Camp Speicher. For those of you who don’t know Speicher is a large U.S. military camp about 40 miles north of here. I am not sure about the actual numbers of personnel there, but I know it is easily in the tens of thousands. We made the trip there to get some equipment installed on our vehicle and ended up getting stuck there for 3 days waiting to find a convoy heading back in our direction. While there we were treated to the hospitality of our detachment command as well as to the multitude of amenities available at Speicher. Strange as it may seem, being at Speicher it is sometimes hard to believe that you are still in Iraq, at least for us who are accustomed to the Spartan existence at Brassfield. The compound, roughly half the size of the District of Columbia is a bustling community that is reminiscent of a U.S. army base back stateside, complete with MPs ready to stop you and cite you for minor infractions such as not wearing your helmet while driving a vehicle or not observing the posted speed limits. The more we were exposed to the lifestyles of those living at Speicher the more it seemed practically like a garrison existence, despite what the residents there may boast. The fact of the matter is that Speicher has probably close to a 95% fobbit rate (my guesstimate) and one of the classic signs of a fobbit is there ability to trump up the dangers and rigors of they’re “meager” lifestyles with complete ignorance of what it is like for the rest of the soldiers in country. While soldiers from Brassfield jockey for seats on a convoy that will take them on a hour plus trip over IED laden roads to Speicher just to get a chance to eat at the Burger King there, the residents of Speicher speak excitedly of a mortar attack that struck 200 meters from the chow hall there. One soldier, it is rumored, actually applied for and received a CAB (Combat Action Badge) for being in the chow hall, behind concrete walls, 200 meters from the impact. Now, I don’t want to be too hard on all the soldiers there, they didn’t choose their locations any more than I did, but to me these inconsistencies border on egregious. Another welt I suffered while at Speicher was the showers. Let me preface this with a “brief” description of the showers I use daily at Brassfield. A small trailer, the size of our CHU sits at the end of the pad. Surrounding it is a giant puddle of stagnant water that resides there permanently, fed by the runoff from the leaky drains in the showers themselves. This puddle is the breeding ground for more flies than I care to think about, many of which find their way into the showers to torment those lucky enough to be bathing there. Inside the floors are linoleum, torn and frayed in several spots, swollen with more stagnant water and muck accumulated there for presumably the last 3 years. There are 6 shower stalls, 4 of which work on a regular basis, and when I say work, I mean that water still comes from the head as well as the knobs and leaky pipes. The ceiling is covered with blotches of mold in between patches of flaking paint and rust and the basins of the showers themselves are usually filled to the brim with water from the previous occupant. Needless to say shower shoes are not a luxury item. In addition, posted above each of the 6 sinks is a sign that reads, “Non potable water, do not drink”… I read and re-read this while I brush my teeth with the brownish water that comes from the faucet. Occasionally while your in the bathroom you will be treated to an experience that can only cause you to shudder and shrink away wallowing in self pity. I am speaking of witnessing one of the local national truck drivers coming in and availing himself of the facilities, primarily by hoisting his feet into the sink and proceeding to wash them. You try not to notice as his toes brush the mouth of the faucet and knobs, desperately trying to keep your mind clear of any thoughts as you finish using your sink and hurry back out to be greeted by the flies. ‘Nough said. At Speicher the showers are basically just the same, only the exact opposite. Clean as a whistle, every surface inside the shower trailers gleams white like in an ad for Spic and Span. Hot water pours from the massaging heads like a glorious healing waterfall washing over your body and exhilarating your soul! Ok.. well maybe not all that. But the showers there are really, really nice. In fact I think I took about 8 showers in the three days I was up at Speicher… any excuse would do. All the while I couldn’t help but notice that those treated to this luxury were probably also those least likely to appreciate it, having desk jobs and all. I thought of all the soldiers back at Brassfield, looking grubby after pulling 12 hour patrols only to return to sandbagging and other back breaking details. Oh well. I don’t want to wallow in self pity too much. Believe me, I have been to the patrol bases in the city… I know that my “meager” existence at Brassfield is likely viewed with contempt by those who still have to burn their shit weekly, amongst the many other inconveniences that accompany life at a patrol base. But this is my blog and I’ll cry if I want to! Again, I don’t want to come off like I am belittling the sacrifice that the soldiers who live at Speicher are making. The day after we returned to Brassfield a mortar struck just outside the building where our detachment headquarters is housed, killing and injuring several people. Certainly their sacrifice is no less than anyone else’s and they should be honored as the American hero’s they are.
I also want to mention that my one year wedding anniversary just passed this last Sunday. While the event was somewhat painful it was also a reminder of just how lucky I am. God was certainly looking out for me when he gave me J. I, nor any man, could ask for more in a wife than J has been to me during this first year of our marriage. I echo her thoughts and sentiments in her post, it is an amazing feeling to wake each day loving her more than the day before. J is truly the greatest woman I have ever known and despite our separation she has cared for me and supported my every step of the way. I owe her my eternal love, and she has it. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life showing her and all of you just how much she means to me. I love you more than I thought possible sweetie… and at least we missed the paper anniversary and not the diamond anniversary right? J
So that is where we stand now. P should be returning from his R&R in the states soon, I hope that it was restful and enjoyable for him and his loved ones. I am beginning the countdown to my R&R… only about 5 weeks away now! So till next time… so long and I love and miss you all very much.
Today is March 20th, 2006. I apologize again for my blog entries being so few and far between these days. In the last few weeks we have been kept busy with several visitors and a trip to Camp Speicher in addition to our usual duties. As a result the last couple weeks have flown by, which while a blessing, has also kept me from being able to sit down and write to you all. So here it is in all its glory… my latest blog.
Unfortunately I have little to report. I suppose there has been a lot of “stuff” going on, but lately I have found that more and more our days here are beginning to blur. Like being caught in a perpetual “Groundhog Day” or something, each day comes and brings with it more of the same. I can’t complain too much though. One of our visitors divulged his schedule to us, which to me, seemed like a fate worse than death. 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a generous 12 hours a week to take off from the schedule as he sees fit. While some days we work much more than that I just simply can’t imagine the torture of having to watch the clock, like I know I would, day in and day out like that. So I guess that is really where we are at now, just trying to find the good in the bad so to speak. More or less adapted to our lives here and just trying to make the best of it.
I understand that Samarra has been in the news quite a bit lately, and that fact has caused a bit of anxiety for some of you. Well rest assured that things here are still quite normal. I have mentioned before in passing that quite often the things that are drummed up on the news don’t necessarily reflect the situation on the ground here. Well this seems to be no exception. Yes there is a large operation underway in the area and yes we are exposed to some of it. But our role here has gone unchanged and likewise our daily lives have seen little impact. In fact, if anything the operation has quieted things down a bit around the AO. (knock on wood) Perhaps because the insurgents are just laying low till the operation settles down, perhaps because they are on the run… only time will really tell. But if I had to guess, shortly after the operation completes things will resume to normal, whatever that means.
Now for a little of my brand patented tongue in cheek satire. Let me take a moment and reflect on my visit to Camp Speicher. For those of you who don’t know Speicher is a large U.S. military camp about 40 miles north of here. I am not sure about the actual numbers of personnel there, but I know it is easily in the tens of thousands. We made the trip there to get some equipment installed on our vehicle and ended up getting stuck there for 3 days waiting to find a convoy heading back in our direction. While there we were treated to the hospitality of our detachment command as well as to the multitude of amenities available at Speicher. Strange as it may seem, being at Speicher it is sometimes hard to believe that you are still in Iraq, at least for us who are accustomed to the Spartan existence at Brassfield. The compound, roughly half the size of the District of Columbia is a bustling community that is reminiscent of a U.S. army base back stateside, complete with MPs ready to stop you and cite you for minor infractions such as not wearing your helmet while driving a vehicle or not observing the posted speed limits. The more we were exposed to the lifestyles of those living at Speicher the more it seemed practically like a garrison existence, despite what the residents there may boast. The fact of the matter is that Speicher has probably close to a 95% fobbit rate (my guesstimate) and one of the classic signs of a fobbit is there ability to trump up the dangers and rigors of they’re “meager” lifestyles with complete ignorance of what it is like for the rest of the soldiers in country. While soldiers from Brassfield jockey for seats on a convoy that will take them on a hour plus trip over IED laden roads to Speicher just to get a chance to eat at the Burger King there, the residents of Speicher speak excitedly of a mortar attack that struck 200 meters from the chow hall there. One soldier, it is rumored, actually applied for and received a CAB (Combat Action Badge) for being in the chow hall, behind concrete walls, 200 meters from the impact. Now, I don’t want to be too hard on all the soldiers there, they didn’t choose their locations any more than I did, but to me these inconsistencies border on egregious. Another welt I suffered while at Speicher was the showers. Let me preface this with a “brief” description of the showers I use daily at Brassfield. A small trailer, the size of our CHU sits at the end of the pad. Surrounding it is a giant puddle of stagnant water that resides there permanently, fed by the runoff from the leaky drains in the showers themselves. This puddle is the breeding ground for more flies than I care to think about, many of which find their way into the showers to torment those lucky enough to be bathing there. Inside the floors are linoleum, torn and frayed in several spots, swollen with more stagnant water and muck accumulated there for presumably the last 3 years. There are 6 shower stalls, 4 of which work on a regular basis, and when I say work, I mean that water still comes from the head as well as the knobs and leaky pipes. The ceiling is covered with blotches of mold in between patches of flaking paint and rust and the basins of the showers themselves are usually filled to the brim with water from the previous occupant. Needless to say shower shoes are not a luxury item. In addition, posted above each of the 6 sinks is a sign that reads, “Non potable water, do not drink”… I read and re-read this while I brush my teeth with the brownish water that comes from the faucet. Occasionally while your in the bathroom you will be treated to an experience that can only cause you to shudder and shrink away wallowing in self pity. I am speaking of witnessing one of the local national truck drivers coming in and availing himself of the facilities, primarily by hoisting his feet into the sink and proceeding to wash them. You try not to notice as his toes brush the mouth of the faucet and knobs, desperately trying to keep your mind clear of any thoughts as you finish using your sink and hurry back out to be greeted by the flies. ‘Nough said. At Speicher the showers are basically just the same, only the exact opposite. Clean as a whistle, every surface inside the shower trailers gleams white like in an ad for Spic and Span. Hot water pours from the massaging heads like a glorious healing waterfall washing over your body and exhilarating your soul! Ok.. well maybe not all that. But the showers there are really, really nice. In fact I think I took about 8 showers in the three days I was up at Speicher… any excuse would do. All the while I couldn’t help but notice that those treated to this luxury were probably also those least likely to appreciate it, having desk jobs and all. I thought of all the soldiers back at Brassfield, looking grubby after pulling 12 hour patrols only to return to sandbagging and other back breaking details. Oh well. I don’t want to wallow in self pity too much. Believe me, I have been to the patrol bases in the city… I know that my “meager” existence at Brassfield is likely viewed with contempt by those who still have to burn their shit weekly, amongst the many other inconveniences that accompany life at a patrol base. But this is my blog and I’ll cry if I want to! Again, I don’t want to come off like I am belittling the sacrifice that the soldiers who live at Speicher are making. The day after we returned to Brassfield a mortar struck just outside the building where our detachment headquarters is housed, killing and injuring several people. Certainly their sacrifice is no less than anyone else’s and they should be honored as the American hero’s they are.
I also want to mention that my one year wedding anniversary just passed this last Sunday. While the event was somewhat painful it was also a reminder of just how lucky I am. God was certainly looking out for me when he gave me J. I, nor any man, could ask for more in a wife than J has been to me during this first year of our marriage. I echo her thoughts and sentiments in her post, it is an amazing feeling to wake each day loving her more than the day before. J is truly the greatest woman I have ever known and despite our separation she has cared for me and supported my every step of the way. I owe her my eternal love, and she has it. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life showing her and all of you just how much she means to me. I love you more than I thought possible sweetie… and at least we missed the paper anniversary and not the diamond anniversary right? J
So that is where we stand now. P should be returning from his R&R in the states soon, I hope that it was restful and enjoyable for him and his loved ones. I am beginning the countdown to my R&R… only about 5 weeks away now! So till next time… so long and I love and miss you all very much.
posted by SSG.FEL at 7:23 PM
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