My Point of View

ILE: The First Weekend

2010-05-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

There were many tired souls wandering around the classroom areas of ILE Class 10-002 today. It's Friday, May 7, only the third "full" day of class but me, and many of my distinguished classmates, were exhausted. Not from late nights studying, not from partying, but from trying to adjust to the student "battle rhythm".

The assigned homework isn't overwhelming...pages in books here, handouts there. The classwork isn't overwhelming...discussions on topics that have so far ranged from 'what is a leader?' to 'is studing military history relevant?'. We have ample breaks and plenty of access to the caffeine source of choice. So, why are we all so tired? Because our schedules have been thrown out of whack and our brains are in overdrive. While the information we're being given or researching isn't rocket science, it is a lot of minutiae and concepts and themes. It's a different life than what we're used to and it's going to take some time to master that ever-important student battle rhythm. But we will accomplish this task and we will succeed!

So, it's Friday evening of the first ILE weekend. Classes let out at noon on Fridays. After lunch I walked through parts of the Petersburg battlefield, enjoying the birds, the deer, and the Civil War artifacts and sites. The trails were nice...up and down so an effort...and shaded so I didn't get too hot. After a bowl of soup for dinner, I am now working on...homework. I have enough to keep me busy this weekend but not enough to keep me from accomplishing two tasks: 1. Getting out on Saturday and exploring the cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg; and 2. Buying a bookbag/backpack. I thought my briefcase would suffice but alas, it's not big enough to carry my books, notebooks, pens, papers, and that all-important coffee mug.

One interesting note about ILE: We are being treated as adults here. I hated the Captain's Career Course that I went through in 2005 because I hated being 40 years old and treated the same was that I was when I was a Private in basic training. We are given the coursework, the schedules, the homework, and the assignments and expected, as field grade officers, to do the work relatively unsupervised. We are expected to conduct physical fitness training and behave as befitting our rank. We are expected to come to class prepared and participate in class discussions. We are expected to clean up after ourselves and ensure our buddies aren't left behind. Our advisors have expectations of us...and I can already feel that myself and my new peers/friends will meet, nee, surpass, those expecations.

Graduation date: 18 August. Mark your calendars!

Time for More Adventure!

2010-05-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

No,
I'm not being deployed again, although I'm sure someone, somewhere, is plotting that future for me. This adventure is at ILE (Intermediate Level Education) at Ft. Lee, Virginia.
Let me explain: Majors in the US Army have many requirements necessary to move on to Lieutenant Colonel. A Master's Degree is helpful to make them competetive with their peers. This course, ILE, is required and comes in three different forms:
1. The 10-month PCS course at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
2. The 16-week course at various satellite campuses across the US. This is the course I'm attending at Ft. Lee from 5 May through 19 August.
3. A two-week residence course, followed by insufferable correspondence courses for 9 - 11 months, then another two-week residence course.
To get to courses 1 or 2, an officer comes up on a board and then is selected as either an alternate or a primary. For 3 years, since I was promoted to major, I showed up on the boards as an alternate for the 16-week course. I figured I'd just sign up for number 3 once I returned from Iraq.
But, lo and behold, I showed up as a primary for the 16-week course in January 2009 (while I was at Ft. Dix getting ready to mobilize if you ever followed my blogs). I happily picked the May - August course at Ft. Lee because at the time I wasn't sure when I'd return from Iraq.
So, here I am. Just finished Day Two and, am happy to report, that I am sincerely enjoying this course. The Army is paying me (well) to do what I love to do the most: read, research, and talk. :) I am, after all, a Public Affairs Officer. We are required, as part of the course, to either do a blog, a media interview, or a community engagement. Well, I've been doing media interviews at the local, national, and international level since I was a First Lieutenant...as well as community engagements. So I thought I would blog. I hope you enjoy my blog and please...give me feedback!
Get ready...the Games have begun.

Was it real?

2009-12-30T17:54:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I posted the question, in the form of lyrics of a song from "Rent"..."how do you measure a year?"

How do you measure a year of your life? Time you consider well spent but...difficult. We found out that there are many ways, indeed: in cups of coffee, in missions completed, in bitching sessions, in calendars marked with an 'x' at the end of the day. Time alternatively moved quickly and stood still.

It's been two weeks now since I said difficult and heartfelt farewells to the Soldiers of the 211th MPAD at the Philadelphia airport. It was time to move along...people were happy to get to their gates and wait for their flights and get back to their spouses, children, family, friends and their lives. Most of these Soldiers will not return to the 211th...they were "cross-levels", i.e. we borrowed them from other units throughout the Army Reserve. That's a sad thought but I also know that Army Public Affairs is a small world. I will cross paths with many of them, either on another deployment or just at a conference or even in an e-mail string.

What did we have during this deployment? We didn't have magic, or perfection. Nobody will make a "Band of Brothers" or "Saving Private Ryan" movie on the mission of the 211th. But what we had was good and strong...through the tough times, through the arguments, through the pizza/movie nights, through the heat, through the endless walks to the dining facility, PX, showers, and latrines, we had a family. The kind of family that frustrates you and sometimes makes you want to throw things, but in the long run, a family that sticks together and sticks up for one another. The kind of stable Army unit that stumbles through missions but works hard to emerge on the other side with experience and knowledge to use later. Honestly, if I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't change a thing. Okay, maybe a few things. :)

Deployments are tough, on Soldiers, on Families, on friends. We hung in and saw this long deployment to the end...through training, through many holidays, through redeployment. It's been a long road but we have reached the end. This is my last post...sadly...I will miss writing here! Farewell, 211th MPAD. Best wishes always. MAJ D.

So Close We Can Taste It

2009-11-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

So close we can taste it
I just finished reading the blog of one of our sister units, the 314th Public Affairs Operations Center. The writer was SGM Troy Falardeau, a fine senior NCO whom I’ve known and worked with for years. His blog was entitled “Iraq in the rear view mirror”. As of today, 15 November, they have departed Baghdad. The advance party left earlier in the week, the rest around Veteran’s Day. We’ve shadowed the 314th through their training (we did attend the 21 days of RTC at the same time, although on a 1-day difference in our schedules), deployment and eventually, redeployment. They weren’t that far away from us, either…they were in the IZ or International Zone. Close enough to visit a few times and certainly close enough to call.
They deployed one month before we did, arriving just after the New Year. And now they are gone. What does that mean for us? Simple…it means that we, too, leave soon. In fact, we leave so soon that we can taste the beer and the freedom that comes with not being in Iraq. We can already imagine being back in our homes, on our couches, wearing our civilian clothes, and enjoying life not in Iraq.
Why is it so important for us to be home? Some would say that we just want to be out of a war zone. Not true. The Soldiers of the 211th have served proudly, honorably, and bravely. Living and working in a war zone is hard and we definitely have taken our share of hits. But our time has come and gone and it’s time to hand over the baton to the new unit, the 366th MPAD, from Wichita, Kansas. It’s time for us to sit back on our laurels and look at our accomplishments and see what we did.
What did we do? SFC Burke produced 18 copies of the newspaper, Crossed Sabers. This 28- to 32-page newspaper took a lot of his time, blood, and frustration, but ever y two weeks there it was…an interesting, professional newspaper ready for Soldiers throughout MND-B to read. SGT Soles, SSG Ford, and SPC Johnson produced the daily e-zine, the Daily Charge. Where did the stories for both publications come from? From them and from SGT Risner and SSG Burrell and SFC Burke. (Also, many stories from the outlying BCT PAOs, but this isn’t their blog..!) Those guys were inside and outside the wire, taking photographs and getting interviews and writing stories.
Then there are SGTs Heise, Anderson, Logue, and Fardette…otherwise known as our broadcast section…who put together a radio piece, the Cav Roundup, EVERY WEEKDAY that we were here. And once a week they either wrote, produced, anchored or…sometimes…all three…the First Team Update. Where did those stories come from? From them (and again, the BCT PAOs). They, too, were inside and outside the wire, shooting video, getting interviews, and returning to the office to put it all together.
SPC Ward is our unit clerk…he did the unpopular jobs like paperwork and stocking water. But he always had a smile on his face and he always did a good job. A unit is like any other entity…there is the fun stuff that gets everyone’s attention and then there are the other jobs…jobs that must be done in order for a unit to function. That’s what Ward did…he made us function. Not dysfunctional.
And there are others in our unit who worked elsewhere or on a different shift: 1LT Almodovar, who was our night shift PA rep in the operations center; 1LT Douglas who lived and worked in the IZ and made a lasting impression on the Pan-Arab media; SFC Quebec who was the MND-B media embed coordinator and made a lasting impression on many US and international journalists. And 1LT Sarratt and 1SG Martinez who just did everything else…paperwork, training, meetings, and more paperwork.
Everyone worked their own shifts and schedules and produced their own stories. But together, we made up the 211th MPAD, we kicked some butt and now…we’re ready to be gone.
Each passing day is one day closer to home. Hang in there friends and family…just a few more weeks!

Under Pressure

2009-10-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Just a little OBE right now.
As anyone who has been in the Army more than one day knows, we have a variety of creative and memorable ways to let people know that we are busy. Not just busy, but overwhelmed, “have more tasks than can be humanly accomplished”, busy. Mine has always been that “I’m a bit OBE right now”. I’ve said that before in my previous civilian jobs and got the deer in the headlights expression from people who have no idea what I’m talking about. Of course, OBE stands for “Overcome By Events” and is a good way to let people know that either there is too much going on or the mission failed because, well, it was overcome by events.
Other colorful expressions are “up to my elbows in alligators”, “I’m in the weeds” and “my eyeballs are bleeding”. There are probably as many idioms as there are Soldiers who are busy.
Although I’m not there with them, I can probably guess what the 366th MPAD from Wichita, Kansas, is experiencing right now: they are up to their elbows in alligators. The 366th is the unit that is scheduled to replace us in early December. We’ve been tracking their progress through pre-mobilization for several months now and I am now proud to report that they have arrived safe and sound at their mobilization station, Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Anyone who has been tracking our progress through this deployment recognizes Dix as the mob station that we went through last January. It’s the final stop before the long plane ride to Kuwait and then into Baghdad. You might remember some of our trials and tribulations: medical examinations; more paperwork than there are trees in Jersey; more training; and of course, that glorious 4-day pass (I went to New York City, remember?).
But I also remember the first week and how much work it was for the command team, i.e. myself, my XO, and my 1SG. We had checklists and memorandums and multiple meetings (that always seemed to be scheduled at the same time). We were supposed to not only be in 3 places at one time but weren’t given the luxury of a vehicle to get us there. I remember walking to some of the required appointments…in 20 degree weather in the snow. I also remember the long days for the 3 Soldiers who had to make up the training that they missed at RTC the previous October (go read those blogs too).
But what I remember the most about that month spent at Dix in January was how the unit finally came together and worked as a whole, preparing for war. Although we’d been training together for almost 4 months, none of that brought us together as a unit like the time spent at Ft. Dix. Perhaps because we realized it was finally “real”. Ft. Dix was the end of the training…the next time we were out in a convoy it wouldn’t be through the fake village on the outskirts of Dix but instead the mean streets of Baghdad. The next time that we put on our “battle rattle” it would be to protect us from real bombs and bullets, not blanks and smoke grenades.
And that’s where the 366th is right now. Dealing with the realization that the end of training is near and that real life in a war zone is about to begin. But don’t worry, the 211th is a fine group of battle-weary veterans who have been shot at, blown up, run through the ringer, mistreated, misaligned and generally worn out. We’ve had our vehicle stolen, our laptops confiscated, our convoys/flights cancelled and our building almost hit by a mortar. We’re done. But we’ll be waiting for you guys at BIAP with a truck and a smile. We’ll ensure you are fully prepared to face anything that the mission can throw at you. So, get ready…here it comes.

Sunday in the Park with George

2009-10-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

As our days here in Iraq start to dwindle I’ve been spending some time reflecting on our work schedule during our time running the Media Operations Center. It’s been a vicious cycle of steady work interspersed with bouts of sheer madness and sessions of inescapable boredom. This is definitely a theater of operations on its way out the door…but that’s a good thing.
My job here has been relatively steady…as the commander EVERYTHING this unit does is my responsibility, which is why I was careful a year ago to ensure that I had officers and senior NCOs who could do their job.
So, what’s a typical week like for me? Here goes…
Monday: This is the day where I tackle all of the things that I, uh, postponed over the weekend. Time to read through the emails sent over the weekend, tasking us to do this or that, catch up on other emails, and generally get caught up on paperwork. I have one meeting at 1700 (5 p.m. for you non-military types) at the DSTB. This is the first meeting of the week and all of the battalion’s commanders and first sergeants get together and discuss their last “24 hours” and their “next 24-48 hours”. We keep it simple and quick because that’s just too close to dinner time to be yapping about stuff that you can talk about “off line” or at a different time. I also make sure out that three reports that are due every day go out: the personnel status report, the “green” report, and the SITREP (situation report), which lists all of the products my journalists are either working on, have submitted, or have been released.
Tuesday: A day full of catch-up and the time we try to schedule appointments, etc. No meetings on this day, but it is the day the DFAC (dining facility) has quiche for breakfast. They do good quiche here. I do spend this and every other day reading the over 100 emails that I tend to get. Most of them are summaries of media articles regarding Iraq. I breeze through them, skimming the titles to see if it’s something that catches my eye. I also spend free time daily reading various on-line news sites (CNN, Fox, Drudge Report, Slate, BBC, and many others).
Wednesday: My first meeting is at 0900 but thankfully it’s a briefing FOR commanders, not by commanders. So, we sit and listen to information regarding incidents around MND-B, personnel updates, redeployment status, anything that the battalion commander deems necessary for us to know. I usually get back to the MOC in time to head out for lunch. Wednesday is fried rice day at the DFAC for lunch. My XO has a meeting at the DSTB at 1330 and then at 1700 we head over to the 1st Cav Public Affairs office for our PAO “Huddle” (which we now combine into just plain “puddle”) to discuss any issues we might have. Then it’s off to dinner.
Thursday: Thursday is another quiche day in the DFAC for breakfast. If Tuesday’s quiche is mushroom, then Thursday’s is broccoli. But never the same on both days! It’s an open day, like Tuesday, meaning no meetings. Lunchtime is the infamous “Taco Thursday” (see previous post regarding the calendar). Only lately we’ve given up on tacos and head to Burger King instead. Perhaps we should call it “Burger King Thursday”. But then I’d have to print a new calendar. The Division CUA slide is due today…won’t bore you with the details, but it lists all of the main events we’ve done the previous 7 days and the ones planned for the next 7 days.
Friday: Ahhh, Friday. The weekend is fast approaching! Just think…two more working days until Monday! J Training schedules are due, as is the Breeze Slide (explanation on Saturday).
Saturday: All of the PAOs in MND-B get “together” once a week via computer link-up to discuss issues, events, etc. in the weekly Breeze. No video, just audio and some PowerPoint slides that we can all look at. Usually this lasts a half hour and then after that…it’s more paperwork and finishing up the day. Oh, and Saturday night is the night I put my earrings in before I go to bed, so the holes in my earlobes don’t close up.
In between all of this fun, I answer personal emails, go to the gym or the track at least 4 times a week, turn in laundry, go to the PX to see if there is anything new or just sit quietly and read a book. But my favorite day is, of course:
Sunday: This, for the most part, is almost like a real Sunday back in the States. (Well, I tell myself that, anyway). It’s the one morning where I don’t set my alarm clock although I’m usually up by 0800. I start getting hungry after that! Breakfast is usually a big one…things I don’t normally eat: bacon, biscuits and Gravy, Pepsi. The morning at work drags on. It’s the day that I move up our large wall calendar one week. That has been my Sunday morning ritual since we began. On this calendar we mark our meetings, milestones, suspenses, products (green for print, red for broadcast). Anything that we need to remember and act upon. I head to lunch usually around 1300 and for me…that’s the end of the day. We try to take ½ day off around here and Sunday is my day. I get lunch to go and head to my CHU. I get to put on my physical training uniform (although I sometimes put on a pink shirt, but have to change into the Army Tshirt if I go outside) and enjoy not wearing combat boots. I usually clean my room…sweep and Swiffer the floor, and then relax with some DVDs. I can watch multiple episodes of a TV show to pass the day. Occasionally I go get some dinner (fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potatoes) but most of the time I have a pop-tart and Diet Coke and be done with going outside until Monday morning. It’s a great day to relax and recharge and pretend like I’m back in civilization, even if it’s only for a few hours. And, it helps to know I really only have about 4 more Sundays to do this, before we move into the transient tents and then it’s time to GO HOME. Yay.

Happy Anniversary,, 211th MPAD

2009-10-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well, five days ago, anyways.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since the 211th gathered in Bryan, Texas on October 10, 2008, to begin this odyssey that has been our deployment to Baghdad.
For some of us, the work began over the summer, with conferences to attend, training to plan, equipment to be ordered, and contracts to be moved through the system. It took a lot of hard work on the part of a handful of people to ensure that when our Soldiers arrived on “hit day” everything was in place so that Soldiers could focus solely on the looming pre-mobilization training.
Slowly we worked through the summer and early fall, working towards the date of 10 October. When it arrived, we were ready. Our battle roster was full and we were ready to head to Ft. Dix a week later for 21 days of RTC. Since I supervised or did most of the paperwork prior to “hit day”, I knew a lot about our inbound Soldiers…and I hadn’t even met them yet! I had talked to all of them on the phone at least once and had passed multiple e-mails back and forth, giving them tips, ideas, and packing lists.
Then the day arrived. There were multiple trips out to the small airport that serves Bryan/College Station. We picked up inbound Soldiers and took them to their home for the next 2 ½ months…the EZ Rest Hotel (or the EZ SleazY as it was nicknamed). Many of them partook of their first Army-supplied meal at Golden Corral Steakhouse. For some, that was also their last!
We’ve been through a lot in the last year, the mighty fightin’ 211th MPAD. We’ve had Soldiers drop off of our battle roster for various reasons, but we managed to pick up a few as well. We survived Ft. Dix, New Jersey not once, but twice, battling cold, snow, and frozen toes. We arrived in Baghdad after a lengthy trip with many duffel bag drags already a little worse for the wear.
In the past year we have:
-Celebrated everyone’s birthday with cake (or at least Twinkies with candles stuck in them), silly string, and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday”.
-Welcomed a new baby! Congratulations again to the Martinez family.
-Gone on R & R all over the world and then faced the grim reality of “I’m back here?” upon return.
-Squabbled, made up, fought some more, made up, scratched and kicked, made up. In the Army, no matter how hard you fight with someone you always make up because the guy you’re arguing with tonight could save your life tomorrow.
-Saw four of our own receive Combat Action Badges and one of those Soldiers receive a purple heart.
-Learned a lot of hard lessons about the world of A/C Public Affairs and learned to just “let it go”.
-Ate a lot of pizza and watched a lot of movies.
-Admired that beauty that is Army Dining Facility Food, especially chicken and Mexican food.
-Learned to find the humor in EVERYTHING. Even where none lurks.
-Grown up, matured, and realized that life outside of the US isn’t always nice.
But, alas, although we have marked off one year, it’s not over yet. We have just under 60 days before we depart Iraq and once again brave the wilds of Ft. Dix. We have mountains of paperwork to complete, not including the documents I’m not even aware of yet! And we can’t let our guard down. Complacency is what gets Soldiers hurt…we have to stay focused on the endgame but not so focused that we have tunnel vision and don’t see the dangers lurking all around us.
Hang in there, guys.

More Random Photos

2009-08-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

Baghdad from the air.

Me, finally flying in a blackhawk helicopter in Iraq!

1SG Martinez getting beat in arm wrestling by PFC Ward. It happens alot. :)

1LT Sarratt practicing his piloting skills with the remote control helicopter.

The Surrey With the Fringe on the Top

2009-08-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't gone out and bought a surrey with fringe on the top and we're not reviving "Oklahoma!" on any stage in Baghdad. Going with the theme of most of my posts that fall under the name of a song, I wanted to write about what's happening here in Iraq that has something to do with...well...a surrey with the fringe on the top.
That surrey, from the play, also has "isinglass curtains you can roll right down, in case there's a change in the weather..."
That's it...we've had a change in the weather. It's only mid-August (is that the "midsummer" from a "midsummer's night dream?") and we've had...a change in the weather. Almost imperceptable, but a change nonetheless. The mornings and evenings are cooler than they have been. I walked into to the work last week at 5:30 a.m. and it was only 88 degrees! A few days later I walked to work at 8 a.m. and it was only 99 degrees! And today, the high was only 113! Now, you might be thinking...are you nuts? It was only 113? Yes...and that's a break in the weather when we have been dealing with highs of 122 - 125. It's nice to walk to work in the morning now and not be blinded by the sweat dripping into my eyes. And the evenings...I can walk back from the shower at 8 p.m. and not be covered with sweat by the time I reach my front porch.
It's all perspective, I guess. When I lived in Minnesota I would be bundled up to the eyeballs in November when it was 30 degrees. By February I was going to the mailbox in -10 degree blizzards in jeans and a sweatshirt!
A lot has been going on since I last posted. The biggest event was a visit from LTG Jack Stultz, the Chief of the Army Reserve, and his Command Sergeant Major, CSM Caffie. They were here in Iraq for 5 days, starting out here at Victory Base Complex, doing two town halls for the Reserve Soldiers here. It was a lot of fun and nice to get "a little love" from "one of our own". The sneaky person that I am, I put myself on the itinerary to go with the group over the next few days. What fun! I finally got to ride in a blackhawk helicopter in Iraq. First we flew to Camp Speicher to visit the troops there. The flight was long and hot and we flew over a whole lot of nothing. You don't realize how much NOTHING there is outside of Baghdad proper until you fly over it. After a nice lunch and questions-and-answers, we flew on to Al-Asad to repeat the meal and Qs and As. This is where the fun began, as our travel plans began to unravel. We had two helicopters arrive around 9 pm but apparently one couldn't handle passengers. After an hour or so of planning, it was decided that everyone but 5 of us (me, the print journalist, the broadcast journalist, COL P, and one of the security detail) would fly to Taji and then the helicopters would turn around, come back, and fly the rest of us to Taji. Our flight wasn't supposed to return until 2 a.m. so we camped out in the VIP lounge and ate pop-tarts and watched a surfer movie. (The one with Kate Bosworth, forget the name.) Thankfully our flight arrived at 12:30 so we actually got into bed at a decent hour: 2 a.m.
Back up at 6 a.m. the next morning for breakfast and another town hall. Then we flew to Balad. I heard later on it was a close call...a dust storm was on it's way in and they almost cancelled the flight. We had the last town hall in Balad and that's where we split off from the group of VIPS. The four of us (the same group, minus the security) were supposed to fly back to Baghdad that night but by then the sandstorm was in full swing and nothing was flying. Thankfully we got rooms at the BOQ but had to be back at the terminal at 4 a.m. We got on the plane at 9 a.m. but took off at noon (after being removed from the plane and sat in the bus until we could reboard...engine problems). We were going to flight 30 minutes to Kirkuk, then 30 minutes to Baghdad. We landed and took off from Kirkuk, and 45 minutes into our 30-minute flight the pilot informed his passengers that, because of yet another dust storm, we were being diverted to Kuwait.
Okay, so not only am I getting back to the office 24 hours late, but I left the country! :)
We spent the afternoon and night at Ali al-Salem airbase, on standby, waiting for a flight to Baghdad. Flights were getting diverted all over the place...one plane made it halfway to Camp Speicher before turning around and returning to Ali al-Salem. I tell you, when the dust kicks up, it chokes everything. Our time in Kuwait was spent swallowing large amounts of dust! I am grateful that I was given the chance to wash my uniform...it was on sweaty, dusty, Day 3 and needed to be washed.
I arrived back in Baghdad a day late, but safe and sound!

Random Photographs

2009-07-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

One half of my CHU. Duck rug courtesy of B.

The other side of my CHU. Penguin courtesy of Michelle and her son. Fish rug courtesy of Judy. Thanks!

My desk. My own little corner of my own little world. Note my IBA hanging in the left corner...it's the new, improved floral version.

Our studio. Note the expensive soundproofing. Yes, those are authentic wool rugs hanging on the walls.

The other side of our studio with the green screen.

The view of Camp Liberty from the roof of our building. The long, white building in the background is the PX.

The friendly 1SG monster who shares my office. He's a little shy, but can be coaxed out with some lemon cookies.

My "Taco Thursday" calendar that 1SG talked about in his post. I've since marked off two more tacos.

My Top 10 List

2009-07-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Who doesn’t love a top 10 list? We’ve come up with a few here in Baghdad, but I decided to sit down and write one all my very own. Here are the Top 10 Things I Miss While I’m in Iraq. I am going to leave off the obvious…family and friends. Everyone misses them. Well, not MY family and friends, but…you know what I mean! :)
1. Museum hopping on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Or a sunny Saturday afternoon. Heck, just going to a museum any old time of day.
2. Picking my own food. Now, I’m not much of a cook…but at least even in restaurants I knew what my dinner was going to be before it was placed in front of me. Now, some nice guy in a shower cap plunks food down on my plate a mere 3 seconds after I’ve first seen what they are serving. Of course, it’s usually some form of chicken, so there’s not much guesswork involved.
3. Being in the same time zone as friends and family. It sucks to be 8 to 10 hours ahead of people. By the time I get in the office in the morning it’s the middle of the night for those in the US. I miss conversations on Facebook because I’m not in sync with people!
4. Going to restaurants, perusing a menu, having someone bring me my food. I also miss having a cold beer or glass of wine with dinner. I’m especially going to hate football season…not being able to go to the bar, ordering beer and nachos, and watching my favorite teams on the big screen.
5. I miss my TV. My large, HD, DLP television and my HD channels. I miss my red furniture…my big red chair and my red couch and my 4-poster bed and my knotty pine dresser. Well, at least it’s nice that I can remember my furniture, since it’s been 18 months since I’ve seen it. I miss all of my “stuff”…my DVDs, my books, my wine and champagne glasses, my dishes, my pictures, my shoes, my jeans, my scarves, mittens, and heavy coats, my computer. Everything I own, I miss. I can’t wait to get my stuff out of storage, open my boxes, and just roll around in my “stuff”.
6. I miss doing my own laundry. And my own chores. That might sound insane…who likes to do laundry? But when you can’t do your own, you miss it. I miss sorting my laundry and knowing it’s going to get clean. I hate the fact that they just dump my bag of clothes into a washer and then a dryer. That’s why my towels, sheets, etc. are all one color…so nothing fades. I do get to clean my own CHU…sweep the floor and then Swiffer the dust away.
7. Flowers. Greenery. I miss the colors that nature has given the rest of the world and seems to have left Iraq off the list. Everything is brown, mostly because it’s covered with dust. Even the birds are brown. I miss the cardinals and the freesia and the pansies. But mostly the cardinals.
8. Driving my car. I have a truck here, but I don’t drive it that much. I don’t really have anywhere important to go! I miss my car and my XM Satellite radio system, my sunroof, and my heated seats. Kitty and I are going on a lllllooooooonnnnnnggggggggg road trip when I get back.
9. My first name. That’s the weirdest, probably, but I’d be willing to bet that most of my Soldiers don’t even know my first name! They just call me “ma’am” or “Major”. Only a few officers call me by my first name…anyone else is inappropriate. Even the Ugandans and other workers call me “Major”. It’s like Annmarie doesn’t even exist anymore.
10. Wearing jewelry. I can wear a watch…I bought a nice one a few weeks after we arrived. I can wear two rings at the time although most of the time I don’t because I sweat too much and it irritates my skin. A few nights a week I’ll put my earrings in so the holes don’t close up. I just have to remember to remove them before I leave my CHU the next morning! I did forget one time…got some funny looks from the guy in the laundry. I miss picking out earrings, necklace, bracelets, etc. to go with my outfits. I am so buying jewelry when I get back!

A Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

Since we arrived here in Baghdad in February, our camp has been visited multiple times by entertainers that the (male) Soldiers consider to be the best group ever...NFL Cheerleaders. While the guys get to go ga-ga over the scantily clad beauties in their respective team jerseys (cut up like they're from the movie "Flashdance") the gals just stand in the back and wonder "when will the females get some eye candy?"

Okay, NFL coaches might not be eye candy, but they're men and they're more fun to talk to than cheerleaders. The 2009 NFL Coaches Tour was supposed to stop by here on Thursday but weather (read: dust) cancelled that trip. Thankfully it was rescheduled on the 4th of July and I used my PAO powers to get up close and personal with 5 of the NFL's finest: Tom Coughlin, head coach of the NY Giants; Bill Cowher, former head coach Pittsburgh Steelers; Jeff Fisher, head coach Tennessee Titans; Jon Gruden, former head coach Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; and John Harbaugh, head coach Baltimore Ravens (who IS serious eye candy).

A good time was had by all! Bring on NFL Football! And leave the cheerleaders at home!

On another note, our interview with the Cincinnati Reds went well. Our Soldier-in-the-spotlight had a 15-minute interview with one of the game's announcers. In the press booth with the interviewer were the Soldier's parents, sister, and grandfather. While the Soldier only had audio, his family members had audio and video. The Soldier said it was the first time his parents had seen him since he left 5 months ago and it was very emotional for all. So, while Public Affairs Officers get the brunt of things gone bad, sometimes we get to use our powers for good. :)

Oh yeah, another dust storm today.

Me and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Bill Cowher.

Me and Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher.

Me and NY Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. Probably the closest I'll ever get to Eli Manning.

Be kind to your web-footed friends...

2009-07-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

...for a duck may be somebody's mother..!
First and foremost, let me say today (Saturday) is hazed over by yet another blanket of dust. The dusty days are outnumbering the clear days. There are Soldiers who left for R & R three days ago who are either a) still sitting at BIAP; or b) have come back to Liberty after being told "come back tomorrow". There is little or no air movement at all. But for us today, that's a good thing. It's only 93 degrees outside and we're enjoying the "break" in the heat.
Second, the A/C in my quarters went out AGAIN last night. This makes the third time. First it was frozen in "High" and my room was freezing. I tried to go to sleep under two blankets and a quilt but I was shivering and miserable. So, I got up and turned it off for about 20 minutes. Big mistake...it froze in "air" mode, meaning it was lightly blowing air, but not chilled air. It wasn't too bad through the night but when I was getting ready to go to work this morning I thought I was going to get heat exhaustion. Hopefully KBR maintenance will have fixed it by the time I get there tonight.
Third, Happy 4th of July! Unfortunately for us, it's just another day at the office. Or out on patrol, or pushing paperwork, whatever. The military can be notorious for having holidays and extra days off...if a federal holiday falls on a Monday then we usually help ourselves to the previous Friday off as well. However, if mission dictates that Soldiers work, then we happily go to work. I spent almost 3 years as staff Public Affairs Officer at the 88th RRC in Minneapolis. I got a few holidays off here and there and I loved those 4-day weekends. But for the most part, I was usually participating in a ceremony somewhere that often required me to travel. I went to 4th of July ceremonies in Illinois, unit welcome home ceremonies on Christmas Day in Wisconsin, and unit briefings on New Year's Day in Ohio.
But that's what I do and, for the most part, it's a small price to pay for the priviledge of serving in the US Army. While my job can be frustrating, draining, exhausting, and sometimes bordering on mutiny, I do enjoy Army Public Affairs. And working on holidays is just part of that job.
That's not to say that Camp Liberty isn't celebrating our nation's independence. The 1st Cavalry Division band is giving a big concert tonight at the Al-Faw Palace over on Camp Victory. There is also a naturalization ceremony at the Palace as well...Soldiers who are serving the country that they finally get the claim citizenship. The DFAC is all decked out in red, white, and blue tablecloths and other decorations. They'll probably have some form of BBQ for lunch or dinner. Maybe the camp's fire teams will fire off the Phalanx system...it sometimes looks like fireworks if they shoot it off at night.
I am also facilitating a live interview with a Soldier from one of those fire teams and the Cincinnati Reds tonight. We will hook him up via satellite to the stadium and he'll be able to talk with his family and the spectators in the stadium. Unfortunately, he won't see any of that (we don't have the ability to receive satellite feed) but he will hear them.
So, enjoy your time off, your BBQ, your beer, and your fireworks! It's a great day and a time to remember that freedom isn't free.

Another Monday.

2009-06-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

How many songs do I know that relate to Monday?
"Rainy Days and Mondays" by the Carpenters.
"Monday Monday" by the (I think) Mamas and Papas.
I'm sure there are more, but I have things to do so I'll leave it at that.
It's another Monday here at the Media Operations Center at Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq. Mondays always start slow around here...the Soldiers do Physical Training on Monday so they don't get into the office until 0900. I'm here by 0800, after eating breakfast and walking the long walk from the DFAC to the MOC. It was hot again...after such a nice break yesterday.
I woke up Sunday morning and noticed the sunlight coming through my shades was a lovely color of orange. I've learned that orange means dust storm. When I went outside I was hit by the waves of dust in the air. Yuck! I had finally just gotten all the dust out of my CHU from the last dust storm. But I noticed that it was a few degrees cooler. When I walked by the thermometer it was only 98 degrees. Veritable wintertime in Iraq!
Anyway, the skies are clear this Monday morning and we have a busy morning preparing our Soldiers for the week ahead.
If you don't know, 30 June is the day that US Soldiers are to be out of the cities. So, we're "kicking out" all of our journalists for the occasion...sending them out to outlying BCTs to continue doing stories on Soldiers, units, and events. It should be quiet until next weekend for us.

2009-06-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

This conex is our old one...we had "borrowed" it from another unit to store our equipment until we got our own conex.

Our own conex...inbound!

Put it down gently, guys.

Da boys in the new conex.

And so it begins.

2009-06-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

If you've been following any of the blogs of the Soldiers of the 211th you know that we have come up with some ingenious (or crazy) ways to pass the days. We've counted bottles of shampoo, eaten burritos on Thursday, and marked days off our calendars with Sharpees.

Yesterday marked a new milestone of our time in Iraq: we received our conex. This is our 20-foot container that will, in time, be loaded with all of our gear and shipped back to Bryan, Texas. It might not seem like much, but it really was the beginning of the end of our time here in Baghdad. We've already started that "backwards planning", i.e. marking our planning calendar with redeployment due-outs, such as submitting awards and end-of-tour evaluations.

Oh yeah, today is also the summer solstice...the longest day of the year! That means tomorrow will be about 7 seconds shorter...which means it will be cooler. Right? That's my story anyway. It's 119 degrees outside right now. Tomorrow it will be 118.5. At midnight.

This is why we wear tan boots...

2009-06-19T00:18:00.000-07:00

Worst. Duststorm. Ever.

2009-06-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

I've written in previous blogs about duststorms here in Baghdad...about how they block the sun and make our lives miserable.
Well, we had the worst one yet over the past few days. This one was a whopper.
I was up early Wednesday morning...in the office by 0530 to do a live interview with a TV station in Texas. As I was walking to the office I was already choking on dust and couldn't even see the lights on Signal Hill...which is right next to us. I then had to drive a Soldier over to a pickup point so she could go out on a mission. It was like driving in thick fog. As the day progressed it just got worse.
I was in the office late that night and walked back to my CHU about 9:30. The dust was so thick that my eyes were burning 50 feet outside the door! I hate to admit it, but I got a little disoriented walking through one of the side parking lots. We unconciously use landmarks to guide us, especially in the dark at night...I use those lights on Signal Hill and the floodlights on Division HQ as a beacon when walking across that dark parking lot. As I was walking I thought I heard a noise behind me. I turned my head to look and then turned back. Just that small head motion made me lose my bearing and, since I had no lights to guide me, I was a bit...lost. I focused on the direction the cars were parked and that led me across the lot and past the barriers to where I could finally see the floodlights on the headquarters building. By then my eyes were stinging and my throat was dry.
Back at my CHU I pondered taking a shower. Walking through a dust storm with wet hair didn't seem fun to me, but I also needed to be clean, if even for a few minutes. I was extra careful in the shower to make sure I was completely dry and then dashed back to my CHU. I had to brush the dust out of my hair! The dust was so thick IN MY CHU that I fell asleep swallowing dust.
The next morning it was still bad. The dust had settled somewhat but there was still a lot in the air. There was dust EVERYWHERE. The gray rocks on the pathways are tan. The port-a-john's were covered inside and out, porches, lights, T-Walls...everything. But to make things worse, the dust affected our electronics and Internet. I couldn't log onto my government computer until after 1 p.m. The Internet was down for the most part, electricity was out all over the place. The PX was closed until the afternoon, power was out in a lot of the CHUs. It was like being in Minneapolis after a major snowstorm! The power went out in our building in the morning so we ran on generator power until late in the afternoon.
Last night I tried to do some cleaning in my CHU. Wiped off everything with a damp cloth, mopped the floor with a Swiffer. It will take a few cleanings to get the dust out of my room. I cleaned the filter in my A/C but it will be dusty again by Saturday. We are one with the dust. :)

What did you do in the war, mommy?

2009-06-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it's doubtful I'll ever hear my own kid say that. Perhaps it would be better to write "what did you do in the war, Aunt Anrie?" :)

People have asked me what exactly I, and my unit, do here at the sprawling base of Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq. So, now, over the next few days I am going to take you on a tour through my world. Sit down and hold on, it's going to be a wild ride!

Okay, well, maybe no. But at least it will be a little enlightening.

Overall, the mission of the mighty fightin' 211th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment is to produce print and broadcast products focused on the missions and Soldiers of Multi National Division-Baghdad (MND-B). Iraq is separated into different sections, each under the control of a separate entity. MND-B's territory is Baghdad. While the 211th is based at Liberty, we send our journalists all over the area to "embed" with units outside the camp to get stories. Everything we produce is on www.cavcountry.net. Our main products are a 2X a month newspaper, the Crossed Sabers, a daily e-zine called The Daily Charge, a daily radio spot called Cav County Update and a 1x a week newscast called First Team Update. Go check out the website for all of these products. Also, anything we produce is also marketed to hometown media as well as national and international media, depending on what the story is about.

As for me, my job in all of this is to ensure that things go smoothly. In all honesty, the toughest part of my time in command was pre-mobilization. That was a lot of work and planning. Once we arrived, however, my staff and NCOs took over and they make things work. During the week I attend meetings at the battalion staff level and with 1st Cav Div PAO. Once a month I prepare and submit the USR, or unit status report. We also have other administrative requirements to submit, including R & R requirements, equipment inventories, and whatever else is required at the time. Even though we're here for several more months, we've already started working on end-of-tour requirements, including evaluations and awards.

Me and the command staff, which is basically my executive officer, 1LT Sarratt, and my 1SG, 1SG Anthony Martinez, spend hours keeping the unit running. Everything from equipment issues to redeployment. There are schedules to be approved, missions outside of the wire to be looked at, and our least favorite topic, unit discipline. We hate that part but it's just as important as anything else.

Our days and weeks follow the same basic schedule regarding meetings and submissions. The three of us go to lunch every day at 1130 and head out to dinner at 1730 (that's 5:30 p.m. for you non-military types). In between we answer e-mails, turn in our paperwork, listen to music, and keep each other from going bananas. :)

Next post: office/work photos.

I'm with the band.

2009-05-31T02:49:00.000-07:00

So, last week I decided it was time, again, to get out of the office and see "outside the wire". As the commander of this fine detachment I don't get to venture out on missions like my journalists. It's their job to get out and get stories, photos, and videos of units around Baghdad doing their missions. It's my job to organize, attend meetings, and make sure everything runs smoothly.
But it was time to put on my "battle rattle" and climb into a large, armored vehicle and see Baghdad. I went up north to Camp Istaqaal with the 1st Cavalry Division rock band. I served no purpose, just a straphanger. I was, in essence, a groupie.
Not a roadie. Nope...they're the ones that set up and tear down. They do work. I was just along for the ride, enjoy the music, and take some photographs.
The 1st Cav has a large band and it goes with them where ever they go, even to Baghdad. Rarely does the band travel as one large group. Instead, they have different ensembles that go out to the outlying camps and play for the troops. There is a brass quintet, a salsa band, a Dixie band, and probably a few others that I'm not familiar with. And, of course, the rock band.
The started smoothly enough...we didn't depart until 1 p.m. so I had time to do my morning reports and eat lunch. It took me awhile to get ready...I had to make sure my body armor was ready, get my rifle out of the weapons locker (I carry a 9mm pistol around the camp but you have to have a long rifle on convoys), and pack my small backpack. I put some stuff in my pack in case we didn't get back...socks, T-shirt, travel soap and toothbrush. Just in case, you know?
We departed on time. Again, I was in one of those large up-armored vehicles that look like a school bus. It was hot. Really hot. Even though the vehicle has a/c there's a big hole in the top of the vehicle for the gunner. My face wasn't sweating...if you were to look at me you wouldn't think I was hot. But where my body armor fits I was dripping. :( Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. I drank about 4 liters of water but didn't need to use the bathroom until later that evening.
The 7 band members that were on the mission are multi-purpose...they unload and set up their own gear and do everything necessary to put the show on. They set up their instruments, speakers, microphones, etc. and then took a quick break. We were outside but thankfully under a sunshade, so it was tolerable. After dinner we all went back and waited for showtime.
The show was amazing...I'd never heard this ensemble before. We had the brass quintet and Dixie ensemble in our studio a few weeks ago for the Zack and Jim show. They are very very good and I enjoyed listening to them play. They played Bon Jovi, Beastie Boys, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and others I didn't recognize. The crowd came and went as they played for about 90 minutes, with a quick 10-minute break in between.
We returned around 11 p.m. and I fell into bed, exhausted, just before 1 a.m. It was rough getting up the next morning.
Going outside the wire and to another camp once in awhile is a great thing for us "fobbits"...those that don't go out on missions. It really made me appreciate what we have here at Camp Liberty like our large dining facility with a good choice of food. The one at the camp was about the size of our salad bar and you got chicken, potato, and a vegetable. It also made me just sore enough to appreciate what those who do go outside the wire on a regular basis go through...the heat, the heavy equipment, and the long hours.

2009-05-31T02:48:00.000-07:00

2009-05-31T02:47:00.000-07:00

2009-05-31T02:46:00.000-07:00

2009-05-31T02:45:00.000-07:00

2009-05-31T02:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, baby...

2009-05-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

My, how time flies when you're, ahem, having fun. Makes me think of a framed piece of craftwork that my friend Suz sent me when I was in...Bosnia? Kosovo? I don't remember. It's a drawing of a frog sitting on a lilypad with one of those grins on it's face. Around the top are the words "Time's Fun When You're Having Flies". The frame is green. And I think there are other flies around the frog.
I forget exactly what the thing looks like. Why? Because this week is my 1-year anniversary. If I'm going to spend my time in Baghdad marking off time, I'm starting a year ago. I started this overseas deployment odyssey this time last year. I had mentally started preparing myself for this as early as December 2007, when I looked around at my Christmas tree and other decorations and told myself that I wouldn't see them again until December...2010? Although I spent a better part of March and April planning things, it was the end of May that really set things off. On the 19th of May the nice guys with the moving company came to my house and packed up all my household goods. For a night I was surrounded by dozens of cardboard boxes, which I remember made my house smell like...cardboard boxes. The next day even nicer people came and loaded up my entire life, save what would fit into my car, and took it away.
I cried when the moving van pulled up because I knew it would be at least 2 years before I would see my stuff again. I had been sitting in my big red chair all morning, quietly contemplating what was happening in my life. When the knock on the door came I finally gave in to the tears. It took a minute and a yell of "I'm coming" before I greeted Those Who Would Take My Stuff Away. It was hard. All afternoon I watched another box of my clothes, shoes, china, DVDs, knick-knacks, go out the door and onto the truck.
When the truck finally pulled away at about 2 in the afternoon I saw on my front porch and watched it until I could no longer see it. My 4-poster bed was in that truck. So were the three ceramic animals (elephant, caterpillar, lamb) that I made when I was only 5 years old. Everything I owned, except for a few items, was gone.
That was a year ago. A year ago last Tuesday. Wow, time flies when you're having fun.
It was a year ago today that I finished cleaning up my townhouse, turned off the heat (I was in Minnesota, after all), laid my house/mailbox keys on the kitchen counter, got into my car, and drove away.
I drove all the way to Chicago (only 6 hours...short day) to visit some friends who lived there. I left the next morning and drove to Anniston, Alabama and spent the night in a Hampton Inn. (Strange the things we remember, huh?) Arrived the next day in Elba, Alabama and spent the next several days with my sister and mom and assorted friends. Then I drove to New Orleans (stopping once to replace my burnt-out headlight) and spent the night there, enjoying ice cold beer and some kick-ass jazz and blues.
On 1 June, 2008 I arrived in Bryan, Texas.
From there it's been an odyssey of training, meetings, planning, traveling, packing, unpacking, until I am now here, in my office, at my 1-year anniversary of leaving Minneapolis.
Time flies when you're having fun. :)
I do know what's in store for me once I leave Baghdad. I will be at Ft. Lee, Virginia, from May through August of next year, attending my next Officer Education Class. That is also an anniversary...I went to Ft. Lee in 1993-94 for my Officer's Basic Course. Seriously, now I know for sure that time really does fly when you're having fun.
But it also means that I probably won't see my treasured possessions until I finish the course and move onto my next assignment. September? October? I only hope that I can be somewhere in time to put up and decorate my Christmas tree. It will, after all, be December, 2010.

A Poem

2009-05-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Podium

A podium is an innocuous thing in our lives.
A rectangular thing made out of wood, plastic or metal.
A podium can be a friend, something used when good things happen.
Chaplains give words of praise, joy, and love from a podium.
Educators cheer on graduates.
Podiums give us support (literally) when we need it the most:
Talking in public. We lean on them, put our notes and water on them.
It’s easier to speak when the audience can only see half of you.
But a podium can also be an enemy.
Often when a podium is the focal point of an event
It means something bad has happened.
Press conferences are given from a podium. A plane crash
A fire, a child kidnapped.
Chaplains also start funerals from a podium.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
I never met Specialist Barton. He was nameless and faceless to me.
Our paths only crossed because on May 11th, 2009,
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But we shared a common bond.
Our units share the same stateside command so
We have the same patch on our left sleeves.
That makes him a brother.
His commander is at a podium.
He is a friend and someone else I share a common bond with.
We are both commanders.
We shared mobilization and paperwork.
We shared building units from a random group of people.
Our difference is that he is at a podium.
It is in the shape of a castle, the symbol
Of the US Army Engineers.
He is telling the people stories about a young Soldier.
I don’t want that experience. I don’t want a podium.
Every morning I will say a quick prayer
Not to have to stand behind a podium,
In particular,
The one in the Division Chapel.
But I am a leader and I have duties.
As a commander I am responsible for everything
Concerning my soldiers…their health and welfare,
Their safety, their lives.
And, if necessary,
A trip to a podium.

Of Fish and Men (and turtles, too)

2009-05-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

Three times a day we make the long trek to the dining facility (DFAC) for our meals. It's not too bad right now, but I can imagine in a few weeks when the heat is unbearable that 3/4 mile walk one way won't be so pleasant. At least there's Gatorade in the DFAC.

Near the front door of the facility is a footbridge that crosses a canal. These canals run all through Camp Liberty and are the main source of green that we see: green reeds that grow on the edge and are almost as tall as we are; and water that is a shade of green that has yet to be assigned a color by Crayola. We even have one of these canals right in front of our building (seriously...I keep waiting for someone to drive our truck into it).

A favorite pasttime of Soldiers (and civilians) is to stand on the bridge and throw bread, Cheerios, even fruit, to the fish and turtles that live in the canal. I've done this a few times myself.

There are a lot of fish that live at this spot in the canal...well over 100, and some of them are at least 2 feet long. There were only a few turtles up until a few weeks ago and now there are about 10 or so, most of them babies just a few inches across. When people start throwing food into the water is becomes a race to get a piece...turtles swimming over little fish, big fish swimming over little fish, and birds on the edge of the canal trying to get the stray crumbs that fall their way. It is quite amusing.

It's just a nice, peaceful way to start or finish the day...seeing "wildlife", even if it's just some strange gray and black fish and some cute little turtles.

2009-05-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

Too Much Fun!

2009-05-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

We've been experiencing a horrible dust storm the past few days and it's not going anywhere until at least the weekend. The good thing is that the helicopters aren't flying so it's quiet above our building. The bad thing is that we stay dirty, we're sucking in dust by the lungful and our eyes hurt. I head out to the office in the morning all fresh and clean...but by the time I get to the office I am gritty and dirty. Yuck.

We've also been experiencing a different type of storm...fun! For the past three days and for the next two days we have to radio hosts, Zack and Jim, from WACO 100 in, well, Waco, Texas, that have been broadcasting their morning show live right here in my studio. Well, the first day they didn't because we experienced technical difficulties and they had to move to another office. But Tuesday we had the problems sorted out (for the most part) and the fun has just snowballed from there. We've lined up Soldiers and had them sit down for interviews, both funny and serious (mostly funny). We had the "Stinky Feet Band" i.e. 1SG Martinez, 1LT Sarratt playing harmonicas and SGT Risner playing guitar and giving us the latest rendition of the Baghdad Blues. It was a great song. Would have been nicer if they'd all been playing the same song. :)

Today we had the lawyers, Soldiers from the Texas National Guard, and the Brass Quintet (plus drums) from the 1st Cavalry Division. It's been a lot of fun and a nice break from the daily monotony of the Media Operations Center.

Best $13 Ever Spent/My Friend Justin

2009-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever spent an amount of money, large or small, on something that you might not ever use/need/see again but served such a large purpose in your life at the moment that it was worth it? For example, when your head is pounding and you are at your office and you have to go to the drugstore next door and buy a $5 bottle of Advil, even though you've got a 200-count bottle at home? But you need it, so you spend the money and you're grateful that you did?
Such a thing happened during my return trip from San Diego to Baghdad. On the long flight (10 hours to Leipzin, 5 hours to Kuwait) back I was the Flight Commander. A big title for just ensuring that Soldiers stay in their seats, get the required briefings, and get all their gear off of the plane in Kuwait. However, it's a responsibility I took seriously so...that meant no sleeping pills for me. I had planned to pop some once we were airborne but I did not because of my friend Justin.
You know...Justin Case.
Just in case someone gets sick. Just in case someone has a problem. Just in case the plane has to land somewhere other than Leipzig for mechanical or weather reasons. I didn't want to be in a position where I couldn't function properly so...again...no sleeping pills for me. Which means I didn't sleep all that well since the audio for the FOUR in-flight movies were on the plane's speaker system AND the flight crew just kept yapping right in front of me (I was in the front row). I think I slept all of about 45 minutes. By the time we landed in Germany for refueling and crew change, I was desperate for some sleep. After an hour we were told our flight was delayed for 4 hours! I tried to get some sleep...on the chairs, on the benches, on the floor. But I just couldn't get comfortable. My hands just don't make that good of a pillow. Finally, after an hour I went into the gift shop to buy a stuffed animal to use as a pillow. Of course, the gift shop there has the usual Hostage Prices...the ones we'll pay because we really want a $4 Coke or a $25 stuffed animal to take home as a present. I searched and found a stuffed elephant for a mere $13. Best $13 I ever spent because the second I put my head on that elephant's round belly I was out like a light and slept for over 2 hours until they called our flight.
I'll never have a use for that stuffed elephant...I'll probably give it to the group who hosts the weekly Scouting adventures, but for those 2 hours it was the best stuffed elephant in the world!
And it's nice to be back in Iraq. Seriously...I missed my unit and the people here whom I consider to be my friends.

How Time Flies

2009-04-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that my time on R & R...military leave...is coming to and end. Only two more full days in San Diego and then off to Dallas on the early (and I do mean early) morning flight. I'll stay there until the next morning then I have to report to the Dallas Airport by noon to the military airline check in.

People have asked me how long it will take me to get back to Baghdad and I answer the only way I know how: I'll get there when I get there. I'll leave Dallas when there's a plane (or actually a seat on a plane) available. I'll leave Kuwait when there is a seat on a plane going to Baghdad. Could take 48 hours, could take 4 days. Rumor control from the unit that we replaced hinted that some of the Soldiers waited in Kuwait for up to 7 days waiting for a plane. Oh my, I hope it doesn't take me that long. Don't have that many pair of clean socks!

I've been busy since I arrived in San Diego on 8 April. First thing I had to do was buy some clothes. I had a pair of jeans and 2 shirts when I arrived so I bought some sandals, two pair of shorts, and some casual shirts. Nothing much, but it also means laundry ever 3 days. After that I did some shopping to pick up a few things that I can't get in the PX in Baghdad: Tom's of Maine toothpaste and fluoride rinse, The Body Shop wild cherry body butter (for some reason they don't ship to APO addresses), and a bottle of Chanel No. 5. Plenty of people have asked me what I miss the most being in Iraq. That's easy...being a girl. A real, live, girrrrrrrrl. I miss putting in my earrings and choosing outfits and spraying on girly-girl perfume and just being a girl. And wearing pink. Well, I can wear pink, but it's unseen. :)

I spent 3 1/2 days in Vegas...that was fun, relaxing. I went to the Hoover Dam, the Shark Reef Aquarium, Body Worlds (but I had to leave because...that's just gross). I also wandered from casino to casino, taking in the catchy things they had to offer, like the lions at MGM Grand and the flamingoes at, well, The Flamingo.

I spent 2 days with my friend B, who has the best friends in the world who are getting me (and my unit) LOTS of DVDs, including the first 2 seasons of CHiPS. They'll get thanked by me later, but in the meantime...thanks! Lots! Went to my favorite store while in LA: It's a Wrap. It's a second-hand store but their clothing, shoes, etc. all come from studios and TV/Movie productions. Most of the clothes in my closet come from It's A Wrap (and I still have great clothes). It's hit-or-miss with them and, of course, most of the women's clothes are a XS or a size 4. But I scored a fabulous Lucky Brand denim jacket for $7...what a deal! One time I got a pair of Ralph Lauren khakis for...free. They were $3 but they gave them to me for free because there was a small, almost unnoticeable ink stain on the back pocket. Such a deal.

Friday I was at Balboa Park museum hopping...the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, the Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Modern Art. Saturday we went to the Women's Expo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Talk about lots of girl stuff! Whew! Women, and women's stuff everywhere! Today we went back to Balboa Park for the Earth Day Fair. Lots of fun and I took pictures of Ed Begley, Jr., who led the parade through the organ pavilion. Lots of organic cotton, hemp, and natural products. Lots of chants of "eat green, don't eat meat", which I thought was funny since the only food booths that we could find were...cheeseburgers and hot dogs. There was probably a better food court somewhere, offering the usual fresh, organic fair, but we didn't venture that far. Too funny!

After lunch and a nap I'm ready for whatever my friend has to throw at me. After she wakes up from her nap.

Monday and Tuesday left. Then Wednesday with another friend in Dallas.

Shhhhhh, don't tell anyone, but I miss my unit. I feel separated from them. There is a sister unit, the 314th PAOC, in the IZ that also keeps a blog, blogsoverbaghdad, com. Their Command Sergeant Major, CSM Falardeau, is on leave and said he felt like he was part of the Borg Collective, like on Star Trek, and now has been separated from that Collective. I understand how he feels...does that make me the Borg Queen? ;) Anyway, I miss talking with my Soldiers, listening to the things that effect their lives, reading/watching their stories. I miss lunchtime movies with 1SG and XO or just plain goofing around. I'm looking forward to seeing them again and catching up on what's been happening in my absence (which, according to my XO, hasn't been much!).

What I don't miss...walking 150 yards to the latrine at 3 a.m., multiple meetings, wearing combat boots all the time.

Freedom Flights

2009-04-08T18:57:00.001-07:00

In the months preceding my unit's deployment I had to travel to different cities for conferences and classes. Most of the time my flights were routed through Dallas, which was nice because it's a large airport and has a lot to offer someone waiting for a flight. The USO is top-notch although I only went in there to grab a bottle of water a few times.

While wandering around the airport I noticed the "Freedom Flights"...the chartered airplanes that bring troops (and civilians) from Iraq back to the states. There are two stateside gateways for troops on R & R or emergency leave: Dallas and Atlanta. I remember looking at those planes, often parked on the tarmac away from the terminal, and thinking "one day, I will be one of those Soldiers coming back for some rest and relaxation".

Well, here I am, sitting at my friend's computer in San Diego, updating my blog. I left Iraq Monday afternoon for a long (and somewhat painful) flight from Kuwait to Dallas with a brief stop in Germany. I was finally one of those Soldiers on that Freedom Flight, away from Iraq, and ready for some down time.

It's surreal, being here in San Diego. It's almost as if my time in Iraq was merely a dream and now I'm awake and moving on through the day. Perhaps that's because I was only in Iraq for 2 months before I went on R & R. That sort of sucks, but this was the only time left for my R & R after everyone else picked their dates. Regardless, I'm here and I'm enjoying myself.

Today I went shopping to get some civilian clothes to wear while I'm here...some shorts and T-shirts and a pair of sandals. I also went to Target to get some things that I can't get overseas, including my favorite sunscreen and toothpaste and some Gold Bond lotion for my feet. It has menthol in it so it makes my tired feet feel much better.

I'm having a great time with my friend, Cindy. It's nice to sit down to a nice dinner of steak and rice and watch some TV.

I was a bit miffed to find out that President Obama was in Iraq while I was on R & R~! I've been waiting for that moment...to meet our new Commander in Chief while I was deployed. But alas I'll have to wait for the next "surprise" visit.

2009-03-28T00:35:00.000-07:00

1SG Martinez performing the traditional dance of appreciation to the T-Wall fairies. This ensures that the T-Walls stay strong for us and don't fail us when we need them the most.

A row of T-Walls around our CHUs.

Even action figures get a T-Wall!

Ode to a "T"

2009-03-28T00:18:00.000-07:00

What a great letter, T. It adds so much to our language.

It has given us a great beverage to drink...cold to drive away the heat in summer and hot to warm our tummies in winter. It gives us comfortable shirts to wear...I have several packed away from various Army units and missions, vacation spots, and goofy restaurants. It holds up our golf balls and allows us to make great shots (into the water).

But for us here in Iraq, the letter T has given us one more thing: protection from bad guys. Surrounding us at all times are T-walls...concrete barriers that are placed strategically around buildings to protect other buildings from blasts. They surround the DFAC, the laundry, all of our CHU living trailers, the exchange...everything.

It's weird to walk around Camp Liberty and see nothing but T-walls. They block the line-of-site across camp and hide buildings. Unless someone actually puts a sign outside of the T-Wall it's difficult to tell what building is inside the line of T-walls.

They are also a blank canvas for units to leave their mark for others to see. Units take a blank T-wall outside of their buildingand paint their logo on it...I've seen some that were works of art. They were everywhere at Camp Buehring, Kuwait and some of the command posts around Liberty have their T-wall painted next to the T-walls of units who have since departed.

What a great letter, T!

Photos from a fun day

2009-03-22T01:45:00.000-07:00

The Universal Language

2009-03-22T01:17:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their own idea of a universal language. You know, that language that everyone understands, no matter what their native tongue. Some say music, others say math (although some will argue that music and math are one and the same).
I say that the universal language is...laughter.
Not just any laughter, though. Not the laughter of adults watching a funny movie or enjoying company at a cocktail party. Or the laughter of groups watching a comedian.
It's the laughter of children and, more specifically, children at play. No matter if a child speaks English, Arabic, German, Portuguese, Swahili, or Tagalog, they all know how to laugh. Unlike learning a language, there is no grammar, no syntax, no rolling the tongue or pursing the lips to learn to form sounds. Even at a young age, children know how to laugh at something fun or even something funny.
Yesterday I took a break from the office and went with two of my Soldier/journalists over to the other side of Victory Base Complex where US Soldiers host Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. I'm not sure of the particulars, but the program is gaining strength and gets more and more popular with each passing week...with both the Iraqi children and US Soldiers.
There were about 35 or so kids present, ranging in age from 2 to older teens. I expected there to be more boys than girls but I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were more girls than boys! And very stylish young girls, with earrings and rhinestone-studded headbands and jeans that looked like they came straight from The Gap.
We spent hours playing with these children...soccer, volleyball, and good, old-fashioned water-balloon fights. We did crafts of painting and drawing, some classes on first aid and fire safety. Even the smallest little girl, about 2 years old, put on the full-blown fireman's outfit of heavy boots, suspenders, and silver fire suit. Well, she came up to the knees of the fire suit, but she did wear the helmet! Most of the kids got to put out an actual fire with a fire extinguisher. Sometimes they aimed at the people standing around the fire..! Medics showed the children how they put bandages and wraps on wounds. Half of the pictures that I took have children in them with wraps on their wrists or ankles. Not because they were wounded but because it was cool...and fun. The medics put a stethoscope into the ears of some of the children and then put the other end on their chests. The kids has looks of amazement and wonder when they realized they were listening to their own heartbeat.
But the best part was hearing the sounds of the children's laughter. Laughter from just having a good time, from running and jumping and kicking balls and hitting a US Soldier in the head with a water balloon.
As I watched these children play I realized that, like children in the US, they are the future of this country. They are the ones that in 20 years our government will be in diplomatic relations with.
I wish them, and their families, all the peace and blessings of a bright and happy future. And many more days filled with laughter.

Breakfast and a movie

2009-03-18T01:09:00.000-07:00

We have a system now for meals. Myself, 1SG Martinez, and 1LT Sarratt meet for breakfast at 0730 at the gazebo right outside of our CHU. At the dining facility (DFAC) we greet the guards who check our ID cards, wash our hands and then grab our tray and head to the serving line. We each have our own separate ideas of what constitutes a nutritious breakfast so we go our own ways to get our food. But we always sit in the same place...in the annex. For breakfast we sit in the first row of tables, for lunch and dinner we sit in the last row of tables. That way each of us always knows where the other two are. The three of us have eaten our meals together since we first went to RTC at Ft. Dix in October/November 2008 and since our mob in January 2009. Occasionally we allow other Soldiers to join us. I'm sure that they are surprised to find out that we actually don't talk shop at these meals. We don't spend our time between bites of good Army food planning things for the unit. Instead, we have light-hearted conversations about anything that we can think of and there is usually a lot of laughter involved.
In the DFAC there are multiple TVs, all tuned in to the various channels offered by AFN. Soldiers munching on eggs, bacon, chicken wings, and hamburgers can watch sports, movies, or news, depending on where they are sitting and how close they pay attention the the TVs.
It seems that for breakfast the TV by our table is always set on the AFN movie channel. So, for the 20 minutes or so that we are sitting there we get to watch part of a movie. So far we've watched parts of about 30 different movies. Of course, the sad part is that we only get to watch 20 minutes or so of each movie. More if we dawdle and eat very slowly. We have often wondered aloud if there isn't some way to get AFN to rerun one movie all day so that we can watch a whole movie over a span of 3 or 4 meals.
Recently we've started changing our lunch plans. Instead of walking down to the DFAC for lunch we get a sandwich to go at breakfast and then settle in our own studio to watch a movie or a television show on DVD. Our first movie was Silver Streak...an old movie starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
Occasionally the morning TV isn't tuned into the movie channel. It's on the channel that has morning exercise shows. Scantily-clad women (including Denise Austen) do lunges and lift weights and sweat. The guys all watch very intently. I'm sure that they are just taking notes on the correct form for all of these exercise. It is sure nice of AFN to have these women in tight shorts and T-shirts teaching our Soldiers the proper way to maintain health and fitness while deployed to Iraq. :)

Photos from a sandstorm

2009-03-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

The lake across the street and the Al Faw Palace behind it. Somewhere. By the way, it's about 3 p.m. when I shot these...

Oh Sand-y Baby...

2009-03-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the deep South and I still vividly remember the violent thunderstorms that used to roll through our area on a regular basis during the summer. First, the air would grow heavy, the sky a dark gray that got darker with each passing minute. The thunder was loud even though the storm was still miles away. Then there would be a calm...an eerie moment or two of stillness that signaled that something ominous was coming. Finally the rain would fall...just a few drops at first...large splats that would lull you into a fall sense of "this storm is passing over". Then the torrential downpour would begin, soaking you to the bones in a matter of minutes if you were silly enough not to have looked for cover. I can still remember sitting on our enclosed porch or in the living room looking out the picture windows and watching the sheets of rain fall. The world outside the windows turned a light gray the rain was so hard.
After a few minutes it would all be over. The ground would be wet and there would be puddles to run around in. But the clouds would clear and the sun would come out, shining down on the puddles and making everything shiny. Off in the distance I could still hear the thunder, making its way noisily across the area and trapping others inside of their homes for a few minutes.
Years later when I moved Chicago and then Minneapolis I experienced the same sort of phenomenon except with snow. We always knew when it was coming. I could track the storm on The Weather Channel as it made its way closer and closer to my house. The sky would turn a light gray color and the world would become still, as if everyone (including the animals) were just sitting...and waiting for that first snowflake to appear. Just like the rain the flakes would fall softly, almost romantically. Unlike the rain, once it started it lasted for hours, sometimes days, until my back porch was a wall of snow.
In Iraq we experience something akin to these events...but with sand. Since our arrival here a month ago we have had several dust storms. There seems to be a pattern...it's windy for several hours but clear. Then there is a lull in the wind and it's almost calm and peaceful. Then the sand slowly starts creeping into the atmosphere. You don't really notice it at first until you lick your lips and you taste the sand, or you blink your eyes several times to clear them. Then you notice the haze around the lights and that the world outside your window has turned a bright orange. Yesterday was one of the worst sandstorms since our arrival. The Al Faw Palace is visible on clear days but yesterday we couldn't see it. In fact, we couldn't see the lake just across the street from us! I went to bed last night with the dust so thick it was making my sinuses hurt. I turned on the fan in my room to move the heavy air around. (At this point I don't even bother to clean up the sand or keep it out of my trailer...it's just impossible to do so.) I woke up at 3 a.m. and had to go to the bathroom. I opened my trailer door and it was pouring rain! Not the "summer in the South" rainfall, but a fairly decent rain. It was nice to get up the next morning and see that the air was clear from the rain but my happiness was shot down a while later when I tried to drive my pickup truck to the medical clinic. See, the sand here is fine, not beach sand, more like powdered sugar. With the rainfall that sand turns into a thick slurry that sticks to everything. I drove down one road sideways and I was certain I was going to get stuck! And forget keeping your boots clean. Once you step into the mud you're up to your ankles. And stepping out doesn't help because you bring lots of mud and rocks out as well.
It was a lot like being back in Bosnia! Except we didn't have boot washes at the entrance to every building.

2009-02-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

SPC Erik Fardette getting Navy personnel ready for the Army-Navy game shoutout.

SSG Peter Ford getting some shots of one of the speakers at the detainee release ceremony.

The crossed swords. Notice the broken hand at the base of the sword on the right.

The Al-Rasheed Hotel, where I lived when I was here in 2003.

SPC Steph Logue hard at work at the detainee release ceremony.

2009-02-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Finally...

2009-02-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

...I made it outside the wire yesterday (Sunday, February 22).

I've been wanting to get outside the wire since I arrived. After all, I didn't spend 5 months in training to sit at my desk day after day, typing, reading e-mails, and arranging interviews. I want action! I want adventure! And now I want some Motrin. That "battle rattle" gets heavy after awhile!

The event was the release of 57 Iraqi detainees, one of many such upcoming ceremonies. I was originally supposed to be in a helicopter over the site, taking photos from above, but we got "weathered" out by fog. (Okay, sand fog, but that's another post.) So, I joined the group on the ground. I convoyed out with Soldiers from Task Force Dagger, otherwise known as 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. We moved out in 3 very large, armored vehicles. Think up-armored school buses. The most difficult part was just getting into the seat. There is plenty of room, but when you're wearing a helmet that cuts off your peripheral vision, a very bulky vest of body armor, carrying a camera, AND trying to put on a 5-point seatbelt it gets a little crazy.

Our first stop was the Green Zone (or International Zone) to pick up the Iraqi journalists that our Media Engagement Team had invited. When I was here in Baghdad in 2003 it was right after the initial combat and things were still quite messy. People were sleeping in vehicles, in hallways, in bathrooms...where ever you could find a spot to lay down your head. I got out and about in the Green Zone then, especially to the famous crossed swords...you've seen the photos...the huge pair of hands holding up crossed swords over the wide avenue that Iraqi soldiers once marched down in front of Saddam. There are two sets of them, one at each end.

When I saw the swords from the window of my school bus, I knew exactly where we were and I had an eerie sense of homecoming. It was an odd feeling. Off in the distance I could see the Al Rasheed hotel, where we stayed while we were establing the Press Information Center at the convention center, which I could barely see over the palm trees. Nothing at the site had really changed exept that one of the cast iron "hands" had broken off and was lying in a heap at the base of the sword.

We loaded our journalists and proceeded to the site of the detainee release. There were a lot of people there, including Coalition Soldiers and Iraqi family members awaiting their family member. I was able to witness several family reunions and it was very touching to see these men greeting their wives, children, parents, and friends. The tribal culture in Iraq is very family oriented and their relationships with each other run very deep. There were lots of tears, shouts of joy, hugging, and kissing.

There were also lots of Iraqi media present! Journalists with all types of video and still cameras were milling about, capturing the family reunions here and there. During the speeches they all lined up in a row, basically blocking the view of the entire audience. I wish that I had access to Iraqi media to see what was eventually aired or printed.

We returned our journalists to the Green Zone and then proceeded back to Camp Liberty. Overall, a successful mission for me on many levels...I got out of the office on a nice Sunday afternoon and I got some nice shots of our journalists hard at work.

Settling In

2009-02-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

The process of settling in has begun and it's been a relatively painless process. My 1SG and I share an office and we have spent the past few days rearranging it to the way we do business and it's a good thing that he and I think a lot alike. We have cleared out drawers, re-arranged bookshelves, put out our binders, wrote up our own calendars. The building is becoming "ours". We have explored both Camp Liberty and Victory and found all the staff sections and departments that we need to be a functioning part of this operation. We've taken the necessary classes to become FOOs (something about money) and contracting officers. We've made countless phone calls to find out how and when and where things are done. We are learning the ins and outs and the rules and regulations (like the fact that I cannot bring my Starbucks coffee mug into the dining facility).

We took video and photos of a promotion ceremony yesterday...a Louisiana National Guard Colonel was promoted to Brigadier General. The ceremony was in the VTC (video teleconference) room with a live connection back to his headquarters so his stateside chain of command and his family could see the ceremony. Ahhhh, technology! The photos are SPC Ashley Anderson and SGT Lisa Heise working hard over at Division Headquarters. Right now our journalists are working around Camp Liberty but next week we will start sending them out into the trenches with the Soldiers out in the streets. They'll be gone for days at the time...sort of a scary thought because I want them to stay here where I can keep them safe from all the bad things outside the wire. But then I remember that there are many, many good things outside the wire and it's our job to get those good things back to our stateside audience. We didn't spend 4 brutal months in various levels of training for a theater of operations only to sit on the FOB and watch others go out.

It's been an interesting adaptation to life on Liberty. The simple things I miss! Like flush toilets... :) Most of our latrines are port-a-johns that thankfully are cleaned several times a day. There are some real bathrooms dispersed throughout the camp and I'm learning to plan my visits to these treasured rooms at specific times so I can use them. And rocks. Lots of rocks to walk on. They are everywhere to keep the dust down but they are brutal on shower shoes and combat boots. I can already feel the soles of my brand-new combat boots breaking down from walking on these rocks. I hear the average life span of even a good pair of boots is about two months so I know I'll be heading to the PX soon to buy another pair. Shower shoes will probably last about a week!

The best part of life at Liberty is my CHU or containerized housing unit. Since I'm a major I get my own 12' X 12' CHU with a comfy twin bed, a locker, and a table. And I have quiet neighbors! My 1SG is next door and he's quieter than a church mouse. My other neighbor goes into work in the late afternoon. He also works here in the Media Operations Center so we worked out a "noise" schedule when I moved in. The peace and quiet I have at night in my CHU is one of the small treasures I have here at Liberty.

Days Follow Nights, Nights Follow Days

2009-02-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

It's already started...the mingling of the days, the lack of awareness of what day or date it is. It happens in a deployment. Soldiers learn very quickly to wear watches with the date on them so they can absent-mindedly look down and go "oh yeah, it's Sunday". In a civilian job you usually have a 5-day work schedule and 2 days off...most people work Monday through Friday and then Saturday and Sunday are the weekend. There is time for shopping, doing chores around the house, sleeping late, and goofing off. Sunday is a day of worship and rest...the mail stops and people are lazy.
Not here. Sunday is just another day here in beautiful downtown Camp Liberty, Iraq. We get a little break on the reporting time (0930 since the DFAC doesn't even open until 0730) but otherwise it's business as usual. A little quieter, but there are still reports to file, meetings to catch, e-mails to open. We even get mail! Our Post Office here is open 7 days a week. Soldiers are working hard on their stories and I'm getting ready to go to the weekly PAO synchronization meeting and then dinner.
We're settling in slowly but surely, working through our "right seat ride" and taking over responsibilities. We've moved into our trailer, or CHUs, and I spent last night finally unpacking the personal bag that I packed in the middle of December (a lifetime ago!). It was nice to finally have different socks and underthings to wear rather than the 6 that I have been using through the mob process and washing. I also found my stash of Bath and Body Works body wash and cream...Enchanted Orchid! My new favorite. Won't last long, though, so I'll have to order some over the Internet. But it was nice to sleep in a real bed last night after a week and a half on a cot. Sleeping on the cot isn't so bad but we sleep in our sleeping bags and it's hard to roll over while in a sleeping bag...the zipper doesn't move with me and it's freaky trying to unzip the stupid bag for that 2 a.m. walk to the latrine. My bed is super comfy, not too soft, not too hard, and I brought my own sheets and blanket. We got issued sheets and a twin-sized comforter, all of which are stored away for when it's time to turn them in. I'm so glad that I authorized us to bring a personal bag..!
I get out of the office every now and then but not off Liberty yet. A few days ago we had to go to Camp Victory to the Aw Faw Palace to get our entrance badges for Division main here (their machine was down). We stopped in to see our sister unit, the 343rd MPAD, and say hello. They were basically one month ahead of us in the mobilization process although we did train with them at RTC back in October-November.

Hotel California

2009-02-12T02:51:00.001-08:00

Just like the song says..."you can check out any time you like but you can never leave".
Life in Baghdad is slowly (and I mean very slowly) falling into place. Patience has never really been a virtue of mine but I am learning the fine art of waiting...for someone else to move on.
TOA, or Transfer of Authority, is never an easy time for the incoming or outgoing unit. They have boxes of equipment and gear to move out, we have boxes of equipment and gear to move in. They have missions and tasks to wrap up and we have missions and tasks to begin. They are moving out of their trailers and into transient tents and we are moving out of transient tents into our trailers. With all those moving parts there are the inevitable collisions, despite the (figurately) posting of warning signs here and there.
It helps that overall our mission is slow right now. It helps that 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav) is new and still figuring out their own battle space and battle rhthym. It will take awhile for all of our parts to fall into place, for all of us to figure out where we are supposed too be, and when, and in what uniform.

That Duffel Bag Drag...

2009-02-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

...everyone in the Army knows what I'm talking about. It begins inocuously enough...just put your bags in the truck, load your equipment and head to the terminal for that flight overseas. Then you have to load the plane. And then unload the plane. Then load the bus then unload the bus. Then load the truck and then unload the truck. Then load the truck then unload the truck onto the pallet. Then load the pallet on the plane. Then unload the pallet off of the plane onto the bus. Then load the truck then unload the truck at your new office. Overall, not a bad deal if you're just dealing with 3 - 4 bags per Soldier. But we moved with all of our mission essential equipment (and some not so mission essential)...about 4,000 pounds of gear.
But here is the end result: we are moving into our building at Camp Liberty in Iraq! It's finally happening. We departed the barracks at Ft. Dix in the snow and waited in the terminal for our midnight departure to the Middle East. We played cards, made last-minute phone calls, and read books. Altogether there were around 300 people on the flight...along with the aforementioned gear. How that plane got off the ground is beyond me. But it did...twice...as we stopped in Germany to refuel both the plane and the Soldiers. We landed in Kuwait at oh-dark-early and rode a bus to the desert oasis of Camp Buehring to...wait. They weren't expecting us there so it was a bit of a struggle to find a place not only for us but all of our gear. We spent a few days rolling around in our tents, attending one class and firing off our weapons into the desert to ensure that they worked properly.
Things I'd forgotten since I was last here:
1. How beautiful the sunrise is over the desert.
2. How funky camels are. Amazing creatures...but funky.
3. Clean is relevant. Why shower or wash your uniform when the dirt will just magically reappear within a few minutes anyways?
4. Military dining facilities overseas serve more food than can possibly be eaten. And it's good.
5. Starbucks and Burger King are EVERYWHERE. Even the middle of the desert in Kuwait.
Finally we rolled onto the C17 that brought us to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). The temperature was a balmy mid-70s and the day was hazy...a far cry from the snowstorm that we flew out of. The unit we are replacing greeted us warmly and got us settled into our transient tent. The unit is in one large tent...females on one side, males on the other, a barricade of cots in the middle. This is until Saturday when the unit we are replacing moves into transient tents and we take over their trailers. I will have a room to myself! Rank definitely has it's priviledges.
It seems so far away, but the countdown to our departure has begun. It seems weird to be planning our departure before we've even fully settled in, but we are. Our time here will go by quickly and before we know it...we'll be greeting our replacements at BIAP and settling them into their transient tents. It's the circle of life for deployments everwhere...did it in Bosnia, Kosovo, Guantanamo Bay and my first tour of the desert.

All My Bags Are Packed...

2009-02-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

...and ready to go...

It's very near time to head out and finally start doing what we've been training to do for what seems like eons. For us, it is now a test of patience, a time of "hurry up and wait"...that Army staple that still makes me crazy, 19 years after I first enlisted.

Speaking of 19 years in (and my 5th deployment), I finally have my very own, specially-fitted protective (gas) mask. It's an M45, while the rest of the Army gets M40 masks. My face is too long and thin to fit into an M40...the medium smashes into my cheekbones and I can't get a seal while the small sits on top of my cheekbones and I can't breathe (which, apparently, is bad). Either way, I walked away from the M40 fitting with bruises. As I tried on my very own, brand-new M45 mask I was thrilled to think that no other Soldier had snorted in this particular mask. Ever. Seriously, there were only Annmarie snorts in there and it smelled like the interior of a new car. The other 19 Soldiers in my unit got brand-new, unfired, M4 rifles and they were thrilled. I have a new mask..!

It's the little things in the Army life that keeps us going. And happy.

Did you feel that?

2009-01-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

That shift? That slight movement? That indication that we finally...finally...have a flight to Iraq. All I can say on this unsecure blog is that it's midweek next week. :) We're finally going! Going to be a long flight, though...not looking forward to that.
I thoroughly enjoyed my four days in NYC and it was hard to get on the Amtrak for the ride home. My hotel room was very nice and I enjoyed my afternoon naps and sleeping late in my king-sized bed with about 150 pillows. I arrived early Monday morning and wandered around Broadway and the diamond district. Went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a 30-minute shortened version but still awesome to take Communion in the best-known Catholic Church in the US. I went into the gift shop and bought a St. Christopher's medal. I thought it was very appropriate to have one from the patron saint of travelers.
I had dinner with and spent time Monday evening with my stepbrother, Simon. I haven't seen him in years to it was nice to sit and chat and catch up in the limited time that we had. He was there with his wife and several of their friends. We all got to chatting and the inevitable question of "where are you from?" came up. It's hard to explain...I'm at Ft. Dix getting ready to head to Iraq within a week or two. Some surprised expressions and lots of good luck wishes. One woman in particular asked a lot of questions...and I was happy to answer. As an Army Public Affairs officer I'm used to answering questions about Iraq. I have access to information and probably follow the news more than the average person so speaking about Iraq, my job, my unit, the training we've been through, etc. was easy. As we were getting ready to leave she said "you're so calm".
Calm?
Me?
Guess I forgot to mention the butterflies that I get when I think about what's coming up! Especially now that we have a flight.
But then again, how could I not be calm? I'm trained for this, my unit is trained, and I have faith in the Soldiers that make up my unit. It's easy to project a sense of calm and trust because of the officers that keep this unit running. I can't do everything (I'm just responsible for everything) so I have to rely on my officers to do their jobs...and do them correctly. And they do. Over and over again they have proven their mettle. And my 1SG Sergeant...knowing he's got my back makes it easy for me to be calm. I don't have to step into NCO issues because 1SG Martinez is usually one step ahead of me, making things at the NCO level run smoothly. Even my E4 Mafia knows their job, does it well, then imbibes in well-earned pizza and goofy movies in the dayroom.
Yeah, I'm calm. It's hard not to be.
Anyways, Tuesday I went to Liberty and Ellis Islands. The statue is an amazing work of engineering and it was a thrill to be standing at the base of the pedestal and looking up at the face that greeted millions of immigrants to the New World all those years ago. I tried to imagine myself standing on the deck of a packed steamer, tired, hungry, dirty, and looking up at that face of freedom and what she stood for. Ellis Island was also amazing...such a story! If those walls could talk (and when the paint peeled off they actually did)! So much family history in those hallways and rooms. I typed my last name into the database but came up with nothing. But apparently you have to put in first and last names, date of arrival (or as close as possible), the ship, etc.
Wednesday I wandered around and went to the matinee production of Equus at the Broadhurst Theater. Now, I'm a fairly open-minded person, but that is just one weird play. Thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Radcliff (of Harry Potter fame) as the slightly-to-the-left-of-crazy stable boy. I always like to see actors branching away from typecast characters, playing someone totally opposite of what we're used to seeing.
All the while in NYC I sat in cafes, sipping coffee and watching people zip by. People walk so fast in NYC!! I felt guilty wandering the streets that all these people has someplace they had to be while I was out ambling around...nowhere to go and all day to get there.
But it was back to reality last night...formation at 2000 (that's 8 p.m. for you non-military types). Time to take the earrings out, put the civilian clothes away, and get back to work.
All that's left is for me to receive my specially-fitted protective mask. Will get that Monday. Once it's fitted and been tested for leaks we are validated. Done. 'Bout time!

Random NYC Photographs...

2009-01-30T04:43:00.001-08:00

The baggage area in the Great Hall at the Ellis Island Museum.

Lady Liberty.

The Sphere from the former World Trade Center site.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Rockefeller Plaza

10 Million People in NYC...

2009-01-30T04:38:00.001-08:00

...and look who I run into on Park Avenue!

All Good Things...

2009-01-25T11:44:00.001-08:00

...must eventually come to an end.

It's official...the 211th MPAD is no longer a "unit in training for mobilization". We are done...no more training, no more PowerPoint classes, no more ranges. With the exception of a few loose ends we are "validated" and ready to depart. It's mostly paperwork and getting the last of our uniforms...a downhill slide for us.

Our final moment came and went quietly...no fireworks, no cannons, no thunder. Perhaps that's because our last scheduled training event was a live fire exercise with live ammunition and lots of pyrotechnics going off around us. Perhaps it's because after almost 4 months of ongoing training there is just nothing left to say. Whatever the reason that day that we all have strived for since 10 October is here. Iraq...here we come!

There was some quiet contemplation of what we'd accomplished in the van on the way back to the barracks. Well, except for the younger Soldiers in the back complaining about the radio station. Hey, the old folks are in the front! We get to pick the radio station and if it's 60s and 70s oldies rock-and-roll then so be it. You can harass your own Soldiers when you're older and in charge. ;)

We have our 4-day pass beginning tomorrow and today is "pre-" pass with downtime and weapons cleaning. It's a chance to start finally packing our gear for the trip overseas. I packed my "A" bag today (we have "A", "B", and "C" bags...each containing specific items). Well, packed is a loose interpretation of putting 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound bag. The "A" bag contains our JSList, protective mask, and our IBA (Interceptor Body Armor) plus a few other items. It was a tight fit but it's all in there. Of course, I can't lift the duffel bag it's so heavy! But it's packed. Next to pack is the "C" bag with the rest of the gear I won't need until we hit Kuwait and do a bit more training there.

Our time at Ft. Dix is running short...one more week...two more weeks...who knows? My final directive to my Soldiers for all this pre-mobilization prep is simple: Keep your bags packed and be ready to go on a moment's notice. Who knows when that bird is going to fly!

Off to New York tomorrow...see ya then.

The Many Faces of the 211th MPAD

2009-01-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrrr!

2009-01-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

If I had to pick three words to describe yesterday's weapons qualification training I'd pick: brrrrrr!; bang!; and brrrr!

To say it was cold would leave some room for a bit of warmth. As it was, it was freakin' cold. We were at three different ranges to qualify with our M4s...one to zero both the weapon and the optics, one for day/NBC qualification, and one for limited visibility qualification, i.e. after the sun had already started to set.

Not sure how, but it was colder in the middle of the day for qualification than it was a 7:30 in the morning to zero. All three ranges did provide a warm room for breaks and for those not shooting, but still...lying on the ground or standing behind those shooting is still freakin' cold! I was an "AI" for most of the day...my assigned weapon is an M9 pistol...so I was assisting Soldiers while they were shooting and signaling the tower that these Soldiers were ready to fire. The late afternoon qualification was the coldest...it was an open, elevated range and the wind was just...icy. To qualify, shooters only had to hit 7 targets out of 30. Everyone got 30 out of 30...but people would have been happy to just stop at 7 and go back to the warm room!

Everyone qualified...in fact, the 211th has several shooters who can not only hit the broadside of a barn, but hit one of the nails holding the side of that barn together. Despite weapons jamming, optics malfuctioning, glasses fogging, and fingers freezing, everyone walked away qualified and more ready to go to Iraq.

This was one of the last major training events that we are scheduled for while at Ft. Dix. With each passing day we move closer and closer to our departure date...whenever that is.

On Tuesday we watched the inauguration of our new Commander-in-Chief with interest. For about 15 minutes, from noon until 12:15, everything around us just stopped and everyone was planted in front of a TV. It was a historic moment for everyone, but when we in uniform get a new "boss" we tend to pay attention. Regardless of whether one voted for him or not, he is the President of the United States and he is now calling the shots that determine our military destiny. I feel that we are in good hands.

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Start spreading the news!

2009-01-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm going to New York City! I'm going to wake up in that city that doesn't sleep, going to find myself king of the hill, top of the heap...

My small town blues are are definitely melting away as I start planning my 4-day pass to the Big Apple. This was a pleasant surprise from the mobilization cell here at Ft. Dix...a four-day pass! We had originally taken it off the schedule since we weren't going to be here that long and we'd just come off of a 2-week holiday break. But it seems we've got some "white space" (Army speak for open time on the calendar) and so we're getting our pass. I was looking forward to spending the time here in the barracks, napping and catching up on reading and writing but then 1SG Martinez said he was going to NYC and so I thought I'd tag along.

We're taking Amtrak to Penn Station from Trenton, NJ and then going off in our own directions. I've got tickets to see the Broadway play Equus...a little dark contemplation prior to deployment! I'm really looking forward to one last fling before I head overseas.

Our MRE wrapped up nicely...our print journalists got stories in the Ft. Dix paper and our broadcast journalists are waiting for a clear day to get their stuff up on DVIDS for marketing. The PAO staff let us keep our equipment at their office so we can go back whenever we want to (refer back to the "white space") to do some more work and get more familiar with our brand-new equipment.

If you've been following the weather lately you know that it's been freakin' cold in the United States and Ft. Dix hasn't escaped that cold snap. It's been hovering around the mid-teens the past few days so most of our Soldiers have been hiding in the barracks and avoiding going outside, even to get meals at the DFAC. We went to the commissary yesterday and I stocked up on pop-tarts so I don't have to get out of bed at 0630 to go and eat breakfast. I keep the Diet Coke on the windowsill so it stays cold. Pop-tarts and Diet Coke...breakfast of champions! This morning someone ventured out and got Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts so I was happy.

It's a quiet weekend for us (more white space) so here I sit, updating my blog because my dad called me yesterday and told me I was a few days behind... :) Sorry dad, I'll do better about providing updates! I have my iPod on and am listening to the soundtrack to Evita. I know when I start singing out loud...I get evil stares from the other Soldiers sitting in here working on their laptops.

Off to do PT (that's physical training for you non-military types...)

2009-01-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

SGT Heis hard at work proving that Army broadcast journalists really can work 72 hours without sleep.

2009-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Our so-called "white cell" personnel. Proof positive that Public Affairs people are simply not normal. It was SGT Rangel's birthday. He's the one with the hat!

2009-01-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

SPC Fardette hard at work with our new equipment during our recent MRE.

2009-01-17T09:42:00.001-08:00

SSG Burrell talks with someone on the phone about something important during our recent MRE while PFC Johnson looks on. I'm guessing he's ordering pizza.

MRE...and not the kind you eat...

2009-01-13T04:50:00.001-08:00

After a week of mobilization inprocessing, paperwork, and other minute details we FINALLY get to do what a Public Affairs Detachment does...Public Affairs stuff.

Yesterday we started our MRE...Mission Readiness Exercise. We invaded "Camp Liberty" Public Affairs Office (otherwise known as the Ft. Dix Public Affairs Office) and set up the Media Operations Center. Almost instantly there was a flurry of activity with journalists finding story ideas and setting up interviews, officers looking for information on the website and monitoring input from our "white cell", i.e. the guys behind the scenes who are running our exercise.

Think the Wizard of Oz except you have to pay attention to the man (and woman) behind the curtain! We get so-called media queries, answers from higher, and other information from the white cell and we have to react accordingly with press releases or distribution of information or even photographs. It's very realistic and fun and a chance for me, as the commander of this fine unit, to finally see what my officers and journalists are capable of. So far it's been very impressive, even the half-asleep night shift.

We will do this at least through Thursday and then we can recoup, do an after action review, clean our cameras, load our equipment back on the conex, and continue through the regular mobilization process.

On another note, as our movement day looms closer and closer our Soldiers are starting to accept the reality that they are going to be gone for a year. While we were in Bryan they still had a lot of freedoms, freedoms that we no longer have, i.e. wearing civilian clothes and going out to restaurants, nightspots, movies, or any other form of "after hours" activities they choose. Now we cannot drive private vehicles and we have to eat chow at the dining facility. It's a very long list of things that we have had to adapt to as part of the mobilization process.

But we still have e-mail. I remember deploying to Bosnia in January of 1998 through Ft. Benning, Georgia. The Internet and e-mail was still relatively new and to check e-mail Soldiers had to go to one building at Ft. Benning and use WebTV that was very slow. Most Soldiers didn't use it because they didn't even have a computer at home, much less e-mail.

Now, here at Ft. Dix, you walk into the dayroom in the evenings and there are many Soldiers in there, hunkered down over laptops, sending e-mail and doing other things. Most of our Soldiers have laptops, including my little ultra-portable, and the barracks have wireless Internet access. We can e-mail or blog from just about anywhere these days. How things have changed!

Ahhh, technology...I'm guessing the next time I deploy (shut your mouth!) instead of getting into theater via aircraft I'll just be beamed from one place to another in an instant. :)

What'll get us out of here faster?

2009-01-11T05:36:00.000-08:00

That's the answer we've had to the main question around Ft. Dix this week.

Ft. Dix is halfway between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants so there is a good balance of fans from both teams here. So, as we've moved through inprocessing and people have asked us "are you Eagles or Giants fans?" we respond with "what'll get us out of here faster?"

Or if we see a jersey from that team we start talking about how wonderful Donovan McNabb is or how talented Eli Manning is...hoping that we'll be done just a bit quicker.

It has been crazy busy here since we arrived late Tuesday. The mob process used to be 3 months long...now it's about 21 days so the minute we got up Wednesday morning everyone wanted a piece of the 211th and its staff. I was expected to defy physics and be in no less than 4 places at one time! As usual, we handled everything with our usual mix of humor, inside jokes, and a touch of sarcasm.

So far we've worked our way through finance, family support, and medical...including yet another typhoid shot for me! I don't know how the Army continues to find shots to give me.

Next week we start our MRE...Mission Readiness Exercise. We deploy to "Camp Victory" (otherwise known as the Ft. Dix Public Affairs Office) and run our Media Operations Center 24/7. This is the first time our journalists have been able to get out and do real stories on real Soldiers doing real things so it's going to be nice to see their talent. We've got 4 - 5 days of that and then we go into range operations. We qualified with our M16 rifles when we were here in October but since then we have acquired M4 rifles so we have to requalify. Considering it's going to be about 4 degrees outside when we do, that's going to be a fun day. Not.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers...we're doing a fine job and all of our friends and families should be proud of us!

How Do You Measure A Year?

2009-01-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee,
in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
how do you measure a year in a life?

Jonathan Larson - Seasons of Love - Rent Soundtrack

Tomorrow, January 5, is the Big Day. You know..That Day. That Date. The one that's printed on our mobilization orders. The Date we've been working towards since 10 October (and sooner). The Date that it all begins.

How do you measure a year out of your life? A year away from your kids, spouse, lover, friends, life? How do you measure a year of your life with little privacy and few personal freedoms? Right now a year seems immeasurable... a lifetime from this perspective at this moment in time. I just put my car in storage and it's going to be more than a year before I drive it (or probably any other vehicle) again. All my household goods are in tan boxes in a storage unit. I said goodbye to my friends and family last summer when I relocated to Bryan but it's still difficult knowing that they are soon going to be so much farther away than they are now...out of text and phone call reach. Other Soldiers in my unit are spending today saying good-bye to their families, their friends, their lives. Tomorrow we will all be back together at the Reserve Center in Bryan and doing final preparations for our departure to Ft. Dix early Tuesday morning.

I believe that the year spent in Iraq will go by quickly. Before we know it we'll be welcoming our replacement unit (if there is one) and getting our gear ready for our return to the US. Then we can do the reverse of what's happening today...seeing our families, seeing our friends, getting back into our lives.

And in between?

A lifetime of adventures. A chance to experience a culture directly opposite of what have here in the US. A chance to grow personally and professionally, to look back in 5 years and say "I was a part of that" or "I did that". A chance to meet new people and learn new things. A chance to grow as a human being and learn something new about yourself.

This year will be good or bad for each Soldier, depending on the attitude they bring with them tomorrow. For me, it's melancholy...it was 6 years ago that I was doing the exact same thing at this time: prepping for deployment to Kuwait and then possibly Iraq. I left for mob station at Ft. Benning on 4 January 2003 as ADVON for the 318th PAOC. We didn't know what the future held for us at the time since there was still a chance that Saddam Hussein would turn himself in before the 18 March deadline. How ironic that I was one of the first Public Affairs Officers into Iraq in 2003 and, hopefully, will be one of the last ones out.

Here I sit in my apartment, empty of everything except what is going to Iraq with me. My life feels kind of empty as well right now. But tomorrow? That will change as I work with the unit to get the last of the gear packed and shipped, talk to our bus drivers, turn in my computer, and clean out my desk.

Then for a year I'll be busy and my life will be full. Adventures. That's how I'm going to mark my year.

Oh yeah, and definitely cups of coffee. ;)

What a Day!!

2008-12-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

My day today started early with a drive to Austin to give my car up for 3 days for more service. Then I went straight to work...so by the time I got there at 0945 I'd already been driving 4 hours!

The fun began when I couldn't log onto my computer. We have to use our CAC (or military ID) cards to log onto our computers. The card goes into a reader on the computer and then you have to enter a PIN to log onto the computer. I tried 3 times to put my card in the reader but the computer wouldn't pick it up. I rebooted. it wouldn't work again. I rebooted again. It still wouldn't read my card. Until I realized that I was trying to log onto my computer with...my VISA card. Amazingly enough, when I used my actual CAC card I was able to log on. :)

Then I got my LES (Leave and Earning Statement...our paycheck stub) and realized I'd gotten paid $846! I was paid more than that when I joined the Army as a Private 19 years ago! Stressed, I called the finance and accounting office it took two hours for them to realize that I had a debt of $9,000. But it was a clerical error...somebody put the wrong code blah blah blah wasn't supposed to get BAH blah blah blah need to do blah blah blah. Okay, just tell me two things:
1. How are you going to fix this?
2. How long before my money is back in my account?

Oh yeah, I also finished up the last of the paperwork to take to Ft. Dix. I think. Seems every time I open the mobilization notebook to make sure everything is done I find one more document that I need. I think it's all done now. Famous last words!

Cheers, and Happy New Year to all!

The first day after Christmas...

2008-12-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

...my true love and I had a fight. I took and chopped that pear tree down and burned it just for spite..!

Okay, that was a song I remember from Junior High Concert Choir. Sadly enough, that's the only line I remember...

I can only hope that everyone reading this (and those who don't) had a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. I had a very Merry, peaceful, and quiet Christmas. I'm in San Diego visiting my friend, Cindy, who recently had surgery and is a little on the sick side. That's okay...she's been lying around making fun of me going to Iraq and I've been sitting around making fun of her stitches. :) What a pair. Right now I am uploading all of her CDs into iTunes and then will dump them on her iPod. I knew that she wanted me out here for a reason! She's on a total liquid diet (most of it through an IV) and I've shown my solidarity by joining her in a liquid diet. But we're consuming two different types of liquids.

Tomorrow I head back to Bryan through Houston and then start final prep for mobilization after the New Year. So much to do! I remember sitting in my den last year, in Minneapolis, looking at my Christmas tree and sadly thinking that it would be 2, maybe 3, years before I saw my tree again. Since my stuff stayed in storage after I moved to Texas, I didn't have a tree for Christmas 2008. No lights, no tinsel, no lighted village underneath. No garland on the mantel, no wreath on the door, no Advent wreath on the dining room table. Well, here it is...Christmas 2008...I wasn't able to put my tree up and since my friend has been ill she and her husband didn't get their tree up either. You would think that I would be sad. But I'm not...because I've had such a great time here with them, eating cookies and swapping stupid stories, that I didn't even notice there wasn't a tree. Well, I did notice, but it didn't bother me because I always know that Christmas means more to me than decorations. Religious beliefs aside, Christmas is a time to remember how lucky I am that I have my health, my friends, and my life. It's a time to reach out to those who mean so much to us or even to reach out to those we dislike...even if it's just to say "Merry Christmas" and move on.

So, I didn't get a tree this year and the reality is that I probably won't get a tree Christmas 2009, either. But be warned...next time I do get the chance to get my tree up there will be so many ornaments, lights, and tinsel on the tree that the branches will droop down!

Silent Night...

2008-12-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

...or should I sing "Silent Hallways"?

Yesterday, right before noon, we released our Soldiers here on ADT for premobilization training for the holidays. They will spend the next 12 days at home with their families, or out visiting their friends, or maybe even just hiding away from it all and enjoying what is probably their last moments of peace, quiet, and privacy.

I was anxious for them to leave! I still had some last-minute work to do: paperwork, organizing, phone calls, arranging things. I wanted them out of my office and out of my hallway so I could work in peace and quiet.

But now, today, I want them back. It didn't take me too long yesterday to start wandering the hallways, looking for someone to accomplish a task or just to talk to. My office co-horts (in crime) were nowhere to be found. I kept walking by the computer lab and sneaking a peek inside, hoping to see the Soldiers as they were working on the computers or finishing paperwork. But the lab was empty and dark, all the chairs put up on the tables. There were no sounds of laughter, no shouts of "permission to enter the commander's office to send a fax!", no sounds of footsteps on the stairs and then the slam of the hallway door. Nothing. Just the hum of the air conditioner blowing cold air into an already cold office.

As a commander I am truly blessed with the talent and positive attitudes that I am surrounded with in the Soldiers of the mighty fightin' 211th. As we sat on the floor in a semi-circle yesterday, listening to Santa while he read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and munching on sugar cookies, I looked around at all the faces that had become so familiar to me over the past 2 1/2 months. (Thankfully Santa didn't use PowerPoint!) I still remember 10 October, our official "hit" day, and how very far away 23 December seemed at the time. We had so much work to do...21 days of RTC, multiple classes, paperwork, packing, equipment training, etc. Now, it's done. We've done all that we can do prior to arrival at Ft. Dix and I am confident that all will go well.

I've never been with a unit so prepared to go into a hot zone, not just with the required training, but with the upbeat, professional mental attitude that must go with Soldiers for a successful mission. We have truly become a unit, a family, a band of brothers and sisters, who are ready for anything that Ft. Dix and points beyond can throw at us. Like a true family we have had our squabbles and misunderstandings. But also like a true family, we take care of one another and help each other when necessary.

Many of us have already been deployed. For some of us, this is our second trip down the yellow brick road to Iraq. We have experience and we know, for the most part, what to expect. But we also know that no two deployments are the same, even if you go to the same place. Especially with the new Status of Forces Agreement and other changes in personnel that are already starting to alter the structure of US forces in Iraq. But I am confident that the 211th will adapt and overcome, and face any changes with the same professionalism...and humor...that we have faced problems with since 10 October.

I miss you, 211th. Come back in January safe and sound...and ready.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Ready...Aim...Fire!

2008-12-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the 211th MPAD is filled with some excellent dancers? Well, that's what I thought anyway after I saw many of them dancing around in line, waiting their turn to get their Christmas present from Uncle Sam...a little white plastic bottle.

We did a required urinalysis today. Always fun!

The funny part is that everyone always starts slamming back water, soda, coffee, or juice once they realize that they are being held captive in a small, stuffy room until they give the required product for testing, no matter how long it takes. The problem is that once you fill the bottle, there's still much much more liquid left inside your body. I had to go to the bathroom again before I even turned in my full bottle. And the need to pee continues throughout the day because basically your eyeballs were floating.

Our training days in Bryan are winding down...tomorrow we start some broadcast journalist training and loading our equipment into our conex for shipping. Friday we finish up those tasks and also have two holiday gatherings: a luncheon at the Reserve Center with all the Center personnel; and a party at the home of one of our former Soldiers. Saturday we have family readiness briefings and then Sunday...we'll find something to do! Monday we do our Physical Fitness Test (push ups, sit ups, and a 2-mile run or 2 1/2 mile walk for the older, broken crowd). Then Tuesday I send all those Soldiers back to their families for the holidays. I didn't think I'd ever say this...but I'm going to miss those guys...even those noisy ones who invaded my office last October and turned my peace and quiet into chaos. I had a whole room to myself once, where I could do work and have privacy. But since October 10 my office has been shared with 4 other people. I'm sure while I'm there over the holiday break I'll be looking around for them, ready for a joke or a lunch break or an impromptu BUB to solve issues or bring up others.

Who Invented PowerPoint?

2008-12-14T16:10:00.001-08:00

And were they properly punished for unleashing such pain and terror on an unsuspecting world? I wonder how our lives would have been affected if no one had invented a method of putting bullet comments on a computer screen, later to be projected onto a larger screen for people to view en masse. Think of all the information we wouldn't know without PowerPoint: statistics; lists of _____ (fill in your own word....I pick vitamins); points of contact; directions for doing just about anything. How could we ever have evolved as a civilized population without PowerPoint and its evil twin, Excel?

But the most amazing thing about PowerPoint is its ability to put people to sleep. Better than any lullaby written by Brahms or drug known to man! I don't know why people spend money on sleeping pills when all they need to do is watch some form of a PowerPoint slide show, preferably one about a topic that has nothing to do with their job or is redundant, duplicate information. It's a treat to stand in front of a group of people and try to educate them on important topics such as nutrition or performing contract negotiations and watching their eyelids slowly close.

It's also a pain that the heat has been turned on in for the winter in our building. That's a good thing except for the fact that it's 80 degrees outside! There's nothing like having the heat on and every window on our floor open, some with fans bringing in cooler air from the outside. My office is a sauna. If I were sitting in a Jacuzzi with a glass of wine that would be nice. But not at work trying to do the last details for mobilization. It's making us cranky.

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It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas...

2008-12-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

So, since mid-November I've been in a Scroogey mood regarding the holidays. I have always liked to decorate my house every year from Thanksgiving through New Year's with all types of decorations. But this year all my stuff is in storage so I didn't have anything to put around the house. Well, except for the ceramic pumpkin and the 2-foot Christmas tree that I dragged with me from Minnesota.

The day after Thanksgiving was always my favorite day for decorating...dragging the Christmas tree from the living room into the den (because, you know, I never saw a reason to actually take it down in January when I was just going to put it up again in 11 months), putting garland on the fireplace, hanging lights in the bushes outside. Those lights always looked cool when they were covered with snow.

And it's hard to be in the Christmas spirit when it's 85 degrees outside! It's supposed to be cold. And white.

So it was nice a few weeks ago when I had my household goods delivered out of military storage into a private storage unit. I was able to pull out a few boxes of Christmas decorations. And then yesterday we had some snow! Right here in Bryan, Texas! Some flurries in the morning and then clear skies. But around 2 or so it started snowing just a little bit (not "real hard" as 1LT Sarratt stated). By the time we got to the track and started running the stairs for PT it was snowing harder and it was windy.

It was like being in Minnesota again. In April. :)

After PT was over I went driving around for a bit, enjoying the falling snow and the cold weather. Temperatures dropped to the 30s overnight but by about 9 this morning all the snow was gone. The high today is supposed to be around 60.

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

We had a team here yesterday going through the finance and supply records that we have to cart to Ft. Dix for mobilization. (The phrase "we're here to help" makes me very nervous.) Today we did some more training, including make-up classes for those who have missed previous classes. Those Soldiers are hard to find when it's time for make-up classes...don't worry...I'll find you!

We've reached the "small stuff" part of mobilization. All the big stuff is done. The files are mostly ready, our equipment is ready for storage, shipment, or turn-in, most of the classes are finished. It's time to add the final details...the things that are going to make us crazy once we get to Ft. Dix.

Oh yeah, these people think THIS weather is cold! Wait until we get to Ft. Dix. New Jersey. In January. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

OUCH!

2008-12-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

You ever have one of those days you wish would never start? Or would be over with before you got out of bed?

Today was a big day for us...a day most of us have been dreading for a while: IV stick day! Since Thursday our unit has been sitting through a Combat Lifesaver Course to learn fun stuff such as sticking needles in people's chests to relieve built up air, carting people from Point A to Point B in a litter, and applying a tourniquet. I have to admit that these classes have upped my appreciation for anyone who is in the medical field, especially those who routinely find themselves up their elbows in blood.

Today everyone had to start a saline lock and IV. But not on manikins (not my spelling!!). Oh no...we got to impale, er, start an IV in our own unit members. I grabbed Hinojosa and jumped into the first line so I could get it over with before I chickened out. We were second for our group and Hinojosa stuck me first. She did a good job even though she hit the catheter when it was already in my arm. Ouch!!! Not too much blood came out, either. She did a nice job.

When it came for my turn to stick her we decided that I should stick Logue since Hinojosa's veins were nowhere to be found (can't blame them...I'd hide too if I saw me holding a large needle!). At first I was so excited...I had stuck Logue with no blood drops! Turns out I had gone right through the vein. :( Since this was her second stick I had to find a new victim. Thanks Alfaro! I passed...had some blood seepage, but nothing major. I was glad to get that over with.

Later on Johnson needed someone to stick so I offered her my arm. She did a fabulous job...no blood came out at all! She certainly had a nice touch.

After the written test we were all presented our certificates stating we were now certified. Except for Burrell...I made a mistake on his rank when I submitted the roster. When did he make SSG? I could have sworn he was a SGT when I picked him up at the airport a few weeks ago. Sorry SSG Burrell. You'll get your certificate on Monday.

And then there were 20...

2008-12-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

At first there were 18.

Even though the Soldiers of the 211th have been training together since October 10, and even though the Soldiers of the 211th have bonded well, there has always been a hole that we couldn't fill...until yesterday. We had 20 Soldiers on our battle roster when we arrived at RTC on 18 October but we had 2 Soldiers who couldn't train with us, so we were incomplete. These two Soldiers were attending school and graduated while we were at RTC so they were waiting for us when we returned to Bryan in November.

And then there were 19.

Unfortunately, we lost a Soldier off of our battle roster at the end of RTC for reasons known to him. That was a dark day for me and for the rest of the unit. I hated saying good-bye to this Soldier. I hated sending him back to his unit in Tennessee. Our family was losing a valuable member...someone who contributed to the high level of professionalism in our unit as well as the high level of...insanity.

We then went through a few Soldiers who didn't work out for various reasons before we finally wound up with SPC Soles. He arrived yesterday and we were happy to welcome him into our family. I hope nobody warned him about our unit. :) I told him he would be "up to his ears in alligators" and today he spent most of the day inprocessing and enduring Power Point classes, getting caught up on the required training. Like a trooper, he did everything asked of him.

And then there were 20.

Family and Friends

2008-11-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

Family members have always been important to Soldiers, especially those preparing to head off to deployment. After Soldiers, family members are the Army's most valuable asset and we need to salute their efforts and support.

In my previous deployments my family members have always been supportive, from letting me park my car in their driveway to receiving my mail and then forwarding it to me.

But what about friends? Our friends who support us are truly the unsung heroes of military personnel. Only until recently Army programs have ignored the support we get from non-family members and even now it's not always enough. And I must say...I have the best friends in the whole world!

Even way back in Bosnia in 1998, when deploying Soldiers were the minority, my friends stepped up to the plate and kept up my morale. Suz sent me cookies and Star Trek: Voyager videos while Michelle sent me untold amounts of funny e-mails and stories. In Kosovo the videos and cookies and emails continued and then B and Kel sent me West Wing videos.

For this deployment planning has been difficult. The hardest thing to organize is my mail. I don't get a lot of mail (yay for auto pay on the Internet) but still...I need to have it collected and forwarded. Step in Judy. She and I basically grew up together back in Alabama...we were inseperable. We had a lot of fun times. But we grew up, I moved away, and life moved on. Now Judy lives just down the road from me in Austin and we had a chance to reconnect. She has generously offered to gather my mail at a PO box and forward it to me every week or so. It might seem to some like an insignificant task, but to me it's a huge relief. One less thing that I have to worry about. And she's also offered to start my car up once a month or so while it's parked in the garage of yet another friend. Both of these tasks are time-consuming and a big responsibility and Judy has never even hesitated to offer her support. And this past week over Thanksgiving her and another Alabama transplant, Jennifer, both stated that they wanted to send packages not only to me but to the unit. Whatever we need just ask and they'll send it to us.

Oh yeah, thanks Barbara for checking in on my stuff in storage! And to B for holding and eventually sending the Keeping Up Appearances DVD.

So, we need to remember the families of our Soldiers, how much they have sacrificed and what they go through when a Soldier deploys. But let's not forget those who aren't related but who nonetheless offer us support, making our lives just a little bit easier when we're dealing with a lot of difficulty. :)

2008-11-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

2008-11-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

2008-11-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Almost Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

1SG Martinez told me today I had to update my blog or he was going to make me sit in the corner and take a timeout.

To say that life at the 211th is busy is like saying it snows in Minnesota once in awhile. We are about 6 weeks away from heading off to the desert and between training, administrative requirements, and physical training all the Soldiers in the mighty fightin' 211th are putting in some long hours.

I don't think I can ever say it enough, but with each and every passing day I get more impressed with the 211th Soldiers. After weeks of training and 21 days at RTC, the unit has come together nicely. Soldiers are becoming more comfortable with their assigned tasks and responsibilities and the result is...a well-oiled unit. I can't wait to get into theater and start MPAD-ing. Is that a word? It is now!

I think the funnest (or maybe funniest?) training we've done is HUMVEE licensing last week. We borrowed three brand-new (less than 200 miles) up-armored HUMVEEs from our higher command, borrowed driver trainers from another command, and spent three days out learning to go up, down, through, between, and upside down. No, not upside down...that was another training session!

It's been over 6 years since I last drove a HUMVEE and never an up-armored one. Fun!!! And going cross-country through the Texas backwoods was a thrill. At one point I was driving up a hill so steep I could only see blue sky.

I want to wish anyone who reads this a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm heading to Austin to see an old friend and then on Friday I'm taking my car in for service. Unfortunately we're back on Saturday to pick our training back up. What a weekend.

Wicked Cool

2008-10-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

That's all I have to say about the last 8 days here at Ft. Dix. Wicked Cool. What a great group of Soldiers! I'm the lucky one here...19 Soldiers ready to go, lock, stock, and...lollipop. It's going to be a great year. :)

This is Just a Test

2008-10-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Testing, Testing - Is this thing on?