Hypocrite?

I know this sounds strange ... but I would encourage everyone to watch the CBS evening news over the next few days.

Poor Word Choice

Come to think of it - I might have unintentionally led some of ya'll on about my return date. The fact remains that I don't have a solid return date ... just yet. The writing is on the wall; however, it is in Arabic. Trust me - I can't get out of here soon enough.

Padres won last night, and CY is going to pitch Thursday. I think that we'll sweep the Snakes. Exciting times.

I'll now turn to answering the mail:
Jack - Do yourself a favor, and end your quest to replicate the port-a-john expierence.
Duane - Keep drinking b/c your comments are hilarious.
Meg - Duane's taken it up two notches. Where have you been? You get no breaks.
Sean - Nice facebook pictures (ya'll should ask him).
Ben - Your Braves sticker didn't last very long. I put it up last night and found it torndown this morning. It was at one of the Fallujah train stations. Sorry about your luck. At least, AROD will be a Red Sox next year.

It all starts with goodbye.

It certainly comes as no surprise when I say it is amazing how fast time flies. Today started the latest influx of IA's to the region. The old salts are now gone, and the torch has passed to the group that I am part of. It is strange how hard I have to try to avoid the FNG syndrome to the new group. It just seems like yesterday I arrived in this country and looked at the men in my position with some wonderment. I remember telling myself not to ask the questions that I so desperately wanted to ask. I can see that same look in their eyes ... Ironically, they ask the questions, and strangely, I don't have an answer for them. Not much has changed in that regard. If this deployment has taught me one thing, it is that my opinion doesn't count, and I don't mean this in a negative sense. This tour has shown me that there is so much I don't know, so much above my pay grade, and so much information out there that is not at my disposal.

Through various forms of communication, I am often asked what I think about IA's, Iraq, the Marines, etc ... Foolishly, I've attempted to answer these questions. Only recently, have I changed to my current stance: I just don't know. I think that we are doing good things, progress has been made, I am learning a lot, etc ... I guess you just could sum it up as I believe in my leadership and trust their judgment. By saying such things, one could assume that I've earned my merit badge. I'd counter by saying that despite whatever personal opinions I might have - the fact remains that I owe the Sailors and Marine I work for and with my job to execute . The execution phase is the part of the operation that I can control. That will have to do for now.

Oddly enough, Fallujah made the national news last night. We had a suicide bomber go inside an Imam's office, and in the course of killing himself, he killed nine members of the Mosque - including the Imam and his son. Sad, very sad. I find it interesting that this is the news that the networks choose to show ... and somehow I'm sure that they'll spin it as a statement on the war. Are you kidding me? Disregarding progress in the name of some moron who goes inside an Iraqi mosque and does that? Nightmare.

Now back to the FNG's - the two questions that I did answer: Best part? The pay. Worst part? The toilets.

Padres

Continuing my quest to be ridiculous, I'll spend this time talking about everyone's favorite subject - the Padres. Good week for the Padres. They took two out of three from both the Mets and Phillies. Now, they return to San Diego to take on the Snakes and LA Dodgers. We managed to increase the Wild Card lead to 3.0 games and reeled in the Snakes to 3.0 games. In my humble opinion, this is the make or break week for the Padres. When the dust settles, I think that we'll see if we have a chance to win the division. Hopefully, CY comes back and pitches Thursday. We showed that we can swing the bats, as we scored nearly 70 runs and 80 hits in one week. I'm tired of reading about the PETCO jinx... the job of these fellas is to hit the ball. Home runs are nice and all, but they don't necessarily win games. If you don't believe me, just ask the Reds and Rangers.

Otherwise, things remain hot on the Iraqi front.

Iraqi Plumbing

The following post might be of questionable taste - so for some I might encourage you to skip this entry.

By large measure, the worst part of this deployment is the plumbing situation. It is so bad that I'd gladly pee in a water bottle or on a scorpion rather than use the sauna that is the port-a-john. Even with the clutch ability to "use it standing up" - it is not the highlight of my day. Previously, I've made mention of my brilliant plan to get air conditioning into the latrines (nice Army word). In recent weeks I have tried to push the issue; however, I continue to be met with resistance. I mean it is so bad that everyone monitors their food intake for the amount of potential blockage. As an interesting aside, a MRE works wonders for about three days. Who knew that a trip to the head takes off about five pounds? Back to the subject at hand, the time has come for me to think of other wonderfully brilliant ideas, because as a higher ranking official commented, "there will be no more discussion on the issue." Very well then.


The strangest part of the whole deal is that the port-a-johns are fairly clean and ten times better than the native ways. Attached are pictures of the typical bathroom. Yes, these bathrooms are in use. At any rate, you can see the toilet, a tap that dispenses water of worse quality than egg water, and an urn looking thing that holds water. The urn thing is what they use to wipe their hands when they are finished. No need to go into detail on that. I'll insert a friendly reminder not to shake a native of F-Town's left hand. The overall idea is that once you are finished you turn on the water and flood the toilet to encourage the deposits away. In turn, this will spark a conversation of what does away mean? I'll just say that away is equivalent to the distance to the street. So subtly I'll remind people not to walk in the puddles on the street.


I figure . . . I'll keep eating an MRE once or twice a week.

More progress

Pictures are a good thing - so in this little jib I've included two collages. They are of various murals that we've been able to contract out to the local nationals - the people of Fallujah. Previously, I mentioned the billboards, and we've come to the conclusion that that project is going to have to wait for a while. In the mean time we've been very successful at getting people to paint the drab walls that line the city. It sure makes for a nice change of scenery. As I have mentioned before, there is only so much beige a person can stand.

Also included is probably my favorite picture to date - the sunrise in Fallujah. Could this be the dawn of a new era? Let's hope so.

Coming tomorrow, everyone's favorite topic - Revisiting the Plumbing Situation ... Has progress been made? I'll have the stunning results in tomorrow's edition. And now, for the local news ...

Video Games?

I find myself masticating on the problem I created by promising to blog with increased frequency. I've tried all the tricks in the book to circumnavigate this issue - but it is just not working. The problem? I've got to keep this unclassified, and the majority of the stuff I'm involved in I can't discuss in this forum.

Rumors have intensified as to where I'll go next when 2/6 departs the pattern. It is hard to discern the truth, and I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't be up for a change of scenery. Annapolis is my choice destination -but what are the chances of that happening before the Navy gets every single day out of me? It is possible - see how positive I've become! My hat is off to those who do this for greater than seven months. The monotony in the face of eminent danger is the most dangerous weapon. The anti-coalition forces (read hooded idiots) can't hang with the danger that getting complacent has to offer.

My Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer board was postponed for another month. I guess there are some people who are redeploying soon, and they have the priority. I don't like it, but I understand. If I had my druthers, I'd just get it over with.

Who knows what the comings and goings will bring in the upcoming weeks? Ramadan is looming, and historically, it hasn't been an enjoyable time. Supposedly, the weather is starting to cool off - but I haven't seen it. Dinner tonight was terrible - but that was the exception rather than the rule. Hats off to the folks at KBR who run the chow hall. Why cook yourself when you can just pay someone else to do it? It frees up the Supply Marines to play video games. Marines are no different than Sailors - they love to pass the time playing video games. Madden 2008 has made its way over here and is all the rage ... the controls are too complicated, if you ask me - yet another sign that I am getting old.

Slowing Down

As you have noticed, my blog entries have been a little slow recently. I think that I've been trying to fight off post traumatic leave syndrome. It has been taking a toll on me - but never fear, I'm back! Fueled by Greg Maddux and the Padres, I am determined to get back in the posting business. The upcoming week is a big one for Padre nation. We'll find out if the Padres are for real. They start off with the east leading Mets and then travel on to Philadelphia to close out the weekend. The Phils currently trail the Padres by one game in the NL wild card race. The good news is that we'll send both Young and Peavy vs. the Mets. Speaking of Peavy ... what the hell? His comments in the Union-Tribune were ill timed at best. He's under contract until the end of the 2009 season and went on and on about how he doubts the Padres will pay him enough for services when his current contract is up.

At any rate, things here in IZ are going well. Ramadan is rapidly approaching, and that is usually marked by a spike in violence (ironic if you ask me). Part of me wishes that they come out and fight ... however, thei mportant part is to find out when they will stop fighting in whatever cowardly manner. I think that by the end of September we'll have our answer. I'll just close by saying that I think they'll find we're ready.

And, in the oh by the way category ... my parents didn't buy a corvette. They only brought it home to take pictures with it. They settled for a Tahoe. Oh, those funny jokers. Sorry Sean, I hear that they can get you a great price on a used Hyundai!

Wayworn?

Watching people ought to be given consideration as an actual profession. Some might argue that it already is - some sort of hybrid profession of Anthropology and Psychology. I'm just not too sure. I say this because I find it very fascinating to watch my Marines interact w/ one another. Let me stop you before you start thinking that I am about to go off on some diatribe about grunts. I'm simply saying that my current Marine unit has entered a phase of a noticeable change in behavior toward one another. I think it means that they are getting ready to go home. Here in a few weeks they will, "get their shit wired tight." They're just not close enough to put differences aside and work on solutions. Instead they're at the point where differences are accentuated. Take last night for example: Two individuals (one quite nebbish and the other bellicose) got into quite a heated discussion. Roles reversed and the passive aggressiveness came out in full force. All of sudden yelling started, and I found myself ambuscaded in the midst of the fracas. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and nothing truly noteworthy happened. All I can say is that it was two of the biggest men in the Battalion, and should they have decided to handle this in a bar-like fashion, I would have been toast (even in my Sponge Bob like frame). Would that have qualified me for the Purple Heart or Combat Action Ribbon? One could only guess, and luckily, I'll never know. Hopefully, I remember this lesson in the event I feel a quixotic nature brewing from within. We all know that I am by definition a person who is unflappable!

I need a Corvette.

Omnipresent in my mind has been the thought of what is next. Incipient feelings of uncertainty really seem to be leitmotif. That not withstanding, things here are moving along. My Padres are clambering along; Tony Stewart has won 3 of the last 4 NASCAR races; I'm back to running at a snails pace, and it's hotter than Hades. I continue to find a gallimaufry of things to keep me busy - including golf. My sandgame is still a little rough, but who doesn't like a challenge?

The other good news is that my relief, a Marine EWO, has made email contact. And as everyone knows, this is a clear sign that I am on the downhill slope. My Fleet Marine Forces Qualified Officer board is next week - so I am spending some time preparing. For those of you who don't know, it is like a SWO pin for the Marines.

In the recent days, two more care packages arrived: one from the Long Beach Moodys and the other from the Grieser Family of Kernersville, NC. From wildflower seeds to books - the packages had all bases covered. I can't reiterate how awesome it is to walk into my space and see a package from home on the desk.

Now if you recall, your efforts helped CY (of the Padres) make the all-star game. I need that same type of effort from ya'll now. My parents recently bought a Corvette and I think that it is only fitting that they buy Colleen and I one, too. So please help me put the pressure on! It is the least that they can do ...

So in closing in my best sotto voce - Go Padres!

Streets of Fallujah

I'm back from my first foot patrol in about a month. It was rather uneventful - and that is a great thing. The biggest thing that struck me was the obvious strides made in cleaning the city streets. Previously, you couldn't even tell if the roads were paved, b/c they were littered with debris, rubble, and dirt. As the picture shows - they have curbs (they are painted rather obnoxiously, but that is fine by me)! They have even taken it one step further and planted trees along all the major roads (you can see it on the right hand side of the picture). I can't wait for the trees to actually take root and introduce some color into this beige-dominated landscape. The streets were littered w/ people, and all the shops were open. Folks, this is a major step forward! People are at work and buying things; children were out playing soccer in the streets. Good times. I am not declaring victory, as there is plenty of work to be done, but it nice to see the proverbial bus moving along.

My Padres

I have been negligent in my duty of keeping everyone abreast of my Padres. Quite simply, it is tough to write about b/c they are stinking up the place. It is very frustrating. They are professionals who get paid to execute, and they aren't doing it. Yes, they have been hit by the injury bug; however, that isn't an excuse. Injuries happen to every team, and they just have to overcome them ... and hit the baseball! Jake Peavy pitches the finale against the Reds tomorrow, and assuming that he does his job, the Padres will have taken 2 of 3 from the ailing Reds. It would be a better way to finish up the less than impressive road trip. Coupled with the fact that the Snakes have won something like 18 of the last 22, it is going to be a long summer (Snake fans be careful about the recent success - they have been beating up on the likes of the Giants, Nationals, and Pirates). The upcoming home stand is crucial - they have got to play better. We still have 7 games left against the Snakes. You would have to figure that sooner or later they are going to have to cool down.

At any rate, tomorrow I head out into the city for the first time in weeks. I am curious to see with my own eyeballs the progress - I'm told that it is significant, especially in the area of trash and debris removal. 2/6's named operation continues to go real well. More on that in subsequent posts.

A little over four months left - but who's counting? So quit judging me!

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a huge "thank you" to the Sinclair family for the wonderful care package that was on my desk upon my return. Very cool and very nice - thank you very much!

Back at Work

Upon my arrival at my desk of 2x4s and plywood, I opened my email inbox to find about 1232 emails waiting for me. I am sure that they were all long past urgent - so I just deleted them. If it was really that important, I would have known it by now. Unsurprisingly, the war went on without me and progress was made at a tremendous rate.

I find myself pretty much in awe of what has transpired since my involvement in our efforts became personal. I came over to Iraq not knowing a damn thing and returned only to find the same crap on national news. If you ask me, yes, the troop surge is working. I think that questions arise when you talk about the business of Iraqi politics; however, that isn't our question to answer. What government doesn't have burning political questions that divide its populous on the correct answer? I feel that the answer to such a question is up to the Iraqi Government. In the interim our Airmen, Marines, Soldiers, and Sailors will continue to make great strides. Just do me the personal favor of not saying anything to the effect of: "I support the troops - not the war."

I hit some golf balls this afternoon only to find that I have regressed. The light on that wand is that it just means that I have to practice. Playing on a real golf course really messed up my swing!

I'll close by saying that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to come back for a short while. What made it more special was being around ya'll and knowing that my support network is alive and well.

Travelin Man

When the doors of my airplane opened at Kuwait International Airport and the 100 degree temperature (at 4am) smacked me in the face it was as if a death eater was waiting to suck the life out of me. Unable to summon my own patronus, the resounding truth appeared - I am back in the land of Babylon. Whether this was due to the phenomenal two week break or the excitement of the unknown of a ground tour in Iraq having long since sailed or the realization that I would once again have to submit myself to life in desert - I am unsure. However, this much is very true ... my return to Iraq this time is/was much tougher. Military travel is an amazing thing. It took five days of travel to get me to the states and a day and half to get back (I expect to be in Fallujah late this evening) and that is with an 18 hour adventure of waiting in the Atlanta airport. We actually boarded our plane three times before we actually departed. If I was a paying customer no one would put up with the hurry up and wait attitude. All we do is muster every couple of hours, fly, wait, muster and repeat the cycle. I can't help it - all I want to do is complain 1) 18 hour flight from Atlanta-Ireland-Kuwait in a crappy old DC-10 2) 1.5 hour flight in a C-130 from Kuwait to Iraq 3) a 20 minute ride in a CH-46 within Iraq 4) Topped off w/ a 45 minute convoy ride in a HMVEE to my final destination. Fun times.

All that notwithstanding, my break was much needed and fantastic. As usual, it was too short and I wish I had more time. And most importantly, it was unbelievable to get back to my girls (Colleen, Murph, and Keaton). Important footnote time ... Colleen and I are considering renaming our animals Murph to Murphlepuff and Keaton to Voldemort (of Harry Potter fame). I know it sounds cheesy, but quite possibly the best time I had during leave was reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows aloud to one another.

Among the highlight of events during the two week break (there were too many to list and I know that I am forgetting something):

* Watching two of my idols Cal Ripken and Tony Gywnn get inducted into Cooperstown
* Sean's surprise visit to Annapolis
* Pusser's with Dennis & Melissa, and Amber & John
* Lauren and T Tom's Biloxi Wedding
* Quality time with the Bent and Moody Families - and yes, I am still undefeated against Byron and Sean
* Shooting a 200 on the golf course
* Watching the Padres sweep the Giants and Barry hitting # 755 (in a losing effort) against my Padres (it was only fitting)
* Colleen's cooking
* Meeting our Midshipmen
* Putting on (or attempting at least) to wear my old clothes
* Running over the Naval Academy Bridge to the USNA golf course for the first time (C/ was still faster than I)
* Our 4 hour TV buying experience ... how many Best Buy's did we go to? 4?

So all in all I am in a good state of mind. The miles to appear longer as I near the finish line. However, I remain comforted in the fact that the end is in sight and I have not yet begun my sprint ...