Basic Training: September 2005 Archives

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September 28, 2005

Bedding

The sheets and comforters they give us always make me laugh. My best guess is they were donated by the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world when they dont sell after a certain amount of time. Most are somewhat ugly floral patterns. However, it is always funny to know that your battle buddies are all tucked in snug under comforters covered in teddy bears or giant crayons!

Posted by TJ at 06:06 PM | Comments (1)

September 22, 2005

Photos

This is a mosque that Saddam was building. When finished it will be the largest in the world. I've had some friends drive by it and it is immense. I believe the little domes around it are as big as the one in my previous set of photos. We can only see this on very clear days, as it is usually obscured by the haze of sand that always seems to be in the air, so this isnt a great photo.

The "Victory Over America" palace. Heh. Oops. Better change that name!

This is part of the back of the Baath Party HQ building from my prior set of photos. It definately took a beating.

I discovered this on the monument on our hill. It is Saddam's signature. The words
directly below the autograph are "Saddam Hussein".

Bullet holes. Big bullet holes.

T72s really didn't stand a chance.

I really hope they didn't use these against us. It just wouldn't be fair.

Posted by TJ at 07:51 PM | Comments (0)

Connection problems

I've been having some serious connection problems the past few days. I've actually had to sit in a chair outside to get a good connection and the mosquitos are really starting to come out. It's not the bites I'm worried about - it's what they carry in this part of the world...

Anyway, thats why I have been late in some emails. Ill still be on alot, but not for as long. Once this is all resolved however, Ill be back with avengeance :)

Im going to try and post more photos tonight, we will see how it goes.

Posted by TJ at 07:08 PM | Comments (1)

September 21, 2005

The distusting MSM Part II

I guess my concern was met and my post about hurricane Katrina was misunderstood after all. And if this person can, then people who have not known me as well or as long may as well. I admit I am a little surprised but after rereading, I can see where I went wrong.

The last people I was grilling were those that are the worst off. Families without homes. Families who lost loved ones. Families who have no idea where some of those loved ones are. I did not mean to infer that I thought that everyone was taking advantage of the aid being sent by the government and uncountable private institutions. Those who are truly in need should get what they need to get their lives back together.

That being said, my post had 2 theses:

1) The people who stayed despite all the warnings deserve most of the blame for what happened to them.

2) Those who are taking advantage of this situation for personal gain, either monetary, professional, political, etc, should be ashamed. And the rest of us need to remember who they are.

I mentioned the $200 billion from the federal government broken down and divided equally among all the displaced families would equal roughly $400,000 each. Now toss in all the privately raised funds. Does anyone really believe that any family will see anywhere near this amount? No. It will be bled away by the various middlemen agencies to do "studies", make "fact-finding trips", hire "consultants", not to mention pay the salaries and bonuses of their executives. (Non-profit does not mean non-revenue by any stretch.) Even though I feel $400k is too much, I would much rather see the government cut them checks to let them buy a home and restart elsewhere tomorrow, than watch these bloodsuckers all posture and plead in front of the cameras about how all they want to do is "help these poor, poor people", while those they claim they are trying to "help" continue to sleep on cots in the Astrodome (or wherever they are are now being moved).

Anyone who blames President Bush or Mike Brown or "white people" for these problems has no business at the big people's table and need to step aside and let serious people get something done. Period.

Finally, those who started it all - the media. All they care about is ratings, and they will put anything on that they think will make people switch from another network.

Posted by TJ at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

Stuff

There won't be many postings like that last one. I simply don't have the energy to write about squabbling that I don't see all the time on TV or read in the papers. Besides, I usually have too many other things to write about - at least right now. Maybe I'll get bored and get back into more political postings.

I've been having problems with SkypeOut. Calls go through but the person receiving the call cannot hear me. I really like the idea and the system so I hope they fix it soon, but from the looks of their forums, its a long-term problem and they aren't very good about their customer service. I'll be looking for another service to use. However, the Skype to Skype connections are good, so if you have broadband and a microphone, let me know.

More photos to come tomorrow or Thursday.

Posted by TJ at 09:16 PM | Comments (1)

The disgusting MSM

I got back from the gym a few days ago, and what had been on the TV made me want to throw up. All the bodies in Louisiana and Mississippi are not even found yet from hurricane Katrina and ABC news has decided to combine the always lucrative reality TV and disaster movie genres. They had a show on ABC Primetime basically showing all kinds of even worse potential disasters - hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics, nuclear blasts in NYC... And guess what? We are not prepared for a single one of them! They trotted out expert after expert over how the federal government hasn't done this, or hasn't done that.

Well, guess what? This is America, land of opportunity and freedom (i.e. the freedom from governmental tyrrany). We all also have many individual rights; however, with the more rights comes the responsibility to exercise them properly. The federal government is not our nanny. They are not here to bail us out of every jam we get into, they are there to help us when we really need it. And some people really need it right now, and they are getting it. A couple people needed help so badly that they took their $2000 FEMA debit cards and bought $800 Louis Vitton bags with them. I could use that kind of help. Do you realize the federal government is allocating $200 billion for disaster relief? With that money, they could give $400,000 to each family left homeless by the hurricane. Ridiculous, especially when you consider all the lawsuits that will undoubtedly be piled on top of that. Welcome to America in the 21st century.

I can't believe all the carping by the pundits over how "late" relief was and how people are dieing because FEMA didnt get there in time. What???? How about all the billions of dollars spent over decades on research into technologies such as doppler radar, and the engineering required to fly a plane into the middle of a hurricane and measure its strength and direction. The people of New Orleans knew this thing was comming and yet many still decided to stay. For decades, experts have been talking about how the levees of New Orleans could barely hold back the storm surge of a category 2 storm and that since a huge portion of the city is below sea level, a larger storm would be a catastrophe. The federal government, in all their wisdom, rejected a project in the 70s (not headed by the HalliBusHitlerCo!!!) that would have strengthened the levees and provided some protection against just this sort of storm surge. I bet the cost wasn't even close to $200 billion, adjusted for inflation or not. People died because they didn't leave their homes before the storm. They were warned. They knew what would most likely happen. Darwin award anyone?

"Oh but some were so poor they didn't have cars and couldn't get away." Last I looked, Amtrack (fedrally subsidized I might add) and Greyhound weren't very expensive. Neither is a 2 or 3 night stay at a Motel 6 to wait for the storm to pass. What also thrives in the area? Churches. If someone doesnt have a car or phone and still really wants to get out and needs help, why not go to your local chruch. If they can't help you directly, and even if you're not a Christian, I guarantee the pastor has some pull in local government and can help you get out.

My rant continued a little, but it started to get off topic. Instead, I will link to this great post at Shots Across the Bow, the 1st weblog to ever link to me. Rich pretty much said everything I wanted to, but I didnt have the time. Here's a snippet:

The problems are solved and now we can all rest securely in the knowledge that, if another disaster hits New Orleans, the response will be swift, sure, and effective, all because Mike Brown, head of FEMA, has resigned. In one swift move, we know longer have to worry about things like:
Mayor Ray "Potty Mouth" Nagin failing to follow his own evacuation plan by utilizing city and school busses to transport folks out of the city.

Governor Kathleen "CryBaby" Blanco failing to call out the National Guard and refusing assistence from other State Guard units, and the Red Cross.

Thugs breaking into gun stores, stealing every weapon they could get their hands on, then using them to shoot at helicopters bringing in aid, contractors trying to restore power, and anybody that seemed to be trying to help.

Cops walking off the job, turning in their badges, or worse, joining in with the looters, making sure they got their share of the spoils.

The local government refusing to allow food and water to be staged at the Superdome because they didn't want people there anyway.

The local government failing to call for an evacuation until about 20 hours before the storm hit.

The local government failing in fact to follow virtually any part of its emergency response plan

No, we don't have to worry about any of that anymore because Mike Brown has resigned. Forget about the fact that he had no input into any of these colossal blunders. Forget about the fact that FEMA is not designed as a primary response agency. Forget about the fact that this was the biggest natural disaster ever to occur in the US, totally decimating the infrastructure which a national response would require. Forget all of these facts, because we as a nation are not interested in facts anymore; we want somebody to blame and Mike Brown is taking the fall.

Read it all.

Posted by TJ at 07:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Bombings

Yeah, we heard all the car bombings yesterday, and even saw some of the smoke plumes over the city. There were 2 sets of 5 or 6 booms a few seconds apart. We initially thought they were mortars, turns out they were just bigger and farther away.

I hope Zarqawi screws up and decides to make a public appearance in Baghdad. They would tear him limb from limb.

Posted by TJ at 09:22 PM | Comments (1)

September 13, 2005

AAFES

AAFES is starting to make us all mad. Its the little things. Many items they sell are a bargain, others not so great, but when they seem to deliberately go out of the way to screw us over while deployed... I just wish we had an alternative. Some examples:

They sell voltage converters for $30 and $50. Most laptop computers already have one so all we need is the little $1 piece to convert the plug type. They sell those, but they dont fit into the circular outlet housings in our trailers, so we have to buy the expensive converter.

They sell mechanical pencils with 1 lead in them, but do not sell replacement leads.

They sell Gilette Mach 3 razors, but do not sell replacement blades.

They dont give us change in increments less than a dollar. They use pogs - cardboard "gift certificates" valued at 5, 10, and 25 cents. They dont accept them in the US, and they know everyone is going to go home with a few unused, so they get to keep that money too.

Even worse, back in the states, they sell gasoline and cigarettes. They are not taxed by individual states, but do they pass this savings onto the soldiers? Nope. They charge us the normal state tax and pocket the difference.

Posted by TJ at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2005

Skype

My roommate turned me on to this program called Skype. Its kind of like an IM program with a VOIP interphase. 2 users who both have the system can talk for free. I also can call US numbers for about $.02 per minute and you can even call me, and leave a voicemail if Im not there!

Get a headset with a microphone and sign up - its free.

Posted by TJ at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

What to send

Ive had a few people now ask me what sort of things I wanted them to send me. Since this post has been here a while, there are a few PXes where we can get most of the things we need. Also, I am not allowed to ask for anything from people I do not know, however if you know a soldier over here, or send to a program such as Any Soldier, these are some things you may consider:

Paperback books and magazines, not only does the soldier get to enjoy them, they can turn them in to a library afterward for others.

CDs and DVDs. There are bootlet DVDs here, my personal favorites are TV shows such as 24, The Shield, and The Sopranos.

Im on an established base and we have BBQ equipment available. Im going to find out if Omaha steaks would survive the trip to an APO.

Common everyday items such as toothpaste, shampoo, Q-tips (also used to clean weapons), pipe cleaners, hand sanitizer, baby wipes.

Non-chocolate candies that will not melt.

Phone cards and writing supplies. No need to send stamps, we can mail regular sized letters for free.

That is a quick list, but should give you some ideas.

Posted by TJ at 09:54 PM | Comments (0)

Palace Gym

I just got back from PT in my new camp and it was quite something. The gym is located in a very nice building - I dont know if it qualifies as a palace but it is laid out as kind of a donut inside a round building. The floors are covered with hard rubber tiling but underneath is marble. Many of the walls are also covered in marble with copper inlays, some of which are missing, no doubt from right after the liberation. Chandeliers also hang in a few places.

Posted by TJ at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

My 9/11 Tribute

This is a photo from the Sept 12, 2001 New York Post. It was the one that
really got to me. I cut it out and carry it to remind me of why I am here.

Posted by TJ at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

Extra Duties

We got lucky sort of in our post duty. We do headcount in the dining hall at lunch. Unfortunately, during the day, our shift was the only one near this particular DFAC, so it was one of 3 of us for 2 weeks sitting for 2 hours counting people. Very boring work. Now that everyone has moved over here, we wont have it so often. We are lucky though in that it is an indoor duty, so we arent outside in the heat checking IDs or pulling some other guard duty.

Posted by TJ at 07:51 PM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

Moved

Well, we have moved to Camp Slayer and as I thought, I have Internet access in my room. Currently not going through our satellite dish but one of the DOD civilians here has 2 dishes and a commercial wireless router and sells access for about what we were going to pay. The connection isnt bad so we may decide to keep doing this and sell the dish.

Been a few minor sandstorms the past few days. Dont even know if they really qualify as storms because we havent been here for a big one yet. But the sand is as fine as flour and is in everything. I really do not like the taste and constantly breathing is but there is no way to stop it.

Its late and Im going to bed now. Have to unpack and try to organize tomorrow. I will work on fixing the archive and other pages here soon.

Posted by TJ at 11:28 PM | Comments (2)

September 07, 2005

The view from our hill

As I said, we can see almost all of the city

Another palace. Our dining facility is next to it

The Baath party HQ. The back of the building is rubble.

Posted by TJ at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)

Baghdad

There are palaces all over the place

and a few mosques

Of course, we dont live in such nice surroundings

We spared the palaces and mosques but the military buildings didnt fare so well

Posted by TJ at 08:54 PM | Comments (0)

From Kuwait to Iraq

Just 10 of us in the C17 with 4 vehicles and trailers

Sunrise over beautiful Baghdad International Airport

Posted by TJ at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)

Ranges to prepare for Iraq

This place is in the middle of nowhere

M16 and M4

The only civilization we see besides the camp out here is one guy who herds around camels every day

Mark-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Thats me! :)

Sunset

Posted by TJ at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)

Kuwait

Not the best setup outside

or inside

It is hot. Up to 130 degrees.

My buddy Jack's IR flag before the heat...

...and after. The glue melted and it slid right off the velcro backing

Posted by TJ at 08:34 PM | Comments (0)

Leaving Fort Drum

Packing up

That's me on your left

Message platoon

Hurry up and wait

They move us in style!

Posted by TJ at 08:18 PM | Comments (1)

Address again

Internet in my room! Well, in a neighbor's. We split the cost of a satellite and once we move we will set things up nice. In the meantime, I can do this now :)

They screwed up our mailing address.. again. For those of you who have mailed and had it bounce back, the APOAE is 09376. Im quite sick of this bs - its been a month. They swear to us, though that this one will work.

Posted by TJ at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2005

Work and other news

My platoon has finally started working regular hours and I got the 08-1600 shift. It would be easier to contact home had I gotten swing or graveyard, but I think Im better off with normal hours. We work on a hill (build by Saddam I think) that overlooks all of Baghdad and has quite spectacular views when the sand isnt blowing.

In about a week we are moving to a camp closer to that hill called Camp Slayer. Its on the same complex around the airport and is about a 20 minute drive from where we currently are living. So the move makes sense. The dining facility there is better as well. There is less choice but much better quality - a tradeoff I am willing to take. Best news yet, I pooled some money together with a friend and we bought a satellite dish and Internet equipment. We are going to hook up all 12-15 of us who move over to Slayer and split the cost of Internet access. Should be a good value and we will have Internet in our rooms. Soon the days of waiting 30 min to get on a slow machine for 30 min with a slow Internet connection will be over!

Finally, my laptop arrived yesterday so I can watch movies and TV shows I brought with me, or listen to CDs, or play Civilization or Kohan. It was getting pretty boring after dinner. I read maybe 6 or 7 books in 2 weeks and was even getting tired of that. I can also download my camera and will soon have some photos here of the trip over and my living conditions.

Posted by TJ at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)