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October 29, 2005
Friendly Fire
I was outside the gym after PT this morning waiting for my buddies to come outside. About 30 feet in front of me a see a flash, which is followed by a loud bang - about what you would get from an M-80. Naturally, I flinch, and then I hear 3 bullets zip not too far over my head, so I duck and head back inside.
It is almost a cliche, but time really did slow down in those seconds. Enough so that the time between the flash and the bang seemed seconds, even though that in 30 feet they would arrive miliseconds apart. I was also able to distinctly hear each of the 3 bullets trace their supersonic paths above me and slightly to my right.
We didn't have any protective gear on, so we stayed inside a few minutes. The MPs arrived and investigated. I and a couple others told them what we saw and they started to look around. Eventually, one found an impact site on the side of the building across the street. It was about 50 feet from where I was standing. There was no impact area on the ground, so we figured it was either a mortar or an RPG dud. From what you can see in the photo though, there is no way a mortar could hit there so I was betting on an RPG. Others saw the same flash in the area I saw it, so it must have been a ricochet or another round.
Find out later there was a patrol outside the FOB and a vehicle tried to break through their convoy. The rules of engagement in that situation is to fire warning shots. Apparently, these guys fired warning shots with a .50 cal machine gun and didn't realize they were firing in the direction of the FOB. I'm willing to bet they know now!
Anyway, it got the adrenaline pumping and I really dont know if I should be more relieved or scared that it was American fire that came so close.
Update: FOB stands for Forward Operating Base. You will see FOB Slayer, FOB Liberty, FOB Victory, etc in a war zone instead of Camp or Fort.
Posted by TJ at 05:14 PM | Comments (4)
Shame on the New York Times
The NY Times just can't seem to stop spinning the news to meet it's adjenda. In their so-called tribute piece about the 2000th death in Iraq, they profile CPL Jeffrey B Starr who died in Ramadi on April 30.
Sifting through Corporal Starr's laptop computer after his death, his father found a letter to be delivered to the marine's girlfriend. "I kind of predicted this," Corporal Starr wrote of his own death. "A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances."
"A third time" refers to his 3rd deployment to Iraq.
Well, the times, true to form, has taken this quote completely out of context and the meaning of what they protray is the exact opposite as that CPL Starr wished. Here is the full context:
"Obviously if you are reading this then I have died in Iraq. I kind of predicted this, that is why I'm writing this in November. A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances. I don't regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it's not to me. I'm here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark."
(Full story at Michelle Malkin)
If something happens to me over here, and anyone, anywhere takes something I said here and twists it to mean something other than I intended. I would hope that the people I knew, no matter their political leanings and feelings about this war, would not only publicly expose the fraud as did CPL Starr's uncle in this case, but also to take up legal action against the perpetrator unless they printed a retraction with as much zeal and equal or greater placement as they did the original. Which in this case would be a page 1 feature story above the fold; however, if there even is a correction, it will probably be buried in a footnote on the op-ed page. This is completely shameful and corrupt. I wonder if the people on the NY Times masthead really wonder why readership and advertising are down.
Posted by TJ at 08:08 AM | Comments (3)
October 24, 2005
Fun with care packages
Someone was sent a 24oz bottle of Hunts Ketchup in a care package. Since we don't do any of our own cooking, it ended up in the common area for anyone to grab who wants it. I was right there when the conversation occurred and I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but one of the sergeants from the 2-48th MI company accepted the challenge of drinking it. The only caveat was, like in the Nathan's hotdog eating contest, he had to hold it down until he got off the stage. As far as I know, 10 hours later, he still has.
This is gonna be easy.
Ugh. Not even halfway gone.
Just hold it down...
Hey, I think I may actually do this.
Easiest $40 I ever made.
Posted by TJ at 08:06 PM | Comments (2)
Crickets Chirping
That is the sound you are hearing about the revelation that of the 4 US contractors who were recently killed in Iraq, 1 of them was burned alive. But OOOOH, how the world goes and gets its collective panties all up in a bunch when American soldiers burn the decaying corpses of 2 ex-terrorists that nobody wanted to claim.
Note to world: we notice this sort of thing. There were stories less than 24 hours after the Pakistan earthquake about how US aid wasn't fast enough in comming. Then it wasn't enough money, or the right kind. The same thing happened after the Dec 25 tsunami last year. Go ahead, keep it up. There is only so much you can call some of the most generous people in the world a bunch of miserly hegemonic imperialistic barbarians bent on force-feeding the world Big Macs before they say "to heck with you". I am not an isolationist, but someday, I fear, the world will find out what it's like to deal with a major disaster without American help. And it's not going to be pretty.
Posted by TJ at 07:41 PM | Comments (1)
Hotel Palestine Attacked
I was in the DFAC getting dinner and the current story on CNN was about the Hotel Palestine being attacked. The press will sort of be forced to cover this story, since they don't have to leave the hotel. From their coverage of the area, most of them don't seem to, so I guess the terrorists decided the best way to get themselves some airtime is to take the fight to the "journalists".
Although this is the first time that I can recall this particular hotel being attacked intentionally. I do recall another incident in the past. However, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the indictments to be handed out by Spanish courts to the perpetrators this time.
Follow this link if you're interested in what really happened to prompt members of 4-64 Armor, 2nd BDE, 3rd ID to fire on the Hotel Palestine. There is alot left out of the current stories you may have heard on the MSM. Note that this page takes a little bit to load; after you see the main graphic, the text pops in eventually.
Posted by TJ at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2005
Screwed on leave
I had submitted my leave dates back in July for the end of February and beginning of March. I have the same birthday as a friend I used to work with in NYC who now lives in Germany. We were going to celebrate together as we used to do. For whatever reason, some people had to change to November and although I didn't volunteer, I got picked anyway. I'm not upset or mad, but to say that I am not disappointed would be a lie.
So now I have 3 weeks to organize myself and hope that everyone I had contacted will be able to see me when Im either in Germany or France. At least I got persmission from my platoon leadership to allow my hair to grow a little longer than normal so I don't stick out too much in Europe.
Posted by TJ at 08:30 AM | Comments (2)
October 17, 2005
Sandstorm
We had a bit of a sandstorm today, although I am told it was more of a duststorm. Apparently it gets much worse. Most days there is a little dust in the air and you can almost always taste it and feel it when you breathe. Today was something else, you had to cover your eyes and mouth just to walk 100m outside. At dinner, I kept biting down on grains that had lodged between my teeth during the day. It wwas not actually much wind, but as you can see from the photo below, two photos taken of the same view, it was something...
UPDATE: I did an update here a couple days ago but for some reason, it didn't take. Anyway, here is another photo that adds a little prespective. The closest trees are about 10 feet away.
Posted by TJ at 08:15 PM | Comments (1)
October 15, 2005
Election
Well the report from my station overlooking most of Baghdad is a good one. There have been a lot fewer explosions heard in the city than on a normal day. In fact, I heard zero - not to mean that there weren't any, just that there probably weren't any particularly large ones.
This is mostly due to the traffic lockdown which started yesterday and ends sometime tomorrow. A very smart move, in my opinion. The VBIEDs (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) are the favorite weapon of the jihadis right now and since anything not authorized to travel on the roads is being stopped, they are not able to get to their intended destinations. The lockdown was widely publicized as well, so maybe strikes of this kind just weren't planned.
I, for one, think that pass or fail, this election is a proof of the viability of Iraqi democracy. If the referendum passes, then obviously the process worked. If it fails, however, the process still works because the people will have spoken. The delegates will need to re-assemble and come up with a new draft that most Iraqis will accept. Pure democracy in action. Unfortunately, that won't be the spin in the case of a "no" vote: it will all be about Bush's "failure".
Posted by TJ at 05:15 PM | Comments (1)
October 12, 2005
Closest yet
We were in our buildings and around 8:30 or so the building shook and we heard a huge explosion. We went outside to see a cloud of smoke about 200 meters from us. Turns out a mortar had hit but hadn't exploded. Explosive Ordanance Disposal (EOD) was called and they packed 50 or so sandbags around it and blew it up.
Not exactly close, but the closest yet by far. I hope I don't have to experience any closer.
Posted by TJ at 09:09 PM | Comments (2)
October 06, 2005
The teams
Day shift.
Swing shift.
Night shift.
Posted by TJ at 08:29 PM | Comments (0)
Sick
Well, we are scheduled to receive our flu shots in about a week and a half. So of course that means I get the flu now. Seems to be going around, actually.
Posted by TJ at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
October 03, 2005
Orbitz
This is an email I received from a friend from language school who was on his way to Fort Drum (and eventually here to my unit) and ran into a little snag with Orbitz, the online airline ticketing site.
I made a reservation last week (almost two weeks ago, actually), on the internet. I realized, immediately, that the billing address was obsolete (it was my old one in California), and quickly called the customer service department to fix the problem.
Once I explained my problem, the representative assured me that the tickets were being sent now to the correct address (here in Seattle). I was given no comfirmation number that I can recall, and I've since forgotten the woman's name. I called Orbitz today to inform them that my tickets hadn't arrived in Seattle, only to be told that it was my fault for having them sent to the wrong address. When I tried to explain myself, they claimed that there was no record of the address change in their computers, so naturally, I was in the wrong. I was only able to speak to a supervisor and file an official complaint, which will take almost a month to be processed and investigated. All this after I told them that I had to report to my duty station by next Monday, and that I could get into serious trouble if I wasn't able to do that because of this incident...
So basically, I have to buy my own tickets all over again because these idiots dropped the ball. I'm being screwed, big time. I just wanted to spread the word about this sorry, ate up travel company, and encourage everyone I know not to touch them with a ten foot pole. It's easy enough just to use another company, like Expedia or Travelocity or Hotwire. Come on, help me hit these scumbags back, because I can't do it myself.
I will post from time to time about this sort of thing when soldiers or friends get screwed. I still have to post about my incident with AT&T/Cingular who screwed me for about $700.
Posted by TJ at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)
Range Rovers don't float
What's that in the water?
Whoops!
Posted by TJ at 06:37 PM | Comments (1)
October 02, 2005
Thoughts
Well, almost 2 months into this now and overall, its pretty boring. Its really no wonder Bochco had to make up a bunch of stuff for his FX program "Over There" because otherwise, nobody would have watched. Nights are starting to get cool and believe it or not, it gets down to 30 or so during the winter. We also just had daylight savings on Friday night and noone bothered to tell us - we just noticed we were signing out of the gym 10 minutes earlier than we had signed in. So now at night when you're out walking around at 8 pm, it feels like its 2 am. I've already watched about 20 movies, all of 24 season 4, most of the entire Family Guy series, and the 4th season of Curb your Enthusiasm. Read 6 or 7 book also of various types and am re-learning Delphi. About the only thing I haven't done is start my German DVD course which I hope will get me to a 2/2 level for a 3rd language on my proficiency pay. It goes without saying that I'm working on Arabic. Iraqi is hard, but I'm keeping up with the MSA by getting through a page or 2 of Harry Potter each day. The basic vocuabulary is the same, so it is actually helping.
For those of you expecting phone calls, I'm sorry I haven't gotten to do it lately. We don't have a call center near us (that I know of). I hear there are VOIP phones somewhere and I will track them down. Otherwise, if you have broadband, I urge you to get a computer headset with microphone so we can talk free over Skype.
Aside from that, not much going on.
UPDATE: I realized today that my command reads this blog from time to time. So in case my CO or 1SG are perusing, I just want to clarify that my use of the term "boring" above refers to the "monotonous and nothing exciting" meaning of the word rather than "needs more to do"!
Posted by TJ at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)
Ramadan
As usual, the terrorists have decided to usher in Ramadan with an increase in violence. Yesterday, I awoke to the sound of explosions - most likely mortars - every few minutes for 3 or 4 hours. Probably a total of 20-30, though none were close to me at all - I think they were just randomly shooting in the direction of the airport. From what I hear, the most organized ones mount a launcher in the back of a pickup truck, drive to a spot and launch a few off and hightail it out of there before they become stains on the sidewalk.
Hopefully we will see a big change after the 15th when the people vote on the new constitution. So thats 2 national votes, a constitution in front of the people, Saddam is in jail awaiting trial for genocide, his bloodthirsty sons are dead, we are capturing or killing dozens of terrorists every week, we have suffered fewer personnel and material casualties than any major war in history, and our opponents' tactics are becomming to desparate as to include the military version of the hail-mary pass, and, oh yeah, not a single major terrorist attack on US soil. Every single one of our objectives has been met. I don't know how people can claim we are losing a war we have already won. The reporters covering this thing really need to stop getting their stories in the hotel bars in the green zone and get out and do some real reporting.
Posted by TJ at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)
Anti-war protests? Hardly.
Christopher Hitchens is one of the few mainstream writers on the left with any integrity. He refuses to blindly follow the crowd which seems to hate President Bush so much that they will embrace absolutely any person or movement that lashes out against him. He has an excellent piece at Slate about the so-called "peace" protests in DC last week. Here is an excerpt, but the entire article is well worth reading:
To be against war and militarism, in the tradition of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, is one thing. But to have a record of consistent support for war and militarism, from the Red Army in Eastern Europe to the Serbian ethnic cleansers and the Taliban, is quite another. It is really a disgrace that the liberal press refers to such enemies of liberalism as "antiwar" when in reality they are straight-out pro-war, but on the other side. Was there a single placard saying, "No to Jihad"? Of course not. Or a single placard saying, "Yes to Kurdish self-determination" or "We support Afghan women's struggle"? Don't make me laugh. And this in a week when Afghans went back to the polls, and when Iraqis were preparing to do so, under a hail of fire from those who blow up mosques and U.N. buildings, behead aid workers and journalists, proclaim fatwahs against the wrong kind of Muslim, and utter hysterical diatribes against Jews and Hindus.
Posted by TJ at 06:51 PM | Comments (1)