« January 2006 | Main | March 2006 »
February 28, 2006
Mission #3
Had my trip outside the wire on the 23rd. I was the driver:
As you can see, not a lot of room in those things with all that armor on. I still think before any more armor is added to what we wear, technology needs to advance so we can get the same protection with less weight. I feel that for me, more armor would be detrimental. Please don't let the media or your politicians trick you into thinking we are not being protected as much as possible. People that need the armor are getting it and as for those occurances like the soldier who had to pay for his destroyed insert plates, the army is a massive bureaucracy and although it sometimes takes a while to get through the red tape, this type of thing usually gets sorted out in the end.
A couple random photos
Posted by TJ at 02:15 PM | Comments (2)
February 19, 2006
Murals I
All over the walls here can be found murals, mostly words. I would have to guess they were done by Republican Guard units, because this area is quite nice and from the content, they were obviously done by soldiers.
"All of Iraq cries out, Saddam! The glory of the nation."
"Iraqis have faith that their leader will burn the hopes of the American"
"Our triumph"
"Death to America, the enemy of the people"
"Yes! Yes! The leader! Saddam Hussein!"
Posted by TJ at 11:22 PM | Comments (1)
February 14, 2006
Valentine's Day
I just got back from the dining facility for lunch. They put red covers on all the flourescent lights, turned off the TVs and had love songs playing on the sound system. Endless Love was playing when I walked in and all I could think of was the ice rink scene in Happy Gilmore when he says, "What!? Friends listen to Endless Love in the dark!"
UPDATE: So guess what is playing on the sound system when I walk into dinner tonight? That's it: Endless Love!
Posted by TJ at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2006
Mud Angels
I took a run today and finally remembered to bring my camera along to photograph alot of the murals that are still around on walls where (I believe), Iraqi troops were quartered. I will be doing some translating and posting them soon.
In the meantime, enjoy these photos. This PFC took the catsup-eating type experience to a whole new level.
Posted by TJ at 09:30 PM | Comments (1)
February 06, 2006
Thank You V
Packages for the Abu Ghraib elementary school children arrived from:
Deborah Tuttelman - El Cerrito, CA
Tom Buttrick & Val VanMeier - Nelson, NH (BCT Dad and Step-mom)
and a huge box from a group of employees of Levi Strauss & Co in San Francisco:
Jo Camacho
Sanjiv Chawla
Valerie Cornelious
Carol Doré
Beth Perot
Thank you all.
For an explanation of the program, click here.
Posted by TJ at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)
Super Bowl
For the first time in since San Francisco beat Miami, I won't be watching the Super Bowl. Not that I don't think it will be worth it, I just don't want to get up for a 0400 kickoff between 2 teams I really don't care about, especially now that its almost 0200. I am pulling for Seattle, though, because their history was alot like New England's before the 2001 season: mostly bad with some frustrating flirtations with success.
I also just finished Alias season 4. I can't believe they ended it the way they did...ARGH!!! Next up: Battlestar Galactica Season 1 & 2 (the new series).
Posted by TJ at 01:49 AM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2006
Mission #2
My second mission outside the base was thankfully quiet and boring.
The buildings are pretty much all constructed of cinder blocks. The mortar looks to be the mud that is all over the place right now - it definately has the consistency of heavy clay. Hundreds of years ago, they probably used it like adobe to build the blocks as well. The roof seems to be the same mud layered with palm fronds from the trees you see growing in the background.
The roads are almost all lined with piles of trash - tires, bottles, cans. Every once in a while you see where someone just backed up a truck and dumped it. Apparently Saddam would make trash crews out of some in disfavor and others would simply dump on the road for them to pick up. Whether this is all left over from then, or people are just haven't broken out of the habit, I don't know.
The mission was a ride along with an infantry unit out to do some meet-and-greet type stuff in a tiny village. There were only 10 or 15 houses and not very many people at all out and about. These 2 kids were very cute. The older girl quickly overcame her initial shyness and was quite the flirt after a few minutes.
Posted by TJ at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
Christmas photos
Better late than never.
Outside the chow hall.
This was the roof of a building where I think the laundry workers live.
Posted by TJ at 01:56 PM | Comments (0)
Rain rain rain
It has been raining now for over 12 hours. Here are a couple photos from outside our work from a light rain that we had had 2 days prior. I can't imagine what it will look like up there tonight.
Posted by TJ at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
Hollywood stars lose their heads
I realize Gary Busey suffered brain damage in a motorcycle accident, but what the hell is wrong with Billy Zane?
In the most expensive Turkish movie ever made, American soldiers in Iraq crash a wedding and pump a little boy full of lead in front of his mother.
They kill dozens of innocent people with random machine gun fire, shoot the groom in the head, and drag those left alive to Abu Ghraib prison - where a Jewish doctor cuts out their organs, which he sells to rich people in New York, London and Tel Aviv.
So Billy Zane and Gary Busey think I am a baby killer, and they have no problem being in a movie with a blatant anti-semitic theme. That's fine. They have the right. I also have the right to never again spend my money on one of these sick bastards' movies...
Posted by TJ at 01:15 PM | Comments (2)