A very good article on Yahoo about the challenges some soldiers face when returning to life away from combat.

Yet again, I spend another morning wiping and reinstalling the operating system on a computer. How do so many people have f'd up computers? *sigh* I guess I have job security if nothing else.

One of the guys had his laptop shipped over here, and once it arrived he wanted to be able to get on the internet. I spent all day today trying to get this thing up to snuff to be able to access our LAN. I had to completely wipe the hard drive, reinstall and update Windows and then install the various drivers, utitlies and other programs he wanted. It took me 9 hours! I was vividly reminded how badly Windows 98 sucked. Say what you want about Microsoft, they got alot of things right with XP.

Needless to say, I am computered out. So, this is all for today.

We drove down to Scania today (a small military post about 45 minutes away) to pick up the mail and get a few small supplies. Boy, let me tell you, we had some mail. I had 5 boxes alone!

One of them was from my Uncle Art and Aunt Kay up in northern NY. They sent me 4 cans of peanuts. MMMMMMMM, peanuts. Good stuff. Better than snacking on the expired cereal and granola bars we have lying around. I won't even talk about the months old Moon Pies someone turned up *blech*

Kelley sent me my Christmas presents, although I can't tell you what they are as I didn't open them up. She also sent a small tree and decorations, so I spent the afternoon setting up the tree and arranging my presents under the tree so I can open them on Christmas. The only present I opened early were the boots Kelley's parents got me. Those I needed right away, and I knew they were coming anyway. They've got a ripple sole on them. Walking around in them is a dream. *must...not...make...Nancy...Sinatra...reference...*

Speaking of Christmas: if anyone else is looking to send something by December 25th, you should figure it takes about 2 weeks for the package to arrive. So I would say if you have it in the mail by the first week of December you should be safe.

Ok, it's a day late. But Thanksgiving dinner was a day early so it all balances out. My Thanksgiving list:

• A terrifically supportive and loyal girlfriend, Kelley Ralg. She has consistently surprised me with the depth of her support for me - both materially and emotionally. It makes it a lot easier being here knowing I have someone as special as she is to come back home to. I think my deployment is harder on her than it is on me, and I am grateful she's been willing to go through this with me.


• My family, friends, co-workers, and other folks who know of me deploying. My parents, my brother and sister and their families, even Kelley's family have been wonderful. I've gotten emails from folks I knew as a little kid growing up in church, from relatives I rarely see, even from people that, quite frankly, I don't know who they are. I've been surprised by how an email or a card really does help lift my spirits.


• I know I already mentioned friends, but I would be remiss if I didn't specifically mention my friends up in Rochester (you know who you are.) They've reached out to Kelley to support her while I'm gone and have always welcomed me back like I never left whenever I've been gone in the past. You all are just generally good folk. I'm very grateful for your giving spirits and welcoming hearts.


• I have a cool goldfish.


• That I'm in a relatively quiet place! Not very much is exploding around here. When things do explode, it's usually the Americans doing the detonating. I'm dry, clean, warm (or cool, depending on the context) and I have good access to the internet and other communications. Technology has really changed the nature of what a war is like for the common soldier. I've thought about what it must have been like for the veterans in WWI and II. I can only imagine how lonely and miserable they must have been.


• I have a steady job, a supportive civilian employer (Starbucks) and am within spitting distance of being debt free.


• I'm exceptionally healthy (although I could stand to lose a few pounds.) Of course, if I keep getting deployed and keep giving the Army an excuse to inject things into me, that may change. But that's another story . . .


• The U.S. Postal service.


• Yahoo. I use their IM and email an awful lot, and they don't charge a penny.


• That I have an opportunity to possibly be a part of the next great movement for positive change in the world. Our parents and grandparents fought against fascism and communism to make the world a better place for us. I hope we're as successful combating radical theology, be it Muslim, Christian or otherwise.


• Ok, I admit it, it's cliche'. But I'm thankful for America. I've spent two years in Germany, I've visited London, and I'll have spent about a year in the Middle East by the time I get done here. Nobody has it as good as we have it in America. Everything is better in America. The houses are nicer, the cars are better, the food doesn't even compare. We have a wealth of diversity to experience in America from one state to another you just can't match anywhere else! I can cross an entire continent without a passport. Just think about that.
  
  I'll give the Europeans some points for having, as a rule, better looking women. But that's about it. The Iraqis? They, um, well, they have very nice sand? And their camels are far better than American camels.


• Modern medicine. In the past, the majority of people who died in a war died from disease or infection, not from battle. Me? Hopefully I'll come home with nothing more than a nice tan and a mild case of the shits.


• Those little individual serving Crystal Light packs. Those are nice. You can only drink so much water. They really make it much more pleasant to stay hydrated.


• Digital cameras


• The iPod.


• That I'm only here to visit, not to stay.

We went to dinner Wednesday night and they had quite a meal fixed up. Big ole turkey legs, sweet potatoes, stuffing (although it was in cube form, don't ask me why), cranberry sauce, etc etc. Interestingly, it was exactly what you would expect if an Iraqi tried to cook a Thanksgiving meal. They had all the right dishes but somehow they just weren't quite right. Not bad tasting, mind you. Just a little off. I imagine it's what a Chinese person may feel like eating at an American Chinese restaurant for the first time.

Only problem was it was Wednesday, not Thursday. We were happy to get a good meal, but also wondering if someone got confused and served Thanksgiving dinner a day early.

Well, we came in for chow tonight and, yep, they had messed up and served it a day early. We had leftovers from the night before, but it most definitely was not a Thanksgiving dinner. The folks running the mess hall are South African contractors with Iraqi locals working under them. For those who are unaware, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. I guess the South Africans got a little confused *lol*

Man, you should see the sky here. It looks like it is going to get ugly! It's hazy, cold, and breezy. You can feel the tension in the air, like it's just waiting to let loose and pour.

I know alot of people are hoping it does. There's going to be a huge parade and ceremony here in the coming days to celebrate the graduation of the 2nd BDE, with alot of VIPs in attendance. If it rains this post is going to turn into an absolute mess for all to see. The whole post will flood. Maybe then we would get some support in getting issues fixed here.

Jeez marie. You can't see 400 meters. I don't know what's floating around in the air, but it looks bad.

Interesting article on Bush's second term.

Why Bush Has No Fear

I just happened to be killing some time surfing around the internet when I saw a link to this site on Amazon. After a little perusing, I found this.

Kelley, this is what I want for Christmas.

Happy birthday to Lani!

Happy birthday to Lani!

Happy birthday dear Lani . . .

Happy birthday to you.

Go check her out at crossrhodes.com if you get a chance.

I'm feeling very . . . oh, what's the word . . . melancholy tonight, I suppose. I can't complain that I'm in a bad situation, because I'm really not. I have a comfortable place to stay. I'm not in any real danger. I have access to everything I need. But still, I've been waking up some mornings lately and just thinking to myself, "My god, how am I going to spend a year here."

This whole mission seems such an exercise in futility to me at times. I only see my little corner, and I remind myself that I don't see the whole plan, the entire strategic mission. But if the Americans were to pull out now, the whole country would go to hell. The Iraqis seem incapable of caring for themselves. They are either mindless drones who will take direction from whomever will give it, or they're uneducated and simple, molded by anyone who comes along with some degree of willfullness. Or even worse, they are opportunists who sieze on any opportunity to better themselves regardless of its effect on those around them.

And so I find myself wondering why I am here? How is my ensuring we have internet and email going to help make the Middle East a bastion of freedom and democracy when the very people who live here don't want to step up and take ownership for their own land and welfare?

I guess I'm just PMSing tonight *lol* It's been a month since I hit Kuwait (which is when my one year started ticking). One month down, eleven more to go.

Nothing much to report over the last few days. The radio team from Baghdad has been down here so we've been working on installing radios in vehicles, programming radios with the officially sanctioned J6 frequency plan and generally getting radio communications up and running. A big hold up has been the muslim holiday of Eid. Evidently Eid is the big bang to end Ramadan, and everyone takes it off. No Iraqi's have been around for the past several days so we haven't been able to work on their radios or truck. But we've gotten pretty much all the Americans hooked up with radios.

The owner of the local Iraqi-run PX, Sabah, invited all the Americans over to the Iraqi "club" on post to share a banquet for lunch today, supposedly in celebration of Bush's re-election. In our cultural awareness briefings we had been told that when the Iraqis invite guests over for a meal they will prepare more food than could possibly be consumed. Let me tell you, they weren't exaggerating! The main dish was some sort of large cooked fish (mullet?), cut down the middle length wise, laid out on a platter with the innards removed and dressed with tomatoes and onions. They then baked the fish - head, tail, vegetables, everything. Once cooked the Iraqis laid large, round flat breads over the fish to help keep it warm once it was on the table.

There were side dishes of stuffed pickles, peppers, tomatoes and other stuffed vegetables. The fish and stuffed vegetables were served on large platters that we picked from buffet style. However, there was so much fish that it worked out to be two people per fish. Each of us also received individual plates heaping with brown rice prepared with lamb, raisins and potatoes. As well, we each received a side dish of sliced fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, olives, and assorted peppers. Man, what a meal!

It was all very good too! The only part I didn't absolutely enjoy was the fish, but not because they cooked it poorly. I'm just not a big fish guy. There was so much fish! Those fish were about a foot and half long each! I don't know what they did with all the left over food. It was all very good. I felt bad leaving all that food on the table, but I swear, there was no way possible we could have eaten it all. They made enough for twice the number of people who showed up. Our Iraqi guests were very generous and very hospitable.

In my limited interactions with the Iraqis I am finding them to be very friendly and very generous. If they see you carrying something heavy they are quick to offer to help. We even have to be careful to not compliment something of theirs that they own, because they will give it to you if you express your admiration too strongly. Yes, they may be uneducated (which some soldiers confuse with being stupid) and they smell bad sometimes. On the whole I am finding them to be a very kind and warm people.

Well, I stuck my foot in it today. I have been working on cleaning up the computers here in the office. They were all full of spyware, inappropriate software and other computer related unpleasantries. I convinced the commander that we really needed to only have one administrator account controlled by me on each machine, with all other accounts restricted in their ability to install software. So today I went to work on cleaning up and locking down the computers.

I had been working on uninstalling needless software and cleaning all the crap off the computers all day. I finally got to the last computer but couldn't get in to do anything because someone had put a password on the administrative account. I had been asking around for several days if anyone knew who had the password on the administrative account and no one said anything. "Forget it", I thought to myself. I figured after 3 days of asking who has the password, it was time for me to get to work. So I wiped the hard drive and began reinstalling Windows XP, Office, Norton Anti-virus and all the other software the computer needed.

Now mind you, I had been asking around for three days about what was on that computer and who had the passwords, with no answers; just deer-in-the-headlights responses. It wasn't 20 minutes after I formatted the hard drive that Chief shows up and says "Where are my files? What do you mean you formatted the hard drive!?!" *Sigh* Chief is a Polish Warrant Officer we have working here running all the weapons ranges. The angrier he became the thicker his accent became. He got so worked up I could barely understand what he was saying. Which is probably just as well anyway.

I really feel for the guy, because I've lost important files too and it sucks. And of course, as soon as Chief had his blow up and left, everyone else chimes in with "Yeah, that's Chief's computer. Why did you erase it?" And then I find out they had pictures on there from trips they had taken and they had this and that and so on. After I wipe the hard drive everyone is forthcoming with information. They were regular founts of knowledge then. David Jennings (the guy from Jeopardy) doesn't know as much as everyone knew right then.

So I am persona non grata right now. Does it matter that non-administrative personnel had password protected the administrative account? No. Does it matter that their use of the machine had weighed it down with spyware, useless software and viruses? No. Did it matter they didn't make backups of their files and kept them in a separate location? No. Did it matter they were using a public use computer to hold personal files? No. Did it matter that everyone was too involved in what they were doing to give me the information I needed before I had to recover the machine by wiping it? No. I'm the one who fucked up by reformatting the drive. The joys of being the computer admin guy. I get to take the blame for the end users incompetence because I applied the consequences for their actions.

The commander didn't really care (which is my saving grace) but some other folks are kind of peeved. I think I'll just lay low for the next couple days and let it blow over. The good news is that all the computers are clean and permissions have been properly set. Besides, if they shoot me they'll never get into the computers because I'm the only one who knows the admin password ;-)

I was walking down the stairs today to begin work when I noticed a smell; sort of an ethnic smell. I hadn't even hit the second floor landing when I caught the scent. It reminded me of times I had gone over to someone's house whose parents were first generation immigrants and still cooked their native foods regularly. Almost like curry or some other sort of spicy flavored meat. "What in the world are they cooking down there?" I thought. We don't have any cooking facilities in the building but there is a hot pot so perhaps they were preparing something with that.

I got down to the first floor and realized what the smell was. Over by the main entrance was a table with ten or twelve Iraqis sitting around it interviewing for jobs as interpreters on post. They hadn't been cooking anything - it was the Iraqis themselves I was smelling.

I had been told that Iraqis don't have the same personal hygiene standards as Americans but this was a first for me. When you can be smelled two floors away, perhaps it's time for that weekly bath whether you think you need it or not.

I have a mailing address and have sent out a mass email to a number of people with the address in it. If you would like my mailing address and I missed you on the mass email, just email me and I will send it out to you. I won't be posting it online for security reasons.

And don't try to be cute by sending me a package with wires sticking out of it and a clock ticking inside either! Granted, I might find it funny, but the people inspecting the mail might get a little pissed off.

I was issued a Walther P99 9mm pistol yesterday, so I went over the local Iraqi shopette on post to get a shoulder holster for it. This little store is run by a local Iraqi guy whom the base commander invited on post to run a small convenience store-style business. You can get a candy bar, basic hygiene items, or he can bring things in from the outside if you ask for it and he doesn't have it. They also, like many Iraqi merchants, sell pirated DVD's and CD's and such. They have movies on DVD that are still in the theaters in the states.

I mention the pirated DVD's so you will understand how prevalent counterfeit goods are here in Iraq as I share the next part of my shopping experience. I asked to see the shoulder holsters he had hanging behind the counter for my pistol, and he brought several down. They all had obviously fake brand name tags sew onto them. One said Tommy Hilfiger. A Tommy Hilfiger pistol holster? The one I ended up buying said "Only For Children Fashion" in bright, child-like script. Evidently they just throw a brand name tag on something in the hopes the brand will bring more money. They don't stop to think if it actually applies to the product or not.

I flew to An Numaniyah today, finally. We rode a Blackhawk from Baghdad to An Numaniyah, arriving around 8 pm or so. I guess they received much heavier rain down here, because the whole post is flooded; huge pools of water everywhere. They say you have to wade through waist deep water to get to the chow hall.

When I walked into the door of our billets, someone walked up from the cellar and announced the water pump for the building had burned out (again). Then the electricity went out shortly after that. There is currently no internet connection (the dish was blown off the roof), but we do have a satellite phone so I can call home occasionally. I also have my own satellite phone, but I may keep that on the down low as I don't want it to get co-opted for other things. I was given the phone specifically to call back to Baghdad when I need help and my minutes are limited. Otherwise, there is no phone coms either.

Oh, and there's no American toilets. Actually, there's no toilets at all. Only the Iraqi style shitters. The kind that are little more than a porcelain-lined hole in the ground that you squat over.

It's hard to explain why, but I think this is going to be an interesting experience. I have a feeling I am going to be doing very little actual telecommunications work, and a whole lot of "figure-it-out-as-you-go" work. I think they need less of actual MOS specialties than they just need competent bodies.

I should have an address fairly soon. I will email it out when I get the opportunity. It looks like we don't have access to things to the same degree we had in Baghdad, so I may need to make use of getting stuff shipped over.