Pizza and Beer

For dinner we decided to do something a little different. We had some pizza-hut pizza instead of the same old D-Fac food. Of course the beer is non-alcoholic and it’s about a million degrees in the shade. But it’s the best we can do.

The CNN piece aired. I still haven’t seen it. K said she and the family were able to see it so that’s all that really matters. It appears to have been at least a neutral report if not flattering – that makes me feel better. I was worried it would be cut in a way that made what we are doing look less than appealing.

So back to the pizza. It tastes pretty much like normal pizza hut. The food we get most of the time has so little flavor, I thought the pizza was really tasty. At the same time it seems like a waste to buy food when you have this free cafeteria available to you that has many choices.

Today’s weather was more sand and low visibility. Joy.

The friend who was sending me some cologne finally came through, now at least I smell a little better. I hope you get a chance to watch the piece on the news channel website.

Casting Lots

Well I had a nice picture to show you of a few of us playing a game of dice, but the formatting of the picture didn’t work out. Anyway it’s a simple game, kind of like yatzee but with different point structures and all. It’s a way to kill a few minutes after dinner. No real point just mentioned something we do.

Had a buddy cut my hair and then he asked me to cut his. Yikes. Mine is easy – shave it all off. His actually had some shape/form to it. I did an OK job. After looking at it at dinner…I think I missed a spot, but it looks ok. I think he is about as worried about his hair as I am. A third guy was going to get his cut but never showed. We think he chickened out.

I heard the CNN piece was to air today but on the International channel (instead of CNN US). Let me know if you see it.

One last thing. The bathrooms close to my POD are starting to get some graffiti…and it’s silly religious graffiti. Bible verses about Jesus and all. Not sure what person thinks his best evangelism method is writing on smelly bathroom stalls, but to each his own I guess. Along that line of thinking, I caught a story on the CBS Sunday morning show while I was in the gym called “For God and Country.” It was an interesting essay on whether the military is becoming too Christian. They had some USAFA stories, the Christian Embassy group in the Pentagon, plus a few Army stories. The angle they were sorely missing was latrine propaganda. The story would have been a Pulitzer Prize winner if they had included that as well – I’m sure of it.

Happy Anniversary

Today is the 40th anniversary of my In-Laws Harlin and Kathy. Unfortunately I am not there to congratulate them in person, nor was K able to really get to them either. She could have traveled, but it’s just so tough for her to go that far on her own. My parents had their 40th celebration just a while back and now K parents are having theirs. Gives me some hope that K and I might make it there someday as well.

I was able to webcam with K and the kids today. I rushed back after my boards and had a few minutes with each of the kids. Even baby Lu almost said da-da. I miss them all.

As the Sun baked sand gets hotter and hotter here everyday, managing the heat becomes more of an issue. When the power goes off in places (as it regularly does) it means a lot more. Some guys didn’t have power in their PODs for most of the day 2 days ago. It did not impact me too much (my power was not out and I was working somewhere else most of the day), but I imagine it was brutal on those guys who work nightshift and try to sleep during the day. The little metal containers we live in just turn into ovens without A/C. From what I have heard they just couldn’t get any type of rest. The power went off today in our courtroom for an hour or so. Luckily it was the AM. It was warm for a while but we got back to normal soon. It’s just part of life now to be prepared for some very hot times each day – no matter what.

Another of the subjects mentioned during the slow news day was – local type people who work here. Are there women? Yes. Do any of them wear local garb? Not really – mostly western clothes. Do they live on the base? I don’t really know if any live off base. I am sure some come from off-base but many live here on the FOB with us. I have no idea what they are paid – just like anywhere it’s based on what they do, what kind of specific training is required, and the nature of the work (manual labor vs skilled). For example the translators are a skilled trade and are paid very well. The food workers and bathroom janitors are probably not paid nearly as much. I’m intentionally being vague – but you get the idea.

Baby Steps To Better Training

I’ve been working for a few weeks with the legal guys on some new training materials for those that come in and sit on boards with us. We get a new group of board members every few weeks and one of the constant feedback items is more training. As to be expected with all modern paperwork items…we built a power-point presentation. Today was the first time with the new format (slides versus off-the cuff). I think the training worked out OK. I was just involved in one piece where I gave the guys some insight into how to read the folders and pick out the good stuff. As with anything, you can make it better, and next time we’ll do some stuff different, but overall it worked out well. I’m glad we made some steps in a positive direction to give them some good tools to run the boards.

I sat on a board the other day with a Marine Gunny-Sergeant from AR. He grew up on a farm and picked up on one of my comments about my Mom having grown up on a farm. He said life in USMC was easy from a physical perspective after growing up working outside on the farm so much. No real point here – other than small world.

One of the suggested items from the slow news days was a step count.
From my POD to the bathroom: 93 steps
From my POD to the D-FAC: 314 steps
From my POD to the phones/computer place to post my blog: 377 steps
From my POD to my office/court area: 1860 steps (approx. And I try to walk that one as little as possible – especially in the mid-day heat).

Rumor from Pubic affair guys is the CNN spot will run on CNN-International not CNN US – but it still has not aired so who knows what they will decide.

Simple thoughts from 23 Apr 08

Temps are really starting to rise. It will be in the 100s regularly from now on from what I can tell. I watched the Simpson’s Movie last night. Most of you know I am a Simpsons Connoisseur – and I loved it. I had to stop the movie a couple of times I was laughing so hard. When the comic book guy said “thanks for the pregnancy pants…I’ve never felt comfort like this” – Oh – I was in tears. Maybe because I have 4 kids and I’m familiar with those pants from K or something, I don’t know. It was funny.

Hit the gym again today. Also had some more shots from the clinic. It’s not enough that you have to get all these crazy immunizations before you deploy…if you go short notice like I did, then you get the joy of more and more shots while you are far from home. Anthrax#3 today. Also cleaned my weapon so it’s free of dust for at least ½ a day.

I’m at the exciting conclusion of the Gates of Fire book I’ve been reading. But I’m one of those people that can put a book down at any point and not feel frustrated. So I’ve milked the final day of battle now for a few days. I would say many in the current military have no idea what it was like to be devoted as the Spartans were back then. The fear of public disgrace motivated them more than any leader. Towards the end it has a discussion of what is the opposite emotion of fear. It claims – Love. Not what you expect from a bloody, gory, vulgar book on war, but that is what it says. I would recommend this book to most. (some will find the imagery and language too vulgar). If you liked the movie 300 – the book is great.

Morning Hip-Hop

Another item of interest in deployed life is the radio. I’m not sure if I discussed this yet or not – if so oh well – hopefully this will be more funny this time.

Thanks to Good Morning Vietnam, when you think of Armed Forces Radio you think of Adrian Cronauer (SP?) and his comedy act. But do you remember the other parts of the movie where the other DJs are on and the music/voice over guys are very dry and play music that people are not interested. Ok that is what I want to talk about. I have a small clock radio in my POD and all I can pick up is Armed Forces Radio. They are based a couple of places across the country and then some sort of boost broadcast is run out of here so I can pick it up. Well they have to appeal to all kinds so they play all types of music. It is crazy. They go from Rap and Hip Hop to Country to Classic Rock. It’s kind of annoying because you never know what you are going to get and rarely is it entertaining for more than a few minutes. Chuck and I are always amused at the morning selection of rap followed by some mellow pop music. One of the things they do that I enjoy listening to is this stupid comedy skit about a super-hero called Chicken-Man. It’s totally silly and therefore I enjoy it. I’m happy they have it (AFR), but I wish they would program a little more and play more than one song of a genre in a row. If I don’t like it then I can just move on. If fact maybe I should just move on. (BTW – I’m playing some Frank Sinatra on my laptop as I type this – no old Blue Eyes on AFR that I have heard).

I worked out today for the first time since being sick. My normal 3+ mile run is usually invigorating. Not today. It was a killer just to get to 3 miles. Yuck. I’ll have to work hard to get back into form quickly. I felt like a slacker.

The new guards are working hard to make some changes around the workplace. It is neat to see them interested in making things “better” and putting their own special touch on the place.

Humorless

I tried and tried to think of something funny to write about. Zip – nada – nothing- jack-bone-squat – zero. I’m not saying I didn’t laugh at some point during the day. We always have the standard office jokes of the day. You know - things that are funny in the moment, but are difficult to explain outside of the context. But nothing worthy of TEA mention.

I’m still mending from the head cold. The allergy drugs are kicking in and I’m afraid I’ve traded one state of misery for another. Now I can’t taste much flavor in food (not that they have flavor here to begin with) but hopefully it wall all balance out soon and I’ll be back to some normal state. KBR maintenance came out and looked at our A/C unit in our POD today (while we were gone). Chuck and I are not sure they actually did anything…but I’ll give them some credit for having some sort of preventative maintenance program.

There is a talent show coming up. I was considering asking Chuck if he wanted to do the dueling banjos like K did in college. But I don’t think it will be dark enough on the stage to make it very funny. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about ask K. It’s a good story.

Speaking of laughs. Mom and Dad sent me a couple of comedy show DVDs. What a great idea. Thanks so much!! Maybe they will have some good jokes.

Choices

I thought I was on the mend…but I was mistaken. I’m still fighting some sort of cold – maybe an allergic type reaction to the sand storm. I’m counting on the allergy meds to make me all better (plus a few prayers). Hopefully I’ll be better in a few days.

Time for some philosophy. I think I mentioned some of our guards swapped out. As the old unit was leaving some wanted to stay around and extend for another tour. They “liked” it here they said. We all say – Are you kidding? You like it here? (Remember they have been here for a year or more and we’re just here for a few months.) How could this be? Such an austere part of the world, few comforts, bathrooms far away…the same stuff I’ve said in previous blogs. So why would someone stay here. In my hours of lying around trying to get better by “resting” I decided upon an answer. Things are simple here. You have a specific job, it consumes most of your time, but it is not terribly taxing. Some jobs are harder than others, but most “guard” jobs consist of waiting and watching. The people who “enjoy” this see the simplicity of deployed life. They have very few decisions to make on their own (what clothes to wear, where and when to eat, where to go when you are “off”). The pay is good at least compared to what you received before thanks to the tax benefits of a war-zone. And it is relatively “safe” – as safe as it gets in a war-zone. All this helps to clear the air (pun intended) of the distractions of life back home. Friends and family and the stresses of normal life are mostly removed here. Cars, fancy cell-phones, peer pressure to wear certain clothes, drinking alcohol – all kinds of things we see as normal life are removed here. You know your place and there is not much question about what’s next. It’s a simple life in a complex world. So those are my thoughts on why people would want to stay here.

I still want to go home.

My friends in the Public Affairs office confirm that the CNN piece has not aired yet. They say they will tell me when it does. We replaced the flag outside our pod. See pic above.

I’ll try to be more entertaining and less philosophical tomorrow. (I wonder if there are stages of blogging – kind of like the stages of a relationship – storming-norming-conforming etc). Consider me in the Philosophy stage.

Under the Weather

Greetings to you from the land of the Fertile Crescent. Things are not so good these days. I’m sick (cold & congestion), my roommate has Pneumonia, and some of the other guys are sick as well. I think most of us are on the rebound, but it’s certainly no fun being sick. Since yesterday was our virtual Friday (no cases on Fri – so Thursday is like the beginning of our weekend) and I did not have to read cases for the next day, I came back and crashed. It was nice to get some sleep, but it messed my sleep schedule. I woke up and realized dinner was ending in 10 minutes, then Chuck says it was Mexican night – DOH! My favorite. So I hurried over and made it in just in time to get some dinner before they closed. In another blessing some of the MNFRC guys were coming in to play a game with dice (like yatzee – but different) so I sat with them and ate and played a quick game.

The other reference to weather is the sand storm. I think most of the country is socked in with heavy sand storms. It came in yesterday and howled all night. Seems to still be here today as well. Not sure how long it will last. It doesn’t impact us very much in the day to day operations, just makes it more painful to be outside.

I’ve been busy with the standard work of cases. Nothing new there. Although we are reducing the daily docket by a few cases, which I think helps everybody. It let’s us spend more time with each case and allows us to be more thorough. Just finished another letter to my pen-pal kid in Vegas. His note was cute. He said I have much valor. Maybe compared to some, but then to others I think not so much. I read a daily devotional type book that is based on Psalm 91 that contains many stories of people who believe that specific Psalm kept them safe in times of war. As I read of people who suffered in the Bataan Death March in WWII, I can’t even begin to compare my service with theirs.

We passed the halfway point this last week. Now it is all a downhill slide. Here’s a pic from where I hang my armor during the day when I am in the courtrooms.

O's vs E's

Our court guard force is swapping out. The new guys are already in place. The experienced ones have shared the tricks of the trade. Before they left we wanted to do something nice for them. We had a small gathering for dinner one night and tried to say thanks for always keeping us safe. I was dreading it becuase a) I'm standoffish - and this was a large group dinner and I'm never one to say yes to those (see old blogs) and b) it was planned for a mid afternoon start (see previous blogs, heat, flies, smell, etc.). Actually it worked out very well. The food was great and we all kind of hung out, took some pictures and had a good time.

Eventually there was a challenge - Officers (board members) vs Enlisted (Guards). Sand-Football was the game of choice. After some delay about getting people to play and the "rules" we finally started. I'm proud to say the Officers had a great showing. We commented later that it might have something to do with most of them being smokers...and running was an issue for them - nevertheless - we O's were victorious. There were some challenges of cheating...but we all had a great time. I did have a sweet one-handed catch of a pass from Brandon that would have been on Sportscenter, but my quota (15 min) of fame is rapidly being used up elsewhere. I'll admit I'm a little sore.

Still no sign of the CNN tape. Not sure if it was too much for them to show, or it is still in public release review with the military...whatever. I'm still hopeful you'll get some viewing of what it is I do everyday.

And now for the rest of the story...

Let me try to tell more of the story with CNN. I had his name wrong. It's actually Nic Robertson. Anyway he and his news crew came to Bucca and went on a tour with one of the leaders of the detainee operations. The MNFRC was on the tour. Once we knew a good schedule my board kind of stopped and waited until they showed up.

We let them come in, the General introduced himself to the board members, then intro'd the CNN crew. They got the 2 cameras setup in the back and had quite a few handlers/producers/people crammed into a tiny space in the back of the room. I explained how the flow would go to the reporter, then the General said it's your room Major. So we did the rest just like we always do. Afterwards the reporter brought his large camera up and set it up right next to the table, about 2 feet away from my face. He pulled his wireless microphone off and asked if I could slip that into my shirt. He then asked me a few questions about the board. Was it a normal representation? How important is it to talk face to face with them? What my opinions were of the board and so on. He scribbled my name and some notes...and then they thanked us and left in a hurry. My sidekick Brandon was on the board with me that day, plus another (standard is to have three members). CNN spent multiple hours across the base so I am sure the piece from the board will be one small snipet from the overall news story. The worst part here is we don't get CNN all the time. The news channel rotates amongst the major US news channels. So if you see something let me know. We've been checking CNN.Com to see if they have something, but nothing so far.

We've all debated what snipets they will pull and what soundbites are going to be included. As you might imagine, I've taken my share of "ribbing" already. I'm sure more will come if they edit it and make me look silly.

I'm kind of interested for the vanity of it - but mostly I am curious about what they show of the board becuase I want all of you to see what I do and how it works.

Can You Put this Microphone under your shirt?

Oh MY - You need to watch CNN and see how much they show of the interview I gave Nick Roberts. They came out and video-taped an entire case then talked to me for a few minutes afeterwards. Not sure what they will show or when...but they got the whole shabang on tape.

If you had any questions about what I do...this covers it.

I think I used a years worth of heartbeats in about 20 minutes. more later when I have a chance to write something more logical about it.

Good Morning Ralph - Morning Sam

Back on the bandwagon. I had Bible study last night so I didn’t blog. We continue to study Acts. Early church development stuff – all good.

In continuing to answer requests from readers: “Do you have to wear your uniform all the time?” Yes – but we have two uniforms. One is a duty uniform, the one you are used to seeing in a desert camouflage type pattern, the other is a more relaxed Physical Training uniform (T-shirt and shorts or optional running suit). It’s nice to have an option to be a little more relaxed sometimes. But that is all you get. The only variation we really have is different services have different types so people look a little different. But mostly they just get a different color T-Short or something.

Another question someone asked: “Do you see stray animals coming into the base?” I would say no, but maybe that’s just because I never see them. We also live close to the military working dogs. I always wonder if that is a good “job” to have in a deployed scenario. You have a constant buddy to play with, but then again you have to care for another living thing in a less than friendly environment. Sometimes when we are waiting for the bus or the truck to leave, we’ll watch the handlers taking the dogs out to the bathroom or to play with a toy for a few minutes. We all say the same thing. “I bet it’s nice to have a dog.” My oldest daughter is now saying – see Daddy – we do need a dog. NO IS MY ANSWER. None of us really approach the dogs, we never get the impression they want us petting or playing with them.

I’m suddenly reminded of the cartoon with the sheep dog and the coyote and the daily “job” they had opposing each other. Ralph and Sam. One would sit and watch waiting for the predator to come after the sheep, and the predator would always be thinking of new ways to get the sheep. My time here at BuccaTraz is like that – same job over and over with two opposing sides working at the same thing.

Writings - New and Old

I don’t know if you had a chance to check out the reporter’s blog, but Jennifer Grogan from The Day (a New London, CT newspaper) is here doing a series of stories (if you click on her name you can see all her recent stories about Bucca). She came out to the courthouse and spent a few minutes in my room. She watched a couple of cases and then asked me questions in between. I hadn’t practiced my American justice speech, and apparently it wasn’t very impressive since none of my words made it into the story. She did quote our questions. I think she might have been scared of saying too much specific stuff about the board members. We made a point for her to be careful of names and things for obvious reasons; others she has interviewed have apparently have not been so restrictive. Anyway you should check out her series of stories about Bucca. Some of you will find it interesting. I’ve found reading the comments by readers to be much more entertaining.

Some of the more battle-hardened TEA fans were less than pleased at the K-Mart blog. I’m torn, I know many of you have never been to a place like this and are curious about the smallest details of life in a war-zone, while others only want my witty humor (ok well maybe there aren’t too many people saying that, but you should be) and insights on life. I’ll try to balance the two and all of you will just have to get along.

I continue to read war books while deployed. I’m not sure if that helps me or not. I’ve always said I feel lucky to be in the military in the modern day times. Not sure I would have liked it as much in the ancient Greek times. I’m reading Gates of Fire (thanks to some faithful TEA readers). This self titled “Epic Novel of The Battle of Thermopylae” is a book about ancient wars between the Persians and the Greeks. I’m ¼ through it and am constantly reminded how hard war was back then. The Spartans train incessantly for hand to hand, face to face combat. The last section I read discussed how Spartans didn’t really care for intel and who the enemy was or what they were like. They treated all enemies the same and killed them all as quickly and efficiently as they could. In today’s war we frustrate and overthink things so much. The other thing of note is the children. They were thrust into war at such an early age. It seems different for me today in modern times, because I’m well over 30, but I have to remember many who “fight” this war are still just young kids not much more than 18.

Overcast with some sprinkles in the air and very moderate temps today. I predict Memphis will win by at least 8 points.

The Water Bottle Fairy (& More)

So, being in the desert, one thing we do not have a lack of is bottled water. Where they get all this bottled water is beyond me but there is such an abundance of it people have found many uses for it.

You can make shelves with the full boxes, use the empty boxes for a trashcan, pile a bunch of full boxes outside to make a wall so the wind doesnt hit you, or they can be used simply as a sandbag of sorts.

I would guess that about 50% of the sunshades outside here in Bucca are held down by 550 cord and full water boxes. The other thing is the prime company we recieve bottled water from here in Bucca sort of has this strange slogan. I think its due to the translation thing between oz and liters but each bottle is "0.55 Litre & more". The company decided to make this "& more" part of their main slogan and they print it on everything they make. Regardless the Bottled Water Fairy leaves pallets upon pallets of these boxes everywhere on base. If we do happen to have a water shortage one day it will be sad to have to disassemble all the structures made from full water boxes here.

Also check out this website

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=ef1b0206-17e2-4a39-bb2c-53e4b4f3c69d

I talked to this reportter - Jennifer Grogran today. Read her articles about Bucca. More on that later.

(Water story content provided by Brandon)

Attention K-Mart Shoppers

I knew my readers would not let me down. A couple of you submitted some questions/topics that will work out just fine. Keep your questions coming and I’ll do my best to oblige.

First off – the PX: What exactly do they sell?

It’s kind of like a big convenience/gas station store (from a size perspective). There are 5 aisles plus an entertainment section. Aisle one has soaps, cleaners, personal hygiene and room cleaning kind of stuff. A2 has foods – mostly snacks, chips crackers, candies, a few canned meat products. A3 has a mix of military goods like weapon slings/holsters, knifes, belts, flashlights, plus tobacco products, and weight lifting powders (everyone thinks they should look like Hercules over here). A4 has clothing - socks, undergarments, athletic uniforms for Army, Air Force and Navy, plus a small selection of bedding sheets, pillows etc. A5 has cards, magazines, paper/pens/office supplies, batteries, clocks, lamps, storage bins, small refrigerators, microwaves, coffee makers, etc. The entertainment section has some computer hardware (external hard drives to store all your music and pirated movies, headphones, thumb-drives) software, game systems (Xbox), Small TVs, DVD players, IPods, and a selection of music, games and movies. There are a couple pallets of soda 12-packs that cram action alley, and some coolers along a wall to buy a cold drink. Prices are mostly reasonable. Some things are expensive (tobacco products – from what the guards tell me) while some are the same price as back home.

And that is the best tour I can give of the things available to buy in the Bucca PX. A follow up question was what do you want that you can’t get? I don’t really need anything. I have pretty much all I “need.” The one thing I wanted to buy but they didn’t have is some cologne. They have a small selection, but were sold out of all of it when I went over. I think I asked someone to mail me some, so don’t feel like you need to help out there.

Keep those comments/suggestions/questions coming and I’ll try to answer them.

Bucca Blah-ger Blog

I've got a case of the triple B's - Blah Blah Blah. Just nothing new to write about. I've told the creative writing department here at TEA they need to get to work, but they just seem to slow down even more.

In other news:
1) Luckily the Tornado storms that ravaged Arkansas missed all our family - praise God.
2) I finished 1776...it's amazing we aren't still servants of the King. We were such a rag tag bunch of farmers. I highly recommend that book to others.

One idea I have is reader requests. Submit your questions to me and I'll have a panel of Bucca experts develop an answer for you - anything you want to know about Bucca but were afraid to ask. You can't just ask for pictures of things either. I can only photograph so many things. The Man here doesn't like people taking pics.

Scroll down to Kurdish New Year

Sorry but once again I loaded up a video for conveinient blogging later on, but when I finish the post it puts it behind others based on when I loaded the video. Scroll down or try this link



http://afted.blogspot.com/2008/03/kurdish-new-year.html

The WC

In the US the “OC” has a connotation of sunny southern California. Here the WC means something very different. Try as you might, you can’t avoid using the “water closet.”

That is the generic term for bathroom and anytime there is a write-up in the files about the bathroom and how some detainee won’t come out they always describe it as the WC. Here’s a picture of the wonderful array of the WCs out at the courthouse. Someone decided they should put up signs designating some for US ONLY and some for ICO ONLY (Iraqi Correction Officers). They also designated one as a “female.” I heard one of the girls say they hung some air freshener in there. Honestly the cleaners do a great job of servicing them regularly so even though it sits in the baking sun all day they don’t smell too bad.

Why are you sharing all this Ted? Well the main reason for this blog is to show you the Arab version of the WC. Here’s a pic of the inside.

You can see that they don’t have a seat; instead they have places to stand. If you can visualize it – they don’t sit down. They step up and then squat. When we were in Baghdad with all the mud, I kept seeing mud all along the sides of where you sit (next to the seat flap) and was wondering what “Phenom” was standing above the opening with his muddy boots instead of sitting or using the urinal. Eventually I figured it out. It was some local who did what he always does. Stand up high and squat.

While this entire subject may be a little too graphic for you…just imagine the back-splash from that height?

As if I didn’t have enough to worry about over here, they put up a sign in the D-FAC about Venomous snakes in the area- and that we should be careful. Great.

Speaking of critters. Brandon and I took some pics of a beetle we found today. They didn’t turn out very well. He (the beetle) was fast and trying to get a close-up wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. (That’s Brandon’s hand BTW).

Scroll down to the new post about "venting"

I had loaded these pics in the past and saved it until I could blog more. Well apparently the publish date defaults back to when you saved the pics or something. So today's blog is lower than yesterday's blog. If that makes sense.