(from Brad)This is the C-ram next to my POD shooting down a mortar that was coming at us. Very cool but loud. I love the Army!
(I have no idea what a C-ram is, all I know is that this disturbs me.)
Hello again from Joint Base Balad; March 4, 2009
So here I go again with my thoughts and observations about this adventure we call Iraq. So the big news around here is that Obama is saying we will be out by Aug 2010. It seems impossible based on the amount of work we have going on each day here that in just a year and a half we will all be gone.
Joint Base Balad is a place where they fix things that get broke in Iraq (including us). We are the main hub in the country and we are the busiest port cargo in the world (for cargo).
On Mollies urging I went and hit the different things that you can do to get fixed up. First stop was the barber shop, I have written about that before. Next stop was the Muscle Therapy Shop (Massage Parlor) head to toe massage from the buff Russian ladies. There are 5 of them working 12 hours a day tending to guys who come out of the field. My lady did not speak any English, which was fine. She was strong and fast and I left feeling sore and loose. Cost for this 1 hour work over was $32.00.
Next stop was the beauty shop; yes it is full of men, so what? In there I had a lady from the Philippines give me my first facial. I was scared and she told me that it might hurt if I was not tough. I thought wow; how bad can it be. The facial lady told me it’s amazing how deep the dirt gets imbedded in the faces of some of the Army and Marines that come in. She told me stories of getting, glass, metal and rocks out of their faces for them. This lady deserves a medal. Cost of a complete facial with back massage was $22.00. My next stop was over to the foot lady who was really pretty till I realized she was a he. S/he was already working on my feet when I figured it out and I thought; who cares the gender when you need help. You see, I broke a bone on the top of my foot the second week I was here running and as such, I have been limping for weeks. My feet are hamburger and needed to be worked over. So I rolled with it and I am glad I did. I asked her how long she had been in Iraq and she said 5 years with only 1 day off every 3 weeks working 12 hours a day. She was from an island in the Indonesia area and would be killed for being gay. So she has been sending money home and just living. She says that 97% of the soldiers are fine with her and gave good tips. To be honest, I was impressed with her and tipped her well. She is just a human wanting to survive this life and not hurt anyone. By the way; my feet felt great and the break is healing well.
So a bit of the odd personality things I have seen here. I have seen a few of the single ladies have found boyfriends here. It is not too surprising except that it is a war zone. I think it is impressive people can fall in love anywhere. Some people have hit the gym so much that you don’t even recognize them. A few guys are huge or have lost 30 or more pounds in the last 2 months. I find it interesting to see how people cope with stress. Some people have begun to live at the hospital and help unload the wounded. They are the weirdest as it is competitive in an odd way. They have to track their hours (for PTSD, infection control and other reasons) and when a group of them get together they ask each other how many hours have you got total. The more you have the cooler you are I guess. Is it human nature to compete at everything? It’s like when I run into other divers and they want to know how many dives I have logged or how deep I have been. Who cares? Well, they do because they want to judge you. 2 of the guys I work with daily have received notice that a divorce is waiting for them when they get home. Kind of sad but I think that some of these wives do a lot of thinking with their spouses deployed mixed with stress and it seems like the thing to do. I feel for them.
On to the DVD project progress. I am so pleased to tell everyone it is a huge, huge, huge success. We have over 300 titles now and everyone seems to love and use it. I am so happy about this. It has been so good to see so many people benefit from a simple idea. This really appeals to the Buddhist in me and I thank everyone who has helped me in this endeavor. We have outgrown our current cabinet in Outbound Cargo Office. I was worried about this but the managers (some of whom who told me this was a waste of time) have authorized a custom cabinet to be built to hold them all with room to grow. It will be custom made; 45” wide by 72” high and will hold about 600 DVD’s. Also, I made the official decision that all people should benefit from it and (with some grumbling from a few) have opened it up to TCN’s (Third Country Nationals). This will mean that guys like Neal and Abul from Nepal can take video’s out of the Port. Also, the folks from KBR can take them as well. I made this decision based on my belief that no one should be excluded from anything that makes time go by here in Iraq.
Some people have asked me about body armor and what that is like. The armor I have is really good and I think it would keep me safe if I was being shot at. The plates in it are very heavy but you can take a few off if you don’t need them (crotch and hip plates). It makes me feel like a turtle some times as I sit in my chair or drive with it. Due to the fact that I don’t go outside the wire I don’t wear it much. It is hard to sling my M-16 over my back with it on and I am not sure how long I could run in it on a hot day without passing out. Other than that it is not bad to deal with. The helmet is very modern compared to the last time when I was a Cop. It is heavy but very well padded and you can move all 7 of the pads around on Velcro. It fits very well and is held in place by 5 straps. You can run in it and it does not bounce around. I can answer the phone in it and I think it would protect me from most things the locals throw at us where I am. Overall I give the AF high marks for giving me the gear to stay alive here in Iraq. I am not too sure how other branches feel about their set ups.
So I am approaching the midpoint of the deployment and that feels good. Mollie always sends me fun boxes of things to make me comfortable. She is so amazing and kind. I wonder how she finds the time to do so much. She sends me pictures of my kids, tells me about issues and asks my opinion just like I am out of town for business. If I have a bad day then she lets me vent. All I can say is that I am so lucky to have her and want everyone to know what a terrific woman she is.
I guess that is about all I have for now. I keep working 12-13 hours a day and I am often mentally tired. I do get a few days off a month, about 1 every 6-8 days. I don’t really work hard physically but I have walked out of work feeling like chewed gum. My job back home will feel like a vacation. I have forgotten what an 8 hr day is like. I have forgotten what it is like to sleep at night. Can’t wait to get home and remember. Love you all! –Brad/Dad
