Another election has come and gone in Iraq, relatively free of violence...it is a good thing...or is it. Brad said the mortar attacks are almost non-stop (those coming into the base). They are so prevalent that Brad gets very little sleep. We set up a series of code words for attacks. I imagine there is still a lot I don't know day to day.
On to Brad--- He sent an email, I am going to share it here.
Iraq life continued, January 28, 2009
So I find myself musing about different things while I am here in the great sand box. I hope you like reading about the funny little things I see and feel here. I hope as always that I am not sounding like I am complaining but this place is like no other.
I work from about 11pm to about 11 or 12 am. It is not too bad except that night is day here on Iraq. By that I mean we do most of our work at night as it is safer. Also, it is cooler in the summer months and that is better on us “poor Americans who can’t love the heat”. So, with that in mind I work the busy time of the day/night. It also means that if I walk outside my bunker I see the sun set and rise each day. It is odd but if it is overcast at all it turns everything a shade of orange. Not sure why it does this but it sure makes me feel weird when everything looks orange.
There is one thing that is hard to get used to. It is the noise here. Here are the noises that go all the time. I mean all the time, like 24/7. Phones, Radio’s (military), helicopters’, F-16’s with full after burners, cargo planes that never shut down their engines, huge generators, air conditioners, copiers, printers, talking, refrigerators, trucks, busses, doors slamming, forklifts, predator drones, sirens, explosions, controlled explosions, metal on metal, televisions, radios, and a host of other miscellaneous noises I can’t seem to identify. What you never hear; kids laughter, dogs barking, birds singing, people speaking softly, silence. I hear that one of the hardest things to get used to when you get home is the lack of noise. Sometimes it is so hard to sleep, think, and be calm but you can’t figure out why… then it hits you; I just need a moment without noise but it never comes. I bet the people who live just outside the wire hate all the noise we generate. I might if I lived there. Maybe that is a reason they are not so fond of our presence in their land? Maybe we are just too noisy? Final thought on this.. No colors but tan. Boy I could go for some green anything.
Here is the big news for me. I changed jobs here, which is a big deal because they don’t like to move people after the last rotation/bucket go home. I spent 5 of my last 7 weeks in the states taking all the classes to be certified as an Air Force Load Planner. Then, due to the critical nature of the job and my lack of real experience they decided to put me in to Inbound Cargo section. That was fine till they realized they did not have enough Load Planners (LP) so they moved me. Now, a load planner is the guy who looks at everything here that needs to be shipped and takes it from the cargo grid and plans it on the air frame. I also have to physically verify it is all air worthy and safe. This includes all the hazardous material, mail, human remains, signature service cargo, rolling stock, soldiers, passengers and anything else the AF may feel needs to be shipped on a plane. This requires that I be an expert on the air frames and not exceed a single plane limitation while utilizing its ability as much as possible. I also build a model of the plane in a drafting program and balance the aircraft so it will fly. Also, I prepare all the documentation for diplomatic clearances and for the people who fly it, control its movement, load it and ensure it is safe. I can assure you it is very stressful and hard, hard work. I have to work from 2 computers just to keep up and have 5-20 screens open at all time as well as 5-7 documents in front of me all the times. I have to be 100% accurate, because if I make a mistake with any 1 aspect it has a domino effect and can injure people or we could lose a air frame. When a plane goes down anywhere in the world they pull the load plan and the maintenance records in the first minutes of notification. We are on par with air traffic control as far as responsibility and stress. So now that you know what I do, you can imagine I did not want to have to do it with minimal training but what fun what that be? So here I am scared to death that I will screw up and making the best of it in a war zone. Now when I get this down I am the alternate Tender. The Tender is the guy who offers things for sale to the lowest bidder for air transport. We offer it by the pound to companies that fly here for other then military reasons and don’t want to leave empty. If they can make some money on the way out it is a win-win. Tender is about as hard as Load Planner so as you can imagine I am buried all shift. I miss the 40 hour work week over the current 90 hour week. Good news though, they will be cutting my work week back to 78 hours starting next Wednesday. I plan to use it to sleep and then sleep.
Food continues to be an issue. I don’t want to eat meat at all during this deployment but it is very hard. They have an amazing selection of good veggies if I could just figure out how to get to them. They have only had chicken and potato’s or rice for the last few meals. I am getting my on what Mollie sends me or what I can find in the break rooms. I am talking with my boss to see if anything can be done to get me some type of non-processed veggies. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Super bowl! Anyone who knows me knows I don’t really follow sports. I hate all the commercials and hype. Well the huge news is that they are going to let everyone here in Balad get 2 beers and watch the game on 5 televisions positioned in locations on the base. Guess who got stuck moving all the beer on planes into a Muslim country? Yep, we did get the job. Guess how much beer that is? 1,780 cases of beer for drinking during the big event. The General and his staff came to our holding area and got a photo with all the beer. Everyone is so excited. It cracks me up to see everyone acting like they are turning 21 on Super Bowl Sunday. Even if you are just 18 you get 2 beers. Can you imagine? Mollie and I have discussed this and I figure I am going to sell mine for about 10 dollars each if I can get away with it. Ha-ha!
I got a hair cut the other day. Who cares right? Well I do because it is like an outing to me. You go there and some Iraqi guy cuts your hair for about 30 minutes and does your ears and then gives you a nice neck message. Wonderful experience to have while in Iraq. Cost me $3.50 which he gets none of so I tip them $3.50 which is a lot for here. Man, you want to see a guy smile, just tip him 100% of the original cost. Best part of my whole day is seeing that genuine smile and gratitude.
Mollie signed me up for Soldier Angels program and I get lots of mail from people all over the country. These letters are often amazing, heartfelt testament to the goodness of people. I often pass them around our work area when they come then I take them to my pod and hang them on my locker. I write them all back and tell them how much I appreciate their taking the time to write me. Makes me wish I could meet them all and tell them thanks in person. This place is an island in the center of the Sunni Triangle and one of the most violent places on earth. Nice to have a piece of sanity in your hands to remind you that the world you knew is still out there waiting for you to return. Mail is a prize here even though we can and do get email. Real mail says that someone stopped their day and took time just for you. It gets put in the center of the room for everyone to see till you take it. You can feel the meaning of the process.
I have begun to notice that the flood gates back home are beginning to burst for many of us here. I think that the families hold back on everything due to the shock of the member leaving and then a few weeks go by and things build up then the member calls home and it sounds like all hell has broke loose as our love ones feel comfortable sharing all the things they felt bound to hold back. It seems true for just about everyone I work with. We already had to send one guy back due to family issues. Sadly we had one of our Security Police who protect me commit suicide right outside my door (just 22 years old) and one of our Senior NCO’s had to be taken to Germany for telling someone he was considering suicide after bad news from home. Now, don’t think we are all depressed because it is not the truth. Just some people are having a tough time so I try to keep my ears open in case someone needs to talk. Something to think about for sure.
Well, that is all for now. I will try to write more as time permits and I can get it out.
Brad/Dad
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