Written on Sunday, posted on Wednesday

I wrote this entry Sunday night while watching football, and was unable to post it Monday due to internet outages...consider it Part 1 of an overdue update.  More to follow in the very near future!

Sunday night, Week 4 of the NFL season.  Each of the past 3 weeks I’ve organized a pizza and NFL viewing party for all the people I work with.  The turnout has steadily decreased as only those who truly enjoy the  NFL (or pizza) continue to pitch in.  Tonight, we only had 6 people in, and before I left to get the pizzas I set up the TV we usually watch the games on.  It’s a 60+” TV with great split screen picture in picture that allows for viewing two games at a time.  Unfortunately when we finished hooking it up it became clear that the cable to our building was down.  Bummer.  We decided to go get the pizzas and hope that the TV would work be the time we returned.  No such luck.  So I ended up coming back to my CHU with a pizza and some wings and settling in to watch the Cowboys-Lions,  Steelers-Texans,  and Bengals-Bills matchups.  That last matchup was voted by AFN viewers as “America’s Game of the Week”, which makes me think that the majority of people who get AFN and would be voting on the GoTW must be from Buffalo or Cincinnatti, or letting their toddlers surf myAFN.net.    Regardless it turns out that the AFN in my CHU is working, but for some reason there is no sound to the Cowboys-Lions game, the one I really wanted to see.  Next  time you think about your service men and women overseas, remember the trials we’re suffering through.

I decided at halftime of the three games to write a blog entry, since it’s been a week and I didn’t deliver on my promise to blog in mid-week.  I have a lot of catching up to do, since it’s been a very busy time here lately and I’ve been asked a few questions from home about the stories in the news.

The first thing topic I want to touch on is the weather.  A few people have asked how the weather has been as we move into fall.  The temperatures started to drop in early September, rarely going up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  As the month went along, they slowly slipped, until we’ve reached the point where it hasn’t reached 100 yet in October.  I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of triple digit readings, but the light is definitely at the end of the tunnel.  The best times are early morning around sunrise and just after sunset.  The temps cool, and the skies are mostly deep blue with tons of colors around the sun.  Of course, there has to be a downside or two to the dropping temperatures, and those come in the form of dust storms and bugs.  We had an epic dust storm this week that rolled in during lunch and stuck around until after I was in bed.  The photos below were taken by our Public Affairs folks.  The first few pictures show the gathering storm as it moves in on us (that's me in front of another guy walking across the helo pad), and the last one is of our boss, Maj Gen Handy, walking back from a meeting.  You can tell that he’s not having fun.  

Sandstorm, called a "Haboob" moves in over our compound

Sandstorm rolling in over the living area

Haboob moving over vehicle storage yard

Walking across the helo pad just in time to beat the storm

Walk faster Gen Handy!

The building he’s walking toward is where I work.  The other thing that bothers me about the weather cooling down is the return of biting insects.  I don’t think they’re mosquitoes, because I’ve never actually caught one biting me, but I’ve had some ugly welts that itch like crazy come out of nowhere, and I can only assume that the lower temps have encouraged the bugs to come back.

Quick side note.  They just showed a blimp view of the Texans-Steelers game, which is being played in Houston…in a dome.  Do you think there is a hierarchy among blimp pilots?  I’m guessing it goes something like this:  Single A minor league pilot (stationary blimp used for advertising), Double A minor league pilot (overhead coverage of sporting events in closed domes), Triple A minor league pilot (overhead coverage of college football games), Major League pilot (overhead coverage of pro football games), All-Star pilot (overhead coverage of college bowl games and pro playoff games), and finally, the crème de la crème, The Show, providing overhead coverage of the Super Bowl.  I’m pretty sure that’s how the blimp game works.

I'll leave this post on that note.  Hopefully I'll get another post up in the next couple days...until then!

Geographically Separated Celebration

Today is a very special day.  35 years ago in West Point, NY Doug and Vickie Brown brought a wonderful baby into the world who developed into a mischievous, sassy little girl, transitioned to a a preppy East Coast high schooler, and finally became the brilliant, sophisticated, professional, beautiful, amazing woman who let me marry her.  Happy Birthday to the love of my life, Ashley.  I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but we'll Skype during football, and the knowledge that we're both watching the same games at the same time makes me feel connected even across all the miles.

Ashley on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica

Happy birthday, darlin.

So another week is gone, and another big milestone is here with Ashley's birthday.  Next week it will be October, and we'll only be a few weeks from my birthday.  After that it's November, and, well, you can see where I'm going from there.

I have some more thoughts, but I'm going to wait until mid-week, and let this post be all about Ashley, how much I miss her, and how much I can't wait to be back home with her.  Until next time...

Back in the Saddle

The last time I managed to post to my blog, the debt crisis was in full swing, Republicans and Democrats couldn't get along, the President's approval ratings were in the toilet, and I was still in Baghdad.

Maybe things haven't changed as much as I thought.  In the last 6 weeks it seems like a lot has been going on here, but the outside world seems to be in the same general state it was then.  One big difference is that I've moved from Baghdad out west, to a base called Al Asad.  I can't really go in depth regarding the reasons but suffice to say that someone in high places thought it was a good idea.

It's not bad here though.  The weather is a bit cooler than in Baghdad due to lower humidity (and getting cooler every day), there aren't any rocket attacks (at least not yet), and my walking commute has dropped from 24 to 2 minutes, which is a SIGNIFICANT time saver.  I'm also fully recovered from a tweaked neck suffered throwing around moderately sized weights, so I'm getting back into a good workout routine.

The base was one of the jewels of Saddam's Air Force.  It's gigantic in scope, with a couple big runways, miles of taxiway, and several hardened aircraft shelters that used to house MiG fighter planes.  My boss remembers flying over the base in his F-15 during the first Gulf War, getting shot at by surface to air missiles.  Now we're here living in old Iraqi spaces 20 years later.  Interesting how things turn out.

I'm proud to report that in the 5+ weeks since my last post, I've gone over the halfway point in this odyssey.  In fact, I'm almost 2/3 of the way done.  If I'm lucky, I'll be home to watch the NFL playoffs and college bowl games.

Speaking of football, let me spend a few minutes talking about the sports viewing experience over here, particularly watching football.  As you are probably aware, we're 7 hours ahead of Eastern time, which means the noon college football games start at 7 pm.  On Sundays, the NFL kicks off at 8 pm.  There are positives and negatives to this arrangement.  One good thing is that we're usually mostly done with work by 7 or 8 pm, so we're able to watch the games.  Another is that we generally take the morning off on Sunday, which allows us to sleep in after a late night of football.  The biggest negative comes from the primetime games, which start between 8 and 9 pm on the East coast which means they start between 2 and 3 am here.  Most of you know how much I like to watch football, so you can imagine the extremes I'm forced to go to for viewing these games.  Last night for example, I went to bed around 10:30 pm and woke up 4 hours later to lay in bed and watch the Buckeyes stink up the field against Miami.  Tonight I will probably stay up until 1:30 or 2:00 am watching the NFL.  Of course, all complaining about the schedule aside, one great positive of being here (or at any overseas base) is the American Forces Network, or AFN.  Each week AFN gets its pick of college and NFL games, and broadcasts as many as possible.  For instance, tonight at 8 pm we get the Cardinals and Redskins, along with the Bears and Saints.  We're not locked into any regional games or subject to blackouts.  For the late games, we'll get all three matchups while most areas of the US will only get 1, maybe 2 games.  It's the next best thing to DirecTV.  The only negative associated with AFN is its commercials. Because AFN is not a for-profit network, they can't show normal commercials.  This means that they fill the time with public service announcements about everything from the Base Legal Office (Ashley's favorite kind!) to different events going on in US Air Forces Europe (the source of our feed).  When we were stationed in Europe and Asia I always thought the commercials were horrible and couldn't get any worse.  I was wrong.  Seeing the PSAs on travelling around Europe, and knowing I can't go see any of the cities, is way worse than what we had to deal with before!  Needless to say, I'm really excited for the NFL and college games to be back in full swing.  The games give us something to look forward to each week, and it's nice knowing that as the season draws to a close that will be a signal that it is time to head home.

I think I've mostly caught you up to speed on what's been going on out here.  There has been a lot of news regarding whether we'll stay here past 2011 and I can tell you that we are still planning to "go to zero", and that anything that comes from Washington will be a joint decision between the U.S. and Iraq.  I don't think their citizenry wants us here any more than most Americans want us here, but leadership on both sides believes that the fragile gains that have been made will not be sustained without further training and assistance.

I plan to get back to a once a week posting schedule at the least, we'll see if there's anything more interesting to post in the interim.  Until the next time, take a second to wish the Air Force Happy Birthday.  The service turned 64 today...

What I'm Reading and What I Wish I Was Watching Vol 2

tGreetings everyone.  I'm getting ready to transition to a new location in the near future, so this will be my last post for a little while.  It's time for another addition of "What I'm Reading and What I Wish I was Watching".

Reading


The Next 100 Years - George Friedman
This is a very interesting read about the way the world will evolve over the next 100 years.  Friedman (no relation to Thomas) evaluates the world in 20 year chunks, maintaining that the events that seem pressing and urgent in the present time pale in comparison to history.  For example, the two wars we're in and the "debt crisis" are issues that will have no significant long term impact.  Even the 2008 recession, when viewed in context, is just another part of the cycle.  His long term view is that the United States is uniquely postured to be a world power that will be challenged by various actors and coalitions, but that we will mature as a country and civilization as we progress.  I didn't agree with all of his ideas, but they were very interesting.  I give this 4 out of 5 Niall Fergusons.

Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
I'd never heard of Louis Zamperini before reading this book.  I have no idea why.  This is easily one of the top five most amazing and inspiration stories I've ever read.  The things this man went through during the course of World War II are nothing short of earth shattering.  He endures so many various situations, any one of which would be enough to kill a normal person.  Throughout the book Hillenbrand does a great job of revealing the context of the war in the Pacific and the attitudes of the US in the context of WW II.  I give this book 5 out of 5 Band of Brothers.

Revelation: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery - C.J. Sansom
This is the next book in the Shardlake series.  Since I already wrote about the series in my previous post, I'll just say that this one is probably the best yet.  Our hero has to investigate a series of grisly murders based on the Book of Revelation.  Very much in the vein of a Dan Brown DaVinci Code book, but with much more English History.  I give is 4.5 out of 5 Tudor Roses.

What I Wish I Was Watching

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Horrible Bosses
Bad Teachers
Captain America
Cowboys and Aliens
NOT The Smurfs

Until next time...

The Last Residence of the Most Hated Man in Iraq

The Front Door to the Last House of Saddam

 On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by US forces near his hometown of Tikrit.  He was eventually brought to Baghdad to be held while awaiting his trial.  I was able to tour the prison cell where he was held.  It was a very interesting trip, because when I was here in 2006 I drove by the place that turned out to be his prison, and was only able to see a very tightly secured building in the middle of a lake on Victory Base.  There is a single causeway that drives out to the palace, which was secured by a vehicle barrier, locked gate, and armed guards.  The guards are gone now, and the key to the lock on the fence is available to anyone who wants to see the cells.

Saddam's bed and toilet

 As you can see, the conditions were sparse.  In addition to Saddam, they held several other "high-value" prisoners, including "Chemical Ali" Hassan, who was notorious for his use of chemical weapons to kill thousand of Kurds in northern Iraq.

"Chemical Ali's" Cell

It was a very eerie place to visit.  I wasn't able to talk to anyone who was here when the detainee operations were conducted, but it was very interesting to see nonetheless.

The Road to the Prison

Not a whole lot to say about this post.  Just some interesting photos that I thought I would share.  You can see that the prison itself is rapidly deteriorating.  In a few years it will be destroyed and another remnant of Saddam Hussein will pass into history...

Promotion, Better Than Relegation!

Yesterday I was promoted to Major in the United States Air Force.  The ceremony was on Sunday, the last day of July, but the "official" day of promotion was yesterday.  The rank of Major is a milestone in the military because it represents a step up from the "company grade" ranks to the "field grade" ranks.  This is supposed to represent the increased leadership responsibilities and burden as an officer progresses through a career.

This was the third time I've been promoted in the military (the first three are pretty regularly scheduled, 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant at two years, 1st Lieutenant to Captain two years later, and Captain to Major about 6 years later), and the second time I've been promoted in a war zone.  Each time I've been promoted I've been lucky to have someone I care about perform the ceremony.

My first promotion happened the day before I left Kuwait in 2003.  Mission Accomplished had been declared in OIF, and we had no clue what kind of hornet's nest had been stirred up.  I was at the end of a 190-day deployment, which back in those days was really an anomaly.  I remember being happy to have the ceremony in front of the Airmen that I served with in Kuwait, and having my good friend Derek administer the oath.  I also remember thinking I was cool for not having my squadron commander, who was not well liked, promote me.  I've grown up a bit since then...

The second promotion of my career happened on one of the best weekends of my life, Memorial Day Weekend 2005.  I married Ashley on the 29th, and her father promoted me to Captain on the 30th.  It was very impressive to see him put on his Army Service Dress more than 10 years after he'd retired, looking like he could step right back into command.

Even though those two ceremonies were very special, I think it will be hard to top this one.  My previous boss in Korea, a 3-star general, was able to connect to our building via Video Teleconference and officiate my promotion as about 30 of my colleagues looked on, and my mom and dad watched over Skype.  What's even cooler is that when Ashley's computer died, my dad was able to connect to her on his cell phone, which usually has worse service than in the Sudan, and she could hear the remarks from my old boss coming from a conference room on the other side of the world.  It was a very special ceremony because I had the people who mattered the most there, even if they were there via Skype.  I never cease to be amazed when I think about how people dealt with separation during World War I and II, Vietnam, and even the first Gulf War.  My generation is truly lucky to not be burdened by the utter loss of communication when they are away from their loved ones.

I plan to post at least 3 more times over the next week, and then I'll go quiet for a bit because I'm moving to a new base.  Until the next time, stay safe...

The Cycle of Violence

It seems like months since I posted last, but it's really only been 18 days.  I understand that is a long time to go without a blog entry from me, so I understand your excitement to have a new post to read.  I must beg your forgiveness for the absence, although it hasn't really been my fault.  Unfortunately the power adapter on my laptop (which was a replacement of the original) finally gave up the ghost on me, and I had to order a new one from the Interwebs.  Thankfully there was nothing else wrong with the laptop (besides the fact that the mike doesn't work and the speakers are losing strength, but I digress) and when I plugged in the new adapter it sprung to life.

Since my last post a lot has happened.  The 4th of July came and went, the US Women's team made an inspirational run to the World Cup Final, Albert Pujols broke his wrist and healed, and Darren Clarke won The Open.  Of course, Clarke literally just finished winning The Open, and our USA women are getting ready to take the field, so hopefully I don't curse them by mentioning the team here.

For one reason or another, this was my first 4th of July spent deployed.  In my previous deployments I've been lucky enough to miss most of the summer.  Not so much on this go round.  We were given a "minimal manning" day, which meant we got the afternoon off and were able to relax a little bit.  The DFAC (dining facility) put out a pretty good spread, hanging up all kinds of red, white, and blue bunting, American flags on all the tables, things like that.  I always wonder what the contractors who work in the DFAC think about our American holidays (they are almost all Third Country Nationals from Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, etc).  It also gives me cause for reflection.  Will Iraq ever have a day they celebrate as their "Independence Day"?  What will this country be like in 10, 20, or 50 years?  If you look at our history, we didn't just spring from 1776 to the world's lone superpower.  We have several moments in our history that we shouldn't be proud of.  I wonder if the current insurgent violence and illegal militias in Iraq are a sign of their own troubled times, or a permanent state of struggle that will take decades to change.  Speaking in terms of the World Cup, one can only hope that in 65 years, Iraq could be playing Kuwait in soccer at a field in Iran, with all three countries at peace.

Of course, I also reflect on the state of our own country.  I see and hear bits and pieces of the "Debt Crisis" debates and it really just depresses me.  I think our founders would shake their heads in disbelief if they could see how poisonous our politics have become.  It's really too bad that those in Washington can't remember the spirit of 1776 and how people of all political stripes, from liberal northeasterners, to plantation born southerners, and frontier folks who had already begun exploring the west came together and signed a document that would have had them all hanged had the war turned out differently.  We can be great again, but it's not happening anytime soon with our current representation.

By now, you're wondering what in the heck the title of my post means.  You've read this far, probably hoping for some juicy description of killing bad guys, or cracking down on militant religious fanatics.  Unfortunately, the Cycle of Violence refers to a process I've been deeply involved in over the past 3 weeks, called the Joint Plans and Operations cycle.  Anytime there is a big decision to be made by the USF-I Commanding General (4-star General Lloyd Austin), a briefing has to be developed and delivered to the Joint Plans and Operations Group, a room full of Colonels chaired by a 1-star who pick the briefing apart, ask a lot of questions, and decide whether it is good enough to go forward.  If it is, the briefer goes back and makes changes and then briefs another group, this time called the Joint Plans and Operations Council, a room full of one and two star generals chaired by two 3-stars.  These guys are the Deputy Commanding Generals for USF-I, and they do the same thing as the previous group, from a more strategic perspective.  If the briefing passes their scrutiny the briefer is cleared to take it to the Joint Plans and Operations Huddle, a small group of generals with a colonel or two in the CG's office.  The briefer delivers the brief one on one with the 4-star and if he approves, it is then briefed again, one final time, at the Joint Plans and Operations Board, the full complement of USF-I leadership.  The CG usually makes his decision at that time.  My involvement with this mind numbing process was building each version of the brief for my Colonel boss to give at each level.  I can't tell you what the decision was about, but it was a very interesting process, and it taught me a lot about how the Army operates.  We're a "Joint" community (meaning we have Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine forces in USF-I), but most of the processes have Army roots.

I wasn't planning on boring everyone describing that process, but Ashley said I should, so if it sucked, blame her.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch the USA take down Japan.  Until next time...