Update 12DEC2008

Thought I would send an update to let everyone know how things are going over here. Things here are busy as usual, although today was pretty slow. We didn't go anywhere - just vehicle maintenance. These MRAPs are hard to maintain because there are so many moving parts to them. It's almost as bad as maintenance on a helicopter!
There was a big 5 day holiday here for the Iraqi's this week so not much occurred during the week. There was some violence but there's always violence. For the most part, though, there were a lot of Iraqi's drunk in the streets at night and, during the day, most of them were sleeping their hangovers off. Believe it or not, they party hardy over here!
The big thing I wanted to talk about was how fast this deployment seems to be moving along. We are already 3/4 through this deployment and it seems like I haven't been here that long. I think it's because we have a lot more here - more MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) assets here like internet in our rooms, movie nights, ping pong, and other stuff to eat up time. The missions are also more frequent this rotation. In Aviation we have to get so much rest before we fly next, on the ground that goes completely out the window. We're always doing something so there isn't as much down time as usual (for me). Guys will start going on leave soon and that will make things go by even more fast! In a bigger unit leave doesn't mean much because there are some many other guys, but on an 11-man team one guy gone is highly noticeable!
I haven't gotten too sick over here. Not like the last time anyway. I have managed to keep my weight on and keep my strength. I had the sniffles a few times but that's only because of the temperature changes we're going through right now. The temps get down pretty low at night here - at least compared to the daytime temps we get. The temp could drop 40 degrees in 45 minutes and then the body goes through a temp shock because it happens too quick. Some of the other guys have gotten stomach viruses and I haven't gotten any of that too bad so I'm very thankful. Some guys even had to get stuck (IV) to get fluids replenished in their system! That was me the last deployment!
One thing that I'm noticing is that my body isn't what it used to be. I'm feeling very much mortal on this deployment. My back reminds me of it daily. I think those 1400 hours of flying helicopters has taken a toll on my back...and I'm not even done flying in my career! This body armor that I wear here is about 35-40 pounds with my weapons attached and all of my ammo. That's definitely taking a toll on my back. All of the aches and pains go away quickly though. Today we had a "day off" to do maintenance and already my back doesn't hurt, but when we go out on missions and come back a few muscle relaxers help a bunch!
I'm still doped up on caffeine and I still smoke - it's too hard to quit those vices when you're constantly busy and require constant alertness. I would rather keep these vices and come home alive rather than the opposite. I'll think about quitting those vices after I get home and settle back into family life. Could be a good plan for the wife and me.
Alright, just wanted to check in and let everyone know that I'm still here and doing fine. Busy, but fine. Hope everything back on the home front is going good.

-Happy Holidays to everyone!

A Day on the FOB

Today we didn't go on a mission or go anywhere outside the FOB...come to think of it we didn't do anything yesterday either. It's really weird the mindset you get in when on a combat deployment. It's much safer on the FOB and less stress, but I would rather go out on a mission any day of the week as opposed to staying on the FOB. It's all about making time go by faster. When you're sitting on the FOB there is really nothing to do so time just snails by and it seems like entire week went by...but it was just one day. I would rather it feel like a day went by, but rather it was an entire week.
Lets see, today I sat around my bunk and did absolutely nothing. I did things, but they were small things to just eat up time. I cleaned my weapons, reorganized my body armor components, cleaned my bunk area, meandered through the FOB PX to better organize my Go Bag, played a little bit of PSP, and then talked with my family as they are in Cleveland for one of Justin's hockey tournaments. Other than talking with my family everything I did was to bite some time off the day to get it over quicker.
I actually like leaving the gate in a Mounted Combat Patrol (MCP) to go somewhere and do something. There is self-worth to it and you feel as though you are doing something over here rather than rotting on a bunk - equivalent to sitting in jail cell bunk waiting for chow time to get out of the cell and go somewhere within the confines to eat and socialize. There is also an undescribable adrenaline rush when you go out of the gate and into the 'combat zone'. You get all suited up like a roman warrior preparing for battle, you load ammo in your weapons for anything that might happen on the mission and your senses are heightened because you're constantly looking for something on the side of the road or on rooftops that may be of danger to you and your crew. I love that feeling. Most people do if they experience it just once in their life. I don't care who you are, it's a feeling that is undescribable yet something that you look forward to.
So, it'll be nice when we go outside the gate next because it'll make time go by faster and get me moving again. I know my family doesn't like to hear that, but I feel as though they understand it in some strange way.
Until tomorrow....

LAKE BELADIYAT

This is Lake Beladiyat. I couldn't describe it through words so I had to take a picture. This is a glimpse of the lake, it still stretches about 800 meters to the left and 200 meters to the right of this picture. There are four MRAP vehicles in this photo as well. You can only see three of the vehicles because one is behind the farthest vehicle...that's the vehicle stuck in the mud and grime. If you look at the picture closely you can see where the road should be as identified by the mounds of dirt on the side of the road. Be aware that all of this water is not really water...it's raw sewage from backed up sewage lines caused by 6 hours of rain.
In the distance, on the right side of the photo, you can see a radio tower. That radio tower is part of the Red Cresent complex (a hospital). That place wasn't always a hospital. When I was here in 2003 it used to be the UN Compound. For those of you who have seen my pictures from my first deployment you would know that this place was hit by a vehicle-born IED - a dump truck of explosives - and had killed the UN Chief. The day of that occurrence I flew around that compound for 6 hours while they tried to secure and clean up the mess. So, based on this, you should know that I am currently working in a place that I flew over for 12 months in my first deployment. It brings back memories.
The unit in this picture is not us. This is another element that was supposed to link up with us at the NP Headquarters but had to turn around because they kept getting stuck. That means that every time they got stuck someone had to get out of the vehicle, step into the sewage and then link their vehicle with another one to get towed out. Doesn't sound fun, does it? Not more than four days ago I had to do the same thing. I didn't fall in like my buddy, but I had to get knee-deep in that crap. It wasn't fun AT ALL!! I lost a pair of boots to that mess!