Other News...

During the month that the net was down, I had some good news... Finally, my profile time ended. I was all healed up (yeah, right), and declared fit to take the APFT - PT test.

Haven't taken one since November 2003. 21 months...

APFT's are no joke in the Army. Fail one, and your career stops and you gain the "special" attention of your entire chain of command.

Pass it, and all goes well for you.

Long story short... I passed. Barely. Made my run with only 2 seconds to spare. But, pass = pass.

So now, I'm eligible to go to the promotion board... and will go in December. With any luck, I'll have my stripes by the time I return to Germany...

Follow-on Grieving

Yesterday, we had a wake for the fallen crew. In the Chinook hangar, they played a montage of photos of the crew that had been contributed by the unit. Was long and an amazing variety showing the thrill for living that they'd exhibited. Everything from the crew and their birds to... an outing at Hooters.

Was odd to see the hangar darkened as it was... and so quiet. Crowded and quiet. No maintenance going on, and dark as can be except for the projections...

Today, we had the memorial service. This is what most people are familiar with. There were five pairs of boots, five rifles, five flight helmets, and five dogtags.

Great speeches...

Had visitors from the rear and sister units in Bagram fly down.

Overall, nicely done.

The War Marches On

By now, you’ve seen it in the news about the Chinook going down in Afghanistan. Five Soldiers died. It was from our base. I knew one of the guys. He was in my unit. He lived two doors down from me.

Sunday morning started just like any other day. Same thing every day. Shortly after 0330, we got word of a gag order. Grrrrrreeeeaaaatttt.

These gag orders were on the verge of becoming routine. No one ever got hurt, and usually, even the aircraft was ok – just limping back to base.

Then I was called up to the office to monitor the phones. I could already feel a different electricity in the air. I asked Top which aircraft, and he said a Chinook. Whew (not an Apache.) Crew’s ok, right, Top? No… they’re not ok.

Stunned.

I understood what he wasn’t saying. Even if injured, you’re “fine” or “you’ll be alright”. Not ok means only one thing.

Still didn’t have names… and while sad at the news, Chinooks are a different unit. We only slightly have a connection to them with a few of our Soldiers working on them. They’re in the hangar next to us, we see them all the time, but… different unit.

In the meantime, the impounds began. All records related to the helicopter are sealed and in this case, locked up in our office since we had a safe. So, locked it all up. And then…

I was asked to provide ALL records of any kind on one of our Soldiers (for obvious reasons, his name won’t be used, but in the spirit of Dear Abby, I’ll call him “Fred”.)

As soon as they asked for Fred’s records, I knew. I knew he was on the chopper, and I knew he was now dead.

So much for this deployment. I’d truly hoped that we’d make it through without a scratch. Why not? We’re mostly Aviation maintenance, and rarely directly exposed to fire. This unit made it through the beginning of the Iraq conflict 100% ok… why not Afghanistan? After all, as they say back home, the war’s been over here for years.

So much for this deployment.

I spent most of my day standing by the phone, coordinating messages. Gag order of course, but in this case, even more so. They shut down the base’s internet completely. Made the office work a bit more difficult to do, but then, I was barely concentrating anyway.

Church was just a place to be that day. Our regular Chaplain was in the rear on leave, and this guest Chaplain… well, I just wasn’t listening that closely. He was up there smiling and going on with his sermon, while over half of the group in the chapel were hurting inside. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but… one of the first rules of public speaking is “Know your audience”.

After awhile, the numbness sets in. After all, the war goes on. Work still has to be done, helicopters repaired, and now… there’s the business of shipping Fred (and the 4 others) home.

This morning, I came to work surprising myself how quickly we just move on. It’s so much more accelerated here. Perhaps because we don’t have the luxury of (forgive the term) “wallowing” in our grief. As the President said (correctly), “I have to get on with my life.”

Then the announcement came. Ramp ceremony – 0820Z. I’ve watched several, but from a distance. Now, we were in it ourselves.

I changed into my best, pressed, starched uniform. SHARP creases. We all cleaned our weapons to remove even a hint of dirt, and they all shined. We removed all the extras that we’ve hung on the weapons and our uniforms until we were picture-perfect Soldiers.

Time came, and we went over to the TLS (Taliban Last Stand) building to form up. Very quickly, we realized this was going to be a big deal. Usually, for a ramp ceremony, it’s just the unit affected, and maybe a few others symbolically. Showing up for this ceremony was everyone affected by our Task Force’s efforts. Units included:
Task Force Storm – all units
The USAF contingent on KAF
173d Airborne Infantry
82nd Airborne Infantry
Special Forces
Task Force 3-1
Afghan National Army
Dutch Army
Romanian Army

All showed up since they have most likely been ferried by Chinooks, or supported by our Task Force. It was an impressive turnout. Easily 1000 troops… probably more.

The Air Force parked a C-130 in the usual Ramp spot. We could see it there…. Waiting. As usual, it was a dedicated flight, no other cargo.

I was selected to be part of the “Quartering Party”… Our group was part of the ceremonial group next to the plane. In plain terms, I’d have a front row view.

We marched over. It took 20 minutes to march all the units over… and to listen to all the commands in different languages.

There was a bagpiper there.

All the brass on post were there.

And in huge formations, were all the troops. Stretched out, behind the aircraft, flanking on both sides… with an aisle formed up in the middle… for the caskets.

We stood there for about 10 minutes awaiting the arrival of the five. Humvees drove up, and it was time.

The whole group came to attention, and as the first casket was brought through, we all went to Present Arms (salute). The way the ceremony works is that it’s mostly non-verbal, and is the military’s way of sending off the fallen Soldier. Only one Soldier is moved at a time, and we all salute him. Everyone salutes. Not a word is said. None needs to be.

I could hear the pallbearers coming… it struck me that their stilted marching step sounded like the ants marching in a Looney Tunes cartoon, but… wasn’t laughing now. In fact, as I looked over the faces of the formation looking back at me, quite a few tears were being choked back as we stood at rigid attention, saluting our fallen comrades.

The first casket passed… one of the pilots judging by the rank of the pallbearers. After the first casket was secured, then the second began.

Each had 8 pallbearers, plus the escort (the Soldier who would escort the casket all the way home to the burial.) Each had a crisp, bright Flag covering the coffin.

The third passed… then the fourth… still, no one moves… while it takes a long time for all of the caskets to process through the formation and be loaded and secured… a little discomfort on our part is… worth it. And let me be clear, literally no one moves. Not a fingertip, not a cough. Nothing. The salutes are held to show the respect and honor deserving these Soldiers.

The fifth casket approaches. I recognize the pallbearers and know that this is Fred. I presume my face now looks like those that I saw looking back.

The casket is secured. I can hear a Chaplain inside speaking – his words remind me of a burial service.

Then, the Colors march away. As they pass, we salute… the effect is like a wave moving through the formation.

And as soon as the Colors leave, it’s over. Our ceremonial group marches on board the aircraft to pay respects… it’s a small aircraft, and the five caskets seem to take up all the room. We pass by… and are back off.

We march back to the TLS building… and then, it’s time for lunch.

And the war (and let’s be clear that that’s what this is) marches on.

A Little Shopping... Then Back to the War

Went to the Bazaar today.

What's the Bazaar? Well, whether as part of the local re-development, or as a way to help GI's part with their cash, the military has set up a local flea market. Each Saturday (with a few exceptions, including after we were attacked and before the election), the Afghans set up shop outside the base. The military posts heavy guards surrounding the area, and then...

... we go shopping. We're bused to the post fence. We walk through a long fence reminiscient of prisons, and poof! We're outside the wire. Surrounded by tanks, but outside. And then, we're shopping.

Now, this is NO place to expect to find great deals. Jewelry is sold - but I didn't see any real stones. The best counterfeit watches you can find. DVD's. Lots of them, most are of movies that aren't even out on DVD yet - they're copies of recordings taken in theaters. Clever, poor quality, and only $1. Soldiers eat these deals up.

Genuine Persian rugs...

And of course, it all comes with the vendor's "Guarantee". Not sure how to cash in on a guarantee like that, but...

It's all about haggling. Which I love. It's a game. You don't really know who's getting the deal. If he starts at $60, and you walk out after paying $25... did you get the great deal??? Or was the vendor happy if you only paid $10? Great fun.

I always work Saturdays, so never got to go... but, since I go on R&R in SEVEN DAYS, I was able to beg off for the chance to go.

Quite the experience... and I got some goodies (genuine, imitation fakes, I'm sure).

I'm Back

Ok, The net's back... it's been spotty, but each day is better. I've actually tried to post twice recently, but it keeps dumping out.

So, now... I'm going to try to catch up on all the latest news...

Thank you all for continuing to check in...

Checking In...

Just a quick note to say all is well... well, almost all... We're STILL suffering from no Internet. Just our two buildings are off the network... and the group we've gotten it through isn't the best at customer service... basically their response is, "If you don't like it, we can always unsubscribe you." So, we wait.

Other than that, I'm saving up some posts for later...

Will post as soon as I can...

From another lovely Army day in Afghanistan...

What's Going On

Everything (so to speak) is ok.

We're having Internet issues. E-mail is, at best, ragged. Web surfing (needed for this blog) is out of the question.

I've kind of snuck on to a system to get this message out to all concerned (and the concern IS appreciated.)

Don't know when things will be back to normal.

More later.

Promise.

She's So Sweet

My wife passed along this little tidbit.

Seems my daughter, M, showed up with her pooh bear backpack, and declared it was time to go.

Go where, she was asked.

"I go to Anananatan to go get my Daddy!!"

(approx.) 35 days to go.

I can feel the support from here

There's a blogger out there, Mr. Andrew Sullivan, who's trying to get bumper sticker suggestions.

One of his that he's posted is: How Many Soldiers-per-Gallon Does Your SUV Get?

Nice.

News...

Well, I'd intended to post this yesterday, but... other stuff came up.

Anyway, we had another ramp ceremony today. Could recognize it coming, as the C-17 again was parked in its unusual place, and the base was again quiet. What was surprising was how big it was. Several of the allies marched out. Very large group of Soldiers there for the ceremony.

We have a new policy taking effect. It's a uniform change. The powers that be have decided we need to visibly show our solidarity with the Afghan people. (snort) How best might we do this? Our Soldiers fighting and dying alongside theirs is apparently not a powerful enough image... What to do? What to do?

The solution? We are all adding a lapel pin to our uniform. It will be worn at all times (with notable exceptions) so the Afghans will see that we support them. The pin is a "friendship" style pin with the American and Afghan flags. It'll be worn on the right breast pocket.

The exceptions? Well, we can't wear it outside the wire (you know, where the Afghans are... the ones who are supposed to see the pin.) Since it's a pin, we can't wear it while working on aircraft (meaning it's now a nuisance to pin on, take off, pin on, take off, constantly throughout the day.)

What it comes down to is that we're wearing a new pin to show friendship with the Afghans, but the Afghans will never see it. We'll see it, but since it's going to be an incredible pain in the tuckus, most of us could do without it.

Not sure what this is supposed to achieve. My cynical side suspects there was a warehouse of 10,000 pins that just got unloaded on us. However, let's take TPTB at their word. In a briefing the other day, we were told how the Taliban and al-Qaeda are making the locals cooperate with them and threaten to kill/rape/maim/kidnap (these guys are just a cornucopia of options) anyone cooperating with the Americans. I can see the Afghans now... "Whom should I help? The Taliban are threatening to kill my sons and rape my wife and daughter... but... the Americans... they're wearing such beautiful pins (or so I hear). I think I'll help the Americans!"

A buddy and I were talking the other night, and I said something that he said, "That's good... write that down." Well, thank you... What I said was, "I remember studying how we used to fight wars to win... now we seem to fight to please."

Whether it's wearing a pin (can't resist - which pinhead came up with that?), or asking "Mother-may-I?" before we defend our country, or tying our military's hands behind its back so we don't offend anyone with the brutality of war... we don't fight to win. We fight to please someone. What a ridiculous way to do it.

Common variation of a theme heard around post - "If only they let us fight the way we could..." The American military has an awesome firepower... but we often hamper it with restrictions and rules. This is quite counterproductive, especially against enemies who have no such rules.

The enemy knows we follow these rules, and use it to their advantage. They know we don't leave anyone behind on the battlefield... so, they stage a small attack, wait for the Medevacs, and fire at them (Geneva Convention, Newsweek?). They know we won't attack civilians, so they hide amongst them. They know we won't attack mosques, so they hide in there.

What a stupid way to fight a war.

What really tears at me are the stories I hear... from people who are "reliable sources" and know what's what. I wish I could share them... can't. Not now, but... maybe one day. OPSEC gets in the way, but... truly tragic. When "fighting to please" replaces "fighting to win"... you neither win nor please.

Help Make This Better?

Ok, a request... anyone good at programming web pages?

I'd like to snazzy this site up, but... I don't know the HTML well enough, nor am I swamped with time to learn.

Any web gurus out there willing to take on a charity case?

Something I wrote...

In church today... after we started off with the announcement of four more Soldiers dying.

I felt suddenly moved to start writing. What follows flowed into me... there's a tune with it in my head, but then... I'm not great at writing tunes.

Part of this springs from the recent Cindy Sheehan events, and of course, a lot of the other protests...

So, here it is.

"Untitled - for now"

The ribbon has faded now.
A tattered flag hangs with shame.
And your voice shouts out, “How
Have we now lost our aim?”

They say we support our troops,
But we’ve got to bring them back.
Their mission is… a colossal “Oops!”
Give ‘em the safety they now lack.

But what you call our support
Means you’re wishing us to fail:
To not defend America – our Fort!
To tuck twixt our legs our tail.

Do you want it to be for naught?
Do you want them all to win?
Give them the victory they sought?
Have our buildings fall again?

We volunteered to stand on this wall.
To guard against all our foes.
We know that some will tragically fall…
Stopping that which evil sows.

So it comes to this, that we ask –
Please, support us now all the way.
Fight the fight, finish the task…
R’mber, God Bless the USA!

A note from my Dad

My Dad sent a request to pass this on to all of you, so...

here goes: I've checked none of this out, but... take a look. Might as well.

JUST A REMINDER 31 days from today, cell phone numbers are being released to
telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls. YOU WILL
BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS. These Telemarketers will eat up your free
minutes and end up costing you money in the long run. To prevent this, call
the following number from your cell phone: 888/382-1222. It is the
National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It
blocks your number for five (5)years. PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS
You can register on line at:

http://www.donotcall.gov/

Education on Spam

Some good questions by y'all about the spammers.

First, Spam is unwanted messages - usually e-mail, but can also be comments on blogs like this.

Second, Spam is rarely generated by a person. Most often, it's done by a computer program.

A computer can be programmed to send an e-mail message to everyone in a network.
A computer can be programmed to search blogs and post comments to them.

That's what's happened here.

The "Secret Word" test is there because computers can't read. So, while they can automatically send a message, they don't know how to answer the test question, "What word do you see?"

Thus, stopping automated spam.

You, lucky humans, can see and thus must take this test with every post.

Say, "Thank you, Spammers."

Soldiers' Deaths in Afghanistan

2 earlier in the week... 4 today. Learned about the 4 while in church... it'd just happened.

Yes, all from our post.

Sad day.

Changes to Blog

Well, let's welcome the Spammers...

Logged in to see so many comments. Was excited. What could lil' ol' me have written that generated such a response!?

Spam.

All the spam comments have been deleted (I think?). Also, I've now activated the feature where you will have to verify a word to post a comment. Sorry, but necessary...

Back to the blog...

Neat Twist of Fate

Yesterday, we became a full room again. One of my roomies returned from a 45 day stint at a FOB.

The other returned from leave.

Was going to be all crowded again.

But wait! Up in the sky... is it a mosquito? Is it a helicopter? No, it's Twist-of-Fate Man!

All THREE of my roomies have been assigned to night shift.

Translation = I'll never see them.

Effectively gives me a single room, with 1/4 of the space. Should be like this for a few weeks. Such a tragedy.

Nice moon out tonight.

Blood for Oil

The argument is made by anti-war protesters that this is a war for oil.

Ok, I'll play along.

Let's say that it is.

Is that a bad thing? Part of the job of the government is to ensure a smooth economy. Now, economics is a complicated subject, but we'll try to keep things simple.

Energy makes the world go round. If you make Widgets, you need transportation to get your widgets to the market. Energy. You need power for your factory. Energy. In short, you need energy for each step of the economic process.

In America, we've managed to stifle our energy producing industries (no new nuclear power plants, restrictions on oil drilling/refining, coal mining, etc.) Since solar and wind power haven't generated the fruit we've all dreamed of, and the world still runs on gasoline/kerosene/and other oil fuels... we have to get it from somewhere.

Historically, when a nation has been threatened with the loss of a key part of its structure, it fights. Whether that structure part be land, energy, food, or freedom, that's what happens.

Divert water away from a country? War. Take it's land? War. Oppress it? War.

Has there been war for oil? Sure. Anyone remember WW2? The Japanese felt threatened by the US embargo on it's oil. Not having any natural reserves of its own, it took others. They even had a name for the plan... the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. (Pearl Harbor was just a failed attempt to keep the United States from meddling in their plan.)

In our case, we have managed to become dependent upon Middle East oil. It's in our interest to keep the tap open and the oil flowing. Not just to fuel our SUV's (a specious argument for gas prices rising), but also for all of the other products that petroleum gives us.

Plastics. (Surprised you there.) Plastics are an oil byproduct. Look around. Lots of plastic in use.

Asphalt.

Lubricating oils.

Parafin wax - good for candles, candies...

Used in manufacturing of carbon and graphite and aluminum. Also synthetic rubber.

In fact, petroleum accounts for 89% of our nation's non-fuel energy use.

Imagine if it was gone. So, you see, a "War for Oil" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

But then, that's not what this is about... (mostly).

Why Doesn't ______ Make His Child Enlist?

See this a lot, too.

Variation on a theme, but generally like this, "If you're so for the war, why don't you make your son/daughter enlist and go to Iraq?"

1) It's a volunteer military. NO ONE makes anyone join. When I signed the paper, no one made me do it. I could have walked away. When I raised my hand (twice) to take the Oath of Enlistment, I could have walked away. At no time in the processing center did I see a parent dragging their grown child in, with the child screaming, "No, Daddy, I don't wanna play Army..."

It's a choice. Some make it, some do not. I've spoken with Drill Sergeants, and they've said that they've seen all kinds. Former doctors, lawyers, etc... walk away from it and enlist (no, not be officers... enlist.) Rich kids, poor kids, people from other countries who aren't even citizens of America (like a good buddy of mine) have all enlisted.

2) You can't just "go to Iraq". Sorry, the military doesn't work that way. You join, and then you become a commodity for the service. "Needs of the Army" as we say. If they need you in Korea, you go to Korea. Africa... Europe... Afghanistan, wherever. Yes, you can increase your odds of going - choose certain jobs, try to go to certain units, but... still go guarantee on going... or not going. Plenty of letters get written to "Stars and Stripes" and "Army Times" from Soldiers who want to go but are assigned elsewhere. It's just not so simple.



Part of what's not being taught as much in school anymore is why the American system works. Let's look at the military. Mr. Snuffy does not join the Army to support President Smith. First of all, would be foolish because of the 8 year committment, so odds are, at some point, PVT Snuffy would take orders from President Jones, not President Smith.

The military is managed by civilians. We follow orders from them. We go where they tell us to, and not go where they say not to go. If President Kerry had come and on 21 January 2005 told the Pentagon to begin an immediate withdrawal, then that's what would have happened.

The oath taken is that we'll support and defend the Constitution. No one man, his policies, or otherwise.

You don't have to agree with the orders that come down, or the policies behind them. But the Constitution says we follow those orders, and that's what we do.

And while I'm thinking about it...

How about some respect?

I grow weary of people protesting the way they do. References to "Dumya", or prezdint, or even simply, "George..."

He's the President of the United States.

Something that is taught in the military (and should be taught in every home) is how to disagree respectfully.

Let's say First Sergeant has a plan. It's a mistake. I do NOT say, "What a crazy, jacked-up idea... You're an idiot." (Those of you in the military can imagine what my next few hours of life would be like.) Instead, I'd say, "First Sergeant, respectfully, there may be some flaws to the plan."

My thoughts, my ideas, what I'm trying to say, will be heard by more if I say it respectfully. Every time I go to a website that's filled with hate-filled, disrespectful language, I don't care anymore about what their position is. It's lost on me.

Make your argument. Do it without the profanity. Do it with respect for your opponent. Then I'll listen. Who knows? Perhaps you'll convince me.

Politics

I have some thoughts I want to share about what's going on with a few news items. As with ALL comments political, some out there are going to disagree. That's fine. Part of the beauty of the country. I even love a good debate. However, some ground rules. If you comment on this, have the fortitude to post an e-mail address... perhaps I'd like to respond. Second, behave yourself. Haven't deleted any comments yet, and don't want to start.

So, that said, here we go.

Cindy Sheehan

She bothers me. Not for her protest. God bless her for that. She can protest, and is doing so legally.

She's disingenuous. She says she wants a meeting with the President, and he's a coward for not meeting with her.

For starters, I invite you to read this article which covers Mrs. Sheehan's meeting with the President. The quotes are interesting. For example, we learn that the family hasn't supported the war (which is fine), and debated whether or not to mention that to the President. They decided not to, as they believed Casey (their son killed in Iraq) wouldn't want that. Further, she's quoted as saying that she believes the President genuinely cares and is a man of faith.

So, what's changed?

She's now quoted as saying that the President "bounced" into the meeting and didn't know what he was there for. Ok, step back. Do we honestly believe, that a man who has every minute of his day mapped out, has piles of briefing materials prepared for every event, and more aides than we can count... do we honestly believe that he has NO IDEA why he's in a meeting?

Does President Bush not care about the families of the Soldiers who've died? Try this Newsweek report detailing the President's meetings with families.

I don't think so. I have no doubt that the President anguishes when troops die. He ordered them there.

So, what does Mrs. Sheehan want? Well, she's started by saying she wants to hear the President tell her why her son died. But, apparently, her mind is closed to what he'll say. Reference this transcript of a speech she gave at a Veterans for Peace gathering. Some interesting quotes there. It's a tough read because she rambles (forgivable, she's not yet a practiced public figure), but you'll see where she not only wants America out of Iraq, she wants Israel out of Palestine, she's not paying taxes, and this is all about oil (I'll come back to that one).

According to Mrs. Sheehan, This country is not worth dying for.

I don't doubt that Mrs. Sheehan grieves for her son's loss. I'm just not quite sure what she's wanting to achieve. Reading her speeches and quotes, she's all over the place. Very angry (understandable), but... I don't know what she wants.

I certainly can't blame the President for not giving her a bigger forum. I doubt that it'd change anything, anyway.

Just a laugh to share...

Completely unrelated to Afghanistan.

But, it tickled my funnybone...

Life is tough.
It's tougher if you're stupid.

One: Recently, when I went to McDonald's I sawon the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. "We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter. "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the reply. "So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

Two: I was checking out at the local Walmart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those"dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the "divider," looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, "Do you know how much this is?" I said to her "I've changed my mind, I don't think I'll buy that today." She said "OK," and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

Three: A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM "thingy."

Four: recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. "Do you need some help?" I asked. She replied, "I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?" "Hmmm, I dunno. Do you have an alarm, too?" I asked. "No, just this remote thingy," she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, "Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk."

Five: Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?" "Just use copier machine paper," the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five "blank" copies.

Six: was in a car dealership a while ago, when a large motor home was towed into the garage. The front of the vehicle was in dire need of repair and the whole thing generally looked like an extra in"Twister." I asked the manager what had happened. He told me that the driver had set the "cruise control" and then went in the back to make a sandwich.

Seven: My neighbor works in the operations department in the central office of a large bank. Employees in the field call him when they have problems with their computers. One night he got a call from a woman in one of the branch banks who had this question: "I've got smoke coming from the back of my terminal. Do you guys have a fire downtown?"

Eight: In Radnor, Pa., police interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the"lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.

Nine: A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and should be fine, the mother says, I just gave him some ant killer.....Dispatcher: Rush him in to emergency!

and of course "I believe Dallas IS in Houston, sir."

Me on a Chinook

I was running around taking pictures of our area for a "Travel Brochure" we're putting together for the unit that'll replace us.

Well, in the process, I climbed up on top of a Chinook.

Great view from up there. Never thought I'd get the chance to be up on top of one. Not my bird, no reason to.

Anyway, while I'm up there, one of the civilian contractors comes up, asking if I was with "Stars and Stripes". HA! Well, since he was there, I got a picture...

Having fun...

Cool Picture of the Space Shuttle

Came across this and it's just a beautiful picture... very inspiring...

Malta!

Going to Malta on R&R leave. Anyone ever been? I never have, so this should be interesting. Some place I've NEVER been before.

Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean. Ellicia and I are going by ourselves (well, we're taking Thomas...)

Just a week alone... exploring. Relaxing.

So, if you've been to Malta, I'd love to hear from you...

The Ramp Ceremony

Today had an unusual beginning.

We started our shift @ 0200Z, as always. Did a minor servicing, and came back to the office. Noticed a C-17 parked oddly nearby, but didn't think more of it. Then noticed a note saying no APU's or AGPU's (Aircraft Ground Power Unit - basically a small jet engine in a trailer that powers aircraft for us - pretty cool) could be used between 0300 - 0430Z. Odd.

Later, around 0330Z, we went to go inventory our ammo area (right next to where the C-17 was parked).

Then we saw it. A Ramp Ceremony.

A Ramp Ceremony is when they load a fallen Soldier onto the aircraft for the ride home. I have no pictures of this, so I'll try to convey the scene.

The Soldier's unit forms up at the rear of the cargo aircraft. The colors are present. It's a split formation, flanking both sides, with a gap in the middle.

A Humvee pulls up, and the Honor Guard removes the flag-draped casket. It is then marched to the aircraft. The formation comes to attention, and salutes.

The casket is loaded. There is a short moment of silence, and then the formation marches off. The Soldier is going home.


Some notes about this particular one. Our airfield is busy. REGULARLY busy. Especially this time of day. There was no activity. Nothing. I could hear sounds from miles away, and I was mere feet from the runway. The base had managed to arrange for no activity, no loud noises (no firing range, no EOD explosions, no maintenance), and no aircraft for this Soldier's departure.

Another sad note. I saw the uniforms they were wearing. They were the Army's new ACU's, which are quite different from the tan ones you've seen on TV and I've been wearing. The only unit on base wearing those right now is the unit (unnamed for OPSEC) that just arrived. This Soldier had just gotten here. Sad.

That was the start of our day. We all came to a stop, and watched silently, standing, as the Soldier was loaded onto his flight home.

Hooah.

Almost 2,000!

Wow... almost 2,000 visits to this lil' ol' blog in the corner of the web.  Thank you each for visiting!

Thunderstorms

Supposedly were in our weather forecasts. uh-huh. It HAS been very dusty lately. Sometimes hard to see the end of the flightline. Dust just gets everywhere.

Lost our water today. Never know when that's going to happen. I keep waiting to be caught in the shower.

Comfortable routine going. OPTEMPO is going to be highly increased for the next six weeks as the elections approach. Seems there are some people in this land who don't want democracy and apple pie. While I prefer pecan pie myself, I don't see what the problem is...

Anyway, the bad guys are getting more aggressive.

Finally getting over my cold.

Trying to keep straight which day it is sometimes...

Shameless Plugs

Today, some shameless plugs for folks out there who are doing some wonderful things.

First off, the folks at Dog Tags for Kids have a unique support program. They send dog tags for the children of those serving.
I requested some for my three younguns. Was told that it wouldn't happen because they'd run out of money and couldn't raise anymore. Disappointed, I moved on. Imagine my surprise one day to get a package in the mail containing 150 tags! Seems the nice folks at Diamond Jim's Casino in Rosemond, CA had held a fund-raising night. According to Dog Tags for Kids, they raised enough for over 3500 tags.
I passed them out to any parent who wanted them. Folks, even the more hardened of our group eagerly came asking me (sometimes in whispered asides), "Hey, you the one with the tags? I've got, um... two kids back home." Faces lit up. People were so eager.
All this for a dog tag.
Goes back to an earlier post I made... most Soldiers won't ask for anything (as I understand some of you have learned.) But to give to those back home, they were excited. I can't support this group enough, so please support them. You'll even get your own dog tag when you donate.
These are so popular, I've written back asking for more for our Task Force.

Next up, we have KTSY-FM 89.5 in Boise, Idaho and Albertson's Department Stores. I was surprised to receive a box of goodies marked Boise, Idaho. And by goodies, I mean GOODIES! Ritz crackers, Twinkies!, and other lil' assorteds... Oh, these people have made a friend. Promptly shared (ok, maybe reluctantly for the Twinkies). Just really surprised. I know no one in Boise. So, to whomever and however I ended up on the list... Thank you.

And now, a general thank you to all of you. Part of what I do is help sort the mail. Packages roll in every third day or so. It's really something. I look at the labels on these, and one thing that catches my eye. Y'all are really spending a lot of your hard-earned $$$ on us. $10, $12, $18 for postage starts adding up!

1SG has received packages from his Soldier Angel including electronic dartboards, baseball kits, tennis balls AND racquets, and LOTS of water balloons (not sure how we'll use those...). Commander received a box with over 12 CASES of Ramen noodle soup.

Frozen popsicles.

Trail mix.

Powdered drink mixes.

Cookies.

Cookies.

Beef jerky.

Toiletries (I've distributed over a hundred free razors, chapstick, etc.)

YOU folks are amazing.

Thank you.

Good (and under-reported) News from Afghanistan

This is all compiled by an Australian blogger. Think it's a worthwhile read as I doubt you'll hear these stories anywhere else...

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007073

Letters from Children

Some of the best mail I get is the occasional letter from a child. Now, cynical side of me often wonders if it's just a project for class or such, but...

I suspect not.

Often times, the letters are accompanied by a note from the adult who says how much the children wanted to do it.

The letters are cute, simple, and heartwarmingly touching. And sometimes, amazingly... "real". In so much as the kids seem to have a great grasp of what's going on.

So, with today's mail, two more art/letters (art because they are after all done by children and no child I know just writes a letter... ART must be involved!!!)...

Enjoy, if you can read through the picture...

Was Pelosi Right?

A while back, I commented that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had stated that the war in Afghanistan was over.

Was she right?

I'm now reading reports that the White House is no longer referring to the "Global War on Terrorism". It's now the "struggle". Apparently "war" has the wrong connotations.

Which has a few thoughts come to mind...

First... what do I do with this "Global War on Terrorism" medal? Should I take it to an engraving shop, have "War" scratched out and "Struggle" etched in?

Second... I'm disgusted. We, as a society, have lost our mental grip on vocabulary. Forgetting the PC extremes to which we must go to avoid offending others, let's just deal with one word.

War.

Defined as "A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties" or "A concerted effort or campaign to combat or put an end to something considered injurious."

Does this fit the current state of affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan? Hmm, let me see... bullets flying, bombs, IED's, rocket attacks, wounded and dead Soldiers. Yep, sounds like a war.

Struggle: "To progress with difficulty" and "To be strenuously engaged with a problem, task, or undertaking."

Now, folks, let's be realistic about what we're doing here. Soldiers are fighting, and dying, out here. Fire is being exchanged and returned by the enemy ("enemy" - another clue this is a war).

We're fighting (oops, there's another hint) an insurgency. Ever noted an insurgency when you've been struggling with that stuck lid on the pickle jar?

Part of our problem is that we've slowly redefined the word "War". Wars used to be declared. You knew, without a doubt, that there was a war on.

Revolutionary War.
War of 1812.
War of Northern Aggression (oops, "Civil War").
Spanish-American War.
World War I.
World War II.

Some great declared wars. Then, in the 50's we strayed... Korean Conflict (or Police Action). Vietnam War (but, oops, not declared). We also had the War on Poverty. War on Racism. War on Drugs. There's also the War on Illiteracy, War on Obsesity, and quite a few other Wars out there.

We have price wars, gang wars, warring neighbors, etc.

With possibly the exception of gang wars... did anyone see any tanks rolling through the streets? Yes, there were the National Guard incidents during the Civil Rights era... but for the most part, is that what you think of when you hear of these wars?

No.

Most are just government programs or a phrase to try to motivate you to join a particular cause... or "struggle".

We have real troops on the ground. Real weapons being fired. Real casualties. And we don't want to call this a "war"? What should we call it? A tea party (nope, been done)?

We have to stop being afraid of words. Words have value. When used properly, they accurately convey the message we want. When improperly used, or subverted, the message gets lost in the inaccuracy and dishonesty of the new words.

A war is a war. Don't hide it. Revel in all the ugliness that comes with it. It is SUPPOSED to conjure up the negative images. It's so you don't enjoy war, so you avoid it when possible, and fight with ALL your resources to end it. Struggles aren't so motivating.

We've lost our call to arms... We're trying to pretend that we're not fighting. We're worried that the American public won't accept a war. Well, when it's covered up, hidden, deflected, and swept under a rug... I wouldn't expect anyone to want it either.

This struggle must be going fairly well. Years ago, we were afraid of more terrorist attacks. Now, we're just afraid someone will be upset that we're at war.

Y'all Are Amazing

My wife has now receive a care package...

I am stunned at just how giving you folks out there are to total and complete strangers.

The girls have gone nuts over the Strawberry Shortcake party supplies, the barrettes, socks, and assorted other stuff. Thomas is unimpressed.

Thank you...

Happy Anniversary!

I'd like to say Happy 50th Anniversary to my Uncle Abie and Aunt Eleanor. What an accomplishment. And more, what a blessing.

I can only hope that I am blessed to spend fifty years with Ellicia.

Congratulations, you two. May each anniversary continue to bring you happiness.

My Wall

Here is an image of my wall. You'll notice it's slowly getting filled. Can you spot what you've sent?

There are some wonderful cards, pictures, my children's drawings, and even a cartoon. Wonder how full we can make it?

Thank you for all the cards and letters... and those wonderful care packages...

VTC

We had another VTC scheduled today...

I'm surprised people still sign up for these... The VTC was scheduled to start at 1100Z. My appointment was for 1349Z. I got there, and STILL they couldn't get it connected. I finally got on there about 1500Z or so...

So many spouses had given up. Others, like my beautiful bride, had children running around, and had gone through the trouble of getting there. Plus, kids were expectant, so you wait.

Quality was... slightly better this go around. They could still see me fine on the big wall projection.

I, of course, am watching on a tiny screen on a briefcase laptop. Any movement by them results in static in the picture...

BUT, they got to see me. Which is a big plus. Webcams often have a difficult time working. Also, I got to see Kira... whom I hadn't seen or heard from since she went back to the states for visitation...

So, overall... worth the wait, if not frustrating... Always good to see the kids... and, did I mention my lovely bride?

Safety Day

Today was Safety Day. Yay. Blech. Safety Day is our Task Force's monthly standdown. In theory it's so we can discuss safety, take a break and relax, refocus, and reduce the chance of accidents.

Right.

The first, and most dreaded, part of Safety Day is always the Task Force Run. The run is envisioned by our Task Force commander as something to "lift our morale".

Right.

If we were infantry, or armor, or airborne or such... I'm sure he'd be right. We're aviation. We hardly march, and we're allergic to running.

Task force runs are always a minimum of 3.1 miles, in formation. Basically, running around the airfield. And of course, people are likely to "fall out" (or fail to keep up)... This gets you all kinds of benefits. First, you get to go on a second run. Second, your company will usually add additional punishments.

You can feel the morale rising, can't you?

Next, we have safety classes. These are intriguing, exceptionally interesting classes on critical safety issues.

Right.

Anyway, after that, it gets slightly better. We have a barbeque... usually tasty.

Then, it's sports day. Teams compete in various sports (different each month). Those not playing can go back to the barracks and relax... errr, no. Sorry, they are required to cheer on their teams. Yippee!!!

When it's all said and done, it's been the equivalent of a full shift.

This is something we look forward to (not) each month.

Anyways, that's Safety Day... and another one's past. Now that's got our morale rising.

I Am the Angel of Death

That's my nickname, at least amongst the senior NCO's and officers.

Why?

Well, I've been working in Operations for a long time. Operations has many functions - primarily to ensure and facilitate the smooth functioning of the company. One of the ancillary functions, but more common and more useful, is effectively First Sergeant's personal assistant. By being one, I ensure the smooth function of the company.

While there are many details and facets to this, one specific one is basically to be his intercom. If 1SG wants to see someone, it's usually, "Stanley, go get so-and-so and bring them here."

Translation, when I show up... people's faces freeze, and the look is... "Oh dear, what's he want?" (He not referring to me.) I am the summoner, the bearer of (rarely good) news.

It's become a running gag... I'll show up somewhere, and everyone just stops, looks, and asks for whom I've come for.

For Halloween, I need to get a long black hooded cloak, a bony skeleton hand, and a staff... I think Top would get a kick out of it.

IL-76

This is an IL-76. Originally a Soviet design, it is very similar to the American C-141. There is a distinct difference - the navigator's view from the bottom of the nose. It's completely glassed in.

We see several of these each day, flying in and out.

An impressive aircraft, and being of Soviet design, it has another capability. It can go "off-road". Witnessed this first hand. One day, we saw one that'd overrun the end of the runway. Normally, a great cause of concern that can close an airport for hours or days. Not this bird. The pilot merely turned the aircraft, and drove it over the rocks and dirt until it could get back to pavement. Amazing...

Isn't she beautiful... For those who can look closely, she's from Charleston, and is actually one of the lower serial numbers planes.

She's the "Spirit of North Charleston". So, if any of you are from North Charleston, your plane has been doing wonderful things here...

We made this picture our desktop in the shop. It's just beautiful.

And, I'm not the only nut. It seems whenever aircraft go by, we all stop, look, and enjoy our private airshow...

Not Bob Barker...

But, one of my readers has brought an important safety message to light. So, for just a moment, this is for her...
(Totally confused? You're probably not her then...)

Rabies

This is my promotion certificate! Nice and pretty... :) :) :)

P-R-O-M-O-T-I-O-N

Today, I was pinned to E-4, Specialist. No longer will I be called Private. Now, I'm also just one step below Sergeant, which I've already started working for.

Big day. So excited, and worried. I kept waiting for there to be something to keep it from happening, but nope, there I was in front of the company.

I've actually known about this for awhile. I qualified for promotion back in June, and my paperwork (that makes everything official) has my Date of Rank as 01 July. I should know, I typed it.

So, I've "technically" been an E-4 for a month, just not wearing the rank. NOW, I am wearing it. Nice little jump in pay and respect. Finally did it...

It was so cool to be up there. I've waited so long for this.

Commander had some nice words to say while he pinned me on, noticing I was "getting skinny". Very pleased. Also, had my favorite Sergeant, whom I've known since my first night at AIT, back in May 2003, come up and pin me. Sort of an honor I wanted her to have, since I couldn't have Ellicia do it. She's a good friend, and pleased me to have her there. (I was expecting a disapproval from my Platoon, because she's not of our platoon, but as I explained to my Sergeant... I've known her forever, while I just joined these guys. She's made the biggest impact on my Army career. So, I asked her. She had some nice congratulatory comments - even came back around later.) And of course, Top... First Sergeant... someone whom I really look up to and respect... more solid congratulations.

So, here are some pics...


















Till later,
Specialist Stanley

Two more...

Chaplain says we lost two more this past week from our post... SF guys...

The battles out there are really picking up.

Had a buddy at a FOB go through 1000+ rounds of 30mm ammunition and nearly 300 rockets in a four hour period loading them onto birds... amazing.

It's going to intensify.

Busy month ahead.

Thanking Soldiers...

I'm not about to presume to speak for all servicemembers...

But.

I thought I'd give a peek behind the curtain. Many, many of you write in with messages of "Thank You" in one form or another. Y'all seem shocked, and I suppose justifiably, when you find out from your Soldier that... we're not too comfortable with that. You'll hear that we're "just doing our job" or some other response.

I'm one of those. I don't feel comfortable with the Thank You's. They ARE appreciated. I just don't feel like I'm doing anything that special. There's guys sacrificing even more, and who deserve heaps of praise.

That's one side of the thought process.

Now, when we get together and talk amongst ourselves, you'll hear how much we'd like to be thanked and appreciated for what we're doing over here. Yes, I know... I just said we're not comfortable with it.

So, how can we have it both ways?

Finally came to me. Soldiers don't like the individual attention. Just doing our job. BUT, we do want the effort en masse to be appreciated. Make sense?

Goes to why it's hard to get Soldiers to make requests for care packages... individual vs. group, thing.

So, I hope this helps some... Guess it sums up to... Soldiers don't want the spotlight on themselves, more like the floodlight on everyone...

Gag Order Lifted

It was brief, but it's lifted, and all is back to normal now. Cannot discuss why for the gag order (but if you look at a history of such, you may see why...)

Anyways, let me catch up on the e-mail, and postings... August is almost here!

Gag Order

No posts for awhile... shutting down.  Till later, be safe.

Some miscellaneous pictures

Well, I have taken a pic or two, here and there... so, here are some for you.

First, one of the British Harrier jets landing. They are LOUD. Anyone who's seen True Lies, and remembers the part where the Harrier hovers and sneaks up onto the criminal... PAH! No such thing. We know when they're landing, and need hearing protection when they do.

Next up, you'll see some of Afghanistan's finest residents - the Camel Spider. Ferocious looking thing.

And finally, me hard at work running tests in one of our birds. Almost a recruiting poster. hahaha.

It's not so hot... or, is it?

Lately I've noticed that it doesn't seem so hot. I think I must be acclimated by now. Thermometers still show it's hot... just doesn't quite feel it so intensely. Just an observation.

Of course, July is winding down... soon, it may actually start to cool.

The war, however, is hot as ever. Intense mission support. Lots of rounds being expended. All about this election coming up.

Which brings me to this hot button of mine... next time you hear someone complain that the TWELVE hours the polling station is open isn't enough, or that they had to stand in line, or other such nonsense... just remember... if you don't have to look in the sky to check for helicopters guarding the polling area, or the booth isn't guarded by troops... our elections just may not be so bad.

This country is fighting to have peaceful elections... and we gripe and moan and... well, we really should be ashamed sometimes.

Found this gem...

Over on the sidebar, you'll notice I added a new group. Operation: Soldiers to the Movies. This organization sends DVDs, popcorn, candy, and drinks to servicemembers deployed.

From what I've seen, one of the #1 ways Soldiers entertain themselves is by DVDs. Huge collections are shared and passed around.

So, take a look...

Why I Joined the Army

Many of you have asked how I came to join the Army.

Good question.

Where to begin? I suppose part of it goes back to the fact that I've long wanted to serve in the military. My father is retired Army, and I've known many folks in the service. Just always seemed the right thing to do. My preference was always the Air Force. My dream was to be an in flight refueler - the guys who go up in a tanker plane and refuel other aircraft midair. Seemed to be a wonderful job.

The one problem was my weight. I have long been heavy. To give an example, I've included some pictures of me from the civilian world.

So, anyway... life is interesting. It eventually just seemed that the military became more and more of a youthful dream. I had a career. I'd gotten married (to my first wife). Life was continuing along the way... and the military was falling by the wayside.

More and more... it faded. My career was becoming more and more successful. I was getting older. Things were just ducky.

And then.

9/11.

Those first few days were nothing but work for me. I was working almost literally around the clock as we tried to handle the repercussions of the attack. For our business, it was an absolute disaster, plus we had to try to handle all of our customers stranded around the country.

Finally, I took some down time. I went to Ellicia's... and just let it out. I was emotionally devastated. I'd never imagined us being attacked so directly.

As the months began to pass, I watched as we geared up for war and eventually took the fight back to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, life in the states quickly returned to normal. There was no war here.

We continued living comfortably, and as often happens, those who are comfortable must complain about minor things.

It grated on me. I listened, day in and day out, to customers complaining about minute details. Truly trivial things were blown into life and death absurdities. Meanwhile, I'd be reading on the internet about our Soldiers fighting the war.

I came to realized that I was in the wrong place.

I needed to be contributing to the fight. My country had been attacked. I was sitting at a desk listening to whiners complain (to be fair, there were genuine complaints, and I helped many people through genuine issues). I went to find a recruiter.

Navy offered me $30,000 signing bonus. But, it was to serve on submarines, and be under water six months per year. Nope.

The Marines were willing to take me "as is". I, being no dummy, knew I didn't want to be some drill instructor's dream come true.

The Air Force wanted me to process several waivers and it'd take two years to join. Too long.

The Army... wanted less of me, but was willing. The recruiter helped me work out, shed over a hundred pounds.

And so, on 22 October 2002, I found myself with a bunch of young kids, raising my hand and saying my first Oath of Enlistment.

I still had work to finish, and went off to India for a few (miserable) months, but finally shipped off to Basic in February, 2003.

So, here I am. 67% pay cut later... living in a barracks in Afghanistan. Contributing to the effort to defeat the people who have tried to hurt us for so long (yes, long... this war didn't start on 9/11.)

Life here isn't easy... the money isn't great. But, I'll say this. I miss my career. I enjoyed what I did, managing teams of people... but, I feel right at the end of the day. I'm doing what I think is the right thing. I don't feel guilty sitting at a desk, living the good life... knowing Soldiers were sacrificing. I never in the world imagined myself turning wrenches or loading rockets and bullets into helicopters while living in Afghanistan... but I wouldn't trade this at all.

I want my children to know that Daddy did something when it came time to be called. I want to show them what JFK meant when he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what YOU can do for your country."

Follow-up to Shuttle Launch

Referring to my earlier post...

I'd like to recommend two DVD's to all of you out there.

The first is From the Earth to the Moon. This is a documentary produced by Tom Hanks about our epic journey towards the moon. The interesting thing is that it shows so many different facets of the story. Even those who've never shown the least interest in our space history have been enraptured by this DVD collection.

It's well worth the investment (for you penny pinchers out there, you get more video time per dollar than most movies.) So, go to Amazon and pick up your copy today. Sit down with the family and learn about all that it took to get mankind from the Earth to the Moon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000A0GYD2/ref=reg_hu-wl_item-added/002-0372989-5399259?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

Now, this next movie is truly special. One of the benefits of space travel is being able to see our universe from a unique and different perspective. For All Mankind is a film composed Entirely of footage filmed by the astronauts themselves. It's edited together, with commentary, and is spectacular.
This is a gem that is little known but is a MUST see.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0780022319/qid=1122404768/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-0372989-5399259?v=glance&s=dvd

Want to know more? Drop a line and I'll chat your fingers to the bone about this...

She Flies...

The shuttle launched today. And, through the miracles of modern technology, I followed along from Afghanistan. If you can picture it, I took m easy chair outside the barracks, brought a Coke, and my laptop and satellite radio receiver. Focused in on the satellite, tuned in Fox News, and listened. Can't really watch the video over the web as the speed is too slow, but listened.

Now, backstory... I love space launches. I am a HUGE fan, advocate, and believer in the exploration of space. I vividly remember my first launch, 11 November 1982, for STS-5. This was the first operational shuttle launch, and my father drove all night to Florida to let me watch. What an amazing sight to see Columbia (RIP) thunder to the sky. And of course, I knew every step of the flight, what was going on. I was hooked.

I have attended both Space Camp and Space Academy. Even commanded a shuttle "mission", winning best mission award.

I will never forget where I was or what I was doing when Challenger died. (Yes, to me, the craft come alive for the launches, and like their crews, die when lost.) My parents will probably tell you how that night I watched the videotape over and over, in super slow motion, trying (and succeeding) to see what had gone wrong. Even with such basic technology, I could make out the leak of flame that was a blowtorch to the fuel tank.

Once I got old enough, I began making pilgrimages to the Cape. Every time there was a launch, I'd go. I jiggled work schedules, whatever it took. Sometimes, the shuttle didn't go. NEVER a problem. Safety first, as far as I am concerned.

I had such joy in sharing the experience with whomever I could convince to make the journey. I introduced my mother and step-father to the thrill, and even better, by doing so as close as possible.

And now, here I am... far away from the Cape. And Discovery's first launch date was not convenient for me to watch. But today... perfect. I just made it back from work to listen.

It saddens me how it seemed that the media was almost hoping for something to go wrong. As if there was no way that we could overcome the difficulties, the odds of something going wrong, and succeeding. A lack of faith... worse, a loss of the dream.

There is such a fantastic dream in sending people into space. Over thirty five years ago, man walked on the moon. We haven't been back. Besides of the incredible arrogance that the "Been there... so what" attitude that we seem to have about the Moon, we have seemed to lost not only the dream of exploring, but the desire.

We must continue to return to space. There WILL be more tragedies. Thousands died developing air travel (not yet perfected, I might point out.) More crossing the oceans. Exploring the West. Connecting Europe and Asia for the spice trade.

It's not easy...

It's not supposed to be. If it were, it'd already be done. If it were, the world would not have held it's collective breath for Freedom 7, Apollo 11, Columbia, and now... Discovery.

Thank you to the crew of Discovery, for being brave enough to climb aboard an immense bomb and say, "Send me."

Thomas Update

Thomas had his follow-up hearing appointment today. Ellicia reports that he hears normally. No problems.

What a blessing and relief!

Good news!

James Doohan has died.

Ok, this has nothing to do with Afghanistan.

The world lost another of the original "Star Trek" actors today. James "Jimmy" Doohan played Scotty in the Star Trek. Even if you've never watched "Star Trek" (What?! Have you been living in a cave???), you know the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty."

Doohan was special amongst the actors. One reason was his genuine affability. He was always genial and happy in his philosophies. He was a joy in person, and I'd had the pleasure of meeting him several times.

He was also a Soldier. He landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day with the Canadians. He was wounded six times, including the loss of a finger.

Doohan never shied from his fame or association with "Star Trek". His legacy will be one of sharing with the fans, including saving one notable one from suicide.

Scotty is gone, another one of the famous crew gone. Slowly, the door on the original "Star Trek" seems to be closing. It's a finality that's inescapable... no warp speed or shields to stop it.

I will miss Doohan being around, but am glad, yes, glad he died. Recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he faced a future of being robbed of his mind - instead, he was blessed to die with his wife by his side, and mind still there. It was our culture robbed, but... that was always destined to happen.

"Star Trek" is a legacy that will live on for generations to come (yes, I believe that - it's one of our society's cultural legends) and through it, so will Doohan. We'll always be able to go back and see that smile, hear the laugh, and call out to have him beam us up.

God speed, Scotty. And thank you.

Big Yellow Bird...

Mail's here...!!!!

Yesterday, THREE DHL birds came flying in... Two big ones, and a little one. YAY. So much mail, that the mail handlers here are backed up for a bit.

So far, I've gotten two boxes. Thanks Dad for the Slim Jims and lemonade.

And more books came in from yet another well-meaning soul...

Thank you, all.

Some light-hearted stuff...

It's not just for spam anymore... now we can share via the web!
Anyway, a good friend of mine (and Marine Reservist) sent me a bunch of these.

COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington And they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.
CONSTITUTION
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore.
TEN COMMANDMENTS
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a Courthouse! You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians! It creates a hostile work environment!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST
George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart . "Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. O.J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around; Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the one woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and haul her butt off to jail."


WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?
My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of Iraq regime has been completed.
Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete.
This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq. This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now to begin the reckoning.
Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short. The United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the countries listed there.
The other list contains everyone not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.
Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war.
The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell-holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.
Need help with a famine? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France.
In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth. Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France, or maybe China. I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and Russia. Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well. Bon chance, mes amis. I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York !
A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change. Mexico is also on List 2. President Fox and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple extra tank and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put em? Yep, border security. So start doing something with your oil. Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now. We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska - which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there. They care. It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, "darn tootin." Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It is time to eliminate homelessness in America. To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thanks guys. We owe you and we won't forget. To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic. God bless America. Thank you and good night.



Letter appearing in the Arizona Republic on June 23rd (the original letter writer has since apologized):
A wake-up call from Luke's jets
Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for themorning air show?
Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Roadat approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune!
Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns' early-bird special? Any response would be appreciated. - Tom MacRae, Peoria
________________________________________________
The response: Flyby honored fallen comrade Jun. 28, 2005 12:00 AM
Regarding "A wake-up call from Luke's jets" (Letters, Thursday):
On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship ofF-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt Jeremy Fresques.Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day. At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son andfriend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the president of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand thesacrifices they have endured. A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects. The letter writer asks, "Whom do we thank for the morning air show?" The 56th Fighter Wing will call for you, and forward your thanks tothe widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for itwas in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation oftheir lives.
Lt. Col. Scott Pleus
Luke Air Force Base
The writer is commander of the 63rd Fighter Squadron.

My Hero...

Today, I'm not writing about me. I want to discuss my hero.

I'm talking about my wife. Today is our first anniversary. Obviously, it's not the way that we want to celebrate it, but as I've told her... the distance apart doesn't diminish my happiness being married to her.

I have to admire her. This is our second marriage for both of us. As I'm sure others who've remarried have thought, "... this time, it's going to be better." I'm not sure if what we have right now is what she was planning on, but I am impressed at how well she hangs in there.

A marriage that results in being more like a single mom than a couple.

More time apart (so far) than together.

My Sweet, who has rarely left the comfortable local area of her hometown has picked up, moved to Germany (middle of nowhere, no less) and embraced living in a foreign land without her husband as a guide.

Switching over to Army life. There's a WHOLE new set of rules to play by. (For all who want to know what's it like to have the government in EVERY part of your life... enlist - get it out of your system.)

Raising three beautiful children... alone.

I'm not sure what her reactions were/are for the times when I call and the first words are, "I'm ok."


This lady has been through so much, already. And yet, she continues to eagerly tell me that, "I'm a catch." She sees past and/or accepts the faults of me that I can't stand, and then loves me even more.

How do I repay her? How do I show her how much she means to me? How much her support steadies me... when I'm so far away. And how her comfort helps when I'm home.

How to thank her for the beautiful children with whom she has blessed us? I cannot imagine my life without those precious faces in it.

She juggles so much, from screaming children, to misbehaving urine-wielding cats, to navigating the Army healthcare system, to driving in a foreign land to someplace she's never been, to supporting her husband four thousand miles away in a war zone.

You guys reading this... how many of us would sign up to do a job like hers? Not many, I'd wager.

She is my strength.

She is my resolve.

She is the love that keeps me going, and warms me to the core.

Ellicia, today is for you. I wish I could be there in person, but know that I am with you in spirit, and in my Heart.

I look forward to all the anniversaries to come, knowing that with a first like this one... nothing can hold us back... only together.

I love you.

Family News

You're all asking about T...

He had his big appointment on the 12th. Apparently, yes, there was fluid and wax in the ears, but that's easily solvable. Clear that, and he should hear just fine.

Which brings us to today.

Called home.

Talked to E, which was heaven in and of itself. T was busy eating. So, anyways... he's been taking his medicine to help clear the ears, and we thought it'd be a good time to test it. E held the phone to him, and I started talking.

She says that he STOPPED eating, and cut his eyes over to the phone, trying to figure out where the sound came from... And then BIG smiles in his eyes... even laughter. It is our consensus that he heard his Daddy... and that's just awesome news...

Also talked to M. She was having a bad day... spilled water on herself and paintings, and has been falling out of beds, but she talked to me and was INSTANTLY happy. Saying she was talking to "her Daddy", and singing the "Daddy song"... Sigh... miss the kids.

Was a good call...

A Full Day...

Ugh... today has been ROUGH. First, hot. Hot enough to notice. Spent the full day (including what would normally be "office" time) out on the flightline. Seems someone, somewhere, decided that ammunition goes bad if not used early enough. Sort of like bad milk, but worse consequences (helicopters exploding, etc.).

Problem is, they don't know where all the ammunition is of those years. Solution? Visually check the ammunition.

So, that's what we did. Had to go to each bird, download ALL of the ammunition off of it, visually check each round, throw out the bad, and reload with the new.

Hot.

Ammo is metal.
Ammo cans are metal.
Everything is metal.
Metal gets hot, too.

Ugh.

We have 9 birds. Two are in the hangar, no ammo. Leaves 7. 300 rounds each = 2100 rounds to visually check. Wheeeee.

Hot.

(Not to be too graphic, but... an excellent illustration of the heat. We all keep track of each other's water intake. Today, drank 7 liters of water. Never once felt the urge to go to the bathroom. Plenty of sweating, though. Could NOT drink enough...)

Good task, good training though. It's something I don't always get a lot of practice on, but desperately needed... So, good day.

Hot day.

Tomorrow's another day... and very special.... Stay tuned for details.

Not much news

Quiet lately. Working. Judging by the flightline, lately, I'd say we're hitting the other guys pretty hard.

Have acclimated to the heat. Yes, it's HOT. But... don't notice it quite so much anymore.

We have cats here. Cute ones. Even have flea collars. How in the world they stand the heat, I don't know. They enjoy hunting... and they like all these tough Soldier guys fawning over them. I often just watch them, enjoying every minute...

BIG cat lover.

Anyway, like I said... no big news...

Shuttle Launch Today...

1551 EDT, 1951Z, 2151 CET...

Watch the Space Shuttle return to flight, resuming humankind's (can't say "mankind" anymore) journeys from Earth.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Because my money's under the mattress already!

I've received a few questions lately regarding our recent rocket attacks. Since they come from several different people, let me try to address them here.

Any more attacks?
Thankfully, none so far. Subject to change at discretion of the enemy.

First you said you were mortared, then rocket. What's the difference?
Good question! These are both examples of indirect fire (direct fire = rifle bullet aimed AT someone in particular; indirect fire = explosive device lobbed in a general direction). Mortars are a variation of artillery fire and the cannon of old. Rockets are an explosive device with a motor attached to the back that fires it towards a target or target area. Both tend to be imprecise (at first, until you get your aim right) and indiscriminate.

Why do we let Afghans on the base?
Sigh... this is a tough one. First, it's basically part of the policy of being welcoming and friendly with our friends, the Afghans. We're here to liberate them from their oppressive government (done), help set up democracy (in-progress), reduce the insurgency (we're working on it), and share the recipe for Mom's Apple Pie (doesn't everyone like Apple Pie?).

We work hand in hand with the ANA (Afghan National Army) and ANP (Afghan National Police - though, don't think of them as the friendly neighborhood cop, it's something different). Also, as we know back home, Americans don't like menial jobs. Same in the Army. In fact, through budget cuts and realignments, many of the basic jobs in the Army are now contracted out. So, port-a-potty cleaning, trash removal, etc. is not done by Soldiers. It's often not even done by our sidekicks, the KBR contract workers. It's locals. Same for transport of supplies. We hire local truckers (they come with their own trucks, and seem to know the local roads or what passes for roads.)

We screen them. We process them. We hope we're right. So far, so good.

Also, keep in mind, we're surrounded by mountains. Anyone with binoculars or a good telescope can see the layout of the base.

One last thing... part of the policy (as I understand it), is that the Afghans are our allies. Therefore, we have to treat them as such.

So, why don't you sleep under your bunk?
Because that's where I store a lot of my gear! Also, I have a comfy mattress and then air mattress...
Ok, seriously... 1) a mattress frame and mattress will provide little to no protection.
B) It's not comfortable, and in the basic shape of things, worse than cowardly... it's afraid. Not good to display fear in a military unit.
3) These things are random. Let's put it another way - how many of you reading this have flown on an airplane in the last four years? Been in a high-rise? Or, more recently, gotten on a subway or bus? ARE YOU CRAZY???? It's dangerous!
Of course you have. And you're going to continue to. Risk management. We all know there's a chance, but... we take it. Otherwise, we wouldn't live our lives. Sleeping under the bunk is one thing, but... I have to eat. I have to go to work. That means walking outside. What then?

This base had not been attacked for over two rotations (years). London hadn't been attacked like that since the IRA, and before then, the Blitz (WW2 for the younger readers). NYC? Last time a plane had flown into a skyscraper there was WW2, and then, it was an accident (B-25 into the Empire State Building).

Life is full of chance. I might win the lottery (haven't yet). I might step on something I shouldn't (so far, so good). My son might have been born deaf (doesn't look that way). Death can rain from the sky (often does, but so far, no showers in my immediate area). One might find love and happiness (found her!). I might choke on a chicken bone at dinner (hope not, but it better be good chicken).

For most of us here on base, the attacks are already long past. Nothing we could do about them, or can do about them. C'est la vie, c'est la mort....

Hope this helps some...

Mail Slowdown

We received word today that there's not going to be any mail for awhile... runways are being worked on, so the bigger jets (like our favorite, the DHL bird) can't come in right now...

So, keep those e-mails coming folks, and it certainly doesn't mean to stop writing or sending packages to your favorite Soldiers... they'll just get it when the birds come back (sort of like Capistrano, but... not quite as idyllic.)

Details...

Well, here are some details. It was actually 3 rounds of rocket attacks (not mortars).

1 landed about 75 yards from my barracks building.
1 landed in the Dutch compound.
1 landed a "short distance" from our fuel/ammo dump.

They had excellent targeting. As it's said, they've got us "zeroed" and "ranged".

So, what now?

Well, we expect more throughout the week. Not much that we can do about it. Hard to catch them.

And, you can't do anything about a rocket attack. So, just hope and pray you're lucky.

We had two civilians injured. One caught shrapnel in the leg, the other in the throat. Hope they make it...

Hoping for a peaceful night... I have the next TWO days off, in a row. Like a weekend... whatever will I do???

Mortared!

We were fast asleep today when all of a sudden I heard AND felt (nearly simultaneously - your physics folks can translate what that means) a HUGE Kar-whump. MORTAR!!!! It shook the building, and could hear stuff hit the roof. I quickly decided to stay put for the moment... maybe it was just one.
I waited...
No further noise.
A minute passed.
2 minutes.
After the third, and I started to relax, the base sirens went off. I jumped up, shouted to my (still asleep) roommates, "to the Bunkers! Let's Go, let's go!" Cleared the room, and off we went.

Sat there for another hour and a half, crammed in with everyone else. Lots of bad jokes, nervous talking, wondering what stupid rules this would result in...
But we all agreed, This was a close one.
Curious where it did hit.
Glad it wasn't closer.
War hit home.
Everyone here is ok, as far as I know...
It's going to be a long, long day...
More later.

From KAF...
me.

Patience

My net's been down for days... Please bear with me as I catch up...

T's First 4th

T in his 4th of July outfit... enjoying a sour candy pacifier.

Ready to PARTY!

M getting ready for the 4th of July carnival on post at home... Look at her! She looks so old... and don't think Daddy didn't notice the polish on her toesies. She is SO ADORABLE... Miss her...

One of my Angels sent this to me...

My first critical comment

Scroll down and find the Post I made on "Nancy Pelosi"... then click to read the comments.

(I'll pass on responding at this time, but anyone else may feel free to.)

And look at that face....

My happy Son! Look at that smile...

Interesting couple of days

I tried to post yesterday, but... was SO tired, I (and my roommates) all fell asleep while we were doing our various activities. We woke up and the lights were still on, etc.

Anyway, yesterday, as I was going in to work, I looked (as I tend to, being an aviation nut) across the flight line. It was noticeably empty. Wow, guess we're up to something out there today, I thought to myself.

Apparently so. For the duration of the morning, myself and the few worker-bees left in the shop got to tend to the part of our job where we're actually handling the ammo. We go out to the pads, and load the birds. We must have loaded six or so birds, easily, and they all kept going out for more. Some got loaded twice. Lots of rounds going downrange.

Turns out that we'd found a major cluster of Taliban/al-Qaeda, and the Chinooks dropped off forces at the top of the mountain, coming down, driving them towards the waiting Apaches. Busy, busy day. Successful. Birds fought hard. Kept coming back with various parts breaking, but the pilots saying, "Load me up, got to go back... we'll fix it later."

And we did. There was one bird that day that came back and had ammunition feed troubles. Well, that is just a nightmare of a job as we have to take a lot out to get to the feed chutes inside. Remove fuel tanks, amongst other things. Anyways, we did all that, fixed our problem... and then, of course, have to make sure it works. We loaded dummy rounds in, made sure they fed, and then...

I got to fire the gun. Whoa! It is SO much fun. Can only imagine what it's like in flight. The whole bird moves when it fires. YAY!!!!!!!! Must do that again. Made the 7 hours of repair effort worth it.




In other news, getting a new roommate. Will make it a 4 man room. :( oh well, still not bad living conditions.

Our showers are working fully (we lost them after one day, but is fixed.) Is such an incredible shower. We're ALL raving about it. Was almost late to work one day it felt so good. Really helps after a hard day.




Spent all day today in the office. Basically babysitting it while the command staff took a day off. Would have been a good day for aircraft work. Was only 115. Nice and cool. We didn't even sweat.
Picked up a new Soldier. She was complaining how hot it was. All I (and others) could do was just hand her water and warn her... it gets worse.

More on Durbin

First, thanks for the notes of support and that y'all don't agree with what Rep. Durbin said. I thought I'd include a link to a wonder Op-Ed piece that helps highlight just how off-base he is. You can find it here.

Cool Day

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Went to work today and it was nice and cool. But, it's been that way before and I was no fool. I knew it'd get hot.

Guess what? It didn't (so to speak). Even by 0700Z, it was still felt a good 30 degrees cooler than usual. Never did get to check a thermometer. Later on, it was sweltering again, but it was such a nice change.

Weather forecast says we're getting thunderstorms. Right. With what rain?

Big day in the barracks. Our plumbing is now connected, so no more hiking. Toilets and high-pressure, hot-weather showers are just down the hall. (Now, any good military person also knows the immediate downside... cleaning details. Oh well.)

Currently sitting outside, under the stars, in my lounge chair... enjoying the breeze, and typing all this in.

It's now July. June went by FAST. Let's hope the rest do, too.

Here's a question... I'm curious where some of you heard about or found this blog from? I'm noticing more and more visitors, and just surprised and frankly, kind of flattered that that many people are checking in...