Gen X in Iraq

Iraqi Elections and American Democracy

The Iraqi elections went off with very little violence. This is a major victory for both the US and the Government of Iraq. But the counting is taking considerable time and the election appears to be very close. It will be interesting to see how the new government forms and how receptive they will be to the US. I am not sold on the idea that we will pack everyone up and be out of Iraq by August. I heard the same statements the entire time I was there but I saw nothing to indicate this would actually happen. I did not see the logistical capacity to move so many people in such a short period of time. My personal theory is that we may stall and seek a long term deal with the new Iraqi government. I noticed two prevailing camps in Iraq; one group wanted a quick exodus from Iraq and another group wanted to have a permanent presence.

It is sad to see that some Americans have decided to embrace the Iraqi model of democracy. It is stunning that some Americans would turn to violence when a vote did not go their way. I thought that type of behavior was part of our history. Our technology may change and we may think that we are so much more advanced than our ancestors but it seems that we are susceptible to the same uncontrollable anger and rage that has plagued mankind throughout time.    

First Month Back Home

I have been back in the US for a little over a month. It has been much more hectic than I first thought. In Iraq, everything was provided for me and there were precious few competing distractions for my time. I have come to realize the amount of time I spend maintaining; car, house, computers, career, relationships. Life was much simpler in Iraq (but much more boring) than here in the US. My senses were overwhelmed the first couple of weeks after I returned by the amount of activities, sights and sounds. While the rest of the world was flying by at a breakneck pace, I was struggling to find my clothes and possessions. It's disconcerting to go from a small stand up locker and plastic footlocker to an entire house full of possessions.

But, I have adjusted and have started to get back into the swing of things. I hear from my friends in Iraq from time to time. Things seem to be going fairly well in the run up to the elections later this month. I have read reports that the US presence may be extended depending on the results of the election.

I have started another blog concerning technology and my experiences in the IT field, http://midnightmustang.typepad.com/living_with_the_oracle/

It is technical in nature and focused toward computer and technology enthusiasts.   

Back in the US

I made it back to the US today. I am sitting in the Houston airport waiting for one more flight. I have a few more days in Gulfport and then home for good. Hopefully, I can get done before the weekend but that may not happen. The flight from Kuwait took 12 and half hours. It feels good to be back in the US.

Things to Do When I Get Back

One of the phrases I picked up while I was in Iraq (it's nice to use the PAST tense) was that Iraq is a "Navy Appreciation Tour. This was the active duty version. The reserve version is "Life Appreciation Tour". Bucket Lists have been common for a couple of years now and this is my version of things I want to do when I get back home. Before I get into too much trouble; catching up and reuniting with family, friends and GISD co-workers is my number one priority. With that said and in no particular order:

- See a movie in a real theater (especially Avatar and Sherlock Holmes)

- Go for a run on the nature trails around our house. i am looking forward to seeing trees, creeks and lakes again

- Buy a telescope and stargaze at our family lake house in East Texas

- Visit Lone Star Comics, Best Buy, Gamestop, Barnes and Noble and our outdoor mall

- Put the top down on the Mustang and feel the power of an American V8

- Weekends and holidays

- Leave work before dinner and not have to go back

- Not have to wear shower shoes in the shower and taking long, continuous, hot showers

- Peaceful nights and mornings, and a good mattress

- Fast Internet

- Watch the Cowboy's march to the Superbowl on HDTV

- Church organs and choirs

- Freedom to go anywhere I want

- Wear real clothes

- Catch up on movies and tv shows I missed during the past year

- Eat real Mexican food (at least the way we do it in Texas)

- Drink adult beverages

- Watch anything I want anytime I want on the DVR 

- Learn to play guitar (again)

- Play Band Hero with my wife and daughter (I can hardly wait to hear my daughter's version of Taylor Swift)

- Lifetime Fitness (i.e. a real gym)  

The Long Road Gets Shorter

I finally made it to Kuwait yesterday. I was stuck in Baghdad for 4 days while waiting for a plane. We left early in the morning and touched down about 5:00AM. We went straight to cleaning weapons and dropping all of the issued WWII surplus. It feels nice to get rid of that pistol and the three bags of camping gear. It was a long day and I was up for 36 hours straight before I could finally grab some sleep. And sleep I did; for 12 straight hours. Luckily, I had taken advantage of the "layover" in Baghdad to catch up on some rest and re-adjust for night time travel. 

I am definitely closer to civilization in that I am sitting in a Starbucks while writing this entry. I am staying in a transient tent with four other guys and it is about like any other tent in the middle east, at least there is a wooden floor and A/C. Yes, A/C is needed even in the middle of January.

Next stop, not just any port....Gulfport!! 

Last Night at the Embassy

As the clocked clicked down on the Cowboys - Eagles game on Sunday, I knew another clock was ticking down as well. I had chosen the football season as my deployment countdown calendar. That the Cowboys stomped the Eagles was just a bonus. I have been sating my goodbyes for a couple of weeks. My office had a nice farewell party and I had started observing my "last" observances of everything. Saturday was my last church service, my last visit to the store, my last Powerpoint brief and my last lunch and dinner from the DFAC.

Speaking of last dinners, someone informed me of a departing tradition called the "All Dessert Dinner". As tempting as this sounds, I decided to not partake of the tradition. However, I did have a piece of Turkey themed birthday cake from Thanksgiving, our cakes are frozen so this was not an overly ripe leftover. In addition to the cake, I had some ice cream, it's unheard of to have two desserts. Our DFAC has the dessert  bar located far away from the regular lines. A trip to the desert bar is either a walk of shame and guilt or an act of brazen devil may care hedonism (your call). One trip is bad enough but I was not prepared for the stares and the stunned silence of the DFAC patrons :)

A 2,000 calorie meal was exactly what I needed to schlep my 6 bags of equipment across the Middle East. The bad thing is that I don't remember what was in most of these bags. I received most of the gear at Ft. Jackson a year ago. The various camping supplies went into sea bags and laid dormant under my bed for a year. I will be glad to get rid of all the various leftovers from World War II.

I am at Victory Base awaiting another hop on my long road home. It's nice not having to work for a few days. I was working almost until the last minute, the US taxpayers received maximum value in my case! Victory Base is the same location where I was last April. It reminds me of a stagecoach rest stop. The main waiting area has a large shaded Pine deck and roof. Everyone is waiting to go somewhere else. Unlike transportation back home, it can take days for your plane to show up. Passengers are given a priority and people are often bumped to another flight.

Time for dinner...you always want to eat and sleep when you can, you never know when you will be able to either. 

 

Holiday Week in the IZ

For some strange reason, the military does not recognize holidays here in Iraq. Both the Iraqi and US governments do, but not the military. Instead of a holiday, we have DONSA (Day of No Scheduled Activities) days. I am not sure of the origin of DONSA but it feels like something the Army invented. Anyway, we received one DONSA for Christmas and New Years. We had a Christmas Eve dinner at a local IZ restaurant. It was nice seeing my fellow Navy officers all in one room. The dinner was traditional Iraqi; bread, beef kabobs, chicken kabobs, lamb kabobs, tomatoes, cucumbers and hummus. 

Christmas Day was spent relaxing, reading and Skyping with family.One of my recent purchases was a set of noise canceling headphones. These are wonderful for Iraq. We have a large amount of construction and the CHU's aluminum walls reverberate with every opening and closing of a door. When you factor in numerous low flying aircraft and 24/7 cleaning/maintenance crews, it's like having dorm room within a hospital. It was nice just to kick back and listen to uninterrupted music for a change.

KBR did a great job with Christmas Lunch and Dinner. We had all the traditional foods with the trimmings, including Green Bean casserole. They decorated the DFAC with Gingerbread houses and had silver, red and gold tinsel decorating the walls. I finished the day with a nice long run.

New Year's Eve will be even more subdued. I am having dinner with a couple of IT contractors I met earlier this year. When I could break away from my military duties, I would help with some of the larger IT projects. This was considered my "moonlighting" job but in actuality it had much more  impact than what I was sent here to do.

I will spend the rest of the weekend packing up to leave Iraq. Like most others, leaving Iraq is a cause for celebration. I don't believe I have met anyone who is sad about leaving. My next stop will be Kuwait and then the US. I will be de-mobilized (taken off Active duty) a few days after returning to the US.    

Gingerbread Village - Iraqi Style

One of our team members received a "Gingerbread Village" last week. Work has slowed in the office and we decided it was a good time to break out the kit. We each took a building and the results are below.

  
 

  

In case you are curious, my building is the chalet in the middle of the building. Of course, no Iraqi village would be complete without its T-Walls. I made the T-Walls from Pop Tarts and Cliff energy bars. We added guards and a VIP helicopter.

The following picture shows the confectionery architects.

Embassy World Cup

Soccer, or Football, is the main sport at the embassy, particularly with the Peruvians. Grass is uncommon so an outdoor basketball court has been converted to a soccer field. The game has the feel of an indoor game...but outside. A tournament started a couple of night's ago and it was amazing to see all of the participants and pageantry. Each team has uniforms, banners, music, cheerleaders and a couple dozen of fans. The tournament began with an opening ceremony. I have posted a couple of pictures from this event. Our embassy team, named the C-Rams after our alarm system, lost its first game 1-0 to a Peruvian team. 

Christmas Party at the British Embassy

The British Embassy has been hosting Scottish Country dancing sessions over the last few weeks. I didn't find it too different from square dancing, two-stepping and some of the other country dancing we regularly do in Texas. In addition to the dancing sessions, the British Embassy hosted a holiday party last week. It was a black tie event and everyone looked much different from their normal daily appearance, almost unrecognizable in the case of the some of the ladies who exchanged their camouflage for evening gowns. It was a good time with food, a live band , pipers and yes even some silly British hats. The party committee had planned for some Scottish Country dancing but it was cut from the program. We thought it would have been ironic to see so many Americans demonstrate SCottish dancing to the Brits. I saw quite a few Scots with their kilts. For some reason, my kilt didn't make the trip since it was not on my packing list last year. One of the Scots told me that they have decided to have a Burns Night in January. Unfortunately I will miss the Baghdad Burns Night but I will be back home in time to celebrate Burns Night in Dallas.