Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Peru

2009-10-29T20:54:00.006-08:00

"It's this whole other country..."

Iraq Pictures

2009-09-19T11:41:00.008-08:00

Crossing a canal (fortunately there was no sewage in it)

Shooting with the Iraqis

One of my Iraqi counterparts

My platoon receiving their combat patches

Teaching Iraqis how to fix a HMMWV

One of the many shrines to Sadr in the area (he's the guy at the bottom. His father is on the right, grandfather on the left, and the guy on top is Ali Hussein, the OG Shia guy)

Stryker in the desert

Dust Devil

People drink out of this same canal

Arm wrestling Iraqi kids

This wasn't the kind of weapon we hoped to find, but oh well.

Diyala River

These pictures represent a pretty good cross section of the different areas we saw, things we did, and Iraqis we encountered. The pictures that look like they were taken from up in the air I took from a helicopter. From October 2008 to June 2009 we lived in a small Combat Outpost in a village in the Diyala River Valley about 35 minutes Northeast of Baqubah, which in turn is about 45 minutes Northeast of Baghdad. Diyala province runs from just outside Sadr City in Baghdad in the SW all the way up to Kurdistan in the NE. The easter border is the Iran/Iraq border and the western border is the Tigris river. The COP we lived in consisted of an Iraqi school and a few houses that were surrounded by blast walls, making a sort of fort in the middle of an Iraqi village. We spent alot of time searching the palm groves along the Diyala river for caches and IED's, and did manage to find some sizable caches left over from a few years ago when there was actually fighting going on. All our operations were conducted in conjunction with the Iraqi Army, which is why they are in some of the above pictures. We also spent time training them on vehicle maintenance and marksmanship, which is always interesting since they do not emphasize weapons safety the same way we do.

On 1 January 2009 the Status of Forces Agreement became official, but that did not change our daily operations. Part of the SOFA stipulated that all US troops would be out of the cities by 30 June 2009, but since nothing changed in January, no one on the US side really thought that the Iraqis would enforce this clause. Once 30 June drew close, however, Iraqis began insisting that they were serious about the out of the cities clause, and our COP as well as many others was closed and our company moved to FOB Grizzly, about an hour to the north. With the move we adopted a new area of operations that covered a huge swath of land bordered by the Diyala River in the south and followed the Hamrin Mountains all the way north to the border with Suleymaniyah Province. After 30 June US forces' movements were very restricted, so we mostly just met with the Iraqi Army to ensure that they were patrolling their areas. Fortunately, we only had to deal with about 6 weeks of this before our replacement unit arrived and we passed everything over to them.

Back

2009-09-14T11:49:00.002-08:00

As you may or may not already know, our unit got back to Alaska early yesterday morning. We spent about a week in transit at various camps in Iraq and Kuwait and then made the 17 hour flight with a one hour stop in Germany- Frankfurt I think but don't really care. That should answer the basic travel questions. Since we're back in the land of high speed internet I'll post more pictures soon, and if I'm feeling especially froggy maybe I'll write a synopsis of our year in Iraq. So, thanks for all your prayers over the last year and stay tuned right here for more exciting tales from Alaska.

Pictures

2009-07-20T05:06:00.006-08:00

Here's what the eastern Iraqi desert looks like, in case you were wondering:

Dust Devil.

Here are my rings during a dust storm, which is why everything looks brown. Took this during the worst dust storm we've seen over here.
I've got alot more pictures, but it takes a while to upload, so I'll just do a few at a time.

Article

2009-05-17T09:27:00.003-08:00

I recently had the "opportunity" to write an article for our brigade's monthly news letter. Now, I don't want to throw around the word propaganda lightly, but maybe, just maybe it smells a little like propaganda. Since I had to write about what's going on at work for work, the article might as well find it's way onto the blog so I can combine work and not work.

One note on the article is that it is not about something my platoon did but about another platoon in our company. However, we all do pretty much the same stuff and my guys and I have had very similar experiences. Also, I tried to minimize the acronyms, but there's still plenty in there, so here's a short glossary:

IED- Improvised Explosive Device

IN- Infantry

SFC- Sergeant First Class

FOB- Forward Operation Base

HA- Humanitarian Aid

IP- Iraqi Police

SSG- Staff Sergeant

CPL- Corporal

AO- Area of Operations

ISF- Iraqi Security Forces (denotes military and/or police)

Kharnabot- a town in our AO (see above for AO definition)

One other note: this is the uncensored version that I originally wrote. The Army, being what it is, didn't appreciate some of the sentiments expressed in the third paragraph so they changed it. Not a big deal, but I think it's funnier this way.

Here's the actual article:

"On 15 May 2009, something significant occurred in Kharnabot- nothing involving insurgents, IED’s or rocket attacks, however. Instead, 1^st Platoon C/1-24 IN assisted the Iraqi Police with Humanitarian Aid distribution in the town that formerly served as a base for rocket attacks against FOB Warhorse. SFC Schramm led the patrol along with members of the Kharnabot Police Station and said, “It was an exercise in by the numbers to get them to plan and execute it, like in basic training.” A total of 51 families received bags of rice or sugar, but more importantly, 1^st Platoon helped their Iraqi partners with an aid drop and showed Iraqi citizens that the Iraqi Police are not only capable of protecting them but also helping those in need.

While all the supplies came from Coalition Forces, SSG Jones ensured that the Iraqi Police did most of the legwork as far as organizing and distributing the drop. “All they needed was to be pointed in the right direction, and once they saw what the goal was they got the job done,” said SSG Jones. Previous HA drops in AO Centurion always featured ISF in some aspect, but Friday’s operation enabled the IP’s to set up, unload the truck, check the list of names, and pass out all the HA to the appropriate families; an especially important step for the IP’s given the looming 30 June deadline for all Coalition Forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities. The days of Coalition Forces’ HA drops are numbered, but it is certain that the Iraqi Police now have the experience they need to continue assisting the poor in their towns.

Although the aid distribution was an overall success, it was not without hiccups. At first, some of the IP’s enlisted young children to help unload the heavy bags, but 1^st Platoon quickly put a stop to this. Other people were discontent with either the sugar or rice they received, preferring one or the other. “I guess free isn’t good enough,” said one CPL, a team leader in 1^st Platoon. Despite the seeming lack of gratitude, most people were very happy with the food. SFC Hart said that the part he was most impressed with was that all the key players arrived on time and that the IP’s had an efficient system where people could wait, get screened, and receive their aid with minimal hassle. While the IP’s might not have conducted the mission in the exact same manner as 1^st Platoon, the end result was the same and the US soldiers learned a valuable lesson- enable the Iraqis to do things their way as long as it gets the job done.

Once all the sugar and rice had been passed out and the crowd drifted away, US soldiers and Iraqi Police were left alone on the streets with the satisfaction that comes from knowing that they helped people in need. For 1^st Platoon, there was an additional feeling of satisfaction because they are accomplishing the mission of training ISF to be self-sufficient. In the large scheme of things, one successful HA drop might seem insignificant, but in Kharnabot joint distribution of Humanitarian Aid proved to be a substantial milestone on the road towards US withdrawal and Iraqi self sufficiency."

Again, this is basically a GO USA puff piece for a newsletter, but hopefully the next time their reporters go on leave they won't "ask" me to fill in.

RLTW

Non-crying Iraqi Baby

2009-03-24T01:49:00.003-08:00

So it's been a trend over here that little kids are afraid of me and tend to cry. This is the first baby that didn't get upset, probably because it's too little to know better.

Anyway, we've been here 6 months now and it's gone by much faster than expected. Since the US's days are numbered in Iraq, we're under increased pressure to get Iraqis running and protecting their own country. Most of what we do is focused on restoring infrastructure, developing their economy, improving the Iraqi military and police, and getting the government to be more efficient and at least a little less corrupt. They're doing good if they settle for just a little bit of graft and some "lighter treason". Sometimes we get to do the actual infantry thing, but so far these occasions have been few and far between. Hopefully the next six months go by just as fast and we continue to see the situation improve to the point where Iraq no longer needs us here. Until then we'll continue eating goat, drinking chai, and terrorizing children.

Pictures

2009-02-24T01:31:00.005-09:00

The List

2009-02-02T05:04:00.005-09:00

As promised:

-Iraqi soldiers crashing motorcycles while showing off for us

-Kids trying to climb our walls, falling off, and then we have to treat them

-Drinking chai brewed over a fire in a wheel barrow on the side of the road in the middle of the night with retired terrorists

-vehicle hulls on the roofs of buildings

-leading a 60 man patrol of which half are Iraqi and one is a US general

-"celebratory" gun fire

-eating rice with your hands off a platter with 8 other guys and only washing your hands when you're finished eating

-eating sheep butt (they love it here but it's pretty fatty and slimy)

-soccer games with kids while wearing full kit

-kid dropping baby to pick up candy (baby was ok)

-man trading baby to US soldier for a broken watch (we made him trade back)

-people standing at the ramp when we dismount to offer us chai (almost gets them shot, but a nice gesture all the same)

-stopping "weapons smuggling ambulances" only to find a guy with a ruptured appendix and a guy whose brother accidentally stabbed him

-Iraqi soldier playing with electrical wires while standing in a puddle (didn't end well)

-using police techniques I learned from watching The Wire and finding that this is better than what the Iraqi police do (they need to watch American cop shows)

-"before one year ago there was much Al Qaeda but now thanks to coalition forces we have good security"

-stepping into sewage trenches

-people falling (not that unusual but always hilarious, especially at night and especially when they fall into a canal)

Some of this is pretty cryptic, but I can't really explain it all at this time. Once we leave I'll be able to elaborate on some of the stories. There's other stuff that I can't remember right now, so it will get added later. Iraqis generally love us, but they're pretty baffling at times.

"This anger management course lasts 10 weeks. I plan to be done in 5. How? Name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking a handshake."

-Andy Bernard

Still in Iraq

2009-01-25T23:47:00.003-09:00

So far, the new president has not changed anything for us here, which is good. Also, the Status of Forces Agreement has not affected anything significant, but it does make some things more of a hassle. But, it's all designed to give this place back to the original occupants. For the most part, people in our area love us, or are at least afraid of us enough not to try anything stupid. Even though we sit around and drink chai and shake hands with them doesn't mean that we won't turn around and detain them the next day. I've experienced lots of bizarre Iraqi cultural things that guys on previous deployments missed when there was more of a war going on, such as one of my squad leaders walking down the street holding hands with an Iraqi man because it's rude to let go. They also like the man kiss, so I suppress the gag reflex and the urge to kill and use my helmet to keep some space between our heads. Whatever it takes to win, but I draw the line somewhere. The two coolest things I've gotten here so far are a man dress and a virgin Mary prayer rug. Don't know how that whole thing works out, but Shias definitely use Mary door mats to pray on. Our medic became a tribal sheik, and they gave our commander a plot of land. None of this is official, of course, but it is a sign of great respect to the Americans and a subtle plea for us not to arrest them. Probably the worst thing here is the amount of begging done by the kids. Kids are all well and great until they crowd around you asking for a soccer ball when they have one in their hands. Also, I make Iraqi babies cry about 95% of the time, which doesn't bother me but my guys get a good laugh out of it. Eventually I'll compile an extensive list of all the random stuff we see/do here and post it for everyone's reading pleasure. It's sure to bring mirth to all.

"One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion to use them."

-Thomas Jefferson

It's that time of year...

2008-11-26T20:57:00.000-09:00

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."
William Bradford Ye Governor of Ye Colony

I Still Remember How to Use Blogger

2008-11-19T01:59:00.002-09:00

Sorry for the month-long gap in posts, but I have a littany of excuses that won't be listed here. We're definitely settled into our little out post in Iraq. Most of the time a go around and meet with sheiks (tribal/religious leaders) and drink chai tea then take a picture with them. By the time we leave there will be pictures of me all over this part of Iraq because Iraqis love having pictures of them with US soldiers- apparently they think it translates into a sign that they cooperate with us. In reality some of the people we shake hands with used to be insurgents and will probably resume their insurgency in the future. But, that's the nature of things here.
I still hate the call to prayer, but the 0430 one doesn't wake me up any more. The weather is very pleasant and even a little cold at night. They're having a record drought which makes the rainy season much more bearable. Overall, life here is busy, boring, but otherwise good. If time keeps going this fast the rest of the 12 months will fly by. If I get better time management skills or decide to sleep less, I'll post more often, and one crazy day pictures will appear here. Until then, just imagine what Iraq looks like.

Iraq

2008-10-18T21:44:00.002-08:00

Sorry for not posting in so long, I'm sure all the faithful readers have been heartbroken each time they checked this page and found no new updates. We're all settled here in Iraq, establishing our daily routines and whatnot. Our living conditions aren't bad at all, but the area of Iraq we're in is pretty impoverished, so we get to play games like don't hit the donkey with the Stryker and don't step in the sewage ditch in the middle of someone's yard. Can't really talk much about what we're doing here, but nothing exciting has happened yet. Eventually I promise that pictures will appear, but I need to be more familiar with the area we're patrolling before I can walk around taking pictures. Iraqis do some weird stuff, so there should be some pretty interesting stories too. Right now the main thing I learned about Iraq is don't live near a mosque, especially not one that has a huge loudspeaker on it- muslim calls to prayer are not a great alarm clock.

I'm Here

2008-10-01T01:06:00.002-08:00

Yep, we're actually in a Middle-Eastern country right now, but we still have to move a couple more times before we settle in. Not much of note going on over here, just alot of sand and the occasional bout of sun. The camp we're in now is like the US made out of tents; one of the biggest buildings is a Starbucks. Maybe for some people the situation here is less than desirable, but it's great for infantrymen- air conditioning, cots, 3 (or 4) meals a day, ample time to hit the gym, and lots of sleeping. Plus you get to take showers everyday, though some of our stinkier brethren neglect this option. Just imagine a nice resort at the beach without the ocean but with lots of guns. It looks like the internet has infected every corner of the globe, so I should be able to update as updates happen.

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
-Thomas Jefferson

Climbing

2008-09-15T10:05:00.015-08:00

On Saturday I went with some bros to a climbing hot spot about an hour north of town. It wasn't the most difficult or intense climbing, but it was good enough for me plus an excellent excuse to buy more gear. As you can see, fall is in full effect right now and will probably be over by the end of the month. Although it would have been nice to have the full summer up here, I've pretty much maximized outdoors time in August and September so Alaska isn't totally wasted. This week we're conducting final preparations to leave, which isn't very intensive, leaving plenty of time to get moved out and take care of all the important personal details such as vehicle storage and cancelling cable, a difficult but necessary step. There will be at least one more post here before departure, but it could be a few weeks before the next one after that until we get situated with internet overseas, especially since internet won't be the top priority. If curiosity overwhelms you, call my mom, she'll probably know stuff. Or, the other alternative, get a job with CTU and reroute satellites and access CalTrans cameras to find the vehicle so Jack can interrogate Fayid on the location of the bomb before time runs out. That's actually the plot to 24, but maybe it's more real than you think...

"-…if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders- what would you tell him to do?

-I…don’t know. What…could he do? What would you tell him?

-To shrug."

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

VP Progeny

2008-09-05T17:55:00.002-08:00

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/05/sons-of-both-vice-presidential-nominees-will-go-to-iraq/

Mountains and Glaciers and an Abandoned Mining Town

2008-09-04T19:29:00.021-08:00

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
-George Orwell

Friday Afternoon

2008-08-30T11:24:00.012-08:00

Scenes from a typical Friday afternoon in Alaska.

"Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases."

-John Adams

Go Alaska

2008-08-29T11:35:00.003-08:00

I awoke this morning in Alaska to the news that the governor had been named as Sen. McCain's VP. Now, I did not vote for Gov. Palin (because I didn't live here when she was elected), but she does stand out from the rest of the criminals/politicians that represent the state. The party of blathering idiots, also known as the democratic party, have already begun deriding her lack of experience. I checked, and her two years as governor about equal the amount of time Mr. Obama has in the US Senate. And, she's more of a man than Biden and Obama put together- which admittedly doesn't take much considering the pair is essentially a bleeding heart "activist" and a dirty old man. I am still not the biggest McCain fan in the world- I initially considered the presidential choices the same as picking between a kick in the chest and a kick in the groin- they both hurt but getting kicked in the groin is alot worse. Adding Mrs. Palin is a good move for people who were decidedly anti Obama but not in love with McCain. Her qualifications to lead a country are somewhat thin, but at least she's a public figure with a child in the military-something neither current executive or about 95% of congress can say and she is the only candidate with actual experience as an executive and not just a legislator. Essentially, both party's tickets are the same- an old senator and a young, up and coming political star. The main difference is that Republicans aren't claiming that Palin was sent to save people from their sins, which is the message I gathered from the jackass convention in Denver. Right now I'm not ruling out the Barr/Root ticket of the Libertarian party, but we'll see... (By the way, the Libertarians claim to have had the first female VP candidate in 1972, but somehow that seems just a little less significant than the current GOP ticket).

"Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office seeking."
-Rutherford B. Hayes

The Dredge

2008-08-12T07:53:00.017-08:00

These pictures are from an old gold dredge about 45 minutes from Fairbanks. Some friends and I went there this weekend and canoed around the lake that the dredge created and explored the dredge itself. It's been abandoned since the 1950's, but at one point they actually pulled alot of gold out of the area. Interesting for history buffs, engineering nerds, old prospectors, and/or people who like to put grafitti on things; perhaps not so interesting for others. I fit in the first category, and we forgot spray paint and thus could not tag anything.

"Good fellows are a dime a dozen, but an aggressive leader is priceless."

-Unknown

Graduation Pictures

2008-07-08T21:03:00.005-08:00

Tomorrow I head off to join the rest of my unit in California where we'll be for the next month. Should be nice and hot. Gotta love the desert. After that I'll take some leave in mid-August.

I'm Back (Finally)

2008-07-03T19:13:00.002-08:00

In case you've been wondering why I haven't posted since January, it not because I'm lazy (although I am) but because I was attending US Army Ranger School and taking some extra time to finish. By recycling twice I made the course last 5 months, but now it's finally over and Army life will feature a return to normalcy. Hopefully soon there will be pictures here of the pinning of the black and gold as well as a synopsis of my time in the school. Right now I don't feel like talking about it.

RLTW

Disgusting

2008-01-31T18:08:00.001-09:00

I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I saw this picture. Maybe they gave Ron Paul equal time in Tigertown, but I doubt it.

Ice Fishing

2008-01-16T19:10:00.001-09:00

This past weekend three other guys and I went ice fishing- a first for all of us. I dont' know if we can claim that it was least successful fishing trip ever, but it was probably close. First, all the shacks were rented out, so we made our own consisting of a tent with a hole cut in the floor and an "indoors safe" heater. Second, all the poles that we rented for $1 a piece had broken reels, not a show stopper but pretty annoying. Third, the auger was barely long enough to drill through the ice and wouldn't work when we wanted to drill a second hole. Fourth, we didn't have enough weights to sink the hooks all the way down through the ice into the water. Other than that it was pretty alright. We grilled hamburgers in the tent, I snowshoed across the lake, as evidenced in the picture, and the temperature stayed between -30 and -40. All in all, not a bad day.

For all of you in SC, I officially laugh at your pittance of snow and the closures that will surely follow, but have fun sledding. Make sure to stock up on milk and bread and enjoy the moron buffet on the ballot next week.

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."

-Samuel Adams

Unsubstantiated Rumors

2008-01-03T20:22:00.001-09:00

Since the crowds are generally smaller in winter, I decided to visit Denali National Park the other day. There's a nice viewpoint for Denali right off the highway and it was a pretty clear day so we had high hopes of actually seeing the tallest peak in North America. In the picture immediately above this paragraph, the peaks on the right with a little bit of sunlight on them stand directly in front of Denali, but as you can see the clouds obscured the view. Hopefully you enjoyed looking at them because I had to walk through three feet of snow up hill both ways in order to capture all the grandeur. (OK, it was only up hill one way, but there was literally three feet of snow.)

"[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned."
-Thomas Jefferson

Cross Country

2007-12-17T20:48:00.001-09:00

Thanks to global warming, we're experiencing blazing heat and massive flooding from the melting ice caps. No, not really. That was pure fabrication. The Nobel people would probably take algore's award back if they spent a winter here. Wolf packs are literally moving into the smaller communities around here and eating people's dogs. In other news, I have discovered what seems to be the perfect winter sport- cross country skiing. While I have been enjoying downhill skiing, this past weekend I discovered that it is a sport best reserved for days when the mercury stays above zero. At negative 15 all appendages were numb by the time I got off the lift. However, cross country takes alot of work, especially if you use less-than-stellar military issue skis, and seems to be a good outdoor activity for sub-zero days. Plus, if you're me, it provides a good laugh for your superiors when you take the wrong trail (It's not a good week unless my bosses laugh at something I do). There haven't been any new pictures lately because the camera froze last time it went outside so it won't be making any more excursions until things warms up some.
In other news, the climate change studies continue next week with a trip to the lower 48 as they call it, to the true south- South Carolina (some people here consider Seattle part of the south). It should be nice to see the sun and not have to defrost the inside of the windows in the car. Not that I'm whining about the cold- it makes for good stories and makes me feel tough (and sometimes like a sniveling little girl). Alaska in winter rates an 8.5 out of 10, mainly because the darkness makes you want to sleep 14 hours a day which in turn decreases motivation to go outside. Other than that, it's a great place to live and ski and fishtail around corners. Just don't leave your dogs outside in North Pole, the next town over from Fairbanks which is also the place where the Post Office delivers most of the letters to Santa Clause.
One more note- full computer privileges have been restored and the offending machine returned from Big Brother.
"So it goes."
-Kurt Vonnegut, Slaugherhouse-Five