A Taste of Iraq

I haven't had the opportunity to eat in a local restaurant or at an Iraqi's house yet, although I hope to before I leave. However, I did get to eat some authentic Iraqi food the past few days. On Thursday, two friends of mine went to an Iraqi restaurant that is off base. They had leftovers and shared them with me. There was shaved lamb, Iraqi pickles, something like pico de gallo, sautéed peppers, a rice dish, and, the staple of any Iraqi meal, pita bread. We made kebabs, aka sandwiches, with all the fixings. Fantastic. One of my friends, Sara, kept tearing off pieces of bread, picking up lamb with them, and then putting hummus on top. Delicious, but she kept giving them to me and pretty soon I was stuffed. Although the DFAC food is good, this was wonderful and a much appreciated change of pace.

I was invited by the same friends to join them for lunch at their office yesterday. Sara is well known for being a fantastic cook. She was born and grew up in Iraq before moving to the US. She started cooking Saturday night and finished about 1pm Sunday. The spread she laid out for the seven of us there was of Thanksgiving proportions. She made leg of lamb plus lamb meet for kebabs. There were two different rice dishes, potato curry with meatballs, tomato and pepper salad, hummus, and, of course, bread. We finished with traditional Iraqi chai (hot tea). This was by far the best meal I've had here. She did all this with only a two-burner hotplate and microwave. Amazing.

So I'm certainly not hurting for good food over here. It's a good thing I'm working out regularly.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hope everyone is having/had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. I myself had a great day. I woke up at 5:10 to join my friends for a 5K run the base was having. Unfortunately I didn't get a t-shirt, but I had a great time anyways. The eight of us who went to the run together went out for breakfast afterward. When I got back to my room, I goofed off for a little bit before going into work late. Nothing special, good or bad, happened at work. At the end of the day, another guy and I did a radio interview with a woman in the Florida Panhandle for a radio station in Iowa. If you figure it out, let me know because I was confused. We had a good time with it. We talked about how the State Department, Army, and Air Force are working together to work with the local Iraqis to make this area better. I look forward to hearing how it turns out. I'll post the link once it's available online. So even though there was no beer (green or otherwise) involved, it was still a very good St. Patty's Day.

For those who didn't see it on my Facebook page, I stole this from Fr. Chuck's blog, the priest at my home parish in Alexandria, VA, and he got it from a mutual friend of ours.

Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, ‘Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey!’ Miraculously, a parking place appeared. Paddy looked up again and said, ‘Never mind, I found one.’

My New Office

Shortly before I arrived at Balad, my office was finished being built and my predecessor moved into it. The building I am in has been there since this was an Iraqi base. It had a courtyard that was closed in to create additional offices including mine. Being a new office, it had nice clean white walls and a new tile floor. My furniture included a new modular desk with a matching vertical bookshelf, a comfortable mesh desk chair, and a large leather chair that was very comfortable. Once my 40+ inch flat panel TV was hung on the wall (it took 4 months to get someone to do it!), it was a great office to work in and watch football on Saturday and Sunday nights (after work hours, I promise I'm not wasting your tax dollars). Easily one of the best offices in the building.

I'm talking about it in the past tense because I recently was moved to another office. A few weeks ago the general told me he wanted my office for a waiting room for his visitors. He said he chose my office because it is the closest to his (which is true) and I shouldn't take it personally. However, this news came at the same time as a couple of other less than stellar comments about me, so it was hard not to take it personal. It took a couple of days to get over it. I was happier though when I found out there was another room in the headquarters building so I wouldn't have to find some place in another building. When it came time to make the move, it wasn't that big of deal to me.

My new office isn't as nice as my old one, to put it nicely. Considering Iraq's history, I could imagine it being used as a place to beat up people Saddam didn't like. It has a prison shower motif to it due to the dingy yellow tile on the floor and walls. The only thing missing is a drain in the middle of the floor. I still don't mind the move because I was given a large wooden desk that I really like and I don't look around the room anyways. When I'm in there, I'm focused on my computer screens. What did bother me was the constant stream of people coming by my first day in the office to offer their condolences for me getting shafted. I appreciated the concern, but I had heard it enough by the seventh person. I did laugh when someone asked me if I knew where my stapler is (Office Space reference). The pity party died off after a couple of days and it's no longer a big deal.

I only bring this up because of the latest development. We had a heavy thunderstorm Friday night. When I got to my office, I could tell the ceiling in my office leaked. Where did it leak? Right above my desk where I have all of my electronics--two computers, two phones, and two monitors. Thankfully nothing was damaged. There is a duct right above my desk that obviously wasn't sealed very well. I could put my desk on the other side of the room, but then I would be looking right into the ladies' bathroom. Um, no. Instead I put in a request to get the duct sealed. Hopefully they take care of it soon (at least faster than they installed the TV in my old office; speaking of the old office, I don't think it has been used once in the 2 weeks it has been a waiting room). The forecast called for another thunderstorm last night, but thankfully it missed us. In the meantime, I'll break out the umbrella and trash bags to cover everything. Still beats the heck out of being in a tent in the middle of the desert.

The Gamble

The Gamble is the title of a book by Thomas Ricks that I have been reading for the past couple of months (too much tv watching, not enough reading). It is the second book Ricks wrote about the Iraq War. His first book, Fiasco, described the disaster that ensued after our invasion of Iraq in 2003. The title of The Gamble is a reference to the surge in troops and effort in 2006 that essentially prevented a disaster, both on the ground here in Iraq and for the US on the international stage. The surge was more than just an increase in the number of boots on the ground. It was also a major change in strategy, operations, and tactics. At the strategic level the focus shifted from figuring out how to get out of the country as painlessly as possible to protecting the Iraqi people. Operationally, US forces began working with and even hired insurgents who had been attacking them just weeks or even days prior. The significant change in tactics was putting troops out into the local populace. This helped the troops learn the area they were protecting, ensured insurgents couldn’t move into the area after the US left, and, most importantly, encouraged the Iraqis to assist in the security operations rather than tacitly or overtly supporting the insurgents. No one can now say the surge didn’t work (I was among the skeptics at the beginning).

I assume you heard about the 30 June deadline for us to move our forces out of Iraqi cities. That date was established as part of the Security Agreement signed between the US and Iraq. Prime Minister Maliki, the leader of Iraq, declared 30 June as a national holiday on par with Iraq evicting the occupying British forces in 1920. Not exactly a “thanks for a job well done.” You may have heard about a memo from a senior advisor in Baghdad that was recently leaked (go here for a link to a NYT article about it). This advisor, Col Reese, says we should declare victory and go home. The current plan is to reduce our combat forces in Iraq to 50,000 (currently about 130,000) by August 2010. Col Reese says we should completely leave the country by August 2010. At the end of The Gamble, Ricks presents many competing theories about how long the US should remain in Iraq. They range from proposals similar to Col Reese’s to keeping combat forces here indefinitely. The author himself thinks we are only at the halfway point of our time here, meaning we will be here until 2015 or later. My problem with all of those theories is they are based on what the US wants to do. What about the Iraqis?

I think there soon will be a second gamble in Iraq. The gamble this time will be by the Iraqis though, not us. Not only have we left the cities, but now we defer to the Iraqis to lead operations against the insurgents. I’ve often heard times when the Iraqi Army told our guys to stay home because they don’t need us. I don’t have a problem with that. This is their country and they should shoulder the responsibility for it. I’m just not sure the Iraqis are ready for it. Regardless, I think whoever wins their national elections in January 2010 will tell us it is time for us to go. We may get until August 2010 just because the sheer logistics of it, but they will want us out sooner rather than later. Sorry mom, I don’t think this means I will be coming home early. The Iraqis will need the USAF and other, specialized groups to remain because they don’t have the capability to replace us yet. The rules for us are changing and they are being written by the Iraqis. I’m certain, whether they are truly ready or not, they will become even more assertive after next year’s elections. I pray that they are ready.

Another Voice in the Desert

I am in the same building as the wing's Public Affairs office (essentially the AF press corps). I was talking one day with one of the guys in the office. He heard I was writing a blog and was interested because he is writing one too. So we talked that day, and since then, about what to write on and how to say it.

Jake is writing his blog for the Arizona Daily Star. They want him to give an Airman's perspective on what it is like to be over here. He is an excellent writer (quite honestly, he is much better than me) and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his posts. Here is the beginning of the latest one:

Day 23: No pressure
07/24/2009 12:52 PM
SSgt. Jacob Richmond
So, this is what it’s like to be a military journalist at war.

Back at home, the stories we write are often specialized and geared toward our own military audience; and when our stories are good enough to transcend that category, they’re usually covered by the “real media” (a victory in the public-affairs world). Today, though, after a rare chance to interview a group of true heroes in the combat zone, I realize that their story is one only I can tell. The real media isn’t here to cover it, and even if they were, they don’t have the military perspective to pull it off the right way. So, it’s on me.

It only gets better from there. I encourage you to visit his blog, Indirect Fire, to read the rest of that post and his other writings.

Mission and People

I’m sure some of you have wondered why I volunteered to come to Iraq (I know my mom has). The two main reasons are the mission and the people.

I have been in the military for 17 years. I have never had more job satisfaction than during the times I was deployed (South Korea was close because the circumstances were very similar to a deployment). Most of the time when we are at our home stations we are training to do the deployed mission or working on organizing and equipping our units so they will be ready to do this mission. So here you get to do the things you have been training months or even years to do. I haven’t met anyone yet who prefers practice to the real thing. The simple truth too is that I am in the military and this is where the action is. I would feel I hadn’t done my part if I didn’t spend time in Iraq or Afghanistan sometime during the 7+ years our military has been operating in at least one of these two countries. When I am done with my career, I want to be able to say, “Yep, I was there.” I hope that makes sense and doesn’t sound bloodthirsty or like I’m looking for a thrill. I’m in the service and this is the place to be.

When you deploy, you leave behind family, friends, coworkers, and all that is familiar. You are thrust into a foreign environment and have to start anew. You quickly get to know your new coworkers and develop relationships. If you don’t, your deployment will be significantly more difficult. Someone told me recently that he uses the more personal forms of communication (face-to-face meetings and telephone) over here more often than he does back in the States. Due to our military’s rotation policy (most Airmen are here for 4 or 6 months), you have to develop work relationships quickly because the players change frequently. Over here rarely do you have years of knowing someone so that you can communicate effectively via e-mail. You need the people who you are deployed with to be part of your social network too. You can’t be with your family and friends, so those around you here become your support structure. We are brought together by our shared experience of being here and working together for the same purpose. Finally, you meet amazing people during deployments. Yes, they are serving their country and putting themselves in harm’s way. But I’m talking about how they go above and beyond while they are here. One person volunteered over 1,000 hours at the hospital. Other people have started or are running a charity to help out local children (check out www.kidsofiraq.org). People are amazing even doing the mundane. We have kids (18-to-20-year-olds are kids to me now) checking IDs at a checkpoint outside during a sandstorm who smile and are more courteous than people working in a store in the US. Now I’m not saying people don’t do wonderful things or aren’t great people back in the States. But over here it is more apparent because we are so close together and it is more impressive considering the circumstances.

Do I like making my mom worry, leaving my dog behind, or giving up the comforts of home? No. But I have no doubt I’m where I’m supposed to be.

Operation SCHOOL SUPPLIES

I e-mailed this to a few people, but I figure my blog is a better way to get the word out about this wonderful program.

OPERATION SCHOOL SUPPLIES REALLY NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!

WHAT IS IT? Operation School Supplies is a KRAB Chapel sponsored humanitarian outreach project that puts bags of school supplies directly into the hands of local children and their teachers. It directly impacts the next generation of nation builders here in Iraq and shows them that we care about them and the importance of education so freedom can flourish.

WHAT IS THE NEED? In mid August, five (5) schools will be opening not too far from our gate. The Army, who takes the bags of school supplies out to the children, have requested one thousand (1000) bags of school supplies for the new schools (200 per school). We want to provide for all of these children, but unfortunately we do not have enough school supplies on hand to make that many school supplies bags.

HOW CAN I HELP? Attached is a flyer explaining the Operation School Supplies program, what items are needed, how people can donate supplies and how to mail them here to be part of this nation building program! Please send supplies soon so we can be ready for the five school openings in August! Be part of a program that directly impacts local children’s lives!

Thank you for your assistance! Without you there wouldn’t be an Operation School Supplies Program!

Fr. Mark P. Rowan, Ch, LtCol, USAF

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I previously told you about my CHU, so now let me tell you about my housing community and the base. There are multiple housing areas on base, I don’t know exactly how many or how big they are. The base has over 25,000 people, so obviously there is enough housing for at least that many people. Within the housing communities, the CHUs are organized into pods. There is nothing special about a pod, it is just a way of organizing the CHUs. For example, I live in B-32. Our housing community has a town square area. Within that area is our housing office, chapel, BX (a small store), gym, recreation center, drop off laundry service, do-it-yourself laundromat, barber shop, Subway, cyber café, coffee shop, library, and muscle therapy (aka, massage). The bigger places, such as the gym and chapel, are semi-permanent facilities. Some of the other facilities, such as the Cyber Café and Subway, are in trailers. The gym has everything you could want; there are two rooms full of aerobics machines, a room full of weight machines, a room of free weights, and a general-purpose fitness room, which is where my CrossFit class is. Outside the gym are three basketball courts and two sand volleyball courts. The rec center has pool tables, two large-screen TVs for watching movies, a video game area with multiple consoles, and tables where they regularly host card tournaments. I haven’t gone to muscle therapy yet, although I thought about it after straining my neck during CrossFit. Other than a dining facility, you could easily spend all your free time in the housing community.

The base itself is quite large. There are two other gyms similar to ours. There is also an outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool with a 10-m platform, an indoor swimming pool, and a stadium. Apparently this base was used for training by the Iraqi Olympics team. There are two other BXs, both bigger than the one in my housing community, and rec centers. Each BX has a food court area (Pizza Hut, BK, etc.) and additional specialty stores such as an electronics store and a gift store. There are at least four dining facilities. I’m not sure of the exact number because there are four official DFACs, but I know of other chow halls on base too. There is a movie theater that seats several hundred people and shows first-run movies for free. I have seen “Star Trek,” “Terminator,” and “Night at the Museum 2” since I have been here. The food at the Turkish restaurant on base is quite good and a nice alternative to the DFACs, although it is hard to beat free food and plenty of it. An Iraqi bazaar where merchants from the local area can sell their wares just opened today. Not only does that benefit us, it helps the locals get a business started.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a hospital on base that does amazing things for anyone who needs it. I was at a brief yesterday where two military doctors, one AF and one Army, talked about two locals they treated for gunshot wounds to the face. The doctors showed us x-rays of the damage the bullets caused (basically one side of each man’s face was destroyed), pictures of the surgeries (definitely not for people with queasy stomachs), and then after pictures of the reconstructive surgery. Wow! I hate to think what life would have been like for those two men if our doctors had not been here. There are stories like that from the hospital on a regular basis.

The bottom line is we are well taken care of here, from security to our health to our mental well-being. All of those things enable execution of the various missions on the base, whether it is flying, moving equipment and people, or anything else. The US military, especially the Air Force, learned that if you take care of the people, the job gets done. That is especially true when deployed overseas. All of these services make it easier to take of everything from the basics, such as eating, to recharging your batteries so you can work your next shift. If you are bored here, it is your own fault.

More Pics from My ECP Visit

Here is our group walking on the road away from the gate. You can pick me out in the pictures because I am the one wearing a leather shoulder harness.


On either side of the T-walls (the large concrete barriers) are farmers' fields. Grapes are being grown in this one.

We are at the end of the road talking about the local area. The village across the road (over my left shoulder) used to be the officer and NCO housing for the base when it was run by the Iraqi Air Force.


Security is not only about protecting our people, but also keeping Iraqi civilians safe. So this sign, and others like it, are there to ensure there aren't any misunderstandings.

It’s Not the Humidity, It’s the Heat

Some have asked about the weather here. In a word, it’s hot. For a second word, it’s dry. For the next several months, we won’t see a drop of rain. The predicted temperatures for today through Monday are 100/68 (68 is the lowest temp I’ve seen in my 3 weeks here), 104/75, and 106/79. Although it gets cool at night, by 0800 it is in the 90s. Don't feel sorry for me though. My CHU (containerized housing unit) is well air-conditioned and I have an air conditioner in my office that I can adjust the temperature for and turn on/off. Because of the kind of work I do, about the only times I am exposed to the heat is going to/from work, meetings, and meals. The people who take the brunt of the heat are the Security Forces (SF, aka police), aircraft maintainers, airfield operators, construction, and others like that. They deserve credit for getting the mission done under these conditions.

The other day I had the opportunity to visit the base’s East ECP (entry control point), basically a base gate. This entrance is used by the local nationals (LNs, we have an acronym for everything) who need to come on base either to work or visit the Air Force Theater Hospital (As an aside, our hospital does an awesome job taking care of our troops, the locals, and even the enemy. The day I visited the ECP, a 5-month old was brought to the hospital because he wasn’t breathing properly. They resuscitated and took x-rays of the baby and we saw the family leaving as we were coming back on base). I spent an hour walking around seeing how our SFs provide base security and process people. I was VERY impressed. I’m grateful the men and women of SF are there. It is hot and dangerous work. Because of the threat, they have to constantly wear their body armor and helmet. By the end of my hour touring the ECP, I was soaked to the bone with sweat. Kudos, and prayers, to them and all the Airmen, Soldiers and Marines who are patrolling in the cities, villages, and countryside.

I said it is dry, but I should also say it is dusty. The dust gets everywhere. Sometimes the sun looks more like the moon because of all the dust in the air (makes for beautiful sunsets though). My green boots now look tan. We are told to clean our air conditioner filters weekly because of it. It does rain here though, from October/November through March/April. And you know what happens when you add rain to dirt, you get mud. Apparently it gets so muddy here that you have to take an extra pair of shoes with you everywhere so you can change into clean ones when you go into a building. We even have something called MudCon (mud condition). When MudCon is in effect, vehicles must be sprayed down with pressure washers any time they are going near where aircraft operate. That way they don't drop mud near an aircraft and the aircraft then sucks it up into its engine. It is definitely never dull here. :)

I find that I’m adjusting to the weather. Last week I wasn’t feeling well. I went outside into the heat (probably high 90s at that time) and immediately felt better. Also, I find I don't start sweating as soon or as much when I am outside. But I still get to work in air conditioned comfort, so slap me if you ever hear me complaining about the weather.

Post 1, but not Day 1

It took me a while to set this up and find out I could do it while at work. It is somewhat difficult to get on the Internet outside of work, so I couldn't do this if I couldn't post at work.

For those of you I haven't been updating, let me catch you up. I arrived in Iraq on 8 May after leaving the US on 3 May (I stopped in Qatar for a few days). The guy I replaced greeted me at the terminal and helped me get settled in. We had a week of overlap, so more than enough time for him to hand the reins over to me. Yes it is hot and dusty here, but you get used to it. I've been told a lot of people develop respiratory problems here, but so far (knock on wood) I haven't had any problems.

Let me run you through a typical day of mine. I wake up at 0530 (military time, it's just easier). I go to the gym to do CrossFit. I love CrossFit because it changes everyday and it kicks my butt. After my workout, I go back to my room to shower and get ready for work. I go to the chow hall (they're called DFACs here; nope, I don't know what that stands for) and grab breakfast. I'll usually get it to go so that I can check e-mail and read intelligence reports while I eat. When I get to my office (I have my own office), I check work and personal e-mail to see if anyone loves me. Then I'll read reports and take care of any hot or quick tasks before going to the daily 0900 wing update. That runs about a half hour and it is back to my office. My meetings vary, but there aren't too many of them. Most of them are on Friday and Saturday, and there is even one on Sunday. Most people work 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I work 7 days a week, but I have reduced hours on Saturday and Sunday so it is about equal to 6 days. We are here for the job, so might as well be at work. When I am in my office, I am usually reading messages, fighting the e-mail monster (it exists even here in Iraq), coordinating with people locally or even back in the States, or working on my list of to-do's. There is always plenty to do, so I am keeping busy and time is passing fast. I'll call it a day between 1800-2100, depending on what I have to do and how motivated I am. So that is a day in the life.

A little on the living conditions. When I first got here, I was in what is called a dry CHU (containerized housing unit). It is a roughly 10'x10' room with two bunk beds, two wall lockers, two night stands, and a few other odds and ends. Dry means it doesn't have running water. So I had to walk to another trailer to go to the bathroom and yet another to take a shower. This past weekend though I moved into a wet CHU. I still have my own room, but I share a bathroom with another guy. It is wonderful not having to get dressed and walk outside when I have to go to the bathroom or take a shower. My new CHU also has a single queen-sized bed instead of the bunk beds, only one wall locker but it also has a closet, a desk, and a recliner. It is also much bigger than the other room. I get the better room because of my rank and because I'm here for a year. I'm grateful.

Many of you know that I have been a vegetarian for the past 3+ months. I have been able to maintain it, but it has been difficult. The DFAC near me is small and has limited food choices. I find myself eating too many grilled cheese sandwiches and onion rings. If I drive farther (I have a Ford F-150 to drive around--boo Ford, but yeah I've got my own set of wheels), I can go to a larger DFAC that has more vegetarian options. Still, I'm thinking I may eat vegetarian most of the time but have meat (but never red meat) now and then. I'm concerned about getting enough protein since I don't have access to soy or tofu products here. I figure I need the protein with the workout program I am doing. Separate from the vegetarian issue, the food tastes good and they serve you too much of it. Also, dessert is available at every meal. I need to workout just so I don't gain weight.

There is more I could say but it is dinner time so I'll save it for another post.