Miserable Donuts

Random Musing on Certain Musical Selections, from Baghdad

2008-07-18T06:58:00.003-05:00

If you do not feel at least a little bit better after listening to Buckwheat Zydeco's Zydeco La Louisianne or Buck's Step Up....then something fairly serious must be going on.

I haven't quite figure the IZ out yet...

2008-07-18T00:39:00.005-05:00

OK, so I have been here almost a week, in the International Zone ("IZ" or what used to be called "the Green Zone"). It is an odd situation, to be sure.

Where I live is relatively nice, if a little bit crowded compared to where I have previously been. There are, ironically, very few services available. There is almost nowhere to do anything or get anything...but it almost doesn't matter. Why? The insane working hours.

In the command I work for, people are basically 'at the office' all the time. We get in sometime in the morning, moderately early - and don't get out until quite late. On Friday, when everyone else is off in the morning, we are still in. Most other groups that work where I do don't put in the same hours, but I wonder what they do in the time they do have...?

I hope to not appear to be complaining - the food here is excellent, we have only had one 'incoming' and it is a nice change to be in an office compared to where I have been. I just can't quite figure this place out just yet.

UPDATE: I found another new reason to like being up here... Forecast for Basrah 120 degrees, forecast for Baghdad 117. HA!

So I'm on my way to the IZ...

2008-07-14T11:07:00.002-05:00

And I am sitting in the terminal at the military side of Baghdad International Airport. A civilian fellow sitting next to me turns and asks if my first name is _____. He has it exactly right. He then introduces himeself... his work was featured here. We had exchanged some very pleasant e-mails, and he had come here to Iraq quite some time back.

It's a small world out there for bloggers sometimes.

Back in Iraq

2008-07-09T20:52:00.001-05:00

I'm back in Iraq - but I am waiting to move to Baghdad in the near future. Looks like I will round out my tour with a stint at Higher HQ...

40 killed in Kabul Indian embassy Blast...

2008-07-07T15:19:00.005-05:00

India has been one of the biggest investors in Afghanistan's reconstruction. Maybe an enemy of India is not happy with that.

Afghanistan says Pakistani Itelligence Services is supporting Taliban again....

Back to Iraq

2008-07-05T15:46:00.002-05:00

R&R Leave is over. It was even better than I had hoped. I think I can take the last few months of my rotation in good spirits. I had plenty of sleep, food, and fun with the family.

So it's back to the Iraqi summer!

Stonehenge

2008-06-29T10:25:00.002-05:00

When living at Basrah COB (Contingency Operating Base) one sleeps in a "Stonehenge". The Brits took so much rocket fire at this base, even the beds are surrounded by brick and steel and sandbags... And yeah, it can be disconcerting to sit up in the middle of the night and whack your head against a steel plate...

And, yes, I did go around quoting This is Spinal Tap.

British Humor - with a purpose

2008-06-25T16:24:00.001-05:00

As seen at Basrah COB...

After the Charge

2008-06-17T00:32:00.005-05:00

Back in late March, I was preparing for something quite different than what I have done the past 2 ½ months. I was called into the colonel’s office and told “things in Basrah have really heated up and everything has changed.” I was then informed that I was to be sent to Basrah to assist a US team in the area, and I would also be working with the Iraqi Army’s 14th Division.

By nature I am a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. I try to get comfortable and find a routine wherever I am. Needless to say, this quite disrupted what I had settled into. I didn’t go kicking and screaming, but I was a bit perturbed. However, I was also interested and couldn’t really complain too much, as there were plenty of others in a lot worse situations than I. When I got to Basrah, the first “Charge of the Knights” had taken place, and the IA was readying for further operations into the city. I was then informed that I would not be staying at the large base at the Basrah International Airport, but moving out to the 14th Division’s HQ, at the then named camp of Mahmud Al Kasim.

I was the only American there. When I arrived there was a single British officer, 2 Lance Corporals and 4 Privates from the 1st Scots Battle Group/Royal Scots Borderers. A much larger Coalition presence was at the Basrah Operations Command. Somehow we managed to feed information to the Multinational Division South-East Headquarters and the US team I was there to support - plus help the 14th Division staff in anyway we could. The British officer was the Operations/Intel brains of the outfit, I was the Logistics and Civil Affairs guy. We both covered any other fields we could – Communications, Personnel, and the like. For one really stressful two day period, I was the only Coalition officer there.

All the while, the US team I was assisting at another location was working their asses off to see that the Iraqi Army was handling its enormous logistical challenges. I don’t know how they managed to keep going sometimes – their work load was staggering.

[Oh, and all during this initial time, some trio of guys who must have thought of themselves as the Jaish Al Mahdi’s version of Davey Crockett kept trying to park 107mm rockets in small camp where I was living … (they met their end at the hands of the Iraqi Army one morning, I think they got a little cocky, and a bit predictable) Some lesser teams of rocket or mortar firers tried to step up and fill the void, but they found out, quite quickly, that you shouldn’t try to shoot at people who have Apache helicopters supporting them.]

Then we started to get more help – a few of the Jocks (Scottish enlisted soldiers) shuffled around, and we gained a Signaler or two more. We got more British officers on scene to take up the various advisory functions. We also got better and more communications gear, computers, and a couple of vehicles. While all this was starting to take place, the Iraqis had won the Battle for Basrah. Now our job became helping make sure they were able to keep what they had won, and learn from early operations.

The Iraqis paused to mourn their dead, caught up on some rest, maintenance and refitting – and went back to operations. Their progress is never enough if you hold them to American military standards, but is undeniable by anyone who watched them throughout this time. They are slowly and inexorably gaining strength, experience and an identity of their own. It was elements of three Iraqi Army divisions and two National Police brigades that won in Basrah. We, the Coalition, helped – and I believe that our help kept the casualties and damage down - but make no mistake, this was an Iraqi victory won by the Iraqi Security Forces. The people of Basrah are why the ISF are winning the post-battle too. They have experienced militia/religious fanatic/thug rule and they don’t want any more truck with it. It is the ordinary Abduls, Hattams and Fatimas of Basrah who point out the weapons caches, told the ISF where the JAM and Iranians were hiding, and it is they who are getting to step out into the light at last.

As I was told back in March, my assignment would not be permanent. I have now left Camp Al Shaheed Wessam and the 14th Division. I will be moving on to a new assignment after I take a couple of weeks of leave. I leave behind a growing and increasingly effective Iraqi Army unit, a very dedicated and hardworking US team nearby, and a serious British Military Transition Team to continue mentoring the 14th.

I may have left Basrah Province in person, but I will always remember the crucible moments in which part of an Army, and part of a Nation were fused together.

Im Suden Nichts Neues

2008-06-13T04:41:00.002-05:00

All Quiet on the Southern Front...

I was checking the SIGACTS (Significant Activities) for the last 24 hours and was surprised to see nothing posted. I thought to myself "c'mon you lazy #$%&, get the site updated!"

So I dug a little deeper and saw a summary that basically said that nothing happened for a 24 hour period.

Strange. I hope it isn't one of those "it's quiet...too quiet" moments. Probably not - as things have been going fairly well down here. But I'll keep my eyes and ears open regardless.

So, how was your morning?

2008-06-10T05:57:00.003-05:00

Mine was a bit odd...

2:30AM I am out unloading food and bottled water off of some trucks that brought us some well appreciated supplies. I'd make a pretty good Teamster.

Later, I walk out the gate of the small camp where I live and see this:

I can just see every tanker reading this begin shuddering in sympathy.

Then I make my way to the assembly room/work room and get a phone call from Operations - "did you happen to hear a large explosion southwards a few minutes ago?" Huh? Uh, not as such. Is there something I should know...?

Then I sat down with some powerful instant coffee and made CDs of technical manuals and training pamphlets that have been translated into Arabic. I think my Iraqi counterparts will be pleased.

I wonder what this afternoon will bring?

Some Gratuitous Baghdad Metro Area Pictures

2008-06-08T11:07:00.002-05:00

As seen from the Blackhawk I was a passenger in recently...

I am back down Basrah-way for a little while longer.

Finger, reborn!

2008-06-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

OK, maybe not. But I took off the splint and bandages yesterday. Once the last stiffness and swelling go away, this will be relegated to the laugh and joke about arena. I should clarify - me laughing about it, not someone else laughing at me...heh.

Why is this not being reported? Retreat or Redeployment?

2008-06-03T14:08:00.004-05:00

Taliban insurgents are fleeing south towards the Afghan border with Pakistan in the face of a U.S. Marines offensive in volatile Helmand province, the NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Monday.

'I Wish I Had the Taliban as My Soldiers'

2008-06-02T15:05:00.002-05:00

President Hamid Karzai has come under fire for not doing enough to stem corruption in Afghanistan. He speaks to DER SPIEGEL about the coalition forces' ties with warlords, rumors about his family's influence and why he believes dirty deals are sometimes necessary.

Hekmatyar back?

2008-06-02T12:40:00.002-05:00

While there are plenty I dislike, there are few in this world I truly hate. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is one of them. He is probably one I would kill without hesitation. He is evil, embodied in someone that could have helped his country, but has chosen to bathe in the blood of his own people instead.

Reading this did not help.

I can only hope the ANA or a Predator with a Hellfire missile catches up with him.

Why do I fight?

2008-06-01T06:43:00.002-05:00

Or, more specifically, "why do I help the Iraqi Army?" There are many reasons - but Sudarsan Raghavan seems to have captured the images of what it is I seek to make common and ordinary.

Never mind the hedging and such - that is de rigeur for almost all in the media when reporting on Iraq. But instead, give them credit for bringing these pictures out for everyone to see.

Hmmmmmm?

2008-05-28T23:11:00.002-05:00

Very interesting. In the near future, I will probably be able to explain why...

I might be out of the loop for a few days, traveling and all that. Hopefully I will have better luck than my last trip.

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T08:36:00.005-05:00

Remember what it is all about

by Wm. F. Lang 9 x 10 photo owned by collector John Ertzgaard

Thank you Pakistan.......

2008-05-25T09:42:00.007-05:00

Seems our Friends in Islamabad have made another deal with the Taliban in the western wastelands. "We will leave you alone if you just play nice". I have always been convinced that Afghanistan's stability has never been the goal of her neighbors. Here is more proof. With the Pak Army backing off, the tribes are allowed to continue their fight across the border. Attacks are already up 300% in the eastern ISAF areas and so are casualties on both sides, and those caught in the middle. Negotiation without Strength = Appeasement. This has been proven again and again. Take notes Obama, lets see how this works out.

Ouch, that smarts.

2008-05-24T11:59:00.003-05:00

I have a really good reason for not posting the past few days...

I was sitting on the elevated side. When my hand got smashed, I was fairly sure I had broken a finger. Once I got back to base I had it checked at the hospital and, yup, a small crack. Nothing terribly wrong, but I'm going to be a bit inconvenienced for a couple of weeks.
Of course, my colleagues have been every bit as funny about this as I expected... "sounds like someone needs a hug", or, "Hey, did you break your finger throwing yourself out of the back?"

So I will post more when this starts to get better. You should see me typing with the tip of just one finger on the hurt hand... I confess it does look fairly funny.

MEMORIAL DAY........

2008-05-23T14:31:00.003-05:00

Remember those who sacrificed all for us. There is more to this weekend than sales and car races and the official beginning of Summer. Take time to reflect on the cost of all that we have and what others are trying to take away.

Getting a bit tired

2008-05-19T22:53:00.002-05:00

I noticed yesterday that I had reached the point where a couple of good meals (at the British cookhouse at BAS) and a good night's sleep is not enough to put me back to 100%. I'm not exactly exhausted or burned out just yet - but I have been before (last deployment). So I know the warning signs. I am going to try to scale back a bit - which is difficult as I am just about to watch everyone else here leave and replacements come in...

Anyhoo - posting may be light for a little while. Unless events warrant otherwise.

Range Day

2008-05-17T05:39:00.008-05:00

Some of the security in my area is not military. We spent some time on the range making sure that I could shoot their weapons and handle any basic problems like a jam or misfeed. I had not fired an MP-5 before, and it was a very interesting weapon. Very little recoil, and light.

The fellow who taught me to use it had me run through single shot, then automatic.

"Hey, did I hit anything?"

When I had finished that, he told me to run through the rest of a magazine from the hip. I felt like a 1920s gangster...

Low level flying and last departure

2008-05-14T10:18:00.005-05:00

A couple of days back I got the Tour of All Southern Iraq, inadvertantly. I was flying what I thought was a quick trip back to my usual digs. Instead, I was asked where I was going, and more than once I was told "oh, you're last off" in a rather ominous manner. But hey, I had never seen Um Qasr, Camp Bucca, etc...

On the flight back I decided to pull out my obsolecent camera and flip it to movie mode and try to capture a bit of the feel of flying low over Southern Iraq. My first effort with Blogger's movie clip feature failed, so I embedded it from YouTube.