Long day today -- last night I took a 2 hour flight from Basra to Baghdad International Airport or BIAP. This time, I took a Sherpa, the C-23 aircraft which looks like a fridge on wheels. Not sexy, but it goes and that's all that matters. Apparently, just about the only people that still fly this are the Alaskan National Guard.
It was a frigid two hour flight. Got in at about 1am and was met by LTC R, another observer stationed in Baghdad. I bumped into a private, who needed an eye exam and was screwed by his unit. Someone in his chain of command told him to get on the flight and figure out how to get to the hospital. In normal life, people are remarkably resourceful. In the Army, though, telling a private to walk from point A to point B without holding his hand is a big no-no. So, we took him to the liaison tent to try to find someone to take care of him. No one from the unit was there, and none of the NCOs there particularly cared. So much for NCOs taking care of soldiers. They just went back to their card game. So we took him to a hospital on post and someone finally took him in who knew what they were talking about.
LTC R took me back to his hooch and I almost wish I didn't see it. It was bigger than the one 3 of us are sharing, quiet, wooden floored, and basically, as pleasant as it can be living in a box. I hit the rack and passed out.
The next day, we drove around and he gave a quick tour while we went to the office. Victory Base Complex is huge -- there is even an Arrow hardware store. Finally we pulled up to a large, grand palace -- his "office." The Al Faw palace used to be Saddam's pad and the lap of luxury. It's weird being inside -- there are workstations just off of marble columns, and when I went searching for a bathroom, I opened what seemed to be a closet only to find a French style inlaid toilet bowl and bidet. I wonder if Saddam and I ever shared a private moment together there...
I experienced another unique surprise from this funhouse. As I was plugging in the two laptops that I just picked up from another LTC, I heard a woman's voice right behind me. I whirled around but no one was there. The voice continued and I started thinking it was coming from my computer. Nope. I even pulled out my phone to see if somehow I had called someone and it went to speakerphone. Nothing. I looked to the opposite cube to see if LTC R was on a conference call. He wasn't. When I asked him, somewhat redfaced whether he heard anything, he pointed at the ceiling. It was a opulent, gilded tile CONCAVE ceiling and I realized that I was listening to someone clear on the opposite side of the large office. If you remember any children's science museums or some historical sites with that, you remember that phenomenon, but I had never seen it really happen. For the next 15 min, I squirmed while this woman described her worries about having her contract renewed, asked her husband about his cooking, and other private matters. Weird.
The second surprise was when I turned a corner and met up with a face from the past. A shock of red hair and the wide staring eyes were the instant giveaway. He had put on some weight, and was a CPT the last time I saw him, nearly 10 years ago, but it was the same guy (MAJ D.S.) I knew during my time with the Bandits in Germany. We both asked, "What are YOU doing here??" at the same time. We caught up a bit and then he mentioned that his boss was also a distant boss of mine when I was in Germany. Later on I went to go see him and now COL J. was running some Iraqi security forces cell in the green zone. He rolled his eyes when I asked him if he enjoyed it. I can see why. He just came off command of an armor Brigade, which is like 85 guys competing for 4 slots, so he must be doing well. We spent a good half hour catching up on people, which was fun, and I found out that every single person I knew then, who was a MAJ or higher stayed in and was still in or had retired. No one left. Surprising...
Bought some needed stuff at the big PX and then headed back, catching the same Sherpa flight back.
One last note: This weekend was a special one for our clan. Mr. TT, who I still remember as the fuzzy-headed sweet kid got to see grow up every year in Vancouver during our annual summer family reunions is no longer the younggun. This weekend he tied the knot -- I'm sorry I wasn't there to share the moment, but if you see this, T, a lifetime of happiness for you two!
It was a frigid two hour flight. Got in at about 1am and was met by LTC R, another observer stationed in Baghdad. I bumped into a private, who needed an eye exam and was screwed by his unit. Someone in his chain of command told him to get on the flight and figure out how to get to the hospital. In normal life, people are remarkably resourceful. In the Army, though, telling a private to walk from point A to point B without holding his hand is a big no-no. So, we took him to the liaison tent to try to find someone to take care of him. No one from the unit was there, and none of the NCOs there particularly cared. So much for NCOs taking care of soldiers. They just went back to their card game. So we took him to a hospital on post and someone finally took him in who knew what they were talking about.
LTC R took me back to his hooch and I almost wish I didn't see it. It was bigger than the one 3 of us are sharing, quiet, wooden floored, and basically, as pleasant as it can be living in a box. I hit the rack and passed out.
The next day, we drove around and he gave a quick tour while we went to the office. Victory Base Complex is huge -- there is even an Arrow hardware store. Finally we pulled up to a large, grand palace -- his "office." The Al Faw palace used to be Saddam's pad and the lap of luxury. It's weird being inside -- there are workstations just off of marble columns, and when I went searching for a bathroom, I opened what seemed to be a closet only to find a French style inlaid toilet bowl and bidet. I wonder if Saddam and I ever shared a private moment together there...
I experienced another unique surprise from this funhouse. As I was plugging in the two laptops that I just picked up from another LTC, I heard a woman's voice right behind me. I whirled around but no one was there. The voice continued and I started thinking it was coming from my computer. Nope. I even pulled out my phone to see if somehow I had called someone and it went to speakerphone. Nothing. I looked to the opposite cube to see if LTC R was on a conference call. He wasn't. When I asked him, somewhat redfaced whether he heard anything, he pointed at the ceiling. It was a opulent, gilded tile CONCAVE ceiling and I realized that I was listening to someone clear on the opposite side of the large office. If you remember any children's science museums or some historical sites with that, you remember that phenomenon, but I had never seen it really happen. For the next 15 min, I squirmed while this woman described her worries about having her contract renewed, asked her husband about his cooking, and other private matters. Weird.
The second surprise was when I turned a corner and met up with a face from the past. A shock of red hair and the wide staring eyes were the instant giveaway. He had put on some weight, and was a CPT the last time I saw him, nearly 10 years ago, but it was the same guy (MAJ D.S.) I knew during my time with the Bandits in Germany. We both asked, "What are YOU doing here??" at the same time. We caught up a bit and then he mentioned that his boss was also a distant boss of mine when I was in Germany. Later on I went to go see him and now COL J. was running some Iraqi security forces cell in the green zone. He rolled his eyes when I asked him if he enjoyed it. I can see why. He just came off command of an armor Brigade, which is like 85 guys competing for 4 slots, so he must be doing well. We spent a good half hour catching up on people, which was fun, and I found out that every single person I knew then, who was a MAJ or higher stayed in and was still in or had retired. No one left. Surprising...
Bought some needed stuff at the big PX and then headed back, catching the same Sherpa flight back.
One last note: This weekend was a special one for our clan. Mr. TT, who I still remember as the fuzzy-headed sweet kid got to see grow up every year in Vancouver during our annual summer family reunions is no longer the younggun. This weekend he tied the knot -- I'm sorry I wasn't there to share the moment, but if you see this, T, a lifetime of happiness for you two!
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