I'm HOT because I am deployed!!

6 Jun 11

            Throughout my career I always wondered if I was going to get to live the Iraq experience...and now I am waiting to get on that lovely C-130 to fly into Baghdad.  Looking back a couple of days ago, it’s hard to believe that I am still able to coherently do things with so little sleep.  I was at least able to stay in a real nice hotel (Mariott Residence Inn), see a good flick (X-Men: First Class), and enjoy some good food (Dave and Buster’s) over at Arundel Mills next to BWI.  It was different than last time in that I had a long wait at BWI before flying out.  Last time I did this, Gretchen was able to drop me off in front of the Intl terminal and that was that.  This time I hung out in the USO, did a storybook reading for Elise, and just tried to savor my last moments in the great United States of America.  The realization really hit me when we landed in Kuwait at midnight, had to wait a couple of hours for authorization from Ministry of Interior to proceed and oh by the way, it is 98 degrees and the sun has long set....yep, I am officially now deployed!!

            Now, after what seems a week of traveling (really just a couple of days), I am at Ali Al Salem AB in Kuwait, sweating like a pig, and going through bottles of water like it was my job.  I do have to admit that the Expeditionary Theater Distribution Center (ETDC) process is a lot smoother than the one at Manas.  The ETDC is where you get your chem. Gear, body armor, and for me I got my ammo as well.  They had a schedule of events for us, a shuttle to take us different places, and gave us plenty of time to take a power nap and grab some hot chow.  We then met our respective Air Force units (the ones that had administrative control (ADCON) over us while we are working in joint/Army assignments.  That was a huge difference, because during my 6 month stay in Afghanistan, I had no earthly idea how the chain of command was set up, especially when it came to administrative things.

            Kuwait for all of it’s extreme heat and “barren wastelandedness” does have some pretty awesome scenery.  They have preserved a lot of the base from it’s Desert Storm operations.  There are several bunkers that are still used today that we (Coalition) had bombed when Saddam was running his air operations out of the air base.  A lot of relics and sights that you don’t see in too many other places.

            We were also notified at this time that many of us had a showtime for departure at 4am the next morning, meaning that we had to be out of our lodging at midnight that night....so much for getting any sleep!

Day 6

12 Jun 11

            Did I mention that Kuwait was hot??  Well, now I am in Iraq and I must say that it is quite a different environment.  In the heart of Baghdad resides the Al Faw palace, a palace that is said to have been visited by Saddam only 4 times.  Currently it is the headquarters for the US forces in Iraq.  My job is working on the J4 (Joint Logistics) staff, focusing on transportation.  We do not work out of the main palace, just a sub-unit on the other side of the lake.  Yes, I did say lake.  Apparently, Saddam wanted a nice little moat around the palace, so he dredged a large area around it and procured water from the Euphrates River.  Supposedly, he nearly emptied the river, draining it for almost 3 days so he could fill his man-made lake...very “dictatoresque” in my opinion.

            My C-130 ride was uneventful, which was a good thing, because a week ago, 5 service members were killed sitting in their housing units over on FOB Loyalty (closer to the International Zone), which is less than 20 miles from Camp Victory.  Since there is no runway on Victory, we flew into Sather AB.  Lt. Col Joe Becker picked me up, and I am sure he was happy to see me since I am replacing him.  He showed me around the base, checked me into lodging, and then let me go for the day so I could get some rest and settle in.

            The next day I got to meet all of the folks in the office.  It is really interesting because I am the junior person in that office.  There is an Army Major, an Air Force Lt. Col and an Army Lt. Col is the chief of the section.  In addition we work with a liaison who is a Navy Capt (0-6).  I am very confused as to where I fit in right now, so I am trying to take in as much as I can, but at times it feels like I am drinking from a fire hose.

            One of my main tasks is very exec-like.  I prepare slides and the briefing room for a nightly brief with the J4 staff.  I am learning more and more everyday and I am very excited about the work that is being done here.  It is cool to be part of the drawdown in Iraq.