"Thanks Saddam...Love what you've done with the place!!" and "You're Going to Love it Here""

So Long Chu # I 21-AB...I will not miss you

22 Jul

            “Al Asad...you’re going to love it here,” or at least that’s what KBR wants me to think.  My days at Victory Base Complex have come to an end and I have moved out west.  If you could think of a location out in the middle of nowhere, in the desert, and far away from any civilization, then you are probably thinking of some place in the Sahara Desert.  Al Asad is out in the middle of nowhere, and it is in the desert, but there is quite a bit of civilized life on this base.  There are no palaces, and no pristine man-made lakes, AND no Indirect Fire (IDF)...which after a couple of close-calls at Victory, I will take any day.  Let me go back to my departure at Victory.

            I laugh when people talk about their “horrible” experience on a plane trip in the states (I wrote this before you had your plane issues Gretchen).  People complain about sitting on a runway for 30 min in a decent HVAC environment.  Try having to load all of your (all the passengers doing this) bags in 120 degree Hotness, and then sitting in a C-130 OVEN for 45 min-1 hr waiting for takeoff, wearing full body armor.  That was my day, constantly loading/unloading bags and equipment, sweating, and finally reaching Al Asad...luckily it is a short plane ride.

...Teach a Man to Fish, and he won't BLOW up your convoy

            When we got here, we unloaded all of our stuff, got our brief about the base and headed to our new living arrangements.  After about 30 min of messing around with the key and the lock to my CHU, I finally got inside.  I was not issued any linen (they ran out), so CPT Rodgers (works with me) leant me some extras he had.  Although we are in the desert, it gets somewhat cold at night, and all I had for covers was a thin sheet.  I pulled out one of my ABU blouses, completely turned off the air, and then I was able to fall asleep.

26 Jul

           

   Man it gets DUSTY here!  We are located in a valley and the wind comes rolling in from the desert and brings a lot of dust with it.  I can’t walk around during the day without my sunglasses, and the 120 degree heat doesn’t help either.  The wind blows, but it is a blast of hot air across your face.  The first couple of days here were very uneventful.  I’m just about set up in my office, so I can continue normal operations.  One thing about this place is there is a lot “less” of stuff: Less choices at the Chow Hall, less scenery, less items at the BX/PX, and less BANDWITH.  It is quite a difference skyping with Gretchen here than doing it back at VBC.  It gets a little frustrating after a while, so we usually resort to just the audio chat, and every once in a while we bring up the cameras.  All is quiet on the Western Front, but at the same time, I do miss the perks of “Palace Life.”

That's ALL dust...and it gets worse!!

BATMAN sheets.....FTW!!!

            I went to church the other day and there were only 5 people.  We played recordings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as our hymns, and with the Ugandan church service immediately after ours, we only have time to do Sacrament Meeting.  We are hoping that as more and more folks head out west, that maybe we can get some better attendance.  As I said earlier, there are not a whole lot of things out here, but what they do have is an indoor pool, a nice movie theater (too bad the projector quality sucks) that has a Green Beans (like Starbucks) and Subway, a pretty nice MWR set-up for watching TV, playing video games, etc., and a lot of “Haji” shops with pirated movies and TV shows.  There is an old soccer stadium that now is used as a running track (no grass or pavement, just dirt) and all the haji shops are housed under the stadium.  I am still questioning if I am truly going to “love it here,” but I am doing my best to make the most of it!