CAPTAINS NEED LOVE TOO...

Well, we haven't seen much of this guy on the site. Mostly cause I don't see him outside of my area and don't have the opportunity to get pics in the field. So as pics filter in I grab what I can and put them up here. Jim is doing well. He is in some Iraqi town gathering information and getting the pulse of the local population. Children, or the lack of them when they should be around, are a good indicator of safety in a given area.

Everyone is doing well as far as I can tell. We've had a couple of close calls but no injuries. My job is boring. I've finished all the groundwork for my position and have no challenges now. Days are starting to slow down. I'll have to learn all the Task Force duties just to keep busy................

The Library

They say you should stay random here; not fall into patterns. So I go to a different portajohn each time I need to...you know...read. I watch the new scrawl appear on the walls and get a different story each day. Mostly marines dis'n the Army, dis'n the national guard. And poop limericks! Cool.

I wanted to show you what a HESCO barrier looked like. They are those dirt filled cylinders protecting everything everywhere. These are the johns outside of where I work. No outside reading material needed.

RE-UP (you're cazy)

I guess I'll have to deal with him for another 3 years. Kids got balls resigning for three years in a friggin combat zone, knowing that it is very possible he will be deployed again before three years are up. I think he secretly lives for deployments. I'm so glad its this J.C and not the other one. He is morphing into NCO before my eyes. One day we'll have a long conversation about something serious and I'll see whats ticking in there. Jess is an enigma. I'm not sure I could handle whats in his head...

LUCKY 7

Folks, the site is going to get serious now. Everything has been fun and games but you better be prepared to hear the worst. Soldiers who pay the ultimate price will be remembered here. Close calls and celebrations of survival will be recorded here. If you are not ready for it (and you aren't) than decide now to stay onboard or call it quits. I am not going to hold back and things are getting ugly around here. I promised to keep your kids safe and I will do all I can but I can't send them home and I can't be with all of them all the time. We are in a war zone with real enemies. There are things I wont publish because I dont want to inform that enemy. Many incidents you will read in the papers or see on the news before you see it here. Theres a reason for that. I am not trying to alarm you, I simply can't pretend that everything is great for a whole year.

I asked C.P. if he really wanted to publish this picture and he said yes. So here it is, lucky # 7.
The armor really does work. The scar on the door is from an RPG which then hit the mirror and exploded. No-one was hurt in this ambush which included small arms fire. The crews reaction was suprise and anger and they attacked before heading back home. C.P. has earned his Combat Action Badge today.

Proud Fathers

Duarte and Nowack. In a race to the finish and by a nose, Duarte wins! Baby Duarte didnt want to come out, Jaqueline is about 3 months overdue. Baby Duey is an estimated 25 pounds and 2.5 feet long. Just kidding of course. She is a bit overdue and will give birth today. Congradulations Jaqueline and Luis!

On a more serious note, Baby Nowack is as impatient as his/her father. Jennifer will have their baby a bit early and will have a bit of work ahead of her. Jennifer, the people closest to your husband are helping him through this, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

We all look forward to the good news and new stories in the days and weeks to come.

Retraction: Nowak's won. Duey a close 2nd

Office Supplies can be Dangerous

Well all, sorry for the delay. We have been pretty busy. We are settled (unsettled?) in our new home(s) now at Camp Ramadi. For those of you into geography ar Ramadi is about smack dab in the middle of Iraq in the Southwest corner of the Sunni triangle. The local residents were Sadam's peeps so they aren't especially helpful. We are trying to win their hearts and minds so that they can help us rid their country of insurgents and govern/police themselves. Then we can leave.

There is a lot of history here. Its said that this is the birthplace of mankind. The Garden of Eden may have been in Southern Iraq where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet. We are also across the river from Uday Hussein's palace. He's dead now.

We are all split up now to different Companies in the Battallion. Each company does different things in different areas. I can't be specific for operational security (OPSEC) reasons. Most have adjusted well. Some of us got the shit end of the stick with personal space but it could have been worse. I won't see most of the guys as often so I will have to have them email me pictures and text they want put on this site, otherwise you will see way too much of me and Q. We share the day shift duties at the BN TOC, our section is pictured above. Those of you who know "Vinnie" will see him on the map board ( a very nice board by the way). We are going to paint the 29th ID for a background with Vinnie and crossed cannons in the foreground and "WAR ENDERS" surrounding Vinnie. Its a 4' X 4' mapcase. We will probably paint Skull Nations logo on the floor.

The weather is hot, 115 +/-, the food is still good but a step down from Kuwait, and the dust is everywhere. There are Palm trees and farmland near the river and desert beyond that. I have internet access in my room now so I should add posts more frequently now. We are 8 hours ahead of EST.