The Grind

The wheels of war continue to grind on. I am now back here on the depressing piece of real estate that we call a FOB. Everything is the same here for the most part. Still smells the same [awful], still looks the same [hellish], and still feels the same [prison-ish]. For the most part the past month up here was not too exciting. My platoon detained several bad guys, fought the fight and are still alive to tell the tale. The boys did well.

As the guys we fight with come closer and closer to being replaced the fight outside the wire doesn’t let up on them. We lost two guys just the other day. Good guys that I had the pleasure of knowing for a brief few months. They were killed fighting, guns blazing, fighting like soldiers. They were fortunate in a way. The died fighting like soldiers, fighting and enemy face to face and not by some cowardly, Koran hugging waste of life hiding behind a building blowing up a roadside bomb on them. I know its no easier for their families but as fellow soldiers it comforts us in a way knowing that the fought until the end and we will all miss them.

Their killers eventually received the same fate but brought in a series of 500 pound “smart” bombs sent with love from the Air Force and a team of it’s F-16’s as they screamed across the sky. The terrorist were killed along with their terrorist breeding wives and their future terrorist children. It is unfortunate that the children got caught up in the mix of the family’s poor decisions, but at this point in my life, I could not care less.

It’s the last day of August. If things would have never changed I would be a short 31 days away from a much cherished return home. But with an additional few months slapped on we are only now rounding third base headed for home plate. Just like the obedient little soldiers we are; we will fight on.

As for me it is back to work, back to the fight, back to the heat, the sand, and all the other luxuries we have here. By now most of you all can surely tell that I am burned out, despite my month long reprieve, I am burned out. But there is no need to fear my friends; I am still on top of my game. But as for now it’s back to The Grind.

What A Joke

Through out Iraq the military has these huge “Logistical Supply Areas” or LSA’s. These big super FOB’s are usually on old Iraqi Air Force Bases that we have conquered, rebuilt and now operate. They have air traffic of all types, Air Force, Navy, Planes, Jets, Helicopters, FedEx and even some of Cheney’s buddies from Halliburton, going in and out all hours of the day much like DFW back in the good old USA. These bases house tens of thousands of Soldiers, Airmen and Marines and twice as many civilian contractors. All these people perform various tasks that are often times vital to the war effort. But as I spend more time here at LSA Anaconda on my little vacation of sorts I have started to notice that a lot of the people here are doing so very little work that there is no need for them over here. They are simply stealing a paycheck. Now I know it’s unfair to ridicule the Air Force and Navy for never leaving the base, they all signed up to perform technical jobs on a base. For most cases they are exempt from my distain. They are technical support and they are useful where they are.

The Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers on this LSA and even the Active Army soldiers here however disgust me. Some of them do have a useful and necessary job here on the LSA, many are helicopter mechanics and personnel that help keep the birds in the air and in the fight. But once again many of these soldiers here on the LSA don’t work but a few hours a day, and if you are here on a Sunday, you would think that the war had ended. No one works! These poor pitiful pukes get a freaking day off from their cushy office jobs so the can “relax” and barbeque and go to the pool. Not to mention the dance club atmosphere you can find at “Latin Night” and “Hip-Hop Night” at the massive Rec. Center. The noise probably drowns out the sound of the MedEvac birds bringing a wounded soldier who was actually SERVING his country and in the fight, not salsa dancing with some female from the Florida National Guard.

Once upon a time this place use to get mortared pretty often they even had the frequent rocket barrage as well. I have been here for a week now and this place has had a fair amount of “mortar attacks” but when a place this massive gets hit you don’t even notice. These kids need to spend a night at the Patrol Base and let a few rounds land a few feet outside their door. Now that is a mortar attack.

I guess there really is not a point to this story. I just wanted to express my distain for the majority of the people and practices here on this LSA. My conclusion is that here at the LSA 1 and 6 soldiers plays a vital and useful roll in the ongoing operations outside the wire. The other 5, they are stealing a paycheck.

But as the saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and I can’t beat them, so during my time attending this course on a piece of equipment that will be more useful than a dozen of these “tools”. I will just have to join them. I will join them at the pool as I work on my tan. At the movie theater so I can see Oceans 13 for the third time and at Pizza Hut where I can listen to them whine about how they are out of ham. Then at Karaoke night at the Coffee House where we can all sing our favorite hits. I’ll join them here; for now. But I guarantee that won’t join me kicking in the door of an Al-Qaida hideout once I get back on the line next week.

School Is Cool

So as the dog days of summer drag on for all of us, I will be doing something new. For the next few weeks I am at the Disneyland of FOB's in Iraq for a class on some big stupid sight.

So in between this class I can be found at either the in-door or outdoor pool, either of the Wla-Mart size PX's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Green Beans Coffee House one of the massive very nice gym or the movies theater watching the latest movies, for free. Just know that where ever you do find me I will be happy.

So the blogs will be rare but use this time to go back through the archives and re-read some favorites...

Take care and relax... I know I will be.