Happy New Year

Where has 2005 gone? What happened in 2005? This is one year that has completly slipped by without me even knowing what is happening in the world. Yeah, I know what is happening in Iraq. I know more than I really want to. What I do not know is what were the top songs this past year? What were the top movies? What was happening at Jacksonville Beach? Why are my favorite places like First Street Grille and Kevin's closing? Who is dating who in Hollywood? I never though I would care, but for some reason, I do.

YEAR OF EMOTIONS
It is hard to explain what I have gone through this past year. The only memories I have are about the various missions and operations we have done. Because this is a public forum, I can not explain the missions in detail and should not for obvious reasons. What I can do is describe the roller coaster ride of emotions our Task Force has gone through. It started with anxiety. We were not sure what Iraq would be like when we started our train-up at the begining of the year at Fort Stewart, GA. At that time, our main focus was to get through the training (including medical evaluations) and prepare to go to the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, CA. After our training at NTC, we were ready to deploy to Iraq...at least we thought we were. Immediately in Iraq, we were thrown into the fire. Mission after mission, we faced the enemy. The enemy engaged us with IEDs, Small Arms Fire (SAF), mortars, rockets, and RPGs. All of this within the first two weeks. In return, we took the fight to them. We captured many insurgents and conducted several Civil Military Operations (CMO). We cried over fallen soldiers and we smiled after helping local children. The mission near Baghdad was an exhausting one. I personally lost 12 lbs from the heat and bad eating and sleeping patterns. Operational wise, we accomplished something that was incredible in my eyes. We basically converted a traditional Mechanized Infantry Battalion into a Air Assault unit. Not to discredit the 101st Aiborne Division (Air Assault), for they are Air Assault experts, but we executed many air assaults / air mobile missions. We had too. It was the best way for us to take the fght to the enemy and minimize casualties. The capstone was Operation Devil Strike. It became the largest Air Assault operation in National Guard History. The entire Task Force along with Iraqi Army soldiers air assaulted on a target along the Euphrates River. After that, we continued with our steady state missions and a few other smaller air mobile raids until a Task Force from the 101st came to relieve us. That is when we moved south to assume another mission, Theater Security. The move was a nice break for the soldiers. It took a few weeks before we conducted a Relief In Place (RIP) with a National Guard Units from Texas. During those two weeks, soldiers were able to decompress and rest. They started working out hard at the gym and playing sports. It was truly a well deserved break for those few weeks.

STEADY STATE
Here I am now at an air base in southern Iraq. Our Task Force secures convoys to various locations throughout the Iraq Theater. There are risks involved, but not like up north near Baghdad. We went from Full Spectrum Combat Operations to "Road Warriors". It is all good though. Most of my time is spent on planning for our re-deployment...a plan I will stay up late doing any day. What a ride!

Hey, what is going on in the world today? Did I just hear that Angelina Jolie is pregnant with Brad Pitt's child?

Christmas Day in Iraq

Merry Christmas! It is Christmas Day in Iraq and God decided to give us some rain. Yes, it is raining in the desert...A lot of rain. The temperature has dropped and the rain is steady. I got soaked walking the mile walk I have to do from my living trailer to the Battalion TOC. It is funny. I will remember this Christmas being soaking wet.

CHRISTMAS CAROLING
It was right before midnight when I realized I was not going to make it to midnight mass. I decided to stay online and chat with my wife before she left to go to Saint Marys, GA for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with the family. After I signed off, I decided I was not going to spend Christmas Eve along in my room. I stepped out and walked to CPT Thomas Bennett's room to see if he was still awake. He was. He invited me in to watch "Die Hard", an action-packed movie set during Christmas time. After about 20 minutes watching the movie, I heard voices outside the trailer room. I opened the door to see who it was and behold, it was a chorus of soldiers (mostly from C/1-295 IN out of Puerto Rico) lead by CPT Lopez-Molina, the Company Commander. Immediately, they started to sing Christmas songs in Spanish. I was so excited. It made my night. It made my Christmas in Iraq remembrance. God bless them. I joined them in singing to other soldiers in the Battalion including the BN XO and BN Commander before going to bed. Now that is what I call a good night or very early Christmas morning.

CHRISTMAS CHOW
The Christmas meal served at the chow hall was awesome. There was ham, turkey, roast beef, and roast hog along with all the fixings. I enjoyed my meal with MAJ Bennett, 1LT Durr, CPT Belscamper, Chaplain (1LT) Fisher, and many others. I laughed, because I stacked so much food on my plate. I wanted a little bit of everything. I also had three different beverages; sweet tea, egg nog, and non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice. I completed my Christmas meal with a slice of pecan pie. Man, I am stuffed. The soldiers all seem to be in great spirits. Even the Japanese soldiers are enjoying this wonderful day.

Chistmas Eve In Iraq

It is tough on soldiers during the Holiday Season in Iraq. We all do what we can to enjoy the holidays, but the mission must go on. The war does not stop. With that said, our Task Force has soldiers on the battlefield conducting missions this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It is tough when I look a soldier in the eye and tell him he has to go on a mission tonight (Christmas Eve) and he will no be back until the day after Christmas. I had to do it though. Again, the war does not stop. Be that as it may, soldiers find a way to celebrate Christmas. Some even prefer to be outside the wire. They seem to have solitude with themselves believing in what they are doing, especially on Christmas Day.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The lights are hung on several trailers serving as Tactical Operation Centers (TOC) or Command Posts (CP). I hung lights inside my personal room to give it a Christmas look and feel. It is amazing how creative soldiers can get. Just now, a soldier dressed in a Santa Claus outfit is walking around throwing candy around and shouting, "Merry Christmas". It is a beautiful site. I look out at the Ziggurat at imagine what it must have been like years ago when the inhabitants heard about the birth of Jesus Christ. I can almost imagine what it felt like for Joseph and Mary when they traveled to Bethlehem. It must have been a chilly night in the desert just like it is right now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
To everyone back home, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Stay Awake

Have you ever had to stay awake for a long time? You know, late night study before an exam, or complete a business project when the sales rep overpromised and you had to deliver understaffed. Been there huh? Well, soldiers securing convoys also have to stay awake for long periods of time. The difference is they not only have to stay awake, they have to stay alert. They have to give 100 percent of their attention to their specific job. This adds to the complexity of trying to stay awake.

Enter Caffeine and Sugar
Soldiers drink various cafeine beverages to stay awake. Coffee with lots of sugar is SFC Palmer's drink of choice. Mine is Red Bull. I became addicted to Red Bull when the chow hall at Camp Striker stocked it. That along with Power Bars. I would grab at least two cans everyday and take back the the BN TOC or on patrol to drink later. Red Bull and beef jerky was a normal meal for me back then. I guess that is why a lost so much weight. Anyway, the side affect of drinking caffeine drinks with lots of sugar is sleeplessness. Soldiers are having trouble going to sleep after their long missions because they are "reaved-up" from the energy drinks. Solution....get rest and only drink the energy drink at the beginning of a mission. Do not drink them towards the end. I have seen soldiers actually get back from a mission and then drink a cup a coffee. Not smart. It is really habit at that point. A habit that needs to be broken.

Strawberry Milkshake Pop-Tarts
Last week, I received a package from Joe Bellafato, a good friend from Birmingham, AL. One of the items in the box was Strawberry Milkshake Pop-Tarts. Remember my narrative about caffeine and sugar, well this is an example of sugar overdose. Man, I bit into one the pop-tarts and thought I was going to bounce off the wall. There must have been an extra dose of sugar, dextrose, and high frutose corn syrup. The worse part is I could not eat just one. I had to eat both of the pop-tarts that can in the silver package inside the box. Before, during, and afterwards, I drank a Coke to wash it down. Wow, I have just set the conditions for a hell of a ride today. I hope I do not turn into Beavis (Beavis and Butthead) and start calling myself "Cornholio". "Hey Boss, I am ready to go on a mission...I want to be the gunner!" ...more later...

Another Day in Iraq

Well, it is another day in Iraq. The convoys are making it to their destinations and our gun grews are exhausted. I completed a run from a base in southern Iraq to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) a few days ago. I felt like I was part of Mad Max: The Road Warrior movie. We were securing a convoy of commondities along a stretch of highway where bad guys typically shoot at trucks and detonated IEDs to disrupt the movement. What an adventure. I can not wait till my part of this war is over.

An interesting though came across my mind today. I wonder what my first project will be like when I return to IBM? Think about it. I have been on active duty for 1 year and deployed in Iraq for 7 months. The life of a soldier is all I know right now. When I redeploy, I am going to have to "re-program" myself from a soldier to an IBM I/T Architect. I am sure I will need some sensitivity training when it comes down to dealing with other people. Oh well, I have done it before when I redeployed from Bosnia in 2001. Only, this time is different. The war in Iraq has been harder than the experienced I had in Bosnia. Either way, I am sure I will be able to adapt. Many people have done it before me...only, how many people do you know has transitioned from an Combat Infantry soldier to an I/T Architect is corporate America. It should be interesting :-)