Happy (Iraqi) Election Day!

Today, the Iraqis pulled off quite an accomplishment. It was an awesome experience to be here during their successful provincial elections. A vast majority of Iraqis voted and there were no major attacks to disrupt the election. Today makes an even greater impression when you realize that the Iraqis did it themselves. They led all the planning, provided all the security, and executed the elections safely and correctly. It wasn't U.S. Soldiers & Marines keeping the Iraqi citizens safe while they voted, it was Iraqi Army (IA) and Iraqi Police (IP). It was very professionally done.

General Odierno made a great point today. This election marked the transition to "issues-based" politics vice sectarian politics. The electorate made it clear that they expect the elected leadership to address the problems with basic services. The Sunni's all came out to vote because they realized that their boycott of the last election really hurt them in political representation. They have become vested in the peaceful process of democratic government.

I truly expected large attacks on Iraqi voters by Al Qaeda and insurgents, although I hoped it wouldn't happen. You know the bad guys wanted to disrupt the election...the fact that they didn't/couldn't shows you how much the Iraqi Army and the Coalition has disrupted their operations. A great day for all Iraqis and for those of us here trying to help them make it all work.

(Photo: An Iraqi citizen proudly displays proof that he has voted outside a polling site in Jabella, Iraq, during the provincial elections in Babil Province on Jan. 31, 2009. Credit: U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Wendy Wyman/Released)

What is it you do exactly?

One of my professors chided me after reading the entire blog and realizing that I never posted anything about my actual job over here. I guess I should rectify that.

As most of you know, back home I work for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the supplier of almost everything a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine uses, wears, or eats on a daily basis. I also work for DLA in Iraq, just forward deployed. I am the Executive Officer (#2 guy) for the DLA Support Team (DST) in Iraq. We have 70 DLA military and civilian personnel scattered around Iraq at major troop concentration areas. These personnel help their units manipulate the DLA supply system to support troops and weapon systems, oversee the supply of all food and fuel, help the Iraqis to set up their own National Supply Depot (like DLA), remove and demilitarize scrap from U.S. FOBs, and many more missions. The DST Headquarters (where I am) is located at Camp Victory in Baghdad. There, we are attached to Multi-National Forces - Iraq (MNF-I) CJ1/4/8 which runs logistics policy for all of Iraq. MNF-I was formerly commanded by General David Petraeus, and is now commanded by General Odierno, while General Petraeus is his boss at U.S. Central Command. At the DST HQ, we lead and administer the team throughout Iraq and work on strategic level initiatives with MNF-I.

Our office is in one of the palaces on Camp Victory, actually the second largest one after the Al Faw Presidential Palace. The DST is in a converted dining room, which is pretty swanky. The picture included is from my desk.

I hope that captured what I do without losing anybody. If anyone has any questions, please drop me an email and I can answer in more detail.

More Iraq from the air - urban

I posted a few pictures of the rural side of Iraq already. Here are some pictures of the more developed areas of Baghdad and some outer towns. These pictures show a range of housing from large and relatively nice with trees to more densely packed smaller housing. The one thing in common is that all the houses have flat roofs, usually tiled, which are used as an additional "room" of the house. In the winter, you mostly see clothing drying on the roof, but in the summer, apparently, people spend a lot of time in the evenings up there, to include sleeping there instead of inside (no air conditioning).

The first photo (left) is a relatively nice neighborhood. The next (right) shows a big open dirt area likely used for gatherings and soccer. The third (next left), though blurry (helo moving too fast) shows a satellite town of Baghdad, the houses are more spread out but everything in between is dirt. Next down (right) are apartment buildings in central Baghdad. Vertical housing or apartments are actually rare and only really exist in downtown Baghdad, everything else is lateral sprawl.









To provide the counterpoint, next (on the left) is one of the palaces in Baghdad, now used as a governmental building. I also can't forget to include a bombed-out building, because there are plenty of those in downtown Baghdad. So the last picture (right) captures that for you. I am not sure what that building was, but halfway up, you can see the damage through the haze. You will also notice that the buildings around it are unharmed. I am still working to post everything from my trip last week, only a few more posts to go.

T-Walls - What are they anyway?

I know I mentioned T-Walls in previous posts. Some of you may not have had the privilege of ever seeing one, so I thought I should explain and provide pictures. As you can see, most T-walls are about 10 feet tall, with a wider foot forming the cross-bar of an upside-down "T" - hence the "T"-wall. The sides are notched so the walls fit together side-by-side without a gap. Entrances are formed by offsetting T-walls and leaving a gap to walk between. The walls are used for protection around all buildings/structures on our bases, to form security walls, and to line roads and neighborhoods in cities. They are what we see everywhere...miles of plain, gray concrete. At least the Iraqis paint elaborate murals all over theirs - much better.

Baking and breaking bread

When I was in Taji, I had a rare opportunity to participate in a portion of Iraqi life. Two-thirds of the base happens to be occupied by the Iraqi Army and to support the Iraqi Dining Facilities, there are two Iraqi bakeries. My escorts in Taji frequent one of those bakeries, so we swung by to get a bag of Iraqi bread. The Iraqi bakers apparently love it when Americans stop by which doesn't happen very often, so I was immediately enlisted in the baking process...complete with pictures. On this day, they were baking a particular type of Iraqi bread that is football shaped with pointier ends, about 3 inches by 6 inches, and like pita bread or naan, but slightly more puffy and soft. It is baked in a large wood-fired brick oven and the bakers put it in and remove it with a long paddle that can hold 10 or so pieces of bread along its length. That's the part I got to help with - putting in and pulling out the bread. Once the bread is removed from the oven on the long paddle, you push it off by hand across the tile work surface and it drops into a waiting bin. Like all fresh breads, the warm bread is VERY good. On my previous trip to the IZ, one of the Iraqi interpreters showed me that one way to eat this particular bread is to slice it open along the side (like a pita) and put slices of cheese inside. No cheese this time though. After baking for a while and posing for a bunch of pictures with our new friends (between being handed tons of free bread), we paid for a full bag and headed out. After the trip, I emailed the pictures back to the Taji team so they can print a few and take them back to the bakery. Another once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to remember!

Chuck Norris and the military

Some of you may know that Chuck Norris is a huge supporter of the military and participates in many USO tours through war zones to meet and talk to the troops. Conversely, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines over here are also huge supporters of Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris "facts" are common conversation around here and can just as easily be overheard at the Dining Facility as they can be found printed on the wall of a port-a-pottie. You can guess where I found the two posted here. These amazing and outlandish Chuck Norris facts can be found here. Wikipedia also has a good history of the phenomenon here.

A green Iraq - perspectives from the air

Last week, during my trip, I traveled via UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in a couple of flights through the area north of Baghdad up to about 50 miles out. I had an awesome seat each time, sitting just behind the crew chiefs/gunners with a great view out the side windows and plenty of time to observe the country-side from low altitude. From the air, the unlimited potential of this fledgling democracy becomes obvious.

The entire area I flew over is smack in the middle of the "fertile crescent" between and around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. When you look at maps of Iraq, this central portion of the country is generally shown as green. From the air, you can see why. The entire area is or was at one time under cultivation. Field boundaries, green crops, and the soil ridges from former crop plantings stretch as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, less than 10% of this is currently in use and planted - that is the tragedy. This country in days past was the breadbasket of the Middle East and it can be again. If you have ever seen the agricultural areas of the Jordan River Valley in northern Israel, you know what I mean. This area has the same potential to be lush with crops from grains to date palms. It was before and can be again.

It is also apparent that the decay of Iraqi agriculture is not a new thing caused solely by the current war. Many of the fields I saw have been fallow for significantly more than 6 years. No, this is a long term decay as irrigation canals were poorly maintained, Saddam stole the water to fill the lakes around his palaces, and the farmers just gave up.

This vision of the potential locked within this nascent state, more than anything else, makes me hope they are successful. Iraq has the potential to become the economic powerhouse of the Middle East, they just have to survive long enough to get there.

Business trips are automatically cool if you fly in a helicopter to get there.

Just got back from a short business trip. I flew up to Taji for a day, then Balad for a day, and back to "home" - Camp Victory in Baghdad. All the flights were in Army UH-60 Blackhawks, which is awesome. Helicopters are the best way to go anywhere. I promise to post more on my adventures in the next few days, but for now, I am relishing being back "home" in my own CHU (Containerized Housing Unit), downloading the photos, and gathering my thoughts. I probably have enough for several posts including the helicopter rides, an Iraqi bakery, Chuck Norris, Oil for Food, etc. Some of those topics probably don't sound like they belong, but I promise to explain...

Rocks, rocks, everywhere...

Since it is obvious there is a mud problem, they needed something to make it a little better. The answer? Rocks. Lots and lots of rocks - from the tiniest pebbles to pill-bottle sized river stones. The exact same kind you would use for landscaping in your yard/garden. They are everywhere that we would normally walk or park a vehicle. Sometimes, they are even used as "grass" where no one ever walks or parks (picture, below right). There are still piles and piles of them that haven't been spread yet.

I do have to credit my experience here for teaching me something that I never realized. I used to think that these river stones actually came from, you know...rivers. That, somewhere, a company extracts them from dry river beds and sells them. Now I know that this can not be even remotely true. Why? On this one single base, we have enough river stones to account for the output of half the rivers in North America. There is no way that these stones could have been naturally generated unless there is an entire layer of the Earth's crust filled with river stone. No, the companies that provide the river stone must have huge industrial tumblers that turn rough rocks into these smooth stones. Remember those drum tumblers they used to sell in the Christmas Catalogs that turn common rocks into shiny stones? I always wanted one of those...

Mud, mud, everywhere...

It rained Sunday for about half the day. Nothing too heavy, just off-and-on sprinkles up to light rain. Unfortunately, when everything is dirt, it doesn't take much rain to really mess things up.

The local dirt/sand is very fine (almost like talcum powder), so rain makes a nasty, viscous, pasty mud - like wet cement. Since it is so fine, it packs together very densely causing the water to sit on top of it and not soak in. The mud puddles don't dry up for days. During and after the rain, the mud runs into and gets dragged into the road where it promptly collects into thick mud banks along the curbs. Within minutes, every vehicle is completely coated in mud, every sidewalk has been doused in mud, and your boots and pant legs are carrying 2 extra pounds of mud. Everything starts to look pretty disgusting. Once it dries (days later), there is mud-cement everywhere which slowly breaks down, becoming dusty dirt blowing around. Rain is not too popular around here.

The last picture on the left is one day after the rain. You can see the mud filling the gutter completely. That will harden to be like cement...we don't have to worry about hitting the curbs on these narrow roads, because there aren't any!

Free Ice Water...Wall Drug 6,712 miles

On a drive around the Victory Base Complex, we came across this atypical sign pointing the way to Wall Drug. For any of you who have traveled I-90 across the plains, you should be very familiar with Wall Drug as you pass hundreds of miles of signs starting two states away. Apparently, it is pretty common for Americans (especially military) to make Wall Drug signs all over the world. The wikipedia page shows signs in Afghanistan and the South Pole. Here is one in Baghdad, Iraq.

Bringing your hobby with you

Today at Sunday brunch we saw a flyer on the wall of the Dining Facility (DFAC) advertising a RC (Remote Control) Race at a track on Camp Liberty. So we stopped in on the way back to the office to check it out. As my first time at an event like this, it was pretty impressive. The track had multiple jumps, banked curves, an overpass/bridge, electronic starting/timing/scoring, and a reviewing/control stand. There were probably 10 different teams - all with multiple classes of RC cars: small or large, 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive, electric or gas powered, and all the spare tires, suspensions, tools and assorted machinery to keep them going. That's definitely bringing your hobby with you to Iraq.

We watched a "buggy-class" race, which are 4-wheel drive battery powered cars, then a gas-powered race. I didn't realize how fast these things were until I saw them in action. They were getting a couple feet of air over the jumps. Of course, a normal part of any car race are the crashes. Expecting these to happen, there were people all over the track to get the cars going in the right direction again, but some vehicles got knocked out completely, with broken wheels, busted suspensions, and even one that caught on fire. Of course, the priority for the race staff wasn't putting out the fire, it was getting a picture of the burning car because it was cool. I am not sure the owner agreed, so the fire was put out pretty quickly. It became very obvious what all the tools and spare parts were for, so the teams could fix the cars up for the next race.

It seems odd that I had to come to Iraq to see a bunch of guys racing RC cars around a dirt track. It was pretty cool though!

Iraqis Step Up

Today, the Iraqis took over control of the IZ in a big ceremony at the Republican Palace (former U.S. Embassy). As part of this turnover, we also handed that same Palace back to them. This is the most visible step so far in the Iraqis' path to standing on their own. My guess is they will want to make an immediate and visible difference and that will involve removing t-walls and cleaning up parts of the IZ to make everything look more normal and less like a war zone. We'll see how it goes ...I hope well.

Mandatory Fun and Karaoke

So last night, as is common in military circles, we had mandatory fun - a "New Year's Eve Nehi Night". In this fine tradition, we gather the staff together for a few hours of camaraderie, which sometimes can be fun, but other times is an exercise in "when is this going to be over?". These events usually have some sort of food and beverage, which for this one was: little sandwiches, wings, cake, and near-beer...great combo. Having survived many of these events before, last night's event was slightly more painful than average as the central theme was "Baghdad Idol" karaoke, complete with judges. This usually involved the MC haranguing the crowd to attempt to socially coerce participation. If it weren't for a few ringers (that the DJ brought along) this could have gone on for hours. The night ended up with some decent entertainment interspersed with the more painful moments: the ringers sang the duet "Summer Nights" from Grease, a few of the women were coerced into stumbling through "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" while trying not to laugh, the Aussies sang Men at Work, and at the very end the general dragged all the Colonels on stage to sing the CCR hit "Proud Mary" otherwise known as "Rolling Down the River" - it's bad when the general is the best guy up there and had to carry the whole tune punctuated by his Deputy playing great air guitar. Real beer would have definitely improved the event and we have once again confirmed that it should be mandatory for all events involving karaoke. Don't get me wrong, I can think of at least a few things that I would have rather been doing last night, but at least it was different than every other night here.

Well, I survived it, and have now made it into a New Year, almost one month down out of my six months here. The next several days are work as normal. Happy New Year from Baghdad!