Today I was invited to a barbeque at the rug shop. Persian and Turkish rugs are one of the hot items that the Iraqis peddle. I have learned that most of the so called “Iraqis” are Turks that pretend to be Iraqi to sell their wares at Iraqi gift shops. There are various grades of rug but the best are handmade. The Iraqi Doctor that I have talked about previously is friends with the high class rug seller here in Al Asad. The Doctor invited some of the other Doctors and Nurses to the rug shop for a barbeque. I know [View Full Entry]

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Finally made it back to Al Asad after waiting in the PAX Terminal for 5 days. I am glad to be back to my CHU. It is the same dusty landscape but friends and fresh linens make it tolerable. [View Full Entry]

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Well here I am again - stuck in a Military PAX (PAX is the abbreviation for passenger, person, or people) terminal. Why you may ask? A Sandstorm of course. The sand moved in late yesterday and has really messed up my travel plans. I hope to get on a plane, chopper, or fast camel back to Al Asad. One benefit that I have come to realize from being stuck so much in the PAX Terminal is that I have become a champion at Sudoku. Our friend Jess gave me an electronic Sudoku game at my going away party. I play that [View Full Entry]

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The second day of the conference was well attended and quite informative. I was able to learn a great deal of the way in which we operate in Iraq. As I cannot discuss it further I thought I might share a little more about the sites in Baghdad. Inside the Aw Faw palace there is a chair/throne that belonged to Saddam Hussein. The chair was given to Saddam by Yasser Arafat. If you look closely at the top of the chair you see the Quran. Inscribed on the page is a verse from the holy book, the verse reads: In the [View Full Entry]

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Today was the first day of the conference. We got up early to get breakfast before the conference started. Breakfast was the usual fare - eggs and bacon. The conference was held in the Aw Faw palace on Camp Victory. I cannot talk about the conference but I can tell you about the palace. The city of Faw lies on the Aw Faw peninsula in the far southeast of the Basra Provence. Water canals from the Shat Al-Arab River turned the land into an agriculturally rich region. Its oil facilities made it one of Iraq’s major oil exporting ports prior to [View Full Entry]

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We arrived at our layover destination about 0200 and had to catch a bus to the helicopter terminal to get our connecting flight. Our helo did not leave until sunrise so we slept in the terminal on the benches for a few hours. As the sun rose we took a bus to the flight line. There were helos everywhere - as far as the eyes could see. Our bird was named the “Hillbilly Deluxe,” which is not as cool as “Bachelor’s Delight” but was a great helo. We watched the crew do their flight checks and then boarded the chopper. After [View Full Entry]

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Today I left for a conference in Baghdad. I was there about a month ago but another opportunity came up for me to attend a Commander’s conference. I sure do hate to travel but I enjoy seeing new things. We left for the military passenger terminal at 2300 on the 29th and departed very early the next morning. I flew on a Sherpa. A Sherpa is an Army aircraft that is used primarily to transport passengers and cargo. It is a small twin engine airplane that has high wings and is shaped like a bus. Sherpa’s hug the ground as opposed [View Full Entry]

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Happy 30th Birthday. Just another day in Iraq. I did not even sleep in. I did want to plan a good birthday party so on my day off we will celebrate. I have received lots of great gifts for my birthday. My co-workers sent me two birthday’s in a box. It had all of the items that I would need for a party - candles, streamers, balloons, plates, hats, blowers, etc. They also sent some funny singing items, a coffee mug, button, and card. Everyone here likes the singing coffee mug. Megan and Drew sent me a great birthday package too. [View Full Entry]

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Today we finally received the Yeti. If I haven’t told you the story of the Yeti yet - let me elaborate. In the 24hour plane ride to Kuwait Mark and I did every activity that one can do on an Airplane. We watched movies, listened to music, read magazines, talked with other soldiers, went to the bathroom, walked around, etc. We kept looking at Sky Mall magazine and laughing at all of the ridiculous items that are for sale in the catalogue. We began to laugh at all of the things that we could have shipped to Iraq. A tiki bar [View Full Entry]

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Independence Day in Kuwait. Not my first choice. I have a flight scheduled for tomorrow so I checked into the temporary billeting in Kuwait to get some much needed rest. I slept almost 8 hours catching up for the last 4 days. The base in Kuwait is much safer so it is a more relaxed environment. I put on my PT uniform and got out to explore what Independence Day activities that were being offered. Vanilla at best but one thing caught my eye. A hot dog eating contest. I had to go check this out. Hot dog gluttony in 120 [View Full Entry]

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