Groundhog Day

It's been a while since I last blogged. I've been extremely busy, but the reason is mostly because nothing new or interesting has been going on lately. Actually, it has been just like the Bill Murray movie, "Groundhog Day." I wake up at the same time every morning (6:50am) without an alarm clock. My body just gets up. I hop out of bed, grab clean clothes and my shower bag, and head over to the shower trailer. I use the same shower stall each morning, take a shower for maybe 5 minutes, then I use the same sink each morning to shave. The same people are in there at the same times each morning, and we usually say the same things to each other every morning. The conversation is usually something along the lines of "how's it going?" and "Today's the fourth Monday this week (Thursday)."

That's about it.

I'm staying busy with work, and I have plenty of time to run...getting in about 30 miles per week right now. I get a lot more sleep than I would back home too, but I miss Meredith and the kids a lot. Aside from work, I am keeping busy planning for our PCS move to Japan in June. I think we're all looking forward to the adventure of Sasebo. I just need to finish this "adventure" first!

I promise to load some pictures of some of my favorite runs around here, and different things we're doing to maintain sanity in the long days and constant work pace. Thanks for reading about me, I'd love to know who's checking in. My email is travismortimer@gmail.com

And by the way, you should check out Meredith's new blog layout. It looks like a scrapbook page and is really nice. Not to mention the pictures of the kids she manages to get are absolutely adorable. I love you all.

Outside the Wire

I went on a little trip o n Monday "Outside the Wire," meaning off the base or outside the protective wire. I had to go to Haditha Dam for an inspection of a fence project for the Iraqi Ministry of Irrigation, Ministry of Electricity, and the Iraqi Army. The project was for an Iraqi company to install a 6 mile long security fence around the Haditha Dam area.
I have included a few photos of the trip to show some of the highlights. This is my view from the back seat. We had a private security firm provide transportation to/from the job sites. We ride in heavily armored Toyota Land cruisers. It's not quite as safe as a tactical vehicle, but we are also a much smaller target and less annoying presence to the Iraqi folks in these vehicles, and they're alot more comfortable than a tactical vehicle.

From the back seat, you can see my partner, Bob. he's an Engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers. You can see the view from inside is limited. The black circle is the little armored port hole for us to shoot out of if needed. The ballistic glass is several inches thick.

This is the view going into the Iraqi Camp Haditha. US forces recently turned over all responsibilities to the Iraqi Army and they now run this camp entirely. We waited 45 minutes to meet with the ranking officer of the camp, an Iraqi Major, because he was still sleeping when we got there at 10am. We conducted our inspection while he "gathered himself".

The whole area had a lot of men just standing around watching traffic drive by. Unemployment is very high in this region of Iraq (Al Anbar Province). Unfortunately, all this lingering around makes everyone look suspicious to us.

This was a really neat monument we passed near the Haditha area. The region is proud of their power generation at the Dam. It is nice to see civic pride every now and then, even if it is Saddam propaganda.
A view of the Haditha Dam as we approach. Nothing special here. It's a HUGE dam of about 5 miles long and about 40 meters high, but the water depth on the other side is only a few meters. Most of the pictures are taken from inside the vehicle because the security team was hyper sensative to the threat. I didn't feel threatened, but we had to stay inside the armor unless necessary to get out. It's just precaution...I know my wife appreciates it, but I didn't feel the need to stay so hunkered down. We only received a couple rounds of small arms fire the whole trip...just kidding about that last one!
Driving through the face of the dam on ground level, downstream side.
The view from afar. Even with a big shallow lake of water, it's still the desert out here.

We inspected the fence and found plenty of problems, and we met with the Major at the camp. The whole thing was not a big deal, but fun to get off the base for a while. I didn't get any pictures of the meeting only because it would be inappropriate to shoot photos while negotiating things, and also because appearing in photos with Americans can make Iraqis more of a target.
Here's a nice shot of the drive back to the base. Some one's front porch where they're skinning and butchering a cow. There were lots of houses like this where people were out front killing goats or sheep.

We stopped to check on a construction site of a school house in Baghdadi, the little town outside the base here (not to be confused with Baghdad).

A typical small roadside mosque in Baghdadi.

Houses along the road.
Sheep herding along the route. It was pretty common to see flocks of sheep running around with a little goat herder/ shepherd type of person. It was always obvious that the shepherds were very concerned about their sheep getting run over by the trucks! You could see the worry in their eyes every time we drove by a flock.

The trip ended without incident, and I will get more pictures of interesting stuff next time I go out. I'm hoping to go to the hospital project, or another school project, where I can mingle with local folks. There's a lot of good work going on here. I'm glad to be a part of it.

No Photographs Allowed

Today is New Year's Day. For the most part it was quiet because we were on somewhat of a "holiday routine." I started my day off by sleeping in until 7am, and stayed in bed until 8. It was NICE!!! I got 10 hours of sleep...who says deployment is rough?

So I took my time getting around, went for a run to start the year off right, and a cold wind started blowing in. The wind kept coming, and by noon the temperature dropped 20 degrees and we had a dust storm on us. It wasn't a full blown storm, but extremely dusty with less than 1/4 mile visibility. It was an "orange out" kind of day. I didn't get any pictures today but figured I'd show you some of the things I'm probably not supposed to show you.

A photo of an area on base.

This is the kind of day we had once the dust cloud came in. Just another day at the south side dump. I'm almost finished with a project building two trash incinerators that will mitigate this open pit burning. Not popular, probably shouldn't have shown you that.

Here we have a photo of an abandoned MIG. They are everywhere, littering the base as a reminder of the base's former occupants.

An Iraqi toilet. Pretty nasty only because there's no pee-trap to keep the sewer gases from coming out of the sewer. It's just an old-timey squat hole. The hose is an advance on the traditional alternatives. There are some buildings that still have the old toilets. All my projects include updating to "western style" toilets. By "western" we mean they come with a 10 gallon hat and bottle of BBQ sauce!

I really miss everyone, and I enjoy hearing from you all. Feel free to drop me an email at travismortimer@gmail.com if you get the chance. I'll have more photos coming soon. Happy New Year, and I can't wait to come home.

Christmas As Usual Around Here

Christmas day has come and gone here at Al Asad, and I have to say that I'm glad to be working on towards January already. Time is dragging right now so we're trying to keep busy with things that distract.

For the Holidays, Mike and I decorated a little tree we received in the mail (pictured below). It is a humble tree, but festive enough for us.

The day was nice, the air crisp and clear. On Christmas day, I was able to go for a nice 5 mile run, catch some sleep, watch "It's a Wonderful Life" TWICE, attend a "Christmas Pageant" at the Chapel,and then I ate at Burger King for dinner!

Work didn't stop at a few of my job sites. A K-Span being built by Iraqis...their first structure of this type for us. Their actually doing better than expected.

We had a great sunset, nice and crisp. This is my front door on the far right. Exciting, huh??

Recurring JO Appointment -15:00 Everyday

A few of us Junior Officers (JO's) have a recurring "meeting," an appointment every day where the "Wadi Dawgs" play Iraqi Hacky Sack. It's been a lot of fun each of us honing our trademark moves. It's usually about 4 to 6 of us in the little courtyard area in our building. Pictured from left to right, Me in mid-strike, Mike in the back, then Dave in the rear, and Toy's back. Dave has an awesome "jester" - from the old Nintendo game called "California Games." Toy has the ability to kick it several time before passing it on...in fact, he usually makes a point of hogging it a while before passing it on. I guess we should call his move "puff puff give."

My skills are non-existent. My signature move is called "super retard strength." I usually will just kick it really hard in any direction and hurt someone.

In this picture, Brad is on the far left (you see his arm). His move is "the crane" - mostly because he's tall and slender. He moves almost in slow motion, but with a lot of skill, popping it up and down several times before passing it on - and he never drops the hacky.

I look forward to the 15:00 "meetings," even though we're not really getting any better at Hacky Sack - it is probably these times where the memories and friendships of this deployment will really be made.

Checking In ~ & the Last Moustache Chronicle

It has been a while since I last blogged. The Internet has been a nightmare here lately. It takes many attempts and several hours to eventually upload a couple photos. For $70/month, my roommate and I share the Internet connection...so the time is limited. I was able to upload some shots of the happenings of late. First, my moustache had to go. I was grouped in with grody staches like Greg here (who still flaunts his). Greg is proud of his manilicious face fur. I give it an 8 on the nasty scale.

Or Woody's here. We call him Lieutenant Dangle-stache. The name is from the show "Reno 911" where there's a gross cop with the same name. Both are as gross! His is a 9 on the nasty scale.

So here's the last shot of my old stache. Probably won't grow one again until the next dare. It's not my style to have one. I am shown here inside one of my projects, a new $4.5M Regional Detention Facility. It will be finished next month but likely will not house any detainees because of the new Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Iraq where the US won't hold Iraqi prisoners for longer than 24 hours. This new prison is really nice, with monolithic concrete walls, and loud "clangy" sounding doors. The facility is very imposing and substantial. There are no water boarding tables or torture cells here, I promise!

So I'll close with a photo of my job security. Check out the wiring system on this building behind me. There is going to be PLENTY of work here for Engineers as long as this "expeditionary wiring" exists. It is amazing that more people haven't died, but there are regular fires, black outs, shocks, and the occasional electrocution. BTW, those spools on the ground have energy running through them too...this is no way to do business!

This 'Stache Has Got To GO!!!

Why am I still growing this thing on my lip? ! ? Some say they like the full caterpillar look.I prefer the "bandito" like Jim had in this episode of "The Office." I am limited by uniform regulations on the size, fluff, and overhang of my facial hairs. So working with what I CAN do, I am going to have a little fun with this ugly thing.

The next phase of my disturbing little experiment is to see how long it takes for me to receive a direct order to shave!!! I will try every nasty variation until I am compelled to clean it off! My first attempt is the "almost pencil thin."

I went in for a haircut and was inspired by the poster in the barber shop. This stunning young man is literally a poster child for "the military cut." I am every bit the poster child now - minus the "finger wave" hair stylings.

OK, so on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being "gag me," how bad is this style? Remember I'm going for nasty...but everyone seems to really like it! I don't get these people here!!!! I can't even take my self seriously with this thing on my face, I don't know how others can deal with me and not be distracted.

Any Given Saturday

We started today off with a cool breeze rolling in to the base. The breeze turned up a lot of dust, to the point where we thought it could turn into a dust storm. It didn't though. The breeze persisted and the temperature dropped all day and a light rain set in by the evening.

Here's a picture from the front of my junker truck (we call her "Hotness") at the threat of a dust storm rolling in. It was nice to get out of the office today and do some site visits and check out a few construction projects.

Al Asad was Saddam's premier air base and he spent Billions of dollars on its construction. Just about every structure is hardened, buried, or appears to be fortified. This is the exposed part of a fortified bunker that the US dropped a bunker buster on during Gulf War I. I've got jobs at locations that look bomb-proof, but were no match for our bunker busters.

Dinner:

I have been working with two companies that I thought could help each other, one a very good Turkish company called "Lara Group" and the other an Iraqi company called "Al Folatheya." Al Folatheya means "like steel." I've been trying to introduce the two companies so they can partner on some projects, maybe the Turkish company could mentor the Iraqi company through some successful projects. The end state goal is to give the Iraqi company enough training and guidance to get better with their project management and construction technique, eventually making them a leader in the construction business when we all leave. In my "match making" endeavor, the Iraqi company invited me to bring the Turkish company to dinner, so we all came and met and then ate dinner together.
From left to right: Me, Azhar (Iraqi interpreter), Ali (owner of Al Folatheya - and our host for the dinner), Rabia (owner of Lara Group), and Tenet (Engineer at Lara Group - and husband to Rabia). Not shown are my two guards/escorts (not that I need them for security), AM1 Cotto and EN1 Harlow.

Pictured is a typical Iraqi meal of fresh fruits, flat bread, grilled lamb, chicken, and vegetables, and a pickled side veg. It is typical for all the food to be on one plate where everyone eats from it with their hands. Here, eating from the same plate makes you family. I appreciate the sentiment but am glad they give us a plate of our own to use! This is my third Iraqi meal so far, and ALWAYS delicious. The people here are more than gracious hosts...they often go overboard putting out their best for us!! They're great people and really appreciate us.

The negotiations:

It's difficult to work between Turkish to English to Iraqi translations. The talks were about an hour with plenty of misunderstandings, and edgy at times. I felt I had the role of intermediary, and had to ensure diplomacy because the Iraqi company has loyalties to their family companies, and he also doesn't want to appear to need the Turks. The Turks know they're the best company on base, and recognize they don't really need the Iraqi company, but they do want to help build the Iraqi capability. The Iraqi's need to save face and be seen as "partners" rather than enter a business relationship where they are treated like a little brother.

This is Ali, the owner of Al Folatheya, and he is a good man. He tries really hard and has had many challenges to running a successful Iraqi construction company. His heart is in the business, but he needs a lot of work to fulfill his potential. I think the measure of our success here in Iraq will be determined by our ability to help them recognize their potential and reach it.

Mucho Mustachimos! Chronicles Day 7

This is Greg...just wait until his business grows in ...he's going to look like Kip from "Napoleon Dynamite"

Day 7 of the cheesy 'stache "contest" This is Toy, that's his name, Toy. Day 7 of the flesh colored fuzz. He's tryin' real hard!

It's not cool to make fun of the Chaplains, but this 'stache has been growing for 20 years!!! I couldn't help but ask if I could take his picture and asked if he was in on the gag...he didn't know what I was talking about.

Again, hate to pick on Chaplains, but it's too easy!!! Chaplain Plummer at his one week mark!

Mine at Day 7...nice consistency, a little itchy, waiting for it to "fill in." I can't stand to look at myself with this atrocity!!! I'm already looking forward to shaving it off.
Here's Brian's "Old Man 'Stache." A little lop-sided but he definitely is showing the younger crowd how it's done.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Mustache Chronicles...

Wynnona wants her FMF Qualification

I guess I might as well tell you a little about two big issues here that I'm going through. The first is Wynnona, the Base Command Group's mascot, a big brown beaver - groundhog - chipmunk...whatever you want her to be. She's the mascot for our group and she came all the way from Ft. Dix, NJ just to be with us here. That's another story for another time. So here you can her atop the AC unit in my office. She's a 4 foot tall fiberglass beauty and attracts attention everywhere she goes. I wonder why, but everyone seems to want to touch her, take their picture with her, or wants to carry her.
So the other major event going on around here is all the Navy Officers going after their FMF (Fleet Marine Force) Qualification. It's a pin, similar to a warfare qualification, that demonstrates a broad and in-depth knowledge of the US Marine Corps' strategic and tactical missions and capabilities. It's only available within a narrow window of eligibility and we happen to fall within it here now. Honestly, everyone EXCEPT me seems to be going after this pin. It requires the applicant to attend several classes (weapons safety or defensive strategy for example), demonstrate different skills (set up a base camp or field strip your weapon), and observe several different USMC functions (like an amphibious landing or operations inside a Tactical command center). I'm not afraid of a challenge, it's just that I am so busy that I don't have time to go run off and attend a class on communications or take a "field trip" to watch Marines jump out of a helicopter. I wish I did though!

So here's where Wynnona and FMF come together...I figured I don't care so much about the pin, but why not let Wynnona get it?? So I decided to help her get the pin and will take her to EVERY required event, even the oral board at the end. So I already started! It will require her to go on a 6 mile hike in full "battle rattle" and complete a USMC PT test, including pull ups. I know she can do it!!

Here's a picture of the Command Chaplain spotting one of the JAG officers in beefing up for the big qual!! He has a long way to go... Wynnona has already started motivating folks to reach past their comfort zone!

Yesterday was Wynnona's first class. A quick tour of the CH53 Helicopter and it's capabilities, landing zone requirements, and basic uses, procedures, blah blah blah. The best part was that Wynnona was there...Everyone had fun!

Make sure to check back regularly to witness the triumphs of Wynnona's FMF Adventure. We have a little something for everyone here...Mustache Chronicles, Wynnona's FMF Adventure, and you still haven't seen where I live, work, eat, go to church, or my day-to-day stuff. There's going to be lots to write about! Please stay in touch.