A New Level of Fishing

Greetings once again,

It is still hot here. Our fishing has somewhat taken center stage over the past week. Just as cavemen emerged from the darkness with fire, we too also revolutionized our fishing. Actually, after several weeks of waiting, two of the monkeys' wives came through and sent us a fishing pole and line. Now, instead of reining down a cornocopia of fruit and other assorted food items at the fish, we have gone the more conventional way and started to cast. CPT S, as you can see from this picture was the big winner yesterday. As the fellow monkeys and others watched curiously from above, CPT S laborously tired out, who we think to be Fat Fred as he (Fred) attempted to twist and convulse his way out of the hook he swallowed. Fifteen minutes and a gallon of sweat later, CPT S had won this round. With the fishing pole we now have a great way to spend our Haji/Sadaam Fedaclean Day. It is amazing what six months, a lake and down time can do to a person. Other than fishing and sweating, there is not too much else going on here. I hope to head to the Super Hajimart soon to haggle my into a $30.00 box set of every Simpsons episode made. My time continues to tick away here. The days are sometimes long but the weeks seem to pick up speed. Stay tuned for more "fish tales."

A Haji Haircut to Remember & Direct Hit of Sorts

Greetings once again from Baghdad,

Things have settled down a bit after Zarkawi's capture and are as normal as they can be at the WTF. Haircuts are part of this normal routine, or at least I thought. It all started routinely enough. We have two options for a haircut here at Camp Victory. There is the barber shop, where a haircut runs you three dollars and then there is the "beauty shop" where you get your hair "styled" for five dollars. In an effort to break up the mundane I opted for the beauty shop. Like any other consumer minded American, I assume that if you pay more you get more. In many ways after my last haircut I definately got less. As I entered the beauty shop it started out well enough. There were sinks as far as the eye could see inside the trailer. I was also greeted by a female. I thought to myself this is going to be a much better haircut than the barber. I also do not think that it is that much to assume that a beauty shop means that your hair will be cut by a female, especially one in the shop who is ready and willing to take your money. Much to my shargin a shorter balding Arab man then appeared and motioned me to his chair. This is when things unraveled. Intsead of the shampoo that I also thought that I would be getting (it is the beauty shop afterall) it just like the barber shop cut. Instead of the soft touch of female fingers through my hair, I had man-hands bristle though my hair. What was worse was he then palmed my head, and started slapping it and in attempt to massage my scalp. I am sure that if he could have detached my head he would have shot it behind the arch. After it was all said and done, I paid the lady who I thought would be cutting my hair and hastily left. The moral of this story is you really don't get what you pay for here in Iraq. The barber shop is much better and you will not come away with chronic neck problems from a "scalp massge."

On a less distrubing note, there was milestone in fishing on Wed. Several of us decided to fish at dusk. The fish were really biting. Goldfish crackers were on the menu for bait, which we have found work pretty well. Big Jake had tested us for several days, hanging out on the surface and taunting us. He went nuts for the goldfish. He hung out a little too long on the surface. At that moment, as the sun slowly set, I rared back. Everything seemed to be slow motion. The peach left my hand in perfect form. The rotation was good and rotated off my fingers perfectly. As the peach projectiled toward the fish, I knew I had him. It was a thing of beauty. There was a half splash and half thud as the peach hit the lake and Big Jake. At that moment, all of my Arab haircut woes disappeared.

Another Top Ten of Sorts

Hello once again,

Two blog entries in one day probably has you thinking that I have left the war. I am kidding. As promised I give you part two of my top ten list. Last week was the top 10 WTF moments. This week I give you my top ten favorite things, past and present. As my time continues to tick off I have had a lot of time of self reflection and I must say I am really part of something bigger than myself. I do not always see it, but each day it becomes a little more clear. I will never fully appreciate this exeperience until I am removed from it. Anyway enough of this. I now give you my top ten favorite things about being deployed.

10. Hajigolian stir fry at the DFAC. It is Mongolian stir fry but instead of a six hundred pound Mongolian getting his spatula on with rice, chicken, carrots and garlic sauce, it is a Haji. I guess I have a new word to add to the hajicon lexicon. I wish I could bring one of these guys back with me for stir fry on demand.
9. "Fishing" There is much pleasure derived from baiting fish with bread, only to unleash a fruit cocktail of sorts as they surface. We have yet to hit said fish, but I do have time.
8. Haji Day/Sadaam Fedaclean day. I had to modify the name somewhat because the political correct police were hot on my tail. These two days, on what have been very long work weeks, are a bench mark in any WTF employee's deployment. For two short hours you can have a somewhat of a life.
7. Burning stuff. Although it was my first and likely last time, it was quite a challenge to burn such a large amount of paper in a wind storm. No building including our own burned and I learned a lot about myself that night and how not to tend to the burn box. Capt S I am sure can attest to this.
6. Beer Thirty. Although it is nearbeer and it always makes me bloated and wanting the real stuff, the fellowship of monkeys and non monkeys alike is unmatched. The call to beer thirty is half the fun. I will send said prayer call in a seperate email to better explain this.
5. Watching Apache gunship helicopters circle around the naughty Haji mosque and shoot things at those naughty haji who think it is cool to shoot mortars and other stuff at us.
4. Working on one of the coolest missions in Iraq.
3. Working with the some of the most dedicated, unique and fun people that I have ever met. It is great to work with monkeys and non monkeys alike. It is going to be tough when two of the remaining four monkeys and the MIC take that happy flight home next month. :(
2. Having our mission mentioned on the front page of the New York Times. It is always a good thing when the American public gets a more accurate picture of the positive things that go on with our mission and Iraq on a daily basis.
1. Being in Iraq and watching the Iraqis and Coalition Forces take out Zarkawi. We dropped serious plates on his ass. The old man in the cave is next. Go Team Infadel!!

Take care. Thanks for reading.

An Historic Day Indeed

I know it is a bit early for a blog entry this week but I cannot help but write on such a historic day. As you may now know, Zarkawi is dead. Just as those who fought in World War II had Victory Europe Day and Victory Japan Day, those who fight in the Global War on Terrorism, myself included, have our VJ and VE day of sorts. Not only did we kill one of the most dangerous men in the world and a coward yesterday, but the Iraqi Parliment confirmed the Ministry of Interior and Minister of Defense positions. It truly is a big day for the people of Iraq and the war on terror. Although this struggle is far from over, it proves that persistance pays off. It is moments like this that I can snicker to myself and say that I know that what we are fighting for here in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world is right. :) The war on terrorism is not your father's war so to speak. It is fought in the shadows and the successes are rarely publicized. It is good to see the fruits of the labor such as the "termination," as the Iraqi PM says of Zarkawi. The idea of democracy and freedom is alive and well here in Iraq. The work is far from over but this sure is a good start. It is a huge step for the Iraqi people as they move along in their quest for security and the formation of their new government. Stay tuned for a regular top ten list later this week. What another great day to put on this uniform.

Half Way There

Greetings,

I hit the 90 day mark on Saturday. I also like to think of it as hitting hump day in the longest work week ever. I had a great time at the Indianapolis 500 Party last week. I want to give a shout out to Sean Harshey for putting on a great event. What a finish!!! Our group was on t.v. for about fifteen seconds. I also want to give a shout out to another monkey who will be kicking it here with me until September. He was origninally going to be leaving in July but decided to stay and continue in the fun. Word up Capt S. As I look back on these 90 days I am amazed at how quickly time has gone. Also at the same time I have never quite worked anywhere like the WTF 134. Knowing that this entry is kind of a milestone, I struggled to come up with material for this week's blog. Rather than fit it all into one blog, this blog is the first of a two part series documenting my top 10 WTF moments as well as the fond moments here in Iraq. I start first with my WTF Top 10 list. I would like to thank my co-workers for their assistance in compiling the list.

WTF Top 10 list
10. Wearing a fleece in one's tent when it is like 115 outside. What are you a wuss?
9. The Camp Victory finance office closing at 1200 on Sunday. I guess you have office hours during a war.
8. Having the entire Army marching band walking down the street past the office blasting Louie, Louie, with an overfed FOBIT on tuba.
7. Observing A DOD Civilian FOBIT stopping by Pizza Hut for an appetizer before heading to the DFAC (Dining Facility) for dinner and the three flavors of ice cream for dessert.
6. An Army Lt. Col's request that the Air Force fly in fresh fruit and vegetables.
5. Having your boss tell you at 0220 when you have been at work since 0800 the day before, "Accuracy is key guys so be careful."
4. Watching a Marine (sorry Bill M I know you and other normal Marines would not do this) in those god awful short shorts use the little Haji towel boy who works at the gym to spot and count his reps for him, as he grunts out the last few. What is this Baley's Health Spa?
3. Having an co-worker fall out of the shower stall at 0545 and almost into another and have the universial reaction of those shaving nearby shrug their shoulders as the co-worker yelled !@!@#.
2. Three attorney officers sharing one desk, and one computer only to be supplanted by three attorneys with two desks, sharing two computers and using a two drawer filing cabinet as a desk on wheels, and then being told for about three weeks that the desks and computers would arrive within a couple of days.
1. Observing someone using their canteen holder on as a holster for their weapon.

Stay tuned for part two next week. Thanks for reading.