Haji Movies

The act of illegally downloading music, movies, software, etc. (known as pirating) is a problem in the United States. I remember being back in college when Napster was the rave and people were always on their computers downloading various songs for free.
Although one is more likely to pay a fine for littering, or go to jail for drugs, than to get busted for piracy, it's still an offense. These illegal acts are also a problem in other countries as well, including (you guessed it) Iraq.
Known as haji movies, these versions are all over the place, sold in dozens of shops and stores all over the place. Here on post, you can walk into a "haji store" and by a "haji version" of your favorite new movie. Most likely, the version you are purchasing is one in which a person took a camera into a theater and set it up on the screen. How do I know this? Because throughout the movie, you can see shadows of people getting up from their seats, or they will have subtitles in a foreign language at the bottom of the screen! Yes, I admit, I have SEEN some of these versions; however, I refuse to BUY them (mainly because they're such bad quality).
These things sell for around $1-3 here, while purchasing the same movie back in the states will cost roughly $20. Thanks to some of my Soldiers, I've seen newly released movies such as Ironman and Batman the Dark Knight, as well as the entire Jason Bourne trilogy on one dvd! I hope this doesn't sound like I'm condoning the act of movie and music piracy, but at least I don't have to wait until they come out on dvd in the States to watch them!
Take care.

Re-Up!

One aspect of being an officer is that your are responsible for administering certain ceremonial sessions, such as an individual's enlistment, or RE-enlistment, also known as re-up.

This past Thursday I was asked by one of my soldiers, SGT Booker, to administer her re-up oath. This might not seem like a big deal; but for many, this is a serious commitment, since they're signing away the next 3-6 years of their life away! What is more, soldiers are allowed to choose any commissioned officer to administer their oaths, and I was flattered that SGT Booker asked me! However, I think it helps that I'm a) her platoon leader and b) the only officer she comes into contact with on a regular basis. However, I have already been asked by another soldier, in another platoon for that matter, to administer his re-up oath; so, I can't use the above as my only excuses.

A big campaign for the Army right now (well, since the war began) has been to retain as many soldiers - not necessarily good, quality soldiers - as possible, since most have the experience needed to operate in this type of environment. So, I'll be performing this task somewhat frequently during my time in the service. It's a neat process and one that makes you feel like you're actually doing something, even if it's just uttering a few words and having the person repeat after you!

Take care and enjoy the pics.

Camp Trash Can

Yesterday, I got to experience something that was interesting, depressing, shocking, and just plain odd.
In case you didn't already know, the military is one of many federal bureaucracies that uses a lot of stuff, and wastes a lot of stuff. With the war halfway through its 5th year, you'd think there would be a lot of garbage accumulated. Well, there is...and I got to see it.
Camp Trash Can is one of many waste depots in country, and all units on this installation send their trash to be dumped here. On a weekly basis, my platoon loads up the "trash truck", a M1083 Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV), and we transport it to the dump.
While this area is just like any other landfill, the most interesting, yet depressing, aspect is that all the people who work there spend their day rummaging through the trash to find stuff of use to them. When we stopped the truck to let the security guards know what we were dumping, a passerby took advantage of our halt and proceeded to jump up in the back and grab a water cooler, filled with hundreds of nuts and bolts!
Most of what we were dumping was stuff that had accumulated in our welder's bay throughout the deployment; yet, this stuff was of great use to the local nationals who work there. There were two things I was thinking while emptying out the back of the truck: 1) I couldn't believe how much trash I was looking at and how much money all this would actually cost to clean up and 2) I bet "Survivorman" Les Stroud could build a lot of cool things with all this trash! Sorry, still a big fan of him.So, in short, I saw first-hand just how much stuff we are throwing away on an almost daily basis and the old saying is true, one man's trash is another man's treasure!
Take care.

In Case You Were Wondering...

Since the ridiculous increase in gas prices over the past couple of years, you might have noticed a slight decrease in the numbers of SUVs and trucks driving out on the road. This doesn't mean they have been producing less, instead they have just been sending them somewhere else. Where might you ask? Behind my motor pool!!!

Yes, as you can see by the pictures, there are several hundred domestic trucks and SUVs sitting in a lot right next to where I work all day every day. Civilian cars are a very common aspect of transportation here and many people have taken advantage of their utility in this terrain. However, you should know that this entire lot was completely empty when I arrived, only to be filled to the brim a couple of months later...and only a few of them have moved!

Evidently, units are allowed to use/rent/rent/lease/borrow or something of the sort, these vehicles while deployed; yet, there are a multitude of hoops to jump through in order to obtain one of them. They are something of a luxury in that passengers do not have to wear their combat helmets while riding in them (as is the case in all military vehicles). I honestly can't tell you how long they will be here or if they will ever be used. But you can guarantee that if and when Coalition Forces withdraw all its troops, there will be a dramatic influx of American vehicles into Iraqi communities. With gas prices at about $.05 a gallon, at least someone will be using them and getting their money's worth!

Take care.

Goodbye Norma Jean, Hey There Delilah

Most men have a tendency to attach a female name to a piece of equipment they cherish. It might be a boat, motorcycle, car, or in my case, a rifle.
For those of you who don't already know, I was a late comer to theater and was subsequently forced to carry the outdated M16A2 rifle since joining the unit. All the highspeed M4's assigned to my company were already given to soldiers who had deployed with the unit, so I've lugging around this "musket" for the past 3 1/2 months! Yes, I could've been a jerk and demanded that one of my soldiers give me his, but I just couldn't justify doing that and felt that my time would eventually come.
If you're not familiar with either of these weapons, there's only major differences between them: the M4 is an improved modification of the M16 and is lighter and smaller due to its collapsible buttstock and shorter barrel. In other words, it's a few pounds lighter and about a foot shorter.
I know you're probably wondering why I'm all of the sudden choosing to mention this; well, due to some unfortunate circumstances, a soldier in my company is getting chaptered (read kicked) out of the Army. As luck would have it, I was given her weapon! Although I never really identified my previous rifle (we don't carry guns) as Norma Jean, it's kind of appropriate, as Elton John's ode to Marilyn Monroe is now considered a "classic" (implying that it's old). I hope none of you Sir Elton fans take offense to this. Honestly, that song and "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's were just the first two things that came to mind when I was given the news of my even trade.
When I signed the hand receipt for my new "friend", I felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders....because a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders!
I really do hate the unfortunate situation through which I acquired Delilah, but I honestly feel like it was the best course of action for this soldier and the Army. I ask that you pray for this soldier finds the Lord and is able to get her life back on track.
Hope all of you enjoyed your weekend and are well refreshed for the upcoming week. Take care.

VBIED

Listen to any veteran tell a "war story" and you're bound to hear him/her start it off with the phrase, "So, there I was...". It's practically a requirement. Therefore, it's only fitting to begin this story with....
So, there I was, sitting in a nice air conditioned room meeting with all of the Squadron Executive Officers (XO's)....hold on...I've got to exaggerate in order to make this sound more exciting than it really is, as that's how just about every story is told nowadays.
So, there I was, sitting in a very small bunker, crowded with all the XO's, mud and blood all over our face, bullets whizzing over our heads....nevermind, this isn't working. Take three.
I was meeting with the Squadron XO's when all of the sudden we heard a pretty loud explosion. Around here, you're bound to hear at least a couple everyday. Most are controlled detonations (control dets), which is when an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team is summoned to an area where unexploded ordnance is found (UXO). However, this was louder than usual, which meant it was pretty close. Everyone in the room just dismissed it...after we got back into our skin.
I found out later that a checkpoint Coalition Forces go through about 50 times a day was attacked by a Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED). In short, it was a car bomb. Although this isn't that out of the ordinary, what I find interesting is that had one of my company's convoys not had radio problems, they would've been somewhere in that vicinity when it exploded. Alan, the company Distribution Platoon leader, was transporting our Company Commander and First Sergeant to a JSS in sector, but stopped short of leaving the FOB due to an inability to communicate with all three trucks. If this happens, it halts the convoy and everyone is forced back to the command post to fix the problem. Had they not had issues and just rolled out the gate, there's no telling what would've happened to them.
I'm sure everyone has at some point in their life played the "What if" game and questioned the likelihood of their continued existence had some unforeseen circumstance not changed the course of events. Well, this is definitely one of those times for some of my soldiers and peers. What if they didn't have commo problems? Would they have been hit by the car bomb? There's never a definitive answer on that stuff, but by the grace of God they didn't have to find out. Luckily no one died....except for the driver.
Take care.

Long Live Cool Hand

He ate 50 hard boiled eggs while in prison, concocted one of greatest scams on a high ranking mob boss, and was the recipient of my father's favorite line in a movie, "You just keep thinkin' Butch, that's what you're good at."
These are my fondest memories of Paul Newman, the movie icon who died last week of cancer. My dad introduced me to Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (our favorite Western) and The Sting, all of which are some of Newman's greatest roles. For those of you who don't know, my father is a walking encyclopedia of movie knowledge and trivia. He can turn the television to TCM or AMC and tell you the name of the movie, the actors, the director, the year it was made, the company that produced it, and probably how much it grossed at the box office! It's actually pretty funny watching him do that, but he'll tell you that it helps to have an actual movie encyclopedia next to his living room chair!
While dad's pretty well versed on Paul Newman movie trivia, what me might not be able to tell you is that Newman really wanted to be remembered for his philanthropic legacy. He donates 100% of the profits from his food company "Newman's Own" to building camps all across the world for children with life-threatening illnesses, like AIDS and Leukemia. Although this company started off as a joke, it has evolved into a multi-million dollar business that has given over $250 million to charities, including $28 million to Safe Water Network (which Newman started) that provides safe drinking water to impoverished communities in places like India and Africa.
One thing "Butch" made clear before his passing was that after he is gone, his company would continue the practice of giving all its money away to his "Hole in the Wall" camps. For those of you not familiar with Hole in the Wall, you might wanna pick up a copy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid the next time you're at the movie store. It's sure to become one of your favorites; but, don't forget that behind those piercing blue eyes and million-dollar smile was a philanthropic heart of gold.
Take care.