26-06-2004 01:34									#211
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I'm betting the extension won't happen for reasons explained above.

	26-06-2004 02:35									#212
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that's true, you picked the good time to enlist


but overall not good... it looks like more and more people killed over there as the time goes by...

	26-06-2004 07:43									#213
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The real question is, what is going to happen in Iraq AFTER the election this fall.

The sad thing is that the weeks leading up the AMERICAN elections are going to be extremley bloody, not only in Iraq but in other places as well.

Don't be surprised if an attack occurs on American soil.

	26-06-2004 15:27									#214
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I may not be sent to Samarra after all. They're going back and forth between Samarra or Baquba and neither of those places is very good. I'm supposed to find out for sure this weekend.

	26-06-2004 23:53									#215
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BTW we had five rocket attacks on the base here in Tikrit today. This comes as something as a surprise since the last four weeks have been quiet or at least so I've been told. Supposedly the US had cut a deal with several of the local tribal and political leaders; the locals wanted more reconstruction money and they wanted the US to stop their "show of force" missions and in exchange the locals agreed to police their area and make sure the militants stayed away.

A show of force mission is when you fire off arty, mortar, or tank rounds in to fields in order to flush out bad guys or to let them know the area is being covered. Unfortunately, it has resulted in some live stock being killed but it was very effective in denying certain areas which militants had being using as firing positions. Civil Affairs had stopped several reconstruction projects which the locals had wanted because the locals were being uncooperative and allowing militants to fire mortars from inside their villages; the deal was that once the mortars stopped being fired from those villages that the US would pay for several big ticket reconstruction projects in the area. Several of the projects have been completed and now the firing has once again resumed.

	26-06-2004 23:55									#216
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin I'm betting the extension won't happen for reasons explained above.

I really hope so for your sake.

	27-06-2004 20:03									#217
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Well, I've got my flight info and I will be leaving for Balad tomorrow. With luck this will be my last duty assignment before the deployment ends. In other good news I think my post Army outlook is beginning to look up. As many of you may remember I was unemployed before I went to Iraq and since I now have a new morgage to pay I will really need to find work quickly when I get back home. It seems today is my lucky day because the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has just ended their hiring freeze so I'm going to be putting in an application. Since they give vets a hiring prefrence and because I meet all of their hiring guide lines I'm thinking I should be a shoe in for this job.

Just to be on the safe side though I've ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com which are supposed to help you with the hiring test and the interview process for the CHP. If I can get this job then I will be one step closer to moving my life in the direction which I want it to go.

	27-06-2004 20:16									#218
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin Several of the projects have been completed and now the firing has once again resumed.

Funny how that works out that way, huh?

	28-06-2004 00:10									#219
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Why does the CHP need geologists?

	28-06-2004 00:32									#220
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I've gone through two jobs in 1.5 years as a geologist so I'm beginning to think I need a change of vocation. I'm thinking a nice government job just might be for me.

Besides if I ever finish my commercial pilots licence or become a pilot in the Air Force Reserve then I could get a job flying for the CHP. That way I wouldn't have to deal with people and the job wouldn't really be all that dangerous. There is also the fact that I'd be making 75% more then when I was a geologist plus if I remained a geologist then I'd basically have to go to grad school which I don't want to do.

	28-06-2004 00:40									#221
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Tonight I sat on the back porch drinking iced tea while watching mortar rounds and counter battery fire go over head. The hajis are aiming for the division headquarters which is directly behind my house and up on a large hill. The result was I had a great view and was in no immediate danger; unless of course one of the shells fell short but even then you'll hear the whine of the incoming round most of the time.

After that I sat down and watched the classic movie Animal House. It wasn't nearly as good as I remembered but the last time I saw it I was 15 years old. I guess 13 years is a long vantage point to look back at things.

Last edited by Oerdin on 28-06-2004 at 01:54

	28-06-2004 01:11									#222
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You really have to be chastened to regard an enemy mortar attack as a firework show.

quote: the classic movie Animal House

toga toga Toga Toga TOGA TOGA...

That's the one? John Belushi at his best!

	28-06-2004 01:52									#223
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin Well, I've got my flight info and I will be leaving for Balad tomorrow. With luck this will be my last duty assignment before the deployment ends. In other good news I think my post Army outlook is beginning to look up. As many of you may remember I was unemployed before I went to Iraq and since I now have a new morgage to pay I will really need to find work quickly when I get back home. It seems today is my lucky day because the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has just ended their hiring freeze so I'm going to be putting in an application. Since they give vets a hiring prefrence and because I meet all of their hiring guide lines I'm thinking I should be a shoe in for this job. Just to be on the safe side though I've ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com which are supposed to help you with the hiring test and the interview process for the CHP. If I can get this job then I will be one step closer to moving my life in the direction which I want it to go.

Good luck.

Gimme a break when I come flying down the 5 freeway.

	28-06-2004 01:56									#224
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quote: Originally posted by Chemical Ollie You really have to be chastened to regard an enemy mortar attack as a firework show.

I suppose I deserve that but you really do get a feel for what is close and what is not close. There's a lake between my house and D-Main so I'm a good .75 KM away from where they were shooting at.

quote: quote: the classic movie Animal House toga toga Toga Toga TOGA TOGA... That's the one? John Belushi at his best!

The very same!

	28-06-2004 09:22									#225
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Mmmmm, iced tea.

	28-06-2004 09:36									#226
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Don't get complacent and don't take this as a spectator sport.

Keep the kevlar on, stick with the ice tea and stay alert all the time. From what you have said, the Iraquis don't have a real good aim. That means just because they are not firing at you doesn't mean the won't hit you.

Know all this is easier said than done. But more people get hurt at the start or end of their tour because they don't know what to do at the start of the tour or get short timers disease at the end of the tour.

You made it thru the start of the tour, don't get complacent. towards the end! Somebody has to pay your bills!

U-know-who

	28-06-2004 16:22									#227
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Hi, Dad.

	28-06-2004 16:26									#228
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Well, I've now arrived in Balad and I just saw on the news that the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) desolved themselves two days ahead of schedule and transfered control back to the Iraqi Government. The government didn't even bother to tell us common soldiers what was going on and dispite the fact that we're serving in Iraq we had to find out from CNN. So far absolutely nothing looks or feels different.

Speaking of Balad it seems a US Marine of Lebonese desent was captured on this base a few days ago. Aparently, they inflitrated the base and then singled out a guy who was walking by himself after dark. The security of the base doesn't seem to be as good as we've all been lead to believe.

	28-06-2004 18:24									#229
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A piece of paper arrived and was signed two days ahead of schedule. What a glorious victory for the great leader of the US of A!!!!

Oh, OK. So I'm a tad sarcastic, ban me!

	28-06-2004 18:36									#230
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin --- Speaking of Balad it seems a US Marine of Lebonese desent was captured on this base a few days ago. Aparently, they inflitrated the base and then singled out a guy who was walking by himself after dark. The security of the base doesn't seem to be as good as we've all been lead to believe.

That's the way they captured the guy they are threatening to cut the head off? An armed marine, right at your current base?

You should fix your bayonnet whenever taking a leak or something.

	28-06-2004 19:08									#231
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The good answer is to not walk by yourself - in daylight or at night.

	28-06-2004 19:12									#232
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quote: Originally posted by Chemical Ollie You should fix your bayonnet whenever taking a leak or something.

Stick it to 'em!

	28-06-2004 19:17									#233
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We should work on building an armored vest lined with some light antipersonnel charges on the outside. The idea is that the rigid structure of the vest will protect the wearer, while the charges pepper any unarmored people around the wearer. If insurgents try to grab you - boom! Hopefully, this will give the wearer the opportunity to get away/counter attack.

	29-06-2004 04:20									#234
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Kevlar
Being American does not mean the laws of physics do not apply. Having American technology does.

	29-06-2004 09:37									#235
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I'm not even sure that guy was armed. I haven't heard more about the story.

	29-06-2004 12:26									#236
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When I was in the military, I was tought to never be more than an arm's length from my rifle. You could even get a penalty if you broke that rule. Wouldn't that be the regular policy in any army, especially when deployed in a war zone?

	30-06-2004 21:20									#237
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The one case when you don't have to be armed is if you are doing PT. This guy could have been going for a jog and got nabbed. It's reasons like that I don't go jogging at night.

BTW everyone I'm now at FOB Orion which is located 20 minutes south of FOB Anaconda. Anaconda is the main US Air Base in the Balad area. They have us living in an old concrete ammo bunker which seems safe enough. The base isn't very well built up and even the chow hall is still a tent.

Last night at Anaconda the air raid alarm had to go off four or five times in the night. It was really annoy but I eventually fell asleep with my body armor on. Unfortunately all we have in Anaconda are cheap mobile homes which don't stop mortar rounds very well so wearing body armor just might be necisary at that camp.

	01-07-2004 07:28									#238
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quote: Just to be on the safe side though I've ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com

They deliver to Iraq?

	01-07-2004 16:46									#239
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Yep, though you have to fill out the online forms in a special way in order to fit in an APO address. The US Post Office considers all military addresses to be domestic addresses even though they might be any where in the world.

	01-07-2004 18:10									#240
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Impressive. It's almost like e-mail, where you can get your mail no matter where you are at the same address.