Irony

I was functionally living in close to the same time zone as I was back home by virtue of my night shift hours. And yet, I'm pretty sure this trip back is going to completely mess up my system and leave me with some jet lag. We'll see how it works out.
I planned ahead this time and packed some MREs in my bag to take with me for the flight. I also brought my headset to use for the noise instead of foamies so I wouldn't have to stick anything in my ears for long hours. In theory it was a good idea, but my ears got sweaty and it made lying down uncomfortable. Live and learn.
I guess I should probably prepare some type of grand summation post as this experience draws to a close, but the only thing really ending right now is my own personal immediate involvement. I'll think more about it and share more once I get back and there is less time context to my musings.
Since I've been asked via email and know I'll be asked again, President Bush's assertions regarding the current status of Al Qaeda in Iraq and its relationship to the Al Qaeda organization that lay people think about are accurate. Poorly articulated, but accurate. If I couldn't back that up with open source reporting, I wouldn't be posting it.
I'm not claiming that Al Qaeda had a foothold in Iraq pre-2003 or absolving our poor planning of being an enabler. I'm just talking about the situation as it stands now. That said, as you can see in the news, the AQ Iraq franchise is not doing so well anymore. Great irony of ironies I guess is that the very organization that was initially able to grow due to our own naivete/incompetence is now the very lever we are using to bring groups back together.

I can't help myself

Every time I make some training plans, no matter how reasonable, they fall apart. The bureaucracy is slow and incompetent when rapid action is needed. Funding isn't there. Something.
But I'm trying again anyway. I've gotten course schedules, word that funding is there, and that the schools are now authorized. I've found dates that can get me to most without major interference with my schoolwork. Now I'm just waiting for the plan to be sabotaged. Still, it will all come, if not necessarily on the ideal schedule or my terms, it will come. Of that I am now confident.
I remember back in college watching a movie with the lovely young woman who would become my wife and some friends. Well, my wife didn't watch because she hates war movies. Anyway, I mentioned in conversation that I'm going to work with the people depicted in that movie. I'm just about there. I've worked for some of them, but with the training, I'll actually be able to work with them.
To avoid any guessing as to what movie it was, let us say it was the Barry Bostwick classic "Megaforce."
If you're curious, the man responsible for preventing my training this past year has managed to get himself to yet another training school. Apparently money and slots only exist for him. This will catch up with him. Everyone in the community will know that he is a selfish badge-chasing hack. Hopefully it will come out before he is forced to deploy (I'm sure that is one opportunity he'll hide from as long as possible) and gets someone hurt.

Loose Ends

Finally got a chance to clean the weapons I shot. I brought my own cleaning kit as an afterthought. It turned out to be a good idea. I got both the pistol and rifle really clean. I don't think the pistol had been cleaned in a while--though they don't need it as often.
This past range visit was less productive than planned due to an ammunition mix up. We don't own the range and are therefore supposed to bring our own ammo from our unit. Last time I went it was with someone from the unit that owns that range so they let it slide. Oh well.
We still got to shoot and now we know. Ammo, as you can imagine, is plentiful, just need to pull from a different supply. It's fair.
I still learned some good drills and go to shoot new and improved M4 variant. Not a total loss.

I tried watching some of the You Tube debate on CNN, but got annoyed after a bunch of people used the words "UN Peacekeepers" and "immediate action" in the same sentence regarding Darfur. Then someone recommended a standing UN Peacekeeping force. I'd first ask the candidates how effective highly trained western peacekeepers were at Srebenica, then ask them who will donate these blue hatted impotent wonders. Finally, I'd ask them why it is they can advocate choosing sides in that civil war, but not in the the civil war they see in Iraq.
Don't get me wrong, dead Janjaweed would be fine with me. Some people just need to be shot and they are firmly on that list. But personal satisfaction aside, there needs to be a coherent plan. You'd think we'd realize that by now.
I decided to watch "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" on the movie channel instead. It could have been a Harry Potter movie and would have been more realistic.

Range Again

Back to range soon. Free ammunition, range time, and weapons make for better training opportunities than I'm likely to find as a traditional Guardsman. On top of that, I get to shoot with some of the best, which makes for learning opportunities that can't be missed.
Shooting really is a small part of my job, but when it is needed, being good is rather important.
This time again I've chosen the old-school M-4. It only has the basic iron sights, no scopes, batteries, lasers, or other gadgets. Just fundamentals. It's funny that not having all sorts of toys tacked to my rifle is different now.
They're available and I could double the weight of the weapon with accessories, but that's not my goal at the moment.
I understand that people back home are trying to guess at various clues as to when I'll be home. Good luck. I'm making plans but even I can do no more than make an educated guess. I'm pretty sure when I'm leaving this place though.

Coined

I got coined. It was a great honor after my brief one night that the commander told everyone the he wanted to be sure to give me a coin to recognize my work. Sure enough, during this last shift he came over shook my hand, gave me his coin, and said I was one of the best weathermen he's ever had. Now that tells me that either he says it to everyone or hasn't had many weathermen, but it felt good just the same.
People in this community, especially with the commander's background, aren't too prone to hyperbole or empty compliments though, so I'm proud of it. The coin is more meaningful and personal than any medal or decoration I'm going to get.
Weather isn't my passion, but it is the specialty I ended up with and I'm glad I was able to contribute period.

I can't get over the irony that if I had remained on active duty then I would still be sitting in a stateside office supporting stateside training with no growth potential for two more years. In the past year I've had opportunities that few will ever have or even know about.

I was glad to hear that my unit back home did well at our recent inspection. Also found out that the training we've been waiting on will be available. We'll see if it happens.

So there I was...

There I was in the bathroom, minding my own business, when I heard it. That unmistakable whining buzz that only grows louder as it approaches. When you hear it, it's too late.
Yes. A mosquito.
It got me just as I was flossing. Right in the middle of my back. I tried to slap at it, tearing my floss in the process and cutting off circulation to my fingers, but missed. I'll survive.

I saw my neighbor on the news at a press conference. That's always fun. My neighbor was asking an official with hair an 80's rockstar would envy a question. I don't remember if it was answered. Words were spoken, but that's about it.

Lou Dobbs makes me sad. If I could just drink the kool-aid and believe him when he blames all my problems on figureheads and "others," I'd be in a better mood.
They really need to change the channel in here.

Salute

I saw on the news that Gen. Wayne Downing died. A former commander at multiple levels of the Ranger Regiment, JSOC, and USSOCOM, his contributions were many. It's unfortunate that it has gotten so little coverage. RLTW.

Not much new on my end. Staying focused, though it takes more effort than at the beginning. We made some good calls and got some ops going. It is a good feeling that they will hold or launch on my word. Sure the weather guy is an easy target,
but the trust is there.

One thing is making me very nervous. Almost scared. My wife has not only named the kittens she found living in our backyard, she has given them knicknames for their names, and sent me pictures of them in which I can clearly see the bowl of food she put out for them.

One day closer...

Another day down. Trying so hard not to count, but failing. Oh well. Once I get home, I will have put in about 250 days away from home in a 365 day period. Nothing next to the 12-15 month rotations big Army is doing, but rough just the same.
It'll be nice to be home for an extended period during the school year. Still probably going to be in and out some, but that is the nature of the beast.

I finished my law school book. I probably should have brough my T.E. Lawrence book so I could polish it off too. When I get home I'll have to finally kill it off.

Is this news?

OK, so this is unfair and all since I only saw the headline on CNN (volume was off), but it was "Gunning for Bin Laden." Is that new or are they doing a greatest hits or rerun series?
One amenity here that I don't have at home station is free range time, unlimited ammunition, and top quality instruction available on demand. Finally got to take advantage of it. Met up with a buddy after my shift (he, of course, was able to do this DURING his shift) and off we went. It's a bit sad that this was the first and only time to put on all my battle rattler, but so it goes.
Technically, I didn't need to wear my armor, etc. But I really don't plan on getting in any gunfights over here without it, so may as well be used to it. Granted, I don't really plan on getting in any gunfights working this position, but training and muscle memory are always good.
I also got to shoot an AK. Nothing too exotic or fancy, but it was my first opportunity. It was everything I thought it would be. Functional, ergonimcally unfriendly but easy enought to operate. Very rugged. It says something about the weapon that the first setting from safe is automatic as opposed to semi-automatic.
I'm no expert, but I prefer the M4. The ergonomics are better, though the AK is easier for me to control on automatic.
I haven't had to tote any of them on patrol, but there's a reason we've stuck with that M16 variants.
That said, there are new variations on the M-16 that incorporate design elements from the AK series to take advantage of its strenghts. A purist would argue, but it's a good enough lay explanation. I don't think most of you reading this care about the details or that particular tool in our tool box.

Who like short shorts?

I like short shorts. They are suprisingly comfortable for PT. I just thought I'd share. In local parlance they are known as "Ranger Panties" or "Catch me, [insert expletive] me shorts." They may not be stylish, but very functional. Also cheap when bought on base.
I've been away for many holidays and important events this year. I've missed both my anniversary and my wife's birthday--if you didn't call her, you should feel bad about yourself. All things considered, things worked out very well for us though. We live in a very supportive community that has rallied around her even though we are new.
I never cease to be amazed by the oddly fortuitous series of events that got us where we are. Had I deployed out of my last Active Duty assignment, I wouldn't be doing anything near as interesting and important. My wife would have had much less of a community to rely on as well. Funny how things can work that way.

It's about time...

My dad finally got to commenting. Sweet. As for the food issue, that is sort of the exception that proves the rule. It took a long time to get me my food, but I'm more impressed that they got it period. They keep everyone fed and supplied all over the world. They're pretty good at it. It's a cheap shot, especially when you consider where special MREs rate on the priority scale.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see we have three branches of governemnt again. I'm very concerned that the current commander-in-chief is more about the title than the related responsibilities and does not seem to understand that you can delegate authority but not total responsibility.
That said, the plan articulated by Gen Petraus is one that should have been implemented four years ago, and it involves nothing particularly revolutionary or surprising. I guess common sense isn't so common and a degree in history in no way implies an understanding of it.
And I will pore plenty of wrath on the current congress because they deserve it too. It is by coincidence that I'm blogging with an incompetent Democractic congress with spineless leadership. The last congress gave me plenty of material too.
Deadlines are all great, but deadlines are only useful if they are attainable. Deadlines constructed to make the people that see Michael Moore movies as their twisted pornography happy are not useful to anyone. It doesn't matter if a Democrat or a Republican wins in 2008, this mess won't be legislated away neatly by 20 January 2009.
In short, pull out a map and tell me how far it is by helicopter from Kuwait to Baghdad, Iraq. I'll be nice, start right at the border. Look up on janes.com the speed and range of a helicopter. Tell me how long that trip would take and how many refuelings you'd need just based on the open source information. Now explain to me why the idea of small reaction force or counterterrorist force in Kuwait tells me that few in congress are serious about created real alternative plans.
I am way too inexperience to call myself an expert or even particularly knowledgeable about these matters. I do know enough to know that the plans being voiced are absurd political compromises with no basis in reality.

I had a funny moment at work where I had to explain some weather stuff to another weather guy. I used technical terms properly and was able to explain them in lay language. Who knew?

Professionals vs Amateurs

There is an old cliche about how amateurs discuss strategy while professionals discuss logistics. Congress, if it wasn't painfully obvious already, is full of amateurs. Although I think things went wrong the first time we put a Burger King in a deployed location (eating MREs all the time may not be fun, but it keeps you focused--and yes, I've been eating MREs much of the time, this isn't just bluster), the fact that we have Burger Kings in deployed locations should be an indicator as to how built up they are in some places.
If you really think all of that can be taken down even in ideal circumstances by an arbitrary political deadline in the spring, you should be judged legally incompetent.
And some other hard truths: increases in gas/oil prices are due to supply and demand, outsourcing is not the cause of all evil, and we consumers are responsible for the rise of Chinese exports. Really.
I could go on, but if you don't realize that Hannity and Colmes consists not of talk about issues, but circular whining about how it's not wrong that my guy did it because your guy did it too, then you won't get it anyway.

Work is interesting. Nothing quite like looking over your computer to see the boss and deputy walking directly to you to get you focused. I get asked a question, give an answer, and am brought to their desks. Boss makes a phone call, forwards what I told him, and says that I just launched (insert number) of troops. Go me.
They kicked some bad guy butt. Yes, I'm very sure they were bad guys. We don't inflate or misrepresent these things in our shop. It would be counterproductive.

Home on the Ritz!

Young Frankenstein was on AFN movies. I don't know who picks the movies, but the mix is funny. I guess with Al Gore concerts (Celebrity hot air is so far my favorite proposed solution to Global Warming), they went with a weather theme. Primetime movies were The Day After Tomorrow and then some movie about floods in Texas. Then Young Frankenstein, of course. You see the connection.
Thursday will start the four nights of Harry Potter.

Kiss my ring!

Being a weatherman can cause one to be the subject of many jokes. Me being me, I'd be the subject of many jokes anyway. One day a commander thanked me for improving the weather. I told him he better be nice or I'll make it bad again, I'm a powerful man. It is unwise to cross me. This resulted in the group consensus that only Microsoft has been more successful by screwing up than meteorologists. I think I made my point. Yeah.
The other funny moment came while chatting with a buddy. Apparently he spent much of his last shift watching "The Good Shepherd," which was apparently not very good. I guess if you're in the business, you expect more from such movies. I expressed my sympathy, reminding him that war is hell. He said that war is the most boring thing he's experienced in his career. I guess it depends on your specialty. Everyone has their slow periods.

Valhalla

Our flag is at half staff.
I had selfishly hoped the inevitable would not occur while I was here. It did. We lost some guys on a mission. I've waited to post about until I was sure next of kin were notified and that it had been released, even though I'm not going to get in to any specifics.
The night after it happened, a summary was briefed. The individual briefing it kept it simple. Do not mourn them, he said. They were warriors. And so we paid our respects to them by continuing on with the missions.
Still, these men are not easily replaced. Most people back home have no idea how fortunate they are that our country can produce men like them. It may be cliche to say that freedom is not free, but their lives is the price we pay for it.
You did not know them, you did not even know of them. But please remember them.

I'm there.

Ayman Zawaheri issued a call to all to come to the fields of Jihad. We answered, even if he's worried no one else has. An address would be helpful, but we'll find it eventually.
My prediction, or hope anyway, is that he accidentally got photographed by the google maps van as drove around Karachi and some British immigrant will notice it while planning a trip home. That would just be great.

Work continues. The weather is funny that way. Right now I'm trying to coordinate hitting the range with a buddy for some training. A variety of weapons, unlimited free ammo, and the best trainers in the world. An opportunity not to be wasted. Picture my mom's face right now. Please. I am. Anyway, we're on slightly different shifts and trying to find a time that is minimally intrusive on our sleep cycles. Good stuff.

If you get a chance, read David Broder's article in the Washington Post from 5 July. Well put. I could insert a tirade about the short sighted pandering involved in essentially scuttling the trade deal with Colombia, but I won't. I'll keep it simple: YOU WHO DID IT AND SUPPORTED IT ARE IDIOTS. I'm tempted to say they have blood on their hands for the support they have now given the FARC, but that is a bit far. They are more useful idiots than directly aiding and abetting.

Eurospam?

On the phone with my father, he mentions that there was a comment in Spanish to my blog. I just checked it, and it appears to be Portuguese, not Spanish. But using what I remember of my Spanish, it is an invitation to view his blog showing off personalized t-shirts. I can even post pictures of my own personalized shirt there. Outstanding.
Today I had to stay late after work to conduct some extra training. It's a little funny because it will be irrelevant to the rest of this tour, but will be useful when I hand off to the next person and may pay off for the next time. If nothing else, it is some nice gee whiz knowledge.
I've always been a fan of gee whiz knowledge anyway. When I have time on my shift I like to cruise the various intel reports and the like. I remember taking a tour of NYC once and the tour guide compared the city to an onion, with all it's layers. Ogres are like that too, I've heard. So is this.
Two dissappointents today. For some reason Glenn Beck was on it Olberman's slot on AFN news, followed by O'Reilly. What a waste. I hope it doesn't last. Olberman is funny. Glenn Beck is a minor league O'Reilly, and O'Reilly, well, I have nothing good to say about him or his show.
The other disappointment was from an op-ed in teh Washington Post by a law professor from Columbia about how we have abdicated our role as the defenders of International Law and Laws of Armed Conflict in general. I'm not going to defend indefensible positions and truly foolish self-defeating statements made by our leadership, but the accusation as a whole is unfair. I'm not going to claim everything is perfect and fine, but there is very little to hide and there is great emphasis at all levels on following the rules.
It's funny how at the tactical level there are commanders who use overly strict interpretations of rules of engagement and the law to tie their own hands in order to cover their butts, while at the top a sense of disdain for the existing frameworks has hurt us strategically.
Hubris and Irony.
So it goes...

Hmmm

Happy Birthday JJ! Be sure to call him and wish him a happy birthday. All of you.

I guess I'm officially in the military because I went to the clinic and left with bag full of 800mg Motrins. They cure everything from muscle aches/strains to cancer and violent amputations. It's like at summer camp where it didn't matter if you complained of a sore throat, you'd leave on crutches.
It was nothing serious, don't worry.

Something I just realized was funny... there is a sign in the bathroom that says not to discuss troop movements. Get it?

Another $3.50...

Another day down. No funny stories or anything, though good work was done. I'm continuously impressed by the people I work with and support. I can't say it enough.
I'm trying to care about the commutation of Scooter Libby's sentance, but it's not working. So he's not going to jail, but he's still a convicted felon.
If principle is what is important, then no one should be satisfied with this. Fortunately, that rarely seems to be an issue.

Anyway...
Two years. Wow. In typical fashion, both of us almost forgot and neither of us is home. But I'm looking forward to many more.

Forrest Gump Moment

Had a Forrest Gump moment after my shift. We had to move a bunch of heavy equipment on to the roof. One of the guys praised me effort, saying I would have made a good NCO. It reminded me of the scene in the movie when the drill sergeant said he'd recommend Gump for Officer Training if it wasn's such a waste of a fine enlisted man.

Work wise, not much else to report. People ask me about seasonal weather patterns, I give them an answer based on climatology and what I've learned from others who have been out here before me, but always have to qualify it. It's funny how people both make fun of us for being wrong half the time and getting paid and expect us to have absurdly exact answers about obscure things. So it goes.

It's a little nuts in that I'm still out here and I haven't even started school yet, but I'm already trying to plan next summer. Provided I don't do anything incredibly stupid (always a possibility) before I leave, they'd be happy to have me work with them again. I'm just trying to figure out training schedules right now. It's annoying because I need to advance in my tactical training, but any kind of planning on that front seems mostly useless due mostly to the inept bureaucracy of the Guard Bureau. Not funding issues (the funding is always and always will be an issue), not equipment issues, not anything you see on TV. It is purely incompetence and unprofessional behavior. In the mean time, I do have the ability and opportunity to share the burden with my brothers and sisters over here and in many other locations. I've got time to decide, but need to get the ball rolling now if I'm to have any hope of getting something figured out by the end of the calendar year.

Underestimating the Ingenuity of Fools...

I've heard some incredible stories about some very stupid people. I can't share them, sorry, but needless to say they would be almost funny if they weren't real. It's sad and a little embarrassing.
The same troop who was relating the stories to me told that I was ruined. To have the opportunity to work in the environment I'm in now this early in my career has spoiled me. Anything else will be slow, silly, and full of rules aimed at the lowest common denominator. Oh well. Guess I'll have to keep working with these folks.

If the news out of the UK is any indication, there will be plenty of opportunities to come out and play.

I also had another small world moment, reconnecting with someone I know. It's always nice and a little amusing when that happens.

Just don't look...

...at the calendar. I've reached the point where I need to schedule my travel home. I have a vague sense of the day I'll be back in the US and am pretty sure I'll be home within three days of that. But the work to be done tomorrow will be no different from last night, no different from my last night, and no different for my replacement the day after I'm gone. It's a little humbling, even though I knew that coming in.
I should touch base with my home unit soon. No news on formal training is probably bad news, but I have some drill days to make up and have some creative ideas on how to use them. We'll see.
That's about it. Another short post.

Self-Correcting

Kettlebells are wonderfully self-correcting. If your form is right in the ballistic maneuvers, it feels wonderfully fluid. If it is off, it doesn't, to say the least. During pressing exercises, if your form is off, then you will have to fight the weight.
And, if try squeezing the weight rather than just lightly guiding its rotation around your fingers, it will remove any calluses, blisters, and attached skin. Hypothetically of course, on that last point. I've, um, heard, that it can ruin the zen nature of practicing your form through the routine rather than just counting reps.
They'll heal. Maybe some tape and band-aids are in order before my next set though.

I may have new leverage in squeezing training funds from the Guard Bureau. One of the bosses is fond of saying that when the weather is not ideal, that I need to work on my voodoo dance. I told him that if he brought me a live goat, I could fix it. I should, however, mention that the Guard Bureau has been unwilling to give us the man-days to maintain our currency in the various rituals. If he could make some phone calls...

I think it would be funny, but I guess you'd have to be here or in the Guard to get it.

Where's my cookie?

I don't ask for much. I don't think I do anyway. But when I forecast a mission-impacting weather condition 7 days out and nail it, I think I deserve a cookie, or at least a gold star sticker. Oh well.
In other news, in the break room, ABC's The Unit was playing on one of the AFN channels. I laughed.
I also laughed when someone was trying to find out the meaning of a Spanish term he was taught. This individual is very highly trained and well respected. His voice and manner have a way of making anything sound dignified. I told him the term referred to a house of ill repute (maybe I used a different phraseology, but this is a family blog), but he wanted to ask a real Spanish speaker to be sure. So he did, and the guy just cracked up. The look on his face was priceless. Great moment.
I also got some pictures from my wife's current vacation adventure. I'm jealous. I go off to war and she goes on long hikes with a full pack. I'm a lucky man.

Sideshow to a Sideshow

I finally saw Lawrence of Arabia. I've read most of the book. The movie is better, though both are long and had trouble holding my attention. The movie romanticizes a romanticization, even as it acknowledges that it is doing so. Meta-metatheater or something. I will finish his book though. Really. I felt better about it when a retired Special Forces Warrant Officer said it was one of the hardest things he ever read just because it was so slow. And he teaches counterinsurgency theory now after having practiced it for over thirty years.
This may sound funny, but Omar Sherif was a more convincing as a Saudi sheikh in Hidalgo.

Anyway, A friend of mine and his fiance are now in Africa doing development work. I may make fun of them on occassion for their rosy outlooks, but I am very proud to know them. They've dedicated much time and effort to putting this project together and trying to make a difference. I also have three friends who I haven't been as good about staying in touch with who have worked for the same doctor in another African nation before heading on to medical school or public health programs, after which they will no doubt continue their work.
It is a great statement of President Kennedy's vision that he is both the patron of the Special Operations (he gave the Green Beret to the Special Forces) and the man who launched the Peace Corps. Ultimately I see them as two sides of the same coin--in open sources you can read about our troops training the forces of the countries these folks are working in--but it is always better if people's interactions are with Americans that don't where the uniform.
I chose the warrior's path. It is what works for me. But people like my friends mentioned above have more power to reduce our potential target set than people on my side ever will.

Has it been that long?

I saw in the news that Paris Hilton will be released from prison soon. I don't know exactly how long she has served, but it does represent a bunch of time that has flown by. For all the nasty things that get said about her, she did help me as an unconventional marker of time deployed.
That's the only revelation since my last post. Not much else to report. More later.

Oh, and I found some peanut butter.

Beating Expectations

SO I finished Al Gore's book, The Assault on Reason. It was actually much better than I expected. I'm not sold on anything new. However, his passion is respectable and his arguments are not that bad. When he singles out the current administration for contempt, he does so based on principle that never comes across as sour grapes. Fundmentally, I place more blame on the individual than on evil corporations and TV.
I don't have any firm data to back this up, but I think that with affluence has come ambivilence. That is what is strangling debate. We don't want to be bothered. I'm going to guess right now that the non-fiction bestseller list is composed of miracle diets that aren't helping people because they aren't making the needed lifestyle changes, self-help books that aren't helping people because they aren't making the needed lifestyle changes, and partisan hackery that sells to people who already agree with it because otherwise they'd have to think. I'm potentially being hypocritical in not pulling up the list to check my accuracy, but my time is limited, my connection is slow, and I'm pretty confident in the answer.
I agree that the internet will revolutionize debate. I don't think that is particularly visionary. Orson Scott Card called it in Ender's Game, and in that scenario a fourteen year old genius was able to take over the world using the strength of his anonymous ideas. However, anything to push it along and get people paying attention is good.
Banning those inane internet/text shorthand things would be a start. Everytime I hear someone use those as an expression in daily speech I want to slap them. I don't. But one day...

Today's words of wisdom: Anyone worth shooting once is worth shooting twice, hitting with a few rockets, and maybe an airstrike.

More of the same...

Not much new to report. The work routine continues. My PT routine is getting back on track. All is good I guess.
I've blown through all my magazines and am now working on three books. Two I keep by my desk and one I keep in my hooch to read before bed. At my desk are a book on Criminal Law that was recommended to me by a professor at the Law School I'll be attending and Al Gore's Assault on Reason. Assault on Reason is the title, not the action, though just like the prior sentance, it is a little unclear at times.
In my hooch is a philosphy of religion book that my wife sent me.
Anyway, the law book is mostly my standby when I have time and no other books or magazines. I'm pacing myself on the philosphy book to finish it shortly before I leave.
I should be done with Al Gore's book within a week. I'm about a third of the way through it now. I've ranted at the low level of discourse in the world, so I agree with him there. I disagree with him about the novelty of it though. I'm sure he's hired lots of research assistants and done a lot of his homework on the issue, but can't help but think that the end product reflects assumptions he started with.
I don't think it was poor people publishing pamphlets in Eighteenth Century. I don't think wealth and power were ever truly separate in American history, or anywhere else (which of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence was not a rich white guy?).
In short, at least based on the premise he appears to be working from, I have some fundamental disagreements with him. I think individuals are responsible for themselves, even they aren't necessarily the rational actors that exist in some many theories. I also think that the market works, whether it is a market for a physical product or ideas. We as a population don't demand better, so we don't get better. Television didn't kill debate. Nanny government isn't able to pass a law that will restore it.
Lazy people who would rather keep grazing let it die and without so much as emitting a "baaa," and people have the same power to revive it. It's not particularly complicated, it is just takes effort.
I compare it to the market for weight loss. I have the secret: burn more calories than you take in. I know, it is really hard too. But while we spend billions on easy solutions, our obesity numbers increase. I'd be more sympathetic, but I was fat once.
I am trying to avoid rants, but it was on my mind and details about work are off limits.

Thank You

I received an unexpected package in the mail today from friends of the family. It included three La Briute brand meals, which I have to say, taste better than some the My Own Meal offerings. To be fair, I have been eating a lot of My Own Meals, so it could just be the variety. The package also included both homemade and boxed cookies, two magazines which will be very popular over here (I should clarify, Sports magazines), and very cute pictures.
The homemade cookies, of course, didn't survive the last shift. I like cookies.
Thank you. It was a wonderful surprise and very much appreciated.

Keith Olberman cracks me up. Funny is funny, regardless of political leanings, and he is funny. I also respect that he ends his show with the number of days since the Mission Accomplished announcement.

Today's words of wisdom. "Another day, another $3.50. I get paid whether I work or not." Said by an individual who will work harder every day than a first year resident. $3.50 is the per diem we get over here.

On a lighter note...

A few lessons learned from the experience and wisdom of the folks I work with.
1. Dust makes good boogers.
2. TV series DVDs can be an excellent way to mark time if properly paced.
3. Weekly haircuts can help pass the time.
4. Interleague play is evil. Ok, I added that, but it is true. And the DH is a threat to heterosexual marriage, and takes jobs away from Americans.
5. Chow can be bad good, good bad, bad bad, and good good. Bad good chow is not tasty, but relatively healthy. Good good chow probably doesn't exist when deployed. Bad good is unlikely too.
6. French presses are the high speed gear of the staff weenie. Of course, my Press-Bot is the king.
7. There are things to be done in Thailand that are very much illegal back home.
8. We have a warped sense of humor, but you probably knew that.
9. There is apparently very much a place for chewing tobacco in the military, no matter what the commercials on AFN may say.
10. I can't think of anything to put here off hand, but ten is a nice round number.

Had some interesting chats last shift about SOF weather. I'm trying to pull whatever knowledge I can from this trip since I'll be less immersed in it all next year, but will need the foundation for future trips.
I'm off to the gym. My legs are really sore from some kettlebell workouts and hopefully the treadmill will loosen them up. Otherwise, the treadmill will probably hurt. So it goes.

Honesty

So, on Fox News via AFN, Toby Keith was interviewed. Among the more interesting revelations was that he's actually a life long Democrat and not a particularly strong supporter of the war in Iraq. He does think is it much more complicated than the sloganeering it is often reduced to and feels fortunate that somehow is celebrity has allowed him to have some of his questions answered by the generals in charge. He is very much a supporter of the troops and is working hard to promote USO tours and has been to some rather remote locations to perform.
At one point he said that he is just an entertainer and no one should be listening to his opinions. He said people should be ignoring most celebrity knuckleheads (knuckheads was his word), regardless of their political leaning.
Unfortunately, knucklehead is an all too appropriate term to describe whoever is coming up with the magical policy plans I keep reading about.
While I've been out here and engaged if the fight against some very bad people, I think I've become both more hardline about certain things and yet much more aware of the limitations of military power. Unfortunately, it seems the policy debate has gone in the reverse directions on both.
I try and get my news from a variety of sources. Unfortunately, one of the common themes I read on the various Op Ed pages, from various think tank publications, and that you'll find in the transcripts of interviews/speeches of too many candidates is some belief in the magic of Special Operations.
It scares me because it represents either an incredibly superficial understanding of both the global conflict and Special Operations, or it is intentional and emblematic of systemic moral cowardice.
I am firm believer in Special Operations and am a proud member of that community. There is much that we bring to the fight, but understanding those capabilities and their limitations is important. Thinking that air raids and Special Operators will magially solve all your problems, kill all bad guys without a politically difficult in-country presence, and is risk free is sheer nonsense.
Imagine that your city decided that to better fight crime, it was going to increase the number of SWAT teams, but would be drastically cutting the number of patrol cops. It wouldn't work so well.
In the movie, the SWAT team can show up, reenact the battle of Stalingrad downtown, and everyone goes home. They don't show the investigation that is dependent upon information collected by beat cops and studied by detectives before SWAT shows up at the bad guy's door to deliver the arrest warrant.
Now imagine advocating skipping the process and dropping the SWAT team in to a foreign city.
Keep in mind, Special Operations are capable of doing much more than just the SWAT type mission and that the primary role of Army Special Forces is actually to train people. Really. Think about that for a few minutes.
It's been bugging me. That these things look at all easy is a testament to the profesionalism and skill of the troops in question.
Ironically, Elliot Cohen--who's book Supreme Command was popular, though horribly misunderstood, within the current administration--wrote a book about the political implications of Special Units. It was short and well worth reading.

Don't be shy. If you think I'm crazy or full of crap, comment or email me.

Don't ask me about my business.

Been a few days since I've been able to post. Mostly, I haven't had the patience to try and write something while the connections have been bad.
It's too bad. I had all sorts of keen and witty observations that I meant to share but have since forgotten. I've started jotting them down.
For Father's Day the AFN Movie Channel made a careful selection of movies. Only one actually made sense... Field of Dreams. Of course they also played The Godfather, I guess because it does involve a father and his sons and has the word "father in the title."
Is it a bad thing that I enjoy the end of the movie, not for the cinematic masterpiece that is--though there is that element--but becuase it is a well coordinated simultaneously strike on mulitple high value targets?
My favorite of the past few days was when they played Stripes. Classic. A great movie that is made even better by the slight irony of it playing for a captive military audience on a military network.
I want an EM-50 for my next car.
The other event that was mildly amusing is when a bunch of people stopped by a TV to watch a report of a certain embarrassment to Nevada disparaged some bright and very competent generals. Mostly it was with greeted with shaking heads and disbelief but it is one of the few developments back home that got a reaction rather than being ignored.
With so many incompetent morons running around the military, it speaks highly of Senator Reid's ineptitude that he could single out people who are actually respected. Jackass.

I hate Journey

I do not like the band Journey. Their music is overly theatrical for my taste and the lead singer's voice is annoying to me. Mr. Perry, you are very talented and I respect your accomplishments, but I'm not a fan.
It's irrelevant to my work, but courtesy of David Chase, whose show I didn't even watch, their song is everywhere. I blame Al Qaeda.
Not much else to report. I was being teased because I've got my own grocery story at my work station and don't need to hit the chow hall at all. It's a little unconventional, but it works for me.
I see in the news that rather than Arab governments being willing to fight Israel to the last Palestinian, the Palestinians are fighting themselves to the last. Apparently they have rediscovered defenestration too. I guess this is progress. They are now approaching the level of Prague, circa 1618.

Arrogance or Confidence?

One of my coworkers mentioned to me that he's heard nothing but good things about my work here. We joked that it was because I haven't screwed up yet, though I've had my moments. By bringing it up though, it was the first time the spectre of the alternative, that I wasn't doing a good job, entered my thoughts.
It's a pretty blunt community. If unsatisfied, they will let you know in very clear terms. Most of them single syllable, with some interesting compound words and unholy acts recommended. They won't hesitate to fire you.
I don't know everything about my job and won't claim to be the technical expert, but have a good sense of what I bring to the mission and am agressive about doing it. In the process I've been called everything from "Storm Chaser" to "Witch Doctor" to my name, but I'm still here and they keep coming back. Indirect positive feedback, but more than enough.
My high school physics teacher once told me that I'm not always right, but never in doubt. It might not be the best quality, but it does work for forecasting.
Of course, one nice thing about weather is the constant feedback right outside.

Quick Update

Sorry for the gap in posts. Had a whole long post that got lost due to internet issues. I didn't have time to post yesterday.
Oh well.
One of my little projects didn't quite come to fruition on schedule, but I'll have other opporunities. Have had some interesting meetings and some good networking opportunities, which is always good.
One exciting development was that I had a sandwich for dinner. Seems mundane, but it was the first one I've had since leaving home. It was good.

I can't help but comment a little on the news. One thing that has been annoying is seeing stories that are factually wrong but being unable to correct them due to the nature of the information involved. We are slowly improving the information flow and how we manage and release things, but it needed to be fixed a few years ago. It is incredibly frustrating.
I can sympathize with those who defeated the Viet Cong during the Tet Offensive. A combination of terrible perception management at the top, leaders who squandered the trust of the American people, and inaccurate reporters turned a tactical and even strategic level victory into a major strategic setback.
And out of curiousity, does anyone know when the number of casualties became the sole metric of progress, with any number greater than zero being a defeat? I'm not being glib or heartless, these are my brothers and sister and I recognize too many of their names, but this war and that is what comes with it. Maybe it is the absence of other recognizable metrics. I don't know.
Maybe Grenada, Panama, Iraq I, Kosovo, and Iraq 1.5 raised expectations.
I don't think everything suddenly changed in Somalia. It already had changed at that point.

I guess that brings me to the next issue. I was chatting with a friend via Gmaila, and she mentioned that if nothing else, I'll have time to transition back to civillain life between getting home and starting school. All I could think was "Yuck." Sorry. Of the many things I can't wait for when I get home, being a civillian again just isn't one of them. For all the gripes about the military bureacracy and some of the silly stictures of military life, I like the shared sense of purpose and helping to carry the burden. When I get home I'll be a spectator again.
I'll find ways to be useful. Otherwise I'll go nuts.
Don't be confused. I am very much looking forward to being home. But I realize I'll miss this too.

Oops

So, funny story. I'm adjusting the satellite dish as I do every night, but approached from the other side. I tripped on the cable leading from the dish to our computer. And it broke. Oops.
Once the sun rose we performed a field expedient repair with some duct tape and a leatherman. A more permanent repair should be done later. No big deal. I'm not the first or the last to do it, and it makes for a silly story.
That is why I carry a leatherman everywhere. You never know when you'll need to splice a wire walking down the street. Or cut your nails (I forgot a fingernail clipper... no, please don't send one, but thank you--I know my mom rolled her eyes and put it on a list). Now that I have to justify it, I am pretty sure that I packed nail clippers, but they probably fell out of my toiletry bag at the base I deployed from back in the states.

Oh, and PARIS HILTON PARIS HILTON PARIS HILTON we are at war you shallow idiots PARIS HILTON PARIS HILTON PARIS HILTON PARIS HILTON. Thank you. I had more to say on the topic, but it doesn't matter. I have no pity for her, but am pretty disgusted with the whole industry that exists to take glee in her troubles.
I will relate the best reaction to the whole affair that I heard. I was hanging out with some NCOs, and all of us were annoyed that this was the only story being covered. You know, cause there was a teaser about a shake up among the Joint Chiefs, and then more coverage this story. We were eager to hear about the change in the Joint Chiefs, which actually affects us, and mildly annoyed that there was plenty of media coverage for a kid our age that has done nothing spectacular while we know lots people younger that are doing spectucular things every night.
One troops blurted out that she's only famous for being rich. Someone else mentioned that she's famous for homemade porn.
The first guy just sighs. He says, "I have home made porn. I'm not famous."
I'm so very glad I was there for that moment.

For some reason the computers here don't like Gmail and keep booting me off. It is annoying. But it seems unfair to take any of our luxuries here for granted. So I'll roll with it. With a few choice expletives uttered each time it goes tango uniform (military lingo, google it if curious.

Nothing Significant To Report

Not much new going on. Still trying to coordinate some of my side projects. Downloaded some info on local language and customs. Figured it'd be nice to make that effort on the off chance I come in to contact with locals.
Of course unplanned contact with locals is probably not good and the converstation in such a scenario would be in a rather universal language. Ironically, I'm better prepared for that than the more likely planned situation. Thus the little studies on the side.
Mostly it keeps me working different sides of my mind.

I had forgotten that Fred Thompson was in Die Hard 2. It was on AFN. He was such a strong and firm leader as the head of the airport during a terrorist attack. And he has played a district attorney, so he is also strong on crime. Wasn't he in The Hunt for Red October as an Admiral? None of the other candidates ever wore an Admiral's uniform. With all this hype, what did he do in the real world?
Dennis Kucinich can at least claim to have wrecked Cleveland.

The continuing saga...

The long awaited pallet of meals arrived. The logistics guy went to verify it himself. And he found a pallet of Halal meals. I wanted to laugh, but they were so frustrated that I felt bad. Meanwhile, they think that the actual shipment of meals ended up at a different station. They are having someone there check.
In any case, they went ahead and ordered a new shipment from the depot. The delay in doing it originally was that it would have been excessive given the assumed proximity of the meals already. Or something.
In the mean time, there were a few cases of meals that they scrounged up here, so I'm good for for a little while anyway.
Planning on my current project is going well. It has hit one minor obstacle though... I've been locked out of my unclassified email account. The most ironic part of it is that the freeze on my account is due to an expired password, even though we can't actually log on to unclassified computers with our passwords. We use our ID cards. Oh well. Easily fixed.

I'm amazed at the amount of reading I manage to get done. Found an article by Thomas Friedman from an old NY Times magazine on the convergence of issues driving greener policies. I liked it. Also found a book called The Village by Bing West about the USMC Combined Action Platoon program in Vietnam. A good idea, not widely enough implemented, that is a precursor to some of what we are doing in Iraq with the surge and have been doing on a small scale in Afghanistan as well. Should make for an interesting read. Sadly, it is yet another reminder of our need to reinvent the wheel and inability to learn from our own history.

I'm also trying to keep up on prep for law school. The school is doing a mock lesson for incoming students on Friday. I downloaded the lesson and am doing the reading, even taking some notes on the discussion questions. The lesson is on the International Criminal Court. The arguments in favor of it are very strong, provided you don't require it to accomplish anything or function in the real world in return for the money spent on maintaining it.
Besides, I though Belgium claimed universal jurisdiction over everything anyway.

No Capes

I saw some scenes from Batman and Robin. Aside from dialogue more stilted than a Hawthorne short story, I can't watch superhero movies without thinking of the brilliance of the designer from The Incredibles.
To be fair, I haven't read any Hawthorne in a while and maybe it was less overrated than I remember. Batman and Robin was just as bad as I remembered it.
Finished some of my little side projects. Came up with a new one. For all the day to day variety in what we do, there is still a very routine nature to it at this point. The side projects keep things energized.
My latest one should be interesting if it develops. It start with a few questions. Then a few more. Then my nominal boss asked me why I don't go find out. He thought he was joking. So, I'm gonna go get some answers to my questions. I hope so anyway. We'll see where it goes.
The food issue has finally been resolved. An entire pallet (if you've ever seen footage of supplies being dropped out the back of a plane, each of those giant self-contained piles of junk are pallets) of meals arrived just for me. Or will arrive later today.

Other funny story. So I was introduced to someone today. They had never met someone with my first name before, or so I assume. I spelled it out for this individual so that my name could be pronounced properly. I was then asked if it was really my name or just a radio callsign.
That doesn't happen in the civillian world.

Catching Up

Had the chance to catch up with a friend. Internet coordination is fun that way. He invited my unit to train with is. It would be great, they have the resources and equipment, we just need to get funding out of the black hole that is the Guard Bureau. I'll figure it out. Someday.
Had one of the commanders of a unit we support tell me what he expects from his weather guys and make sure the we understood the importance of what we do to his work. I do, but it was nice to hear it. I have to coordinate the work of the people that support him directly, and so I promised to push my guys to get him what he needs.
I've already almost finished the cookies my sister made. I, um, don't want them to go bad.
That's about it.
I saw the Democratic debate. Had it on in the background. Those red chairs they had for the town hall portion looked comfy. We could use some of those.

Expected commentary, didn't you?

From the mailbag...

Well, I don't have the massive inbox of Bill Simmons, but I am trying to respond at least to emails and letters as they come in.
This week's letter is from E, whose younger siblings all sent me letters earlier:

Dear (me),
How are you? How is life wherever you are? I am good. I sprained my wrist a couple of weeks ago and now I have to go to physical therapy. It's not so bad though because I get to miss 45 minutes of school every week. Have you met any nice people. I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo [I just approximated the number of O's] ready for the summer! School ends in about 3 weeks and the I AM DONE WITH THE LOWER SCHOOL. YAY! I am sort of worried about going to the upper school because my friend, who is in the 7th grade said it is really hard, how was the upper school for you? I can't wait for camp this summer. I also can't wait to go to England this summer and Norway. What is your job in the army and what has been your greatest experience yet? We all miss you a lot. I hope you are well and continue to be.

From,
E

Well, E, I hope your wrist is feeling better. I chipped a bone in my wrist once, but instead of treatment and therapy, my mom made me go to tennis camp for a month. Ask her about it.
I am serious when I say that based on your spelling and your use of punctuation, you are very ready for the seventh grade. It will take a few weeks to adjust to having a different teacher for every subject. There is a little more homework. But it is not that bad. There are now a lot more ways to get involved open to you. Enjoy.
My job in the Air Force is to forecast and track the weather, and to coordinate the efforts of the other forecasters working in our group. My greatest experiences have been making go/no-go calls for important missions and helping find ways to work around areas of bad weather to make missions doable. I am very proud of what I'm doing and feel fortunate to have this opportunity to contribute to this group in particular, but am very much looking forward to being home again.

That letter came in a package that included a Salami, some excellent home-made blondies (they came out like giant thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies), and some goodies from my neighbors, the M's. The M's have two children currently serving in the Navy.
They sent two magazines that I found particularly amusing. One was a magazine about the town of Bethesda. At first I thought it would be silly, but that publication earned my respect with it's top 67 things about the Bethesda, MD area. It included the Billy Goat trail at Great Falls, some of my favorite people watching areas, and Bruce's Variety (if they don't have it, you probably don't need it).
I disagree on the Chris Van Hollen decision, but, to be fair, he does seem to be more visible than Connie Morella was. Maybe I pay more attention now.
Which brings me to the other funny thing I found. If you know my parents, then you'll understand my shock at seeing a copy of the Weekly Standard in the box. Then I noticed the address label was for the M's, and I figured it out, but it was still funny.
Incidentally, it was the first time I've read an issue cover to cover. Interesting. While reading it I was reminded that one of our friends who used to live down the street from us but now lives in NYC teased my mom that I'll be a Republican. I liked Frederick Kagan's editorial, though it devolved into an emotional argument that mostly preached to the choir, and the analysis of the dissapearance of leftist hawks was interesting.
As a whole though, I'm not about to subscribe to it. I still prefer the Economist. Not for the editorial stance, but the variety, total world coverage, and the humor.
I still refuse to identify myself with either major party. I think the Republicans did a terrible job of governance when in control and it took a shamefully short amount to time for the absolute power to corrupt their ideals. The modern incarnation of the Best and the Brightest spent did a great job recognizing the confict as a global counterinsurgency and then proceeded to spend the next fiver years screwing it up. We're fixing it, but we disregarded many years of lessons learned in blood due to arrogance and overconfidence in the magic of technology.
Meanwhile, the Democrats are united in deciding that we shouldn't have invaded Iraq. I got furious at some forecasters for creating an excellent forecast for weather that happened two days before, but was irrelevant to the coming day's events. Imagine how I feel about a party that is proactively addressing a moot point of a policy issue from 2002.

I'm waiting for a candidate to convince me not to write in Barry Goldwater's name.

That is all for my mini-rant. I look forward to any comments on it.

I'd post the link here, but this computer is being annoying. If you go to www.af.mil or probably www.hurlburt.af.mil, there is a story on the dedication of the Special Tactics Advanced Skills Training Center. What impressed me about the story was the involvement of the families of the Airmen to which the center is dedicated. I know it is not completely unique to the Special Operations community, but it is important that the families are still regarded as important members of the community.
I remember reading about each of the people when they were killed. I ran along the road now named for Senior Airman Servais when I was at Hurlburt. I watched them build that center. Their memories will be an inspiration when I go to the center for training myself in the future.

I joked about it before I left, but I now really will come home to one more pet than when I left. Sparta, a stray kitten so named because she spent the winter barefoot in the snow, is pretty much adopted and living in the house. Bonnie and Clyde have adjusted better than expected.

I know this is a long post, but it's been a few days since I've had access to a working computer.

Inflated

I am surrounded by idiots. Not literally. The people who physically surround me at work are smart, dedicated, and impress me daily. Some of the people I have to coordinate with, however, have left me with an inflated sense of my own intelligence.
To give an example of the sillyness, I have had to explain to a forecaster that although in theory strong winds can blow dust across the vast territories and reduce visibility, when those winds are over a body of water, there is no dust to be picked up.
We have the ability to push a button and blow something up. That's great and all, but I need something small. I want to be able to push a button and whack these morons upside the head.
It would be funny if it didn't waste my time and have the ability to mess with my missions. Actually, it is still kind of funny, but sad too. Oh well.
Otherwise, work is still very interesting and very busy.
Weather is still far from a calling, but if I hadn't wound up in weather, I wouldn't be sitting where I am supporting these missions.

I finished Beschloss's book on Presidential Courage. Every President decries partisanship, every President thinks the press is out to get him, and every President thinks his own party's members of congress are short sighted. It was really a very interesting book and I highly recommend it. It reveals most of these people as humans.
Except Teddy Roosevelt. Speaking apolitically, that guy was Megaforce. Little kids may wear Superman pajamas, and Superman may wear Chuck Norris pajamas, but Chuck Norris wears Teddy Roosevelt pajamas.

Always Passover

There is apparently only one Jewish holiday. Passover. I have seen the Passover seder leader's kit. I have seen the normal seder kit. Now I have seen the passover survival kit, courtesy of the Jewish War Veterans of American branch in NY.
The kit is actually very nice. There is matzah, of course. Two cans of gefilte fish, horseradish sauce, those jelly candy things that are the Jewish answer to fruitcake on Christmas, a can of mandarin oranges, a can of tuna, soup mixes, and a wide assortment of morale items.
The morale items are especially thoughtful. There is a toiletry kit, two toothbrushes, a deck of cards, a letter from a student, a letter from the JCC, and a letter from the Jewish War Veterans branch.
It is very nice, but unfortunately, there aren't actually any meals included. Now I have six of them, but am not opening the other five now that I know what's there. Save them for when they are actually needed by someone else.
I'm mixed on the presence of so many extra passover kits of various kinds. It is amazing that so many organizations took the time and spent the money to get them here. It is a little sad that so many went unclaimed. Not sure if there were too many made or not enough interest. Probably a little of both.
In any case, the food issue has been quite a hassle, but both the logistics folks and the Chaplain have worked very hard on it and have been very supportive. I am apparently the only one in the region pushing this right now.

I received my Press-bot french press for my Nalgene bottle. I brewed my own coffee. I don't need the coffee to get through the shift, but it is really fun to brew coffee in a Nalgene bottle. Other people have their own presses, or even some coffee pots. There is even a big coffee urn for the less picky. But no one else has a french press in their Nalgene.

I found my alarm clock. It did not go through the laundry. Not as funny, but probably better this way.

I would like to wish a Happy Anniversary to my aunt and uncle today. They know who they are. Those of you who know them know who they are and should probably call. Unless you forgot, in which case, shame on you.

I read an incredible article by Joe Galloway in the Miami Herald. Look it up if you can. I also saw excellent coverage of the President's Memorial Day speech from the NY Times.
Incidentally, I also understand why CNN has such a bad reputation over here. I'm not mad at them, just disappointed. It comes back to the context issue again. Though I've also noticed anchors filling in gaps in their knowledge with supposition at best, fiction at worst. Wolf should know better, he's been around a while.

If my dad wants to respond to the mini-rant with a comment, that's fine. That is fun. I expect something along the lines of a joke about Bush administration intel analysis.
Though on the note of the media, I would like to point out that on AFN, Olberman follows Hannity and Colmes. I don't really pay attention to either, but Olberman can at least be funny and the scheduling always makes me smile.

My Kind of Chicken

My Kind of Chicken. One of twelve great titles in the My Own Meal selection of entrees. I have one of each, and more on the way. Some have been lost in the supply system, but once that is resolved I'll easily be set for the rest of my time out here. It has been a bit of a hassle, but the supply folks and the Chaplain have both been working hard to make it happen.

Memorial Day out here was a day like any other. I missed the ceremony they were holding because of work. Oh well. I'm sure it was nice and tasteful. They weren't remembering anonymous names or faces, this was dedicated specifically to friends.

I was asked what prompted my little comparison of SOF troops to non-SOF troops. Well, without getting in to details, we coordinate our forecasts with others. What we use the forecasts for may be classified, but it's not like you can keep the weather secret from anyone. It's been a pain dealing with people who strive to achieve the minimum. That's all.

On a lighter note, I may have put my alarm clock through the laundry. I can't find it and am concerned it got wrapped up in my sheets when they were thrown in the laundry bag. Oops.

I try to avoid politics, but I have to say that John Edwards is a modern profile in courage. When in office, he voted for the war. Now that he is unaccountable for his words, he is very much against and advocating strong political action--coincidentally, those positions are now more popular.

I almost have to say that my mother has done a great job picking books to send to me. They have been books that I probably never would have picked up, but have been great reading. The current one is by Michael Beschloss on presidential leadership. It is similar to JFK's Profiles in Courage with the obvious exception that it pertains to the executive rather than legislative branch. The author is also facing fewer accusations of having ghostwriters do the work. I joke. I like JFK. He is the sugar daddy of modern SOF.

SOF vs non-SOF

I'm learning very quickly just how culturally different Special Operations Forces are from conventional forces. Specifically, in my specialty, but some of it holds true across the board.
The conventional guys are not as dialed in to the big picture, and just do not seem as intent on understanding the missions they work and where they fit in to them. They may not have the clearance or need to know on all of what is going on, but there is a lack of initiative in general that is frustrating.
It is almost embarrassing that we are in the same career field given the low quality of some of their output. I'm not going to claim to be the best weather guy, but I like to think that I work hard and support the missions to the best of my abilities. I'm not sure what their doing.
Otherwise, work continues as usual. Keeps me busy and out of trouble. I've been enjoying the care packages greatly. If all goes well, my overall food situation should be resolved Monday. I'm optimistic because I've actually been given a date and some details. We'll see.
We are having a Memorial Day ceremony here to remember those from our force that have been lost in the past year. It will be short and voluntary since everyone still has work to do and the fight goes on, but I'll stop by since it is just after my shift.

Wowed, again.

I got TWO packages. One from my parents and one from that same kind law student who sent cookies to my wife. I too have lots of cookies, I have Ramen noodles, I have instant oatmeal (which, I hate to admit now that it has been shipped to me at great expense, they have started stocking in the chow hall on occassion), bread, Economists, Sports Illustrated, a book on Presidential Leadership, a thing of quality coffee, assorted goodies, and a camping pillow. It is incredibly kind and supportive. I feel guilty with the amount of money spent on all this.
I think I ate an entire batch of peanut butter cookies during my last shift.
I may have the other food issues resolved by Monday. Stashes have been located, and very nice people are working very hard to make it happen.

As far as work goes, I'm still busy. Our commander got a little pissed the other day about how reactive our information operations campaign has been. He was pretty peeved at the way we get our butts kicked in the public eye. Occassionally press releases of operations get coverage, but we have failed to press any themes in our presentation that tell people back home what it is we are accomplishing and where it fits in.
It is a huge issue. Bad guys don't really need to target us or Iraqis for tactical effect, just for planned press coverage. They'll blow up a humvee not to kill the guys inside, but to have a new video to post online.
I'm trying to avoid this turning in to a rant, this blog wasn't meant to be my little soapbox, so I will cut it off now.
I'll give it more thought though. I'll try and think of an unclassified way to explain what's going on. That's part of what I came to see.

Thanks

A good friend of mine, about to graduate from Harvard Law School, sent my wife cookies. Thank you. That was a very nice thing to do, and she needed cookies.
Also thank you to my aunt and uncle who were able to stop by and visit her. It is greatly appreciated.
Which reminds me, maybe it is wrong and I shouldn't admit this, but every now wand then while reading one of my law school books, something sounds familiar and I realize that I heard it in Legally Blonde. I am not ashamed.
Incidentally, by reading this one book on criminal law I now understand every lawyer joke ever told. But I'll go to law school anyway. I already paid the deposit. And it should be interesting just the same. From engineering to meteorology to law, lots of different perspectives on the world.
I still have a hard time imagining that I'll get through three years of law school without slugging someone though.
Not much new to report here. Working on some side projects. One being that study where most of my analysis is completely unrelated to much of the data I have available, but it'll have to work. The point still stands even if the data I would prefer would illustrate it more clearly. Maybe law school isn't such a bad idea after all.
Other projects are very educational. I'm trying to soak up everything I can while I'm here.
When I left home, we had two cats. When I come home, there is a good chance we'll have three. Late in the winter my wife spotted a cat outside that appeared to be part of the same litter as the two cats she fostered while I was TDY the last time. Our first mistake was naming it.
We named it Sparta, since she made it through the cold winter barefoot in the snow growing up. Guess who came up with that one. Well, despite my initial protests, we began feeding Sparta on the deck, then in the kitchen. Now Sparta prefers being in the house to outside, apparently, and is, possibly as I type this, sitting with our cats in the kitchen--looking out at strays as is she too is an indoor cat.
Sparta is being taken to a Spay/Neuter clinic later this week.
I was pretty sure I'd come home to a new pet, just wasn't sure what kind.

Pinky and the Brain

So, I overheard an amusing exchange as two troops were walking in this morning.
Troop 1: Ready to catch some bad guys today?
Troop 2: (looks at Troop 1 with a puzzled expression) Huh?
Troop 1: I said, are you ready to catch some bad guys today?
Troop 2: (bored) We do that everyday.

Though the word "morning" is really funny to me now. When I come on shift, people say "good morning" because it is the morning of our sleep cycle. When I get off shift, people say "good morning" because, well, it is morning. Apparently it is always morning.

If you know anyone who works at the National Guard Bureau, slap them. Tell them to answer the phone and do their job. There is a war going on and the forces that they are supposed to support are fighting it. Oxygen thieves.

Work continues. So does life. I'm trying to plan a weekend in the LA area with my wife leading up to a friend's wedding. We're looking in to camp sites in LA or Orange counties. Beachfront was the goal, but those may be crowded with annoying drunks that weekend. Now that I can rent a car, we have options. Apparently Malibu Creek State Park is nice, was the home of an Indian tribe, and was where MASH was filmed.

Commercials

I can't get over the AFN commercials. There is a recruiting commercial for Special Operations Weather Teams. Maybe it cracks me up because I know the guys involved. Maybe it is because if you look carefully you can see the truck in the background that they used to drive out for the filming the "patrol." It could be the pure cheesiness. I guess that is how you recruit.
The other commercial that I found unintentionally amusing was one of the many "Thank You" spots run by the USO or by the America Supports You program. In this case, it was as a bunch of country singers saying that they appreciate our sacrifices, the hardships that they can't even imagine, and all the work that we do. That in itself could be funny given how true to stereotype it is, but they mean it. However over the top some country singers are at times with their profuse expressions of support, a lot of them back it up with USO appearances.
One of them didn't quite fit in the whole theme of thanking us for what we do. Keni Thomas, a former Ranger and veteran of the battles in Mogadishu made famous by the book and movie Blackhawk Down, is now a country singer. Not big time yet, but I like his work. In any case, he knows all too well about the hardships and sacrifices involved. Somehow his appearance changed the atmosphere of the commercial, even if most viewers wouldn't recognize him or know his history.
My wife figured out how to get Gmail chat working. Nice.
No other news really. I've been here a little over a month. Feels like I've been working less but gone longer.
Frustrated by some of the busted forecasts we made early in my tour, I decided to pull the model data that we used, compare it with the observations and satellite imagery, and see if I could identify either a deficiency in the models or in our process. Upon review today, I realized I have the wrong day's model data for this little study. Of course, that data has been purged from all systems, so I'll make do.
The war won't be over when I leave, but maybe I can do a little piece to make us a little more effective as my little legacy.

Just our luck...

Well, last shift will be funny in retrospect. In a few weeks. I can tell the story later when it will be meaningless. Sorry.
Right now I'm eagerly awaiting news on my food situation and on my training situation. Not sure which will be resolved first or which will have the better ending. Training issues will probably be resolved first. My boss is working on it and may have an answer by the end of the week--I just suspect that it isn't the answer we want. The food, however is on its way. We'll see.
I'm kind of amazed that the week is almost over. They go by fast, even if the calendar doesn't seem to be moving forward at the same pace. Oh well.

Anyhow, a funny story that I can share is that I saw some guy walking around with an iPod shuffle on an armband. It was neon blue and so very tiny. So there he is in his brown t-shirt and black running shorts (our PT uniform), with a bright blue tiny iPod. I thought it was funny.
I also like the comment where "my aunt" is going to see "my wife." Spy games are fun. We're all so spooky.

Make it stop!

I understand I confused some people with my reference to the nineteen month campaign. No, I haven't been extended. I know when I'm scheduled to leave the country and when my repacement is due. There is no need to surge my position. There aren't enough chairs.
I was referring to the presidential campaign. Apparently Ronald Reagan is running against George McGovern.
I caught a few moments of the Republican Debate while waiting for the phone . It did seem that they were being asked tougher questions than in prior debates and differences betweent he candidates seemed more sharp in the GOP pool.
Anyway, of the few minutes I watched, one exchange stayed with me. Duncan Hunter mentioned that he served in Vietnam, and although there was nothing special or distinguishing about his service, he served. Mitt Romney spoke about his regret at not having served in Vietnam.
Duncan Hunter earned my respect and Mitt Romney lost my vote. Not that he really had it, but that was weak. Not as weak as a certain Vice President's "other priorities," but weak just the same.

Any way, I like my decision to run between getting off shift and going to bed. Going try to stick to that from now on and do my kettlebells/lifting before work.
On my way to the gym to run yesterday I ran in to a friend of mine and one of his troops. We were discussing Special Operations Weather issues. The Guard may have it's issues, but the active duty side of things is just as messy. All in all, I still think I'm as close to having my cake and eating it too as I could be.
Though finally getting the tactical training would be nice. That's one thing they have over me. I'll get there.
Off to run.

I'm impressed

When I was participating in a Special Operations Weather Team orientation program, one of the young officers said that he'd heard the term "Quiet Professionals" applied to certain parts of the military and was curious as to the meaning. The answer that he got was that in a community with such high standards, the focus is on performance. There is little room for chest thumping because every day is a new day with new challenges.
What to most people would be an exceptional act of courage, skill, endurance, etc. is the norm. Daily. Sometimes multiple time a day. It is awe inspiring.
I was reminded of it because the guy who answered the question came up in conversation here. I met his boss, who had nothing but great things to say about him.

My day involved two new experiences. I got a cup of Starbucks coffee that someone here brewed. It tasted like home. I've actually been avoiding having it up to now just because it was fun to have a reminder of something simple like that to look forward to. But I was a bit tired after dinner and it made for a good pick me up. I guess there is a trend of people started to develop a coffee habit once they've been here about as long as I have. I guess it's one of the stages of deployment. I don't think I'll have a coffee habit or caffeine thing. It's just one cup, the first one was free, and I can quit anytime.
Besides, it was a bit of a weak brew anyway.
I also got to edit a memo written by the JAG. It was only a proof reading, but it was interesting to read what a JAG does. I got some visibility on something I otherwise wouldn't have, but I still have no intention of being a JAG officer. If there were JAG positions that require HALO qualifications like my job will, then I may reconsider.
Probably not. Environmental Recon is a small enough niche specialty.

Do we really have to endure nineteen more months of this campaign?

My Official Response

The Islamic State of Iraq, the attempted shadow government of Al Qaeda in Iraq, released a statement tell us to stop looking for our kidnapped troops.
I believe our official response should either direct them to do something anatomically impossible or involve mailing bacon to all of their donors. I would specify, but this is a family publication.

When I left work this morning I noticed that our flag was flying at half-staff. Our flag here generally only flies at half staff when we lose someone from our group. I have to track every mission running when I'm on shift as part of my job and seeing the flag lowered was shocking. I hadn't heard anything. I turned around to ask and was immediately directed to a note saying that our flag was flying at half staff for Peace Officer's Memorial Day. Needless to say I was relieved and the guy who wrote the sign was probably tired of answering the same question over and over again.
I am glad that we are paying tribute to our brothers and sisters in blue. They are just as much on the front lines as we are.

If you are curious, I finished The Weathermakers, that book on climate change. I know it is a book meant for the general public and not scientists, but I do wish he'd gone a little more in the science of how they isolated Carbon Dioxide as the driver of current climate change.
I also want to know how the percentage of households owning firearms was at all relevant to the damage done by Katrina. Corruption, piss-poor leadership at all levels, Ray Nagin, Ray Nagin, and, you know, THE HURRICANE, are all probably higher on the list than the existance of firearms. Just me.
Whether I'm sold or not on the CO2 issue, I agree with most of his recommended changes. More efficient use of resources, wind power, solar power, renewable energy, and trying to harness market forces to drive change are all good things. A lot of the technology is out there already and we may be reaching a tipping point in market demand for such things.
My motives may be different, but so what. If I bike because it is cheaper, guaranteed exercise, and more environmentally conscious, it probably doesn't matter which is the priority as long as I follow through and bike.
I'd be more than happy to cover my roof in solar panels and go off-grid, maybe even sell some surplus back to the power company. I'd love to see a Fidel-less Cuba processing sugar into fuel and selling it to Venezuala.
There are some major kinks to work out with the Carbon trading schemes, but there seems to be a future there. BP has the foresight as a company to get into energy production outside of hydrocarbons. Hopefully others will follow. There is money to be made there too. And unlike the author, I don't think the profit motive is evil (even if I see myself working more in the public sector than private). I learned in the last book that the Pilgrims started getting their best crop yields when they abandoned communal farming and alloted each family a plot to work for itself.
Corn ethanol sucks. Sorry Iowa. Don't vote for me. It is a scam. If you buy a flex-fuel car, you are a moron. First, there is unlikely to be any ethanol available at the pump where you are anyway. Second, flex fuel vehicles are not optimized for either gasoline or ethanol, which decreases their potential efficiency. Finally, using current processes, corn ethanol saves neither energy nor carbon when you consider the whole cycle involved.
I'll admit that the biodiesel we run in our car is also imperfect, but far better than ethanol as a partial solution.

It's funny how the diatribes fill the space here. I can talk about what I read but not what I do at work. My war blog is just more of my usual ranting and raving. Oh well.

Quickie

Well, work continues to be busy and rewarding.
I've come down with a slight cold but there are plentiful supplies of generic sudafed and Flinstones vitamins. Yes, those Flinstones vitamins. I didn't check, but I bet the hardcore types only eat the Bam Bam ones.
I managed to call both my mother and mother-in-law for Mother's Day. There was quite the line for phones. It is kind of sweet really.
One of my troops found out I am going to law school soon. It caused him to question my morals because in the shift from meteorology to law, I will be moving on to a second profession in which I'll be paid to lie. This from another weather guy.

Please keep those three kidnapped troops in your thoughts and prayers. We will catch those responsible. I just hope we do so in time to save those guys.

Gotta run.

Wow

So, I am truly amazed at what goes in to the Passover Rabbi/Seder Leader's kit. Happened to get my hands on one. In addition to the expected box of matzah, there is a whole host of goodies. There are two beef ghoulash entrees. Greasy, but, well, greasy. Eight grape juice boxes. One can of kippered herring from sometime in the early nineteenth century. Two pieces of bazooka gum.
I was impressed to find not only a kittel, but an Artscroll Passover Machzor. Not cheap.
However, the most amazing things I found were two little packs of charoset that were marked as gifts of the Telshe Yeshiva in Wickliffe, OH, outside of Cleveland. What a nice gesture.

In one office a senior officer was about to visit. The ranking guy in the room was given advance notice. His warning to the troops: "Shut up about Paris Hilton going to jail, XXXX is coming." True story.

Another incident occurred recently that was related to my story about laughing about some dead bad guys. One thing that contributes to it is the absurd nature of the reporting. The dry and surreal nature of it is darkly funny. There are definitley times that I think Catch 22 was based on a true story.
Anyway, during a report on an operation, a less than professional--though hardly crude--term was used for killing people. At the end of the brief, one of the senior folks stood up and reminded us that we are in a serious business. You must be passionate about what we do, but able to be professional about it to work at our level. He didn't jump on the guy, just made a general statement about the type of discourse he wants.
Still, dark or otherwise, some things are funny. I'm sorry. If we call it a coping mechanism, maybe it is more socially acceptable.

In response to my weak India analogy, my mother pointed out that India's infrastructure wasn't destroyed. I'd argue that it wasn't really built either.

Also, I was sharing my initial reaction to the first half of The Weathermakers with my wife, but may as well mention them here.
First, the climate IS changing. I see that first hand in the variations in weather patterns that we've experienced. To be fair, the climate is always changing. Climate change is a constant, but we don't notice it on the small scale of time that we are here. We are small and life is short on a geologic scale.
Second, I'm not convinced that Carbon Dioxide levels are the primary cause and by extension, I'm not sold on human activity as being the sole and driving factor in the phenomenon of global warming as part of the climatic shift.
This is the primary flaw in the argument of the paleontologist (note, not meteorologist or climatologist, though I don't doubt his mastery of much of the material). He takes the conclusion that human activity and our CO2 emissions are the primary factor as a given. He does raise other factors but doesn't sell me on their irrelevance. I can be sold, my mind is not made up or closed by any means. But he didn't do it for me. I understand how CO2 can warm the atmosphere, and it does, but with variations in our orbit, variations in insolation (essentially energy from the sun reaching the Earth), volcanos, etc. there are a lot of influences. And the variations in the data and the means of collection involve many assumptions as well. And finally, maybe just from my brief experience forecasting weather, I am suspicious of the forecasts made from assumed starting conditions. We have trouble working from mostly known starting conditions using precision measurements.
The other thing that is a little odd in the reasoning is that it assumes that the present is the way it should be. There have been many mass extinctions in the past, many related to changes in climate. These mass extinctions have opened the doors for new species to evolve. Nothing against polar bears, but if they can't compete in the current climate, historically they would have died off. Historically, the mass extinctions didn't result in an end to biodiversity, but a change to it.
Yet, this paleontologist, who makes a point of going in to this history in the book, rails against any extinction or change. It just seems confusing to me how now-centric the mindset is. I find it a little arrogant to assume we are the sole drivers of everything on this planet and that what we experience is the perfect snapshot in history of how the Earth should be, as historically anomalous as it may be.
All that said, I hardly advocate hunting animals to extinction or being irresponsible with the environment. I bike. I use biofuel. I'll probably agree with many of the policy changes he recommends at the end of the book, even if I don't think they'll stop climate change. Reduction in polluation can't be bad. Being good stewards of the environment is a good thing. Not recklessly destroying ecosystems is a good thing. We are a part of it afterall.
If nothing else, the book does an incredible job detailing the interconnectedness of varrying ecosystems and the effects of alterations at the microscopic level on the largest animals.
I'm just sold on quixotic missions.
I realize I write that while potentially charging at wind mills myself.

Little Things

I'm noticing that little things seems to have a greater effect than major things. I know it sounds vague, cliche, and pseudo-profound. So what?
I don't care when the A/C is out. It is uncomfortable, but so it goes. Work has to get done anyway. Same with any power outage. The only time food issues have bothered me is when I thought they were fixed and then found out that they weren't. Then I realized that I was no worse off than when I started so I pressed forward.
I don't bother counting days until I go home. I'm conscious of them, but don't want to drive myself nuts or get in to the mentality that my job is just to survive (not that I'm in any particular danger) the rotation.
Instead, I have little countdowns. My computer is counting down days until I have to reset my password. I could reset it anytime, but it'll seem like some kind of achievement when I hit the deadline and am forced to change it. I have charts that need to be updated periodically. I could just update them daily on the computer, but it is less of a hassle to make one for a certain period of time, print it, and make a new one when the time comes.
I'm amused by it anyway. I'm also amused about how the blog lets me step back to an outside looking in role on some of this. I'm noticing things I wouldn't otherwise notice.
I laughed when I heard we'd killed some bad guys. I don't think I used to do that. That is not to say I was bothered by the deaths of enemies, particularly ones who are genuinely bad guys. I just don't think I laughed about it. I should check with my wife.
Granted, I also didn't use to have access to intel reports on some of these people.

So it goes.

Last thing... I never really realized how big MySpace was until I saw it in the histories of ALL the morale computers.

I lied. Last thing. Today's clue that I am in an almost exclusively military environment: there was a commercial on AFN Sports for credit card addiction. Ah Joe, you never learn. At the very least my cousin outside of Bragg will understand why that commercial is both ammusing and so very necessary.

Team

I like the team dynamic we have. Took a little while to settle in but it's nice now. As you can imagine, I'm one of the younger guys here. I was discussing something with some folks and it reminded them of an older operation. At first I talked about how my ROTC instructors told us about it, and then went all out and said my grandfather told me tales of his time there (not true, my grandfather's service was over many many years before this particular mission). One guy acted particularly offended. Then another guy said that it's OK, their so cute and eager when their that age, and look, unlike you (the annoyed guy), this kid shaves his head for looks rather than to hide the lack of it. I was saved. Until next time anyway. Good times.

Me being me, I feel compelled to add some apolitical (I'll try anyway) political commentary. These issues with passing a funding bill do cause havoc. Pasing a two month funding bill would be little better--anybody who has had to do major budget planning should understand that. I'm actually surprised to see the unintended effects this has. Due to the confusion regarding when moneys will be available scheduled trainings, personnel moves, maintenance, and other vital things are being put on hold to ensure that money is available to continue combat operations. This isn't posturing. Really. They need to figure it out and stop using us has pawns, screwing with us in the name of trying to show who supports us more.
That goes out to both parties.
We are at war. Like it or not, it is a fact. I don't care about the pretenses, true or false, that got us here. We are where we are. Elected leaders, and I unfortunately use that term way too loosely, deal with the situation we have.
If you want to end it, then man up and try to end it. Tell me how you intend to do it and how you intend to deal with the consequences. Show me that your posturing is about more than throwing red vegan meat to your blowhard moveon.org friends and trying to make up for having supported this at the beginning when it seemed politically expedient. Read Profiles in Courage. Dig deep.
If you support the war, explain way. The American people need to understand. They are smarter than you think and are tired of jingoism and fear mongering. Explain the costs, explain the sacrifices, and explain why they are necessary. Say the hard things. If ads featuring two retired (note retired, not resigned in public protest at the risk of retiring at lower rank) scare you, then quit now.
Everyone is looking to Gen Petraus to give them political cover. Sad.
I know most people reading this will assume I'm speaking solely about Iraq and may even guess that I'm in Iraq. Regardless of how they started, I see Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other efforts as closely tied campaigns in a networked global insurgency. I came to that conclusion before I got to the mysterious "here," but it has since been confirmed.
There is a difference between operational success and strategic level success. Unfortunately, institutionally we are slowly learning that. But we are learning.

I saw an article today that said no one from Commerce wanted to go overseas to support reconstruction and development work. To me that says our civil service is more broken than our military. Maybe a little harsh, but the vaunted political elements need an influx of technocratic advisors.
My mom asks me often about success. I think it will look a little like the British leaving India. Hardly ideal, but a functional central government with lots of local authorities, and a mostly functioning infrastructure. I hope we'll leave these various places on better terms than the Brits left India and without the India/Pakistan-type splits, but I do think our leaving will be a rather unceremonius request for us to skedaddle by a local government confident enough to assert it's identity by telling us to go. It's an imperfect analogy and we have no intent to colonize these places. There is better real estate elsewhere. I reread it and it is an incredibly bad comparison with some terrible implications, but want to go to sleep now so it will stay.

Another Day

Working nights, days kind of fly by. I sleep through the day and by the time I get up and go to work it is almost the next day. For some reason it makes the time go by faster. It is also strangely disorienting at times. So it goes.
I volunteered for an extra project. Should be fun and enlightening.
I also started thinking in Celsius. I feel cultured. It probably happens after working in weather for a while.
In other news, I learned that some local tribes called the Pilgrims "cutthroats" because of a devestating preemptive strike they made against a few native leaders that were plotting to attack them. And Squanto was a machiavellian strategist that was likely poisoned for trying to sow discontent between the Pilgrims and the tribal leader with whom they were allied. Teach that in school.

Everytime I read about a bombing in a market or some such thing I'm reminded why I'm here to do my little part. It does feel better to be deployed and here about it, knowing that we are doing something about rather than impotent feeling I get at home when I hear about these things.
I don't think you can ever stop every act of mass murder, but you can't stop trying either.

Interactive

As promised, today's post will be interactive.
We begin with a letter from my neighbor:
"Dear XXXX,
Hi! How are you. I am fine. I wrote a haiku that I am sending to you. This weekend we had spring fling at school. I dunked my principal when he was in the dunk tank. O [sister] and me both won cakes but we forgot them at the spring fling."

And the Haiku:
THE WORLD
The world is so big
From Brazil to Botswana
To Barcelona

I am doing well, thanks for asking. Thank you for the letter. I know that your mother is checking this periodically, so I hope she tells you that I really enjoyed and appreciated your letter. I'm sorry you forgot your cakes. I heard you got to test the batch of cookies that were sent to me so I hope that helped take their place.

From JK:
"Dear xxx
There's a stomic virus at my school at first 35 kids went home 5 kids went to the hostpitle S got sik too.
I'm playing baseball I have a game on Sunday me and JY are on the cardinals are game on Sunday is at 2:30.
From JK

P.S hows the food there."

Well my friend, the food got much better with the package. Jerky is good. Cookies are good. And the rest of my food issues are slowly but surely being resolved. I hope everyone is feeling better and that the game went well.

From JY (JK's twin brother):
"Hi XXX
I hope you are making friends with the other solders.
From JY"

That was a very nice thing to say. I am meeting lots of interesting people and the community being what it is, I'm sure to run in to some of them in the future. I'm looking forward to meeting someone on the street and when my wife asks where we met, we'll look sheepish for a moment before saying that we worked together, and the awkward moment will make it clear that it was over here, where ever here may be.

From S (JK and JY's older brother)
"Hi XXX
How are you? Are you in Iraq now? I hope you do a good job wherever you are. When are you coming back? Are you in a combat unit? Right now I have the stomach flu. We all aren't going to school today.
From S"

We'll stick with "wherever" for my location. I can't even tell my wife or my parents. Sorry. My parents know when I'm coming back but I'm not really supposed to talk about that kind of information. My work is at a desk. Not exciting but needs to be done. There won't be any movies about what I do, but it has its impacts on mission success.
Think of it like your mom's baking. If the baker were the combat unit and the Babka the mission, someone had to make all the ingredients so that your mom could get them and do her magic. Someone had to make the oven. Other people had to make all the pieces and utensils that your mom used to make the Babka. The comparison isn't perfect, but if the combat mission is like baking, I make one of the ingredients.
I hope your stomack is feeling better. I heard about it from your brother. Sick days are never fun. You're home, but can't enjoy it, a waste of a day off. It's like when it snows on the weekend.

I hope you guys don't mind that I posted your letters. They were great and I wanted to share them and answer them.
I also highly recommend Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. I just got it in the package and it is an interesting read.