Make Mine a Frappe Latte FuFu.
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Radar had his rabbits. Hawkeye had his still. Col. Potter had his horse. Hot Lips had her, well, hot lips. "MASH" has some similarities to the craziness that goes on around here, like how we find "special projects" here to occupy our time. Some of them are Military related and some, not so much. One of my "special projects" here has been an espresso /cappuccino machine. It has been referred to by some as the "Frappe Latte FuFu Coffee Maker." Having been a coffee connoisseur for many years, this was an absolute must.
As an aficionado of the bean and seeing a first class machine in our camp's new $11,000,000.00 double-wide dining faculty, I was delighted to see that we would soon be getting some decent coffee at the chow hall. I should point out that for $11,000,000.00 of taxpayer dollars it is more than just a double-wide trailer. It is 8 double-wide trailers put together, with no kitchen or bathrooms. Most of the food is cooked at another facility and trucked here to be served to us, although things like hamburgers and hotdogs are cooked on one of two grills.
When I first started here, I was told that construction of the new chow hall would be forthcoming. On a tour of the facility as it was nearing completion I saw my prize: abrand new espresso machine sitting on a table. I made a comment to one of the KBR supervisors that it was great to see that in the newdining facility and it would be nice to get a good cup of coffee. He commented that no one knew how to work the machine so that might present the biggest challenge. I went to see the manger of the new place and told her that I could get it going once it was hooked up to power and water. She told me that would be great and so I had to find out all I could about the machine. I went to write down the make and model number. However, my pen was broken so I took outmy digital camera and snapped a couple of close-up pictures.
Back at my office, I downloaded the picture and set off researching the machine. After a couple of email's and phone calls to Henry's coffee in Lawrence and PT's coffee in Topeka, instructions and recipes were in my email inbox. All I had to do now was wait for KBR to finish construction of the chow hall and install the espresso machine KBR is short for Kellogg, Brown and Root, the former subsidiary of Halliburton Corporation, I was disappointed on the opening day when I went in and the machine had notbeen installed yet. Having told several of the guys here that it was part of the package and that I would be able to train the chow hall workers on its operation, I was being asked by many people when it would be installed. I kept asking many of the KBR mangers about the installation for several weeks with no good answer. After a few weeks of this, the Sergeant Major of the camp asked me about it. I told him that the machine was MIA and I suspected that it had been installed in the KBR headquarters or one of the many General's peckernats (the people who follow him around doing whatever they think he may want) had taken it for their boss. I told him that sucked because that was approximately a $7,000.00 machine included in the $11,000,000.00 price tag for the chow hall.
It helps to have the Sergeant Major on your side in such important matters of war like this. I created "Missing" posters with the picture I taken and emailed some of the KBR workers with the attached picture asking about it whereabouts. Whenever I ran into the Sergeant Major, he commented that he had brought it up at whatever meeting he had just attended. After about a month the "mystery machine" reappeared and was hooked up and ready to go. After several sessions of barista training for the chow hall crew, I can now get my Frappe Latte FuFu Coffee with many thanks to the US taxpayers. When I think about the cost of this thing I sometimes wonder how far the City of Lawrence could stretch that amount of money and the good it could do, I am sure it would fund 3 or 4 more round-a-bouts.
"The Bill of Rights says we have a right to write... Or am I wrong?" Hawkeye from a 1972 "M
ASH"episode. [1]: http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/b...
T-walls, Trailer Parks and Desert Dust.
![][1] When I first arrived in Iraq on my first tour I expected something more akin to the set of "Lawrence of Arabia", or other Hollywood movies I had seen over the years. I have yet to see areas such as that in the Iraq, the only camels I have seen have been in the southern Arab countries like Kuwait and Qatar. The most striking thing I noticed is the sand or lack thereof. Although it is a dessert, there is more vegetation than I expected and a lot of brown dirt. The "sand" is the consistency of talcum or baby power. Dust/sandstorms are a common occurrence. One of the first things you notice when arriving in Iraq is how dirty, trashy, dusty and brown everything is. Dust/sandstorms are a common occurrence. At times the breeze, if there is one, is like a hot hair dryer or heat gun blowing you entire body with talcum powdered dirt. The dust permeates everything; there is nothing to keep it out of everything you own. Extra large zip lock bags work for something's, however they don't stop it all the dust. Prior to this tour I purchased the most inexpensive laptop computer for use here, as I doubt that it will last much beyond this tour. ![][2] The other things that are so prevalent are the t-walls and trailer parks that are every place. What is a t-wall you may ask? T-walls are a somewhat generic term for concrete barriers. They come in many size's, however the most common one I see is about 12 -15 feet tall by 6 feet; sort of an inverted T so that the wider part sits on the ground. The walls surround the entire complex and most every building in Iraq has t-walls around them unless the buildings are hardened by design. Given the fact that this Victory Base Complex is approximately the size of Lawrence, perhaps you could understand that the entire town would be surrounded by walls. Most all of the major roads in the complex have t-walls running down one or both sides. Given a cost of $500.00 to well over $1,000.00 each depending on size and manufacturer, this may give you an idea of the expense of the walls.The walls do serve important functions: they stop virtually all small arms fire, provide protection for mortar and rocket attacks and IED blasts. The walls direct and divert traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. ![][3] They also block lines of sight from the "Bad Guys" But in my mind not all is good with these walls. It's like not being able to see the forest for the tree. They create a vast gridlock that backs up traffic for miles. It's like being a rat in a maze. My biggest complaint about these walls is what they do to the sounds of the place; they distort the direction that sounds come from. When you live in an area where gunfire is common, I consider that complaint an important one. While sitting outside the back of our barracks shortly before I went home on leave, one of the guys in my unit asked what some of my plans were. I responded that it was going to be nice to sit in my back yard and not hear gunfire. None the less, there a convoys of t-wall which arrive daily? Companies also make them here on the spot. They remain in high demand. ![][4] But what about what goes on in and around those walls. There are still some remaining buildings remaining from Saddam's regime. In an area about the size of the main KU campus, there are about as many large building as on the main campus. Many of them do have serious structural issues due largely to our Air Force that doesn't often miss their target. The remaining usable buildings are occupied as use for offices, living quarters etc. Those few useable buildings leave an enormous need for additional space. By and large we need more for additional office, living and. ![][5] The space has been filled by trailer parks, surrounded of course by t-walls. While there are many other permanent buildings that have been constructed or repaired, they are vastly outnumbered by the trailers. On my last tour after a few months, we moved into sleeping rooms in a trailer park with two guys to a room. The trailers were about 40 feet long divided into three rooms. The bathrooms and showers were about a block away; they were trailers also. We do have lots of porta-johns for support. These trailers haven't changed much in the couple of years I was gone, except now there are now 3 -4 people in the same space. That is a quick view of the surroundings I live in. [1]: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/2... [2]: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/2... [3]: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/2... [4]: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/2... [5]: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2...
Back to Baghdad.
The last week or so has been a blur. Almost 4 days in airplanes and airports to get back to Baghdad. I expected the typical "hurry up and wait" from the military, unfortunately I was right. Two days were for cancelled, delayed and weather related issues for American Airlines. It seems strange that the military flights were on time more than a commercial carrier. I wasn't able to sleep much on the flights, and hardly at all during the time I spent on the ground waiting for the next plane ride. If you are not at a roll call or don't speak up when your name is called, you are bumped from that plane; that among other things caused one heck of a jet lag for me. I tried to write a blog entry along the way, however when I reread it, it looked like something a second grader might have tried to write. What seemed logical in my sleep deprived mind at the time was more of a random assortment of words. That said, I have finally been able to get back in the flow of things here and adjusted to the time differences. I will be posting more soon.
Living the Legacy of Abu Ghraib
Unlike Fort Leavenworth or Fort Riley there are no "Welcome to Camp Cropper" signs to leading you to this tiny little part of the Victory Base complex, I doubt if many of the GI's on this Bagdad complex could tell you how to get there. Welcome to my world. Camp Cropper is the replacement for Abu Ghraib, the "Theater Interment Facility" that now houses "Detainee's". Most folks in Kansas might call it a prison and its prisoners POW's. In this war with all its political correctness and Geneva conventions we are not allowed to call them by those names. Although it is small, about the size of the Prairie Park Nature Center in an area the size of Lawrence, it is a hub of activity for thousands of people. VIP visits seem are the norm here; media, all manner of Politicos, military and civilian dignitaries visit this place at a dizzying pace. How I arrived at my job is something of a mystery to me. I was attempting to transfer to a different guard unit because of a job change when I was informed that my unit was being mobilized for duty to Iraq. At first I assumed (incorrectly) that those who had been on a previous deployment less than two years ago would not be going. I was wrong. I am stationed in Baghdad. During most of the pre-deployment training it was assumed that I would be going with my unit as a supply troop and would be responsible for things like getting spare parts for the fix it guys. I was sent to school to learn new computer systems and many things about how to get my job done. On my first trip to Iraq, I was one of the many Kansas troops who set up a resupply yard in Balad. So, I knew something about that job before getting there. As the training progressed, it became less clear what my job or where I would be. In the end I was sent with the headquarters unit to Camp Cropper as one of many who work as part of the command cell. My job could be compared to a project manager position helping oversee the enormous amount of construction projects, except I carry a gun. Mundane, redundant meetings and paper work are part of the job; however, I do get to spend a considerable amount of time visiting the other camps that comprise the Victory Base Complex. My job affords me an opportunity to work and interact with many people from all over the world. This is what makes my job interesting. While home on Rest and Relaxation Leave, I have been talking with friends and acquaintances about this blog and have been given many ideas about what people want to hear my perspective on. Given the sensitivity of the place I work, there are some things I will not discuss. I am open to topics others would like to hear about. Feel free to post your suggestions in the comments...
Hello, and welcome to my new blog
This is my first time writing a blog however I am going to attempt to document some of the things that I see and do in Bagdad Iraq. This is my second Iraq tour with the Kansas Army Guard. I previously have spent one year before north of Baghdad in Balad Iraq in 2004-05. While home on leave right now I randomly ran into the guys at Lawrence.com who thought it might be interesting for me to blog as I can about some of the daily things that go on around Baghdad. I should mention that this blog is my thoughts only and not representing the Army or any government agencies.
