Roughing it, Part 2...

I hope you read the first part of this little series, because I want to now show you where I worked when I was on my first tour in Iraq.  This is the Al Faw Palace.  You can find a lot more about this place on Google, but here are some things you might not see in those accounts.

My office area was in the basement area.  When the US forces hit this palace, they also took out the electricity generating facility just on the other side of the lake.  A couple of well placed smart bombs took out one of the access bridges.  It was hoped that by doing this, it would cut off Sadam's avenue of escape.  By taking out the bridge and the electric conduits attached to it, they also took out all of the electricity to the palace.  The problem with that was the whole thing was built on hard rock which required pumps to take sewage from there to the leach fields.  Therefore, all the sewage just drained down into holding tanks below the basement level.  Eventually this began to fill up and smell real bad.  We had generator systems installed to run the palace, but the workings of two major military headquarters required more than the generators could consistently produce.  Therefore, we had random brown outs (in more than one way). 

There was also lots of battle damage -- windows gone, but covered with plastic; walls with big holes in them; structures which were not sound, which often led to wall and/or ceiling collapses.  Crews worked on the place all the time, but progress was slow.  With all the damage, sand entering the building was a constant problem for the electronics.  Rain was also a problem because mold started to take over -- especially behind and between the fake walls.

But eventually things got repaired and the palace began to take on the appearance of splendor it once knew.  Some of the pictures I took show some of the finer parts of the place.

This picture was taken in 2005, just before a change of command.  I was with a PAO guy when a number of people were taking this shot. 

This was the front door to the "Office."  This entry way was probably 45-50 feet tall.  This was to impress visitors.

You have probably seen this grand entry hall in news coverage.  Politicians usually addressed troops here, and all the changes of command are held here.  This area is 3 stories tall.  This is the area that visitors would see after coming through the grand doors of the main entrance.

Here I am sitting in "Sadam's Chair."  Everyone who ever served in this area had their picture taken in this chair.  Sometimes when I would be going in the building, there would be some troops from outlying areas wanting to get in to see the place.  I would usually escort some of them and make sure they got their picture here.  Gave them something to talk about when they got home.   I'm not sure what the words are at the top of the chair.  I just hope they don't say that the fleas of a thousand camels will invade the armpits of anyone but Sadam who might dare to sit in this chair.

This was really quite a place.  "The Water Palace" as it was also known, along with all of the complex which surrounded it, was quite a place.  But this was only one of the many palaces he had. 


I guess, as far as office cubicles go, this was OK.  It was kinda funny having to put your keyboard in a giant baggie each day if you left the area.  We sure went through a lot of monitors and processors though. 

As I look back on this place, it sure was beautiful on the surface...like a lot of his empire.  But behind all the marble, and gold leaf paint, things were not solid.  Lots of things didn't work ... some probably weren't supposed to.  They were just for show.

Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount.  (Winston Churchill) 

Hooah

Roughing it, Part 1 ...

As I sit in the "Pentagon" (a corner room in our house with five walls all made of windows) in the mornings and drink my coffee, I often turn on the TV and watch some morning news.  It seems there is a lot of stuff on these days relating to the Middle East.  Also, when they show the peoples' houses, I often think back to those I saw in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Their style of architecture is so much different from ours, or , for that matter, from most everywhere in the rest of the world.  They use lots of tiles and marble, lots of real dark woods for accent pieces, and other little differences, like not having wood framing around doors or windows.  I recall seeing lots of places where they take the wall tiles right up to the windows or doors. Not that that is bad, just different.

Anyway, I also can't help but think back to the times I stayed in some of the "Guest Houses" at Sadam's Palace.  In my first tour, I stayed there for one night (then got moved to a tent).  It was pretty badly beat up.  It seems a few rounds found their way there and most of it was pretty well blown up.  However, that didn't last long.  The US Forces decided that was where they were going to house their 4-star commander and his staff, and it would also serve as temporary housing for other General Officers.  Needless to say, it got restored quickly.

These pictures show it after the restorations (2005).  A couple of my guys and I were here for a couple of weeks before "heading out" to the base camps.  One of the guys was an E-6 at the time, and had never seen anything like this before.  Most people have never seen anything like this before.  And now he was staying here -- the Hunting Lodge of Sadam.  Needless to say, he was like a kid at Christmas, looking all around the place, into every room and at all the very nice things in each of the rooms.  He said he was particularly impressed with being able to sleep in this bed.

As I would sit up some at night, reviewing materials for the next day, I would sometimes just sit back and wonder who slept here during Sadam's time.  Who met in these rooms, ate breakfast here, who sat around the fireplace and just chatted with him.  I know he was a bad guy and so were most of the people who might have been in this building, but it's interesting to just wonder about them...and how they went so wrong.

A man that values his privileges above his principles soon loses both. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Hooah

Looking forward to the next phase of our lives...

My beautiful bride says she is finally going to retire this May.  We turned 62 last year and she figured now was a good time to hang it up and see if she could put up with me full time for the next 20-30 years. 

We've been putting together a list of things we want to do when both of us are retired.  It seems the travel category has the most entries under it.  I still want to see the mountains in Montana (in the summer preferably) and fly fish in one of the rivers there.  Pam went there on a mission trip once and brought back some beautiful pictures.  What a glorious creation.

I also want to see the Grand Canyon.  Only, I want to see it at night, under a full moon.  I read somewhere about a man who stood on one of the canyon trails looking over the sides.  He said the moon brought out a color that was beyond description.  I also want to take a train across the US northern states and up to Alaska.  Don't want much do I.


Another of the items on our list is a tour through the New England states in the fall, when all the leaves are turning.  I also wouldn't mind staying at Bob Newhart's Inn, wherever that is.  We went on a short vacation with Doug and Danika once at Lake George, and drove up through Vermont.  We also had a really fun time with them in Maine (But that's another story).  These were very nice.  Maybe we'll do more vacationing with them and Quinn.



And I know you are not supposed to go back to places once you've been there, but I would like to go back to Door County, Wisconsin again.  That was such a beautiful, relaxing area.  It met all the requirements for us:  woods/forests, water (lakes or oceans), good eating, beautiful little towns, and friendly people. 

People always ask me what we'll do once Pam retires, and I tell them about my list.  They always come back with the comment, "Oh, your Bucket list."  I don't know why everyone thinks you're making up a "do-before-you-die" list, a.k.a. "Bucket list."  Sometimes, there are just lists of things you want to do or want to see, just because they are there.  Sometimes just the act of creating a list -- a string of things that might otherwise trigger old memories -- keeps you motivated.  Keeps you believing you're still young enough to do these things, and interesting enough that someone wants to share your company on those long drives.

She glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes.  (Frank Deford)

Hooah

Bananas and hard boiled eggs...

I was sitting here rolling through the dial on the ham radio, looking for a contact, when I grabbed for a piece of paper to jot down a frequency.  Turns out I just happened to grab a sheet of scrap paper with a list I had made of possible blog topics.  I made this list a while ago, and found there were several topics I had not crossed off yet.  One of them was the old "bananas and hard boiled eggs" story.  I hope I haven't told you this one yet, but it seems so familiar.  I'll cross it off when I finish.

I think this was back in the days of the old 447th, when I was a company commander.  I used to take the troops out to the field all the time.  Couldn't stand being in an office or being a garrison troop all the time, so we packed up the jeeps and lit out for the hills.  At that time, one of the areas we had for training was over in the Cambridge area, in a strip mine which had long since been abandoned by the work crews and left to Nature's devices.  It was perfect for our training needs.

Well, this one time, we got over there and it was a bit cold.  We could have had some snow, but instead we got rain.  Not just your ordinary "namby-pamby" rain, but a real downpour ... all evening and through the night.  Well, we weren't going to let that stop our training, afterall, our motto was "train as you fight."  So if we were ever going to have to fight as a bunch soaked dogs, we had better train how to be a soaked dog. 

The first problem of the night was almost a show stopper.  It seems our supply sergeant forget the keys to the arms racks.  You see, in those days, the Army gave us weapons, but didn't trust us to travel with them or carry them around, so we had to keep them chained up except when we were actually training.  Well, after a hurried training meeting, we dispatched the supply sergeant to Columbus to get the keys, and decided to do some land navigation training until he got back some time that night.  We were here and, "doggoneit" (if you are an Army person, you can supply a more familiar word here) we were going to train. 

The supply sergeant got back to the site a little after 0100 hrs. and we got the weapons issued.  The next day's training went pretty well, and we were almost getting used to our wet clothes and sleeping gear.  We trained up till about midnight on Saturday, because we had a good drive back ahead of us in the morning and I didn't want the drivers to fall asleep enroute. 

Well, we got everyone up Sunday morning.  Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you -- the rains came back during the night and it was still raining when we got up.  Fortunately, the cooks had the mess tent up and we could count on a hot breakfast.  At least we thought we could count on a hot breakfast.

It seems the cooks decided to stay up half the night in their dry tent and play cards.  Naturally they all overslept and as the troops lined up to get something to eat, the First Sergeant called me over to the tent.  Well, I went over with my mess kit and stood in front of the mess sergeant, expecting some eggs and bacon.  Instead, I happened to get a banana and a hard boiled egg.  And at the same time, the rain flap over the front of the tent got some slack in it and at least a couple of cups of rain water poured down on the two main course items creating a soupy banana/hard boiled egg mess.  I looked at it, and then at the mess sergeant, dropped the kit's contents on the table, and walked away.  As I turned the corner, I think I saw the First Sergeant reaching for his side arm.  I didn't think he was going to kill him, maybe just wing 'em.  But I didn't stay there because I didn't want to have to testify.  Besides, I was afraid the sight of that flesh might cause a stampede among the still hungry troops.

Well, when we got back to Columbus, the First Sergeant asked me if I wanted to fire them.  I said they worked for him, and let him have at them.  That was the last time I saw any of them, but it wasn't the last time I or the First Sergeant heard about it from the troops. 

Now that LOTS of time has come between me and that incident, I can laugh a bit about it.  In fact, when some of us get together for a round of golf, we often stop at the concession stand between nines for a "banana and a hard boiled egg."  I was so angry at the time, but now see that and my reactions as a part of a maturation process that I couldn't have gotten any place else.  What is that saying:  "That which doesn't kill you only serves to make you stronger."

Everybody needs his memories.  They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.  (Saul Bellow)

Hooah

Man Trip 3, Part 2...

It's kinda funny -- sitting here typing up this entry, watching my short-lived tan fade away.  Those three days of golfing in the warm sun gave me a touch of color, but it's fading away about as quickly as the memory of that 40-foot putt I made for a lucky first birdie of the year.

But enough of that.  Let's get back to the matter at hand...GOLF and beautiful courses.

You know, when you have played this game as long as I have (I started in high school in 1963), you know your game is what it is so you take everything in stride.  I haven't thrown a club in years, and I don't even swear any more when I hit a bad shot. I shoot within a couple of strokes of bogey golf (+/-)  and that's OK with me.  If I hit a shot badly but it comes out OK, I simply say, "That worked out well."  Most of the time, I'm just glad to be out there.  These days, I spend a good bit more time on the course just noticing "things."

Some of the things I noticed when playing these courses are the following:

1) I like a course layout that has each hole being its own self.  You don't see or hear other players when you are on a hole.  The sides are lined with tall pine trees and there are shorter hardwood trees under them.  Sometimes, if it is a really nice course, there will be flowers and flowering bushes in under the trees.  It really is hard to get angry at a game when there is such beauty around.  Of course, sometimes, it's also hard to concentrate too.

2)  I don't think I could afford to belong to a course that has actual concrete cart paths all along the course.  I've played lots of them with bark chip paths for the carts, and lots of them with gravel.  I've even played lots with asphalt paths.  But I can't really imagine how much it cost to put real concrete drives in.  I know how much it costs to do a driveway.

3)  It seems that lots of courses now have golf carts that have GPS systems built in.  That's really nice, especially when you are not familiar with the course.  There are lots of hidden dangers out there on courses these days, and it's good to know distances too.  However, one thing I don't like is that thing busting my chops about taking a cart off the path, or playing too slowly (partly because the locals up ahead of us were playing very slowly).  The carts should be helpful, not beeping and flashing out messages to me.It should not be another version of "big brother."  Remember, I know how to turn you off!! Also, they should actually work and should be accurate.

One of my shots landed about a foot from the green -- in the pond.

4)  Each hole should be a surprise, different from the one before it and from the one following it.  A golf hole should be like the little old lady who gave me my first flight test and said  "Let's have at it.  It's OK to surprise me, just don't scare me to death."  Each hole should present a different visual bouquet for the golfer -- whether it is a long hole with elevation changes and a challenging approach, or a hole with a beautiful lake by the green and maybe an accompanying waterfall.  I even like it when there are visits by wildlife (deer, rabbits, birds), just checking on my game.  I used to tell students in my English classes that their papers should make me think about what they said, and I should be able to remember something of their paper after having graded all of them.  That's how they would get a good grade. The same is true for golf holes and golf courses.
 

Click on this twice to see whole thing.

5)  While I also think a course should present lots of surprises, it should also come as advertised.  The Traditions was advertised as having "very tight fairways."  So I had to take this picture of a maintenance path off to the left of the 18th hole.  I was going to try to tell you that that was the fairway, but I know you wouldn't believe it.  I did, however, tee one up and try to hit it through there.  I choked down on the 3-wood and whacked away.  It was actually one of the straightest shots I hit all day and got clear down to that last tree near the end when it hit a limb. Somewhere in there is a Callaway War Bird with 3 dots on it. 

6)  One last thing I have noticed over the years -- if a course is really that interesting, it should be played again, and soon.  Having said that, we decided to forego the Ohio State first round game that was coming up that afternoon and play 9 more holes.  The guy in the pro shop said we could go again for $10 so we decided to have at it.  Besides, the Buckeyes would, in all likelihood, be playing again in a couple of days.  And in a couple of more days, we might be back in snow in Ohio.

Golf gives you an insight into human nature, your own as well as your opponent's.  (Grantland Rice)

Hooah

Man Trip 3, Part 1...

When you are a kid, and some times even after that, you watch the calendar in December and cross off the days until that big one comes -- Christmas.  Well, in the case of six 60-year-olds (or more), we kept watching the calendar and the weather forecast this past month.  It was time for the man trip and we were going to play golf, regardless of the weather.  Only, it would have been nicer if the weather would cooperate this year.  Well, for the two weeks leading up to our reserved dates, the weather site showed three big yellow balls of sunshine in the sky with temperatures predicted to be in the 70s-80s.  What a deal!!  This had been a rather crummy winter and wasn't giving up without a fight, so the prospect of three days of nice golf weather was almost too much to expect. 

Well, we drove down to Charlotte, NC on a rain-filled day with visions of pars and birdies dancing in our heads. Since we had had cool weather the last two trips, I figured if we went about an hour or so more south, we would stand a better chance of getting some better days.  It paid off in spades! We could not have asked for better weather.  The fairways were still brown (dormant grasses), but the courses were beautiful.  We played Birkdale, Tradition, and Skybrook on the Carolina Trail.  All three courses were very nice, each offering different amenities and challenges.  The hotel we were in was also very nice, and the Charlotte area was crisp and clean, with flowers starting to bloom and trees budding.  There was also the excitement of an NCAA regional tournament in the air with both Duke and North Carolina playing just down the road.

Dave and Chuck went again, but we had some new guys with us this time.  I invited my brother, Walt, and a couple of his friends -- John and Dennis-- to go so we had two threesomes.  I think everyone played pretty well for being the first time this year.

 Walt, Dennis and John take the game more seriously than Chuck, Dave and I do.  Maybe that's because they are better at it than we are. 

I have to admit, I am still not used to playing on the grass they had at the Birkdale course.  The ball would land and settle down in the grasses and I find it difficult to hit out of there.  Also, the greens were actually in pretty poor shape.  They had several different kinds of grasses growing on them, and you never got a good putt all the way to the hole.  I know -- whine, whine.  The course got good marks on design and layout, but would have been better in about a month. 

I really liked the other two courses.  I think the Tradition was the best of the three.  I really liked the way each hole was its own, separated by pine trees and woods.  Lots of really nice holes and lots of elevation changes.  Most were pretty long, and made you think about how you wanted to play a shot.  I just really enjoy that kind of course more than one with houses lining the fairways.  Those are just more obstacles to hit as far as I'm concerned (and yes, I did hit one -- no damage though).

For an Ohioan, a sunny, warm day on the golf course in North Carolina in March is Nature's way of saying, "Enjoy yourself; hit 'em straight."

 Hooah

Never do battle with a snow plow...

This winter has been one for the books.  But I think I'm old enough to say that this is just an old fashioned winter.  We used to get these kinds of snow storms and ice storms all the time in Zanesville where we grew up.  We lived down at the bottom of a BIG hill, at the end of the road, in the woods.  Just a turn-around at the end of our driveway.  The snow plow usually stopped at the top of the hill cause he figured no one lived down there.  I don't know how he would know -- never came to see.  Anyhow, it seems we were always trying to get the car up the hill, pushing, digging, pushing some more, spinning tires.  Dad would sometimes park the car at the top of the hill if there was a forecast of a big snow overnight.  Got pretty cold walking up that hill at 6:00 so we could ride to school with him on his way to work. And the stories he always told about walking up hill, 5 miles in the snow to school each day -- both ways -- always made us feel a bit wimpish when we finally got to the car and it wouldn't warm up for about 10 min. or so.   If we had to take the bus, we had to walk about 2 miles thru the snow out to Dresden Road (the main road there) and we had to be there by 6:45. 

Anyway, now back to the present.  McCartyville Road usually gets hit pretty hard in the winter.  Not only does it snow quite a bit here, but the wind (the same wind I have mentioned several times in these articles) seems to delight in piling up 5-6 foot drifts all along the road.  Hoying Road isn't any better.  There's one place where the wind piles drifts up taller than the truck.

Sure looks cold !!

Well, it seems that the last ice storm was a real bad one.  Really hard to remove.  The roads were really bad and the snow plows had their work cut out for them.  One day, the driver got a running start and came down the road, throwing ice and snow everywhere.  Trouble was, the wave of ice smacked up against our mailbox and snapped it off at the ground.  Didn't hurt the box any, just snapped it off.  I've seen others hit by that kind of mess that looked like a handful of cherry bombs were set off inside.  Poor box just lay there.  That also necessitated my going to the Anna post office every day to get mail.

Well, I called the county engineer and told them about it.  My neighbors and everyone at Pam's work said I was just out of luck -- they wouldn't do anything about it.  Wrong-O!  The lady at the engineer's office said they would have a crew come out and fix it.  They would have replaced the box one time too.  I told her the box was fine, but the ground was still frozen and I couldn't get a post hole digger in the ground.

They came out on schedule and we scraped away at the snow, trying to find where the box had originally been.  We made a good guess and they tried to dig a hole, only to find out that I was right.  A couple of days later, a crew came out with a big blow-torch type thing and fired up the ground. They also added this red construction barrel for the temporary box.  Let me tell you -- I was the envy of the whole neighborhood!!!!  Nobody else had one of these.  The only thing that would have made it better was some yellow POLICE LINE tape. 

Well, they got it all put back together and I'm back in business. Seems that if I had lived on Turtlecreek Road (a road plowed by the township) I would have been on my own.  But since I live on McCartyville Road (one done by the county) I was in luck. 

Oh, by the way, we had another big ice and snow storm a week later and I drove down McCartyville Road.  Saw three boxes down from that one.  Guess that just affirms that next year I will put up one of those board things on the "target" side of the mail box to take the blow from the flying snow.

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned from this experience:  Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.

Hooah