Where We Pick Up Your Trash

"Welcome to VBC CST, where we pick up your trash" or so goes the handwritten note scribbled atop the mouse pad at my desk.

Below is a picture from the staging lanes where I work.



As that message would indicate, one of the many tasks I have here is picking up the trash that convoys leave behind in our staging yard. In only a few short weeks here, I've come to realize how truly disgusting some people can be. I won't go into too much detail, but lets just say I've found bottles full of, uhmm, well. . .bodily discharges that I really don't care to deal with. I suppose that's how I really EARN my pay here.

A new kind of post

Well, I've decided that I'm going to try and update the blog as often as possible, now that I have a little more free time with my new job. So, this begins a new life for the blog, known as the "Picture of the Day" feature. As often as possible, I'm going to post a picture, and then describe the significance of it, and also give a little update about what's going on in my life. . .so, without any further waiting, here goes.


Posted above is a picture of my new workstation. As you can see, there is quite a bit going on here, so, I'll try and explain a little bit about what's going on. On the right hand side, you can see the green monitor. That monitor is attached to the "NIPR" computer. This computer is used to access, process, and store unclassified information. The computer on the left is the "SIPR" which, has access to the SIPRnet . A network used for accessing classified information. And no. . .you can't see anything classified in the pictures :-) On the far left . . . . .well, that's my personal computer. Have to have something to do when I get bored, right?

Well, that's what my office looks like at 4 in the morning. Until the next time. . .

Forty Hours

Forty hours ago, in the middle of a heavy rain storm, my ride north pulled in to the Victory Base Complex staging yard, signaling that I was finally at the end of my journey. The ride north was nothing, if uneventful.

After arriving in the staging lanes, I inspected all of my baggage, which rode outside of the vehicles throughout the rainstorm. Luckily for me, most of my electronics remained dry. Some of my clothes were a little damp, but nothing that a little airing out wouldn't fix. After unpacking and cleaning, I was given the day off to rest and prepare for the long day ahead. My shift was to begin at 6:30 AM and run until 6:30 PM. This means that I will be working 12 hours per day at least six days per week. Many weeks, It is quite likely that I will be working seven days per week. For those of you who are not math geniuses, that means I will be working anywhere from 72-84 hours per week. That is twice most American's normal work week.

Despite the long days, I think I will enjoy this position significantly more than my last job. Posted here are a few pictures of my new home and job.

Mud Pit

Last night, I saw my first true rain storm in almost four months. I swore to myself after Camp Atterbury, I didn't want to see another drop of rain, and for awhile, I had my wish. Back to last night . . . Driving North to Baghdad, it was quite a sight to see! Lightning lit up the northern sky, and it had already rained a few inches farther south. Anywhere there was but a speck of mud turned into a mud pit. It's definitely going to take at least an hour to wash all of it off of my truck! (Pictures to follow!)

The rain marks a changing of the seasons. Fall, and to a greater extent, Winter has arrived. Winter is the real rainy season here in Iraq, and for the next few months, this country will be a giant mud pit. By the end of March, I'm sure everything I own will be, to some extent, covered in mud. Well, that's all I really have for now. I'll definitely update more when I get back to Kuwait!

By the way, for those who are interested, only 45 more days until leave! That means I only have a few more missions before I get to go home! :-)

The Range

I've been procrastinating when it comes to making another post. It seems the internet here isn't too fond of you trying to upload pictures. Uploading can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour just to get a few pictures up, depending on how many people are on, and how many times it wants to turn you down.

That being said, here are a few pictures from our trip to the range here in Kuwait. We learned quite a bit about about our weapons, and we also did convoy training. We did all of our training in the mornings and into the afternoons, starting out with a wake-up at 3:00AM. Adding insult to injury, the temperatures during the day easily exceeded 120 degrees, with winds over 20mph blowing constantly. This turned the range area, and to a greater extent, most of Kuwait, into a huge sandblaster.

Below are a series of pictures showing what the range facilities were like for us.

For the three nights we were there, this was our sleeping arrangement. The Hilton, it was not, but it was air conditioned and that was all that mattered at the end of the day for us.



Just a picture from outside of a tent. The area around us looks mostly like this, but more barren if you can believe it.



Convoy training



This is Wasson, A.K.A. the "Combat Wombat." He was our driver for the convoy training.

Getting geared up and ready to roll out on our convoy training mission

That's not a comprehensive group of pictures, but it's the best I was able to upload in any reasonable amount of time. I hope to have another one up again within a week. We finally start doing missions soon, so there should be interesting pictures from all over. Until then . . .