danausmc
01-01-2007, 06:33 PM
From our Littleton Colorado Outpost Leader who is in Iraq....
The holiday morning scene: I walk the several paces from my humble can-dominium to the office under the crescent moon. It's dark and quiet-no one else is here. I check my messages-no emergencies-just some great pictures from my son, Jerry, of the family in Washington. I read the Christmas story out of Luke with a little Messiah playing in the background. Then it's time for some coffee and a little breakfast. This past weekend was very rainy as a front passed. Now the sky is clear and blue. It's chilly.
I walk to the DFAC alone and notice that there's extra security around the DFAC after yesterday's bomb scare-a K-9 trained to detect explosives alerted and we spent an hour standing around across the street after evacuating our office-living complex. Monday has a very cool, quiet pre-dawn moment as the guard and I nod and wave at one another. I round the Colorado walls (another story) and head for the ID check point. Suddenly, a sergeant with slung M16 breaks out in a huge smile as he bolts forward yelling, "It's Santa!" He's embracing me in a heartbeat and all of us are smiling and laughing. A Christmas memory of the best kind-see the photo.
Lonely, yes, a little bit. However, I have my team mates and we cope with it. I dropped over and wished my KBR contractor counterparts a "Merry" one-see pix. Quiet is today's byword. The anticipated rumblings from across the wall didn't materialize. Maybe they all were tuned in to the 24 hours of Christmas on AFN and feelin' the Peace on Earth and Good Will to All Men (Armed Forces Network-yes, the same folks that brought us Chicken Man almost 30 years ago. Their "commercials" are still just as hokey.)
I tuned the wire antenna after a spectacular lunch and tried to break through the piie-up to reach a strong Bavarian station with no luck. (Last Night it was a Serbian station, which was celebrating the 150th anniversary of Serbia-no luck there either. After spending a tour in Kosovo, I was a little conflicted going after this one. My kingdom for a tower and a beam.) Oh, I have made some contacts-Austria, Italy, Spain and the Ukraine. That's what keeps it fun.
As you can see, we all made it through the day. I am grateful for your support for Barb and I. Keep praying for the safety of our troops and those that serve them. Sugar plum fairies come on down for part deux!
Merry Christmas every one from Baghdad 2006.
For a second time-sorry-muscle memory isn't always a good thing-most pix are self explanatory-YI9TRK-home, sweet container, the antenna marks the spot behind the T-walls. At least I get to correct an address...
Greetings and a Merry Christmas from Baghdad,
It's Christmas time. On a clear and very cool morning here in the Cradle of Civilization I am struck by the dichotomy of my situation. Here I am in this historic place, which many historians theorize was the birthplace of mankind-society. Camp Victory would be the Littleton of Baghdad-it's that close and that far away at the same time. The perimeter is a very short distance from where I am sitting right now. The morning stillness this morning is broken. I hear and feel the concussions of what could be mortars or car bombs in the distant city. The dichotomy is the place that may have given birth to mankind-the Garden of Eden-is tearing itself apart. I have just come from our Wednesday prayer breakfast at our DFAC. The message was on the Reason for the Season. Peace and good will towards all men. Think about the blessings that you have this morning.
It's Christmas time and I talked to Barbara a few minutes ago. Time is one of the hardest things to deal with. It's Wednesday morning here and Tuesday evening where you are. Denver is waiting for a snow storm. It's even earlier in the evening on the west coast. Jerry, Renee, Jennifer and Heather are recovering from the strong storm that hit the northwest last week. Hopefully, they have their power back. Moms G. & C are probably basking in the warmth that is southern California, maybe with some morning fog.
It's Christmas time. There was what was once known as a USO tour near the DFAC last night. Darryl Worley/Have You Forgotten was the only name I recognized. No, I didn't go except for a few minutes of token attendance. Too cold and large groupings of people make me a little nervous. The music I heard was very good and the crowd was enjoying the moment. WWE, the wrasslers, were here a couple of weeks ago to film a special for Christmas eve. So, if you decide to watch, break out some popcorn and settle in-look for an orange shirt in the distance-away from the crowd-in any panning shots.
It's Christmas time. I'm having fun when I get a chance to get on the radio. So far I've talked to Hams in Italy, Spain, Austria, and the Ukraine. I've even talked to the special event station out of Italy-ITALY ONE X-RAY MICHAEL ALPHA SUGAR-I1XMAS!
It's Christmas time. Christmas boxes are more plentiful and we share with our team mates the little joys we find. Thanks, Vonn, for the Splenda-we all are enjoying a break from the "pink stuff!" Greatest distance record is held by my friends Alex and Ellen, who sent their package from Hawaii! The pop-top from cans of soda have made their way around the little office tree and it looks good to have it complete by Christmas. (A task completion that my kidneys will be eternally grateful for!)
It's Christmas time. Many of our co-workers have departed for home on their well earned R&Rs. Many of you will be taking leave. The rest of us will continue to press forward to make it happen for the troops. There will be moments when we wonder how it will happen. For instance, yesterday we found out that three water purification units that were delivered here for support of the troops had disappeared. These aren't little things. Oh, we'll probably find them, eventually. Things like that happen here. You just reach up, scratch your head, shrug your shoulders and move on to the next thing. Sigh....
It's Christmas time. Will you let me be serious for a minute or two? Here's a quote from the CNN webpage this morning, "In addition to the overall troop strength, the president is considering whether to send as many as 30,000 or 40,000 additional troops into Iraq on a short-term basis to secure the Baghdad area -- a plan supported by GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona...Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, said on CNN's "The Situation Room" that the United States has already lost the Iraq war...There is no way the United States can solve this problem," Murtha said. "We have gotten so far out and we have missed our opportunity, if we ever had an opportunity early on, to stabilize Iraq. Since we didn't do it then, it cannot be done now." While you read this-where ever you may be, there are families having to deal with Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, brother or sister being absent and trying to cope with the season. There are others who are packing or repacking their duffels, alerted for transport and waiting for "the call." Will you take a few moments just to say a prayer of thanks for these wonderful folks and that the God, who supplies peace that goes beyond our understanding, will be their supply?
It's Christmas time. My friend Pat and his wife Susie are new grandparents, which adds a sparkle to the special-ness of this season. My sincere wish for you is that, when you gather friends and family close in, you will immerse yourself in the moment and make a memory. I pray that the memories will be with you for the rest of your lives.
It's Christmas time. Thank God.
Jim
The holiday morning scene: I walk the several paces from my humble can-dominium to the office under the crescent moon. It's dark and quiet-no one else is here. I check my messages-no emergencies-just some great pictures from my son, Jerry, of the family in Washington. I read the Christmas story out of Luke with a little Messiah playing in the background. Then it's time for some coffee and a little breakfast. This past weekend was very rainy as a front passed. Now the sky is clear and blue. It's chilly.
I walk to the DFAC alone and notice that there's extra security around the DFAC after yesterday's bomb scare-a K-9 trained to detect explosives alerted and we spent an hour standing around across the street after evacuating our office-living complex. Monday has a very cool, quiet pre-dawn moment as the guard and I nod and wave at one another. I round the Colorado walls (another story) and head for the ID check point. Suddenly, a sergeant with slung M16 breaks out in a huge smile as he bolts forward yelling, "It's Santa!" He's embracing me in a heartbeat and all of us are smiling and laughing. A Christmas memory of the best kind-see the photo.
Lonely, yes, a little bit. However, I have my team mates and we cope with it. I dropped over and wished my KBR contractor counterparts a "Merry" one-see pix. Quiet is today's byword. The anticipated rumblings from across the wall didn't materialize. Maybe they all were tuned in to the 24 hours of Christmas on AFN and feelin' the Peace on Earth and Good Will to All Men (Armed Forces Network-yes, the same folks that brought us Chicken Man almost 30 years ago. Their "commercials" are still just as hokey.)
I tuned the wire antenna after a spectacular lunch and tried to break through the piie-up to reach a strong Bavarian station with no luck. (Last Night it was a Serbian station, which was celebrating the 150th anniversary of Serbia-no luck there either. After spending a tour in Kosovo, I was a little conflicted going after this one. My kingdom for a tower and a beam.) Oh, I have made some contacts-Austria, Italy, Spain and the Ukraine. That's what keeps it fun.
As you can see, we all made it through the day. I am grateful for your support for Barb and I. Keep praying for the safety of our troops and those that serve them. Sugar plum fairies come on down for part deux!
Merry Christmas every one from Baghdad 2006.
For a second time-sorry-muscle memory isn't always a good thing-most pix are self explanatory-YI9TRK-home, sweet container, the antenna marks the spot behind the T-walls. At least I get to correct an address...
Greetings and a Merry Christmas from Baghdad,
It's Christmas time. On a clear and very cool morning here in the Cradle of Civilization I am struck by the dichotomy of my situation. Here I am in this historic place, which many historians theorize was the birthplace of mankind-society. Camp Victory would be the Littleton of Baghdad-it's that close and that far away at the same time. The perimeter is a very short distance from where I am sitting right now. The morning stillness this morning is broken. I hear and feel the concussions of what could be mortars or car bombs in the distant city. The dichotomy is the place that may have given birth to mankind-the Garden of Eden-is tearing itself apart. I have just come from our Wednesday prayer breakfast at our DFAC. The message was on the Reason for the Season. Peace and good will towards all men. Think about the blessings that you have this morning.
It's Christmas time and I talked to Barbara a few minutes ago. Time is one of the hardest things to deal with. It's Wednesday morning here and Tuesday evening where you are. Denver is waiting for a snow storm. It's even earlier in the evening on the west coast. Jerry, Renee, Jennifer and Heather are recovering from the strong storm that hit the northwest last week. Hopefully, they have their power back. Moms G. & C are probably basking in the warmth that is southern California, maybe with some morning fog.
It's Christmas time. There was what was once known as a USO tour near the DFAC last night. Darryl Worley/Have You Forgotten was the only name I recognized. No, I didn't go except for a few minutes of token attendance. Too cold and large groupings of people make me a little nervous. The music I heard was very good and the crowd was enjoying the moment. WWE, the wrasslers, were here a couple of weeks ago to film a special for Christmas eve. So, if you decide to watch, break out some popcorn and settle in-look for an orange shirt in the distance-away from the crowd-in any panning shots.
It's Christmas time. I'm having fun when I get a chance to get on the radio. So far I've talked to Hams in Italy, Spain, Austria, and the Ukraine. I've even talked to the special event station out of Italy-ITALY ONE X-RAY MICHAEL ALPHA SUGAR-I1XMAS!
It's Christmas time. Christmas boxes are more plentiful and we share with our team mates the little joys we find. Thanks, Vonn, for the Splenda-we all are enjoying a break from the "pink stuff!" Greatest distance record is held by my friends Alex and Ellen, who sent their package from Hawaii! The pop-top from cans of soda have made their way around the little office tree and it looks good to have it complete by Christmas. (A task completion that my kidneys will be eternally grateful for!)
It's Christmas time. Many of our co-workers have departed for home on their well earned R&Rs. Many of you will be taking leave. The rest of us will continue to press forward to make it happen for the troops. There will be moments when we wonder how it will happen. For instance, yesterday we found out that three water purification units that were delivered here for support of the troops had disappeared. These aren't little things. Oh, we'll probably find them, eventually. Things like that happen here. You just reach up, scratch your head, shrug your shoulders and move on to the next thing. Sigh....
It's Christmas time. Will you let me be serious for a minute or two? Here's a quote from the CNN webpage this morning, "In addition to the overall troop strength, the president is considering whether to send as many as 30,000 or 40,000 additional troops into Iraq on a short-term basis to secure the Baghdad area -- a plan supported by GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona...Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, said on CNN's "The Situation Room" that the United States has already lost the Iraq war...There is no way the United States can solve this problem," Murtha said. "We have gotten so far out and we have missed our opportunity, if we ever had an opportunity early on, to stabilize Iraq. Since we didn't do it then, it cannot be done now." While you read this-where ever you may be, there are families having to deal with Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, brother or sister being absent and trying to cope with the season. There are others who are packing or repacking their duffels, alerted for transport and waiting for "the call." Will you take a few moments just to say a prayer of thanks for these wonderful folks and that the God, who supplies peace that goes beyond our understanding, will be their supply?
It's Christmas time. My friend Pat and his wife Susie are new grandparents, which adds a sparkle to the special-ness of this season. My sincere wish for you is that, when you gather friends and family close in, you will immerse yourself in the moment and make a memory. I pray that the memories will be with you for the rest of your lives.
It's Christmas time. Thank God.
Jim