Friday, January 5, 2007
YEAR 2 COMPLETE
My 2nd year is completed and I have arrived safely at home. Scania was not as bad as Fallujah but it certainly was more tedious. More paperwork, more office work--blah more inspections. I will enjoy my vacation and consider year 3. Yes, I have signed yet another contract and will decide somewhere along the next 44 days whether I go back for yet another year.
Stay tuned--
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Media Accuracy
Yeah--here's some media accuracy for you--all these headlines are covering the same attack.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Boom Boom in Iraq
Me heading for the bunker during an idirect fire attack in Iraq (these were mortars this particular time). This is a typical hassle we deal with.
Monday, January 9, 2006
The Return
All I kept thinking was "what the hell was I thinking?". Anyway, I went back. First we stop in Houston and then back to Baghdad. Houston was the usual, paperwork and waiting in lines but at least since we were second year retreads there was none of the "hand holding" there was last year. Also, since it is the first group of the year, we have no new guys so we don't have to hold anyone elses hand.
The Flight from Houston was easy but this time we stopped in Amsterdam. That was interesting. We had a six hour layover so we went down town to do some site seeing. Jonas rented a car and put a little doo dad on the roof (GPS) and we went downtown. Of course it was a Sunday morning at 6 am so there wasn't a whole lot going on. The city had all that European Charm you would expect but the whole place smelled like mary jane :))
After we got back on the plane, we arrived in the UAE to the wonderful club Sharja--where we were locked in our rooms for 24 hours before getting on the crazy ivan for Baghdad.
It was great to see the guys again.
The Flight from Houston was easy but this time we stopped in Amsterdam. That was interesting. We had a six hour layover so we went down town to do some site seeing. Jonas rented a car and put a little doo dad on the roof (GPS) and we went downtown. Of course it was a Sunday morning at 6 am so there wasn't a whole lot going on. The city had all that European Charm you would expect but the whole place smelled like mary jane :))
After we got back on the plane, we arrived in the UAE to the wonderful club Sharja--where we were locked in our rooms for 24 hours before getting on the crazy ivan for Baghdad.
It was great to see the guys again.
Monday, November 14, 2005
YEAR ONE COMPLETE
I never thought I would make a year..but i did--it was very tough-very depressing, frustrating and tiring. I am going to enjoy a long vacation.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Lawmaker Wants Lower Soldier Drinking Age
From JR ROSS, Associated Press Writer
One Wisconsin lawmaker figures if the U.S. military trusts 19-year-olds with a $10 million tank, then the state should trust them with a beer.
State Rep. Mark Pettis, a Republican who served in the Navy, is pushing a bill that would drop the drinking age to 19 for Wisconsin soldiers — but only if the federal government agrees it will not yank an estimated $50 million a year in highway aid.
A federal law ties federal highway dollars to compliance by the states with the required drinking age of 21.
"We're treating these young men and women as adults when they're at war. But we treat them like teenagers when they're here in the states," he said.
Pettis admits his proposal will be a tough sell unless Wisconsin gets the federal government's approval — or at least permission to start a pilot program to prove it will not cause more accidents or other problems opponents associate with a younger drinking age.
Wisconsin transportation officials say the federal government has told them there is no process to apply for a waiver from the drinking age requirement, and creating one would likely take an act of Congress.
The bill would create an exemption for 19- and 20-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin — but not for soldiers from out of state. A valid military ID along with a Wisconsin driver's license or identification card would be required.
A committee is expected to send the bill to the full Assembly for consideration next week, and Gov. Jim Doyle has said he supports it — as long as Wisconsin does not lose any federal highway money.
The Wisconsin chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has lobbied against the bill. Its executive director, Kari Kinnard, said statistics show there have been fewer highway fatalities, injuries and other problems associated with alcohol since the mandatory minimum went into effect in the 1980s.
She also said research shows the brain has not fully developed until people reach age 21. "It's for their own protection," Kinnard said.
If thier brains are not fully developed until the age of 21, why is it that we allow them to make other life important decisions such as voting (18), getting married (as young as 14 in some states), and enlisting in the military (17 with parental permission). There are guys here who have DIED for thier country without even having the freedom to have a beer with thier dad before deploying. The federal government strong arms the states (read blackmail) into being politically correct on this one issue but allows less responsible people vote and get married. Something is truly wrong with this picture.
One Wisconsin lawmaker figures if the U.S. military trusts 19-year-olds with a $10 million tank, then the state should trust them with a beer.
State Rep. Mark Pettis, a Republican who served in the Navy, is pushing a bill that would drop the drinking age to 19 for Wisconsin soldiers — but only if the federal government agrees it will not yank an estimated $50 million a year in highway aid.
A federal law ties federal highway dollars to compliance by the states with the required drinking age of 21.
"We're treating these young men and women as adults when they're at war. But we treat them like teenagers when they're here in the states," he said.
Pettis admits his proposal will be a tough sell unless Wisconsin gets the federal government's approval — or at least permission to start a pilot program to prove it will not cause more accidents or other problems opponents associate with a younger drinking age.
Wisconsin transportation officials say the federal government has told them there is no process to apply for a waiver from the drinking age requirement, and creating one would likely take an act of Congress.
The bill would create an exemption for 19- and 20-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin — but not for soldiers from out of state. A valid military ID along with a Wisconsin driver's license or identification card would be required.
A committee is expected to send the bill to the full Assembly for consideration next week, and Gov. Jim Doyle has said he supports it — as long as Wisconsin does not lose any federal highway money.
The Wisconsin chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has lobbied against the bill. Its executive director, Kari Kinnard, said statistics show there have been fewer highway fatalities, injuries and other problems associated with alcohol since the mandatory minimum went into effect in the 1980s.
She also said research shows the brain has not fully developed until people reach age 21. "It's for their own protection," Kinnard said.
If thier brains are not fully developed until the age of 21, why is it that we allow them to make other life important decisions such as voting (18), getting married (as young as 14 in some states), and enlisting in the military (17 with parental permission). There are guys here who have DIED for thier country without even having the freedom to have a beer with thier dad before deploying. The federal government strong arms the states (read blackmail) into being politically correct on this one issue but allows less responsible people vote and get married. Something is truly wrong with this picture.
Latest Polls Re: Iraq
This was reported today from AP:
"The majority of America must then be liberals, judging from recent public opinion polls. Iraq tops the list of American concerns in the latest Gallup poll, with three-fourths of those respondents advocating an immediate withdrawal. Sixty-four percent of conservative Democrats in a Pew survey want the troops brought home as soon as possible. And fifty-seven percent of Americans told CNN/USA Today/Gallup that the Iraq war was not worth fighting."
Is America losing patience?
"The majority of America must then be liberals, judging from recent public opinion polls. Iraq tops the list of American concerns in the latest Gallup poll, with three-fourths of those respondents advocating an immediate withdrawal. Sixty-four percent of conservative Democrats in a Pew survey want the troops brought home as soon as possible. And fifty-seven percent of Americans told CNN/USA Today/Gallup that the Iraq war was not worth fighting."
Is America losing patience?
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