Baghdad Boys!

Me and the Crew!

This is a small portion of the crew I worked with in Baghdad! An exceptional bunch and some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. There are some important people missing in this photo, but we stayed so busy, there was never time to get more than a handful together for a shot.

Where Do You Want To Go Today?

BIAP

Baghdad International Airport - As R&R rolls near this will be a welcome sign! As bad as it looks, it brings joy, it is the corridor to the short lived escape from the place so many now call home.

Call me a Republican... But?

FAHRENHYPE9/11

I just finished watching FahrenHYPE9/11 and it amazed me how so many Democrats could look past their parties' bias and speak out in support of President Bush and disgust for Michael Moore! Finally, people are looking to the bigger picture! It doesn't matter if you are Democrat, Republican or Libertarian, we are all in this together! We are all targets! We are no different because we are all Americans. In this we must realize that we are all the same and put aside our differences for a global call of Freedom.

Anyone that watched Michael Moore's movie, should at least give this movie and those that he USED in his film the opportunity to present the truth and defend themselves first hand. Watch and judge for yourself!

I was not sure in my previous post on what Saddam was required to do by the UN and now I know that he was to disarm. So someone explain to me the photo I posted below!

WMD's... NOT?

WMD... NOT?

I don't know about you... But, should something have to be Nuclear to be a weapon of mass destruction? What about tons upon tons of missiles etc. that together can produce mass destruction? Things like this boggle me. So we didn't find the WMD's, but wasn't Saddam supposed to have disarmed? I haven't read up on what was mandated of him lately, but I believe these are some big boy toys that he was not supposed to have. Of course the news stations don't report on things like this, they just concentrate on the small fact that makes them right!

I firmly believe that Saddam had WMD's, just because you can't find/see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist: Ergo -The Wind! I do know that there are single cell dehydrators here and have been told that the only use for them is Anthrax, but that's not my department. Take it as you may, but there are enough armaments here that we use Iraqi Tank/Cannon Barrels, still in the crates from Jordan, as curbs along the roads. Maybe I'll post a shot of that tomorrow...

Hurricane Rita -Disaster- Round 2!!!

My Home in Jeopardy

See the Pink (Zone C - Category 4-5)!!! Well it's not so pretty... My home is just south of 225 (half way between the dot for 225 and 146) and in the PINK!!! As my family and friends prepare to leave town in the morning I sit here in Iraq where it only rains a few months out of the year and those months are still quite a ways off.

I was reading about the evacuation on Reuters. At this point I am not sure what to expect. Things do look bad though! Mayor Bill White says, "that there will not be enough government vehicles to go and evacuate people in all areas." Well, I hope they crank up all those damn school busses and give it a go anyway! Call for volunteers from the school districts -HISD, GPISD, PISD, DPISD and all the other hundreds of ISD's around Houston and while they are at it get all the Metro & Gray Hound busses out of Houston full of people as well!

What about Trains? Are these people thinking? Don't they know that Texas has more rail than any State in the U.S. I know that its almost impossible to get around in the south without your own vehicle. We don't have the mass transit of the north, but we do have a whole heck of a lot of railways. If I didn't have a way to get out, I would sit in a box car for several hours with no problem, but then again I also travel in Iraq! I'm not to far off on this one though, am I?

My biggest worry would have to be the relief/recovery effort. MTV reported on the NO evacuees and how they were being shipped and flow out to safer states. I can understand the way some of these people feel, but is that not the same attitude that got them displaced in Houston to begin with? Don't get me wrong, some had no means to get out, but many were just plain stubborn in my opinion and didn't want to get to safety. So here we go again and here they are getting upset about being moved to a safer place. What do they want to do?...Stay in Houston and see if anyone rescues them again?

Due to the enormous NO & MISS relief effort that has enthralled our nation, from where will the help come for South Texas? I hope that the rest of the nation realizes that we opened our doors and brought people in without hesitation. Now the tables have turned on those who have shown mercy and we will soon be victim! Who will come to the aid of Houston and the surrounding areas like Galveston, Clear Lake, Deer Park, LaPorte, Lake Jackson & Freeport? I only hope that our kindness in the time of need is not forgotten and that surrounding states will take action to help South Texas as we did NO & MISS. I have no clue about where the help will come from. It seems as though the efforts of FEMA have been depleted, so now where will the resources come from?

I can only hope that yet again the resourcefulness of our states and our nation will help to see us through.

Global Ruler of Eastern European Women

Get your position here

Brought to me and you by Dave!

Quick Response Force -MOSUL

QRF Mosul, Iraq

This was created/placed about 6 months prior to my arrival in Mosul, Iraq. This was one of the interesting things that I saw on base along the perimeter wall -pardon the profanity. This is just another example of a mark left by our guys here fighting for their lives. Due to my experiences here in Iraq it's easy to understand the attitude reflected in this tombstone, although many people that have never been here would take it the wrong way.

This type of thing is a way to blow off steam and use humor to relieve the stresses of being a high priority target for insurgents. It makes a clear statement, but should not be taken as a hatred toward Iraqis. Instead, its that of successfully abating an insurgent intrusion intended to take the lives of as many soldiers or civilian workers as possible.

A Soldiers Way Home

Soldiers Remember Home

This is a classic and never dying symbol on US military basses across the world. It's a reminder of where we came from and where we one day plan to return. The first time I saw road signs of this sort was in my pre-teen years watching M.A.S.H. before bed. The 4077 MASH unit had theirs and we still have ours here in Iraq to this day. I understand that this practice may predate television all together, but non the less, it's presence acts as a daily reminder of what has been sacrificed and left behind by those whom fulfill the duty of the United States Armed Forces!

The Bear is Awake!

It seems, after the past month of hibernation, The Truth Laid Bear has risen from slumber and kicked into full gear! After a month as an insignificant microbe in the TTLB Ecosystem I have jumped 6 levels and evolved into a Flippery Fish !!! This is very inspiring news! I was beginning to think that my blog would never be seen without the intervention of large enough blog-beings that are advanced enough to have their own microscope. Three cheers for the Bear!!! Glad to see your bright eyed and bushy-tailed again!!!

Women Wielding Weapons

WWWSF

A tribute to the proud women that serve in our nations military!
On another note, there's also something pretty sexy about a waman that knows how to handle a weapon! Maybe I have just been living around the military for to long! I don't know, you tell me!

Parallel Parking a Tahoe

As I stood talking with Dave, of Dave's Not Here, just now in the darkness of 8:50PM in Iraq... I witnessed the absolute worst job of parallel parking I have ever seen! It was almost comical as this driver, that we didn't stick around to find out the identity of, spent a good 10 minutes or more attempting to parallel park a Tahoe in a space large enough for a crew-cab/extended bed truck!

The sight of complete craziness stopped us in mid conversation as we watched the event unfold. The driver turned a simple task into a feat of at least 2 dozen turns, back & forward movements, as if attempting to create more of a rut in the concrete, rather than park a vehicle. This was the most heinous parking job I have yet witnessed.

It just goes to show that when chatting with a fellow blogger about the fact there is just nothing to blog about for the day....BAM....!!! Something stupid/yet amusing happens right there in front of you. So I am sure you will see another iteration of this story at Dave's Not Here.

My Minds Eye!

My Minds Eye!

This is my eye today, weird post huh?
Well as you can see, I worked all day and after 13 hours at the office and in the dusty environment of Iraq your eyes tend to get a bit red! Besides that, its a pretty cool picture, I think!

As for those that believe the eye is the window to the soul, let me know what you can see! I just see the person that took the picture myself. Who knows, maybe there is more!

What NO Looters Prefer

Heineken Preferred

I may catch some flack on this one, but I just had to post this. I had to wipe the tears from my eyes after receiving it. I don't care who you are, this is funny! I am from the south myself and even if this was about my hometown I would have to laugh. If you can't laugh at yourself...then?

The Word is Out

With the way my head has been spinning at work the past few days I seem to have missed some interesting new developments... It seems that Microsoft has recently done some teaming up or collaboration with Stardock. The Galactic Patrol hit this one as it broke, as it seems he is an integral part of Gadgets over at Microsoft. These little desktop spices are nice little drag and drop onto your desktop goodies that perform all types of little functions with no install required.

All the while The Truth Laid Bear site seems to be hibernating, which may explain the difficulties with its normal tracking activities. If your Blog is signed up, check your stats/report and see if the bear is tracking you or not!

There was a plethora of linkage going on over at Dave's Not Here today, where he comments on link-whoring! He also has a stunning photo with great natural black and white contrast... I like it!

Leave it at that, sleep is calling... More pictures tomorrow! I will have to dig through my hard drive or get out at lunch and find some interesting shots.

So That's Where that missile Went!

The Trash in Iraq

Just an ordinary find in Iraq. This doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to the thousands of ordinance that are piled all over this country. Ever made a find like this in your backyard or neighborhood? Crazy stuff...

To the Bat Cave, Robin!

Victory Bat House

This is a rather interesting and effective approach for the insect problems in Iraq. The closer you are to one of these babies the better off you are. Mosquitoes and flies can get pretty severe and annoying. Believe me, the flies in Iraq are brave and strong! They will fly strait into your eye, and if you blink or swat at them they will come right back, raise up your eyelid, punch you in the eye, laugh and fly away... They are brutal! I once hit a fly here with a fly swatter 3 times and he just smirked and flew off...

Hotel Kalifa -Kuwait

Kalifa Pools

If not for the 130+ degree temperature and the 200% humidity in Kuwait, this would be a pretty nice place to be. Unfortunately, the bungalows are better kept on the outside than they are on the inside. The one night that I spent there I stayed up all night out by the pool. There was no way I was going to even lay on one of the filthy beds! The bathrooms were even worse... I hope I never have to travel through Kuwait again! Besides its way to expensive in Kuwait and the US Dollar won't even buy you a Coke.

911 Never Forget!

Today marks another year since the tragedy that will forever mark the 11th day of September.
We have come so far and yet have so far to go! I remember that day and I think I always will. My roommate Jerry, who was a dispatcher for Continental at the time, ran into my bedroom and drug me into the living room to confirm what he had just seen when AA flight 11 struck.

It was as if things were in slow motion as we stood and watched AA flight 175 crash into the other tower. I remember questioning, "is this really happening?" as we sat in amazement and Jerry jumped on the computer to see what was going on through the live flight tracking he could do through his work website. Within seconds the streaming data was frozen and the attack became all to real. Following shortly came the reports of the Pentagon attack and the 4th plane that crashed short of its alleged target.

We cannot and should not forget the people that died that day. We carry on with our Freedom and Democracy so that they did not die in vain. No, they were not fighting a war, but we are now and if we run and hide like so many want us to, then we disgrace the memory of the innocent who died, by hiding in fear, instead of living and giving the freedom that they once enjoyed!

Be proud today to be an American! Never let the Spirit of Freedom be quenched! And most of all know that there are people dying even today because they believe in Freedom and the American way! Because they understand that what we have is worth fighting for and dying for and are not willing to let anyone take it away...

Toby USO Show in Baghdad

Toby Keith USO Show

This is not a new appearance, but a photo that I had and wanted to post. I like all types of music for the most part, but I definitely give a hats off to those performers that are willing to stick their neck out, put their money where their mouth is and come to a war zone to entertain our troops! Props to you Toby! Keep it up man! This was a very emotional performance and everyone here was grateful.

"Look What I Did!"

Burnin' Poo!

If I remember correctly this is was a burn pit or Black Water (aka Solid Waste Water) pond out in Tal'Afar, Iraq that was being burned. Either way, this guy was looking proud or very excited!

130F = HOT in Iraq or Anywhere!

130 F- Hot in Iraq

Happily this is not the current temperature in Iraq but it was last month!
Things are cooling off here, thank goodness. Though I have become quite acclimated to this environment over the past year and a half, it's still nice when things begin to cool down into the 90's. This has been my second summer in Iraq and I am glad to see it gone just as the first.

Why Casper?

I wanted to take a moment and explain the name Casper.
Just plain and simple it was my call sign when I was in Bagdad. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am white, nor any racial motivation. It is not derogatory, nor meant to be, for the simple fact that I gave it to myself. We all have callsigns that we use here, be it Raven, Bash, Ghost-Rider... just think of the classic movie Top Gun. They used a lot of Crazy names like Maverick, Goose and Ice-Man! Anyway, all that aside I am a pretty down to earth friendly guy and the name just suites me. Besides, it's always fun to frag people, on LAN games of Halo 2, running around with a name like Casper! So that's the story, silly as it may be, and I really don't think about it much until someone new sees something on my desk etc. and says, "Casper?" Then I realize that everyone associates the name with the ghost. But I really like the name myself and rarely even think of the cartoon character.

Freedom to Do!

I spoke with my cousin back in Texas tonight and he told me about a friends blog.
His blog is a nice photo history of time off and the things that the freedom of the U.S. allows us to enjoy! From tubing down the river to fishing and 4-wheelin' he has lots of pictures of good times! Stop on by and check him out at Back In Texas!!

Speaking of Freedom! I also stumbled upon another new blogger like myself that recently commented on Corey's post of a (photo-shopped I'm sure) Picture of President Bush fishing in New Orleans on the flooded streets. Nikky over at Don't Head West! is a more outspoken person than I, but she has some very interesting posts here of late. I don't have all that many readers but I found some of her stuff interesting and wanted to pass it along.

Friends of Americans Shop

Friends of Americans Shop

This is a shop in Mosul, Iraq -off post. Not exactly the safest place to stop into, due to the fact that it sits on the road that runs right into this quite hostile town. I used to drive by this all the time but I never slowed to much less than 80-100Mph on this road! In truth the owner of this shop and many more on post like it were very happy for the U.S. presence and grateful for all we are doing here.

Beauty in Eastern Ukraine

Oksana's Church in Ukraine

First I must apologize because I don't know the name of this beautiful church. It wasn't exactly written out anywhere that I could see, like the giant marquees we use in the states to advertise the names of churches.

I was not with Oksana when I took this Photo and so I did not ask what it was called.
All of that aside, this is just one of so many beautiful churches/cathedrals in Ukraine!
Unknowingly I posted this and then stumbled upon a cathedral picture posted at Dave's Not Here, and I must admit my photo pales in comparison to the Se' Cathedral. That is why I am a beginner and still a grunt in the world of blogging, but time goes on and I will be digging into some more of my photos from here in Iraq very soon!

Luxury Hotels of the Middle East

Al Buston Rotanna

This is just one of the extremely nice hotels that I have had the pleasure of staying in the Middle East. I wish it were a better picture, but you can still see the size of the lobby and the fountain, Gazebo/w baby-grand piano etc. This is a 5 star Hotel and only one of many in the wealthy city of Dubai!

Baghdad & Astro-Turf?

Inside Baghdad International Airport (BIAP)

Yes, this is the inside of Baghdad International and that is none other than Astro-Turf on the floor! Kind of crazy, leather (pleather) seats with nice high backs and ball field floors...hehe.
Leave it to the Whacky Iraqis!

Don't Loose Your Head!

Pardon the Sun... Oh and your head if you plan to keep it!

It just goes with the territory and adds to the collection of priceless memories, when you go "Tank Tag-in" on a sunny Iraqi afternoon!

Peaceful Afternoon

Train Station Square -Kharkov, Ukraine

This was a nice afternoon that I spent walking in Kharkov a few months ago!
The central train station is a beautiful place... also where I was asked for a smoke and offered a sip of the guys beer. Yes, people walk the streets with open bottles, its very common and normal to drink beer or alcohol when and where you please!

Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath

Awesome Photo Stream from Hurricane Katina posted on Flickr by Slight Clutter. See all sets here.

Katrina Survivors in Houston

Guest Book -But its a Map

My New Guest Book -er Map!
Look for My Guest Map in the sidebar and place your ScreenName/Comment/Choosable Icon exactly where you live etc! You can get as close as your backyard or rooftop if you like, all thanks to Google Earth!!!

Orange Day in Iraq (Last Sandstorm)

Orange Day in Iraq

This is an unedited picture I took! It was actually this Orange due to the sandstorm that day.