levitra" /> levitra" />
Weather in Basra now: Click for Basrah, Iraq Forecast

Henry's Homepage
Blog Home
Contact me
(remove 'NOT_FOR_SPAM.' from my address)

Bookmark this page



previous month  APRIL 2021  next month
s m t w t f s
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30


SEARCH
 


RECENT ENTRIES
 
 
RSS ATOM


CATEGORIES
 
General [ 128 ]  RSS ATOM
    ACI [ 52RSS ATOM
    Army Deployment  [ 113RSS ATOM
    Family  [ 67RSS ATOM
    Startups  [ 6RSS ATOM
    STEM  [ 5RSS ATOM


BLOG ARCHIVE
 
RSS ATOM  Full archive
 
current month



21 Jan 2009
Working like a Dog!

So here's me next to Jack and his British handler. Jack checks through incoming non-military trucks and makes sure they're safe to come into the camp. He's just one of many steps each vehicle goes through. Notice the Arabic translation of numbers behind us- they write down each license coming into the base, and that means translating the numbers!

As a convoy catcher, I get to see Jack in action now & then, and unlike a police dog, these working dogs are completely ok with friendly contact.

Of course, this makes me miss my own dog, Zoe, who loves to play fetch with a frisbee or tennis ball. It's a different kind of work, but still work!
 
ACI , Army Deployment , Family , General
posted by  henry at  13:36 | permalink | trackbacks [995]



16 Jan 2009
I miss my CHU!
You don't know how good you've got it, until you wind up without it.
Here's my new living space in Basra.

We have about a 5 foot by 7 foot living area, fortified with masonry bricks on all sides, and sandbags overhead our matress. That's my mattress, with my sleeping bag on top, in the lower right of the photo. This is the way the British have designed it, and I suspect the US will make some CHANGES as we move in and the British head home. For one thing, I've banged my head too many times! It must be what it's like to sleep in a submarine!
Our tent is a single layer of canvas, but we do have warm air (or cool A/C) pumped in. Still, when temperatures dip below freezing, the canvas is no match, and inside temperatures reach the low 40s. Lately, it's been better, though, around 53.
You'll see me wishing for these temperatures come this summer, though!
And notice my t-shirt: GO HOKIES!
 
ACI , Army Deployment , Family , General
posted by  henry at  17:07 | permalink | comments [11] | trackbacks [171]



14 Jan 2009
A Banner Year?
The Cub Scouts of Pack 145 made a very patriotic banner for me as I left Christiansburg. I've taken it upon myself to not only display it in my room or office everywhere I've been, but to also grab area-appropriate photos that show where the banner has traveled. I'm presenting the ones in Southwest Asia-- previous posts have shown Aberdeen Proving Grounds and Fort Lewis.

Pack 145 Banner in Camp Buehring, Kuwait
Here we are at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Our first stop after we touched down in Kuwait City. I'm standing next to a custom-painted, but short, T-Wall. The 287th Sustainment Brigade left their mark here just 3 weeks before us, with an outline of Kansas and the 287th unit patch.
Camp Buehring was stark: right in the middle of the desert, without a plant of any sort to be seen. We were impressed with a PX the size of a small K-Mart, and various shops, to include a 24-hour Starbucks. OK- maybe Tallil will be even better, since it's got a bigger mission and more soldiers, right? right??


Cub Pack 145 Banner at Camp Adder, Tallil, Iraq
Next, I was in Tallil. Camp Adder, specifically. There were lots of well-adorned T-Walls, including this very patriotic tribute to the fallen soldiers from Camp Adder. A BIG salute to them and their families.
Camp Adder is where I had a CHU for a few days (see "What's up with CHU" last month), and also where the 287th is headquartered.
There was a PX that was about the size of a Dollar General Store. They had a few uniform items, and about 1/2 of the floorspace dedicated to food. As if anyone could go hungry in the Army! Seriously- the DFAC is FREE! But soldiers were buying the stuff. The one coffee shop was run by the chapel, and didn't fit the bill for the connisours in our group (I'm not a coffee drinker, at least not enough to care!). They even had the Camp Adder swimming pool (click to see it!) We enjoyed nice game rooms and various eating choices- including a grab-n-go cafe (breakfast & lunch to go, part of the military-provided meals). Not as nice as Buehring, but not too bad. At least there was Internet available (but slow)!

Cub Pack 145 Banner at Camp Bucca, Iraq
Camp Bucca is home to probably the largest detention facility in country. It was on the convoy route to Basra, so we spent the night there. It also happens to be the location my brother, Charles Bass, spent his tour in Iraq, caring for detainees' mental health. Here I'm outside the Camp Chapel, photographed by a chaplain's aid. Their PX was just a tad bigger than a Seven-Eleven. They have a nice outdoor stage, though, and several shops, including coffee, in an outdoor mall arrangement.

Basra was next, and my current destination. I haven't found a great place to take my banner photo, though. I can show you where it hangs in my office!

Basra is in transition, from British to US. To keep the analogy going, the PX is the size of, well, maybe the impulse rack in your grocery store check-out line! They've reduced stock on all things as the US PX is about to set up in the next few months.
Luckily, I was warned and I brought just about everything needed.
 
ACI , Army Deployment , Family , General
posted by  henry at  16:16 | permalink | trackbacks [484]



4 Jan 2009
Happy New Year!
The new year is here! And my new job! It has been VERY busy these last 5 days, and only now have I had the chance to read a little email and post a quick entry. I do have photos to share, but not enough Internet bandwidth to upload them. So check back for updates on my living space, the convoy ride up here, and great shots of me with the well-traveled Pack 145 banner!

This is me with the sharp MRAP crew that drove me to Bucca, then Basra: The soldiers of A-56 BSTB, from Irving, Texas "Mexican (gunner), Cowboy (driver), and Outsider (commander)." I have the unique honor of being the first officer to ride with them!
 
ACI , Army Deployment , Family , General
posted by  henry at  09:00 | permalink | trackbacks [55119]



28 Dec 2008
Best Wishes from the IRRegulators
The Individual Ready Reserve members of the 287th, us 12 plus many more in the 287th Sustainment Brigade consider ourselves the IRRegulators! We're a lawless bunch, but proud to serve!

Click for the larger version.



A SPECIAL THANKS to all the Cub Scouts of Pack 145 , The Boy Scouts of Troop 42, and the Employees of Automation Creations, Inc. for their fantastic video messages! VERY UPLIFTING!!! - regards, Henry
 
ACI , Army Deployment , Family , General
posted by  henry at  00:22 | permalink | trackbacks [68098]





page 7 of 111 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10   next pages