Hello everyone,
It is now June and I am the only Navy officer left with the Civil Affairs Battalion over here. As I arrived later than the rest of the sailors with the 448th, I will be leaving later. I have just about two and a half months left, so it isn't so bad. My R&R leave seems like such a long time ago, and I am really looking forward to getting back to Hawaii. The more I am away from the island, the more I miss it. And of course I miss MY WIFE!! That goes without saying, but I have to because Jenna subscribes to this blog. :)
I have been very very busy lately. I have been going out on missions nearly every day of the week and from the early morning until the early evening. I get back and have to catch up on paperwork and before I know it the clock is approaching midnight and I haven't even gone to the gym yet. This past week has been the busiest thus far. I have been going out on missions a lot more, riding in vehicles that have air condtioning that barely makes a dent in the 110+ degree heat, and putting off laundry runs until I am down to my last pair of socks. Over the course of five days I have attended three local government meetings, inspected and closed out a canal clean up project, inspected two school renovation projects, inspected two water treatment projects, and a handful of other small missions. I feasted on local food five days in a row and didn't once get an upset stomach. I must be building up an immunity to "Saddam's revenge." With all the projects we are inspecting, I have been applying a very strict standard to the contractors' finished products. We are controlling the money and we will get (really the Iraqi people will get) their money's worth. If you let these guys get away with shoddy workmanship and sloppy results, then that is what you will always get. I have been doing my best to make it abundantly clear that a slipshod finished product will not cut it. The good part is that the contractors learn this lesson very fast... or they have to put up with my again and eventually don't get paid! This has been the part of the deployment that my training and experience as the Quality Assurance Officer on the USS Honolulu is really paying off. Although I am not inspecting nuclear welds or verifying correct materials were used to repair high temperature steam systems, the concept of ensuring quality workmanship still very much applies. Only now I am inspecting the paint on walls, newly installed wall outlets and light switches, new glass in the window pains, replacement "Eastern style" toilets, and so on and so forth.
I have seen some interesting things here lately as well. On a daily basis, dozens of dirt devils can be seen literally dancing around in the desert. Some are small, but others are large enough in height and diameter that they would give Tornado Alley a run for its money. I was in a village earlier this week where one of those big ones came moving through. It must have hit the village trash pile because all of a sudden hundreds of peices of paper and plastic, water bottles, and soda cans were airborne. It moved just like the videos of tornadoes you see. This day was uncannily clear and cloudless, and looking high up in the sky the gnarly funnel snaked its way up into the blue. It was spectacular! I tried not to spend too much time gawking up at the sky, though, as I was still in the middle of a village in Iraq. The danger is still out there and we still have to remain cautious.
Two weeks ago, I was with my Battalion Commander's personnel security detachment and we stopped at the site of an old Christian church right inside Tikrit. It is actually located inside an Iraqi Army compound that U.S. Forces used to occupy. Because of the relative safety at the site, the other soldiers and I were able to dismount (get out of the trucks) and do a little exploring. The pictures I have attached below were taken there. The rumor is that the church is from the 4th century, but I am not so sure of that. It is obvious that the site has been continuously built upon for many hundreds of years, but that is to be expected given the region. It isn't so much a church like what you would imagine, but rather several prayer chambers and inlets built into the wall of a cliff that formed on the edge of the Tigris. There aren't any large rooms or cathedral ceilings, but it was interesting nonetheless. I tried to imagine ancient Christians gathering together to worship or to listen to the early missionaries spread the gospel that was passed on to them by perhaps one of the original 12 disciples. Being in this region and seeing the way things are today makes it hard to believe this was the land of early Biblical times. This is the land of Abraham and many of the patriarchs we read about in the Old Testament. For that matter, it is the land of the patriarchs in the Quran as well. This land is so mysterious and frustrating. How can the three most recognizable faiths be seated all in the same place with literally the same early lineage. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all claim "Father Abraham." It is easy to understand why this is such a turmultous region... but that doesn't make it any less saddening.
Speaking of this region, President Obama's recent speech in Cairo has really captivated the people in and around Tikrit. All the Arabic news channels were zeroed in on his speech and literally the streets of Tikrit shut down while the President spoke to his audience just across the Gulf. The local nationals we have talked to have been inspired and uplifted by the message he conveyed. I was actually out on a mission, but when I got back all the soldiers were talking about it. They all joked that we are no longer fighting "terrorists" but rather "religious extremists." I think that is what they were saying. If that is in fact what the President said, then it seems to me he has made our counter-insurgency fight into more of a "holy war." I will have to browse through the transcript, but surely that isn't the language he used.
Well, it is getting late and I have to go home and get to bed... maybe go to the gym. Again, thank you for all the love and support sent this way. I got several care packages from the Guntersville DHR today and the soldiers and sailors I work with LOVED them! I think the boxes were empty within fifteen minutes. They all wanted me to pass along to the employees and staff at the DHR their appreciation for putting all that stuff together. I thank you as well. You all have really helped to make this deployment much better than it could have been. I wish that I could have received letters and packages in this quantity while I was submerged in the Pacific Ocean for six months! That's the thing about submarine duty - mail call, fresh fruit, getting email, going to the gym, and watching television (and maintaining a public blog) are only possible as often as we pull in for a port call. Many times soldiers ask me what is better: a submarine deployment for six months or a 10 month deployment to the desert. Without hesitation I tell them they've got it good and would trade 5 knots at 150 feet for an occasional dust storm everytime!
Once again, thank you, everyone!
God bless,
Jonathan
