Dispatches from the Front

...For yet another post from Paul! I hope all of you back home enjoyed your Christmas holiday; I certainly enjoyed mine.

Last week, I climbed up in the tower on Camp Blackhawk to get a birds' eye view of Baghdad. I wasn't disappointed!

I'm a bit dark, but at least you can see that I was up high!

Undocumented civilians in the International Zone? Where?

The Presidential Palace, with the Doura Oil Refinery smoking in the distance

The roof of Believers' Palace (overtop Saddam's secret bunker complex), damaged by bombs during the invasion in 2003

The Monument to the Unknown Soldier, with an unfinished mosque in the background

I truly enjoyed Christmas here in Iraq - the servicemembers were certainly lavish with their decorations!

I chatted with a variety of people, many of them strangers. I met a rather strange fellow who insisted on carolling the entire day. I have to admit, his voice did irritate me after the second repetition.

Dear Friends, this is my last post in country, as I will be leaving Baghdad in one week. I look forward to seeing you again soon, and I will especially enjoy a respite from my adventures until the next one comes along!

Sincerely yours,
Paul

Well, December has been quite exciting for me thus far. It all began with a trip to Camp Victory here in Baghdad for some internal management training. I focused intensely on the course and was pleased with all I learned.

The model student

The class was taught by Peggy Johnson, who works for the Secretary of Defense. A bright, cheery woman, she kept the class entertained with catch slogans and a myriad of group exercises.

With Peggy

The food was wonderful at Camp Victory as well. The large dining facility offered a variety of choices that we don't get here at Phoenix Base, and we were offered a steady stream of snacks throughout the day.

I do enjoy Pop-Tarts from time to time

What I enjoyed most was the scenery. Our living conditions were more than comfortable, as we were staying in a an honest-to-goodness palace. I spent much of my free time enjoying the plush couches that once belonged to Uday and Qusay Hussein.

The foyer area was decorated for Christmas, and I enjoyed the lovely tree and the inflatable Sergeant Santa!

With one of my US Navy colleagues

During an extended dinner break, I was able to visit Al Faw palace, right down the lake from where we were staying.

Enjoying the scenery

I went with a few of my teammates and we marvelled at the ornate entryway.

Marissa posted quite a few pictures of the interior, so I won't bore you with duplicates. However, I did get to sit upon one of Saddam's thrones.

Don't I look regal with my sailor servants?

Roughly translated, the plaque says "He who sits in this chair rules all of Mesopotamia"

I also got a picture with Marissa on the large spiral staircase.

We spent our last evening at Camp Victory enjoying the lake. I took a much needed bath...

This beautiful marble sink is a remnant of a destroyed bathroom facility

...and visited with a few of the local residents.

Upon my return to the International Zone, I was invited to participate in a Hannukah service with our new Australian officer, Major Leonard. After assuring my colleagues that I was indeed kosher, I even participated in the lighting of the menorah!

I love experiencing the traditions of others!

All in all, the first half of this month has been wonderful, and I am anxiously awaiting Christmas and my impending redeployment, now less than four weeks away!

Until next time,
Paul

Hello, friends!

I just returned from a thrilling trip to Mosul, located in northern Iraq. I accompanied SFC Leigh and CPT Mackie with the purpose of closing a contracted warehouse, thus saving the government money. What a wonderful reason to travel!

With the warehouse employees

My companions were truly a blessing. SFC Leigh, hailing from Long Beach, California, works with CPT Mitchell in basing and life support. It was his responsibility to ensure that the transfer of property was complete and that all paperwork was signed. Incidentally, SFC Leigh also carried me occasionally when I had difficulty keeping up Short legs are certainly a disadvantage when working with the military!

With SFC Leigh

CPT Mackie, from Newport News, Virginia, is an Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) member who has served with CPT Mitchell since their mobilization in January. He was stationed in Mosul earlier in the war and was anxious to see if much had changed.

Enjoying some shade..

As it turned out, very little had. I was grateful to have someone familiar with the area in my team; many of these bases have unusual layouts.

A cleared ammunition bunker

In addition to some rousing games of ping pong, CPT Mackie showed us a few local landmarks.

This monastery is centuries old

The tombstone of an Iraqi Air Force officer, killed in action just after the Ba'ath Party took power

I assisted my friends with the final paperwork, resulting in the closure of a multi-million dollar contract.

"Don't forget the scanned copy!"

I enjoyed my trip immensely, but am happy to be back in the IZ where I belong, at least for now. As usual, thanks for reading and I'll see you all very soon!

Until next time,
Paul