Mission North, Day 1, July 5nd 2005

DAY 1,

So my shift is from 4pm-midnight and our manager called a day meeting for 9am. Well I generally stay up for a few hours unwinding and get up around noon or so. Well a couple of days before I was instructed that I may have to go up north to fix a site. Well not one person here has worked on the system I was sent to fix, but I am the most qualified since I have worked on an older model of the unit, but the one I worked on was Unix based and the new one is Windows NT based.

Now the first thing when I got up that morning I left my dark dismal room straight into a 3.86e33 ergs/second lightbulb and I felt a sharp tingle in my right eye. At first I thought it was because I didn't give my eyes time to adjust to the light, but after a couple of hours I started to think maybe I got something in my eye. I didn't have the time to find out so I dismissed it and went on with my day.

Anyway so we had our meeting and I was pulled from it a little early so I could check to see if I was still scheduled on the flight out that day. I went over to the PAX terminal (passenger terminal which ironically the word PAX is Latin for peace) and checked to see if I was manifested. Unfortunately I didn't have my orders that got me to Iraq so I had to come back to the complex and get them. I have never flown out of the PAX terminal since I got to Iraq so I wasn't aware that I needed them, nor was I informed by are great leader the manager of the year (when hell freezes over and we all no that will never happen). After getting my orders I noticed that my dates had expired. I informed Dhiae about my paperwork being out of date and he said just go and see what they say. Well I left a copy with Ray (the great manager*facetious*) so that he could look into it while I was checking on my flight. Got to the counter and found that I was manifested, but that I needed to get my orders up to date before he could let me on the flight. So I went back to the complex and informed Ray and the first thing out of his mouth was why hadn't I got them updated. I'm sorry am I suppose to make sure the equipment is working or keep track or your paperwork for you. Personally I would have expected a good manager to have already had my orders updated accordingly so that this issue would have never happened, but I guess that is asking to much from him.

While he got that taken care of I proceeded to pack my bags for what I was hoping was not going to be a long journey since I was coming home in less than 2 weeks. I didn't have a bag big enough for my clothes and my laptop for what might be 5 days or more so I had to go to the PX and buy one. After doing that I go all my things together and told Ray I didn't have the necessary tools in case I had to take something apart and bring it back. His first comment was why are you telling me this right before your flight, you have known about this for a few days now. I told him the truth I didn't think I was going so I didn't think much about it, and besides we have mentioned the tools to you (or the lack there of that is) months ago. Well he got me a brand new tool kit (that we supposedly didn't have) and I finished packing my things. I went to sign out my weapons and he said you can't take a weapon on a military flight, then I informed him then I wasn't going. Dhiae chimed in and said yes you can, and I mentioned a previous job that one of our mechanics went to do just last week and the fact that he took his weapon. He opened the weapons room I grabbed my side-arm and borrowed a small automatic weapon (the one I had is the third one down from the top) from one of the other guys and put them in the car I was going to be dropped off in. Now I was packed and about to leave, but I still didn't have my updated orders so Ray said just go and when I get them I have someone bring them to you, which for once wasn't a bad idea. Well as soon as we were headed out Ray came to the car and said I got them and he printed them off and I left.

Now while I was in a hurry I actually forgot some key items while traveling in Iraq and that was my body armor and helmet. It just so happens that I was talking to James (the only brother left here and my chauffeur to the PAX, huh... That's funny... I just remembered whenever my grams got in the car while I was driving she would always say: "Home James"... Anyway) and he said something about Dave (the mechanic I mentioned earlier that went on a job a week ago) forgetting his armor and how James had to go back and get it. When he brought it back he called over to Dave to come get it and Dave was acting all uppity like he was too good to get his own armor. That's when I told him I didn't have mine (LOL) he said no problem I'll drop you off and get some from our other camp (less than a mile from the PAX and closer than our complex) and bring it back to you. So I put my stuff in the passenger waiting area and checked in and found out that the flight was delayed due to weather conditions. See our flight was coming from Kuwait and the was a sand storm that was hindering them from flying out. So I found a chair got comfortable and waited. James came back about 15 minutes later with the vest and helmet and I said C-ya and put it with the rest of my stuff.

I had time to kill so I went to the PX and looked for an MP3 player for the long haul ahead and got a little Subway (yes we have Subway in Iraq believe it or not) sandwich and a couple juices and headed back to the passenger waiting area. That's where I met R.J. a brother from Alabama that had been here for 5 months helping train the Iraqi police on investigation techniques. A pretty level headed guy that was very ready to get home and seemed to be pretty grounded. We jabbed for a bit and he asked me about the MP3 player that I bought that he saw me loading music on earlier. That lead us to the subject of music and our similar taste in artist. So I told him of all the new music I had and said "hey if you have a blank disc I will burn you a couple or records". He did have one and so I burned him some music and right about that time he headed off, because his flight wasn't scheduled till 11pm and it was about 6 so he went to kill some time. He gave me his email address and went on his marry way and I sat there waiting to hear about our flight that was suppose to have left 1 hour earlier.

Shortly there after I was talking to another civilian that was going on leave and she asked me where I was going, I told her and she said "Oh that's where he is going and pointed to the Master Sergeant. We shook hands and he introduced me to the Major. They were heading to the exact same place that I was, but for different reasons (obviously). They were actually space A (military for space available not manifested) on a later flight, but it was going the same way that my flight was going. I told them about my flight and the reserved there seat and that is where our journey began together. I don't believe in coincidences so I truly believe that this was suppose to happen this way. Well we sat there for a few hours chatting and waiting and then we got the call for boarding. We got our things together and headed to the ever so popular C-130 waiting for us out back.

We loaded up and this is where I run into one of the most annoying people since I have been in Iraq. See I'm a knowitall and we don't like our own kind, but fortunately I have toned it down over the years so know I a sorta, kinda knowitall. Well if you aren't familiar with a C-130 it isn't a very roomy plane and its not suppose to be its a cargo plane transformed into a troop transport. Well I put my bag in between my legs in front of me and the annoying guy said: "why don't you hang that up there behind you". I looked at him with a evil look that could have cut butter, but I tried it anyway per his request. When I saw that it would be right above another passenger's head and wasn't too sure how to fasten it down properly I said it's too big. He replied that it wasn't and I told him that if he wanted to put his bag up there he was more than welcome to, but I was not, so I pushed it as far under my seat as I could, then he said "oh that's good". I wanted to ring his neck, because the reason he mentioned it was do to our lack of space and this whole time his bag was on the seat next to him... (I hate double standards) Well his breathe also stank and that was getting on my nerves too, but I kept my cool and just relaxed for what was going to be a noisy and long flight.

Well we are all sitting there waiting for take off when they cut the engines. We are now 6 hours past our original take off time and its beginning to look like we might not be getting out of here. So we took out our ear plugs and just sat there sweating. My vest weighs in at about 30 pounds and the helmet another 5 or so (+/-), and there isn't any air conditioning on a C-130. Well it had to be at least 120 on the plane not to mention all our gear so perspiration was at an all time high. Sitting next to me was a kid that I swear was no older than 18, and he was with a sniper detail (special ops) that's where sergeant Knight comes in. He was the kid's NCO (Noncommissioned Officer) and someone I enjoyed immensely. Sgt Knight has been in Iraq for 3 years since 2001 and he is the definition of a soldier. I truly have a great respect for him and men like him, such as the Master Sergeant and the Major that I traveled with. He not only seemed very determined, but also had a sense of humor that lasted the entire time we waited for then to fix the plane. Definitely someone I could get along with and even make be-friend. He is what we would call a lifer, one that does this for the rest of his life, a dying breed actually.

Well we finally got underway and by time it was close to midnight before we left. Sgt Knight didn't have any ear plugs and let me tell you a C-130 isn't the place you want to forget those. Well I bought some BOSE QuietComfort2 headphones a few months back and I wanted to see how they would fair on a C-130. I flipped the switch turning them on and to my surprise they did better than my ear plugs, but not only that I could now listen to music while I sat in the flying sauna. So I handed my ear plugs to Sgt Knight and sat back and listened to the latest of 112 and Anthony Hamilton. I dozed off a couple of times until a sudden jerk of the plane woke me up which lead me to believe we have started our descent. No matter what I wasn't going back to sleep not while they did their combat landing maneuvers. So we landed after many MANY twists, turns, banks and drops.

We departed the plane single file as instructed in the darkest of nights (FYI do not come to Iraq without a flashlight). I grabbed my satellite phone and called to let them know I have made the first leg of my trip. I went to the PAX in Mosul (Yes I was in Mosul) and checked on the next flight to my final destination. I was informed that they only dealt with fixed wing and that I needed to follow the glowsticks to the office that dealt with rotary flights. I followed the dark path watching my step as best I could stopping every once and a while to look at the beautiful sky above full of stars, more than I can ever remember in my almost 30 years of life. I got to the office and was told the first flight out was booked full and there wasn't any space left for myself or the Master Sergeant and the Major.

So we went back to the other office for billeting (lodging) for the three of us. They gave us our room number and we carefully and quietly (it was almost 2am by this time) to our temporary housing. We opened the door to find a room smaller than my room back here at BIAP with 3 bunkbeds. There was only one person in the room so it didn't matter much to us, but just a few minutes later we had 2 more roommates filling us to the brim. The room was about 18" by 6" so once we took off our gear there was barely any room to move around, not to mention our 2 latest additions brought 6 M-249 SAW's with them. Fortunately for us they did fit under the bottom bunk bed not taking away from our already limited space. I laid down fully dressed because we didn't have any bedding and I wasn't sure how left what before me. I felt very sticky and my eye irritation that I had all but forgot about was beginning to bother me. I wasn't going to be able to rest till I at least washed up, so I headed to the showers. I washed my upper body and brushed my teeth and looked in the mirror at my eye. I could see a small particle, not much bigger than the tip of a lead pencil, of something just south of my pupil blending in with my iris (I love giving tid bits). I gently tried to remove t from my eye, but that is one thing I don't care to mess around with which is why I won't wear contacts. I wasn't meant to put things on my eye, or I would have been born with accessories (LOL). I stopped messing with it and headed to bed and looked forward to what would be yet another long day.

Tomorrow Day 2 Mosul (a.k.a. Club Med) not what it use to be...

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