Merlin's Story

The Same Ol' Situation

2005-08-05T12:54:00.000+03:00

As you can probably tell from the tone and frequency of my posts, I am started to wear down here. We are all getting edgy. That, from my experience, is what happens when a group of people is in a high stress environment for an extended period of time with no real means to escape each other. Sometimes just the absence of people and noise is a welcomed break.

I have noticed in the last week or so, that the temperatures SEEM to be slowly decreasing. I haven’t taken note of the exact afternoon temperatures lately but it feels a SLIGHT BIT cooler in the afternoon. Another interesting tidbit is that I have noted feeling slightly chilly while walking back to my hooch from the shower the past couple of nights. As I arrive at my hooch I notice the thermometer reading 88 or 90 degrees. Chilly at 90? What? Am I out of my mind?

We have been having trouble with the HOOCHNET lately. The distance between the source and the HOOCHNET is about 200 meters. We really need a fiber cable and two fiber to CAT5 converters. If anyone can supply 200 meters of fiber and the converters, I would appreciate it. We could sure put them to good use!

Work has been steady and a bit overwhelming lately. We have several aircraft that have major inspection time intervals bunched up with each other. The result is pulling back to back to back to back services that usually take a day and a half to complete each one. Unscheduled maintenance (things that just break) don’t wait for the services to get done so we have to squeeze those repairs in as well. It’s all part of normal aircraft maintenance but the shortage of mechanics magnifies the issue and puts everyone on edge.

I heard on the news this morning that Ohio soldiers seems to be getting killed quite frequently and the newscaster said that it was producing a noticeable swing away from the Republican side for elected officials and representatives. Yea right! That’s a stupid statement. They immediately followed that comment with a woman (apparently on the street) saying “All of our soldiers are getting killed”. Please tell me that John Q. Public is not THAT stupid! While you’re at it, please explain why the news media believes that we are.

I spent about 30 minutes chatting with my son yesterday. Always a treat. He’s 14 and into the typical 14 year old stuff. Play Station 2, football, swimming, computers etc. I can’t tell you how much it uplifts me to be able to correspond with him in real time. Sometimes we talk on the phone but those times aren’t as frequent and usually I get responses like “yea” “nope” Nothing” and “I don’t know”. Anyway, he was telling me about this new Play Station video gaming system that he would like. It’s called PSP which stands for Play Station Portable. I checked it out and was shocked when I saw the price. That is ridiculous! It looks as though Sony is trying to corner the market on accessories as well. The prices are outrageous! Of course I haven’t actually experienced paying $2.39 for a gallon of gas either. Aren’t I deprived?

Well, I guess to sum this edition of Merlin’s BLOG, I would say that the movie “Groundhog Day” is still a close match to this deployment. All the days are the same!

Before I close I would like to say, once again, Thanks to the Soldiers Angels organization for their continued support to me and my fellow soldiers. You DO really make a difference! Please check them out and maybe offer your support. Whether it be a donation or joining in and becoming a Soldiers Angel, everyone benefits! You can find these good people at http://www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/index.php

So that’s about it from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania or Northern Iraq. for now.

“MERLIN OUT!”
merlin@rixnet.net

In A Word...HOT!

2005-07-13T23:27:00.000+03:00

WOW! Two months almost since I’ve made an entry here. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. I haven’t forgotten about the BLOG, I just felt like my days have been pretty much the same for so long. What is there to write about?

The weather is really, really, really hot. Those who know me are no doubt getting really, really bored of hearing me talk about the heat. Lately, the temperatures have been steadily surpassing 120 degrees. The wind is blowing usually at about 10 knots, it makes it almost unbearable. How would you like to live under a hair dryer? I can imagine when I go back to the States how cold I’ll be for the fist month or so. We have to wear gloves out on the aircraft when performing maintenance to avoid burning our hands. Now that’s HOT!

Speaking of going home, (always a favorite topic of discussion or debate, I am expecting that seemingly elusive date to be somewhere just before Christmas. That is looking the most promising. Still, I have been around this Army to know not to hold my breath. So many things could happen to change it. I find it best not to get my hopes up. I kind of trick myself into not getting too focused on packing up and leaving on a particular date because it may change and I don’t want my soldiers to slack off on their excellent performance. It’s kind of like hiding money from yourself. Does that make sense?

We have lost several soldiers in the last two months. They aren’t dead or even injured they just gave up. “Hitman” went on leave and never came back. He concocted some story about health issues and went running around trying to find a doctor to substantiate his claims. When that didn’t work he cited financial hardship. When that still didn’t get him out of returning he used some family domestic issues to rationalize not returning. The Army finally gave in and discharged him. “Kitchen” bent the truth (I’ll stop short of calling him a liar) about some papers that he signed volunteering to come on this deployment. The papers were lost and he claimed he’d never signed them. As a result he had to be sent home. “JET” volunteered to deploy with us despite his wife is having some pre existing health issues. He got tired of being here and used her situation to go home early. All three of these soldiers, in my opinion, have let us down. They gave their word that they’d serve and when the going got a little bit tough, they folded. That says a lot about personal integrity in my book. In my book, they have forsaken the team for their own, selfishness. Don’t get me wrong. I would feel this way if there was a legitimate reason for their return to the States. It’s a decision they will have to bear for the rest of their life.

A couple of months ago, A fellow soldier told me about a group called Soldier’s Angels. I went to their website and decided to sign up. Since then, they have sent me cards, letters and emails and recently, they sent me a couple of care packages with some very thoughtful gifts. Please take a moment to have a look at their website at: http://www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/index.php They are really doing a lot to help soldiers who are deployed and let them know that America cares about it’s warrior sons and daughters. Thanks to the Soldier's Angels!

For someone who hasn’t had much to say, this BLOG has gone on for quite a while. I have been asked countless time about the BOG and have received many encouraging thoughts. Please keep up your encouraging words coming. Sometimes, it’s the difference between a good day and a really rotten one. Thanks to all of you who keep nudging me forward.

From somewhere in Northern Iraq, STILL!

“Merlin Out”…Rodger that!
merlin@rixnet.net

Pressing on Over the Hump

2005-05-18T21:37:00.000+03:00

It looks like we are finally heading out of the woods as far as maintenance goes. At least for the moment. We’ve had six or seven major aircraft services back to back for the last three weeks without a day off. The civilian contract maintenance teams have been making mistakes and errors in judgment costing valuable time. Aviation maintenance is a game of percentage. The percentage of flyable aircraft verses the percentage of broken aircraft must flow uniformly in order to avoid too much scheduled maintenance from coming due simultaneously. The missions don’t slow so a very delicate balance must be maintained to ensure mission capability. Sounds really technical doesn’t it?

The temperature has been steadily on the rise.. The average afternoon temperature this week has been somewhere close to 105. The humidity is low which makes things a little more tolerable. Water consumption is a must and I have to constantly remind my soldiers to consume plenty of water. Most of them will experience temperatures that they have never endured before. Most of them seem to take my concern lightly but I know, first hand, that a heat injury can be a very dangerous thing if the signs are not caught early. My 18 month stint in Egypt and my 9 months in the Gulf War have thankfully prepared me to notice the early signs of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

I have managed to contract some internet service to be installed in our hooches. I surveyed on of the Kurds who runs a small convenience type shop on base, to procure a satellite internet system and install it in our living area. It should be installed within the next two weeks. I’m hoping that the service will provide the band width to make it worth our money. Some of the Hadji’s have over booked internet systems here resulting in sluggish performance and unhappy customers. One of the biggest challenges will be to convince the soldiers not to be bandwidth hogs. The fact that they paid their own money will no doubt lead them to believe that bandwidth is plentiful and as long as they get theirs, nothing else matters. We’ll just have to wait and see but I know it’ll be difficult to keep a handle on.

I’ve heard some disturbing news that I have yet to fully confirm. Apparently, It seems that the SC unit that we were attached to has manipulated the presentation of medals for my soldiers who helped rescue the crew of the C-130 that crashed here in December. Sources have said that since the SC Apache unit was in essence relieved from their mission here for failure to perform, they no longer feel the obligation to take care of the loose ends that were hanging when they left us here. In a nut shell, they have forsaken us and thus the medals fro my soldiers have been disapproved. This despite the fact that soldiers risked their very lives to enter a burning airplane to extract the injured and trapped crew. You can bet that I will not let this go without a fight. No matter what I have to do. No matter whose desk I have to stand, to get my point across. I will have my say! My soldiers will not be denied because of some political B.S. from a Lieutenant Colonel who is wallowing in his own misery and failures. (See March 11th BLOG entitled "To the Back of the Bus")

We’ve been here for quite a while and we are quickly assuming senior status on the base. We have been here longer than most now. We continue to press on over the hump. A little better than half-way though our deployment deep routed bonds have been made among our soldiers. Most of them won’t even recognize this fact until they are back in the States and they try to resume their normal lives and routines. War and long, difficult deployments have their way of creating bonds deeper than childhood friends or school mates. I’m not really sure why or how but my guess is that when you trust a group of people and rely on them to protect your flank, slamming on the brakes at the end of the deployment is a shock to ones emotions and deep routed sense of security. Separating from those who you’ve gone through so many tribulations with leaves a void in ones soul. A void that’s difficult for one outside the group to understand, much less fill. Most of my soldiers, I would venture to say, have no idea what’s coming and wouldn’t believe me if I told them. They just want to go home. I liken it to the nostalgic feeling of ones grade school days. If you’ve ever actually revisited a childhood school or neighborhoods, they tend to be much smaller and not quite what you remember them to be. Or maybe that’s just me.

That’s all for now. I’ll keep you informed on the latest and greatest as it progresses.

From Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”
Merlin@rixnet.net

Balancing the Yin and Yang

2005-05-05T23:23:00.000+03:00

OK, OK, I know an update is LONG overdue. It’s been a long last couple of weeks! The action here has started to pick up again for several reasons. None which will be discussed here at the moment. Well, maybe just a little discussion.

As you may have noticed in the news lately, the intensity of the battle had picked up somewhat. It’s probably a coincidence that this is Saddam’s birthday. More of our soldiers were killed this week which is definitely bad news. Sad to say it but I usually just try to remove myself from that line of thought. It’s best if I not dwell on things like that. It doesn’t mean that I don’t feel for their families. I suppose that may make me somewhat insensitive but I don’t need to add to my stress level.

The weather has been pretty nice with a couple of one hundred plus temperature days although the norm has been in the low 90’s. It hasn’t been too bad yet. But it’s coming. Today I was at the aerial gunnery range and it was a bit cold and rainy. The weather gets warm and then goes back to cool again. It’s not all that different from the mid western states right now.

Our quality of life has improved a thousand folds since the 101st arrived. They have been wonderful about following through with their promises to get us supplies that we need and with supporting us in our day-to-day operations. I am really impressed at their commitment and resolve. I know it’s partially because their Sergeant Major wants to be a gunner in a Blackhawk. Their Apaches have only two seats and spend more time being broken than they do flying. He seems to be a good guy so as long as he keeps taking care of us, he can have whatever he wants.

Yesterday “Rebar” flipped out and punched a hole in the pilot’s window. You’d have to go back to one of my first posts to read about him (See "Introducing the Home Team" Feb 01, 2005). Personally, I don’t think that he has the resolve or capacity to do this job. You see, I believe in a very simple theory. If you want to do something, you can do it. The resolve just has to be strong enough and you must be willing to sacrifice to achieve. When the sacrifice exceeds what you are willing to pay, then you quit. For whatever reason. I don’t believe its about financial status or social status. It about wanting something bad enough. Enough for the Chi commentary

Mother’s Day is on Sunday and I am glad that I had the opportunity to send flowers to my dad. It’s important to me that I send flowers because mom always liked them. It also provides a great deal of strength comfort to me. I miss her immensely. I guess that’s a credit to her, her life and the way she raised me.

I frequently find myself thinking about my dog Jess as well. For a second or two, I forget that she’s gone now too.

If you haven’t noticed, it’s easy to get depressed out here because there is so much time to do a great deal of thinking. Time that you would otherwise have filled with family or friends if it were not for being in Iraq. I have to be conscious to control these thoughts because they will get the best of me if I allow it. That would only sever to put me in a self – induced state of depression. I don’t need that and my troops certainly don’t need that. I am constantly reminded to perform frequent self analysis’s and control my mental state. It one of the self preservation techniques that the Army tries to teach. Most of the time I am successful.

Writing this BLOG is not only a good way to let friends and loved ones know what is going on here. It’s also good therapy.

The weekend looks much the same as most others have been. At least there is constancy! Sometimes, that’s a good thing!

My German friend Gert, left today. I'm a little miffed because he just told me that he was leaving about three weeks earlier than he had originally planned. Apparently, this morning he jumped a flight and is outta here. He didn't even tell us good bye. I have his contact info so he's not getting off that easily though.

For now, that’s about al of the deep thoughts that I can muster at this hour. It’s getting late and I have to get up early.

Thanks to those who follow my BLOG. I’ll try to get back and put “pen to paper” sooner next time.

From somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”
Merlin@rixnet.net

Third Grade Inspiration

2005-04-21T20:46:00.000+03:00

This past Sunday was my 39^th Birthday. Celebrating it here in Iraq was better than I had anticipated. I received several E-cards from family and friends and even received a card in the mail from my father. Yes, the military postal system actually came through this time and got me a card on time. The little things in life always make the difference.

A civilian friend of mine, who works in the mess hall, actually baked a cake for me complete with the Happy Birthday and everything. I was surprised to say the least.

The rest of the week went quickly without too much excitement. Sometimes I find myself wishing for some excitement to get the adrenaline rush going. I know it’s sort of weird but war is 5% excitement and 95% boredom.

I should clarify “boredom” before you think all I do is sit around and smoke water pipes and look at camels. Boredom is doing the same thing day in and day out. Remember the movie “Groundhog Day”? The helicopters break and we spend countless hours fixing them. I am starting to participate in more maintenance test flights lately though. Boredom is the mess hall (as good as it is) having the same food day after day after day. Boredom is going back to my 10’ x 20’ Hooch at night and falling asleep still in my uniform with my boots on.

Some of the other bases in country have USO shows and other things to do. No USO tours come here because we are still relatively small and are so far to the north. I suppose I shouldn’t complain. I could be knocking on doors in Mosul instead. Sometimes I think it would be a rush to actually do that for a day. Then I wake up and remind myself that I am an aviation soldier and should leave that stuff to the grunts. Those guys are pretty remarkable to say the least. (I still would like to do it though).

Today I received an envelope full of letters with pictures from my nephew’s third grade class. I was pleasantly surprised as it was a very kind gesture on the part of the class and I feel it’s important to reinforce their patriotism. Funny, I never really considered myself a role model to anyone but my son. Now that I think about it, everyone does love G.I. Joe unless you’re on the business end of the weapons. I am trying to think of an idea to return the favor. Something that will make the kids realize how insirationl their letters were. The letters came at a good time as the middle of a tour like this is typicly the time when everyone really gets tired of it.

When the main body of our unit departed here a couple of weeks ago with the Apaches, we were told by the Battalion Commander that we, the Blackhawk detachment staying here, were still a part of the unit and would still be supported as such. They would do anything possible to take care of us and get us the necessary supplies we needed. This week we found out that that statement was just like the rest of the crap the Apache leadership has been feeding us since day one. Two days ago we learned that we are now attached to the 101^st Airborne and that was the plan all along. Being a leader, especially a Lieutenant Colonel, means that you must earn the respect and trust of your team and strive daily to do the right thing. Team must have a different meaning in South Carolina because these guys don’t know the first thing about cohesion.

Being attached to the 101st has turned out to be a blessing. We have seen sweeping changes and overwhelming support from these guys since the day they set foot on this camp. From the guys on the flight line to the supply soldiers, the refueler’s, the First Sergeant, the Company Commander, the Battalion Command Sergeant Major all the way to the Battalion Commander.; these guys have been doing everything possible to help set us up for success. For now, it looks like things may have turned in our favor. These 101^st guys are Apache guys, but they wrote the book on the TEAM concept. Maybe things will be alright after all. Since the 101^st guys are based out of Fort Campbell, which straddles Kentucky and Tennessee, they feel a special bond with our unit.

For now, I’ll just put the Margarita machine on order and maybe with a little luck, we can cut down on the boredom just a little. I’m not holding my breath though.

From somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”

merlin@rixnet.net

PINK ELEPHANTS WEARING TUTU’S

2005-04-11T21:50:00.000+03:00

The weather is continuously getting warmer. Today was the warmest yet. I imagine it was somewhere close to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun was pretty hot while working outside of the hangar. It reminded me that I need to start watching my soldiers more closely and brief them often about dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat stoke and how consuming massive amounts of water daily will help ensure that they are able to effectively cope with the hot weather and this environment.

Progress on our new operating environment without a parent unit and within a stones throw of the 101^st Airborne is moving along. A unit like the 101^st always brings problems as well as benefits. I was told that today the new Sergeant Major set up a road block here on the airfield and was stopping soldiers who were driving vehicles and checking drivers licenses, seat belts and a myriad of other things to include making sure that their chin straps on their helmets were snapped. I agree that these things are important but I think a road block is a little over the top. That’s a pretty good example of what the Army has come down to these days though. There is so much light cast on the most minute details and so much micro management that nobody even notices the pink elephant tiptoeing around the corner in a tutu. I have observed what seems to be a need to validate ones self by thumbing one's nose at soldiers with less rank as if rank was an indicator of competency. The only logic that will ever be given for that comment is “That’s the Army.” It’s a constant “willy waving contest” to see whose is the biggest without consideration to common sense or tactical efficiency. Preacher calls it the "Monkey Trap". The monkey will reach into the trap to retrieve a piece of fruit. Once in hand, the fruit won't fit out of the hole that he just stuck his hand through to get it. Once in his grasp, the monkey will never release the fruit to release his hand. I'd say that's a pretty good assessment!

I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Tuesday since lat week. He probably found a new home. At least that’s the assumption that I’m going to make.

One of our Crew Chief’s, “Kitchen” brought us some Pizza Hut pizza from down South near Baghdad. He took the time to go buy it for us on one of his stops today. It was a welcomed treat for the team and it disappeared rather quickly. Sometimes it’s nice to have helicopters. Other times, it really sucks. Like when they're broken!

That’s about it for today’s edition. I hope this posting finds you all well and I want to thank you for your support and prayers. It’s the support that we get from John and Jane Q Public that helps me get through some of these days.

From Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”

Merlin@rixnet.net

Tuesday's Gone

2005-04-08T22:23:00.000+03:00

Again,

It’s been a while since I have sat down to add to my BLOG. Life here in Northern Iraq is on the fast track lately and I’ve just not taken the time to write. So, never mind the excuses. Let’s get to it.

The weather is spring like here. The sky is blue and cloud free for the most part, every day. The temperature is about 50 in the morning when I set out to work and reaches somewhere between 70 and 80 degrease during the day. It’s actually been nice to be outside.

Our parent unit has finally begun to leave. By next week, they will all be gone but we are pretty much on our own now. Independence at last! The new, incoming unit has already pledged to support us above and beyond what the South Carolina guys ever thought about. Time will tell if they actually deliver but I prefer (believe it or not) to be optimistic. Experience has taught me to be very conservative with expectations. Empty promises come our way like bees to honey so I am usually very skeptical. We’ll just have to wait and see. Time will tell.

The last couple of days I have had the opportunity to tune in to KPRC Talk radio in Houston, Texas, via internet streaming. When I lived there, KPRC was always tuned in on my vehicle’s radio. Although, my access to the web is usually very limited, yesterday and today have been exceptions. I have used this opportunity to listen to some talk radio and catch up on some news. It’s really been refreshing. Just in case your interested, you can have a listen at the following address: http://kprcradio.com/audio.html#

A couple of months ago, my uncle introduced me, via email, to a woman in New York who wanted to send my unit some books from the Brooklyn Library. Recently, these books have started flooding in and they are going like hotcakes. Thanks to the Brooklyn Library and all of the Americans like my uncle’s friend for being so supportive of the troops here in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need your support and it certainly makes life here more tolerable.

The weeks seem to be going faster now. Faster than a snails pace at least. The soldiers who I work with are noticeably tired and worn out. As you may recall, I said that something must give before we all reach our breaking point. Last night we had a meeting regarding our efforts and progress. Our leaders have finally decided that we should throttle back a little and shorten our duty day. Next week, we are going to attempt to go to two eight hour shifts. I’ll believe it when I see it but as you may imagine, it would be a welcomed change. I’m not even sure what I would know what to do if I wasn’t working 15 or 16 hours per day. Maybe I can finally stop living in constant crisis management. Maybe I can actually get some other things done and not be chained to the Blackhawk hangar. Like I said, we’ll see about that. For some time, I have wanted to set up a web site to post some of the photos that I have taken here. That will be near the top of my agenda for my “extra” time.

We are still in need of computer and network equipment to support the HOOCHNET. Last week we zapped another router which was part of the reason for my delayed posts to the BLOG. When it rains, for some reason, an electrical current seems to flow through the network cable and starts zapping network devices. I can’t quite figure it out but nothing much surprises me about this place. Any five minute task, takes an hour to accomplish here.

Several days ago, I was given an ultimatum regarding the dog I found. I was told to either let "Tuesday" loose or turn him in to be destroyed. He came to me in my time of hurt and I can say positively that he helped me cope with the loss of my dog. I fed Tuesday, untied his rope and he trotted carelessly down the flight line with his tongue hanging to one side and a definite bounce in his step. I think he enjoyed his short stay with us. I’m only sorry he never had the chance to go for a flight with us. Bon Voyage Tuesday!

Well, I guess that’s about it for this edition. It’s time to get some rest. I need to recharge my batteries.

Form somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”

merlin@rixnet.net

Tuesday

2005-03-31T23:08:00.000+03:00

On Monday evening, I checked my email and I noted an email from my son. In the email, he explained how my dog slipped under theback yard fence and ran into the street and was killed by a car. As you might imagine, I was very upset. Especially being here and not being able to do anything. I felt trapped.

My dog and I were two peas in a pod. She offered me much comfort after the passing of my mom a couple of years ago. In fact, it was just after my mother died when I adopted “Jess” from the pound. It may seem silly that someone like me would be so attached to a dog, but that just me.

Monday evening, I hardly slept a wink. I’m sure that you can imagine the thoughts running through my head. Thoughts of anger, disbelief, sorrow and just plain hurt. My dog was gone!

Tuesday, I woke and dragged myself to the hangar. The morning hours crept along like someone had slowed father time. Noon came and I went to eat lunch. Upon returning to the hangar after the noon meal, to my surprise, there sat a five or six month old puppy. He was desert colored and came with a blue, nylon collar. Just the kind of collar Jess had. It was almost as if the puppy was sent to ease my pain. He could never replace my Jess but I found peace in having the puppy there with me.

The pooch has been with us now for two days. We’re not supposed to have pets and if the dog is discovered, he’ll be euthanized. What better reason to try to keep him from wandering around the camp and face the possibility of being caught? Yesterday I decided that we would keep him and see how things go. I bathed the puppy in a plastic aircraft parts box and although scared, he sat pretty well still and let me bathe him. Next, I found a wooden crate; Another aircraft parts box. I cut a hole in the front, nailed a roof on and a dog house was born. Now if I can only get him to go in the darn thing.

I decided to name the pooch “Tuesday”. This morning I came to work, eager to see if Tuesday was sleeping in his new house. As I approached the house I noticed he wasn’t inside and wasn’t on the ground were I had him tethered. No sir! Tuesday was sleeping in one of the guys folding lawn chairs. He’ll fit in well here!

I’m working on plans for Tuesday’s first Blackhawk flight. I need to locate a vet in the area. I know there’s one up north but I don’t know if I can get the dog the immunizations he needs. I have already had an offer to fly us both up to see the vet. I may take him up on that. Meanwhile, I have other issues to resolve. I need to come up with some dog food. For now I am feeding Tuesday meat and rice from the mess hall. I know it’s not good for the dog, but I don’t really have a choice. I’ll have to ask Hadji if he can get some proper dog food somewhere. We’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, Tuesday and I are doing pretty well. We are still getting acquainted but it looks promising. If all of the chips fall in the right places, who knows, I may e able to work out bringing Tuesday home. We’ll just have to wait and see.

I’ll be happy to pass on a photo of Tuesday to anyone who requests it. That’s all for now.

From Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

MERLIN & Tuesday OUT”

merlin@rixnet.net

Happy Easter

2005-03-25T21:13:00.000+03:00

Thursday, 24 March 2005

It’s been a little while since I’ve written here. Things have been going as well as can be expected lately considering the break up of the unit. The same division is present between the TN and SC units. As the SC guys prepare to leave, we are quite guarded with our equipment and resources. The possibility that our belongings will grow legs and end up with the SC guys at their new location are pretty good.

There are several recent events that have occurred which have brought the Battalion Commander down to our unit. Unfortunately, due to the nature of these events, it’s not possible for me to elaborate at this time.

“Wheel Man” just returned from his 4 day R&R pass in Qatar. When I asked him if he enjoyed his pass, he replied that it was horrible. It seams that the Army still has a lot to learn about caring fro soldiers. Although “Wheel Man’s” pass was four days, he was actually gone for about seven days. From here he traveled north and stayed at a base up North over night. There was no linen or blankets and the cots were broken down. He said that it was impossible to get any rest. Upon arriving at Qatar, the soldiers underwent several hours of briefings to outline what they could do and what they could not do. Of the could not do were two big ones. They couldn’t go anywhere because the facility was locked down due to security concerns and they couldn’t take pictures. The entire R&R installation was comprised of ware houses which contained the tents where the soldiers were to sleep and be housed. He said the lights were on 24 hours a day and each day the were soldiers leaving and arriving so it was tantamount to sleeping in a bus station. The soldiers were allowed to consume two alcoholic beverages per day and there was a Chili’s there. I think it’s horrible that merely going through the motions of giving a soldier some much needed and much deserved rest and relaxation seems to be “good enough”. These soldiers deserve more.

Friday, 25 March 2005

The weather has turned cool for the last three days. The sky has been clear and the moon has been almost full at nights. The days have been windy and cool. Jackets are back out of the duffel bags and gloves are a necessity. The last three days it’s been common to see dust devils a couple of hundred feet high blazing across the dirt and sand.

Today is Good Friday. The holiday of course. There was nothing different about today than the rest of the days. At least nothing stood out. I guess it was good because nothing bad happened. I have to remind myself of the half empty, half full thing. Nobody ever mentions that half empty or half full doesn’t matter when you don’t even like the contents of the glass to start with.

Sunday is Easter and I’m willing to bet that the Easter bunny ain’t comin’ here. Now the real reason for Easter is timeless. It is, fo course, the day we as Christians, celebrate Christ’s resurrection. It’s also a day that holds many nice family memories for me. That’s like a warm beam of sun on a lazy afternoon.

I’m not sure how many people actually read this BLOG. I have received a couple of emails from people who are following my journey. I appreciate those thoughts and prayers and well wishers. Thanks for that.

As I told you before, my unit broke off from the original unit to whom we were attached. Now we’re kinda drifting in the surf. Just keeping our heads above water. Supplies have been difficult to come by. The new unit is preparing to take our internet away and leave us with nothing. Our maintenance database depends on a LAN to pass maintenance data and historical records throughout our area operations. They are getting ready to take our network switches, routers, printers and computers. We’ll be left with a couple of desktops and a printer that’s on it’s last leg. I feel like we’re important enough to perform and complete the missions assigned but logistical support is falling through the cracks. If anyone has any equipment available, it would be appreciated. We could also use a computer projector and a couple of bulbs for training. If anyone knows a provider of satellite internet service in this area or Europe, who will give a decent price, it would be appreciated. It looks like we may have to pay for this out of our own personal money. Let’s just hope we don’t have to have family members sending us bullets. The supplies are probably available here in country, just not to us . That’s pretty sad.

Anyway, gotta run. Helicopters are breaking faster than we can fix ‘em. Happy Easter!

From somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”!
merlin@rixnet.net

A Leisurely Paced Weekend

2005-03-13T22:02:00.000+03:00

This weekend has been pretty light on maintenance. It has been a welcomed break! We’ve still had work; it’s just been at a leisurely pace.

The South Carolina First Sergeant arrived last night. If you’ll remember, I think I told you a while back that the ACTING First Sergeant was named because the real First Sergeant was medically disqualified from deploying with us last October. Anyway, he got over whatever medical hurdles were holding up his deployment and he arrived today. The acting Fist Sergeant was one of our guys from TN. The SC guys used any opportunity they could find to back door him. They were happy to see their great savior riding through the gate on a donkey last night. I won’t have many dealings with him because, as I mentioned in my last posting, the SC guys are being sent to the back lines because they can’t make their missions. That's the bottom line.

This unit split has really served to widen the gap between our units while we're still "together". The divisiveness of people never ceases to amaze me. The bad thing is that the unit Commander is from TN AND a Blackhawk pilot but has to move with the SC people and the Apaches. I’m not really to fond of the guy, only because he’s very inexperienced. He’s a nice enough guy but a unit Commander NEEDS to know when to put his foot down and tell the battalion Commander NO sometimes when the unit is being over tasked. As a Commander, you can’t always be a YES man. Until now, our unit, as a whole, has not been grated any official down time. I think that speaks poorly of someone up the chain of command. But that’s just my opinion.

The weather has been really nice the past couple of days. A welcomed change from the rain we had all of last week. It’s been up to about 70 degrees the past three days and blue skies with just a couple of cumulous nimbus clouds (the really puffy ones). There have been some really pretty sunsets too. I have been thinking that it's nice to send them your way, to the West. Enjoy!

That’s about it for now. I’ll be back her just as soon as I can; telling you about my life here!

Form somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”
merlin@rixnet.net

To The Back of the Bus

2005-03-11T16:06:00.000+03:00

I just have a minute. The internet's been up and down and combined with the heavy work pace lately it's been difficult to post. It seems like I can't buy a break.

It's been decided that the Apache people from SC are moving and we, the Blackhawk people form TN are staying here. Our new owners will be the 101st Airborne Division. These guys are Apache guys too but maybe they'll take better care of us than our current owners. It can't be much worse. Because of the move (it will take place pretty quickly) we are consolidating all of the Blackhawk people and assets. Pretty much, the 101st is taking over our operational areas to include our living containers.

It seems the SC guys weren't able to handle their mission so they're being sent to the "back of the bus". We, the Blackhawk people, are doing well as far as our missions go and the 101st wants to keep us on the front lines with them.

That's about all of the detail I can give up to this point. For now I'll have to wait until the dust settles. Don't be surprised if my posts become infrequent in the short term.

My mom's 62nd birthday would have been today. I miss her dearly and she is heavy on my heart today. I hope she knows that!

That's all for now.

From somewhere in Northern Iraq, Happy Birthday mom!

"MERLIN OUT!"
Merlin@rixnet.net

A Little Down Time

2005-03-07T16:29:00.000+03:00

I’ve been under the weather for the last couple of days as well as spending long hours in the hangar. The two sort of go together; Long hours, lots of stress and coming down with something. I decided to take the day off as I was encouraged by several people.

I can’t believe I slept until 1030 this morning. I woke up, straightened up my hooch and disposed of some of the things I had been hanging onto. It’s sort of in my nature to hang onto almost everything that may be potentially useful out here. One never knows what may come in handy. At any rate, my stuff was threatening to take over more of my hooch than it should have. Reorganizing and redistribution of assets are on going processes here.

The weather is continuing its warming trend. Right now it’s very tolerable most days. The average temperature is somewhere close to 70 in the day and 45 at night. The use of our bullet heater in the hangar is diminishing and soon we’ll be able to put it away for good. Of course, that’s all based on the theory that I’ll be out of here before the cold season sets in again. One can only hope.

It looks like I may face the possibility of loosing up to three of my mechanics in the near future as well as some other valuable assets. The challenges of maintaining these aircraft as our mission takes its next evolutionary step is something that promises lots of headaches in the near future. I can’t go into the details of what is coming down the pike right now, so I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.

A couple of days ago, I was told that the Operational Readiness rate (OR Rate) of our Blackhawks is the highest in the nation. The OR Rate is what the Army uses to gauge A units mission capable aircraft and maintenance performance. I would like to think that my soldiers and I were instrumental in making that happen. We’ll never hear about it, even if it’s so, because that’s just the way this unit works. They hold the bait out there as an incentive to achieve and then once the goal is achieved, the promises are forgotten. The Guard is horrible about thins like that. A year and a half ago, while at our annual two weeks of training, I submitted several of my soldiers to receive military medals for superior performance. It took more than a year to get those medals awarded and even so, by the time the awards were approved, more than half of the soldiers that I had submitted, had either left the military or changed units. That’s the Guard from what I have seen. Always quick to take, always reluctant or slow to give. In my opinion, that’s one of the reasons that retention is a problem. <>

Anyway, the big wheel keeps on turning and we are constantly told to remain flexible. That’s another way of saying that this is nothing but chaos and power struggles. Politics at its best. <>

That’s all for now!

From somewhere in Northern Iraq (for the time being – hint, hint)

“MERLIN OUT!”

Merlin@rixnet.net.

BLOGS and Dogs

2005-03-02T22:40:00.000+03:00

Today could be categorized as a pretty good day. I finally convinced my superiors that working soldiers day after day after day without a break is eventually counter productive. Not to mention, it destroys morale.

After a lot of jumping up and down on my part, the powers that be, for the time being, agree that some sort of scheduled down time would finally be acceptable. As a result, I gave “Chico” the day off. Maintenance potential drops when soldiers have the day off but the expectations for aircraft maintenance need to be lowered anyway. More with less just doesn’t add up. It felt good to tell a deserving soldier to take the day off. I’m sure he enjoyed it as well.

I spent a little time reading some of the other BLOGS. To say the least, it was interesting reading. Based on what I’ve read, I am ready to accept the fact that maybe I just don’t get this whole BLOG thing because my writings don’t begin to mirror the other authors work. Most of what I read seemed to be fairly abstract. Maybe I just don’t think as deep as most but I’ll accept the premise that I may be a simple minded person.. Of course, it could be that the inverse may be true. Who knows? I can say that this BLOG works for me.

The weather here is starting to show a consistent warming trend finally. Today was very nice and the temperature was somewhere around 65 F and sunny. You won’t catch me complaining about that.

Maintenance has not slacked off at all. I have good days and bad days like most. The company command seems to finally indicate that they can see the huge load that rests on our shoulders. We’ll see if the support follows. Something’s going to have to give…soon.

My mom’s birthday is this month. She’s always on my mind but more so the closed her birthday gets. I don’t think the loss of ones parent is something that a person gets over. At least for those of us who are fortunate enough to have had a good relationship with our parents. I feel lucky to have had that opportunity.

I received news that my dog decided to take an unscheduled vacation from the yard a couple of days ago. The last time she did that, I looked for her for three days and had almost given up when I located her. Knowing that she was on the loose again, I don’t mind saying I was worried sick. Fortunately, she was returned yesterday. I’m sure happy that before I left, I purchased a dog tag for her with a phone number. It would crush me to loose her.

The HOOCHNET was down once again today. I am in dire need of several network switches and there are none to be found here. It’ll be a challenge, to say the least, to keep this thing together with bubble gum and bailing wire. It does benefit the soldiers and it's one of the cornerstones for good morale. I'll continue to creatively administrate the HOOCHNET.

That’s about all I have for today. Not too bad of a day today, all-in-all.

From somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”
merlin@rixnet.net

Here's to You

2005-03-01T22:25:00.000+03:00

Today was a long day and I can honestly say that when I finished work, I felt like the day had beaten me. My team accomplished all of the goals that I had set forth at the start of the day. It was just one of those days when I kept getting kicked when I was down. The problems kept coming all day long. I was pretty low when I got to my hooch. Until I saw this Budweiser commercial that was apparently run during the Super Bowl. It's called "Applause" http://www.budweiser.com/commercials_05/select_media.html?c_id=3

Thanks for that. I needed it. Really!

Form Somewhere in the middle of Iraq,

"MERLIN OUT!"
Merlin@rixnet.net

On the Soap Box

2005-02-26T22:38:00.000+03:00

The weather was really nice today. It was about 40 when I went out to work at about 7 AM and it reached about 65 this afternoon. The sky was clear and aircraft maintenance was light. As a result, I had the opportunity to give two of my soldiers the day off . They deserve a break but the chance only comes around every couple of weeks or so. I have to take the opportunity when it presents itself. Hopefully, soon, I’ll be able to work my other two dayshift soldiers in for a day off.

We spent the day catching up on all of the tasks that heavy maintenance precludes us from doing on a regular basis. Clean up was the order of the day today. We rounded up a couple of fork lifts and cleared away some junk that our predecessors left for us. One thing that I always try to stress is site improvement. If we don’t consistently re-evaluate and improve our working conditions, we will never have anything more than the bare necessities. I know this will never be a Club Med but one can always dream about it. Besides, creativity and improvisation are good exercise for the mind.

Did you ever wonder how your tax dollars are being spent? Did you ever wonder what happened to the military vehicle up-armor situation? Well, let me tell you about a couple of my experience since I’ve been here.

As with any government agency, there are different colors of money. That is to say that some money can be used to buy this but not that. Other money can be used to buy that but not this. Some money is just smoke and mirrors to mask reality. Of the vehicles that I see on a daily basis, a large percentage of them have armor of some sort. Some have armored doors, some have armored grills. Some have are fully dressed in steel and some have none. I have been wondering. What actually classifies a vehicle as being armored” Windows, doors, grills any combination of the three or what? Maybe some Armor All on the tires?

As you may imagine, this post is comprised largely of military personnel. You probably have also guessed that there are a fair number of civilians here as well. The government feeds, houses and provides overall, care for the soldiers and US civilians alike. There are civilians from the US here who work for US organizations such as Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), L-3 Vertex and other DOD contractors. You may be surprised to hear that there are Iraqi and Turkish vendors who also work here. The Turks perform the water and waste management services along with the fuel duties. There are also a group of Turks here who have set up shops selling carpets, electronics, jewelry, leather etc. All of the junk that a confined G.I could want. The Iraqi’s are the laborers here but also have a couple of general stores here selling all types of goods like cigarettes, candy, DVD’s ,CD’s, and basic necessities. In reality, it’s mostly junk.

Some US Army units employ Iraqi’s as interpreters to accompany them on convoys and intelligence interviews. I might add that some of these Iraqi’s place themselves at great risk of being killed if the wrong people knew what they do for a living.

Here’s the part that gets under my skin. We have a tiny PX here that just opened a month or two ago. They sell electronics, personal hygiene items, magazines, junk food, cigarettes, snuff and things of this nature. The PX is run by AAFES (Army &Air Force Exchange Services). The PX claims that one of the benefits of being a soldier is being able to shop at the PX . They’re here for the soldier. They are also here to gouge the soldier. The prices in the PX are horrible. Army soldiers run and stock the PX on this installation. So let me roll it up for you. No AAFES employees, sky high prices and minimal inventory and selection. Oh, I forgot, the PX here is not open only to the soldiers here but it’s open to everyone. Soldiers, contractors, Iraqi’s, Turks and the whole lot. Where is our benefit that we earned? Where is the exclusivity that we earned as soldiers? Some civilians who I work with us are making more than $17,000 per month, being fed, bathed and laundered by Uncle Sam and have the same PX benefits as me. The freekin’ Iraqi’s can shop at AAFES. Quantities are limited on certain items because there aren’t enough to go around but yet Hadji can go shop there too. When we turn our laundry in to KBR twice a week, we are required to sign a release that releases them from responsibility for loss or damage to our clothes. If we don’t want to sign the waiver, we are required to accompany the clothing to the laundry facility and inventory it with laundry personnel present. Who has time for that? We are trying to win a freekin’ war here. Meanwhile the Philippino guy in the laundry steals my T-shirts but they are not responsible? Who the hell approved this contract? Many of you would be surprised about how your tax dollars are spent here. Maybe even outraged!

Kellogg Brown & Root, a Halliburton company, has the contract to provide almost all services here. They in turn, contract third world employees who work long hours for little pay and subject themselves to little more than sweat shop type work Some things here are ridiculous.

I’m not really sure what my point was supposed to be today but I think I’ve gotten off track. Thanks for letting me stand on my soap box for a while. I guess that about does it.

From Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”

merlin@rixnet.net

What's in Your Pockets?

2005-02-24T22:39:00.000+03:00

I was walking to work this morning at about 7 Am. The sun was just starting to make it’s early morning vertical climb above the horizon. At the end of the east bound road I was on was a C-17 Cargo plane just taxiing in. They're starting to be common place around here as of late. We’re growing more and more every day and soon we’ll be the gateway to Northern Iraq. Everything will eventually come through here. It promises to be one of the major logistics centers in the country. It’s come a long way in the four months that I’ve been here.

I have wanted to write about tonight’s headliner topic for a while. Trouble is, I usually remember it while I am getting ready for work in the morning. Because there is so much that happens between when I get up in the morning and when I lay down at night, it’s a wonder that I remembered it this evening. Enough chit chat, here goes.

I have said for years that the Army thinks that soldiers are pack mules. Every time I turn around, there is more gear or equipment tacked on the list of stuff that is absolutely essential that we carry on our person. Now I am sure that I could rationalize carrying an M-60 tank on my back for those nights when the mosquitoes are extremely bad but I ‘aint carrying no tank! I have enough to carry as it is.

Let me tell you what’s in my pockets and on my person as we speak. Of course I have on my desert colored camouflaged shirt and pants. That goes without saying as do the boots. I have my Identification tags; you probably know them as dog tags. I have 30 rounds of M-16 Ammunition in my pocket and another 210 in pouches attached my body armor. My body armor, by itself, weighs about 40 pounds. I have a Kevlar ballistic helmet, and a gas mask hanging on my left hip. The gas mask is a pain because if it’s tied down proper, it would go around my waste with a one inch strap and then another half inch strap wraps around the leg. It restricts movement and bounces up and down and slides around when I have to run with it on. I have a switch blade knife in my left front pants pocket and a Gerber multi-tool and flashlight on my right hip attached to my belt. I have miscellaneous items that pretty much fill a medium sized back pack and a slightly modified M-16 with a collapsible stock and a Tritium holographic sighting devise. I have a USB memory stick and three keys hanging around my neck and last but not least, I have my Motorola radio clipped to my left, front breast pocket that constantly reminds me of where I am. Sometimes I even have an extra soda or two that I’ve lifted from the mess hall. See what I mean? And I’m not even an infantry soldier. What’s in your pockets? <>

Today was the first day I noticed that there was an Iraqi security guy on duty at the mess hall with some type of working dog. It was a beautiful German Shepard and seemed quite happy to be around so many people. It reminded me how much I miss my dog. <>

My day was somewhat productive. It took all day long to get a maintenance pilot to come down and run a Blackhawk in order to balance the tail rotor blades. Finally, about 3 PM, I got two pilots and we balanced the blades and engine drive shafts. We finished up about 6 PM and sent that back out on the line. I was determined that today I wasn’t going to stay until 10 PM. I left the hangar at about 8:30 tonight.

Not much else to report for the day. I am beginning to wonder if all of my days are starting to sound alike. If I had a publicist, I’m sure he would be saying “we need more drama”.

The weather was really nice. It was almost identical to yesterday.

One of the Crew Chief’s from the new Blackhawk unit, took me aside and thanked me for the work that we do on their aircraft, Tomorrow, he’s going on a mission down south to one of the bigger Forward Operating bases (we call them FOB;s) where there’s a Pizza Hut. He said that he would try to hook us up. That would be great! I’m sure looking forward to that. I’m excited to see the look on my troops faces f he actually delivers. They deserve the best! <>

That’s about it from up here in the North. I’m looking forward to getting my boots off in about five minutes and finally getting the chance to relax a bit.

From somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”

Merlin@rixnet.net

A LONG DAY

2005-02-23T23:50:00.000+03:00

It’s nearly midnight and I’m beat. “Wheel Man” and I stayed late tonight to try to balance the tail rotor on a Blackhawk that was proving difficult. Our equipment and computer balancing set was experiencing problems and about 9:30 PM I pulled the plug on the operation for the night. We’ll get a fresh start in the A.M. For right now, I’m beat.

It was a pretty good day. The weather was nice and we had lots of sunshine. Lots of work as well.

Sorry to be so short but I am just exhausted. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day but there’ll plenty of aircraft work to go around.

Signing off for now…

Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”

Merlin@rixnet.net

Back On the Air

2005-02-22T00:35:00.000+03:00

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Sorry to have been gone for so long but it couldn’t have been avoided. You’ll know when to expect me to be gone when you see the news of some tragedy that occurred here in Iraq, on the news. You see when a service member dies, from my Division; all internet and telephone usage is discontinued. Well at least for us low-lifed individuals that our leaders don’t trust. You see, they don’t want any news of a soldier’s death to reach the family, unless it comes from an official source. I can sympathize with this line of thought. However, as always, our leaders go overboard in that even if someone who is not based here at our location, who we don’t even know dies, our lines of communications are cut off. Of course, the ones with all of the rank, position and power surf, email and smile and dial. Why? Because they trust themselves. Silly rabbits!

Anyway, the HOOCHNET was also down because someone meddled with the network switch and plugged a 110 volt switch into a 220 volt outlet. End result; dead switch. I had to do some horse trading to get a replacement but for the time being, we are up and running once again. I need to find a source who will donate some network equipment to a worthy cause. Keeping in touch with our friends and loved ones at home. If you can help or know of a source, we would appreciate your assistance. This is one of the few connections with home. We have only three phones for 500 plus people and they have just restricted those phones to be used ONLY between 6 PM and 8 AM. There’s no concern for the people who work different shifts. See, the phones here are VOIP phones (Voice over Internet Protocol). That means, our calls are routed over the internet. The same internet our leaders depend on so much to do their daily business. The claim is that the phones are using too much band width during hours of business. Three phones? Oh I forgot about the phones that the staff have in their offices that are not open for normal use by the soldiers.

Last week, I decided to have a look around the battalion to see just how the internet resources were being used…or mis-used. The story began several months back, pre-HOOCHNET, when I diverted an internet line into my hooch. The communications offcicer found my line eventually and demanded it be removed because the battalion Commander decreed that there will be NO internet in individual hooches. Back to present time. While snooping at battalion, I discovered an internet line running into none other than, you guessed it, the communication officers hooch. The same female captain who chewed me out is a hypocrite. The supply officer is also in violation. Go figure! I’ll save that ace in the hole until I get myself into a bind. It’ll probably be when I am caught with an internet line, once more, finding its way into my hooch.

After many weeks of working many hours, I decided it was time to take a day off today. I didn’t know that it was Presidents Day until this morning when I was watching CNN International, I’m doing well to know what day of the week it is normally. Anyway, I had the day off today. A day off for me, here, means that I get to catch up on things that I have been putting off because I just don’t have time.

First on my agenda was to sleep in. I slept in until about 9:30, got up, piddled around and went to clean up. I took a nice, long, hot shower which was really nice to do when I wasn’t dog tired. Came back to my hooch, got dressed and headed to the hangar. Why go to the hangar on my “day off”?

Well, I would like to say that I am just that dedicated, but that wasn’t my reason. One of our civilian tech reps who is employed by the Army, lent me his sat phone to call home. He’s a short man in his early 60’s and speaks with a heavy East German accent. Because I am the Blackhawk maintenance supervisor, he and I interact on a daily basis. Interpretation; He’s board because we don’t call on him much so he comes down to the hangar to see what’s going on. Anyway, yesterday he told me to take his SAT phone and today, I was looking for him in order to return it.

I reached the hangar and asked my team if they had seen him. “Chickie” said that he was around earlier and suggested that I keep it for a while. All he asked is that I keep it locked up. He encouraged us to call home on the Uncle Sam’s dime. I showed “Chickie”, “Wheel Man” “Chico” and “Bear Cub” how to dial home and then I left. I trust them to do the right thing. Something I, unfortunately, can’t say about all of my soldiers.

I returned to the hooch area and replaced the network switch. I downloaded five days worth of emails, added some time to my boy’s cell phone and chatted a bit on Yahoo Instant messenger. By then it was dinner time and I headed off to the mess hall to have a nice, army dinner at a table all to myself. After chow, I headed back to my hooch where I chatted with “desert Dog” and worked on a couple of the soldiers laptops. While working, I watched a pretty good move called “Antwone Fisher”. I definitely recommend watching this move. It a little long, but I liked it.

Now I find myself, after a long, productive day off, sitting here in the HOOCHNET at 1230 AM catching up on my BLOG. You see, I couldn’t let the day end without catching up; But that’s just me.

I find myself getting a bit tired and I know I have to get back to the daily grind in a couple of hours so I’d better sign off.

Remember, just because I’m a half of a world away, doesn’t mean that I don’t see the same sun and the same moon and stars that you see. I just get to see them eight or so hours earlier. That’s my reward for being here in this God forsaken place. I don’t regret my pledge to support and defend the constitution of the Untied States. I just miss all of you and I miss the US.

That’s it for now. Feel free to drop me a line any time. You can email me at Merlin@rixnet.net.

Form somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”

Running Up Hill

2005-02-15T22:58:00.000+03:00

I woke up this morning at 6 and was on to work by 7. The air was cold and either the thermometer at my hooch is broken or we have had about a week of 28 degree mornings. I expect it’s the latter.

Since the new Blackhawk unit joined us, we have restructured our Production Control and us Blackhawk guys have broken off from the Apaches. The two aircraft are just too different and it is more counter productive to meet together. Besides, we really don’t want to associate with those guys. Even among helicopters and maintenance crews, there are rivalries. We don’t like the attack guys much.

Anyway, now that we have defected, I am working longer hours. Lately it’s been 15 to 16 hours a day. I am afraid, especially after the last couple of days, we’re slipping and can’t hold this pace much longer. We’ll do our best but it’s a LOT of work and there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. The Battalion commander said, with the addition of the new Blackhawk unit, it would take the weight off of the guys who were doing all of the flying. Now, the work had doubled and they are buried. I don’t tell my guys how I feel but I really am starting to worry. A “Can Do’ attitude only goes so far. I feel like I am running out of steam. I’m not trying to do the WOE IS ME thing, but sometimes, I feel like it. I wonder if the great leaders ever felt like I do. Still, for every complaint, I can think of something I appreciate here. Like the internet, the food, our hooches, friends and good co-workers. It could be worse…A LOT worse.

Tomorrow’s schedule already looks like it has the potential to set a new record for the highest amount of maintenance in one day. We’ll get trough it, but it won’t be pretty. At the top of my list of concerns is that my guys will get burned out and the quality their maintenance will deteriorate. We can’t afford to let that happen. There is no pulling over to a cloud when a problem comes around.

I have recently started a trend where my dinner meal is a sandwich that “Wheel Man” “Bear Cub” or “Chickie” has brought back from the mess hall for me and left in my room. They usually volunteer to do it or sometimes, they don’t even ask, they just take care of me. They know when I really need a break. They can tell. They always go out of their way to make me some coffee or get me lunch or dinner or just do something extra for me. The best thing about it is they’re not trying to brown nose, they just care about me. That has to be one of the best feelings that a leader can have. I appreciate them a lot.

“Megtime” is a co-worker at my civilian job back in the States. Every now and then, he drops me a note. He doesn’t ramble on about this and that, he provides words of encouragement, tells me “Thanks” and a line or two about what’s going on at work. I really appreciate those emails. Not too heavy and not too light. Thanks! They really mean a lot to me.

Lots of people are very supportive of me over here and it’s really comforting to have the support of my family and friends and loved ones. They are the ones who get me through the rough days. The support they provide is crucial to my daily well being.

No Relief in Sight

2005-02-14T23:40:00.000+03:00

The last few days have been maintenance hell. Too many aircraft to fix, not enough personnel or time. Yesterday, I was constantly on the go for about 17 hours of non-stop maintenance. Today, more of the same. I wanted to write this weekend, but there was simply no time.

I believe that I mentioned a week or so back that we acquired another company of eight Blackhawks. With no maintainers to accompany them, the addition effectively doubled our work load. The Battalion Commander held a conference with all of the Blackhawk maintainers. “Not to worry” he said. “Help is on the way”. He went on to explain that a 90 person maintenance company is coming in March to support us and that everything will be alright. We just found out today that the 90 person unit, somehow, shrank to 34 and that only FOUR are Blackhawk mechanics. What a joke. This man has lied to us over and over and over again. What’s new?

Today is Valentines Day and another marker on my journey to the end of this deployment. Something to look forward to, to put behind me. Make any sense?

Today, I had the extreme fortunate of being able to get my soldier the black fleece jackets that they have been promised for the last four months. Back at Fort Bragg, our mobilization site, we were supposed to receive the jacket among other issued gear. Well they were out so we were “out”. It’s not that the jackets are any warmer than the Gore-Tex jackets that we already have. Actually, they were intended to be worn as liners for the Gore-Tex but they a being worn here as stand alone fleece jackets. Besides, they look cool. Hey, everyone else has them. We don’t ask for much. We just want what’s coming to us - fair and square!

“Wheel Man” is at the table next to me as I am constructing today’s edition of the BLOG. I have given my soldiers some very sketchy details of the BLOG’s existence but nothing specific about what I write. He looked over at me and asked “Are you writing about us again?” I replied with a simple nod of my head up and down the vertical plane. He then asked “Are you ever going to give us the address to that site?” I just shrugged with a little hint of a smirk. Maybe I will, but it won’t be while we are here and it won’t be while all of these people are under my supervision. I don’t want to give them a complex.

Mike, is a friend here who is a civilian. We get on because he’s from Houston and if you know anything about my history, you know I lived in Houston for a while myself. He’s a Supervisor in the mess hall which is run by Kellogg Brown & Root (otherwise known here as KBR). Well, today is “Wheel Man’s” birthday. I believe he’s 28 or 29 years old. At lunch, I happened to mention it to Mike in passing. He then gathered ten or so, mess hall servers and employees who are mostly from Shri Lanka, India and the Philippines. The employees came over to our table and sang a rendition of a song that sounded like Happy Birthday. Mike was carrying a brownie with a single candle burning on the top. What more could you ask for on your birthday. Being stuck in a third world country, in the desert, sat in an Army mess hall while a group of Hadji’s sing Happy Birthday – Priceless!!!

I’m afraid that’s about it for now. I have more to tell you but not enough time. Besides, I have to be in 30 minutes earlier now. Unfortunately, that doesn’t equate to extra pay.

If you’d like to drop me a note, you can reach me at merlin@rixnet.net

For Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”

Let it snow...

2005-02-11T22:22:00.000+03:00

Today was quite long so this will be short. I don’t want to get into the habit of NOT writing often because I want to keep this BLOG going. I think it’s good for me and this acts as a vent. There are not many people here who I can talk to just to get my mind off of work. My roommate, “Desert Dog” happens to be a great roommate and a good friend. I can confide in him.

Well, yesterday I mentioned that we had a lot of Aircraft out but I wouldn't give any details. Today I can tell you that it was because the Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld came to visit and my unit provided Blackhawk transportation for him. It was a short stay but I think it’s pretty cool.

It flurried here today, twice. There wasn’t enough to even create a dusting but it was nice to see the snow flakes falling and have the smell of winter in the air. I really like snow. They say that we may actually get some accumulation tonight. It is very cold and windy and has been all day. I doubt seriously that we’ll see much snow, but it would be a nice surprise. I have so many happy memories involving snow.

Memories are something that are important to me; Right now especially. They keep me in touch with home, family, friends and loved ones. My memories are as much of my reality as anything else. With the rest of my life on hold, I constantly try to count how many days, weeks and months I have remaining on this combat tour. We haven’t been given a definite return date so it’s a bit difficult to tell. For now, I’ll just look forward to tomorrow being another day closer to rejoining my other life, already in progress.

If you’d like to drop me a note, you can reach me at merlin@rixnet.net

That’s all for now.

From Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”

Something to Smile About

2005-02-10T23:25:00.000+03:00

Today started out on the wrong foot but as the morning progressed, we got back on track.

About 0715 hours this morning, one of the new unit’s aircraft had a transmission oil filter bypass button pop. In simple terms, the transmission oil filter was clogged. The Crew Chief called and “Falcon” responded. He was briefed on the situation and that the aircraft was supposed to fly a mission. Falcon committed to the repair and went off shift without briefing me of the commitment. Consequently, I was at the sharp end of an ass chewing without the benefit of knowing why. I immediately sent out the crew, in full force, and we got it taken care of. Blue Falcon is a term we use in the Army to describe someone who sets up another for failure. “Falcon” is the epitome of the term.

After tonight, I'm sure he’s not too fond of me. I wrote him up and have required him to do TWO, five page reports on the Army Manual for Leadership and the Army Manual for leadership counseling. He is required to submit them to me in seven days and must be 5 pages each, typed, double spaced in the size 12 font of his choosing. He complained that it wasn't enough time so I asked him if he wanted to try for a size 10 font. He didn't understand! By the way, have I ever mentioned that “Falcon” and I are the same rank?

I made it to the dental hygienist today and had my teeth cleaned. Hey I’m not stupid enough to NOT take advantage when Uncle Sam is paying. The hygienist did a great job and despite the condition of my teeth when I went in, I walked out, about 40 minutes later with nice, white, sparkly teeth. That’s something to smile about.

The weather was really cold today and it even snowed up north last night. We only had ice and frost but no snow. I really like snow. It would have been nice but not dice. The sky was clear today, it was just clod.

Lots of aircraft out tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to tell you why soon. We’ll see.

It’s time to go. Those are the high points of the day. It’s late and I’m tired. Another one down!

From Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”

If you would like to write, feel free to email me at merlin@rixnet.net

Cold Hands, Warm Heart! (and some feathers)

2005-02-09T22:56:00.000+03:00

Today has been really, really cold. When I went into my morning Production Control meeting, it looked like it may be threatening rain. Later on, by mid morning, the clouds had pushed North and let some sun in. The winds were breezy and the temperature didn’t increase much all day. Two of our aircraft got stuck not too far from here because of snow. They say there is a fair chance that we may see snow tonight.

Maintenance was moderate today. We kept busy pretty much all day and are learning to work with the 158^th guys. They’ve only been here three days so I try to cut them some slack until we all get situated and used to the business processes. I did send "Chickie" up on top to show them how to pull the blades off. Talk about salt in a wound...I was proud of her. She did great and was very confident. If you knew "Chickie" you would have been proud of her too.

The new Crew Chiefs are pretty reserved. The act as though they are skeptical about having fun. I try to laugh and joke with my guys as much as possible. I encourage ribbing and kidding around. As long as it doesn’t create an unsafe working environment and is not disrespectful, I say have some fun. There are few stress outlets here but plenty of stress for everyone. I feel like the new guys will come around in time. They still don’t know us yet.

One of the 158th aircraft came back today with a hole in the blade. It was about the size of a golf ball and located on the outer tip with feathers included. Looks like yard bird tonight. They cleaned 'em, we'll fry 'em. Bird strike! My team had the blade off in less than 20 minutes and the repair is already completed. We are waiting for the prescribed curing time and then we'll put it back on and send it back out. Just like clock work.

The base where I am stationed, recently procured a dental hygienist. I made an appointment to get my teeth cleaned today but the Hygienist never showed. Go figure! Anyone want government managed health care? Anyone?

I miss my mom today. I really wish she was around to talk with. Even if it was just a short conversation to tell her I miss her and I love her. I don't suppose it would hurt to try anyway. Maybe she can hear me.

Finance and the Post Office are here today. Every two weeks they come for a couple of days to let us cash a check and send out packages. The lines are long and I don’t know who these people are who have two and three hours to stand around in line. They must be all of the personnel service people. It’s no wonder I can’t get the supplies that I need or my soldier’s pay straightened out. Most of those shops actually CLOSE at 5 PM daily. Can you believe that? CLOSED in a combat zone. I wish I could close my Blackhawk maintenance hangar at 5 PM. We run 24 hour maintenance and are expected to do no less. What gives?

Got an email from a friend an co-worker today. A co-worker back at my real job that is. It's good to hear from those guys every now and them. I miss those guys. It may be hard to believe but I enjoyed going to work every day. Thanks "Megtime"

Looks like the Chinese New Year is upon us. Whoopee!!!

Let me get on to bed. Thanks everyone for reading and for your support and prayers. Feel Free to drop me a note anytime. Please be patient for a response. Things don’t always run smooth around here. Sometimes it gets a little bumpy.

Form Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT”

Desert Rain

2005-02-08T23:23:00.000+03:00

Cold and rainy and miserable today. The puddles form the previous rains were not yet gone and it’s starting again. That’s this region’s normal cycle though. In a month it should start to dry up and get warm. Then…LOOK out! The heat will come like the lava pouring from a volcano. It will be HOT. Ever been in 150 degree weather? Believe it or not, you manage but it’s painful..

I really miss all of the familiarities of home. Sometimes it’s easy to put away those feelings and just focus on the mission at hand. But just like the laws of gravity, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction… I have learned to sidestep my emotions in order to complete a mission. I’m not sure if that comes from being in the Army or just being a man. I will say,that, although it is a great coping mechanism for this type of environment, it does have negative side effects. I’ll explain.

Although I have learned to tune out my emotions and focus on the job at hand, I have also noticed that the whole process seems to actually dull my emotions and makes it difficult to re-attach to them. What this means is that I tend to be insensitive when I need to be compassionate. Sometimes, when faced with something sad or emotionally taxing, I want to be able to cry, I just can’t seem to release. Maybe I’m just not as sensitive as I should be. Who knows?

We have just added another company of Blackhawks to our arsenal. Two days ago, we were joined by an Army Reserves Blackhawk unit out of somewhere close to Los Angeles, CA. They are D Company, 158^th Aviation. They brought seven additional helicopters, Pilots and Crew Chiefs and ZERO maintenance. Guess who’s taking care of them. You guessed it. My crew and me.

The Army determined that up until now, we have done such a superb job that we are ready to move onto phase three of deployment. Phase three says’ If you thought you were doing good before, then you must be able to handle more” . “If you thought things were bad, you haven’t seen anything yet” My response, if I follow the Army handbook on can-do attitudes, is… “SURE, bring it on”. “There’s nothing we can’t handle!” If we actually admit that were over taxed in the first place and that doing more with less doesn’t make sense when people are flying more on the aircraft that are now maintain less, the Army would call that a negative attitude.

Despite what you may think, I happen to know that my soldiers will give it their best effort. I really believe that. I thank God for my soldiers every day. Many times I send them to do a job that really sucks. Most of the time, they don’t complain. They just do it.

One day, while undergoing mobilization training at Fort Bragg, we were riding in the back of a truck while the rain was pouring down. There was no cover over the back and we were getting soaked. It was cold, we were tired and we had a long way to go before we could even think about calling it a day. . “Bear Cub” was sitting across from me getting every bit as drenched. We looked at each other and without a word spoken, we began to laugh. We continued on for about ten minutes. It helped me get through the day. My soldier motivated me to continue on with a good attitude. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day. It was such a simple laugh. That’s amazing.

Some time ago, I decided to try and get some cool knives through the supply system. One can only try but most of the time, that kind of requisition ends up in the trash. Yesterday, the knives came in! It meant so much to me, to be able to hand each soldier a new pocket knife and say “Thanks for all that you do for me. I appreciate you”.

I spoke with the First Sergeant today. His call sign is “Renegade 7”. He’s actually from our Tennessee unit and was installed after South Carolina’s First Sergeant was medically disqualified to be deployed. “Renegade 7” informed me that the South Carolina First Sergeant somehow managed to get back on the list to come here and would be taking over the First Sergeant duties. “Renegade 7” thinks he’s coming to maintenance platoon. He’s trying to take my job. I told him “over my dead body”! We’ll see how this one plays out..

Gotta run now. It’s late it’s raining and I’m tired.

<>
“Somewhere in Northern Iraq”

<>“MERLIN OUT”

If you would like to write, feel free to email me at merlin@rixnet.net

Scattered thoughts

2005-02-07T22:18:00.000+03:00

I haven’t written in a couple of days. Not because I didn’t want to. Time seems to slip away, even here, and before I know it, it’s late and I didn’t get to everything that I had hoped.

This BLOG is becoming more than I had expected. I had imagined that it would be something that I hadn’t tried before. Something with a new sparkle in the computer world. I suppose it’s not new in the true sense of the word, but new enough and certainly to me.

I actually find myself thinking, during the day, about what I will write when the day is done. I guess, I kind of look forward to the way it documents what I do here and maybe in some way, it’s therapeutic and helps me deal with the days stresses. In short, it’s good way to close out the day and put my mind at ease.

Yesterday, we had an aircraft come into a 100 hour service. One of the requirements for this service is that we install computer equipment on the aircraft which gathers vibration measurements from sensors mounted in specific locations. The process requires a maintenance test pilot to run the aircraft with the measuring equipment mounted externally. Most of the time, the test pilot takes his place in the left seat and a mechanic or crew chief sits in the right front seat. I decide to put “Bear Cub” in the front seat this time. I remember my first time sitting in the front seat with the aircraft running. It’s such an awesome feeling when the test pilot says, “you have the controls.” For five or ten minutes, the mechanic holds the controls while the test pilot takes the measurements with the computer. It may seem that I am exaggerating, but the feeling of power, while just sitting there being in total control of that awesome machine, was overwhelming to me. I wanted “Bear Cub” to have that same experience.

When the testing was finished, I saw that I had accomplished what I had set out to do. “Bear Cub” was grinning ear to ear and had taken another marked step down the road of his life. It’s a marker that he will never forget. It may sound like nothing to you, but it’s a feeling that’s indescribable. A great feeling of power.

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday. It seems to me that the Army holds this day in higher regard than any other day of the year. I have been deployed several times during Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and other special days but it seems that no matter where we are or what the mission, there’s always time for the Super Bowl. Since the game was televised on Armed Forces Television, the commercials were edited out. While you were seeing the newest Budwiser commercials, we were learning how much trouble we will get into if we sexually harrass another soldier. While you were watching the newest Rebock commercials, we were learning that drinking and driving could cost your military career. It just didn't seem the same without all of the great commercials.

Since we are eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time here, it was a 2:30 AM kickoff time here in Iraq. The unit arranged to have a “party’ with some food, soda’s and non-alcoholic beer (we call it “near beer”) from the mess hall. If we desired to attend, we were SUPPOSED to be able to report for work at noon today. At 8 Am this moring, the knocks on my door began. Where’s this? What are we going to do about that? Where is this part? On an on. Nobody would leave me alone. The plan to sleep in was only wishful thinking. So much for the “best laid plans of mice and men…”

I have more to write but it’s late. There’s always tomorrow and seems to be no shortage of material to write about. I feel like my thoughts were scattered on this post. I’ll do better next time. I promise!

It was suggested to me that I provide a contact address for feedback. If you would like to write, feel free to email me at merlin@rixnet.net

For now… I bid you a good night!

Somewhere in Northern Iraq,

“MERLIN OUT!”

The day after Groundhog Day!

2005-02-03T21:09:00.001+03:00

Today was OK. We found some more wood and finished the remainder of the office extension. Now we have to do the electrical stuff. That shouldn't be too hard and I know where to get all of the stuff for that. It's everywhere! I did manage to find these aluminum door handles that say PUSH and PULL in Arabic and English. They normally went on glass double doors. They are rectangle and look cool on the office door.

The day went by pretty quickly. Maybe that's because I was so busy right out off the bat this morning. Some soldier (I feel the need to divulge that is was a woman driver) was too lazy to walk next door to turn in her laundry so she decided to drive next door. As she was pulling out, she managed to snag the computer network line that connected the two buildings. She yanked the switch off of the wall drug it across the room and finally tore the face off of it and snapped the cable. Then she had the nerve just drive off. Luckily, someone saw the whole thing and now she has no license (heh heh). My job was to find a new switch, find 200 feet of CAT5 network cable and reconnect the two buildings and restore network and internet service within four hours. Sure! It was a mad dash to try to round up everything I needed. This is Iraq, you know. I managed to complete the mission in 3 Hours 45 minutes. (Don't want to break my arm patting myself on the back)

The rest of the day we spent scrounging for wood and nails and playing carpenter. It was a good day in all and the weather was quite nice. About 65 for the high and visibility was really clear!

I took "Bear Cub" out to test his skill in the HUMMER. I am required to take him for a road test before we can get him a military drivers license. I used his road test as an excuse to get out and have some fun in the mud. HUMMERS work really well in this environment. On the street, they leave a lot to be desired but here, they're great!

Finished up the day by doing vibration analysis on Blackhawk tail # 312. After installing all of the test equipment, cameras and vibration absorbers everything was good but the #2 engine. It exceeded it's maximum alowed vibration limits so tomorrow we'll have to balance the drive shaft. Tonight it's coming into a 100 hour service. The blades need to come off so the rotor head can be checked for cracks with a special X-Ray machine. The night crew will handle that stuff.

I recently moved myself from nights to days. After a while, it's easy to get burned out. The pace at night is really high as most of the major maintenance is performed then. The maintenance has to be completed by morning because the aircraft will fly early. If something is not done, I am in the spot light and my reputation will be damaged not to mention possibly dropping a mission. We have been 100% so far. I took the first night shift supervisor duty the first 2 months that we were in country. I wanted to make sure that I set the standard and got everyone headed in the right direction. I don't mean to sound arrogant, it's just I feel like I know what needs to happen. After all, I have done this combat thing before.

The day pace is much slower when it comes to maintenance. I spend my days taking care of the "beans and bullets" as my boss in the civilian world would say. Maximizing my efforts to support my soldiers means that they are free to only have to worry about helicopter maintenance. It also means that if I take care of them, they will perform better and their morale will be good. Don't take care of them, all hell breaks loose. I could take the preverbal whip to them and MAKE 'em work, but that's not what I consider to be a healthy method of leading soldiers and they will loose their will and loose respect for me. That's the last thing I want!

I received an email from my 14 year old son today. I love it when he email me! He's 14 so an email from him is a treat because that means he's moved me to the top of his priority list. I miss him a whole lot. I feel bad that I am gone for such an extended time. There are only three phones here to share between several hundred people so as you might imagine, I don't get to talk to him much. Internet phone works sometimes but the time difference also adds to the equation. I suppose I should try harder. There are really no acceptable excuses I know.

Well, My time has gone and I need to scoot.

Signing off from somewhere in Northern Iraq,

"MERLIN OUT"

Introducing the Home Team

2005-02-01T22:38:00.000+03:00

Today seemed like a long day. In addition to the aircraft work, which was minimal, we made some more headway on the extension of our office inside the clamshell hangar. I spent quite a while searching far and wide for wood scraps to complete the construction. We were able to “procure” everything except enough plywood to complete the ceiling. Tomorrow is another day.

It seems that each day, I am reminded, again, that I have some really great soldiers. I feel privileged to be the one leading them through this deployment. Our platoon is comprised of the following people. To protect their identity, I’ll just list their call signs.

“Falcon”, “Ninja”, Rebar, “Hit man”, “Wheel Man”, “Bear Cub”, “Chickie”, “Stock boy” , “Romeo” and “JET”.

Each soldier earned his or her call sign by a significant event which pretty much paraphrased their personality, demeanor or some other obvious trait or personality spike. My call sign is “Merlin” because I seem to magically make things work after many, much more intelligent people have given it their best effort. I also specialize in making things disappear and reappear as necessary. The latter, falls under the category of covert operations and will be discussed here with much reservation. ‘Nuff said!

Here is a brief run down of my platoon and my summarization of their personality and abilities. My intent here is not to undeservingly criticize any of my soldiers but rather it is my attempt, feeble as it may be, to draw a portrait of what I perceive to be, prominent features of their individual Chi. I can’t dance around it any better than that. Legal disclaimer noted!

“Falcon” is equal in rank to me and I had hoped that he would be someone who I could jointly share responsibilities with on this deployment. I had never worked with him before and didn’t know what to expect. “Falcon” turned out to be a poster child for incompetence; Not only in the military but pretty much in life in general. He is extremely introverted and has very little leadership ability to work with. He is almost incapable of making a decision on his own and forget making any decision making on the fly.

"Ninja", has good people skills and is a mediocre mechanic. His natural strengths are perfect for a sales occupation. He often takes shortcuts which will rear their ugly head later on down the line. He seems to have the potential for being a good leader, he has just never taken the step that separates the leaders from the sheep.

"Rebar" has a very negative personality. He is also very much of an introvert. He has daily issues with being deployed away from his family and just can’t seem to come to grips with the fact that he is here in Iraq. As a result, he suffers from what I believe to be depression and may be slightly bipolar. Most of the guys are hesitant to turn their back on him. He has made periodical references to doing others harm or doing harm to himself. It took until now,after many attemtps, to convince the command to seek help for him. We’ll see what comes next. I wish him the best.

“Hit man” is from Jersey and he’s Italian. He’s a great guy and I have a lot of respect for him. He’s one guy who I would want with me in a firefight. He'd be the first pick if theres a scuffle. That pretty much sums him up.

“Wheel Man” is probably my best all around soldier. He brings active duty experience on Blackhawks both as a mechanic and a crew chief and exercises good judgment... most of the time. He’s smart, mechanically inclined and is self motivated. He’s a natural leader among the junior ranks and if I had the power, I would make him a sergeant yesterday. He’s also one of my picks in a firefight. He gets his name because he claims,"If it has wheels, I can drive it".

“Bear Cub” gets his call sign because he likes the Cubs. He’s the soldier every leader would like to have. He executes without questions, gives 110%, all the time and an intelligent and quick learner. His self proclaimed fuse is as long as the day. Sign him up for the firefight on my team.

“Chickie” is my only female soldier and a bit of a tom boy but still maintains her feminine qualities most of the time. She’s very young, impressionable and somewhat naive. She keeps us laughing daily. She’s a good worker and has learned a great deal about maintaining and repairing helicopters since the beginning of the deployment. I need to constantly be on the watch for the guys who would like to take advantage of her naivety.

“Stock Boy” also brings active duty experience to the table. He’s a bit of a hard head and a pretty good mechanic. His down fall is that he’s not exactly the neatest person I know. He’s happy to get into the grease, oil and dirt but he doesn’t care too much to clean up afterward. I have to watch his personal hygiene habits from time to time and encourage him to use the other three uniforms that were issued to him. Sign him up for the fire fight roster as well.

“Romeo” is a decent mechanic. He’s also argumentative and a constant complainer. He’ll complain about anything. I think he spends most of his waking hours talking on the phone to his wife, chatting on the internet to his wife or walking to and from the phone or internet. If you ask me, too much of a good thing is not healthy. I feel as though too much of his attention is not focused here on the task at hand.

Last but not least, there’s “JET”. He’s the oldest of us I think. He’s a large man with not many teeth and has poor personal hygiene. His breath is his most outstanding quality and a leathal weapon. Although he would have you believe that he is a true soldier of fortune. JET is too far gone to teach new tricks. He’s a friendly guy and would do almost anything for anyone. He performs well at taking care of the truck, running errands, pulling guard duty and telling stories.

That’s the rundown of my platoon. Over all, I feel like I am pretty lucky to have this group of soldiers. A couple are constant distracters and tend to wear me down as they test my leadership skills. Still, these are the card that I was dealt and I intend on doing my best to win the game.

Signing off from somewhere in Northern Iraq.

"MERLIN OUT!"

Just another Monday in Iraq

2005-01-31T21:10:00.000+03:00

Today was a typical Monday. To be honest, I have a difficult time remembering what day it is most of the time because every day is the same. Let me explain.

Did you ever see the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day"? It's a bit like that...Sort of. Every day is filled with plenty of differences but every day is still a work day and seems virtually the same. There is really nothing to look forward to. No days off, no weekends, no trips to the grocery, no friends stopping by, no getting in the car for a drive. I could go on and on. I miss interaction with my family, friends and my dog of course but another thing I miss is quiet.

Right now in the background, I can hear a generator running, two blackhawks taxiing out to take off, never ending chatter on my Wal-Mart, self purchased, Motorola Talkabout radio, HUMMERS and trucks and 4 wheelers driving by and hitting the pot holes, the heater with no thermostat so it's constantly running on and on and on. It's impossible to get any quiet.

The mess hall had good food tonight. They had some steaks that were quite good. Normally, Sunday nights are steak night but yesterday, because of the elections, the mess hall was closed. When I say "Steak Night" it probably makes most of your taste buds come to life. Let me tell you about Steak Night here in Q-West, Iraq.

On Steak Night, selecting plastic ware is especially important when you arrive at the fork bin. I have worked out that I usually go through about six forks so I usually pick up about eight. Six for me and the other two for someone around me that hasn't learned that he needs six forks. Tonight was the exception however because I only had to use one fork. The steak was rather tasty as well. Be careful because I know that your first conclusion will be that YOU think that I mean that it was different steak. Well, that may be true, but the most likely answer is that I am just getting used to eating the food and didn't really notice that what I thought was one fork was really three stuck together. Enough about the food and the forks.

Here's something to laugh at. After breakfast this morning, I was on my way out of the mess hall and walked by a Major. I rendered a salute and offered the customary "Good morning Sir" as I passed. He, stopped at the 55 gallon drum, beside the front door, to ensure his weapon was clear. Everyone has to do this before they go in any building. He pulled the bolt back, observed that there was no bullet in the chamber and released the bold and squeezed the trigger. Well, I guess his eye sight must be failing in his old age because that bullet that he verified was not in the chamber, discharged into the clearing barrel. Boy I'll bet he felt stupid. To add insult to injury, I yelled, "Theres another expert qualifier on the clearing barrel" I quickly disappeared out of his sight.

The Blackhawks that went out this morning were out all day long which left the whole day void of aircraft work. I have been planning an addition to our "office" inside our "Clamshell Hangar" so it was an excellent opportunity to do some construction. But wait, we need wood for construction and we are not high enough on the food chain to warrant actually getting issued any lumber. I got in the HUMMER to go for a "drive". I stumbled upon some nice Air force guys who were loading lumber onto a flat bed. An excellent opportunity for a chat with a couple unsuspecting Air Force guys. After about 15 minutes of chat, I drove away with twelve 2x4x16 planks and 12 sheets of ply wood which they were nice enough to load into my HUMMER and even tie down for me. Nice fellows those Air Force guys.

Back to the hangar and we spent the day construction the framing of our new office addition. About 3 PM (That's 1500 hours Army time) we ran out of nails. Back to the HUMMER! About 30 minutes later, I returned with enough nails to finish up for today. Thanks God for people who are too lazy to put away their box of nails! Thank God for my soldiers too. They did an outstanding job!

Not bad for a days work. My soldiers worked hard and as always, we had fun cutting up while we worked. Went to chow (remember Steak Night?) and came back to my Hooch (my 10 x 20 shipping container where I live). Got there about 7 PM.

Tomorrow, I'll get up and hopefully not hear "I got you babe" on the radio. Well I may hear it and not recognize it because it may be in Arabic. We'll see but I'm betting tomorrow will be just about the same as today...but maybe worse.

No mail today, no mail in the last five days or so. Nothing new there.

Gotta run! Even though it has been 15 hours since I woke, I just got a call on the damn radio. My own, non-Army issued radio that they can't buy for me but that I am required to carry every where I go. Go figure!

Signing off from Northern Iraq,

Merlin out!

Merlin, From the Sands of Iraq

2005-01-30T21:15:00.000+03:00

This is my first BLOG and I am writing from a military base somewhere in Northern Iraq. My hope is that I can use it to put my thoughts to 0’s and 1's while I am here fighting this war.

I am here in Iraq with 4/278th ACR from the Tennessee National Guard. We are a Blackhawk unit attached to 1st Battalion 151 Aviation, an Apache unit out of South Carolina. My call sign is “Merlin”.

I spent 15 years on active duty in the Army as a Huey and Blackhawk Crew Chief. I left active duty in 2000 and went to the Guard. I hope to retire in 2006.I thought I would get through my remaining 6 years without being deployed and I almost made it. So much for the One Weekend a Month and Two Weeks a year!

The Guard really isn't what I expected. There are far more politics going on behind the scenes. Special considerations are given for people who are Active Guard or for Technicians who work at the Guard facility for their regular job. Those in position to do so, use the built in loop holes in regulations and deceit, smoke and mirrors to accomplish personal agenda's. As a result, we don't always get the most qualified person for the job. I would say more times than not, we don't get the right person for the job. Since it's normally only two days a month and two weeks per year, I can tolerate the incompetence BUT when you deploy to a combat zone, all confidence is lost because a LOT of leaders here are making decisions that directly impact my life and safety.

It's obvious to me that some don't have a clue and still don't understand the realism of our current situation. To some, it's all about "ME". I just strive to ensure that my soldiers are trained to think like soldiers and not merely to follow orders. I encourage them to think for themselves.

"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and feed him for life."

Today is January 30th, 2005 which means it is the first Iraqi election since 1944. A historic day here and much violence is expected. We'll see how it goes. I don't have much confidence in them so far. It seems like they turn and run or hide in the face of any resistance. I hope, for their sake, that they learn to stand up for themselves. There are lots of excuses that they could use like how they have been oppressed for so long or the violence that has been waged against them, but right now is no time for excuses or cowards. It's time to stand up and unite as citizens for god sake! But I digress...

I hope to be able to document my "adventures" here and express my thoughts and opinions for the reading pleasure of my family and friends and anyone else who stumbles across this BLOG.

In closing, I would like to remember my mother, who I so often think about and miss. She was a very patriotic woman and always worried about me and supported me in all of my military endeavors. During Desert Shield / Desert Storm she wrote often and constantly prayed for me and worried about me. It was the same for my many other deployments. She had a profound impact on my faith and service to my country. She is alive in my determination and thoughts of her have given me great strength and comfort in times of fear and danger.

I think my first BLOG has turned out well. I am pleased with how it came together. Now if I can keep it up with some regularity, I will be happy.

Signing off from Northern Iraq…..

“MERLIN…OUT!”