In the future I hope to post more than once a week.
Unfortunately, this week has been rather unremarkable. I suppose an unexceptional week in Iraq can be good, but I am anxious to get to work; to contribute. I have not begun to work in earnest yet, as our office is in a state of transition. While we had been operating under a single command, Combined Joint Task Force-7 (CJTF-7), we are now standing up a second command. The two commands will each have a full General Staff, but the segregation will allow each to focus on its own mission. Standing up the new staff requires each staff section to apportion a piece of itself to the new staff (robbing Peter to pay Paul).
It’s turning out that this is easier said than done. In addition to the expected challenges of manning shortfalls, and the shortage of supplies such as computers we are also sorting out some of the gray areas where the delineation of duties and responsibilities is not clear. The period of transition will thankfully be short. Come hell or high water we will be operating on our own as a distinct staff soon. Given the manning shortfalls we expect to quickly shift from looking for work, to drinking from a fire hose. While I look forward to being that busy (it makes the days go by faster), I am trying to enjoy the calm before the storm.
I bought a bike to get around easier. The Post Exchange sells them at a reasonable price and many folks have bought them. Hopefully, by my next post I can put up a picture of me on my bike. Lance Armstrong, I am not! The intelligence section frequently changes our force protection posture. When it is upgraded we are required to wear our Kevlar helmets and Kevlar Body armor in addition to our weapons, which we always carry. I’m certain that I cut quite a humorous silhouette riding home at dusk atop my trusty steed weighted down with Kevlar helmet, Rifle slung over my backpack, and thirty-five pounds of body armor. However comical I may look, the two-minute ride beats a ten-minute hike, especially in the heat.
That’s enough for now.
Dan
wow, I'm honored to have been included in your fist post from Iraq...don't have much time to write now, but I'll definitely be back to give the scoop on life in a small metal box with Dan. His feet don't smell as bad as mine, and he doesn't have nearly as much stuff here yet, so thus far he's been a good roommate...boxes of food from his family would definitely improve his 'roommate index' numbers though...
dan, your blog isn't generating many comments...what's up with that?
maybe we need to start a political discussion...what do you think people will think about a nation-wide mandatory curriculum for grades K-6? would it boost our education rank among nations or turn our school system into a clone producing mass-production factory?