Well,
This is primarily directed at some of my guy friends who share the lofty dream of purchasing the ULTIMATE piece of property for outdoor pursuits. Fishing, hunting and telling stories--what it's all about. We always talked about moving to Alaska, Montana, Idaho or something of the sort to open a wilderness outfitters. I'd fly the float plane, Matt P. would be the P.R. rep and head guide, Chris Roark as guide and lawyer? Dave Mathis as head chef and maybe even Mark Allen as entertainment coordinator? Anyway, I had some time waiting for the schedule to be completed here at work today and started searching the net for fly fishing/outdoor properties around the country. I ran across this site that seemed to have the flavor of what we're looking for...at least to get us pointed in the right direction....
Although the wives may never allow it, it's still worth daydreaming about.
Things are pretty much normal here. It's HOT. Enough said. I've been busy and haven't had time to update this site or send emails...so I apologize.
Chris Roark is getting hitched Sep 10th and I've wickered a way back to the states to be in attendance (keep fingers crossed). After that I should be immediately going to Nellis AFB to attend an F-16 electronics/weapon system course.
Talk to you soon.
Ed
Monday, June 27, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
11 Jun 05
I just stopped by the morale tent prior to work to check email/news, etc and we went "alarm red." Basically, this means that there is some sort of mortar or rocket attack--and if you are in a facility like the moral tent you have to sit on the floor against the sandbagged walls. You have to remain there until the all clear siren sounds--which usually takes a half hour or so. I was lucky enough to be at a computer station next to a wall...so I sat on the floor with the keyboard in my lap and am typing this posting now.
Things have been going fairly well here at Balad. The flying is about the same. I'll be switching to a daytime flying schedule in about a week. We finally had a squadron down day--and it was filled with meetings and some old pilot traditions that I can't get into now. Anyway, I was named the wingman of the month...as a part of our squadron awards program. That's pretty cool I guess. I've done well as a wingman in the squadron and am being placed in the FLUG (flight lead upgrade program) when I return. This consists of several months of upgrade rides that I'm evaluated on and the end result of it all is that I will be a 4 ship F-16 flight lead. It will be a lot of work and I'm in the process of stuyding everything I can to be as prepared as possible.
I also had a day off yesterday--which was awesome. I slept for over 13 hours...and probably could have slept more if my friend hadn't banged on my door. I went to the gym, turned in some laundry, got some coffee, studied for the FLUG and watched my favorite movie: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. I think that it's the most well-written and acted screenplay of the last 15yrs or so. Some may disagree..but that's my opinion.
Here's an article about the weather here at Balad
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010743
What else? Not much.
See you later..
Things have been going fairly well here at Balad. The flying is about the same. I'll be switching to a daytime flying schedule in about a week. We finally had a squadron down day--and it was filled with meetings and some old pilot traditions that I can't get into now. Anyway, I was named the wingman of the month...as a part of our squadron awards program. That's pretty cool I guess. I've done well as a wingman in the squadron and am being placed in the FLUG (flight lead upgrade program) when I return. This consists of several months of upgrade rides that I'm evaluated on and the end result of it all is that I will be a 4 ship F-16 flight lead. It will be a lot of work and I'm in the process of stuyding everything I can to be as prepared as possible.
I also had a day off yesterday--which was awesome. I slept for over 13 hours...and probably could have slept more if my friend hadn't banged on my door. I went to the gym, turned in some laundry, got some coffee, studied for the FLUG and watched my favorite movie: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. I think that it's the most well-written and acted screenplay of the last 15yrs or so. Some may disagree..but that's my opinion.
Here's an article about the weather here at Balad
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010743
What else? Not much.
See you later..
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
sandstorm
We had a huge sandstorm the other night while I was at work. I was doing Mission Planning and someone said: "Hey dude, look outside." We went to the front door and could see nothing. Then the whole building starting filling up with dust and sand sort of like a fog had rolled in. Visibility outside was Zero. It was pretty unbelievable. Flying was cancelled for the night due to really high winds and no visibility.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Update: Desert Life
Hey everybody. I finally got a chance to sit down and update this blog. I really had intentions to do this much earlier, but I've gotten in such a routine here and really haven't made the time to do it. Luckily, our base still allows us to check hotmail and our normal work email. Usually, the Air Force squashes the use of email accounts like hotmail or yahoo on government computers. Also, internet access has been relatively abundant. I can use the cpu's at work or in the "morale tent" which is about 100yds from my "hooch" (my house/trailer).
I recently bought a laptop online for use on Air Force trips/schools/deployments etc., so typing in my spare time and just saving it to a usb drive will probably be the future method of emailing and typing these blog entries.
I can't really sum up our experiences so far in just a few words. There is a lot of the good and the bad.
The good:
I actually do less work here than at home. Crazy, but we go to war to have time off. This is because there are a lot less additional duties and the flying schedule is pretty much fixed/set.
I've had time every day to work out. Sometimes it's a real pain to make it to the gym (which is a big tent on the air force side of the base). After a 5-6 hour sortie you really want to go home and crash--but you just grit your teeth and do it anyway. Either way, my schedule is much more firm than the Aviano standard and it makes it easier to budget your time.
The weather is nice and calm at night--which is when I fly. We've had some thunderstorms in-flight...but the temperature on the ground is nice--compared to the day flyers..who are really starting to get hot when they step out on the flightline.
The companionship with my squadron mates has been great. Although you only see about 1/4 of the squadron daily, you really get to know the guys you fly and work with well. Usually, this takes place at dinner/midnight chow/the gym or at the squadron building. Good times to tell stories and do some of that "philosophy talkin'". There's no alcohol, no restaurants, no nothing......it's sort of like summer camp...only we're at war??
The A/C in my hooch is cold. Really cold. It allows us to sleep well..but sometimes you're "damn near froze out" as one of my friends remarked.
The flying is good. An ample amount of the time is spent just droning around looking at points of interest or supporting an army raid on the ground--but it's a lot of time to just really get to know the jet. It's not all high-intensity...but when the time comes the adrenaline really gets flowing. Some of the missions have been really cool. I'm talking about multiple agencies: Navy seals, marines, army, etc....all using US as the eyes and firepower above. It's really appreciated and there's nothing like watching history being made from 10,000ft. People ARE shooting at us. We take off with no lights. We are constantly vigilant. Insurgents have more technical expertise and support from other countries than CNN or the news would lead you to believe.
The Bad:
The food is getting gross. This is partially due to the fact that I have a weird diet anyway. Nonetheless, you can only eat so many powdered eggs. My friends seem to like it more than me. I guess I just can't compare it to good ole' Italian cuisine!
The mortar and rocket attacks. Alarms sound and you hear the explosions. You have to get in a protected structure. They are deadly and they happen on a daily basis. It's a reminder that you ARE in the war zone.
Walking to the bathrooms. I hate that...Especially in the middle of the night.
Non-potable water. Brushing your teeth with bottled water is weird.
The dust and sand. It gets in your eyes and mouth. Makes you question why people inhabit areas like this.
Constant smell of burning trash. This is a huge base--the AF is a small component...there are about 18,000 Army and Special Forces personnel here. All of the trash and waste is burned...and the logistics behind operations like this are mind-numbing.
General lack of conveniences you would have at home. This is pretty much expected. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Well, that's about all I've got for now. I really appreciate the packages and letters people have been sending me. It means so much. I hope things are going well wherever you are...and I look forward to seeing you all again sometime soon.
I recently bought a laptop online for use on Air Force trips/schools/deployments etc., so typing in my spare time and just saving it to a usb drive will probably be the future method of emailing and typing these blog entries.
I can't really sum up our experiences so far in just a few words. There is a lot of the good and the bad.
The good:
I actually do less work here than at home. Crazy, but we go to war to have time off. This is because there are a lot less additional duties and the flying schedule is pretty much fixed/set.
I've had time every day to work out. Sometimes it's a real pain to make it to the gym (which is a big tent on the air force side of the base). After a 5-6 hour sortie you really want to go home and crash--but you just grit your teeth and do it anyway. Either way, my schedule is much more firm than the Aviano standard and it makes it easier to budget your time.
The weather is nice and calm at night--which is when I fly. We've had some thunderstorms in-flight...but the temperature on the ground is nice--compared to the day flyers..who are really starting to get hot when they step out on the flightline.
The companionship with my squadron mates has been great. Although you only see about 1/4 of the squadron daily, you really get to know the guys you fly and work with well. Usually, this takes place at dinner/midnight chow/the gym or at the squadron building. Good times to tell stories and do some of that "philosophy talkin'". There's no alcohol, no restaurants, no nothing......it's sort of like summer camp...only we're at war??
The A/C in my hooch is cold. Really cold. It allows us to sleep well..but sometimes you're "damn near froze out" as one of my friends remarked.
The flying is good. An ample amount of the time is spent just droning around looking at points of interest or supporting an army raid on the ground--but it's a lot of time to just really get to know the jet. It's not all high-intensity...but when the time comes the adrenaline really gets flowing. Some of the missions have been really cool. I'm talking about multiple agencies: Navy seals, marines, army, etc....all using US as the eyes and firepower above. It's really appreciated and there's nothing like watching history being made from 10,000ft. People ARE shooting at us. We take off with no lights. We are constantly vigilant. Insurgents have more technical expertise and support from other countries than CNN or the news would lead you to believe.
The Bad:
The food is getting gross. This is partially due to the fact that I have a weird diet anyway. Nonetheless, you can only eat so many powdered eggs. My friends seem to like it more than me. I guess I just can't compare it to good ole' Italian cuisine!
The mortar and rocket attacks. Alarms sound and you hear the explosions. You have to get in a protected structure. They are deadly and they happen on a daily basis. It's a reminder that you ARE in the war zone.
Walking to the bathrooms. I hate that...Especially in the middle of the night.
Non-potable water. Brushing your teeth with bottled water is weird.
The dust and sand. It gets in your eyes and mouth. Makes you question why people inhabit areas like this.
Constant smell of burning trash. This is a huge base--the AF is a small component...there are about 18,000 Army and Special Forces personnel here. All of the trash and waste is burned...and the logistics behind operations like this are mind-numbing.
General lack of conveniences you would have at home. This is pretty much expected. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Well, that's about all I've got for now. I really appreciate the packages and letters people have been sending me. It means so much. I hope things are going well wherever you are...and I look forward to seeing you all again sometime soon.
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