Messages From Beyond

Hva' Så....or what's up?

2011-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, our time here in DC is getting shorter. I'm still making progress in language class, though on some days the rate of progress seems considerably slower than others. Regardless, this has probably been one of the coolest things I've done since I've been in the military. It's great to get paid to learn about another culture and their language every day. Then again, I did like to study International Relations and the sort, so it might not be for everyone. The hardest thing right now is pronunciation. Danish is a really cool language, but it's just not easily pronounced.

Here are some things that might influence the difficulty of the language:

1) The Danish language has some extra letters and several extra sounds to throw into the mix: "Æ, Ø, and Å," are the letters we Americans sometimes see but immediately disregard as "those weird looking letters." I would tell you what sound these individual letters make if I could, but I'm not going to attempt it. Just know this...those little guys have their own distinct sounds that are in some way discernible to native Danes...and not exactly to this guy from Tennessee.

2) The Danes (and all the Scandinavians) have had centuries of using these sort of sounds, and they grow up hearing them from day one. So, when I try to sound like them, it simply sounds off. Sure, they can understand what I'm saying, but it just isn't quite right. This, I must work on.

3) Finally, the language uses a sort of tempo and rhythm, that if not adhered to, sounds off. If the stress isn't where it needs to be, you are wrong.

So, I will carry forward and do America proud. Random note (and another reason I think I will like Denmark): Denmark has the largest 4th of July festival anywhere in the world outside of the U.S.

My impressive dictionary collection.

Yes...dictionaries are critical to the whole learning process. We have three varieties...none of which are all-encompassing. If you've never heard Danish spoken, or are curious, here is a glimpse of the language.

We've just started the ball rolling on our move to Denmark in addition to the daily class routine. We got orders (after some standard prompting), and I just shipped our car. This is our only car, as I sold the 4runner before we moved up to DC. So, we are doing the mass-transit thing until we leave. Our dog, Scout, senses some change in the air, and is especially curious at the sudden appearance of moving boxes.

The civic in all her glory ready to set sail across the Atlantic. Godspeed sailor.... (I'm not in the Navy so I don't know what they say before getting on a boat---probably something like "this is gonna suck").

Finally, we are in the home stretch of our "vegetable growing season" here at the apartment. Our yield so far: 0. We attempted to grow tomatoes and peppers on the back patio. The tomatoes were a total failure. We don't get much sun at all, so that might be the reason. That, or the fact that we picked a really strange tomato variety. Our peppers might bring it home for the big win, however. We may just have something before the movers come to take our planters away. We have around 5 jalapenos and 6 bell peppers to date growing on the plants. Enough for a few tacos at least.

apparently these turn red?

Finally, some have asked about what the weather will be like in Denmark. This seems to be a good topic of conversation among the Danes according to my teachers and Danish friends. In short, it will be overcast a lot and rainy...with nice short summers. It doesn't get hot, but it also doesn't get extremely cold either. Heidi is prepared with numerous pairs of new rain boots, and I've even bought a new pair. The good thing is that neither one of us like hot and humid weather, so it will be nice in some ways. I have no idea what the flying weather will be like, but it doesn't matter as long as I'm still getting airborne.

Newsworthy Weekend

2011-06-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Pulitzer Prize section--probably my favorite part

Heidi and I had a chance to take in a great museum with a couple of friends this weekend in DC. The Newseum, is located in downtown DC. It's not a free museum like most in DC, but it's well worth the $22 admission---which is probably why it's TripAdvisor's #1 rated thing to do in DC.
It's unlike any museum I've ever seen. It's quite modern inside, with several floors of interesting displays that deal with journalism, photography, major world/US events, and other misc. displays. For example, they have the Unabomber's actual cabin on display, parts of the Berlin wall, etc, etc. They have the headlines of virtually every major U.S. and international newspaper from famous events throughout history. There is just too much to list here. Your ticket is valid for 2 days...and you need about two days to view it all in detail. Highly recommended!

Here are some pictures (not great...taken with my iPhone)

Part of the Berlin Wall

from the 2010 best photos display

more of the same

Heidi in front of Hurricane Katrina front page/headlines

huge room with newspapers from the 1700s to today

one of the large theater/multimedia rooms

9/11 front pages from around the world

A Norwegian newspaper--I thought it was Danish...almost impossible to tell the difference

main entrance

Revived!

2011-06-23T12:57:00.001-07:00

(My school is about 4 blocks from the White House)

After about a 3 year "down period," my blog has re-surfaced. This time it will focus on our impending move to Denmark (DK) and my experiences while working overseas as a pilot with the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF). Now that I'm married (2 years now!), I'll have a bit more to talk about (although some of you seemed to enjoy my posts about a single guy's follies in Europe and Korea). Everything below this post is old--but feel free to read them. I've got a few years worth of stuff from my tour in Italy, and a couple of posts from Asia.

We've been living in the DC area for the last few months while I'm in language school--actively butchering the Danish language on a daily basis. We should embark on "the move" sometime in September. My wife, Heidi, has started her very own blog as well (that's right, we like to duplicate effort in the Long family). Check it out HERE.

Destin, FL

2009-01-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

So, I've lived here for a year and haven't posted anything. Today, I decided to get this blog going again. Hopefully, I'll have some good travels and photos coming soon. Today I took a walk down to the beach near my house and snapped a couple of pictures. Ed

Florida

2008-02-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

I'm in Florida now for a 3 year flying assignment. I hope to post some cool pics soon.

Thailand and Vietnam

2007-07-04T03:25:00.000-07:00

Finally getting around to posting some pics from Thailand and Vietnam. In short, the trip was awesome. Places we visited: Bankok, Chiang Mai, Pai. Then we went to Vietnam. We stayed in Hanoi and spent 3 nights. Visiting Ha Long Bay was the best part of the Vietnam experience.

After that, we flew back to Thailand and landed in Phuket. What a great/beautiful beach area. Snorkeling, visits to Islands, Kayaking, etc were some of the activities we did while there. It was all amazing.

First plate of thai food in Chiang Mai

Monks at a shrine in Chiang Mai

More monks at the shrine

Again, more monks--but at another shrine/temple in Chiang Mai

Vietnamese lady in Hanoi

Fruit boat in Ha Long Bay

Swimming it up in Ha Long Bay

Sunset in Phuket, Thailand from our Hotel

My buddy on the beach at Phi Phi Island

6 months

2007-05-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

So, I've almost been in Korea a full six months. It's time for a vacation. I need it. It's been weird not having crazy adventures every weekend like in Europe...so I'm just going to have to make up for it in the next two weeks. Here's my schedule---sort of:

Tuesday the 29th...leave Seoul for Hanoi, Vietnam....
Tour around Vietnam for a couple of days...see some sights...take cool pics...

Leave Hanoi for Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Have lunch at the FCC "foreign correspondent's club" and pretend I'm famous. Visit Angkor Wat...explore temples....have jungle adventures. Come out of it all alive....a couple of days later.

Leave Cambodia for Thailand. Land in Phuket Island...and go direct to the JW Marriot and check in to our 2 story apartment on private beach. There will be 4 of us total now...split 4 ways the cost isn't too bad...but don't I deserve luxury? Yes.
One week in Thailand....sea kayaking....trekking...snorkeling....diving....everything.

I'm gonna take some awesome pics...so be ready.

I made it

2007-05-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

I am finally done with my instructor upgrade in the F-16...I finished last week...and what a relief! It took almost 6 months....with weather delays and repeat flights. It's a great feeling to be done and I can't wait to start instructing other F-16 pilots.

I just got a new Digital SLR camera and am totally excited about it. I love photography--and this will help me take even better pics. I plan on taking it to Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand in 2 weeks....and I'll be sure to post pics of this epic trip.

Last weekend we got a chance to go to a soccer game in Jeonju. It was pretty cool. What was better? Going out to dinner at "Outback Steakhouse." Yes, they actually have a few of those in Korea.

day out of "prison"

2007-04-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

park entrance

monument in the park

seaweed anyone?

Work has been busy to say the least. I know I haven't posted in a while...but that's life.

A few of us had a day out on in Kunsan City the today and visited Wolmyeong Park...which was actually pretty cool. Who knew Kunsan city actually had such a nice park?

Jeounju Day Trip

2007-03-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

I was starting to feel like I was in prison. Maybe it's a function of living in Europe for the last 3 years....just taking off on the weekends in search of cool sights. Anyway, the back and forth to work and the pain of the Instructor Upgrade was making me go crazy. I had to do something more than hang out with the guys in the dorms this weekend. I decided to go to a city nearby that's called Jeounju. Recruiting some guys to go wasn't a problem...so we loaded in the Xterra and hit the road. It's only about 35 minutes from Kunsan on the "interstate."

Korea has such an interesting and vibrant culture. Jeounju is a good example of this. As you reach the outskirts of the city you see the massive apartment complexes that go for miles. We passed through all this and hit the inner "old city." They have done a great job promoting their historical legacy with famous dynasties, etc. Some of the old walls are preserved and they have an very large "heritage" complex of Korean culture. They have a Korean "cultural experience" tour that allows you to see what a typical house and compound of a Korean family would look like in the ancient days. I really don't have time to go into it all now...because I'm running late to do some work stuff...but maybe these pictures can do some justice....

Korean Wedding at the Catholic Church in the center of Town

Wedding Attendees (I love those outfits called "Hanboks" that the girls wear...)

Pomegranate Tea at a traditional tea house

Entrance to the Royal Grounds

Men playing what looks like Chinese Chess

Drumming Troupe preparing for the next day's Lunar Festival

....holiday

2007-02-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Lunar New Year has arrived. I really didn't know much about the holiday...(probably because we don't celebrate it)....but I thought it would be worth while to learn a bit about it. Above is a picture of what some Korean kids may dress up like when they go to visit families on this special day. They warned us: "The roads will be packed...don't drive." They were correct. I drove to Osan (another Air Force base) this weekend and the lanes heading out of Seoul were an absolute standstill...it looked like a parking lot.
Everybody jumps in their family cars and drives (much like our Thanksgiving or Christmas day). This holiday benefited us as well (we got a 3 day weekend out of it.) I got a chance to go to Osan and do some much needed chilling out as well....I even had enough time to do a quick re-read of some C.S. Lewis books...

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the holiday:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The lunar new year is the first new moon of the first lunar month in the year. It is celebrated by many different cultures around the world. The Lunar New Year is followed by the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is normally in February. The Lunar New Year signifies the start of a new lunar year.
The lunar calendar is very ancient, dating back nearly 4700 years, and is used in many Asian countries, including Mainland China, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, etc. Consequently, the Lunar New Year is also celebrated simultaneously in many of the Asian countries; due to their historic and diplomatic ties with the ancient Chinese empire, there are many similarities in the way that the Lunar New Year is celebrated in their respective countries.

Weekends are not long enough

2007-02-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

It's been busy here. Work work work. I just started the Instructor Pilot Upgrade a few weeks ago, so I'm back in the books and back to getting evaluated again.

Last weekend I picked up my SUV in Seoul....It's surprising that I've had that car with me since pilot training...and now it's been all over the world: Texas, Arizona, Italy, and now Korea. Most of the guys here don't ship their car to Korea. Instead they opt to buy "beaters." Cars that are absolutely falling apart are common here...and it's always an adventure to drive or ride in them. Most guys just give away their car when they leave (usually just happy to get rid of it.)

I spent a night last weekend hanging out in Seoul. It is such a cool city. I ate dinner at a traditional Korean restaurant that had a music and dance performance all done in the traditional garb. Very cool.

This weekend was spent recovering from a somewhat busy week. This morning we all went to the orphanage again and played with the kids. Once again, we got an awesome performance of singing and drumming. They also know several Christian songs in English that were quite good. The sun was out today finally...which is nice because there's usually overcast/cloudy conditions here in the winter.

Next weekend is the Korean holiday of the Lunar New Year. This is a BIG event for them. They usually go out in massive waves to visit their families and birthplaces. I also hear that South Koreans and North Koreans travel near the DMZ if they have relatives "on the other side."

Orphanage Visit

2007-01-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

Our squadron takes time out every weekend to go visit a local orphanage in Kunsan City. Usually, about 5-6 guys head over there for a few hours to play with the kids and try to help out with stuff there.

It was my first visit today--and what an experience it was. The kids were great. I'm surprised at how respectful and mannerly the Korean kids are. It really is different than the U.S.

The orphanage is set up sort of like a compound. There are "dorm" type buildings that circle a playground. Also, there's a big music room upstairs in the main building. Apparently, playing the drums is an important part of Korean culture. Today, the kids put on a show for us...and they were awesome! Not sure what the drums they play are called...but they sounded great. Following that, we had a game of soccer: USA vs Korea. They were good....enough said.

Dinner at "Mama's"

2007-01-18T03:16:00.000-08:00

"Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum....."

That's what "mama" quotes repeatedly as she's serving you her famous Korean dish "Bulgogi." You can get Bulgogi anywhere (chicken, pork, beef, etc), but nothing quite has the atmosphere as the little dive restaurant in nearby "A-Town" as the restaurant "Mama's." Actually, I think it's called something like "Popeye's" or something..but we don't know for sure.

She really can't speak English--besides "Yum" and "young man" I think. We took a little trip down there the other night for the sodium and garlic drenched feast. Looks kind of gross in the picture...but it's pretty good. She cooks it all in front of you just like you were in her family kitchen.

You brush your teeth about 10 times when you get home to rid yourself of the garlic taste, but it doesn't work. I guess the Koreans think that WE smell weird?? Wow.

korean winter

2007-01-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

The snow here in Korea can be ridiculous. We live right next to the Yellow Sea...and it blows the rain and snow in like horizontal sheets. It is painful...but cool to watch too.

I'm now "fully settled in" here. I've got my dorm room with the pilots and finally got around to unpacking as well.

The squadron is cool. It's sort of like going back to college. We also have a "hooch" that we do social stuff in on the weekend. There's a band as well called: "Steal Wool" that is made up of a bunch of the pilots. I picked up a guitar job...so I'm happy.

My life just got insanely more busy. I started the IPUG (instructor pilot upgrade) and will be doing that for the next few months. Basically, it will teach me how to train others to fly and fight in the F-16. This all means that I have to study alot more and create newer/better briefing guides for instruction.

I went skiing over Christmas weekend in Yongpyong. It was an experience. Crowded slopes and decent snow...but overall not too bad.

I had to post a photo I took of a little tasty treat the Koreans apparently like! Are you serious?

New stomping grounds

2006-12-14T02:59:00.000-08:00

annyǒng hashimnigga,

I've arrived in the land of rice and Kimchi. It's actually not that bad. My first night (about 2 weeks ago) was spent in Seoul. The city is HUGE. It was a really neat cultural experience to go out on the town. There is a section of town where many of the ex-patriots (foreigners) hang out called Itaewon. It was a neat area...but I definitely want to see some more of the "real city" next time. Two of my friends met me out for the first night and then I got to meet most of my co-workers the following day. I actually live a couple of hours south of Seoul on the Yellow Sea. Some call it "remote"...but it's not really too remote in my opinion. However, there's definitely not alot of infrastructure immediately next to the base. The nearest town is Gunsan...which is a decent sized city. It's only about 10-15 minutes away. I've ventured there once and was mildly impressed.
I'm getting settled into work now. I'm getting all my stuff done to be a current flight lead again. I'm staying in temporary dorms right now until one opens up where the rest of my bro's live. This is going to be an experience for sure.
Alot of the happenings at work I can't really talk about on the internet---and it would bore you all too much anyway. I look forward to getting a room with internet, etc....and until then I'll be using the community center or work.
Not sure what I'll be doing for Christmas. I'm sure all the festivities in the states will be fun and I'll miss them as usual. So, I hope you all have fun and enjoy the traditional Christmas fun. But skiing in Korea for Christmas? That might be a good story too.

ciao and annyǒnghi kyeseyo....
Ed

Tennessee

2006-11-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Well,
I'm leaving tomorrow for Korea. Despite having a severe cold, I had a great time on my visit to Tennessee. I got a chance to visit family and friends in Nashville, Memphis and Murfreesboro. Standard Thanksgiving stuff as well (although I hadn't been to one in years).
I was lucky enough to go to MTSU's final football game in Murfreesboro with some old college friends. I'm posting the pics here.

Tomorrow: a 15 plus hour flight (nonstop) to Seoul, Korea. Sounds fun, right?

Goodbye to the Buzzards

2006-11-16T04:02:00.000-08:00

I just finished up my last week of flying here at Aviano. I had my "fini" flight on Thursday. The "fini" flight is an old tradition where the pilot, on his last flight, is welcomed by the squadron upon landing and is pulled out of the jet and sprayed with water, champagne, etc. It's always been fun to be the guy on the other end of the fire hose. However, it's a little different being the guy getting hosed with ice cold water.
This time, the Lt's in the squadron decided to hold me down and duct tape me to the jet's ladder. It was successful (even though I put up a decent fight). Everybody just gathered around and sprayed water, etc. I still had the ladder attached to my back in the group photo.
The next trick that is often played is to find the victim pilot's alternate flight suit that he brought to work that day for the occasion. In my case, I hid all my spare clothes in my car. That didn't stop the no-good Lt's from getting them and quickly soaking them in water and putting them in the freezer. What goes around comes around....and that's what you always have to remember (because everybody has a fini flight every three years or so...)
I really hate to be leaving all the bro's in the squadron. The camaraderie is truly the best part about being in a fighter squadron. You really make friends for life and you always know that you will run into them again (either in another squadron or in the air.)

Cross Country Europa

2006-11-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

Ladies/Gents,
I hadn't been back from Malta very long before I was thrown into another cross-country trip this last Friday. It was really short notice and I was available--so I went.
We took off as a four ship and flew to Palma De Mallorca, Spain. We got fuel and headed on to Portugal. We couldn't fly over the weekend, so we spent all our time in Lisbon. This city was cool. Even cooler was the day trip to a city called "Sintra." It had a Moorish castle that reminded me of something out of Lord of the Rings. In Lisbon, we had some great meals..that were masked by what was dubbed "the worst meal ever made." I won't go into the details---but trust me...it was bad.
We took off again on Monday and flew into Palma De Mallorca for fuel. After that, we headed to Sicily. There's a U.S. Navy base near the east coast of the island and that's where we landed. The city of Catania was amazing. Sicily is truly different from the rest of Italy. At times, I felt like I was in a scene from the Godfather.
You might ask why we were able to do such a cool cross country. It all boils down to a budgeted "flying hour program." Each squadron has to fly a certain amount of hours each year...and since there was an Italian holiday on Monday our home base was closed. To keep the flying hours up, the leadership approved a cross country. It actually really sharpens our basic pilot skills and gives us great experience in flying to diverse/unfamiliar airports. Plus, we're able to practice some basic formations and radar work while enroute.
I'm in the painful process of packing for my move. I should be out of here sometime around the 15th...

Packing Up

2006-10-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

All,
I'd like to post some pics of my sister's recent trip here to visit Italy, but I don't have time. My internet is so slow that it just takes too long...
Anyway, I'm just in the process of getting ready for the move to Korea. I've been working a lot this week and am even going to Portugal and Sicily for work Friday through Monday. When I return I have the movers coming to pack all my stuff for shipping. However, I'm flailing trying to get it ready and separated for the two separate shipments. One shipment will go direct to Korea (just the basic stuff I need for my dorm/apt. in Korea). The other shipment will be all my Household Goods (all the big crap that will have to stay in storage in Baltimore for one year.) When I move from Korea for my new assignment they will ship my stuff from storage to my new state/city (wherever that might be.)
This process is painful--But it's reality.

Luckily, I'll be spending a couple of weeks in TN prior to heading to the Pacific. I've got a ton of great phots from recent trips and I hope to load them up shortly....

Malta

2006-09-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Malta International Airshow was a great experience. The trip down from Italy was easy and we landed Friday afternoon to a reception of dozens of professional and amateur photographers. Luckily, our hotel was in a popular area on Malta called St. Julian's. It was situated right in the busy restaurant/bar district as well as next to a small harbor and beach.
Malta was beautiful from the air on approach to landing....and this was the majority of our exposure to the island life because we were busy both Saturday and Sunday at the airshow. However, we did get a chance to explore some restaurants and nightlife in the "Paceville" area of town.
There was no language barrier in Malta. Although they have a native tongue called "Maltese," most people spoke English (with a British accent.) Tons of young people flock to the island for tourism and to study English. Malta is one of Europe's premier places to study English in private language schools (this is because visas are easy and the location is so nice).
We had many opportunities to talk to other aircrew and learn about their Air Forces, etc. Also, we were interviewed by many local and national TV stations about our flying experiences and our participation in the airshow. It was really the first time I've ever felt like a celebrity. Who would think that I'd actually get tired of signing autographs and posing for photos with people??
I've included some pictures: A photo taken of me on departure from Malta (by a pro photographer), a picture of a small harbor near our hotel, a photo of a British pilot taking a rest on his jet and a picture of our jets with a Malta church in the background.

Not an ordinary weekend

2006-09-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Acts 28
Ashore on Malta
1Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

As usual, it has been a long time since my last post. I just haven't had much willpower lately to type anything. But I had to let you in on my trip this weekend. I'm leading a formation of 2 F-16's to participate in the Malta International Airshow. www.maltairshow.com It should be a good time. I've been planning this trip for a while and am ready to get the trip underway. Most people have heard of Malta...but don't really know where it is. It's an island country just south of Sicily. It's quite famous as a destination for vacationers and island bums. It's also famous for things biblical as well (see Paul's shipwreck passage from Acts above).
I'll definitely be taking some pics...so look forward to those.
More posts on my return Monday evening...
Ciao

Back at the Casa

2006-09-10T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,
I know it's been an eternity since I've posted anything. The email/internet access when I was stateside was almost non-existent. I really didn't have time anyway since we were flying so much.
Our deployment to the states went well. As usual, it was super busy. I got a lot of experience flying in these new locations--and being put under pressure always makes you better (although it really sucks when you're doing it.) Hill AFB (in Utah) was my favorite part of the trip. We took a weekend trip to Park City, Utah...which was a really cool scene. I'd never really been to a U.S. ski/mountain town.
Las Vegas was as expected. Lots of flying and little time to relax. I'm pretty much sick of Vegas by now. The casino life really isn't for me.

I just got back on Thursday...and since then I've been doing all the little crap that needs to get done to sustain normal life (the stuff I hate: laundry, unpacking and paying bills). However, I did take a little hike up in the mountains near Piancavallo (a mountain about 20 minutes from my house). Two pictures: one is a cow (I know, boring). Actually, it was really cool to see a small herd of cattle grazing so high in the mountains. The other pic is just of a little mountain hut (I'm guessing for storing farm supplies, etc...but who knows how long this thing has been there?)

Ciao,
Ed

Stuck!

2006-08-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes,
Part of our squadron (including me) is currently stuck on one of the island chains in the middle Atlantic called the "Azores" (a Portuguese piece of land). Our tanker (an air-refueling aircraft) had some problems so we're here for a while to wait on repairs.
In the meantime, we're enjoying the GREAT weather...the beaches and snorkeling, etc....
There are also bull-fights, good food (I love Portuguese food anyway) and we just happened to show up on the biggest weekend in the Azores for a huge festival.

Not bad, huh?

Next report: The U.S.

italian heat

2006-07-21T04:35:00.000-07:00

It is hot here. No AC in my house. Sort of uncomfortable. Anyway, at night it cools down near the mountains and it's tolerable.
I'm excited......I leave for the states in a little over a week and a half. We'll be going straight to the Salt Lake City, Utah area first. After that, it's on to Vegas. I'm flying an F-16 the whole way to Utah. It will be one of those flights where you're locked in the cockpit for about 10 hours (the Azores to Utah leg of the flight). Can we say painful?
I've been staying busy here. We just got finished flying a week of nights. I've been getting home around 4am. I like flying on NVG's sometimes, but it takes a while to get used to again.
Last weekend, four of us went to Zell-Am-See, Austria. (Pronounced ZellumSay). It was sweet.....huge lake below the glacier. What did that mean? Snowboarding in July. You can actually still ski the top of the Kaprun Glacier...so we did just that. The snow wasn't great, but it was worth it.
Well, I'm off to work.....
ciao

italy wins

2006-07-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

World Cup Craziness:
Italy won and the streets went wild. I watched the game but had to wake up EARLY for work.....but the Italians drove through the streets until late honking horns and yelling. I was rooting for them, so I didn't mind too much.
Americans really can't relate to how much Europeans love "football." It's really a unique phenomenon.

back and happy

2006-06-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Turkey on Friday. It was a relief to get back home. There are definitely many cool things about that country for sure---but I feel the cons outweigh the pros. For example, Turkey lacks a good infrastructure of roads and general planning of the cities. The people are nice--but many lack the knowledge about or desire to apply deodorant. This may not be true for all, but it's definitely a problem in my opinion.
The food is tasty but it got on my nerves. I just felt gross after several meals. In fact, almost 3/4 of our group got the "turkish trots." (aka, the runs). I guess it's the water or the vegetables.
I did get to visit some cool cities (Ankara and Antalya). The resort town of Antalya is gorgeous. I also bought a couple of oriental/persian rugs to add to my collection. I don't think I'll be using them in Korea, but maybe somewhere down the road.
The flying was ok. The airspace was great and the fights were intense at times...but the integration with the Turk pilots was lacking.
Needless to say, it's nice to be back at my house.
Next up: The states. I'll be there for the month of August.

turkey halfway

2006-06-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Turkey. Luckily, we have wireless internet here in the lobby--so my laptop is coming in handy. Unfortunately, we've had little time to hang out since we've been flying so much.
Good news for me: my sister had a baby recently---a girl...so I'm very happy for her.
Hopefully, I'll be able to get back and see her soon. I'm halfway through my trip here and should leave in a little over a week.

More news: I just found out my follow-on assignment after Italy. I'll be going to South Korea for a one year tour flying the F-16 at Kunsan Air Base. I volunteered for this assignment...so it was kind of expected. I will leave as early as October or November. Luckily, I'll be flying the jet for another guaranteed year and I'll also be getting this "remote" tour out of the way early on in my career. Now, I've just got to get back to the states after that and put myself in a position to not remain a bachelor for the remainder of my life.

Turkey is good. The flying is good. The food is ok and I've only had one severe battle with the "turkish trots."

More to follow....

pic from a weekend trip to Ankara (the capital city of Turkey)

rock star parking

2006-05-29T02:03:00.000-07:00

cantina aperte parking after our trip to slovenia

wine pour

2006-05-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

cantina aperte wine taste

campsite

2006-05-29T01:38:00.000-07:00

post-crash relax

2006-05-29T01:21:00.000-07:00

recovering from my wipe-out. my friends ahead crossing the bridge.

Slovenia Outdoor Experience

2006-05-29T00:52:00.000-07:00

I really needed a weekend like this. As usual, my friends and I waited to the absolute last second to decide where we were going to go for a 4 day weekend in Europe. We talked about Poland, Sicily and Croatia. Finally, we threw down on a "extreme" weekend of camping in Slovenia (the Bovec wilderness/national park area). Three of us headed out with mountain bikes, climbing gear, kayak and every other piece of outdoor equipment we could muster. My Xterra was loaded down as we left our local area. On the way we were stopped by the Tour D'Italia road bicycle race--which was cool to see...but was slowing us down in our effort to hit the mountains.
"Bovec" Slovenia is an absolute paradise for outdoor junkies and nature lovers. The Soca river is a crystal clear/aquamarine-colored river that rages through the mountains in and near Bovec. There are tons of river guide companies, etc near the river...but the tiny towns still maintain a quiet and simple tone. We found a campsite along the river and set up our stuff. The first day we kayaked a portion of the river with class I, II and III rapids. It was great. The second day we went rock climbing in the morning and hit the water in the afternoon for more kayaking. This time we were on a portion that was a little more "lethal." I got out and rode in a van back to my car prior to going through the class IV section with numerous "siphons" which have killed a bunch of people in previous years. My friends, "Kilo" and "Trigger" pressed on and survived (although both are very experienced kayakers).
The next morning we got up and mountain biked a long series of trails along the river. It was great---but I had one minor problem: I fell off a cliff. I really did. I was riding along on a narrow singletrack trail that was along a sheer drop next to the river. I shifted gears in the most narrow part and my chain locked up somehow. I flipped over the handlebars and next thing I know was that I was falling. I landed with my bike in a tree that jutted out from the side of the cliff. It kept me suspended there. Kilo shouted, "Dude, DO NOT MOVE." At hearing this, I knew I was in a fix. I couldn't look down because I was pinned and couldn't see that I was suspended above nothing but the canyon floor. I kept trying to work myself free from my bike while Kilo climbed down to my spot. Once I got free from my backpack and bike I was able to climb out with just some bruises and scratches. We were laughing hysterically at how funny/shocking it must have been to see me flipping off the trail into the abyss. I'm thankful for that little tree..because without it I would have at least had several broken bones.
We left Slovenia and rolled into Italy to meet some friends for "Cantina Aperte." It's an annual tradition in Italy where most wineries open their doors to the public and you can go around and see their estates, etc. and taste the wine if you want. We ended up going to an amazing winery near Cormons, Italy that was in an old castle. It was so cool. After, we cruised to a little winery that doubled as a hotel. We ate a pizza and drove home after that. It still have today off...so it's back to the thing I hate most: Laundry.
Next adventure: Turkey for 2 weeks.....we leave next week sometime.

view from our hotel in Tel Aviv

2006-05-21T00:59:00.000-07:00

Wailing Wall

2006-05-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

Boy in the Old City

2006-05-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

Leaving the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

2006-05-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

Israel

2006-05-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This was a great trip. Good flying during the week and on the weekends I got the rare opportunity to travel around Israel. I won't bore you with work stuff--so I'll just talk about the weekends.
The first weekend we had a guided tour in the city of Jerusalem. This was an unforgettable experience and I'd really like to return in the future. We started our tour of Jerusalem by viewing it from a tall hill above the city. Our guide did a great job of explaining the centuries of history surround the city. It is just too much to list here. I agree with what our guide mentioned that Jerusalem is truly the most important city on earth. The highlight of Jerusalem was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher---which stands atop the site of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The next weekend a bunch of the guys went to Tel Aviv for a weekend to chill out and relax. We stayed in an awesome hotel right on the Med. We spent all day saturday on the beach goofing off and eating Meditteranean food. It rocked. The following day we went to the Dead Sea and a fortress city called Masada. The Dead Sea was unbelievable. I had no idea how much you really would float in the "water." We had contests to see if anybody could force themselves under water enough to touch the bottom...nobody could. You really have to see it to believe it.
I definitely want to go back to Israel..

back in one piece

2006-05-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

well, i'm back. just got in a couple of hours ago. tomorrow, expect some cool pics and a short narrative on my trip. it was great.

ed

ciao for a little while

2006-05-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,
Unfortunately, I might not be able to post anything for the next couple of weeks. I'm off to Israel for work. Maybe I'll get a chance to post a pic or two.
Hope everything is well. I have to sign off now since I'm doing the standard single guy last minute laundry sequence the day before a trip.

All I need is clean underwear, right?

wall it up in Assisi

2006-04-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

beach near cinque terra

2006-04-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

Italian riviera defined in one picture

2006-04-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

me--cinque terra

2006-04-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

old buddies in Lucca

2006-04-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

better plan that bike trip

2006-04-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Lyon street--time for dinner

2006-04-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

route

2006-04-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

Cruising through Europe

2006-04-29T00:45:00.000-07:00

My little week-long adventure started out the day before Easter. I had two destinations that I wanted to at least see: Assisi on Easter and Lyon, France (where I had a friend). I set out Saturday night and hit a nearby town, Udine, for a wine spritz or two and then I pushed out Sunday morning to Assisi. I arrived around noon and saw the throngs of people attending various masses in the town. This town is very impressive to look at. It sits atop this high hill and is just amazing to look at. St. Francis of Assisi is the big attraction here as well as the neat churches and winding hilltop streets. I had no place to stay here---so I drove my Xterra down the road until I found a little campground. I parked my car, took my bike, and headed out into the town. I spent a day here just wandering around and taking photos. That night I slept in my truck rather than setting up a tent. I didn't really feel like doing it.
The next day I got up and drove to the famous Tuscan hill town, San Gimignano. As predicted in the travel books--it was cool. The only downside to this little town is that it is crawling with tourists. The setting is awesome...but the day-trippers from Florence, etc kind of ruin the scene. I spent only a couple/three hours here before I took a drive for 2 hours or so to Lucca.
Lucca is an amazing walled city in Tuscany. There were still plenty of tourists..but it wasn't too bad. I made the big time mistake of driving my car into the city walls. Somehow, I get into the "pedestrian only" section of the city--and there was no escape! I was cruising through this ancient town and literally parting the seas of people with my American (AFI license plated) vehicle with bike on the back, and couldn't do anything about it. It was almost impossible to get out of there. This shot my blood pressure up a bit and I was forced to take my bike out and ride around to chill out. After that, I found a hotel and called it good. I was tired and needed a shower.
The next day I decided to try to make the Italian Riviera and visit the famous "Cinque Terra" cities. They were amazing. First of all, I had to drive my truck down a ridiculous section of roads that would have made my mom absolutely go into a coma. I'm not kidding you, these were unbelievable. Small, narrow, not maintained and ridiculously close to the cliffs overlooking the sea. Now, Cinque Terra is amazing. The views are epic. Check it out on the net. It is a sweet destination. Five small villages on the sea that are connected by ancient footpaths. However, the recommendation is to visit them in the Spring or in the Fall. The Summer brings way too many tourists. I spent a night here hanging out with some American backpacking through Europe. Of all things, one of the guys I was chatting with was from Nashville, TN. He actually attended Father Ryan and had visited Dickson for a scholarship interview at the Renn. Center. People are always interested to learn that I actually "live" over here/have a house/and am able to just travel around, etc. I always get the standard "So what is it like to fly fighter jets?" and "Have you been to Iraq?" and "What do you think about the war?" and "How does the Air Force FEED you?/are the BARRACKS good????" I start getting sick of some of these ridiculous assumptions, but I guess that people just aren't informed.
The next day I started questioning whether or not the "no plan" plan was a good idea. It actually added a mild level of stress--because I am so used to having a plan in whatever I do. I could A)continue down the coast into Nice, Cannes, etc or B)go north from Genova and hit Torino and then go west into France. I literally didn't make up my mind until I hit the point of decision on the Autostrada.

I turned north toward Torino.

This was a long drive and I was starting to get sick of my Italian Language CD's. I chatted with my buddy, Alex on the cell phone (who actually lives in JAPAN). I told him that this was sort of depressing. He suggested I turn back to home and "minimize the losses." I knew that would be the weak way out so I pressed on. I passed through Torino and stopped in the ski town, Sestriere. The held the winter olympic skiing/boarding competitions here. I strolled around, but it was pretty much dead. I pressed on throught the Tunnel De Frejus (big ass French tunnel connecting France and Italy).

Throughout the trip I focused mainly on taking good photographs. I guess I have sort of gotten into photography a little bit. I've had no courses and had only read a couple of books on it in college. I don't know if mine are any good, but I like to capture what I see as the true Europe. I'm sick of the basic front-on scenic shots of churches, people and landscapes. I like the sunsets, black and whites and neat shots of people. I hate photos of me now for whatever reason.

I was tired now as I crossed into the French alps. I had no place to stay and I didn't really feel like camping out. I had all the gear, but a cold night on the mountain didn't feel like the big one for me that night. I found the cool little town, St. Jean De Marienne. I got a room at a cheap hotel. I can assure you that I was the only tourist in this neck of the woods. The lady running the hotel was so nice. On that note, the French people were the friendliest I have encountered in Europe. It may be an act, but they seem so genuinely nice and polite. As I checked out the next day she (the hotel owner) told me that the Tour De France had been through there the previous year and that U.S. Postal had stayed there (Lance Armstrong included). I headed into town with my bike, bought a trail map, and pressed out with a backpack and some cheese into the mountains. I biked for a few hours. The views were ridiculous. I had only been in France for ski season. The spring was a whole new ball game. Nobody around for miles---and nothing but green grass and high peaks. Even the cows with big bells around their necks were present to complete the scene. All I needed was some hot French girl in the mountain dress/outfit to come trouncing down the path to greet me. (that, unfortunately and realistically, did not happen).
Next the path on the way to Lyon took me to the city of Chambery. College town. Old. Beautiful. Standard European goodness. I hung out here and figured out how I would get to Lyon. I left my car there and took the train the next day.
Lyon is France's second largest city. It is big. However, it isn't clogged with tourists. I rolled into town and met up with my friend from a previous travel, Heidie. She was a great tour guide and really went out of her way to make the stay awesome. Lyon is primarily a business city. The thing that I liked most about it was the awesome network of parks. People were everywhere chilling out in the sun. One park, in particular, had a driving range and golf course. Heidie and I hit some buckets of balls and continued seeing the city.
Two nights in Lyon and I was on the train back to get my car. I got my car and drove and drove and drove. All the way to Venice and finally Aviano. I was tired. In fact, I'm still tired. I still haven't unpacked.
Excuse the grammatical errors and spelling--but I like typing in a free flowing style that isn't elaborate or a waste of time.
Hope I didn't bore you.

post to happen soon

2006-04-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

no...I didn't get whacked by the Italian or French Mafia. I did, however, come back to a very busy week at work. I've got some great pics to post from my trip and will do it this weekend...so don't give up on me yet!

Ed

On The Road

2006-04-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Well,
I'm off to do a whirlwind tour of Italy (tuscany, umbria and the rivera...with a little bit of france). I have a week off of work--and I'm just heading out with no plans. I've got my tent, sleeping bag, mountain bike, my car etc...and a bag of clothes. I have no hotels booked or a set plan of where to go except that I want to try to make it to Assisi for Easter morn. I'm also going totally solo.

Assuming I don't end up killed by the Italian Mafia, I will talk to you all when I get back around Sunday.

Happy Easter
Ciao

myspace

2006-04-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Leslie,
I finally got on "MySpace.com" I had to search to find you on there. And then I found Mark....and then I found Doug and then I found people from my High School.

That is way too addictive. The worst part is that I don't have High Speed Internet! My little village near the mountains is behind the power curve and is still dial-up. Everywhere else has it.

I might start one.

Ed

Polish Planes and Potatoes

2006-04-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned that I was going to go to Poland for a week long thing for work. Anyway, I went a couple of weeks ago and am just getting around to posting about it. I was apart of a group of USAF people talking about the F-16 and how it handles in weather, etc. The Polish Air Force is buying a few export F-16's from the U.S. and this was just apart of a familiarization "tour."
More importantly, I got a free trip to Poland. I was staying in the city of "Poznan." It is a city of about 600,000 people. Poland is very different from the U.S. The communist/Soviet way of the cold war is still very present. The apartment buildings all look cold and a bit scary. However, the people are awesome. The food was good and the old town/square was happening. I did note that they eat potatoes with practically everything.
Polish women are gorgeous. That's a fact.
The town I was visiting had the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the country---it was really cool. I never would have thought that I would be in Poland one day briefing at a former Warsaw Pact Air Force Base.
Next: I have a week off work. Solo trip through Italy and maybe a little bit of France.
Pics:
Tram in Poznan
Inside a castle/estate near the town
A Polish Air Force Conscript (Yes, many other militaries have MANDATORY service periods for all males---Conscripts are the lowest of the low in a military sense....and they do all the jobs the "professional" military guys don't want to do. It was like this in Turkey, Italy(a few years ago) and many other countries.

"Spending That Money"

2006-03-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

My mom always used to attack me with the comment when I was in High School and College: "You're just spending that money." Later, Alex Thompson told me he had the same criticism thrown his way a few times as well.
Now, I'm doing just that---or I should say, yesterday, I did just that. I finally picked up my Italian Road bicycle from the owner of GranCiclismo/Salvador Race Team in the town of Sacile. It's a pretty sweet bike--fit just for me. Carbon forks, etc...and good components. I bought a mountain bike from this guy a couple of years ago and have been happy with it.
I took the bike out on a spin today and man, it is fast. No sooner had I turned out of my driveway when I had merged with a pack of Italian cyclists cruising up the mountain highway. I was able to hang for a few miles, but fell aft since there was no way I could hang with those guys. Anyway, I cruised around and got used to it. I didn't realize how much the balance changes for a rider on a road bike versus a mountain bike.
If I never ride it again, it was worth it. Only when you make a purchase like that are you really like a kid on Christmas.
Alex "Artie" Thompson will appreciate the fact that both of my bikes are "standard black."
Above is a picture of the fleet.

Sunday Afternoon

2006-03-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

This last friday at work we held the fighter pilot tradition of a "Nameage Ceremony." It's when the guys get together and stories are told about the new guys in the squadron and the crowd "votes" on possible callsigns for them. It's a fun night and is always hilarious. Saturday was spent cleaning the squadron bar/lounge and was followed by my research of road bicycles. I want to get one and bike the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia with a friend--or possibly somewhere in France. There isn't much time this summer to do it, so I have to start the planning and "training" now.
On Sunday, a friend and I took the train down to Padova. It's just about an hour and ten minute train ride....essentially one stop to the west of Venice. Padova is a sweet city. St. Anthony's Church is there and houses some of Donatello's sculptures, etc. Padova also has Europe's largest open square--which is mostly all grass and surrounded by statues and a little moat/creek. It is also a famous University town and popular for it's collection of art.
Pictures are: A statue in the Square, and some random Italian guys sitting outside.

Asolo, Italy

2006-03-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

This last weekend a friend and I took a little drive to the hill town in the Veneto Region called "Asolo." It was only about an hour and a half away....so it was an easy drive. I'd actually been there a couple of times before. When I lived in Italy after college, Doug and Chris made the drive with me to this cool little town.
It has a neat castle on the hill (basically ruins) and a ton of other cool things to see. Cobblestone streets, great views and several villas which surround the town. Recently, a John Malkovich film was shot there, called "Ripley's Game."
If you want to learn more about the town, you can check out this website...http://www.world66.com/europe/italy/veneto/asolo/history

Grub This

2006-02-25T02:28:00.000-08:00

Belgium Seafood grubbed by yours truly.

2006-02-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

Belgium

2006-02-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

Belgium is a really cool country---I'd recommend going if you get the chance. Of course, I wanted to geek out and visit some WWII sites, etc. Bastogne, central to the battle of the Bulge, etc. was a really cool town. The monument dedicated to the U.S. troops there is amazing. It lists every state in the U.S. and has plaques for every unit involved. A very cool memorial built by the Belgium. I saw a sign there that read: "The people of Belgium will never forget their American Liberators."
Also, there were a bunch of people in U.S. WWII uniforms that were driving around in WWII era U.S. jeeps, etc. They were having a 12km march from one town to the next to commemorate a part of the campaign. The weather was snowy, so it made for tough conditions.
Brussels is an awesome city. Cool markets, monuments, etc. Good seafood. Much bigger than I thought. I flew RyanAir from Venice for fairly cheap compared to what you would pay to take a train or drive. Definitely worth it. I'll post some more pics of the city tonight.
Later

Weekend News

2006-02-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

Recovery from flying alot this week. I'm looking forward to a trip next weekend to Belgium to see Brussels and some WWII history sites (Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge, etc).
I'm also starting a new side project in my life. I'm doing a "history project" on the 510th Fighter Squadron during WWII. Maybe one day I can have it all published. I'm starting it in blog form and will be doing interviews with some of the veterans.
Take a look if you want: www.jerryjunkers.blogspot.com

Hermit Life is Good

2006-02-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

Really I've been a hermit the last couple of days--the last two weekends for that matter. Even though the weather has been awesome (blue skies, warm, snow on mountains) I've stayed inside either at the squadron or at home. And it has been GOOD. Guess I kind of got burned out with constant travel.
Anyway, I've been to work both days this weekend churning through volume after volume of classified or unclassified manuals that we have in our weapons library. I'm updating them and putting them in new binders, etc. You see, I'm in charge of our weapons and tactics library...which sounds neat, but right now it's a serious pain. I want the vault library to be good...a place of quiet study...but it won't be that unless I get it at least visually pleasing. I've noticed that if surroundings are at least tidy, that the work or study level in people goes up. At least it does in me.
Anyway, I did way too much bookworm work this weekend and was about ready to lose it when I thought of my favorite remedy for frustrated times: Just call Alex "Artie" Thompson. I can assure you, his day or week is always exponentially worse than what yours might have been. Next post, I'll have a "Maddog Minute"---which will be a short narrative from Alex himself (his callsign is Maddog). Expect nothing but extreme comedy.
Later.
Oh, 5 dollars to the person who can guess what movie this picture is from. Roark and Brade, you guys will get it for sure.

Today

2006-02-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Been swamped at work-----standard. I'm working on a bunch of projects: an upcoming trip to Poland to brief the Polish Air Force, an exercise my squadron is doing in Europe and a bunch of other crap. All I've wanted to do when I get home is eat and watch some news or a movie and hit the hay.

I recently watched the movie Roark recommended: Thumbsucker. It was actually pretty good---kind of weird....but I'm sure my generation can identify.

I'm also reading a new book---which I can't seem to find in my house right now. It's called "The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Carvaggio Masterpiece." It's really good....I read about it in an issue of the Economist.

Today at work I flew a pilot from the Croatian Air Force in the back of one of our 2 seat F-16's. Several of them are here on a tour of the base and are interested in the way we run a squadron. It was pretty cool to have the chance to show somebody from another country how we operate/fly the jet in basic maneuvers, etc. This particular pilot is a MiG 21 pilot and is very proficient in that airframe. We had a fun time and I got a few cool Croatian patches out of it.

Well, have to run and do the thing I hate most on earth: LAUNDRY. I was down to dress socks and was actually considering wearing running shorts as underwear beneath my flight suit.

Arrgggg.

Good Movies

2006-01-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick post. I decided to list a few movies I've seen recently that might be worth your while.

1. The March of the Penguins. --This one was really cool. I thought I would get made fun of by my friends for renting it...but it was amazing. Good footage and you won't believe how interesting the little dudes are.

2. The Great Raid. --A WWII movie about a raid to rescue U.S. POW's from a Japanese POW camp. Not as good as I'd hoped, but the story is a good one and based on the truth.

3. Prozac Nation. --I didn't think I'd like this one. I rented it b/c there was nothing else that looked good. Kind of weird...but is compelling. You sort of feel depressed after watching it. Christina Ricci seems to be a great actress.

4. The Lords of Dogtown. --A movie about real-life skateboarders in the early days of skating in California. Not alot of substance, but it was pretty cool to learn how it all got started.

5. Girl with a Pearl Earring. --A good movie to watch on a date I guess. It's been around for a while, but I finally saw it a month or two ago. It's about the painter Vermeer and the creation of one of his famous works. On a side note, I'm almost nearly in love with the main actress..Scarlett Johansson.

stress off--weekend on

2006-01-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

Small victories are nice. Even though I had been certified as a day flight lead, I still had to accomplish a specific flight at night to become night "blessed." This was the night 4 v 2 Opposed Surface Attack sortie. This is generally the flight that you accomplish on your day cert. ride, but the night specific one poses a few more challenges. I wasn't worried about the flight itself, but since there are so many more contingencies with flying at night I knew it would be more difficult to brief and fly.
Basically, an opposed SAT flight is this: you take off as a 4 ship...you go to a holding or "marshalling" point out of the simulated war zone. You "push" at a specific time so you can make a TOT "time over target" with your weapons in the target area. On the way in the red air (at least 2 other f-16's acting as the enemy jets) press in your direction and you have to react by shooting them w/missiles, etc. This part can be very tricky since you have to weigh going to merges and "mixing it up" versus continuing to the target and getting your bombs off. After you defeat the air threat you continue to the target and drop your bombs--which could be a variety of different weapons depending on what the flight lead weaponeered and what the target type was. Oh, I forgot to mention that as you cross into enemy territory there are multiple SAMS (surface to air missiles) that can take shots at you. We simulate this and execute threat reactions to defeat the missiles.
Once you are off target the objective is to get out of the threat area and back to good guy land. Now, the Red air adversaries prosecute you again as you attempt to leave. The goal is to get home, so you kill the air threat and leave.
At night, this is all a bit more difficult. You're flying with Night Vision Goggles and flying tactics and formations may be altered by the flight lead. Weather and adverse NVG conditions can sometimes make it very difficult to see where everybody in the formation is. Sometimes somebody in your formation will go "blind" (losing the visual on their element mate) and this can take alot of time to get back together and may alter your attack tactics.
Well, I didn't want to bore you. I'm just glad that flight is over and now I can fly for a while without being evaluated constantly. I have today off. So my stress level dropped back to normal levels---and I'm going to enjoy this one.
I'm also enjoying the fact that my friend "Artie" aka, Alex is just starting the FLUG at his base in Japan. Now I just get to sit back and tell him stories about how I was the big clown at certain points in the FLUG. This will just stress him out more since he knows he'll be putting on his own big red shoes and big red nose too....
Pilots always say that when you screw up you are a "clown."
Artie, my only advice to you: "BANZAI!!"

For Chris Roark

2006-01-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

These pics were taken especially for my bro, Chris Roark. The man loves cheese...and the man loves meat. So here's what I captured in the little Italian town of Cividale Del Friuli on a Sunday afternoon. A sweet little town dating back to over 30 B.C. with a cool river and awesome sights...but most importantly, a little grub stand that would meet the approval of one Chris Roark. Fried meat and cheese....with a little polenta thrown in to boot. Nice.

No big events

2006-01-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

This week at work was mediocre. We're about to move into a new building---which is actually pretty nice...however, we aren't getting a day off of work to "move in" to the new building. Even though we have contractors moving the big stuff, we still have to do all the little things required to set up our individual shops to be operational. This means spending next friday (a USAFE down day) going to work and getting things ready. Our squadron commander has been really good about the whole deal--and he's not the one screwing us out of a day of work...but it's something we have to do.

Other that that, I really don't have any big news to report. I didn't do anything this weekend. Which was nice. Our squadron is starting a band...which is cool. I'm gonna play guitar..and it's been a while since I've picked up an electric. It was great to get in there and really jam out. We've got a couple of good musicians that know alot of the current rock songs and are able to teach me alot of the good tunes. It should be fun playing for the squadron and any other crowd that wants to hear us. Not sure when we'll find time to practice, but whatever. We don't have a name yet....but expect it to be non politically correct in true fighter pilot fashion.

Well, that's about it for now.
See ya.
Ed

Battered but Alive

2006-01-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

Recovering from the year 2005. Today I'm on leave before I start back to work tomorrow. I really don't feel the least bit caught up from everything that has happened in the last several months. Pretty much, my life has been a shambles outside of work because a)I was busy at work and I placed the priority on doing a decent job and b) when I had a free chance I was taking advantage of the travel opportunities in an attempt to blow off steam. However, I really wasn't able to do the little things that make normal life necessary: grocery shopping, laundry, personal hygiene (just kidding.) Really, it's been sort of tough but I asked for it.
I hope everybody had a great Christmas and New Year's. I really wanted to make it back to the states for Christmas--but since I had to work to finish my upgrade at work, it really wasn't possible. This bit me in the end, since my Grandmother died and I hadn't already "pre-positioned" myself in the states. Let me tell you, trying to get a last minute flight out of Europe in the holidays for the next day is almost impossible. I guess that goes to show why you should be really wealthy and own a private jet.
I wanted to thank everybody for the emails, cards, etc. that you guys sent me. It's weird spending your second Christmas away from home. Not too bad--just weird.

Here's the breakdown of my most recent journey:
Left Aviano on the Friday before Christmas early in the morning. There were 3 of us that would be joined later by some other folks from base. We pushed north to a town near the Italian border in Austria. Neustift--aka, Stubital ski area. We snowboarded for 2 solid days there and had a Christmas dinner in the little town at a pretty nice restaurant. A cool family from Australia gave us a good dinner conversation. I nearly paralyzed myself attempting a 360 on my snowboard off of a pretty steep jump. Caught on video. I was able to wiggle my toes and I knew I was still mobile, so I continued boarding. My back still kills me. Possible life-long injury and I will forever hate myself for it.
We met up with my two more pilots and one of their girlfriends and pressed to where the snow was even better: Switzerland. We drove to an area known as Davos. We crossed a mountain pass that was ridiculously high and NO attempt was made to clear it by snow trucks/salters. I didn't like this at all--but luckily my SUV has 4wd and we made it. My mom would have collapsed from terror in this situation. Davos was cool--some real world-class skiing. I snowboarded one day and then broke out my skis to hit some cool runs.
Now the story gets interesting. Trigger and I left Davos early in the morning after 2 nights and headed to Milan airport. We were able to get some cheap tickets on RyanAir to Scotland. Final destination: Edinburgh--site of Europe's largest New Year's Eve Festival. We flew into Glasgow--(nice city...a bit rough at night...so be careful if you go.) Once we got into Edinburgh we checked into our hotel. Actually, it was a hostel. I really would classify it as a mix between a campground, brothel, crack-house and prisoner-of-war camp. It was ridiculously terrible. I just went into survival mode a this point and hearkened back to my days at Air Force Survival School. Our fault, of course, since we didn't make an attempt to book good rooms well in advance. Anyway, Edinburgh is an awesome city. Great castle, people and sights. I really enjoyed it. By this point in the trip, I had no clean clothes and probably looked like some sort of soccer hooligan. However, we did our best to clean up and see the sights: 2 art museums (free), the castle, and I got the best personal tour of a nearby bay/seaside town--which was my favorite part of the entire trip, hands down. I got to see a neat little sailing club and walked down the cobblestone streets of the old village. Really cool.
Overall, Scotland was great--we met awesome people and learned a good bit.

The pictures above: one of a performance by a bluegrass/scottish infusion band during the festival and one of the sun setting at the seaside at the sailing club.

lost in space

2005-12-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

sorry everybody,
I've had a busy last few weeks---i'm on xmas leave now and continued working like crazy the week before xmas until I finished the flug--and I am now a 4 ship flight lead!
However, I just got the bad news that my grandmother passed away as I was boarding a ryan air flight to glascow, scotland...and will not be able to get a flight back to TN in time for the funeral which is tomorrow. Weather in Italy is snowy and flight prices were outrageous.
I'll post a real one soon---but thanks to everybody for all of the cards and emails for the holidays...they were awesome.
Ed

Snow and Wienerschnitzel--No Turkey

2005-11-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

Instead of staying in for a Turkey feast on thanksgiving, several of us decided to head to Austria for a little early season ski trip. Actually, we've had this little trip planned since the desert, so it wasn't that spontaneous. We went to a place in the Austrian mountains called Hintertux. It was pretty awesome. Good snow for this time of the year and an awesome set-up at the base of the glacier. We worked our butts off the week before and jumped in our cars after a late Wednesday work day. We made it into Hintertux around 1130pm. Our hotel was really cool. It was the whole ski lodge/spa with awesome service....and we got it for a really good deal since we booked so far in advance with a special rate. The first picture posted is of our hotel the "NeuHintertux" and the second is a pic I took sitting at one of the ski huts.....the drink is a traditional german/austrian drink that is the most common you'll see at the base of the slopes. It's called "gluhwein" (pronounced gluvine) and is a spiced sweet wine that is served very hot. Very good and not very strong. Most of you would really like it if you haven't had it before.
I had to cut the trip short since I had a major sortie to prepare for on Monday. The snow really hit us hard on the drive back--but no worries. On a side note, I might be coming back to the states for a long course in late Jan through February called "S.O.S." (Squadron Officer's School). It's an academic course for all officers with the rank of Captain held at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. The class isn't supposed to be fun--but at least I would have the weekends to travel to see everybody in the states.
Well, that's all for now. Hope to hear from you all later.
Ed

Lake Bled

2005-11-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend a few people cruised over to Slovenia to a town called "Bled." It was only about a 2.5 hour drive. Let me tell you: this was amazing. The town is built around this mountain lake that has a tiny island in the middle with an extremely old church built on it. On the far side of the lake is a tall, jagged cliff with an ancient castle that overlooks the whole lake. This town has always been a playground for royalty, presidents, etc. Since we were there in the off-season, we were able to view it from a slightly different perspective. The air was foggy with lots of mist--which gave it a surreal feeling. You can rent these old wooden rowboats and paddle out to the church--which is what we did. The water was crystal clear. The church was amazing. In fact, the Slovenians have a tradition that if someone is married on the island that the groom has to carry the bride up the giant set of steps that leads to the church.
It really was the most picturesque thing that I've seen in Europe so far. A must-see for travelers in Europe/the Adriatic area. To see some other pictures of Bled in the summer click here

Holidays

2005-11-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

The flower store in my town is putting out wreaths for the holiday season and for some of the monuments around town (complete with the national colors.)

Devotion

2005-11-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

I took this picture on a rainy Sunday here in my little town/village of Budoia. People in Italy walk to church as a family, by themselves or with friends if there is no family left. It always surprises me how dedicated the older people here seem to be. I think this picture in front of the town church speaks for itself.

Devotion:
Ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle. See Synonyms at love.
Religious ardor or zeal; piety.

An act of religious observance or prayer, especially when private. Often used in the plural.
devotions Prayers or religious texts: a book of devotions.
The act of devoting or the state of being devoted.

Sleepy Valley

2005-10-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ever want to just move off to some remote piece of land and just be content with what you want to do and not have to deal with the pressures of work/society, etc.? Well, I'm sure everybody does sometimes. I tried to get out today and went on a little trek about an hour from my house in the Dolomite mountains. Winding through the mountains we stumbled on a little trailhead for mountain bikers and hikers and nearby was this little valley. I thought it looked so neat--framed by the jagged rocks and the now red-brown trees. The grass field was so green--it almost looked fake. But my favorite was the little stone mountain hut/house sitting in the middle of it all. I'm sure my sister, Meredith would have loved it too.
So anyway, I'm quitting my job and moving in there. Just kidding--even though it would be so cool.

quote I should apply

2005-10-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

"You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space."
Johnny Cash

Quote

2005-10-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Robin Olds is very famous in the fighter pilot community. A hero from Vietnam, he's regarded as one of the "wise men" of fighter aviation. I read this quote the other day again and thought that it might explain some of my weird tendencies--as well as that of some of my co-workers:

Fighter pilot is an attitude. It is cockiness. It is aggressiveness. It is self-confidence. It is a streak of rebelliousness, and it is competitiveness. But there's something else - there's a spark. There's a desire to be good. To do well; In the eyes of your peers, and in your own mind.

I think it is love of that blue vault of sky that becomes your playground if, and only if, you are a fighter pilot. You don't understand it if you fly from A to B in straight and level, and merely climb and descend. You're moving through the basement of that bolt of blue.

A fighter pilot is a man in love with flying. A fighter pilot sees not a cloud but beauty. Not the ground but something remote from him, something that he doesn't belong to as long as he is airborne. He's a man who wants to be second-best to no one.

- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Around the world and back again

2005-10-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

(Sporting our Croatian Soccer Colors)
Ciao,
It's around 530am and I'm awake because I came home yesterday and crashed around 8pm--so that gave me a lot of sleep. I'm not flying today (otherwise I wouldn't be writing this...because I'd be getting ready for the flight). Some of my friends joke that I "stress out" too much over my flights...and I agree, but it's probably not changing anytime soon.
Anyway, Leslie Allen's words about updating my blog kept ringing in my head this morning as I decided what to do for a couple of hours before work. So here it is.

Post desert happenings: I got on a medivac flight out of Balad to Ramstein AB in Germany. From there we made it to Italy. After getting some blood drawn and my house "powered up" I jumped on a flight to the U.S.. I landed in Nashville, where my older sister, Meredith showcased her standard awesome hospitality and fattened me up with good food and gave a nice bed to sleep in. I visited with her husband, son, my Mom and my younger sister.
All my college friends were in town for the big wedding of Chris and Cristin. The wedding was awesome. I was still jet-lagged. It was actually too much though, because I didn't have time to visit with all my friends. It actually pissed me off that I had to "time-manage" who I got to hang out with. Whatever.
I then jumped on a plane to Vegas. Went through a 2 week course on beeps and squeaks of hi-tech aircraft electronic warfare stuff and then jumped on another plane back to Nashville. I wanted to go visit my friends Mark and Leslie down in Memphis, but didn't have time since my Grandmother is sick and I needed SOME time to visit with her, etc. I got a chance to go fly fishing for a little bit in North-Central Tennessee and a chance to look at some waterfront/rural properties for sale as well.
I missed TN a lot...and the convenience of the U.S. I love Europe and the chance to see everything is great--but I eventually want to get back to the U.S.
I jumped on a plane back to Italy. I landed in Venice and the next day I was back at work getting ready for my first FLUG (flight lead upgrade) sortie. That's been the #1 priority for the last 3 weeks. Everything else has fallen out of my crosscheck (laundry, dishes, haircuts, etc). I've remembered to take showers though (most of the time).
I did take a cool trip the other 3 day weekend with "Trigger", "Rex" and his Italian girlfriend, Daniella. We went to Zagreb, Croatia which is about 4 hours from here. It was awesome. There was a world cup qualifier soccer match going on and we actually got in for free. (Don't ask how). It was Croatia vs. Sweden and Croatia won. It was an amazing experience---nothing like any American sporting event. Luckily I didn't get mauled by any soccer hooligans. It never got too out of hand. But my friend Rex did.
Well, I'm out. I've got to find a clean flight suit for work.
Ciao
Ed

Almost Done

2005-08-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

Everybody,
I just wanted to say thanks to everybody that's sent me letters, packages and emails showing their support so far this summer. It's really made me appreciate my family and friends even more.
I'm supposed to be pressing out of here sometime near the end of the month. I can't wait to see something other than Air Force PT uniforms and sand. It really hasn't been that bad. The flying is definitely the best part of the deployment. Without that I'd be a lot more salty.
I wanted to say congrats to the future "Dr. Strohmeyer" for her recent graduation from Baylor's Forensic Science program and who is also set up to get her doctorate in England. That's awesome.
I really don't have any other news here. The guys had the decathlon. A few injuries: ruptured eardrum, cuts and bruises and a guy on an IV for dehydration were some of the highlights of the event.
We also had another sandstorm a week or two ago. Here's a picture:

2005-08-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

2005-08-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

The Home Stretch

2005-08-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

I want to apologize for the lack of communication via email
and posts on this blog. For the last few weeks I’ve been unable to log on
to this blog and my email (hotmail) would rarely work. Also, our days
have been long lately. After flying, it's all I can do to get back to the hooch,
swing by the gym and finally hit the hay.

The desert hasn’t changed. It’s hotter and a little more dusty. I do
want to mention that this country does actually have some interesting
cultural sights to see as well as some amazing landscape features. Most of the people on this base only view Iraq from inside the base or while on convoy through the countryside. I get the chance to see the country from above. Some portions are desolate and brown for hundreds of miles. Others have lush green foliage and vegetation around winding green-blue waters of the Tigris and Euphrates. There are also some amazingly large lakes with mineral-tinted blue water that looks beautiful. However, it's rare to see a single boat on the water or any real development along the banks.

I’m convinced that Iraq will be a goldmine of tourism or pleasure some day in the future. “When” is the mysterious variable. I’d love to invest some of my money in a speed boat rental company on the Tigris or maybe even be the first to open a signature golf course in the Sunni Triangle! Actually, I’d like somebody else to do it and I’ll reap the profits.

The guys are still up to the same old games. This time the crew has developed a “Desert Decathlon”. Everybody chips in cash and the winner gets the prize. Events include: timed mountain bike race, non-alcoholic beer chug, Tetris, a game of hearts, diving competition, underwater swim and other random events.

Also, hats off to “Rascal Flatts” who recently took the time to play two performances here as a part of a USO tour. I don’t know their music too well and didn’t get to go, but apparently the crowd loved it. I respect them for taking their time and security to show us support. Also, I really appreciate everything everyone has sent me so far. Your support has been awesome.

2005-07-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

"Esse'" and I in front of our "ops" building

No longer comfortably warm??

2005-07-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

I guess my little outpost in the desert isn't the Mecca of exciting news. Actually, the cool stuff seems to be coming from friends and family back home in the land of apple pie and air-conditioning. Yep, living the American dream. That's what Mark and Leslie Allen are doing---they just sent me a picture of a new house in Memphis and it's awesome. I'm jealous. And don't forget Chris Roark and Cristen....although he's too good to send me current photos of his new life in Nashville! Alex, I know what you're up to in Japan: Same thing I am...only you're in the Pacific and you get to use your nifty electronic Japanese toilet.
Maybe the heat's gettin' to me?!! It's only 128 degrees F. Or, maybe that was yesterday. Who knows what today's gonna be?
Actually, I am a little stir crazy in this place. The missions are still ok---but things are well beyond the classification of "Groundhog Day". Every day is the same. I don't even know what the day is without looking at my watch.
I can't wait to come back for Roark's wedding. I'll get to see so many people that it will be great.
The guys here are still doing well. In our "spare time"...we've been taking part in little competitions we devise. For example, some of the guys came up with this ping-pong bracket and had major match play rounds everyday to determine the ultimate pong champion. However, there were specific rules associated with the game. The rules come from the ILTC---the Iraqi Lawn and Tennis Club....our self-named organization. Rules were specific: you must be in official uniform when playing your match: all whites....white shorts, socks, shirt and a headband if you have it: as dorky as possible. Also, you must chug a "near beer" (non-alcoholic beer) prior to the match. There were some other crazy rules as well, but I won't get into them here.
I actually didn't play (since I would get crushed because I suck at ping pong) I'm heading up the "Tour de Balad"...a "mountain bike race" held in our living compound. 1 vs 1 heats designed to determine the best cyclist who can negotiate obstacles around our hooches, the chow hall, etc. I'm still trying to determine the uniform...but I think it will require combat boots and goggles.
Some of the guys kept their mustaches and continued to shave their heads. I chose to grow my hair back out (which is much better looking than bald--I think). Also, a few of the guys have taken to going to the pool. Yes, there is actually a pool here. It was built by the Iraqi's and is actually really nice. Apparently, this base used to be home of the Iraqi Air Force Training Academy and it includes an olympic sized pool. It truly is the ONLY nice thing here. I haven't made it there yet because of my flying schedule probably will later. A lot of the base is bombed out...and the buildings are crumbling with poor electricity and water--but I guess you can't ask for too much (at least we're not working out of a tent).
Hope things are well there--and stay in touch.
Ed

A Call to Arms

2005-06-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

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

11 Jun 05

2005-06-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

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..

sandstorm

2005-06-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-06-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

2005-06-03T06:12:00.001-07:00

Most of the guys shaved their heads and grew mustaches (mustaches are supposed to make you invincible--according to fighter pilot lore). I never wanted to shave my head...and now it's finally growing back.

2005-06-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

2005-06-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

2005-06-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

Update: Desert Life

2005-06-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Deployment

2005-04-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

Our squadron is heading off to Iraq for an AEF (Air Expeditionary Force) deployment. We'll be flying combat missions--primarily CAS (close air support) for ground forces operating in the country. For the last few weeks we've been training for this deployment--studying the threats, our tactics and learning the ROE's (rules of engagement).
This will be my first real combat deployment. However, we've got many experienced pilots in the squadron who have seen it all. Our living conditions will be a slight downgrade from my house here in the Italian mountains! When I'm not flying I plan on exercising, studying Italian (let's hope) and polishing my flying skills in preparation for the flight lead upgrade when I return.
I'll try to keep posting with current news, etc when I get there.
Ciao for now!
Ed

2005-04-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Location of Balad Air Base

2005-04-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

boat adrift in baltic waters

2005-04-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

baltic black and white

2005-04-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Castle in an outlying town

2005-04-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

The sea viewed from the beach of Jurmala--ice still present in April

Baltic Odyssey

2005-04-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend George "Trigger" Wyse and I flew to Riga, Latvia for a 4 day trip. We found a good airfare and booked the tickets knowing very little about the country or the main city, Riga. The trip turned out to be a great time. Latvia, a former communist country, is rich in history and culture. I was initially surprised at how cold it still was in April. We took a trip down to the beach town of "Jurmala" and found small icebergs still floating in the sea. The old town of Riga was beautiful--lots of winding cobblestone streets and interesting shops and restaurants. We stayed in the Hotel Latvia, which overlooked the entire city. We also visited museums and some ancient castles in the outlying towns. The people were friendly and were sometimes shocked to hear that we were Americans. Food was traditional and quite hearty. Next time I would like to visit the neighboring countries of Estonia and Lithuania. Apparently, they are just as interesting as Latvia.

2005-04-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hungarian Mig29 pilot and yours truly

Mig 29s in Hungary

2005-04-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a chance to fly against a famous adversary of the F-16--the Russian built Mig 29 Fulcrum. Many countries in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc have these awesome jets. Hungary is one of them and an agreement was struck to allow F-16's from Aviano to fly to Hungary and have training engagements with them.
My flight lead, "Trigger" and I were the first to go. We took off from Aviano and flew to Hungary and intercepted the Fulcrums near the border. Then we split off--one F-16 with one Fulcrum. We fought basic dogfights and returned to land at their base. We were greeted by dozens of people with cameras and a reporter from an aviation magazine. We had a quick lunch and then briefed up another sortie. This was really juicy: 2 F-16's versus 4 Mig 29s and 2 L-39s. This was a great mission and we really enjoyed it.
I was impressed with the power and maneuverability of the Mig 29. However, our jet's awesome performance combined with our training proves that the U.S. definitely has it's act together when it comes to flying fighters.