G-6 T-WALL ART AND SIGHTS AROUND BASE

Military Bases in Iraq don't have much to offer the eye in the way of pleasant sights, one fix for that is soldiers and civilians will paint graffitti on the T-Walls that protect us from incoming. Typically the art has to do with a Military Unit or civilian company. They, on occassion, can also be a memorial to individuals lost in the war. Either way, they are a welcome sight to a very bland landscape in Iraq. Here are some works in Camp Echo.

911 Memorial at the Post Office

Memorial to a lost soldier

Here are some other tidbits around the base to give you a better understanding of what goes on here. This is the stage where any entertainment happens, nothing since I got here, the "Hooters" Girls were here but the threat of rain delayed the show for a few days and they ended up canceling it. :(

A small Chai Shop close to the Fire Station. Hookah! It's Fun!

These are a few of the enormous generators that give us power. I believe this base is completely run off generator power, whereas my old base ran on combined grid power and generator power. Either way, there are thousands and thousands of these beasts in Iraq. Makes it kinda loud!

CAMP ECHO 2010

Year three has begun! Not like I expected it to, delays in Houston, Delays at the BTC, getting assigned to a small site in South Iraq. Nothig seemed to go the way it was supposed to. My first two years went very smoothly and I had hoped that would continue in my third year. I had hoped, and was trying to make arrangements, to stay on the VBC this year but my second day at the BTC I got my assignment. G-6, Camp Echo, Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. Again, not what I wanted initially, all my "contacts" failed to keep me at the VBC, not their faults, just staffing issues at certain bases.

I had hoped to have a change of scenery in Iraq during my 3rd year, although I was thinking more along the lines of Camp Slayer (The name alone would have been worth it, think of the FD tee shirts you could make! SWEET!!)

anyway............
Disregard the arrow, from Baghdad, Ad Diwaniyah is SE approximatly 30 min by Helo (@ approx. 5:00 on the map). This is NOT a classified map, I got it off Google.

I was a little put off at first, then I realized I would get my Blackhawk ride I always wanted, things would not be as busy as on the VBC, AND we would probably get to workout more! I was mostly worried about the living conditions, DFAC and internet service. As it turns out, things are pretty good around here, the living conditions are great, I have a my own CHU (Compartmentalized Housing Unit), basically a trailer divided into sections. My room is about 10'x10', brand new, full size refrigerator and an A/C unit that keeps it very cool. We have our own Toilet and shower trailers that are maintained by KBR, again, new, very clean and mere steps away from my room. The DFAC is great, apparently one of the top two in country. Work-wise there are 2000 inspections on base, most completed by the FPO and some bt the Firefighters. Much less than Victory! And finally the gym, a rarity on the VBC, these guys are able to go workout everyday, except Sundays when they take the day off. There is also a full sized running track next to the station with workout stations (pull-up, sit-up, etc.).

We staff an Engine, Tanker, Chief Vehicle and a Utility (Suburban) for the FPO.

Engine 761

Tanker 761

Rescue 761, currently not staffed, rumored to be shipped to Afghanistan soon.

Here are some pictures of the Fire Station compound. It is made up of 9 trailers and 2 connex trailers and is surrounded by Hesco barriers. There are two openings to drive in/out of the parking area/apparatus bays.

The Hesco compound walls.

Looking down to the Dispatch Center.

Truck Bays.

In front of my new room.

My little slice of heaven in Iraq, all 100 square feet of it!

My full sized refrigerator, now full of Monsters, V8, and Pineapple Juice!

Check out the view!!!

MY FIRST UH-60 BLACKHAWK RIDE!

So my new assignment offered me a special treat during my stay in Iraq. I had always been stationed on the VBC (Victory Base Complex) which is the "Main" set of bases around BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). For me, very little travel was required, whan I arrived at the BTC I merely called my fire station and someone came to pick me up. Within 20 minutes I was back in my room at Station 2 on South Victory. Many times a helicoptor, charter plane and/or convoy is necessary to reach your base. G-6/Camp Echo requires, typically, a helicopter. That helicopter is the UH-60 Blackhawk. While I always wanted to fly in one, I had also hoped never to leave the VBC so my travel would be easy. There are many horror stories of guys that spend weeks trying to get out on R&R or EOC. My first trip proved to be difficult enough to keep us at the BTC for 8 extra days. Delays ranged from weather cancellations to lack of seats on the flights. Eventually we made it, it was a very cool ride, surprisingly smooth.........now I know how Superman feels!! ;)

Full PPE required during travel with long sleeve shirts.

A bridge over the river Euphrates...........or tigeris?? Not sure which river it is actually.

A very cool looking building, someone said it was the Iraqi version of the "Tomb of the unknown soldier"
All Helicopter flights are performed in pairs.

A surprising amount of greenery throughout our journey.

made a few stops at different bases along the way.

A few more pictures to come.......

PROCESSING AND ASSIGNMENTS

For about the first 5 days or so we have to go through some in-processing training, get our gear and finally our assignments. For some strange reason things have been reversed this year, we got our assignments right away, I am being sent to a small base in the South. This will be a bit of a shock for me since Victory South afforded me many luxuries that a small base won't have. Stiff like a decent PX(within walking distance), a food and vendor court(also within walking distance), and a very nice gym, comperable to many in the States.

So, where was I....In-processing, here are a few pics of the BTC and where we stay, by no means luxury accomodations. Also, some of the firefighter graffitti scribed into the door jams of tent 4.

Nice ductwork!! Love thos KBR HVAC techs!

Interesting reads, now there is lots to be found on the internet on Google, look under FOB Echo Iraq, disregard the incoming videos, oops..... more to come!

WELCOME TO THE BTC: BAGHDAD

Finally, after a very LONG trip from Houston, direct to Frankfurt, then to Dubai and finally to Baghdad. Unfortunatly, due to the flights scheduled there was no time for sleep, and sleeping on the plane is not very easy for me. I usually try to pass the time by watching movies, however, the choices were not too pleasing to me. I watched "Did you hear about the Morgans?", on the first leg of my flight to Frankfurt. Now, I love Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant, but boy was this movie BAD! Sorry, ranks up there with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", save yourself a few bucks and catch it on HBO, or don't. You won't miss much.

Fortunately, during the Frankfurt to Dubai leg of the trip I caught "Hachiko: A Dog's Story", a movie I had seen previews for and was very interested in, especially being a dog lover. Richard Gere and Joan Allen star in a true story about a College Professor (Gere), Parker Wilson, who finds an abandoned dog at the train station and takes it home with the intention of returning the animal to its owner. He finds that the dog is an Akita and names it Hachiko. However, nobody claims the dog so his family decides to keep Hachiko that forms a bond with a pet dog, which escorts him to, and from the train station everyday to go to work. Sadly, the professor dies and the faithful Hachi continues to return to the train station everyday to wait for his master to return. Hachi is cared for by vendors around the station and eventually gains notoriety to help his cause. Hachi waited everyday, without fail, for 9 years after his master passed. Today there is a statue of Hachi standing in his usual spot at that very station.

The real story can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko.

The movie trailer here: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2296906777/

Hachiko

Hachikos memorial statue
This was a beautiful story that was played out incredibly, I was a freakin mess watching this movie and I loved it. Absolutly see it!

Here are a few pics of sunrise from the plane to Frankfurt...

Welcome to the BTC: Baghdad!