Soap Box

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm taking a big risk by posting this and that ignorance knows no ethnicity, education level or background. With those things being said, let me just hop right up on my soap box and tell you all about a nice little conversation I had the other night with a civilian contractor who was waiting for a flight out of the country. I'm sure most of you know that the Democratic National Convention has been going on in Denver, CO the past two days and if you don't what rock are you living under?? Anyway, I'm sitting in the terminal on my laptop listening to the convention via the tv over my shoulder when the afore-mentioned contractor starts to ask me questions, random questions that I don't even remember now. He then lands on the topic of the convention on tv. He states that he didn't like either of the candidates and was not going to vote. I stared at him in disbelief at what I was hearing. Was this guy SERIOUSLY saying this to a service member in uniform serving her country in IRAQ??!!!! I asked this guy if he was serious and he said yes he was. I asked him why he wasn't going to vote and he again said that he didn't like either candidate so why bother? Why bother I asked him??!!! This is where things start to get ugly. I told him he should "bother" to vote because it's his duty and his right and I pointed to my uniform and I said "I wear this and sit where I am so that you CAN vote". This didn't seem to phase this man one bit. He then proceeded to tell me that since his candidate of choice did not make it he didn't see the point to vote now. I asked him if he voted in the primary to get his candidate a little closer and he said No. Even uglier now. I then told him that since he didn't find it necessary to even try to get his candidate in the race, then he really didn't have any room to complain about the two that were voted in. He then tried to tell me that he voted in the last election and it didn't go his way and he still hasn't seen any change so why bother again? Is this guy serious!!???? Unfortunately, there are wayyyyy too many people out there that think the way this obviously mis-informed person thinks. I told him I was done having that conversation and I was going to shut up before I got myself into trouble. I was appalled at his audacity to sit there and tell a uniformed service member there is no point in voting!!!! OMG!!! What the hell has this country come to?? Has the current administration poisoned the minds of Americans this badly that they feel there isn't anymore hope at all??????
On a side note, the frat issue was basically swept under the rug and the two in question were basically just given a slap on the wrist and told to knock it off. Nice huh??

WTF???

I've never been one to dime anyone out in my blog, but perhaps it's time I start. Nah, just kidding!!! There is some crazy crap going on at my work and people that I work with. We have this crazy thing called Fraternization (I'm sure you all remember my posts from my training days how this was DRILLED into our heads not to do it) and it's rearing it's ugly head up here in not a nice way. I really could care less who you are screwing on this deployment, but when it starts to involve the work place and preferential treatment of others, then I have an issue. That is exactly what is going on up here. NOT by me....I just had to throw that out there. And, me being the nice person I am, will not even go into anymore detail so as to not bring these people into the light anymore than they already are. They will show their asses soon enough. HA!!! Probably literally and figuratively.
Anyhow...the craziest thing happened on my way to work tonight. My roommate and I were walking and saw a huge flash over our shoulder and I shit you not we were ready to hit the deck thinking we were taking incoming (can anyone say PTSD when this is all over). We were freaking out and started to walk faster then we heard it....the THUNDER!! It was lightening and thunder! What the f&*k??? Next, the wind started to pick up and became a blinding dust storm with 40 mph winds! We couldn't see a thing and were getting pummeled with small rocks and lots of dust. It was in my mouth, my hair, my nose, my eyes! It was awful!! Then, I feel what I think is rain. Sure enough, it was sprinkling amidst the chaos. We finally make it to the PAX terminal and the entire lobby was full of dusty-smoke clouds. The dust bowl was so bad it was coming in the vents. As quickly as it all started, it was gone. Crazy damn Iraq weather. Why on earth would anyone want to live here on purpose????

Starting to See the Light

R&R is over and I'm back at the daily grind. I'm starting to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this deployment. We had to fill out some information today for our redeployment which made all of us very happy. We don't care if you ask us to jump up and down and shit eggs we will do it if it means we are going home soon. Of course, we still have a little bit to go before we will really be short with this tour, but that time is quickly approaching.
I got stung by jellyfish on R&R and no, no one peed on me! HA!! It was sooo hot down in Qatar and the humidity was disgusting. I felt like I needed a shower right after I took one. Now I know what the dry heat is everyone talks about. I went on a couple of tours on R&R that were pretty fun and I definitely took advantage of my 3 drinks a night. However, the base was pretty much no different than up here and it was actually pretty good to get back. I hate living out of bags and schlepping my crap all over the place, especially when my flight gets bumped and no one bothers to manifest us on another flight and we have to arrange for transportation back the base we just left and start all over again the next day. I was never so happy to finally get on a plane even if it was a C-130!
We have free wireless internet for a trial period here in the PAX terminal and we are all sitting around with our laptops sucking it all up because it's not going to last much longer. Oh how the little things, well in this case big things, amuse us so much! It is so great to sit and play on my cute little laptop that I have missed so much. I will be getting my cell phone back in about 36 days and the guy that has been babysitting it is now demanding visitation rights and some sort of support after she is gone. HA! There will be lawyers involved with that because I won't give in to his demands.
The night before last a couple of us here at work were sitting out back listening to some Bob Marley and smoking the hookah pipe. The moon was full, the temperature was just right. I could have almost been back home. It was nice. Moments like that are few and far between, but great none the less.

R&R

What a beautiful thing!!!!!! ;O)

I AM THE HIGHWAY

Pearls and swine bereft of me
Long and weary my road has been
I was lost in the cities
Alone in the hills
No sorrow or pity for leaving I feel

(chorus)
I am not your rolling wheels
I am the highway
I am not your carpet ride
I am the sky

Friends and liars don't wait for me
I'll get on all by myself
I put millions of miles
Under my heels
And still too close to you
I feel

(chorus)
I am not your rolling wheels
I am the highway
I am not your carpet ride
I am the sky
I am not your blowing wind
I am the lightning
I am not your autumn moon
I am the night

i am not your rolling wheels
i am the highway
i am not your carpet ride
i am the sky
i am not your blowing wind
i am the lightning
i am not your autumn moon
i am the night


enough said.............

Blah

Blah. That is exactly how I have been feeling lately. We have passed the half-way point on this deployment and now it's pretty much all downhill from here. I'm getting ready to go on R&R and see someone who means a great deal to me and I am very excited about that. However, the day-to-day boredom is overshadowing the excitement of even that small ounce of hope for a break in the routine. Blah. I go to the pool and it's too damn hot to enjoy that. I go work-out and you are pouring sweat before you even start your work-out. It's too hot to walk anywhere. It's too hot to eat. So, the only alternative is to buy snacks in the PX and eat in your room. I'm sick of seeing AFN commercials! Oh what I wouldn't give to see just one McDonald's commercial or a Wal-Mart commercial and I LOATHE Wal-Mart! A fountain drink from a drive-thru would be totally awesome right about now. A Super-Sized one with lots of ice and a straw. Ahhh, the little things I miss about home. The care packages have slowed down. I know we are not forgotten over here, but after time people just go on with their lives and you become something to think about only every so often instead of every minute. Blah. I go to the PX in hopes that maybe something new has arrived worth giving a second glance. No luck. We did get a cell phone shop on base and I couldn't believe that myself and another female were completely disrespected because we are women. Oh hell no! Not on an AMERICAN military base. I don't give a damn if that's how they treat the women in their culture, that's NOT how we treat ours and I'll be damned if they are going to do that on my base where I'm the one supporting their paycheck! A little trip to see the manager did the trick. HA!! The look on those men's faces as they were being called out in front of their male peers by two chicks was priceless. I won't be treated like that by people that we are over here to "liberate"!
Oh well, I digress. All of this has created a nice little package of BLAH that has been wrapped up and tied with a nice little bow and presented to me ever so kindly. Thanks, but this gift you can keep 'cause I don't like your gift! Blah.

What to do to make the time go by....

Well here I sit on the 4th of July in Balad, Iraq. I never in a million years would have thought at this time last year that one year later I would be here. Tonight, my unit is having a pool party cook-out that is not "mandatory" but you better be there. I like to call that "mandatory family fun". HAHA!!
Hey you will never guess but we had yet another dust storm! Ha! Who would have thought such a thing. Can you hear the condisention in my tone??!! Anyway....been pretty much the same crap up here. With the exception of finally working the heli pad at the hospital and taking off a wounded local with a gunshot wound to the head. I was scared to death when I heard what was coming off the helo and I had no clue what I was about to see. I was told I would be the "driver" which means I would be the one to drive the gurney out the the helo following the strong arms and the helpers. We get to the helo..at night...the wind whipping my freaking hair all over the place...the pilots wouldn't move for me to get the gurney close enough to the door. I was freaking out. I couldn't get the legs of the gurney down fast enough and before I knew it the strong arms had the stretcher out and was about to place it on the gurney and I was yelling at them to hold on so I could secure the legs. I swear it seemed like it was all going in slow motion. The patient was sitting up which threw off the center of balance, he wasn't strapped down and it was just all surreal. I finally got the legs down, we secured him to the gurney, I sinched down the locks and away he was wisked to the E.R. with the rest of my 5 man team following. Once I was off the pad, I could finally take a breath and take in what I had just went through. My other Navy volunteers said that it was really quickly executed, but I couldn't believe it. I felt like I could do 100 stretcher off-loads after I got the first one out of the way. I stood in the E.R. with my other Navy friend and we watched the perfectly executed dance that took place around that patient as he started to flat-line. The team performed expertly and were able to bring this man back from the brink of death. He was so lucky to have been brought to such an awesome place for the absolutely best in medicine this place could offer. I was proud of my team, but I was proud of myself for being able to handle my fear in such a stressful situation. I'm ready to go back and do it all again.
I finally got to do my dream the other day and that was to drive the ICV Stryker!! Oh man, what a complete rush!!! Picture if you will my little 5'4" ass behind the wheel of this beast flooring it and jumping over ruts and flying over the open space behind the PX that the Stryer team tests the broken strykers on before giving them back to the Army. Before it was my turn at the wheel, my adreneline was pumping and I started to shake at the anticipation for what I was about to do. It was fantastic!!
Well, my time is about up, so I will wrap this up. I hope everyone has a safe, fun-filled 4th of July and watch some fireworks for me. Unfortunately, the only 'fireworks' we will have over here might be a couple of controlled detonations. HA!!