Tallil Area Office

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

This is our illustrious crew posing with Girl Scout cookies sent to us from a Brownie Troop in Georgia.

The barefoot guy on the roof is catching bricks tossed up to him from the pile below. They will be used to start building the parapet on this school tomorrow. The tents in the background are classrooms until the school is complete, and most likely, until school lets out for the summer. Boys in one tent, girls in the other.

I mailed home some boxes today, winter clothes, boots, shoes, books unread... The enormous amount of gear they sent me here with will go back to Texas having never left the duffle bags. Raincoats, mosquito nets, sleeping bags, winter boots, gloves, long underwear, gas masks, goggles, tent poles, and the list goes on. Enough to cost me a fortune in overweight airline charges I'll have to put on my travel voucher later. Today was an informal announcement that civilians will be allowed to wear either DCUs or their own clothes here on base. We knew it was coming because Air Force security teams were out doing radar speed enforcement and ticketing bicyclists for traffic violations just like state-side bases. I have just under two weeks left and it feels good to be looking at the home stretch.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

A photo of some kids at one of the schools Rich visited. Rich is going home to New Hampshire in a few days after closing out over 100 school reconstruction projects.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Life goes on for most Iraqis despite the politics, the power outages and the violence. We will replace this bridge in Zuba eventually. Right now all our available funding is being directed towards security improvements for the army and police.

The weather has been over 100 everyday and too hot to ride my bike after about 8 o'clock. I got out early this morning for a ride around the airfield and the crank arm that attaches the pedal fell off, unscrewed itself. I found the nut and hand tightened it to get back to my hooch. Tough to keep this bike going, but our vehicle mechanic Dan has been very good to me. I'll chase him down later today.

I've been in Iraq 16 weeks now, and my time donut says I have a little over one million seconds left to go before I leave. About 12 days. The new job as Area Engineer has been a lot like my old job in the states: supervising, going to meetings, updating briefs about our program. Not as many opportunities for pictures or trips out. As a four-month-wonder I have gotten off this base a lot, and I'm working on my hand-off to the new Area Engineer, Russ, who arrived this week. One of the things the Army does very well is training and hand-offs to the next wave, and I'm looking forward to the coming two weeks.

Get a load of the kids in the truck in front of us. New Iraqi Policemen on the job. The new trucks have a "technical" look to them, remember Somolia? The kids are all carrying AK47s and happy to have a decent job.

I'm encouraged by their enthusiasm, and worried about their future. Policemen have some of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq right now with routine reports of firefights even here in the south. They are poorly equipped, but that is improving with new vehicles, uniforms and training. They get about 6 weeks of training to become a policeman. Don has the new police station design almost complete and we are going to get it out on the street this week (cross your fingers).

Ken is still at Smitty and Pat left this morning on R&R. Ken has a contingent of Iraqi engineers that are making him look good out in Muthanna Province. He is managing over $23 million of ongoing construction right now. I envy his posting away from the flagpole. He sounds like he's having fun and doing well when I talked to him on our Iraqi cell phones today.

My hospital elevator extensions are still not under construction by Parsons and probably won't be before I leave. Another meeting today, video teleconferencing with Baghdad, to tell me that they still have trouble with the language of the modification. Errrrr. My Iraqi engineers sent pictures today of the roof under construction, finally, and said the air conditioning in the occupied wing was repaired so the patients would be a little more comfortable.

DSC02571
Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Rick and Rich hang out with us at the "beach" after work. We wait for the tide to come in...

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

I can't remember whether I posted this photo by Don H. taken out on the main road into camp. This donkey belongs to somebody, and will find it's way home sooner or later. The Ziggurat in the background is one of hundreds built in the fertile cresent by the Summerians thousands of years ago. Its facade was almost totally reconstructed after the Wooley excavations in the 1920's.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

The sand dikes on the new concrete help keep water pooled up as the concrete cures. The days are over 100 degrees here in April and water helps cure and strengthen the concrete Tar paper, clay soil, sand and concrete tiles will later be layered on this roof. In the summer, Iraqis sometimes sleep on their roofs to take advantage of the cool night air.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

This mason is working on the parapet edge of the roof in Jamoury. Ken had so much trouble with this station early in construction with seven families squatting in the abandonned hulk. Now it's turning slowly into a police station.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

We get one more photo together before our merry band splits up for good.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Allesandro receives a coin from our Commander at last night's farewell bash for the Italian General. Mark and I put him and Major P up for special recognition for all the work they did getting us to the police stations during their tour. Major P went home today.

We met the new Italians coming in to replace our friends last night for dinner in our mess, then some of us went for expresso at their camp. I'm happy for my friends going home, but I'll miss them. I have a standing invitation from Major P to visit when the mattanza are running in May.

It was terribly hot here today, well over 100 degrees F. The air conditioning was appreciated, but made the sortees out into the hot air that much more difficult. The mess is pretty much out of gatorade and they've stopped delivering it to our door in bulk for some reason. We're also low on milk. I'll be glad to get back to "normal" meals again. The only TV I usually watch is in the mess hall, with the new Pope getting top billing today.

I met with one of the provincial DGs (Director Generals) yesterday to sort out our hospital elevator issues. A very well educated and thoughtful man who is also a medical doctor. We met him in our visitor contact center where a man spoke to him urgently. He sent him off to see the Italian doctor, and then explained the man's mother was bitten by a venomous snake and he was here for the anti-venom. "But," the doctor explained,"his mother died this morning while he waits in line." He sent him in to see the Italian doctor who already knew of his mother's condition, and went in with me to our meeting.

A gunman threatened our Iraqi contractors at the primary health care center going up in Nasiriyah, extorting money. Wanted $10,000 or else. The police have not been as helpful as we would have hoped. The DG I met with promised to speak with the Chief of Police to resolve things. I told him I would also speak to him, and he said, better to save that for bigger problems and he would handle it. I'm always impressed with Iraqis ready to fix Iraqi problems, and they'll have plenty to practice on in the near future. It did leave me wondering what bigger problems I would be called into play on if they felt men armed with AK47s was not a big deal...

I met with Captain Alaa yesterday to review his police station design again. Don's done a great job modifying the 194th design to suit the captain's needs. Now we just have to get it out to bid and awarded to an Iraqi contractor so we can get it built. That's tomorrow's plan.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Don went fishing Saturday evening at the irrigation pond and took this pic of the fish of the day. This happy officer caught this bottom-feeding catfish on the surface, where all the other fish were caught last night. Possibly something to do with low dissolved oxygen on the bottom?

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

This was a bathroom that was in use before the sub evacuated this wing of the hospital. Those are holes in the outside walls under the window that were not part of our deconstruction. The conditions here are not to be believed with all 260 beds now crammed into the other half of the hospital as our contractor works.

While the Iraqi subcontractor continues to submit designs for reconstruction of this hospital, we meet endlessly with Ministry Officials, and hospital staff. Mostly, they don't bring anything to the table except their desire for the best materials. The subcontractor built a model patient room that has been the nexus of our discussions, while important but less obvious issues like sewage disposal, roof repair, fire control and operability of the air conditioning does not get the same facetime as wall paper or floor tile color.

The Cooperazione Italiana Aid group working on the childrens ward did an end run around our prime contractor and cut a deal with the hospital to extend the elevator shafts to the top themselves before they go home next month. In their headlong rush, they didn't tell me or the prime contractor. We're still sorting out the mess and waiting for the politial fallout as we move forward with our own plans and leave them behind. More meetings to come, but at least we won't be talking about wallpaper.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

The Italians have a new briefing room that is a big step up from the air conditioned tent we used to meet in. Here we're briefing the newly elected Iraqi officials from Dhi Qar on our $287 million active construction program in the province. The guy with the video camera is from the Iraqi media. We don't get this channel in our hooches, just the Armed Forces network from Germany.

Went the Commander left to catch a flight, he introduced me with "Mr. Bob will answer all your questions..." I was the sacraficial sheep left for a crowd eager to complain about shoddy work from earlier efforts with contractors they called Ali Babba. The impressions that we have to overcome about our capabilities and the actual cost of construction are staggering. The Iraqi General stepped in to save me and put everyone on a bus for lunch in the Italian mess.

Iraqi Ambulance

Iraqi Ambulance
Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

I hadn't seen any ambulances here before and I'm sure this one was just donated by the Coalition, probably the Italians. The Italians have done a lot of humanitarian work here in Dhi Qar.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Kids have been another of our barometers of how we are perceived by the Iraqis. On our trip home from the hospital, we got thumbs up from these neighborhood kids. There are times when they've thrown rocks.

Water treatment plant

Water treatment plant
Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

The water treatment plant will send ten times the amount of drinking water to Nasiriyah and surrounding cities than is available today. We toured the site with the Italians and the newly elected Iraqi provincial officials.

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Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Ken D shakes hands with the Iraqi commander at the groundbreaking ceremony. MAJ P and Mark behind them

Queen's Dragoon Guard

Queen's Dragoon Guard
Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Ken's triumphant return from his 800KM ride with the Brits to sign off on completed border forts on the Saudi line. He just climbed out of the Land Rover with Lt. Suzie of the Queen's Dragoon Guard

The magic bus

The magic bus
Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

The maiden voyage of our new 15 passenger bus going out to Dave's BBQ farewell party. It didn't stay with us long before going back to the shop for a look at the brakes and A/C. It sits in the yard out back which is being fenced in at the moment, so we'll lose it to the front lot soon. This rig should help us haul our local nationals to and from the visitor contact center all day long. Bus driver wanted.

Iraqi Honor Guard

Iraqi Honor Guard
Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

My bloggerbot tool completely broke down and I am using flickr to load these photos. I was invited to attend the opening ceremony for an Iraqi battalion garrison last week where I shot this pic of the Iraqi Honor Guard, that saluted me when I walked by (thank you very much). The bad guys don't care if I'm a civilian either when I go out to play in DCUs.

The Fishing Was Good Tonight

Our network still refuses to upload pictures after two weeks, you'd think we were in a war zone or something. On Thursday I was asked to tag along on a trip with the Italian Army to the dedication of the new 609th Iraqi Army Battalion Garrison. Dignitaries and the Iraqi press were there. I took some great shots, had lunch and rubbed shoulders with the VIPs, and as expected, fell asleep on the way back in the Italian armored van. We stopped off at the 10,000 cubic meter per hour water treatment plant on the way back and walked all over it with our VIP visitors. Chris and I are preparing some Powerpoint slides for the next round of dignitaries.

I spent a lot of time working with an Iraqi police chief yesterday on the design for a new police station. Captain Alaa is at least 6 foot 5 inches tall and speaks excellent English. Despite that, I missed him in the visitor contact center and had to go looking for him. The 194th gave us some CAD drawings that we will work with to make the new model station for the south. Don is adding 8 meters to the back with offices and barracks. I was explaining how we set these up in the States, and he was explaining his needs like the prayer room is placed near the showers because the men like to clean up before they meditate. I'm working on making all these stations look a little less utilitarian by adding fancier parapet treatments and guard towers. Why should these places be eyesores? Tomorrow I'm mediating a dispute between our contractors and the police chief over at the Italian camp. These discussions are becoming more predictable and I use all my powers of persuasion to keep the work going without spending any more on the job. Usually we get where we need to go. I've only had to modify one police station contract since we arrived. The Iraqis usually want much more than we can deliver, and have nothing to bring to the negotiating table but their demands.

Ken is still standing up the new Muthanna Resident Office with Pat. I thought that Pat had returned last night when somebody slammed the door in his room next to mine and turned up the TV loud until they could find the volume control. This was at 4AM. Turns out it was one of our Gherkas that was given Pat's room when he moved to Smitty and he's only there temporarily (aren't we all?).

We are moving all the office furniture around and everyone will be moved into our TAO trailer this week to get everyone connected better. I'm dealing with all the supervisory things I was so happy to leave behind in New England. I'm now officially into day 99 in theater, 26 more to go.

Don went fishing at sunset at the irrigation pond and brought back great pictures of some mackerel sized fish that were being caught left and right. He said the conditions were just right for fishing tonight with just enough wind to keep the bugs down. The nats leave nasty welts when they're done with you and you seldom feel their bite.

Ken came back from Camp Smitty and is gone again, setting up the new Muthanna Resident Office. He set out on a trip of over 800km last week to inspect and sign-off on border forts being built along the Saudi border with the Queen's Dragoon Guard. Then we sent Dave home last night after a BBQ at Pistol Pete's hooch behind the Px. Pete is a contractor who's subs have built over 300 mud schools in Iraq since last June. Rich drove Dave to the airfield early this morning for the first leg of his trip home. The "Crazy Eight" from New England is down to five.

I received condolences upon the death of the Pope from our female owned company this week:

Daer Sir,
The members of our staff share you sadness about the death of your Pope, and we feel very sorry to lose a man of peace. So, we hope accept our condolences and we pray that you meet your families safely.

Your sisters

I've been chained to my desk since Saturday when Farrell left and I was given his job until the cavalry arrives and I go home. I considered staying a while longer, but I've done quite enough damage to the Iraqi recovery effort already and I'm soooooooo ready to go home.

There was a Pied Kingfisher hovering and diving at the pond inside the running track yesterday, and lots of plovers and stilts in the puddles along the road today. I went into Nasiriyah for a meeting with our hospital contractors and we took the long way home to avoid trouble predicted by our intel. Rich and Pete, our new guy, were out today with the Engineering Battalion verifying school work for payment. They saw some armed militia along the road that made everyone jumpy, busloads of them in black ski masks. There were no incidents reported.

Weather Report

Everyone,

As a reminder – the weather for the next three to six months we be hot (90s to 100, plus), with gusting winds and dust clouds / storms. Please take precautions and
wear the proper eyewear when walking or traveling outside your work area. Also, due to the windy conditions, please
take extra caution when opening doors, so you are not injured by the door and watch out for flying debris.

Most of all make sure you stay hydrated - drink plenty of water and cut back on the sodas and coffee (caffeine drinks).

thanks

SGM

Time Compression

It seems like much more time than a week has past since my last update at Easter. There is a phenomenon that seems to compress time here, like dog years, when we work these long hours everyday. The network has been extremely slow all week and I've been unable to upload pictures. The telephone also has been spotty, catching...ery...othe...ord... you get the idea.

I took a trip to the hospital again on Monday to assess the medical equipment needs that might not be met by our contract. The 194th ENG sent LTC B with us. LTC B brought two boxes of beani babies and our PAO specialist Denise brought two bags of Easter candy. We took a rare trip to the childrens ward to give out the toys and candy, and take a nose count on oxygen tank regulators, incubators and xray equipment. I took our group to the operating rooms where we donned gowns and tyvek booties, including the armed security team with us. This French built, pre-fab hospital from 1984 has slowly transformed itself into a decaying hulk with half its former 260 bed capacity remaining because of plumbing failures and roof leaks. Even now, water closets from the floor above drip into the patient rooms. Mothers anxiously care for each child at their beds, six to a room and some beds in the corridors. Families provide all the patient care here, including linens and food. Denise is swarmed by expectant mothers outside the operating theater that empty her two shopping bags of candy in minutes. The mothers are older here than I expected, all dressed in their traditional black dress.

The 10% design review was giving me fits, and the contractor couldn't come to meet me on Tuesday because of the pilgrimage to Karbalah putting us "out of bounds," so we went to them in Basrah. The trip to Basrah was uneventful, except for the amazing stream of traffic north. Mini-vans, buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians and bicycles on the road north. This is a limited access highway, Saddam's military highway to Kuwait. Coming our way in the southbound breakdown lanes on both sides was another two lanes of traffic speeding north, occasionally jumping into our lanes to dodge breakdowns and rattan shacks selling refreshments scattered randomly along the route. The strangest site was a motorcycle drafting three racing bicycles, the riders in full lycra outfits... next year's Tour de France competitors maybe?

We met with contractors at the Brit camp in Basrah and came to terms on where they were going with their design that afternoon. The Iraqi subcontractor has some very interesting ideas about how to make this aging western hospital into the flagship of healthcare it once was, but he likes to do it with working models and meetings, he is apparently saving a lot of paper for the 30% design. His favorite saying, "Maku miscula," no problem, as he agrees this week to our demands and goes right back to his old position the following week. A cultural thing I've tried unsuccessfully to get used to, the Iraqis tell you what they think you want to hear.

The food and the gym at Basrah were very good and Rick and I enjoyed our trip down. While we were there, Keith and I got word from his Norwegian contact that our Brit generator was going to be hauled north by the Italians for the provincial testing lab in a week or two. The lab has been without power for half its workday and put the squeeze on us for a generator last month. Keith works with us in the Electrical Sector and came up with a few 250KVA generators to spare in Basrah. Unfortunately, the one we had our eye on to solve the sewage pumping station problem in Nasiriyah is too small.

This week was Farrell's last and he started home yesterday. It was a sad farewell for the Iraqi engineers that he has shepherded here. They all came out to see him off on Friday. At his official farewell ceremony Friday night, the New England crew each took a shot at roasting him, then the crew took him to Camp Mittica for one final Italian pizza.