Last Report From Iraq

I've had my farewell, received my medal, sold my bike, wrapped up my work and handed it off to Russ. It's time to go home. This has been an e-ticket ride and has certainly gone by quickly. My Romanian friends have invited me over this evening for a final goodbye. Here are some of the things I've learned:

- (with apologies to Bett Midler), when it's three o'clock in Boston, it's 1938 in Nasiriyah
-when negotiating, always leave the showroom at least once
-always move forward, never back
-share your knowledge
-take care of yourself and your teammates
-know when to leave, this is not something we're meant to get good at
-don't forget where we are, this isn't the real world. Even though towards the end of the Planet of the Apes movies, even that plot seems plausible.
-make sure at the end of the day, you've done SOMETHING

Peace,
Bob

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

These three shieks are destined to be in a Pepsi commercial. A Betsy photo taken at our Al Muthanna school opening.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Kids here are great. This series of pics was taken by Betsy.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

The kids in Al Muthanna ham it up for the camera at the school renovation ribbon cutting.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Val, the DE and Ken at the Al Muthanna school ribbon cutting ceremony. One of the school's honor students cut the ribbon.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

School was out on May 1st, May Day, at the Al Muthanna school opening, but lots of kids showed up for our visit anyway.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

Well we did finally get to distribute some of the school supplies, toys and soccer balls my son's Boy Scout troop back home sent me in Al Muthanna. I didn't get to go on the trip, but Ken brought the Colonel, Val and Betsy out there with him for the ribbon cutting and gave out the supplies. They had a tough day, a late start and a bothersome vehicle that had to be towed to the school, but the show went on as planned.

Originally uploaded by Basinbob.

The hot weather seems to be generating sand storms here lately. This photo was taken out in the desert west of Baghdad this past week and a photo of the same storm ended up on the cover of Stars and Stripes. These storms are impressive, covering everything in site with silty mud, sideways blowing dirty rain, that takes down everything that can't handle a 50 mph gust.

Tonight the trailers were rocked with winds and the sky lit up with lightning and the rumble of distant thunder. The beautiful temperate winter days have given way to spring heat. Summer heat will be up over 130 degrees F. Rick describes it feeling like having your head in the oven while blowing sand at your face with a hair drier. Though I've acclimated to the heat, I don't think I'd enjoy the summers here. By day, everything hides in the shade to survive.

I'm wrapping up my work and handing off to Russ this week. Yesterday we had to lay off one of our Iraqi employees who was still collecting money from his former employers while on our payroll. Most Iraqis won't steal from you, but many will take anything you give them. He didn't feel he'd done anything wrong. It is a shame he's thrown away the best paying job in Iraq for $900 of double dipping. But in an economy where doctors make $200 a week, that's big money. He corresponded with me later in the day by email and asked if I thought he should give the money back. After 30 years of being told what to do and when to do it, many Iraqis automatically look for someone to tell them what to do.

Karioki Pizza Night

OK, so it's not work, work, work all the time, just most of the time. We're singing the only two songs in English on the Italian Karioki machine, Surfin' USA and YMCA. The Italian construction engineers invited us over for pizza Saturday night. This is the same room we've been in before, but they've busted out a wall and put up a patio. The pizza, as always, was wonderful as was the company. The Italians are so full of life and conviviality.

We aren't the only things singing here, it's spring, and the grasshoppers are making short flights and drumming their wings everywhere. There were a few birds I hadn't seen here before on my evening rides around the base on my bike. Though cooler in the evening, it's a lot like exercising in a sauna.

Yesterday was May Day here and the kids had off from school. Maybe a holdover from colonial days? We got some of our school supplies out to Muthanna for two schools that we've just completed. Sorry, no photos yet, I didn't make it out on that mission so I'll have to wait on the photos.

Don's police station prototype hit a snag today and we had to work out some of the details with Baghdad. The Chief of Police came in to see me again and we had a meeting out in the Visitor Contact Center because he forgot his ID and I couldn't get him inside. He's trying to get more land for his station and we're trying to modify the design to make it fit and keep Baghdad satisfied.

I mailed some more clothes and stuff home today, got a typhoid booster shot, had my TB test read, and once more tried to resolve an invoicing problem for 8 railroad stations, without success.

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.

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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.