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Iraq Picture of the Day
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31aug03fobspeicherentrance.jpg

FOB Speicher Entrance
 
The entrance to our home away from home.
 
Camp Speicher (named after the pilot who was shot down during Desert Storm over ten years ago) was renamed in May to FOB (Forward Operating Base) Speicher.  "Camp" supposedly had a conotation of permanancy and the coalition forces did not want the Iraqi's to think we would be here forever.
 
Our FOB is an abandoned Iraqi Air Force base centrally located in Iraq allowing us to support missions nearly anywhere in the country.  The sign outside by the highway literally reads "Air Force University".  This is where they trained all of their pilots; their version of a Fort Rucker (Army flight training) or Pensacola (Navy flight training).  It is a perfect location for an aviation brigade to stage out of.  8/31/03
 
 
 
 

1sep03lethality.jpg

Pure Lethality

An AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter with a fire control radar on a combat patrol in Iraq. The AH-64D Longbow is the most powerful, lethal, and survivable aircraft in the entire world. The mere sound of an approaching Longbow makes all non-compliant forces tremble in fear and causes them to cease their insurgency operations.    9/1/03

 

2sep03camels.jpg

Camels
 
I might have sent this picture to some of you in a letter.  All of the camels we have seen were down in Kuwait and Southern Iraq.  No, I have not eaten any camel meat, but I am pretty sure I tried some goat.  It tasted like chicken.  A couple of Bedowin nomads are moving this particular herd to an unknown destination.  It is amazing how and where the Bedowins live.  We would be flying along with nothing around us except for sand as far as you could see and then in the middle of nowhere there would be a tent with nomads living out of it!  Mind boggling.  9/2/03
 
 
 
 

3sep03myhumbleabode.jpg

My Humble Abode
 
A picture of the inside of my living quarters.  My space is about 12 feet by 6 feet.  We scavenged the metal wall lockers from an old Iraqi barracks building.  I do have an inflatable air matress so I have been relatively comfortable for the past five months (except for a few nights spent underneath the helicopter in the middle of a runway or on the floor of Baghdad International Airport).  If you want your "mug" to make the inside of the wall locker, you will have to send me some regular mail and include a picture!  9/3/03
 
 
 
 

4sep03thestump.jpg

The Stump
 
This is a picture of a friend of mine who is our fire support officer (field artillery), CPT Mike Stump.  As part of a 4BCT (4th Brigade Combat Team, the brigade I am a part of) operation, we went out to all of the surrounding (within 10 kilometers) houses to catalog and report who lives around us.  We wanted to get a feel for how the people felt about our presence and to enlist their assistance.  They are our first line of defense against enemy attacks.  Nearly all of them are sympathetic to our cause and were more than willing to help us.  We only ran across one house where the people were against the coalition and actually found a weapon's cache site (some of the occupants were hauled off to a 4ID holding cell) literally in their backyard. 
 
This picture is a good representation of the average Iraqi citizen.  Their houses are all made of a sand/straw mixture similar to adobe.  They do have electricity but no running water.  They get their water from local wells.  We handed out candy to the kids and some personal hygiene items as well as rolls of fancy cloth to some of the matriarchs.  All in all it was a very beneficial operation and quite an experience for those who went, myself included.  9/4/03
 
 
 
 

5sep031-4avn.jpg

1-4 AVN
 
Although not a picture of Iraq, I ran across this photo on one of my work computers.  It is a picture of our Battalion poster that was presented to us last fall by the Boeing Corporation after we finished the Longbow Unit Fielding and Training Program.
 
I know this is a fairly large file.  I sent it like that unpurpose.  If you want a large copy of it (24" x 13"), remind me when I get back to the states and I will try to dig up a copy or two.  9/5/03
 
 
 
 

6sep03whyidothisjob.jpg

Why I Do This Job
 
AH-64D Apache Longbow:  $25 million
Hellfire Missiles:  $100,000 each
Digital Camera:  $250
Covering your Wingman as you Near the Tigris River for the First Time:  PRICELESS
 
Ever think about your job satisfaction?  When I am flying, I sure don't.  Where else can you get paid to fly the most modern and lethal helicopter in the world?  I digress.....It was amazing to see the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers cutting a swath of green through an otherwise brown and barren landscape.
 
**Over the next four days, I am going to send a series of pictures.  Pay particular attention to tomorrow's picture as you might have to reference it over the course of the four days.  9/6/03
 
 
 
 

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