Archive for December, 2007
Arrived at Taji, but the travel to my base took some time. When we left Kuwait, we got flown by C130 to Baghdad International (BIAP) where we would leave via helicopter. However, they weren’t ready when we first arrived, so we instead got placed in nearby Camp Striker. It was pretty good, well developed and fortified. The key thing was the T-barriers (about 12 feet high) that, though for protection, did a great job blocking the wind. The temperature there was rather nice. The DFAC was massive. There were contractors, DOD employees, and local nationals that ate there as well. Plus they had somebody dressed up as Santa wandering around wishing a Merry Christmas… in the old black boots that everyone knows. I sometimes do wonder how much people know about military uniforms and all the changes we’re going through now. Probably have to wait for some new movies to educate you all I guess.
Back to the point, we later left from BIAP to Taji but got delayed by the new group of troops coming that will replace my unit in the next few months. With the surge, we can send a unit in to get trained up while the other unit finishes the preparations to leave. That overlap can make housing difficult but is better to bring the next unit up to speed. This way the new unit can learn from our experiences.
Once again, having finally left BIAP at the wee hours of the (Christmas) morning, we arrived at Taji with an escort back to the Battalion (BN) HQ where they oriented us and got our temporary housing ready. We got our sleep in before reporting late morning to A Co. Some of the other LTs gave us a ride at lunch and helped orient us to Taji. Later that day we met the BN commander who interviewed us (myself, Jon and Kelly arrived a couple days before us) to get a feel of where we would be best placed. Kelly’s branch is Medical Service so she was easily palced in that company. For Jon and myself, there was a choice of a supply, maintenance, forward support, special troops (covering Military Intelligence, Engineers, other specialties) or fuel companies. The Colonel will make up his mind on who will fill spot as we come in and he talks to us, to include the three lieutenants following next week.
The next day (after another housing change to a permanent location… I’ve moved more times than I care to remember, and there’s only more of that to come) I received my location, with the automotive maintenance company. I am looking forward to working with them. I’m not much of a mechanic myself so this will be a good chance to learn a few things. The platoon and the whole company is squared away. The commander has a handle on everything, despite only recently taking command himself. The NCOs have a lot of experience and the soldiers beneath them are doing what they like. Also, now that we are about to redeploy, they are all in a routine and it’s really just on me to slide into it and find the best way to complement their stride. The hardest part of my job is really going to be just adjusting to them.
2LT Adam Ochylski
12-31-07
So now that I’ve begun integrating, I’d say it is going well. I feel comfortable in my position. I’m stepping up to the responsibility as I’ve done an initial counseling of my platoon sergeant (it just outlines my expectations of how we will work together to make a successful platoon) and then talked with another Soldier who has had a broken arm that never healed properly. Basically, he had a brace on the wrist area but was still using that arm for pull-ups and other activities. And you wonder why it never healed properly? The medical people should have issued a profile in the beginning, and put the arm in a cast. I’m also slowly getting to know the other NCOs and their Soldiers.
I think the Soldiers understand who I am and the way I work as well. They seem to take me in good stride. Granted, I’m not the first lieutenant for most of them. But they seem to enjoy me. I’m trying not to come in overly confident or self-important. These Soldiers have been doing their job for several months. They know thier job inside and out. They can do it with little supervision, which does not leave much for me to do.
The commander is doing a great job ramping up my responsibilities. He came in saying I’m not going to understand everything at first but then I’ll be too busy to catch my breath. He really seems to like his lieutenants. Probably due in part to us allowing him to delegate some of his duties out and be another pair of eyes and ears to watch out for any trouble. I think he also likes to be a mentor to us though, see how we develop.
For sleeping quarters, we have Consolidated Housing Units (CHUs) that are basically trailers the length of three rooms, two to a room. Only the walls are very thin between rooms and you can clearly hear next door. The female sergeant next door really likes House, by the way. And she can probably tell I like angry music. Anyways, you get a couple drawers, mattress and a heater… so I’m good.
DFAC is good. It serves a lot of people and it has the main line for food, but it has a lot of side bars. There’s a fresh fruit station where they will cut up some melon, the same for the gyro station’s fresh turkey, sandwich bar and then the self-serve of salad bar, fried foods, and canned fruit. Plus they have a special (Indian, Italian, Mongolian, etc) each night, which allows for a lot of variety. I never use the desert bar, but I can tell they have some delicious treats back there. You’ve also got eggnog and Baskin Robins. It’s third country nationals who do most of the work serving the food, with army mess sergeants supervising. Army loves contracting out all the services since it can cut costs down and allows everyone to be Infantry.
I do walk everywhere, unless the commander gives me a ride. There are not many non-tactical vehicles (NTVs, civilian vehicles), so it’s usually a ride in a HMMWv. I may ride with the commander to the gym and lunch or maybe to some other meeting. The speed limit is ridiculously low at 5mph in most areas. So sometimes it is just easier and quicker to walk and cut through areas.
2LT Adam Ochylski
Posted by Adam on Dec 31st in Iraq | Comment |
I watched Elf, the Will Ferrel movie, a couple times over the holidays. I’d seen it before, but for some reason hadn’t remembered it being as good as I found it during this recent holiday season. A few things came to mind. Note in the following commentary that I’m neither religious nor especially well-read, so I apologize in advance if I sound glaringly uninformed.
Although the ending feels forced and contrived, I thought this was a very entertaining movie. Will Ferrel is a tall guy, so his Buddy the Elf is not only a giant among elves but bigger than most humans. While at first take he appears to suffer from schizophrenia, after a couple minutes it becomes clear to any sympathetic interlocutor that he’s more or less in charge of all his mental facilities, due to his force of personality and readiness to defend his position. He debates both a coworker and a boss on what it’s like in the north pole and on how natural it is to sing (especially in the north pole). Anyone with a hermeneutic of generosity for Buddy the Elf realizes that he’s not crazy, but inspired.
It occurred to me that the whole movie might be interpreted as a Christian allegory, and I wondered whether this is accidental or intentional. Replace “on the naughty list” with “going to hell at the present rate”, “belief in Santa Claus” with “belief in Christ”, and “Christmas gifts” with “divine gifts”, and the rest works itself out. Faith is discussed explicitly, and some of the main rules of religion–no salvation without faith–are affirmed. Singing isn’t something you do in the north pole, it’s something you do in church. The father, meanwhile, undergoes repentence, finding himself eventually back on Santa’s nice list. How very American: good, clean humor that’s pseudo-explicitly religious.
Another thing I picked up on, whether or not intended by the filmmakers, is that Buddy the Elf seems to be based on Dostoyevsky’s Mishkin in The Idiot. Mishkin, having spent several years in Norway with a doctor who was treating his epilepsy, goes to Russia to make contact with his remaining family. Everyone is taken by his apparent simplicity, but it becomes evident that he is capable of great depth of thought and action. Also, he gets along well with children and falls in love with a mean woman. Here the resemblance ends, as Buddy’s relationship with his family strengthens and improves throughout the film, while Mishkin’s family distanced themselves from him. Also, Buddy eventually managed to score with his girlfriend and turn her good, whereas Mishkin failed at this. Interestingly, Mishkin, according to whatever literary authorities, is Christ, so since Buddy is based on Mishkin…
Next time: commentary on the phallus represented by the whale that sees off Buddy on his journey out of the north pole.
Posted by depaderico on Dec 31st in Cynical Cinema | Comment |
Here is another innovation, a computer that you can wear! It’s fantastic! Imagine, walking around your house wearing a “fashion vest” that also has a computer built in to it. And the best part is, it’s only $5,000! This guy looks like he’s the terminator or something with that thing on his head. The look on his face is better than Britney’s. The keyboard looks like you can really use it easily, too.
Posted by Andrew on Dec 26th in Dumb, Real Stupidity, Technology | Comment |
With a Snowball Maker, children will touch the snow only to throw each snowball, avoiding uncomfortably wet or cold hands and gloves. For those who enjoy their fires cool and refreshing and their ice water warm and toasty. Or maybe just those who like throwing frozen water at each other without all the hassles of frozen water. How rich can you get? You won’t have cold hands… Oy. This thing is so stupid… And the picture, don’t you like the plaster snowballs, and the “ice” and “snow?”
Posted by Andrew on Dec 26th in Dumb, Real Stupidity | Comment |
This picture is an oldie but a goodie: Good ol’ Britney Spears. Talk about fake. The look on her face, that’s what sells Pepsi. Who wouldn’t be sold by the “Am I doing this right?” look? You can tell how talented Miss Spears is because she has Pepsis in each hand, and is holding a mike at the same time. Is this to say that she drinks Pepsi when she performs or that she performs when she drinks Pepsi? Or simply that one bottle of Pepsi isn’t enough? I wonder what planet the animal that her jacket is made of is from.
Posted by Andrew on Dec 24th in Dumb, Real Stupidity | 1 Comment |
Jessica Simpson’s new movie, Blonde Ambition made a whopping $400 this opening weekend. It was in only 8 theaters, but come on, at 9 dollars per ticket, that’s like 45 people total who saw this movie. Apparently Andy Dick is in this movie. No wonder nobody saw it. Poor Luke Wilson is also in Blonde Ambition for some reason, so I’m sure he was sad to hear about the awesome ticket sales. Ain’t no shame in direct-to-dvd–at least then nobody will know if it’s a failure pile.
Posted by Andrew on Dec 24th in Cynical Cinema, News | 1 Comment |
APPARENTLY, all of those things I keep hearing about Chuck Norris aren’t true!! My world has been shattered. Penguin Press has published a book of Chuck Norris “facts” without his consent, and ole Chuck is suing them for trademark infringement, unjust enrichment, and privacy rights. Allegedly, Chuck Norris’s tears don’t cure cancer, he does sleep, and he can’t charge a cell phone simply by rubbing it on his beard. Next they’ll be telling me he can actually blend. I don’t know why he’s suing them when a swift roundhouse kick to the face would take care of them…
Posted by Audrey on Dec 24th in Humorous, News | Comment |
Yes, that is right… rewards for smoking! All you have to do is smoke 325 packs to get a Tek Jacket! Only 150 packs gets you a lovely candle/potpourri set! That should help get the stink out of your new jacket from the mere 475 packs that you smoked to get the items. You’ve certainly got merit. Way to go. And remember, average idiot who would take up this marketing campaign, “Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.” I’m sure you know that means cigarettes are bad.
Posted by Andrew on Dec 23rd in Dumb, Real Stupidity | Comment |
Concerning the last post (my comment to which didn’t work as I’d planned), here is a taste of how Europe treats cigarette box warnings:
Europe keeps it real!
Posted by wanderer on Dec 23rd in News | Comment |
