29 JUN 05: Reason for Post delay

Okay well many of you noticed that there was a huge gap in posts between 8 JUN to now at the end of the month. Well there is a good reason for that and also a very simple explination of the whole thing.

I got a new Job. I was told a few weeks ago that I would be getting a new job. Like every staff weenie that is working on a General's staff you hope to get ouside the wire and closer to the action. Which it was hinted at that I might get to do. Move out to a new area where they are hurting for guys.

So you can imagine my surprise when I found out I was moving up the food chain and that I would be working for someone even more imporant then I was before. The down side is my hope of getting outside the wire and really doing some good by being around young troopers who need a steady leader in tough times will never reach fruition. Go figure.

To be honest it makes me feel like I have not served my country enough.

Well there it is I have been busy with work and learning a new job.

So no need to worry if I disappear for awhile. If you get worried email me at cvick2796@yahoo.com

"The tree of liberty must be replentished from time to time with the blood of patriots and dictators alike." Jefferson

28 JUN 05: Fight like a Girl!

These are two of my female boxers. 1 Army and 1 Airforce. They are some of my more advanced students. They spar from time to time.

Often times after a round students have to shake out their arms to help alleviate some of the burning and tightness that comes from punching for 3 mins straight.

28 JUN 05: Call of the Wild

Well on 26 JUN O5 Sunday night we had some power issues here at the palace. No worries we will just go out and start the generators. Well once we got the lights on we noticed that we had a new member to our team.

A little brown bat that was circling the C3 admin area. Eventually the bat set up residence in one of the drapes hanging in the office. So I unofficially named him BATMAN. Honestly! What else did you think I would name him?

So we did not see him at all yesterday. He just hid out in the drapes but then again the lights are on all day in our office.

But this morning Batman decided to come out of his hiding spot and relocate to another set of drapes on the other side of the office.

During the flight he felt he needed to buzz the control tower. That control tower would be my head.

"That's a negative ghost rider the pattern is full."

Well I guess him and maverick don't like the rules anymore than I do because Batman buzzed me in flight to his new location. He relocated to the new set of drapes where I got some great pictures of him.

But later I found him floundering on the ledge of the window. He seemed alittle disoriented and lathargic. Any infantry guy will tell you that is how you get if you are to cold and have not eaten in awhile. So I scooped him up and set him out side in a poorly lite area.

He was returned to the Wild.

So you could say for a time that there were bats in the palace.

He was a really tiny little guy except for his wing spand. He was only about the size of my pet mouse when I was a kid except with even smaller eyes and even bigger ears. But he is free now; hopefully, he will come back for the holidays. It is always nice when old friends drop but unexpectedly for the holidays. Shoot I would even let him buzz the tower for old times sake. ;)

27 JUN 05: CBS News

Yesterday, I got to do an interview with CBS for the fourth of july. The running joke around headquarters has been maybe we shouldn't let Vick speak for the whole Corps. But the COL I was out there with said I did great. Go figure. You stick a camera (which I hate) in front of my face and I did not curse once.

Yeah Go me. I did not really get any hard questions except did I think the war was worth wining at any cost. I said yes. Of course. Because the tree of liberty must be replentished from time to time with the blood of dictators and patriots alike. Although I think I added heros in there when I said it durning the interview. I wonder how many people out there will recognize that I was feebly attmepting to quote jefferson one of our founding fathers.

It is intresting watching the Iraqis learn what freedom and democracy is. You never realize how much you learn about democracy in our country just by voting for everything like we do from grade school on up.

It is catching on.

Remember "Freedom is America's greatest export!" GEN George Washington.

22 JUN 05: Rocket Red Glare

Okay so if any of you are not capable of withstanding the horrible events of war then I recommend that you read no farther then these first two sentances. Rest assured that I am fine but Death stalks among us calling all home when their times comes. For he will come as a theif in the night.

So the above date was a rough night for many of us. 5 mortars fell into the sleeping areas of the Camp. I say again. I was fine and never in any danger what so ever. 4 mortars hit one of the villages and one hit my village.

There were casualties only one person was seriously wounded enough to be sent home. Everyone else is back to camp.

The sad part about it was the majority of the wounded were from one of my boxing students Company. She is the commander but thank God she was on leave when it all happenend. Again most of her soldiers are back to duty.

Okay so the rounds impacted 3 detonated in the village area. Only two trailers sustained a direct hit and only one of the two did the round actually denonate inside the trailer. The other one landed on the bed.

Thanks God is was not my trailer if a mortar or bullet or whatever messes up my sleep number bed I will be really ticked off.

Yes I am a staff pogue. I may work out hard and look hard but the only excitment we get here is an occasional mortar round or three. Usually these guys miss. So I am calling this one luck.

Once again I was in no danger mainly because they only do these attacks in the day when they can see. I was at work as I am most days durning the day light. Leaving and returning in the safety of the dark. But I still don't leave and go home the same way everyday. yup I am paranoid. But it works for me.

please don't worry about me. I do live a charmed existence.

what can I say.

08 JUN 05: The Longest day

Well Monday started as usual at 0400 on my normal schedule. I was at work by 0700 tenatively waiting for 2 of our guys to come back fromt their block leave. So I worked all day but they did not come in during normal work hours. Our section here said they would fly into Iraq at 2100 on monday 6 jun. Well this conflicts with when I instruct the boxing class on monday night. So I went to boxing since my MAJ said he would pick them up at the airport. Moments before boxing class started my MAJ showed up and handed me the keys and said that I need to go to BIAP and pick up our 2 guys at the airport at 0030. Since boxing class usually lasts until about 2200 I did not see the value of going to sleep for an hour. So I stayed up. Went down to the Airport at 0000 hrs.

the problem was the flight did not come in until 0130. That is not so bad except our guys did not get off the plane. That is a problem. On further investigation my guys were bumped and would not be in until 0330 am. I waited. Then I was told the boys would be in at 0530. I waited. Once again my boys did not get off the plane.
So I drove back to the palace. Dead dog tired would be an understatment. I narrowly avoided a wreck with a dump truck. But I made it home. I got back and asked to go to sleep. Well that was a no go because we had people who had to get to the helopad. So I went and showered and then went and picked up some new guys and took them to the helo pad. Then I came back to work.

The missing part of the story. See what sleep deprevations does to you your are never the same after that.

So here I am dragging myself back into work after droping someone off at the helo pad. I get back up as it down. I look at my boss, the bags under my eyes clearly visible in combination with two second blinks. The the boss says.... Oh yeah in an hour you gotta go back up to Biap and pick up the guys they are finally coming in. Great. So I wait two hours and get in the truck drive to BIAP and pick up my guys. Take him to his trailer in our trailer park and drop him off. Then you guessed. I went back to work. where I worked until my normal time of 1900. Then I went I went to bed. So that was one of the longest days I have had here in Iraq.

JUN 1: WEIGH IN

Well if you are tracking this I am down to 186lbs. So that is a loss of 25 lbs since I have been here. I think getting down to 180 is possible. But either way I am definetly pleased with my progress on fitness. I think getting to 180 by july is well within the realm of possiblity. It would not surprise me to get down to 175 by the time I go on leave just because 116 degree days tend to make you want to shed weight to keep cool.

hope this finds you well.