30 AUG 05: The fights that might not go

Well after going to the western LSA over on Camp liberty. I got a double whammy. I finally got a good understanding how big the Camp Victory Foward Operating Base really is. It must be huge. I mean honestly you see it on the map all the time but until you start driving it then you just really don't have an accurate idea.

Okay so we go over there to look at the ring. It is the best makeshift boxing ring I have seen since I got here to Iraq. However, It is still not safe enough. So now we are looking at post poning the fights a week so we can have a better ring constructed. What a pain this is becoming. All I wanted to do was put on a little event for the soldiers and it has been one hurrdle after the next. But hey if was easy everyone would do it. So I will just keep chugging along until I make it happen. Which I hope is before october when most of my fighters leave.

"every body fights nobody quits!"

29 AUG 05: Fights and turtles

Okay well after some doing we have managed to get a ring to hold the fights in. So we will have some boxing matches that will commence at 1900 on 3 SEP 05. The only thing that can stop us now is the Docs and the weather. Since this is an outdoor event a good duststorm could ruin it. Hopefully it will go well.

As for the turtles. In our lake/moat around our palace I descoverd we have a soft shelled turle. Looks like a bottle nose. I would estimate his shell at about 18 inches so he pretty good sized. He has started coming around when we feed the fish. I am attempting to get picture of the guy. But no luck.

The picture above is of a Green Sea turtle that I took while I was in hawaii on the big island. I went to black sand beach and got close to a green sea turtle the hawaii word for is Honu. you might recognize them from finding nemo. The guys that stole the movie in my opinion "MR Turtle is my Dad's name."

26 AUG 05: Packages and fights

Packages:
Well once again the best packages we have gotten from the folks at the any soldier program are from the Vogt's and Kunz's families. We will be sending a picture on email in a couple of days so you know who you are helping. Thanks again for all the great stuff.


Fights:
For the Past couple of weeks I have been attempting to puton a fight. Well we found out the there was no ring that we were authorized for us to use. So they are attempting to build one. So we will see if the fights go off on 3 SEP. If they do you might get to see a little tast of it on ESPN.

22 AUG 05: Fight troubles

Well I have been attempting to put on a boxing tournament here. No big deal. I watched Conan set up fights for years. So I get going on this thing because the Mayors Cell guys say they have a ring that we can set up and take down for the fight. Great now the hard part. Chaplains, fighters male and female and medical support. Well I got all that stuff. Then the mayors cell says hey you can't use the ring.
So now I am back to square one. But I have one last option before I cancel the fight. But if it goes it promises to be an intresting evening.

more to follow.

22 AUG 05: Forced smile

This is a picture of me forcing a smile in the budapest airport that we broke down in. The return trip from leave was not as smooth as the one that got me to hawaii.
Also I had not posted a picture of me in awhile and lot of people have forgotten what I look like with hair. Just remember hair is a softer, kinder, gentler vick.

18 AUG 05: WEIGH IN

So those of you who actually keep up with my recovery to fighting shape and my endless quest to be the next great Action star. I am weighing in at 190 lbs. That is a gain of about 3-5 lbs. So I guess not working out on leave really had some effect or all the protein is starting to take effect. I need to do measurements and post those.

17 AUG 05: Killing Time

Well alot of people have asked what I am doing now. The reason for the question is because I started a new job. Like many of you who know me I long to be out there sucking with the men in fight. But alas my new job is even further away from the fight then I was before. Now I do even more paperwork. Yummy.
I do the best I can at a job I don't like. luckily I have a great SSG working for me that keeps me straight.

So the rest of my free time has been spent setting up a boxing smoker for 3 SEP. The Boxing tournament should be alot of fun for everyone here. I have gotten alot of help from everyone around the Camp; The mayors cell, MWR, 44th medcom.

I am still training fighters and running the boxing class on mon, wed, sat. But lately I have been training as much as my knee allows me.

Like I always say here. The real enemy is time. I understand what Malcolm X meant about your enemy is time and boredom. So I always attempt to keep the days as full as possible. The new job helps cause the work is alot more steady.

But there is still time.

15 AUG 05: Breaking the plateu

This is for all of you that have been keeping up with my quest to return my physique to a more superior form.
Well I broke my plateu that I have been stuck at lately. I maxed out my bench press at 305 lbs. I did this with out a lift off and with out a spotter. I feel that if I could have had those things then I would have done more weight. But I am in no rush as I have a minimum of 6 mos left here in Iraq.

For those of you who care I shaved my head again. It was just to hot to continue wearing. My hear is very thick and insulates well.

Well I will weight in tomorrow morning and see how much weight I put back on while I was on leave.

Also my little sister and her husband had their first child. A baby boy.

good job guys.

9 AUG 05: The return to Iraq

Operation return to iraq began on my B day for those of you who don't know when that is it is 2 Aug. I got to DFW airport and checked in at 1500. Our flight was supposed to return depart at 1800. However, by 1900 it was announced that our plane needed a part and that we would be delayed. AT 2230 they finally got the part and by 2330 it was installed in the plane. We boarded a little after midnight and then flew 10 hours to hungray. That was not a bad flight but when we landed it took them 3 hours to refuel us and swap crews. Then once the new crew got on it was announced that a flap light was out and that we could not fly. So we stayed on the plane of another 4 hours. Then ATA got us off the plane and we slept in the terminal and we were told that we would reboard at 0700 in the morning. Wel 0700 came and went and by 1000 we were told that at 1400 we would all move to hotel to stay another night why ATA figured out what they were going to do to get us to Iraq. The night in the hotel was nice. Three to a room. I have personally lived in worse conditions. we stayed there until 2300 the next night. Then we took off at 0100 then landed in Kuwait. Then flew to Iraq at 2200. I was back in my trailer at 0130.
Well that was fun.