Djibouti... who would have thought

Greetings!

Unfortunately, this blog will be brief- I am awaiting a flight that I secretly hope is canceled... our original flight out canceled and at this point, spending another day here wouldn't be bad at all.

To update, we went out to a village less than 5k from the border with Somalia. On the way, we past multiple sites of interest, two of significance being a camel bone yard and a Djiboutian golf course!?! The latter was nothing but dirt with a few flags in various places. Not to anyone's surprise, it looked as though it would be easy to get a tee time... no one was on the course... perhaps for the past few months!

We arrived in the village with a larger contingency of marines (force protection) and a bunch of public affairs from all branches. We set up at a school and had a great show. Unlike Hol Hol, they let the villagers come in closer (although, the Djiboutian police in our entourage carry sticks to keep the children back...) and we were able to interact and hopefully make a more relevant connection. This mission served multiple purposes- here they are in no particular order:

-Balance the military image in the area- the marines patrol this region with gun trucks- keeping Al-Qaeda on the other side of the border. By bringing a good, interactive show to the village, trust was built and lines of communication were opened.

-Give the marines a platform to address concerns with the village elders and have that information passed down to everyone at once. In this case, there was an instance where a child had a toy gun some days ago- if children get the idea of pointing toy weapons at the marines, there could be an unfortunate incident. The interpreter was able to address this concern all at once while there's a festive attitude.

-Provide another opportunity to bring water and supplies to the villagers. This seems incredibly important, as far as I am concerned.

I am hoping to get my hands on the photos taken by the Army PA folks- they took a lot of photos that will surely be stunning. These trips to the villages were experiences I will never forget.

After the village performance, we returned to the camp and set up for our evening gig at the cantina. This show was a lot of fun, gave us a chance to get the people we worked and traveled with over the past few days up on stage, and we were able to enjoy a tasty beverage or two (or three...) during the show. Camp Lemonier, in my opinion, was our best stop.

This morning, we were escorted downtown to shop. A few observations:

Khat is everywhere. It's a narcotic- a plant that is chewed and among other things, turns everyone's teeth green. There is a lot of history, social issues, and political issues involving khat, but I'll have to save that for a later time.

So many Djiboutian women are beautiful- very stunning facial structures and smiles. It is hard to photograph women, however, due to cultural restraints. The men on the other hand, not as attractive- this being confirmed by our two female singers.

As we prepare to leave, I can only hope our government, other governments and non-governmental organizations continue to do the right thing in places such as Djibouti. While the military's role here, in the big picture, is to provide long term security for ourselves, as I mentioned before, the byproduct can be a good thing for those less fortunate. As a point of clarification, I personally do not believe we should attempt to change a culture, only help provide better living standards, health care, and a stable life. From what I witnessed first hand, the marines are very knowledgeable and respectful of the local customs and cultures, and are doing the right thing.

On to the terminal to catch what may be the most uncomfortable ride of the deployment. Hurray!

J-

Rocks and Rocking Hol Hol

Greetings all,

Moments ago, we returned from a 30+ mile excursion into the foothills above the capital city of Djibouti. Our destination was a tiny village named Hol Hol on a hard to reach stretch of rock strewn road. I'll tell the story from the beginning. I am spent, so there may be some errors- please forgive me!

We departed at 7 am to load our instruments into a cargo vehicle. Our group consisted of 2 army force protection guys (carrying concealed weapons), three army public affairs (PA) specialists, an Air Force PA, two navy drivers, a marine master sergeant who is the provincial security manager (knows the ins and outs of the village systems, elders, local police, etc- he too was carrying a concealed sidearm), and the nine of us from the band. Once out of the gates from the camp, we convoyed through town in our three vehicles- two land rovers and the equipment vehicle- until we hit what appeared to be the town landfill. For the next 25+ miles, we traveled on rock roads unlike any I've ever seen.

As a digression, I've never seen such a rocky place in all of my life- unbelievable! I would imagine a geologist could explain the interesting make-up of the terrain, but it appeared volcanic in some way, shape, or form. Whatever the rocks were made of, my body was abused by them while riding on a bench seat in the back of a 10 year old equally abused land rover. Might someone know a good chiropractor in Alamosa?

Along the way, we passed goat herders, camels, rotting camel carcasses, what appeared to be a pronghorn or two, children and mothers picking through garbage, and a plethora of rock formations, believed to be crude cemeteries. At approximately the 20 mile mark, our equipment vehicle had a blow out. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, were 100 meters from a baking camel carcass, and none of the satellite phones worked... we had to unload our equipment to find the jack, and after an hour and a half, we were back on the road... if you would call it that...

We arrived at a small Seabee post on the edge of the village after 3+ hours of traveling and when I say small Seabee post... it is unreal what conditions these guys are living in! They are refurbishing a local school, slowly but surely, and we borrowed a tent of theirs while we waited for the marine to gain permission from the village elder. Once we were in the clear, we drove down the hill from the post and into the school grounds.

Security is a major issue in these villages not because of threats to Americans, but the chaotic scene that ensues when Americans are around- we have bottled water. It's that simple. Not candy, food, gum- bottled water. The only thing any of the villagers want is bottled water. Basic.

The force protection guys had us set up in the corner of the school yard which had a tall fence. The locals gathered while we set up and two village police with sticks kept the villagers from coming into the school yard. We went ahead and pulled out a one hour straight ahead show, and frankly, it was the best gig of my life. The villagers were entranced with all of us. There were ladies and children near me that just smiled and stared, nonstop throughout the show. There were other women that actually danced throughout- very shocking due to the conservative nature of their customs. It was amazing. More than likely, they had never seen anything like our production and we had never played such a gig. One of our singers, Erika, is an African-American and she became an instant celeb! At the conclusion of the show, they learned her name and chanted Er-I-Ka, Er-I-Ka over and over!

Playing to a remote village, including passing donkeys and camels... check.

We brought out donated school supplies from Shonda's (vocalist) school district in Plano, TX, and left multiple cases of water at the school for later distribution. We packed and hit the road. The pictures and videos I shot can not begin to relate the story and I do not feel as though I'm doing it justice under my current time constraints.

Tomorrow, we head out for a similar gig before playing a big show here on the camp. I'll try and update more as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading!!

J-

Third World Orphans

Greetings all,



Today's adventure has left me perplexed and searching for clues to my feelings. After playing an early afternoon gig, we set out with a small group to a local orphanage to interact and feed the children.

Leaving the base gave us an immediate taste of the third world. Absolutely unbelievable conditions. While we as Americans create much more waste than Djiboutians could ever dream of, we are proficient at hiding our garbage in landfills. This is not an option here- neither is adequate housing or infrastructure. From what I've been able to gather, however, this is the perfect use of our military capabilities- working to make a better life for those less fortunate. Again, cynicism may make me question the big picture, but the immediate benefits to the local population is significant. I had a lengthy conversation with a Sea Bee who will spend her next 6 months building schools, wells, and other relevant structures in Ethiopia. If the bi-product of preventing an extremist terrorist climate is a better life, I am all for it.

My musician side was finally satisfied when we heard the call to prayer at a local mosque. This was an experience I had hope to gain, and today didn't disappoint.

Ironically, the traffic both here and in Kuwait sent chills deeper than convoys, rocket attacks and mortars ever could. Wow. Los Angeles traffic is tame, comparatively speaking.

Upon arrival to the orphanage (Franciscan orphanage), the scene became absolutely overwhelming- so many children, so few staff members to manage. How they function without the assistance of the volunteer American military members and French/Russian contractors is beyond me.

The first two children I picked up happened to be special needs- both were unable to sit up, let alone walk. Feeding was incredibly challenging, and battling the flies was exhausting. I was able to take a few pictures but even the brief video I shot will not do justice to our experience. While I want to say our time at the orphanage was beautiful, I was left feeling unfulfilled. I know the tactile experience the children felt from our company is beneficial and necessary, I only wish there was more I could do for them... and orphans everywhere. A completely humbling experience, to say the least.

Again, I need to let the experience sink in.

We are off to a village in the morning somewhere near the border. The marines are escorting us, but somehow, despite my non-weapon-toting tendencies, there is an apprehension that comes with traveling sans body armor and weapons in areas known to have Al-Qaeda influence. I suppose it is for those very reasons we are unarmed, approachable, and bringing our music and good will to their villages.

This leg of our trip is a completely different experience and much more thought provoking. More to come in the future.

J-

And now for Africa

Greetings-

I am writing from a small post in the hard-to-find-on-a-map country of Djibouti, Africa. If you were to use Google Earth to try and locate this position, it's extremely easy- located on the water in the horn of Africa. In fact, at the moment, I am sitting less than a mile from the sea. Please bare in mind, there are walls, berms, towers, razor wire, and various other barriers between me and the beach... and by no means is this a resort area... comically far from it!!! (By the way, the above picture was staged...).

The installation is a navy/marine base and is quite small. The climate/geographic classification is deemed desert but by way of comparison, my armchair analysis places it something like Florida... of course, I've been here a mere 4 hours- less time than the 5.5 hours it took to ride here in the C-130.

The mission here is preemptive and this includes us. The idea is to help establish infrastructure (clean water, schools, etc) and prevent another undereducated nation from being an environment for fostering extremism and terrorism. Of course, there's probably more to the story, but this is the official line and I see no reason to be cynical (who, me??)...

In addition to concerts on the base, we have some trips out to the villages scheduled. The marines love this interaction, for it has reaped benefits with the locals, such as positive intel on Al-Qaeda and other bad guys. If you took a look at that Google Earth map, you'd see we are virtually right on top of Somalia- that's the direction we'll head over to when the time comes.

We are taking our malaria pills and carrying DEET... as a side bar, the most recent Nat'l Geographic is about malaria. Pick it up and read it... incredibly interesting.

What isn't interesting is this blog post so I will leave you until we actually do something here besides drop our gear and eat.

Take care!

J-

A couple more quick thoughts

I've yet to chat with a soldier that hasn't been here before- even the low ranking soldiers are on their second tour. The navy has taken on big roles inland- security, transportation, and a lot of flying missions.

I'm not sure what to make of all of this. The amount of money spent to air condition one single tent all day, even when unoccupied, could really make a difference to someone less fortunate. It's hard to fathom the grandeur of this campaign in the desert until you see the moving and stationary pieces. The amazing thing is, despite traveling to a lot of locations, we barely scratched the surface regarding installations, bases, FOB's, etc in and around Iraq.

I hope our nation's future leaders are over here now (or here previously or still to come) and experiencing this place first hand. While I do not feel military service should be a prerequisite to public service, I believe one would be less likely to make decisions of such magnitude without considering the facts, consequences, human toll, family separations, shear expense, and long term ramifications.

My time is up once again in this crowded computer lab.

I hope to catch up from Africa,

J-

Beer from here and where is Djibouti?

Just below Djiback.

Our Djibouti jokes have begun. We are awaiting transportation out of Kuwait to Qatar and on to Djibouti. The best news is, for the rest of our time over here, alcohol is an option. Not so much a necessity, but having the option is fantastic.

Our show last night was a good time. We drove out to Camp Arifjan- a huge permanent base run by the army. We had a large crowd- the largest so far, and the folks that were responsible for us treated us great.

Some thoughts from the road, so to speak:

Bathroom graffiti can be down right entertaining.

The most memorable aspects of each place we've been is the horrific stench.

No two bases are created equal. No two bases have the same morale or attitude.

Whatever base someone is assigned to here, there's always at least five that are worse.

Carrying a weapon is a drag but not as much as body armor.

The two things none of us wanted to do (convoy outside the wire in Iraq and fly in a Blackhawk in Iraq) are the two most memorable experiences- both from the adventure and the audiences- the hardest bases to get to had the most appreciative audiences.

Life here is really just finding out where to eat and how to do laundry.

Gravel and sand sucks to walk in, especially when carrying speakers.

The "more cowbell" joke just really isn't funny to me any longer.

When I haven't eaten, am tired, and it's the middle of the night, don't ask me to throw the cargo net over the pallet.

There are other encores than Freebird.

Being a light sleeper is a detriment.

It's still hot here, but I no longer care.

Off to Africa- see you all soon,

J-

Things I haven't done (until today)

Load rock band gear into a Blackhawk helicopter. Check.
Catch a ride across Iraq in a Blackhawk helicopter. Check.
Play a gig during a "prison" riot. Check.
Gun fire during a gig. Check.
Alarms during a gig. Check.
A gig at 8pm followed by another at 3am. Check.

The past few days have been weird. If you were to view a map, you'd see that Iraq and Afghanistan aren't really that geographically separated. Problem is, Iran divides the two. We cannot exactly use their airspace so flights to and from are very long- especially when sitting in a packed C-130, strapped in cargo net seats (we are just cargo, after all), and sweating to the point of total saturation prior to take off and after landing. Two (or three... I dunno) days ago, we flew from Kandahar to Al Udeid, went to the coalition compound to get our three beers (ration cards keep you from really enjoying yourself- alcohol in the middle east pretty much only exists at "The Deid"- definitely not in Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait), ate, returned to the terminal and awaited a flight to Kuwait- specifically Ali Al Salem- known as "The Rock."

Kuwait, not unlike every other place around these parts, is stupid hot. We got in, dropped our gear, and went to bed. The next day, we toured the "indestructible" French-built bunkers that the U.S. blew up during the first war, viewed the beautiful drawings on the walls made by prisoners when Iraqi soldiers detained Kuwaiti soldiers, and took a look at the flag pole where the Iraqi army strung up the Kuwaiti base commander when they took the base. We followed this with some fine shopping at the local bazaar... Of course, we aren't here to shop so we later played our outdoor gig, packed and prepared for our next day's adventure.

So today, or yesterday, or whatever, we woke up before dawn to catch a ride to a base in Kuwait City but our point of contact goofed and confused Zulu time with local time... or vice versa. Common mistake... or maybe not. Either way, we went back to bed for an hour, only to catch that ride a little later. We got to the base in the City, loaded one of the choppers with our gear, and piled into another for a flight north into Iraq.

The only animals at the zoo I do not feel sorry for are camels. I saw hundreds on the flight and wow, they have it bad in their natural habitat... or so it appeared from my perspective high above. And to my surprise, some of those beasts are shaggy. I'd take a nice, cushy zoo any day over that nasty, hot, barren desert.

Back to the helicopter- absolutely exhilarating. The flight over Kuwait was amazing- viewing the city from that perspective was stunning in a smoggy sort of way, and flying over the shallows of the Persian Gulf at a lower altitude was unforgettable. I was also able to witness the source of our $3.50 a gallon dependency/addiction (around 24 cents a gallon here, by the way).

We knew we crossed into Iraq when we dropped altitude, picked up speed, began maneuvering, and the gunners pointed their weapons towards the "stuff" below. We landed at a place called Camp Bucca- the largest facility in the world for holding bad guys. It's not a "prison," but a "Theater Internment Facility," or TIF for short. From the stories we heard at lunch, there are some nasty, nasty people with some seriously creative minds bent on killing. Much like American prisons, there are ruthless gangs, weapons, etc and a ton of security forces keeping track of things. These airmen, soldiers, and sailors that run this place have a tough job- dealing with everything from riots (tonight), to "chai rocks" (chai poured on sand evidently makes a pretty lethal projectile), to swords, shanks, slingshots, and spears that would make McGuyver envious. Needless to say, the guards here work odd hours and are always on call. This is a tough, tough place, and the vibe here is quite dark. At the same time, you can tell the detainee ops folks (the men and women that run the TIF) are top notch professionals that understand the importance of their work and the scrutiny they receive on a constant basis. Everyone should be grateful for their professionalism- no one is proud of previous indiscretions at detainee facilities and the military and American public certainly won't tolerate it again.

We played two shows for them (not the detainees)- both outdoors...yikes. They deserve it and we definitely boosted morale for several hundred tonight/this morning. The first show began at 8pm, the latter at 3am. We are all physically and mentally spent but pushing on with the help of highly caffeinated energy drinks, humor, the knowledge we are on a short deployment, and the realization we are the only change from monotony our audiences my receive during a 6-16 month tour- particularly at a place like this. It's now pushing 6am and you know, it's actually time for bed.

Thanks for reading,
J-

Whew- what a journey

Greetings All,

I am writing from Kandahar, Afghanistan, where we just met up with the other band (from Robins, AFB) to do a NATO ceremony. We combined to make a ceremonial band and then I was able to sit in and play with their jazz combo for the after ceremony in the Kandahar Int'l Airport- every participating NATO member as well as Afghans were there and it was very cool. We are off tomorrow for our next location.

Since my last message, we played a show up at a FOB in northern Iraq called Q-West,- a very remote but appreciative army audience. We got there in the dark of night- a completely blacked out base that just suffered a casualty. They treated us great and I even had a TV in my room. We then flew down to Tallil in southern Iraq where the temperature was 120+ the whole time. The next day, we convoyed up to a very small FOB that has never received entertainment- another great crowd. More on the convoy later.

We played a gig at Camp Adder and then Ali Air Base before returning to our "home" of Al Udeid to await a flight over to our present location. The flight here was absolutely miserable... we boarded a fully packed C-130 in the middle of the night and sat in the plane for 2 hours- sweating to the point of pure saturation- think south Louisiana multiplied by ten. Al Udeid is on the gulf and wow, can it get humid. We landed here, ate, rehearsed, and then showered before heading to the gig.

Back to the convoy- the soldiers that took us up there were true professionals and took pride in getting us there safely. We loaded our gear on a truck with an armored cab and then assumed our seats in up-armored humvee gun trucks- I road in the front vehicle, full body armor, helmet, loaded weapon, etc and a gunner on top with a 50 caliber machine gun. It was surreal going outside the wire and heading up past Bedouins, old Iraqi gun emplacements, burnt out vehicles from previous IED's, and a few stray donkeys and dogs. Sitting in that humvee was the hottest I've ever been- only competing with last night's/this morning's flight.

The return convoy was less hot, being early in the morning, and again, the soldiers were true professionals, fast drivers, and confident in their ability to get oncoming vehicles to yield the road. So, things to have done in life I really didn't want to do- riding in a convoy in Iraq...check.

Our gigs at Camp Adder was good, but our gig at Ali AB was awesome- a fantastic crowd!

This place (Kandahar) smells awful, but has mountains and cooler evenings. We took a picture in the site of the Taliban's last stand- a room where 90 or so were holed up until a U.S. J-DAM came through the roof. None of this registers while you are here... hopefully on my return I can reflect.

A great opportunity while at Tallil was visiting the ancient city of Ur, the Ziggerat (sp), and Abraham's (THE Abraham) home. An amazing place- I am not exactly a bible scholar, but was able to appreciate the ancient ruins, history, and the caretaker's stories despite the heat and dust. I'll send out pics when I return.

There's more to all of the stories above but finding internet access is tough, not to mention internet allowing blog posts.

I'm doing well- just trying to sleep whenever I can and beat this stomach bug that has been troubling me.

More adventures in our future- I'll write when I can.

By the way- congrats to Vince and Holly on the wedding- Tracy forwarded me the pics and Holly, you looked beautiful! Go guitar hero!

Catch you later, everyone-

J-

Still at Mortaritaville

Greetings everyone,

Here's one advantage to Iraq- plenty of hot water in the shower. Cold water is such a novelty that you'd walk an extra mile to find the cooler that actually chills the water down to a refreshing temperature. Speaking of, I wish I wore a pedometer for this trip- we are logging the miles!!!

We are in the airlift shuffle right now- waiting for a flight to our next locale. We were supposed to be there by now and if that were the case, I could tell you where I am... well, you know where I am now... but you know what I mean!

Our new billet is right next to the flight line. This place is incredibly busy, as the fighters that leave her patrol Baghdad and beyond and the airlifters are ever present as this is a huge logistics location. Sleep was not happening last night.

I'll have pics to show everyone when I return, but loading and unloading gear into trucks and vans is a daunting process, but not as difficult as palletizing (placing it on the pallet that loads directly into the aircraft) our gear onto a pallet on the back of a truck. We had a bunch of TCNs trying to help but it made it more difficult, bless their hearts. We did this in total darkness last night without a hitch. Getting gear correctly palletized is important, for the loadmasters of the aircraft can refuse to take a pallet on board if they deem it incorrectly loaded. This means we could theoretically get on our plane and fly away without our gear!

By the way, if I haven't yet explained TCNs, they are third country nationals that do most of the jobs the military doesn't- cleaning, etc. They are not Iraqis but mostly from Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines.

As far as "coalition of the willing" partners, many of the internal control points (places they check your weapons and id's before entering buildings) on this base are guarded by Ugandan soldiers- men and women. These soldiers are very thorough yet very nice and have absolutely striking features. I tried to get my picture taken last night with a Ugandan soldier, but she was too shy and said she cannot have her picture taken while on post. Most are multilingual, they seem to work very long hours, and their uniforms are always immaculate.

By the way, despite the bad haircut, my morale meter rates around an 8 or 9. While the novelty of being here has worn off, it's still exciting to experience these things, both good and bad. As we waited to gain entry into our gig site the other day, we watched gunners load their weapons in their Humvee turrets and head out on patrol outside the wire. The images of soldiers awaiting evacuation to Germany and those soldiers heading out on patrol keeps it all in perspective and makes me realize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to teach and play music for a living- even here in Iraq.

Best wishes to all and I hope to be able to update you all from points beyond Balad.

J-

Water, Wildlife, and Wake-Ups

Greetings,

As I sit in this myspace-user-frenzy of a computer lab (Balad is one of the only bases in the war that allows myspace (Air Force bases, that is). I'm the only person at Balad not using myspace), I'll try and reflect on some interesting tidbits of information.

There's water everywhere- all in one liter bottles. The water is from the Tigris and is purified locally and shipped over to us here at the base.

The wildlife I've witnessed so far doesn't include the famed camel spiders or scorpions, but instead cute lizards on the walls at night, hungry mice, giant scampering ants, dive bombing pigeons, and finches born in the wrong place (makes you think how lucky the finches in America are... or all of us, for that matter).

This base is Saddam-era- it was taken over during the war and therefore has a lot of the existing infrastructure. There are dozens upon dozens of bunkers and hardened hangars, boulevards and buildings that look like they're from a movie set, a mosque closed to Americans, and among other things, a movie theater.

In other news, for whatever reason, we were awoken in the night with the news we need to move billets. After completing this task, we had breakfast, set up and played a gig at a DFAC, found some nice KBR guys to hook us up with an 8 hour turn-around on laundry, and then set up for our big gig tonight.

The TCN just informed me my time is up so I am off. Hopefully I'll be able to continue these updates in the future- we're on the move again real soon.

Take care!

J-

Is today Saturday... eh, who cares.

Greetings,

It's incredibly easy to lose track of time and day here in Iraq. We have a few more days here at Balad/LSA Anaconda and we are off to more remote points (I'll let you know when we get there). I'm tired of doing laundry in the shower and am hoping our next location has laundry facilities- this base and the previous had contracted laundry (KBR) with a turn-around time greater than our stay. A one gallon bag and hand soap has been my friend. We have parachute cord strung in our billet to hang dry our clothing and it's working like a charm.

On our way to our day gig, we drove along the wire (base perimeter) and saw Iraqi goat herders (and their goats) on the other side. There was an Apache attack helicopter patrolling and numerous towers that surely had an eye on things. This base is also a major hub for convoys so there are armored vehicles EVERYWHERE. You have to remind yourself this is a real war. Conversation among soldiers in the DFAC (dining facility) also reminds you- it's interesting to hear their experiences.

Perhaps I've mentioned this... I cannot remember. Moving our gear (all in large anvil cases and hard plastic tubs sans wheels) is interesting in the sense my active duty counterparts back at my old band would have an aneurysm taking part- not from the lifting but the complaining. There are no sidewalks/pavement and we have to lift everything in and out of our pickup truck and cargo van. We are spoiled here at Balad because we have vehicles easy to load into! My apologies to any of those folks that may read this... I would have been part of the complaining as well... here we don't have a choice.

Someone asked about down time- at the moment, our down time is in the morning. We've been using it as an opportunity to use the fitness center, do laundry (see above), and repack what is needed for the day... and occasionally grab a nap.

I'm truly stunned how easily I sleep here- almost better than at home. The jets taking off an 1/8th of a mile from my billet doesn't phase me at all and I've yet to hear a night time alarm from the "giant voice." This is a good thing.

Well, if you are reading this and see Tracy, give her a hug for me. To everyone in Alamosa- stay dry! I'm off to dinner.

Take care,

J-

Now We're Working

Greetings Everyone!

We've gigged several times and it feels great to be playing. We'll have played at least everyday from here on out, but more than likely, several times a day. With the capability to do acoustic sets with minimal set ups, we can squeeze small venues in during the day and play big shows at night. There's a lot of gear for a rock band- mains (giant speakers), subs (speakers for the low frequencies), mics and stands, amps, mixer boards, cables, power cords, drums, guitars, keyboards, horns, etc etc etc. We have a cargo van and a pickup truck at this base to load in and out of and many of these cases have some weight to them. It sure would be nice to have a group of roadies!

Nothing new to report. The bad guys outside the "wire" occasionally try and do something stupid- on occasion, we find out a little before, but more typically it seems we learn about it afterwards. This base's nickname is "Mortaritaville" for a reason. I personally view it as similar odds to a lightening strike. Nothing to worry about, this place is very well fortified, the bad guys are terrible shots, and the countermeasures are pretty extreme, serving as a deterrent.

My time at the computer has ended- have a great day and I'll write again soon!

Best!

J-

Financial Advice from Iraq and some people to admire

Buy stock in KBR.

They own/operate EVERYTHING here. Everything. Blast walls, porta-potties, dining facilities (DFAC), bathroom/shower units (Cadillacs), personnel, trucks... etc etc. Endless.

Today was a sobering day. We walked around the hospital wards and played acoustically for wounded Americans, Iraqi police, and Iraqi civilians. On our very first stop, we encountered soldiers with signature injuries- amputees and head trauma. We actually felt as though we lifted spirits where we could- be it injured troops or the staff that work long hours treating the wounded. The hospitals at Balad are incredibly busy but the staff is very upbeat and a positive bunch- I truly admire everyone I met today.

Stay tuned for more details as time permits!

J-

In German and Iraq thus far

Greetings from Iraq,

For whatever reason- I can access my blog, but only in German... I, of course, do not speak German and am not typing in German, so hopefully this pans out.

I'm writing from Balad AB/LSA Anaconda. Our flight in on the C-130 was completely packed with Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, contractors, and gear. When we got off the plane, it didn't register we were in the one country most try to avoid.

I'd describe what Iraq looks like but from the majority of vantage points I've experienced, Iraq is nothing but a never ending maze of blast walls... or at least the base has that look. To my surprise, there are a few trees here, albeit very dry. My billet is some sort of a porta-unit with two beds, some cabinet space, and a hardworking AC unit. The billet is surrounded by blast walls and sand bags with a bunker nearby so we are good to go and Randy (guitarist) and I slept well with body armor next to our respective bunks.

To continue describing the scene, it's best to use other senses. The air quality is less than desirable- the air tastes and smells like a combination of burning landscape, jet fuel, diesel fuel, and chemicals. The soundscape is dominated by engine noise- generators, air conditioning units, jets, helicopters, vehicles of both an armored and unarmored nature, and the occasional message from the "giant voice."

This base has a very serious feel, being it's inhabitants are directly fighting this war from both outside the wire and from the air. We all carry weapons and ammunition, so there's that wild west feel- minus the street gunfights and whiskey (unlike our previous location, there's no alcohol in Iraq...)

We played today and will play again in an hour or so- indoors (thankfully). It's a lot of fun to be playing gigs with all of our gear, with a pro audio engineer, and drums that sound good.

My morale factor just sunk a few notches after the TCN (third country national) barber interpreted my haircutting directions as shave it all off. If a bad haircut is my worst experience, I shouldn't complain.

I need to run! Take care, all!

J-

Take the tuba to Kandahar

Greetings everyone!

The title of this reflects a "post-it note" I just read in our office... how funny is that? We are FINALLY getting closer to playing a gig- we're going to play here on this base before heading north for 3 weeks or so.

The heat and wind (blowing dust/sand) is relentless but somehow, it's kind of harsh in a character building way. When we pass to the operations side of the base (where our storage/rehearsal facility is), we all pile into a Ford Ranger with non-existent braking power. Fortunately, someone had the foresight to paint the trucks white. Another character building exercise is the tent situation- crazy-loud crickets, wind beating the tent walls, a pet mouse that has a craving for energy bars to the extent he may soon resemble Mighty Mouse, a mass chorus of snoring, and a guy from one of the other bands that listens to bagpipe music all night. He's a piper, but the rest of us are not... this makes little difference. Somehow, I manage to sleep through it all.

Water conservation is a major priority here- 3 minute showers, etc, so I'm learning things that I'll bring back in that area. It's also interesting that you don't drink the local water. You don't even use it to brush your teeth- there are literally billions of bottles of water EVERYWHERE. It's supposedly from an aquifer 70 meters down outside of Doha... sure it is.

Well, enough for now- take care to everyone!

J-

Sleep and exercise

Greetings!

This post is more in amazement than anything- perhaps bragging on myself. I slept well and took a jog early this morning- the sun rises around 4-4:30am so I was able to watch it rise on my run. There's no landscape to speak of from here and every time I look to the east, I am disappointed to not see the Sangres...

Ok... this is a short one.
Catch you all later!

J-

Did I mention it's hot?

Greetings from our "undisclosed location."

We are on the ground after an unknown amount of time traveling... All I know is we lost Wednesday in the process.

Hot. And bright. And hot.

To be perfectly honest, the trip over was cake, the unload was easy, and getting situated wasn't a big deal at all. We're all excited and looking forward to getting to work-- our day and a half has been filled with inprocessing and orientation to the scene- had we arrive later, we'd have missed the acclimation period so we are quite pleased.

Did I mention the heat?

So an interesting phenomenon- you don't actually feel your sweat when it's 120 degrees- it evaporates too quickly. When you enter an air conditioned room, you break into a serious sweat and initially, you wonder why.

You know that feeling when you stick your head towards the oven before the hot air escapes- that's the heat I'm talking about.

A gentle disclaimer- internet access is spotty and time is limited. If you can excuse my typos and grammatical errors- I'd be greatly appreciative. .. I wish I could use this excuse all of the time.

H-O-T.

To summarize- there's not much happening with us quite yet- there are currently three bands here since we arrived a bit ahead of schedule. I'm not sure when our first gig will be as the others are on the road on their own starting soon.

ummmm.... yep, still hot.

I'm excited to be here- the best way to describe it is to say it's interesting- 180 degrees from my normal civilian life. Perhaps similar to arriving on the moon. For time sake, I'm going to establish a "morale meter." 1-10, 10 being great. I'm sitting easily at a 10. Hopefully it will maintain!!

Actually, it's not that hot at night... ok, it's still hot.

And of course, once things are over, I can explain what we've been up to, but for the mean time, being vague is part of the deal. I'm sure you'll understand.


Well, I hope everyone is doing well and having a good summer. Take care and I'll hopefully catch up to you soon!

J-

A little closer...

Greetings once again,

We are together as a group and at a base in the midwest awaiting our flight overseas- sometime in the next 12 hours (it's 11pm central time on Tuesday). We all went out for dinner, had drinks, and enjoyed our last gathering in civilian attire... In a few hours, we'll cruise over to the flightline in uniform and try and get onboard our plane.

The hardest part of this trip is saying goodbye to family. While Tracy and I have spent a lot of time apart, this trip is a bit different. As a sidebar, I saw Senator Jim Webb in CNN the other night and he's planning to present legislation requiring longer down periods between deployments for military members- active duty and reservists. While this isn't an issue in my situation and I am leaving for a very short deployment, most are experience very frequent deployments. Please take the time to investigate Webb's proposal, think about the men and women that have had to carry the burden of frequent long goodbyes to family members, and consider asking your senator to support the legislation.

Enough of the digression.

So anyhow, saying goodbye, simply and directly stated, sucks.

Whew... I'm ready to start playing some music, sweating profusely, and getting on with the trip! This should seriously be my last one of these until I'm over there! (Having msntv in the room is awesome- officer billeting at this base is fantastic!)

Everyone, take care of yourselves and we'll catch up soon!

J

Ahhh... Colorado.

Greetings everyone!

I am writing from home in beautiful and sunny (and dry) Colorado! The trip home on July 4th was smooth with the notion I'd get to be home with Tracy, the pets, and our friends. Speaking of Tracy and home, we realized this was the first fourth of July we've spent together since before we were married, (eight years ago on July 17th). The previous fourth of July holidays were spent apart- I was always on the road doing concerts. We were ready to kick into relaxation mode for Thursday when I heard my cell phone ring...

I'm leaving Monday for Fort Worth, spending the night, and then we all head out the next morning. The idea is, we fly to a base, catch a flight called a "rotator" that takes troops overseas. We'll make at least one stop in the U.S., one in Europe, and then down to the base we'll be "stationed" during our tour. This base will essentially be the place we dump off the stuff we don't need, rehearse, check out gear (body armor, weapons, if necessary for the itinerary), and return to between trips into the forward bases.

The band that's over there now just returned from the Baghdad International Airport area where they played some concerts on and around the fourth of July. They weren't able to access their e-mail for 7 days while in Baghdad so we may expect similar circumstances when we are in a forward area. We'll see. I've read the military is cracking down on blogs for security reasons. If so, how unfortunate.

Anyways, I have a few days to relax here and intend to do so. If I cannot update from the middle east, Tracy will send out e-mails. Thanks for reading!

J-

July 1st

Greetings to all,

July 1st brings a welcome day off. It's difficult to find time for individual practice when your drums are in the same room as everyone, so today is my day. During rehearsals, I'll find things I want to do better- change a groove in a breakdown, work out a fill, be able to sing the backup line and not lose time, etc- so I keep a note pad next to me to keep track of these things.

Our unit is based on a naval air station/joint reserve base. It's a former nuclear bomber base that was closed by an old BRAC but stayed open in this capacity. The navy runs the base and therefore the culture is much different than I'm used to. The Air Force really does have it better when it comes to facilities, billeting, and especially food. Additionally, because this place is a reserve base, it sometimes seems like a ghost town when there's not a drill.

Yesterday, we were visited by the colonel in charge of Air Nat'l Guard bands. He dropped by (from the east coast) to give us the standard "go get 'em" speech that these guys give for a living. While I am rarely moved by these things, he brought up a few key points that resonated. One, since we'll be playing for a lot of army soldiers and marines, we may very well be playing for some that won't come home. The other point he touched on had to do with the fact that this war is creating an overwhelming number of disabled veterans our country will have to care for for the next 60 years and the public at large needs to be prepared for the reality and responsibility. The military band programs can get that message out. The first point he made really makes you think... especially when you are civilian (for most of the year) that gets your information from CNN and can easily overlook the reality that this war doesn't affect numbers, but real people.

Well, enough about that...

I cannot express how much I am looking forward to returning home for a few days... I miss Tracy and the house full of animals. While we've talked every day, it's not the same.

Ever since I found out I was going on the deployment, Tracy has been absolutely amazing (of course, she was amazing before that as well). From being supportive, to allowing me to move through the different phases I've experienced in my preparations, to allowing me to enjoy my abbreviated summer off from teaching, I cannot thank her enough. She's been absolutely perfect!!

I suspect this summer will be tough for her in the sense that she's alone and in the dark. I'll be with friends and know where I'm going, what we're up to, what we're facing, and how we're doing, while she is waiting to hear from me when I can drop her a line after the fact. Staying at home and managing everything is tougher than what we'll be doing in the desert, hands down. While we all know there are spouses dealing with longer deployments, loved ones involved in direct combat, etc, it doesn't lessen the situation when it happens to you. So please keep Tracy, Gabriel (the dog), Leo and Mila (the cats) in your thoughts this summer. Thanks!

Take care to everyone and happy July. I'm off to find some lunch- something other than Navy food.

Cheers!

J

Texas for training...

Greetings all!

I started this blog with the hope I can use it to keep track of our upcoming tour of southwest Asia. There are 7 of us from the ANG Band of the Gulf Coast that comprise a rock band- drums, guitar, bass, horn players doubling as singers, singers doubling on keys and horns, tambourine, etc, and we'll catch up to an audio engineer and tour manager over there.

The Ft Worth area has seen much rain... enough already. I arrived here last Friday to some pretty serious climate shock due to my departure from the dry, cool, high desert air. I guess the Texas heat, humidity, and occasionally dysfunctional AC is simply training for things to come... some of our stops on the upcoming trip will have 100+ degrees and 100% humidity. The mold that coated our rehearsal facility was seriously nasty and served to toughen us up. We rehearsed in there for a couple days but on Thursday, hazmat showed up and shut the room down. I've since started taking Airborne and we've since found a new place to rehearse.

Besides rehearsing, we've done more shots (anthrax... yum), qualled on the M-9, self aid/buddy care training, chem/bio/nuke training, outprocessing, outprocessing, outprocessing, gear issue, etc etc etc...

Today was our final outprocess and we received our orders... It's actually a good feeling.

We are practicing acoustic sets- sounds awesome and is a lot of fun! I'm playing a djembe in this configuration and it cracks me up! I'll probably be the only guy in the world playing a djembe in a warzone with a weapon strapped to my leg, while getting paid! It's the anti-drum circle vibe!

Tomorrow we PT for the record and rehearse the rest of the day-no briefings or outprocessing.

Sunday is a day off.

Monday, rehearsal, Tuesday a gig in Addison.

I think we'll gel as a band once we get some regular playing in- there's a lot of talent and experience in the band, and I think we'll rock. Playing in a rock band is a welcome change for me- I am VERY happy to be doing it and looking forward to the adventure on the trip!
We have some great tunes- plenty more than we need which is a good place to be. We're doing everything from current top 40 to current country to classic rock, R&B, Motown, hip hop, etc etc.

I'll leave Wednesday to return home for a couple days and wait for the exact depart date.

Good news- I've straightened out the golf shot and have actually shot par on a couple holes and even birdied a par 4... let's not talk about the bogeys... double bogeys... triple bogeys... the numerous mulligans... it's a hard game but is much more fun when you can occasionally hit a decent shot. If you are wondering where this golf thing came from, I am wondering too... I've played a handful of times this spring/summer and now I cannot get enough. Great.

That's all from here!

Hopefully I'll be able to continue this blog over there.

Cheers!

J