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-