Uncharted Territory

So, um, it's been awhile...

2007-06-04T04:04:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just checked out my blog for the first time in weeks and see that my last post was 4 April. 4 April?!? Sheesh. Didn't realize I'd been away that long. I could spin a long story trying to make an excuse for why I haven't updated, but I don't see a need for that. Bottom line is that I've been busy preparing for our imminent departure from the sandbox and life has been hectic. I'm a few short weeks away from returning to Lincoln, and morale is very high, both for myself and the troopers in our unit. I'm sure most all of you know by now, but in case you hadn't heard our Squadron received a bundle of good news in that we're coming home to Nebraska about a month earlier than planned. My new goal is to be home by the 4th of July, and as it stands right now that should be doable. I can't discuss any hard dates with you all due to OPSEC, but rest assured that as soon as I can you all will know.

Life here at Anaconda just seems to keep chugging away. We've been busy getting our replacments set up for success, and now that they are here we're trying to show them the ropes and make a clean hand off of our operations. So far the process has been smooth and efficient. I'll share with you all a couple pictures, just to prove that I'm alive.

Receiving my end of tour award from our Squadron Commander, Lieutant Colonel Apprich.
Chief Regan gave each of the soldiers in his section a cavalry saber as a thanks for all our hard work over the past 22 months. Thanks to Mr. Regan for his gift!
Posing in front of our t-wall. Tradition mandates each unit to paint a t-wall concete barrier to mark the time they spent in Iraq. I think ours turned out just fine.

Grandma knows best

2007-04-01T03:18:00.000-06:00

Wanted to take a moment to thank my Grandma Nancy for the huge care package she sent my way. Her box of goodies arrived a couple days ago, and my co-workers and I were impressed with the magnitude of her giving. Here is a picture of me standing next to some of the loot, which was proudly displayed for co-workers and guests to share in. Thanks Grandma!

Qatar

2007-03-28T22:14:00.000-06:00

I'm back from my spring break trip to Doha, Qatar. I had quite a fun time, with plenty of relaxation and sun and a few beers mixed in as well. I was fortuante enough to take 3 different trips while I was in Qatar, including visits to a 4 story mall called the City Center (complete with ice skating rink and bowling alley), a trip to the Persian Gulf for an afternoon of sand and food by the ocean, drove SUVs through the sand dunes, ate lunch at an Iranian restraunt in downtown Doha, toured local shops and malls in Doha, enjoyed plenty of good food and slept in every day. All in all a very productive trip and a nice break from Iraq. I'll post a couple pictures for you all here, and I'll also include a link to my Facebook page which has about 60 additional pictures from my trip on it. Enjoy.

Feeding camels in Doha.
Enjoying a few cold ones with the guys.
This pearl is some big tourist attraction in Doha, so here is my touristy picture with the pearl.

Check here for a ton of other pictures from my trip.

Spring Break

2007-03-19T03:36:00.000-06:00

March is a common time for colleges around the U.S. to give their students a mid-semester break to relax their minds and get away from classes for awhile. This time is usually referred to as spring break. For example, my girlfriend Nicki took a trip to Colorado last week, to spend time with her friends and get away from lovely Nebraska for awhile. You wouldn't think that I would be enjoying a spring break trip this year, knowing my current location and situation, but alas, you would be wrong. I'm leaving Iraq a few short days from now for my own spring break trip to exotic Qatar. The Army has this slick little pass program set up for soldiers in Iraq who need a few days away from it all. Soldiers are flown to an Army base in the country of Qatar for a 4 day pass. Soldiers are allowed to wear civilian clothes, sleep in, swim at the pool, take trips to tour the local countryside, and even drink real beer (limited to 3 drinks per night). Our Brigade wasn't planing on sending Soldiers on pass during our time in Iraq for various reasons, but after the news of the extension hit, they decided it might be a good idea to give some soldiers a break. Especially those who took their RR leave during the early months of the deployment. So long story short, my chance to take pass is here, and just happens to fall during the spring break time period, so I guess when everyone is remembering their trips to Cancun or Vegas or wherever, I can drop in that I flew to Qatar. Should be a good time. Hopefully I take lots of pictures while I'm gone, and I'll be sure to update you all upon my return.

(For more info on Qatar, check out here or here)

Quick movie update

2007-03-10T01:15:00.000-06:00

I've been staying on top of the latest movies to roll through Anaconda, as usual, and figured I would give you all a quick update on what I've seen over the past few weeks.

300 - awesome film. Highly anticipated. Everyone in our section had been pumped about this movie for weeks, and 300 did not disapoint. Graphic, brutal, bloody, violent - everything a guy could ask for. Zach Snyder is the genius who puts this pretty picture together. Probably not the best date movie though. If you're a fan of epics like Braveheart, Gladiator, etc. you will love 300, for sure.

Blood Diamond - this movie was superb. Really opened my eyes to how diamonds come to be. My new favorite actor, DiCaprio, turns in an Oscar-caliber performance. Well cast film that keeps you enertained throughout. Highly reccomended.

Children of Men - a visual masterpiece. The movie itself is so-so, with decent acting and an intruiging storyline. The beauty of the film itself is what sets Children of Men apart. If you're a fan of movies as an art form, you will dig this film. Not for everyone though.

Apocalypto - wow. This movie blew me away. My brothers had seen this film over Christmas 2006, and came back impressed. I finally got my chance to check it out and left the theater telling anyone who would listen what an epic expierence it was. Mel Gibson presents a violent, sometimes touching film following the tale of an American native who is torn apart from his village in brutal fashion and is forced to deal with the captors who have killed his father and destroyed everything he knows. One of the best films I've seen in the past 6 months.

I'm still alive

2007-03-02T01:57:00.000-06:00

First things first - I apologize for the month long void of any new posts. "The Man" is still keeping me down and isn't allowing me to access blogger at work, so my ability to update this here journal are severly limited. However, that is no excuse for a lack of posting. A sharp decrease in output, sure, but not a good reason to just quit updating you all. Anyways, now that we have that out of the way...

Life in Iraq is humming along at a decent pace. The shock, frustration and denial stages of the Iraq extension news have past, and we've all come to embrace the suck, as the folks over here would say. March is here, and this should be the toughest month to complete. Most of us can't help but be reminded every time we look at the calendar that we should be going home this month, so that's an obstacle that is tough to overcome. We're soldiers though, so we'll press on and do what we do. (That's the party line, at least). Anyways, nothing too new to report. I'm still working out and lifting weights 5 days a week. I've become more intimate with my PlayStation that I ever thought possible, and I'm currently neck deep in the planning stages of fall semester 2007 at UNL. It's been tough setting up college plans thousands of miles away from home, but the good people at UNL have been flexible so far and have shown a willingness to help me out, which is good. Hopefully it all works out well in th end.

That's about it from here. Hopefully everyone back in the rear is surviving the deluge of snow and what not. I'll try and update this thing once a week from here on out, if everything works according to plan. Maybe even throw some pictures up, if I can. Stay tuned.

Throwing salt on an open wound

2007-01-23T02:31:00.000-06:00

So news of our extension has most likely made the rounds back home, and I'm sure most all of you are aware of the extra 4 months of fun in the sun that I've been blessed with. One of the first thing that comes to mind after hearing such news is that we'll all be missing 4 more months worth of exciting and fun events, some of which we were really looking forward to. I, for example, will be missing my Dad's wedding, my brother Jacob's high school graduation (after missing brother James' graduation last year also) and another couple months of summer fun, all of which I'll never get back. To top it all off came news today that one of my favorite bands of all time, Rage Against the Machine, is planning on reuniting for a show at this summer's Coachella music festival in Indio, California. The performance will be the band's first gig together since September 2000. I can say with 99% certainty that I would be making the trip out West if I was going to be home. I could also parlay that into a visit with my cousin Amanda, who is attending college in San Diego. Instead, I'll be here in Iraq, doing good things for my country. The sacrifices of war - they are plenty. Thankfully I have this blog to vent to.

Top 10 Movies of 2006

2007-01-13T23:25:00.000-06:00

With the movie awards season in full swing, I figured I would throw my own two cents out there and share with you all my top 10 movies of 2006. These are the 10 movies that I enjoyed the most, that captured my attention and wouldn't let go, that left me leaving the theater talking and discussing with my friends. I was going to break this list down by genre, but decided I would keep it simple and list out for you my top 10 overall favorite flicks of 2006. Needless to say, I suggest you check out each of these as soon as possible, if you haven't' seen them all already. (For a full list of the movies I saw and reviewed here in Iraq, click here).

Honorable Mention (in no particular order): The Pursuit of Happyness, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The War Tapes, United 93

10. Jackass Number Two In a strong year for comedies, this film might have made me laugh the hardest and the longest out of them all. I went in with low expectations (as you have to for most sequels) but left highly entertained and pleased with the second effort from Johnny Knoxville and crew. Definitely not a movie everyone will enjoy, but the lengths these folks go to in order to get a laugh must be appreciated.
9. Wordplay My choice for documentary of the year (with apologies to The War Tapes). I somehow managed to drag Nicki down to the excellent Ross theater in Lincoln to see this film when I was home on leave, based on some of the excellent reviews I had read in the press. Wordplay did not disappoint. Who thought a movie about crossword puzzles could be so entertaining? I thought learning about how these intricate puzzles are created was fascinating, and seeing how dedicated some folks are to the life of crossword puzzles was amazing to watch.
8. The Prestige This film features one of my favorite actors of today, Christian Bale. If you haven't seen any of his work before, you are missing out. The strong cast (Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine) helps carry this movie along and overcome a few plot holes along the way in an entertaining film that was good, but not quite as good as I think it could have been.
7. Clerks II Another crude comedy that I really enjoyed. I am a big fan of Kevin Smith's work, and thought that the second installment of the Clerks series returns Smith to his roots, and helps make up for recent flops such as Jersey Girl. Hopefully Smith keeps up the good work and kicks out another comedy or two soon - he has earned my respect back with this strong effort.
6. Stranger Than Fiction Will Ferrell stars in this excellent, quirky comedy, and puts on my 3rd favorite Ferrell performance to date (next to the untoppable tour de force displays in Old School and Anchorman). This film surprised me with just how good it was, and is probably the biggest surprise for me on this list.
5. Thank You For Smoking Nicki saw this before I did, and raved about it. I kept trying for months and months to get my hands on a copy of the DVD, and finally saw it in November. I loved the acting, the writing, the production - it was all top notch. Very well done film, and bitingly funny satire on big tobacco.
4. Borat I felt a little wrong for having this masterpiece so low on my list, but also felt a little wrong for having such a horribly obscene film so high. I'll just leave it here in the clean up spot and call it even. The comedy here is defiantly not going up everyone's alley, and in fact will probably cause some of you to walk out of the theater in disgust. I for one found this mockumentary to be flat our hilarious, although my internal moral high ground tells me I'm wrong for saying so. Regardless, Sacha Baran Cohen's performance is phenomenal and makes this film a must see. No comedy released this year (and possibly in the last 5 years) will make you laugh harder.
3. Little Miss Sunshine Review after review hales this film as the top comedy of 2006, so I was almost nervous to see it in fear that it would not live up to the incredible expectations I had. Thankfully, the film does not disappoint. Steve Carel is fun to watch, in a role that is a polar opposite from his work on his popular TV show, The Office. Greg Kinnear also puts on a show as the obnoxious father of one of the most dysfunctional families you'll ever see. However, my favorite performance of the film belongs to the youngest actor in the whole show, Abigail Breslin, as Olive, who is mature beyond her years. Comedy of the year? I think so, although if this is #1, Borat is 1A.
2. Casino Royale I'll admit it - I'm not historically a big James Bond fan. I think I've seen 2 or 3 movies in the franchise before and have never been too terribly impressed. I'm sure that will lead some to question my status as a "guy", but oh well. However, my opinion of Bond was blown away after seeing Casino Royale, the newest installment starring Daniel Craig as a new, unproven 007. I was mesmerized by the glitz, the glam, the explosions, the fast cars, the tremendous action scenes (the opening scene in particular is jaw dropping) and of course the beautiful Bond girls. Craig is perfectly cast as 007, and his cool, calm demeanor personifies everything Bond should be.
1. The Departed Sometimes, a film comes along that is just destined for greatness. The ingredients are just so perfect, so well done, that it would be nearly impossible to not achieve perfection. The Departed is one of those movies. From the outstanding cast, to the iconic director, The Departed is far and away my favorite film of 2006. Marky Mark shines as the scene-stealing loud mouth Boston detective, Jack Nicholson intimidates as the gruff mafia crime lord, Matt Damon brings it as the fresh faced cop playing both sides of the fence and Martin Scorsese pulls it all together with amazing skill and grace. The owner of this movie, however, is Leonardo DiCaprio, who jumps off the screen as the undercover cop who is forced into making everyone happy but himself. I was sky high for this movie going in, and left knowing that I had added a new film to my favorite of all time list. If you appreciate film making and story telling at it's finest, combined with tremendous acting and masterful directing, then The Departed is your movie. You will not be disappointed.

Cotton Bowl

2007-01-02T02:23:00.000-06:00

As Jim Morrison would say, this is the end my friend. I have to admit, this Husker football season meant more to me than any I can remember in recent memory. Sure, the years we won national titles were fun in their own obvious way, but this season was special in a different way. Being deployed to Iraq during an entire season of Nebraska football was very discouraging. I have attended over 6 seasons of Husker home games prior to this deployment, and after missing most of the 2005 home games due to our training at Camp Shelby I was pretty down about missing yet another slate of home games at Memorial Stadium. The football season, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. For the past 4 months I've been following the Huskers religiously, reading every news piece I can find online, tuning into every game that AFN broadcasts, even waking up at 3 a.m. to listen to a radio broadcast over the internet. The truth of the matter is that Husker football has given me something to be excited about and take my mind of our mission from time to time and deliver a little slice of home every football Saturday. Sure, I miss the excitement of watching the games live or with my friends, and you better believe I'm not going to miss a single home game next year. However, without Husker football over the past 4 months I'm convinced this deployment of mine would have been night and day different.

I'm disappointed that the season ended the way it did with two straight losses, but I'm thankful for the good times we had and I'm looking forward to next year. Can't ask for much more than that.

The mighty S-1 section, gathering in the Colonel's office for the Cotton Bowl match up with Auburn.
We filled up on Pizza Hut pie and German n/a beer during the game. Not sure why I'm standing here - I think Lucky just busted off a nice gainer.
The touchdown to Swifty - felt good at this point. Positive vibes all around.
SFC Kerchal bringing in some more beer. I think this picture is hilarious - Kerchal has a mischievous look on his face. The beers were pint size glass bottles. First time we'd had them. Pretty good stuff in an unusually large bottle.
I wasn't going to post this pic, because I'm fairly certain this is not my best look, but oh well. I was excited and looking forward to de-clawing the tigers. Unfortunately for us, the Huskers couldn't take care of business in the 2nd half. Time to look forward to the 2007 season.

Yo Adriaaaaaaan!

2006-12-30T10:50:00.000-06:00

It's here. My Rocky five disc box set arrived in today's mail, just in time. SPC Fleck went on a trip to Baghdad recently and returned with a copy of the new Rocky Balboa movie on DVD. So now I've got to knock out the first 5 flicks and prepare myself for the 6th. Good times.

Two days away from Cotton Bowl kickoff. I plan on posting thoughts on the big game some time tomorrow, if everything falls into place. We're planning another watch party in the Colonel's office, although this time with an added twist. Should be a good time. Stay tuned.

Christmas time

2006-12-25T10:38:00.000-06:00

Today is Christmas day, although being over here in Iraq it pretty much feels like every other day. Now that we've crossed the threshold into our 10th month of duty here in the desert, the routine day to day schedule has turned into a groundhog day type situation: it's the same darn thing, day after day after day. On special occasions (like Christmas) you need to throw a wrench into things in order to make it feel different, more important. Our unit's favorite wrench is a good bar-b-que party. On the evening of 24 December our unit had a Christmas grill out to celebrate the holiday. Here are the pictures to prove it.

Grillzila, breathing fire, ready to devour whatever cut of meat we throw it's way. Awesome.

Soldiers mingling about during the Christmas party. We even had a tree set up, with lights and candy canes and everything. Aren't we festive?
Everyone gathered around the plasma to enjoy holiday classics. Currently playing in the above picture is the outstanding Christmas Vacation. Right after this we watched It's a Wonderful Life. Good times.
Here is my choice cut of meat for the night, a thick and juicy 1.9 pound t-bone beauty just before it's tossed onto Grillzila. Delicious.
Grillzilla brought her A game for the festive event. My steak was cooked to perfection.
SSG Johnson, SFC Kerchal, SGT Kane, SFC Washington and myself, gathered around the table enjoying our food and taking in a holiday classic on the screen.

Close-up shot of your favorite Army man, getting ready to devour half a cow.

The remains of my fierce battle with the t-bone. Notice the high quality fork, sans one blade. The t-bone may have won the battle, but I sure as heck won the war. Terrific.

Random musings

2006-12-22T04:45:00.000-06:00

Quick movie update:

Turistas I won't go into this one too much, simply because it really isn't worth my time. SGT Kane has already done a nice little job on this movie over on his site (read about it here). I think Turistas might end the year as the worst movie I've seen. I've seen a decent amount of flicks, so that's saying something. Don't waste your $8 - don't even waste your $2 at the late run theater. I would recommend visiting the dentist over seeing Turistas. Seriously.
The Pursuit of Happyness An unexpected winner. I have always like Will Smith's work, but this is definitely different than your usual flashy, showy, Smith blockbuster (Independence Day, Men In Black, etc.). This movie is stripped down, and doesn't feature a star-studded supporting cast or expensive special effects. This film is all about Smith, and he delivers in spades. His co-star is his real life son, who makes a nice film debut. The movie is "based on real events", although I'm not really sure what that means these days in Hollywood. Happyness (the misspelling is explained, don't worry) is a nice uplifting holiday movie - something you could take the family to on Christmas night, for example. I highly recommend. And kudos to Smith for taking a chance on role that he obviously cares about, instead of mailing it in with a big-budget blockbuster. Mad props.
Jackass Number Two I went into this leery of the sequel money grab. Shame on me for my lack of faith. Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and crew deliver with another laugh out loud, slap your thigh funny film. If you liked the first, you will love the second. I promise. One of the 2 or 3 funniest movies I've seen all year - possibly the funniest. Highly recommended.
The War Tapes I bought this DVD at the bazaar. I had heard good things about this film last summer when it made the indie theater circuit and was hoping I could get my hands on the DVD. Nice little independent film following a couple National Guard soldiers like myself throughout their year long deployment to Iraq. This film won best documentary of 2006 at Tribeca Film Festival. Go on down to your local Blockbuster and pick this up for a quality rental and an authentic look at what Iraq is like from a soldiers point of view.
Casino Royale SFC Kerchal bought this DVD at the bazaar and the quality was superb. I loved this movie, which is saying something since I don't consider my fan much of a Bond fan, historically speaking (I know, I know - I'm disgrace of a man for saying so). I thought Daniel Craig was an awesome choice for Bond. Much better than ol Brosnan. The action was fast and exciting, the girls were gorgeous, and I thought the plot and storyline held up well. A guy can't ask for much more than that. I believe this film is coming to our theater soon, and I'm already looking forward to seeing it again, in all of its big screen glory.
Rocky Balboa I haven't seen this one yet, but I'm including it on the list simply to let you all know that I'm really looking forward to it. I've read enough good reviews to warrant getting my hopes up, and after reading this article from the Sports Guy I went right on over to my favorite store and ordered the Rocky Anthology on DVD. I hope to time it just right so I can receive the boxed set, watch all 5 movies on DVD and then have Rocky Balboa show up in the theater. Wish me luck.

Well that's all for now. Merry Christmas to everyone and I will check in after the holidays with some thoughts on the big Husker bowl game match up.

Grandma knows best!

2006-12-19T02:23:00.000-06:00

Wanted to take an opportunity to say thanks to my Grandparents for the awesome Christmas care package they sent my way a few days ago. Grandma put together some peanut butter cookies, some peanut brittle, and a batch of snicker doodles to boot (my favorite). All were delivered in decorative Christmas tins. To top it all off, she even threw in a bright red stocking packed full with Salted Nut Rolls! Well done Grandpa and Grandma - I appreciate it very much!
Me with the prize - a Christmas stocking overflowing with Salted Nut Rolls. Terrific.

I wanted to take a picture of the tins full of homemade cookies, but before I could get that done my co-workers and I had polished them all off. So I had to settle with a picture of an empty tin - take that as a compliment Grandma!

3 years? Holy cow...

2006-12-18T08:34:00.000-06:00

My how the time flies. As of today, I've been courting Nicki for exactly 3 years. I can't believe it's been that long. Craziness. To celebrate, I am posting a couple pictures of my better half and I for your viewing pleasure. Love you Nicki! The first picture on record of the stunning couple. This was taken at Nicki's mom's house during Christmas 2003.
Chillin at the welcome home bash my Grandparents threw for me when I was home on leave in July.
We look good, right? I think so.

It's Christmas time

2006-12-17T13:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas is in the air, even here in Iraq. Our dining facility has had Christmas decorations up for weeks, and we've actually had a run of cold weather over the last few days, which makes it feel like winter (kinda). As we all know, Christmas just isn't Christmas without a tree. Well, evergreens aren't very common out in the desert, so any plans of putting up a tree to celebrate the holiday season rests on family and friends back home. Fortunately for me, my girlfriend Nicki's family has come through and delivered a little slice of holiday goodness to my roommate and I. The Blazek's sent a box of holiday snacks and goodies, highlighted by the pre-light Christmas tree they thoughtfully included. I wanted to put this post together as a thank-you to the Blazek's for their kindness. Here is the tree, in all it's splendor.

Close up of the tree. Gorgeous, no?

The tree is just so festive - it really sets off the room!

Carrie Underwood

2006-12-16T23:38:00.000-06:00

American Idol winner and country music star Carrie Underwood made the trip across the big blue sea to come visit some troops in Iraq. She made a stop at Anaconda yesterday and SGT Kane and I were lucky enough to see her perform. Her show took place inside our movie theater, which seats less than 800 people. Due to the small size of the venue, the powers that be decided to distruibuite tickets to the event. Only those servicemembers who were fortuante enough to get their hands on a ticket would be able to see Carrie perform. Our base is home to over 20,000 people, so our odds of grabbing a ticket were slim. SGT Kane and I were optimistic we would somehow score one of the tickets, but I don't think either one of us figured we would both be lucky enough to snatch a ducket. A few things fell into place (thank you SPC Fleck and SPC Benes) that made the whole thing possible. Unfortuantley, the theater lighting is not very condusive to concerts and picture taking and what not, so most of my pictures didn't turn out all that well. I have another source for pictures though, and if that comes through I'll post some more later today. Here is a picture taken after the concert with Carrie, Kane and I and a couple other servicemembers.

November Movie Wrap-up

2006-12-03T04:04:00.000-06:00

Nothing too new to report on this end (other than that crushing defeat at the hand of the Sooners last night in the Big XII Championship Game, which I would rather forget) so I'm gonna mail it in with a new movie post. Enjoy.

Deja Vu This movie stars Denzel Washington. Denzel is usually a pretty reliable bet to act in quality movies. His body of work (Glory, Malcom X, Philadelphia, The Hurricane, Training Day, Man on Fire) supports this theory, from my vantage point. So when a new Denzel flick comes to the local cinema, I usually consider it worthy of my hard earned dollar. Factor in that my current local cinema is free, and that makes any Denzel show a must-see. I went into Deja Vu with zero knowledge of the premise, story or cast (other than the star). I must say that I wasn't overly impressed with this movie, nor was I overly disappointed. I would have to say I'm fairly neutral on it overall. I think Denzel does a fine job, and the set-up is decent, but the movie suffers from a few flaws that pretty much kills everything for me. About half way into Deja Vu the audience is basically asked to suspend reality, accept that what we're being told is true (even though everyone is scratching their heads and muttering about how impossible this is) and then the rest of the way out we must continue to just enjoy the movie for the entertainment, and not for any real substance or meaning. After leave the theater, SGT Kane and I discussed a few alternative endings that could have made the movie more interesting or might have made you think a little more, but the folks in charge instead decided to stick with a fairly Hollywood ending. I can understand what they were thinking - they didn't want to leave the audience upset, and wanted to stick with the safe play. This may bring the movie a few more dollars at the box office, but if they really wanted to please me the audience, I think Deja Vu should have ditched some of the physics lessons and worked harder on a meatier plot with a less contrived ending. I think the risk would have paid off. All in all, Deja Vu is a decent flick and Denzel doesn't disappoint, but nothing here is worth remembering.
The Black Dahlia On paper, The Black Dahlia packs quite a punch. The director is a proven winner, as he was at the helm for gems like Scarface, The Untouchables, Carrie - heck he directed the first Mission Impossible, which was alright. The cast (Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank) is loaded with big names. Throw all of this goodness into one melting pot and you should come out with a sure-fire gem, right? In the case of The Black Dahlia - wrong. Poor execution, shoddy acting, a confusing plot and a slow pace kill whatever high hopes this movie may have had. I'm not familiar with the story of The Black Dahilia (if you want to know, go here) and I'm not sure if that may have helped or not, but I'm guessing I'm not the only one who waltzed into the theater with no prior knowledge of the story. The movie is put together well, with 1940s era clothing, cars, and everything else. The problem for me was that the story just didn't flow right, and the ending left much to be desired. A little too long and weird for my tastes, and a good example of a well known director and good cast not always being able to deliver solid results. I can't even recommend this for a rental. If you really want to see De Palma run a quality show, go rent this or this. You will thank me.

Buffalo Meat

2006-11-28T01:03:00.000-06:00

Our Squadron Commander is home on leave and we took advantage by throwing a Husker watch party in his office last Friday for the big NU - CU showdown. Too bad the Buffs aren't that good this year and the game wasn't very close, but it was a good time none the less. We subsituted our normal hamburger grill-out routine with pizza this time around. Things just aren't the same when our grillmaster, SSG Johnson, is not around. Anyways, here are a few pictures. Enjoy.

I was hesitant to post this photo, because it doesn't paint a very good picture with regards to how crappy it is over here. Plasma screens, plush couches, pizza hut pizza, beer - sheesh, football parties back in Nebraska aren't usually this good. Don't worry folks - this is the exception, and not the rule.
SGT Kane, SGT Hunt and myself ran down to Pizza Hut and picked up four large pies, to go. CSM Hall chipped in and bought beer, and bam - we had ourselves a party.
I can't even describe how weird it was to sit on a couch to watch a game. I'm telling you, it's the little things you miss when you're in Iraq.

Note: Nicki, I know you'll be upset that my gorgeous face is no where to be found in these pictures. Sorry, but I figured I would give the other guys a time to shine. Better luck next time.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T05:32:00.000-06:00

For thanksgiving today, a few of my co-workers have set a precedent of putting out a "what I'm thankful for" post on their blogs. Of course, it would be rude of me to not follow suite and please my fans with a similarly themed post. However, I think it would also please my fans to see me put my own personal ~~sarcasm~~ spin on it. Because if you can't have fun with things (sappy thanksgiving posts are given no special favors) then shame on you.

What the Hammer is thankful for:

To God, who makes this all possible for me. Thank you for keeping me safe and out of harms way in the most dangerous place on earth. I am grateful.
I appreciate our chow hall, for going all out with an awesome Thanksgiving day meal. I felt like I was back at the farm chowing down ... until I scooped up some mashed potatoes off of my plastic plate with my plastic spoon. Kudos also for feeding me a steady diet of corn dogs during the week. Delicious.
I'm thankful for Huskers Illustrated and their ability to keep me up to speed with all of the latest and greatest in Husker news. To be honest, I'm probably more knowledgable about Husker football this season than in any season I can remember.
TV shows on DVD. I'm not sure who came up with the idea of putting TV shows on DVD, but whoever he/she is - you're my hero. The Wire, the Office, Sopranos, etc. You have kept me entertained and entranced during my time in Iraq.
Sports. I could write a whole post about my unhealthy/passionate allegiance to grown men playing games, but the important thing is that between college football, NFL, MLB, college basketball, golf, etc. - I am never short of articles to read, games to watch and topics to debate in the office. The deployment would be crawling by without your assistance.
Twizzlers and Salted Nut Rolls. My mid afternoon snack just wouldn't be the same without the help of these two wonderful snacks. Gracias.
An awesome job. I sit at a desk in a hard building with a/c. The only injuries I have to watch out for are paper cuts. Things could be much, much worse.
My 5th gen 30 gig iPod. Music is my life blood, and the iPod has blown my mind with it's ability to meet my every musical need. I commend you Apple. Now, if you're iPod phone is as cool as it sounds, I will really, really owe you big
Last but not definatley not least I'm most thankful for Nicki, my rock of a girlfriend. She has to deal with my phone calls at all hours of the day and is forced to put up with an Army boyfriend who (once this deployment is over with) will have spent more of our relationship away from home in the Army than he has at home with her. Thanks for putting up with it all Nichile - you're the best.

Well, that's all I have off the top of my head right now. Hopefully everyone is able to spend the holiday with loved ones and if you're traveling to do so, stay safe on the busy roads. From the sound of it NE will be blessed with unusually warm weather and no snow, so go outside and toss a football or something and enjoy that weather. I've added some photos from today's thanksgiving blowout at the dining facility below. Enjoy.

Props to Benes for taking this photo at our Thanksgiving meal today. The look I'm giving is the universal "oh crap, Beans is taking my picture" face. Nice.

Pretty much the same photo as the one above, except not as dark so you can see more of the chow hall. It's not usually decorated like this with the fancy ice sclupture centerpieces and everything - they really pulled out all of the stops for us. This time around I'm rocking the "geez Beans, another picture?" face. Smooth.

me = internet celebrity

2006-11-20T12:54:00.000-06:00

Stop what you're doing and click here right away for a pulitzer-prize worthy Q&A session. Jason Siffring and the boys over at Big Red Network have made internet celebrites of yours truly and my co-worker and workout accomplice, SGT Kane. Kane gives you all of the dirty details of how this article went down, so head over here for his take. Now that I'm famous and all I think the Army should send me home right away so I can begin a high-dollar publicty tour and start taking offers from publishers for a book deal. After that we can pursue my dream of becoming a graduate assistant on ~~Billy C~~ Coach Callahan's staff.

Video game craziness

2006-11-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

While some of my peers in the soldier-in-Iraq-with-a-blog business cover hard-hitting news stories like the shift of power on Capital Hill, I tend to favor less publicized yet just as worthy subjects. Today's post is a perfect example.

Video games are something that everyone in almost any walk of life is familiar with. The younger generation has grown up with Nintendo, Sega and Sony PlayStation. The older generation had Atari and other ancient forms of pixelated pleasure. Even the oldest of folks have had their lives touched by video games - maybe by walking the aisles at your local Best Buy trying to pick up that hot new title your grandchildren have on their Christmas wish list. Well, with another holiday season upon us, video games are once again a hot commodity. This holiday season is seeing an unusually high amount of video game lust, thanks to the launch of two new gaming systems - the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. I've seen a few articles on the national scene covering the legions of dedicated fans of both systems literally camping out in front of their local electronics retailers in hopes of getting their pasty white hands on these hot new gaming systems. The Nintendo system is looking to have larger launch numbers of their system (meaning more Wiis will be produced and available for purchase) thus making them desirable, but not quite as frighteningly desirable as the PlayStation 3. Camping out in front of the local Best Buy or Wal-Mart for a new gaming system is nothing new. However, I think the dedication, shortage of PS3's available (which has sometimes led to violence) and passion displayed by some fans is unprecedented. A man in Connecticut was actually shot while waiting in line for his own PS3. I read this article today in the Lincoln Journal-Star about local Lincolnites who are camping out at Best Buy for the new system, and couldn't help but chuckle after reading this paragraph.

Back a few tents, 43-year-old Chris Wear was crossing fingers. He had not realized until 10:30 Wednesday night that people were already camped outside of Best Buy.“I was like, ‘Oh crap,’” he said. “I threw everything in the vehicle and ran out the house.”He arrived 36th in line. The rumor was that Best Buy had only 34 systems to sell, but that six more might be arriving Thursday night.

Wow. In most cases you would hope that a 43-year-old man would be doing other, more important things than camping out in front of the local electronics store for a gaming system - say maybe working for a living to support his family, or something like that. I would like to think that he is showing this dedication in order to suprise his children with an unexpected Christmas score, but I get the impression this is more likely the sad story of a man with nothing more exciting in his life than the launch of a new PlayStation. My only hope is that 20 years from now you all won't be reading my name in the Journal-Star as some crazed fan waitin for the latest and greatest technology.

Note: I don't know the aformentioned Chris Wear, so Chris if you read this understand I'm not trying to poke fun or question your priorities. I'm just trying to make a point and write a compelling story.

Return to sender...

2006-11-15T05:47:00.000-06:00

Way, way back on the 1st of June, I decided to send my lovely girlfriend Nicki a little present. She was a fan of the Desperate Housewives TV show, and so being the generous boyfriend I am I purchased the first two seasons of the show on DVD from the Iraqi bazaar. I then rolled on down to our local post office to send off my gift. Again, this was on 1 June, 2006. Well, I waited and waited and waited, but Nicki never reported receiving the package. I came home on leave in July, and the package still hadn't come. August went by, September past by - still no package. Well, at this point I felt comfortable making the assumption that Nicki would never see that Desperate Housewives boxed set. Of course she was distraught and crying in sadness, but we both found a way to move on and put the tragedy of the whole deal behind us. I've since sent other items through the mail, but have made sure to pay for a couple hundred dollars worth of insurance, for the added peace of mind and to hopefully avoid another Desperate Housewives type debacle. Well fast-forward to today - 15 November, 2006. A full five and a half months since I sent the ill-fated DVD boxed set Nicki's way. What do you suppose I received in today's mail?
Here she is - the package that probably has more miles on it than a 1992 Honda Civic. 5 and a half months! Craziness.

Apparently, there was a mix up with where exactly Nicki was living. This is kind of understandable, since she was in the process of moving from one apartment to another during this time period. That was back in August however ... where has this thing been sitting during September, October and November?

I still can't believe this package made it's way back to Iraq. I assumed it was long, long gone. Well, now I will re-label it, roll on down to the local post office and send this package of goodness off on it's way once again.

Purify celebration

2006-11-14T09:43:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite pictures of the year. Always nice to see players (especially out of state players like Maurice here, who have only been in the program a short time) show emotion. Just thought I'd share it with you. 10 days until we stomp CU...

Kansas City here we come!

2006-11-11T23:17:00.000-06:00

Unbelievable. Just when I thought all was lost, that another once-promising Husker season was about to completely fall apart, that we were going to let yet another game we dominated early get away from us and slip through our grasp ... we delivered one of the most thrilling endings to Husker game in recent memory, and quite possibly in the history of the program. I can't even describe in words how much it thrilled me to see our team, at it's lowest of low points, with the odds against them and their backs to the wall, come together on the road in a hostile environment and put together a stunning drive for the ages. The image that is burned into my memory is a shot the ABC cameras showed late in the game of our bench, all on their feet, arms interlocked, just hoping, praying that our offense could regain their 1st half form and put together one last drive to steal a victory on the road that would punch our ticket to the Big 12 championship game and deliver a North division crown. To see our team come together like that when it mattered most was a thing of beauty. I think it's fair to say that our team (Billy C especially) would have come under heavy fire back in Nebraska if we let yet another early lead dissolve. Congratulations to: Barry Turner, for making the comeback possible with a huge field goal block; to Todd Pederson (who only had 10 catches on the season coming into this game - he had 7 against the Aggies) who was doing his best Jerry Rice impression on the final drive, making big catch after big catch; to Zac Taylor, who stayed cool and calm in the pocket and seemed to make all the right reads when it mattered most; and last but definitely not least - Maurice Purify. All I can really say is that Purify is a weapon that this Husker team has desperately needed, and he adds a dimension in the red zone that our offense hasn't had in years. Let's hope our team can keep this momentum going and finish off this season on a high note.

Movie time

2006-11-11T13:42:00.000-06:00

Time for another movie review post as I sit here at my desk preparing for the Husker - Aggie showdown. Go Big Red.

Stranger Than Fiction This was a perfect example of a movie that I knew absolutely nothing about until the title popped up on the calendar of movies being shown in November. My usual routine is pulling up unknown movies on imdb and doing a little research on the cast, director, etc. So when I pulled up Stranger Than Fiction and saw that Will Ferrell was the star, I was very intrigued. When I walked into the theater last night (on the same night the movie debuted in the states, I believe, which is pretty sweet) I still knew next to nothing about the film, save for the Ferrell starring role. In the movie, Ferrell's character leads a boring, non-descript life until he suddenly hears a voice in his head of a woman, who is narrating his life as he lives it. I won't go into two many details about the plot, except to say that it is definitely not your normal sophomoric comedy, and especially not your normal Ferrell comedy (Old School, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, etc) I think the best comparison I can make is that this movie is to Ferrell what Punch Drunk Love was to Sandler, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was to Carrey. Ferrell absolutely nails the role, and is able to carry the movie and create a lot of laughs, without the slapstick humor that he is normally associated with. I must also mention the outstanding job done by the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhall - she is warm and energetic and a perfect yin to Ferrell's yang. Pay special attention to the cookie scene in the bakery - awesome stuff. Ferrell and Gyllenhall are great together, and at times I just couldn't believe my eyes as I saw Ferrell come through in moments that require a delicate touch of drama - much the same way I had to rub my eyes watching Sandler steal every scene in Punch Drunk Love. I can say with confidence that Stranger Than Fiction currently tops my list as best comedy of 2006, and easily qualifies as must see material for any fan of comedies that make you think, along with fans of Ferrell's previous work. Definitely a pleasant surprise and a movie I will surely own on DVD, once it comes out.
Flags of Our Fathers This movie rocked. I have always known next to nothing about history, which is embarrassing, but true. Iwo Jima was one historical event that I thought I understood - we kicked butt, raised a flag to signal the end of the conflict, and after that we all drank fruity drinks on the beach and basked in the glow of our victory. After seeing this movie I was harshly reminded of the facts - I blow at history. The movie (based on a book of the same name) follows the story of the Marines and Navy Corpsman whose act of raising the flag over the island of Iwo Jima was forever immortalized in one classic photo. From watching the movie, I learned a couple of things: there was way, way more to the conflict after the flag was raised; the media and the people love heroes; people don't understand what war is really like unless they've been there and finally - Clint Eastwood kicks ass. The battle scenes in this movie are expertly done, and prove once again that just like fine wine Eastwood has gotten better and better with age. His work in this movie reminded me of the jaw dropping scenes created by Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan. The story was interesting and kept me involved right up until the very end. Recently single Ryan Phillipe and the rest of the actors cast perform well, although the story presented here is much bigger than one or two actors. Defiantly a must see for a multitude of reasons, but most notably to witness a master (Eastwood) on top of his game and for the history lesson everyone should know regarding the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Haircut day!

2006-11-10T05:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was haircut day for yours truly. Here are some gorgeous before and after shots. (Special thanks to SSG Johnson for taking these beautiful pictures - he operated this photo shoot like a true pro)
I grew out my hair a big longer than usual. ~~The ladies~~ Nicki isn't a fan of my longer hair look, but since she isn't here I can grow it out as long as I please. Within reason, of course - the Army (like Nicki) isn't too fond of long hair either.
Shazaam. $5 later, and back to the Army high and tight. Awesome.

I'll throw this out there - what do you all think is better:

SGT Hanseling with long hair.
SGT Hanseling with short hair.

Post votes in the comments section.

Huskers vs Tigers

2006-11-05T01:44:00.000-06:00

Well, needless to say our beloved Big Red were in desperate need of a statement win yesterday, and by golly, they delivered. After the disappointment and heartache of the Texas loss combined with the embarrassment and failure to rebound on the road against Oklahoma State, I was getting sick and tired of losing and was worried I might be watching another once-promising Husker season slip away. However, we were able to pick ourselves up off the mat and deliver in a must-win situation at home. Huge win for coach Callahan and the program. Hopefully the Bugeaters can keep the big mo rolling, win our next two against aTm and the vermin and roll into our highly anticipated rematch against the Longhorns on a hot streak.

The S-1 section continued their bar-b-quing ways last night, with an added twist. We rolled with gourmet burgers on the grill, and added SSG Johnson's nachos as a nice pre-game warm up. Needless to say, I was unable to move for a good hour afterwards. Pics below.

Our designated grill master (also the mastermind behind the nacho plate), SSG Johnson, keeping a close watch on the progress of our burgers, with moral support from SGT Kane and SPC Fleck.
Adding the fixings. There was another grill going last night with regular burgers, but here in the S-1 "normal" just doesn't cut it. American cheese, swiss cheese, and bacon - that's what we call taking it to the next level.
Burgers are ready for show time and are the centerpiece of our spread inside the office. Nicely done Brad.
Yours truly, attempting to crush a giant double bacon cheesburger. I get full just looking at this picture.

movie time

2006-10-31T08:52:00.000-06:00

I did a movie review post awhile back and thoroughly enjoyed the process. After catching a few flicks in the past two weeks, I decided it was high time for another one. Besides, a movie post will help take my mind off of the recent tragedy in my life. Without further ado...

The Marine Oh. My. Goodness. This movie will probably end up challenging The Guardian in my end of the year debate over "most cliche-filled film". Wrestling star John Cena stars in this action flick, which promised big explosions and non-stop fun with the WWE's latest chosen one. I saw the previews for this flick and thought to myself, "Yes! About time we get a classic shoot 'em up guy movie!". Not sure how accurate this is, but I felt like there just aren't enough pure action movies coming out of Hollywood these days, now that the genre's mega-star is now governing instead of kicking butt. Anyways, there were enough bullets, car chases, explosions and fights to make just about any guy happy. However, if you happen to be one of those guys who needs just a tiny bit of actual acting with your action, you'll be disappointed. Or maybe you're only requirement is a solid plot line - again, you'll leave disappointed. Anyways, in case you haven't figured out yet, The Marine sucks. It's horrible. Stay far, far away. If you do go, despite my warnings, in order to satisfy your urge for action, then that's your call. Just don't say I didn't warn you...
The Departed When you're in Iraq you tend to be isolated from the outside world. Sure, we have internet access, but that's about the limit to our connectivity with what's happening. So it goes without saying that I miss things, from time to time. The big popular pop radio song - I've probably never heard it. The sweet new resturaunt on the far side of town - I've never eaten there. The hip new jean style that everyone is rocking - umm, what? However, one of the biggest things soldiers in the desert miss out on (and the major reason we are so out of the loop) is the 21st century advertising machine - TV commercials. We get a few TV channels over here, but the commercials are limited to Army produced & designed spots that are so horrible and boring I won't even waste your time trying to describe them. So, when you don't have commercials, you tend to miss out on the hype train that drives a lot of the movies that hit theaters back home. Although we usually get most of the big movies that you all get back home, they usually arrive with little to no fanfare. However, having said all of that - there are exceptions to every rule. Despite nearly zero commercial or media advertising impact or influence, we all knew what The Departed was, and we knew when it was coming to Balad. Some movies are just destined to greatness- the combination of a fantastic cast, a big name running the show and a monster budget - you usually have the makings of a classic. So when we heard that a movie starring Jack, Damon, DiCaprio and Marky Mark - with Martin directing - was heading our way, well, we about wept with happiness. I think SGT Kane even did a little dance, but let's not re-visit that. After a minor scheduling conflict at the theater moved our premiere night back a couple days, we finally got our shot at seeing The Departed in all of it's movie screen greatness. Wow. I was captivated from the opening scene until the credits rolled. I won't delve into plot specifics or anything like that, because you need to go see this movie immediately if you haven't already and I don't want to ruin one single moment of this cinema masterpiece for you. One thing I can tell you - the actors all deliver clutch performances. One of my personal favorites was Alec Baldwin - he steals every scene he's in. Also, Marky Mark delivers nicely when called upon, as usual. Of course, Nicholson is the man, and is cast in the perfect role. The real gem of the movie for me, however, was DiCaprio. I've never been a huge fan of 'ol Leo. Maybe because the role he's most associated is from a chick flick. Or maybe because I wasted $7 and saw The Beach. I don't know. For whatever reason, I've always viewed him as soft, way too boyish, and I've never been able to wipe away his Basketball Diaries character - I always think of him as some 12 year old boy - not a tough, Russell Crowe-like movie star. (Apparntley, the NY Times agrees with me - read more about Leo's Hollywood maturation here) Well, when I saw DiCaprio in The Departed, I saw MJ dominating the Cavs. Or Tommie Frazier running all over Florida. It was just a beautiful thing to watch, and I mean that in a purely hetro-sexual kind of way. When I think of Leo now, I don't think of this. Instead, I think of a gun-toting, pill-popping Jersey tough guy who will break you in half if that's what it takes. If you don't like Scorcese, or Damon, or mobster flicks in general - you still have to see The Departed. DiCaprio is that good, and he makes this movie what it is - my early leader for movie of the year. I just can't describe how fun it is to go watch a movie as well acted, well directed and well everythinged as this movie is. Go. Now.
Flags of our Fathers I just saw this last night, and I'm not quite ready to post my thoughts. Give me a couple days.

Thank you, Salted Nut Roll

2006-10-25T06:22:00.000-06:00

The Pearson's brand Salted Nut Roll. What a delicious snack. I've always been a fan of nut rolls. Many years ago, I remember my mom buying a couple nut rolls at Pac N Save (she was a big fan herself) as a reward for a productive shopping trip. The legion of Salted Nut Roll fans is what I would consider a fairly small niche group in the candy bar world. You don't see too many magazine advertisements, TV commercials, or catchy advertising campaigns for the Salted Nut Roll.

Anyways, a kind soul in SSG Johnson's life has been sending nut rolls over here in care packages for awhile now, and SSG Johnson has been kind enough to share a nut roll or two with myself and a couple other lucky souls in our S-1 shop. I have come to admire the Salted Nut Roll even more so recently, due to it's sudden re-emergence in my life. Not only has SSG Johson been receiving Salted Nut Rolls, but king-size Salted Nut Rolls. Until now, I didn't even realize that a king-size version (two full-size nut rolls in one wonderful package of goodness) existed. Now I do, and I am thankful. So today, I offer this blog post as a way to say thanks to the Pearson candy company, who has been producing this delectable snack since 1933. Your Salted Nut Rolls are a highlight, a bright spot in my dreary Iraq existence and for that I say thank-you. Thank you Salted Nut Roll, for everything you do.

Game Time part two

2006-10-22T04:31:00.000-06:00

More pics from out Huskers/Longhorns shin-ding last night.

College Gameday is on ... starting to get pumped up for the game. MSG Aldag brough out his white Husker flag, which is signed by the entire team, for good luck.
SPC Benes, the reigning HHT soldier of the month, was the "grillmaster in training" all night. In this picture, MAJ Teegerstrom is giving Beans some tips on how to tame his monster, Grill Zilla. I'm sure Benes came away from the night a much-improved grillmaster, thanks to MAJ T's fine tutelage.
I turned off the flash on this photo, to capture SPC Benes taming the fire-breathing monster that is Grill Zilla.
Left the flash off on this picture also to give an idea of just how dark it was out there. We had one or two lights, and the glow of the plama screen tvs helped also. The crowd is starting to gather, anticipating the clash of the titans that awaits.
Another shot of our setup. You can see the awesome spread of food that we enjoyed, and you can also spot the 2nd tv, in the top right corner. Iraq isn't the best place to watch a Husker game, but I think we did a pretty good job considering the location.

One last point about the Husker game last night. For those of you who might be second guessing Callahan's decision to throw the ball to Nunn on 3rd down late in the game to ice the victory, I reccomend you check out what happened in the Notre Dame - UCLA tilt. UCLA was in a position similair to ours - underdog team, with a small lead late in the game (17-13), trying to ice the upset victory. UCLA had the ball on their own side of the field, just like NE did. UCLA came to their 3rd down crossroads, and decided to run the ball. Their coaches were willing to punt the ball back to Notre Dame, which sports a high-powered offense that had been restrained most of the night - eerily similair to the 'Horns offense being held in check for the most part by the Blackshirts. UCLA ran the ball on 3rd down, Notre Dame burned their last time out, and then UCLA punted the ball to the Golden Domers with a shade over 1 minute left on the game clock. Notre Dame, with no time outs and 80 yards of green grass between them and the end zone, needed a touchdown to win the game. What do you suppose happened, my loyal readers? Notre Dame went right down the field in the blink of an eye, scoring a touchdown in only 3 plays. UCLA got the ball back with time to run one final play, which ended in a sack. Ball game. Notre Dame pulls out the victory, 20-17, ruining the Bruin's upset bid. Personally, I'm fine with the play call to throw - we had a chance to ice the victory and beat Texas, and we went for it. Something to chew on as we all try and recover from the heartbreak of last night's game.

Game time

2006-10-22T00:59:00.000-06:00

First off - wow. What a ballgame, and what a rough ending. 30 or so diehard Husker fans over in in Iraq were taking in the game together, and thought we might be witnessing the first big "signature win" in the Bill Callahan era. What a way to lose. Heartbreaking is the only word that comes to mind. Hopefully our team can get up off the mat and win our remaining Big 12 games and earn a second shot at the Longhorns in the Big 12 title game. I was hoping I would come into work this morning feeling better about this whole thing, but I just can't get the bad taste of it all out of my mouth.

Now that we have that out of the way, I'll share with you some photos from happier times. The 11:10 am kickoff back in Lincoln gave us an awesome 7:10 pm kickoff here in Iraq, which was very condusive to our grilling plans. The time slot also brought out a ton of Husker fans that aren't quite diehard enough to wake up at 2:00 am and listen to the Big Red over the radio. The atmosphere before the game was great. We had multiple grills going, plenty of ice cold beverages, tons of food, two plasma screen tvs and lots of Husker fans ready to take it to the Burnt Orange. This first batch of pictures focuses on the grilling portion of the evening.

A matchup versus Texas calls for the best - big, juicy steaks. Here are our heroes, seasoned, tenderized, and ready for showtime.

"Grill-Zila" MAJ Teegerstrom's ballyhooed grilling monster was rocking and rolling for hours last night. We didn't want our steaks to fight hamburgers and brats on the the main grill space, so we opted to fire up a couple of smaller charcoal grills for our beauties. In this shot the coals have just been fired up, still a ways away from grill time.
Our grillmaster, SSG Johnson, preparing to plop our main course on the grill. The flash from my camera gives the illusion we were grilling in optimal lighting conditions - do not be fooled. We were basically cooking in the dark, and SGT Kane and I had to assist our grillmaster with flashlights, so we could observe the progress our steaks were making.

Gorgeous. Just a few more minutes until we feast.
SSG Johnson, SGT Kane, and myself, killing some time until the food is ready to go.

Shout outs - showtime

2006-10-19T23:35:00.000-06:00

This Saturday's big game versus Texas has officially gained even more importance. The word on the street is that the short and sweet shout-out video that I taped a few weeks ago (see my post covering this here) will be played on the HuskerVision jumbo screens this Saturday at some point during the game. This has not been declared a 100% certainty to happen, but my source tells me that the chances are good that this is going to be the game. So, if you're one of the lucky few who have tickets to the game and plan on viewing the Huskers game live, in person, keep your eyes on the big screens for a possible shot of yours truly from Iraq. (Nicki - I'm talking to you!)

Big weekend

2006-10-19T00:38:00.000-06:00

Ok, so AFN has come through and are broadcasting the Husker - Longhorn battle this Saturday. We'll see it live on Saturday night at 7:00 pm. We're planning on continuing our bar-b-q tradition, as the 7:00 pm time slot is much more conducive to grilling out (versus the painful 2:00 am last week) and should make the whole experience that much more enjoyable. SSG Johnson and SGT Kane are doing steaks, and SFC Kerchal is planning some type of bacon-wrapped sirloin strips masterpiece for him and I. The more convenient kick-off is also bringing the fairweather fans out of the woodwork. Should be a few more Husker fans milling about the building, and we may possibly have some competition on the grilling front also. Our section tends to be a little anti group activity, so I'm sure we'll stick to our normal MO and seclude ourselves in our office - diehards only. Hopefully the crimson and cream can fight through all of the buildup for this huge Big 12 matchup and deliver a knockout blow against the mighty burnt orange. We're all cautiously optimistic that the Big Red will deliver the epic win. For those of you who are attending the game, make sure and yell a little louder for me and all of the other Husker faithful deployed over here - I would give my right arm to watch this sucker live at Memorial Stadium.
This is shaping up to be a big weekend on a couple of other, albeit not nearly as important, fronts. After a way too long two week or so absence from the movie theater, I'll be getting things back into high gear with a couple of flicks over the next two days. Tonight I'll be catching "The Marine", starring WWE superstar John Cena. Can't wait! Friday night brings the highly anticipated "The Departed" to the Anaconda big screen. Can't wait to see that one. Then we have the game on Saturday, of course. All in all, shaping up to be a nice couple days for SGT Hanseling.
We're less than one week away from our 7 month anniversary of time spent in Iraq.
Give it up for the Seward High boys cross country team. The Bluejays picked up an impressive 2nd place finish at districts this week, and will carry that momentum into State this weekend, looking for a top ten finish. My man Jacob Hanseling came in with an outstanding individual 13th place finish, which earned him a medal. Good luck at state bro.

weekend thoughts

2006-10-15T13:31:00.000-06:00

A few rambling thoughts from this weekend...

Stoked about the Husker's getting a big road victory against the Mildcats on Saturday night. Our defense played well and made the Cats one-dimensional, which was the key. From listening over the radio, sounded as if Josh Freeman made some plays and could be the real deal down the road. Right now though, I'm content with coming out of Manhattan with a W. Now we have to focus on our biggest game of the year - the mighty Longhorns of Texas this Saturday in Lincoln. Cross your fingers that our good friends over at AFN pick up the game and allow those of us over here in the desert a chance to root for our Huskers live, on TV.
We mixed it up a little bit this week during the Husker game, adding a little bar-b-que action to our weekly festivities. Click here for SGT Kane's excellent post on the whole grilling experience. It was something else - eating cheeseburgers and listening to Husker football under moonlight skies at 2:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning in Iraq. Can honestly say I never thought I would be in that situation during my lifetime.
My roommate, SSG Johnson, and I have put together the ultimate football fan's paradise in our room. I'll see if I can't grab some pictures next week. We have three TV's, with two at the foot of Brad's bed and one of the foot of mine. All three were tuned into three separate college games on Saturday night, and earlier tonight all three were tuned in to three separate NFL games. One of the loveliest site these eyes of mine have ever seen. It's a little overwhelming at times, trying to keep track of all three games at once, but definitely a position I love being in.
We received (drum roll please) a whole bunch of RAIN this past week. It hadn't rained in 4-5 months, so the sound of rain drops hitting the roof of our building late last week was an odd sound, to be sure. We were given quite a show the first couple nights - lightning, thunder, the whole works. Apparently we're about to dive head first into the rainy season, which will turn our camp into a soggy mess, from what we've been told. Should be an interesting couple months. Funny how we go from absolutely no rain at all, to buckets and buckets of rain.

movies

2006-10-12T04:11:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned in the past, one of my favorite ways to kill the time here in Iraq is by checking out whatever movie is playing at our grand movie theater. I've had the pleasure of viewing a handful of flicks lately, and since I really don't have anything exciting to write about today, I have decided to give my own personal take on what I've watched. (Editor's note: most every movie I see has already been playing in the states for weeks, so these reviews aren't a good guide to go buy when deciding if the newest arrival at your local theater is worth your hard earned $8. For current movie previews/reviews, I suggest you go here.)

Miami Vice I had high hopes for this flick, considering the director (Michael Mann) has done a few movies I like, and the cast includes a recent Oscar winner in Jamie Foxx. I just missed seeing this when I was home on leave, as I think it originally came out around the 1st of August. Anyways, it's here now, and I came away from this disappointed. The movie was dark and moody, which tends to be Mann's style. However, the acting was subpar and the action scenes were few and far between. I found myself bored for long stretches of the movie. A couple scenes were entertaining, and most guys would agree that fast cars, boats, jets, and big explosions are ingredients to make almost anything watchable. Unfortunately, that's all this movie is - watchable.
The Guardian If you go into this movie like SGT Kane and I did (expecting it to suck and be entertaining in a my-goodness-this-movie-sucks kinda way) then you'll be pleased. However, if you go into this with the mindset that The Guardian is going to be a cinematic masterpiece and will serve as Ashton Kutcher's rocket ship to acting stardom - well, then you might leave the theater crying. One word can be used to sum up this entire movie: cliche. This flick uses nearly every movie cliche known to man, and borrows heavily from much better films (like this one and this one). Stay away, unless your a fan of unintentional comedy.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend Sometimes, I go to the movies for a couple of reasons: 1) It's free 2) I have nothing better to do and 3) It's free. I saw this movie based on all three reasons. I didn't expect much, and didn't get much, which is why going to the movies for free is such a beautiful thing. You don't put anything worthwhile into it (other than your time, but what's that really worth?), so if you get nothing worthwhile out if it, you don't really feel all that bad. Well, maybe you feel bad for the poor sucker back in the states who blew $40 on a date with his girl to go see this crap-fest, but oh well. Anyways, My Super Ex-Girlfriend has one redeeming quality that I think is worth mentioning: this guy, who most of you know as Dwight from NBC's comedy masterpiece The Office. Dwight's tour de force performance steals pretty much every scene he is in, and made me laugh every time. Other than that, this movie was mostly forgettable. Which is ok, because it was free.
The Last Kiss This movie will always be memorable to me. Not because of anything I saw on the screen, but more so for what this movie stands for, and the adverse reaction it caused my roommate, SSG Johnson. I had actually been looking forward to seeing this movie, based on my purely heterosexual soft spot for Zach Braff, and his previous work with Garden State and Scrubs. When I approached SSG Johson about the idea of him and I going to see this movie together, his reaction was quite entertaining, yet hurtful. He was 110% against the idea of going to see a "chick flick" with another guy. Forgetting the fact that tons of other guys would be seeing this movie also (simply because were in Iraq, it's free, there is nothing better to do, and it's free) SGT Johson simply would not budge on his anti-chick flick stance. So I had to wait for my true battle buddy SGT Kane to return home from leave, and then the two of us went and I finally made my way down to the theater to check this thing out. The movie itself was entertaining and worth seeing, in my opinion. However, the movie - the ending especially - is not very uplifting or positive. So, if your a fan of happy cheery movies with happy endings where everyone gets along, this probably isn't the flick for you. However, if you appreciated Garden State and are a fan of Braff's work in general, you should enjoy The Last Kiss. Oh, and the soundtrack to this movie is excellent also.

That's a quick synopsis of what I've seen in the last month or so. I'm looking forward to a few movies coming out over the next few weeks, (The Departed, Flags Of Our Fathers, The Marine)so depending on the feedback I get from this post I may end up sharing with you my thoughts on those as well.

one-thousand

2006-10-11T02:58:00.000-06:00

1,000. I have now (somehow) crept over 1,000 hits since this blog came into existence way back in the day (which was a Wednesday). I will not use this opportunity for some sick self congratulatory post, boasting about my addictive/awesome writing style and how you, my loyal readers, just HAVE to visit twice a day. However, I will use this post to say thanks to my Uncle Mike, who inspired me to create this blog. Mike's own blog about his time spent discovering himself in Antartica was a joy to read, and his pictures were great as well. So, if you happen to read this - thanks Mike. I couldn't have done it without you. Cheers.

Dry spell

2006-10-10T05:45:00.000-06:00

SGT Kane has been harassing me over my lack of posting lately and I have finally relented to his onslaught of verbal abuse and physical intimidation. I apologize to you, my loyal readers and fans, over my lack of content the past couple weeks. Unfortunately, I have come across a bit of a dry spell, content wise. My daily routine here in the desert has been a shining example of mundane office work, with weightlifting and spirited PlayStation 2 battles sprinkled in for good measure. We're a third of the way through the month of October (our 7th month in country). That's a positive thing, for sure. I've been relying on Husker football to keep me going so far this fall. (Editor's Note: I use the term "fall" loosely, as we're still cracking 90 degrees on a daily basis. Supposedly cooler weather is on the horizon, but I'll believe it when I feel it.) I've also been inspired by my co-workers and their post-deployment vacation planning to start some getaway preparations of my own. My travel partner Nicki loves to hear about my big plans. So far the #1 spot on our list of destination possibilities is Las Vegas. I'll have to make sure and leave the ATM card at home for that trip. Would be a shame to blow my hard earned Army savings in a few days. I'm sure having my better half by my side will eliminate that possibility. In other positive news - my fantasy team put together a tremendous performance on Sunday, and I actually have a good shot at earning my first victory of the young season. As the commissioner of the league, I must say I'm disappointed and slightly embaressed with my lethargic 0-4 start, so getting a win this weekend should earn me a little more respect amongst my fellow owners. While we're on the topic of football, I'll mention that I was able to view my beloved Huskers in all their crimson and cream glory this past Sunday on AFN. My fellow Husker fans and I here in the S-1 shop were able to take a break from our brutal Sunday work schedule to take in the Big Red's battle against the Cyclones of Ames. I was proud of our performance in a hostile and unpredictable environment. Always good to grab wins on the road during confrence play. My youngest brother Jacob was actually in attendance, taking in his first Cornhusker road game. Lucky for him, it was a win. Looks like I'll be going back to my old middle of the night radio schedule for this Saturday's game versus Kansas State, as the pay-per-view 6 pm broadcast pretty much eliminates the possibilities of AFN broadcasting the game. Hopefully we can continue our winning ways and take care of business in Manhattan. I will attempt to be more proactive in my blogging over the next few weeks. I will do my best not to let you all down.

October 1st

2006-10-01T07:25:00.000-06:00

A few random thoughts...

What a game last night. SGT Kane has documented our saga with AFN and broadcasting the KU game, so I won't go into great detail here. Head on over to his site for the details.
As far as the game itself - wow. Listening to it over the radio was tough, but I imagine sitting in the stadium watching the horror unfold before my own two eyes may have been even worse. All I have to say is that I hope Billy sits down with his defensive coaches and irons out the wrinkles, because that defense will cost us at least one or two games this season if we play as poorly as we did against the Jayhawks. Props to the offense and Zac for hanging tough and to the team as a whole for grinding out the victory.
SGT Kane is back from leave. He is documenting his time back in NE through pictures and stories, a la my own R&R leave posts upon my return from leave a few months ago. Click on the link to the right to read all about it.
October 1st is a good day. We are now knee deep in our 7th month here in Iraq. Having 6 months in the books and behind us is a great feeling. We're on the down hill slope now.
I received a new toy today in the mail - a brand new PS2. The one I was using is 95% toast, and toughing it out over the next 5 months without my trusty friend would be just impossible. Now that my new PS2 is here, I can reunite myself with my favorite time killer - NCAA football 2007.
My brother Joseph is turning into quite the world traveler. He is currently deployed with his Navy unit, cruising the big blue sea on a ship. Read about his travels here.
Just to give this post a little excitement, I'll post a picture of Nicki and her lovely mother Dianne, tailgating before the NU-KU game yesterday.

Husker game

2006-09-24T05:16:00.000-06:00

You want to know how soldiers in Iraq take in a Husker game? I figured you would, so I took some pictures of the S-1 crew listening to the NU vs Troy game. We all had to wake up at 3 a.m. in order to listen, but for a diehard Husker fan sleep is a crutch. Enjoy.

I don't know about you all, but when I see look at this picture I don't see SFC Kerchal - I see Tony Soprano. The similarities are striking. Both are leaders of men, in charge of a "crew", carry a 9MM pistol at all times, intimidating, and both have issues keeping hair on their domes. Now if we can just convince our commander to buy us an Escalade to cruise around Anaconda with, we can really pull this off.

Here I am at my battle station, operating the radio feed over the internet and monitoring a live statistical feed, both courtesy of UNL's official Husker site. We have had remarkably good success with the radio feed, considering our location. I'm trying to see if my new Larry the Cable Guy Husker hat can meet "lucky hat that must be worn during Husker game" status. So far so good - we're 1-0 together. Give me a few more wins, and we'll talk.

SSG Tunnison, pictured in the center of this photo, is the master chef of our Husker listening parties. His cheese/hamburger chip dip is outstanding. Notice the score predictions on the white board - we are all very competitive. No one hit the nail on the head with an exact prediction for the Troy game, but SFC Kerchal and I came the closet, so we called it a tie.

SFC Kerchal and I, digging in to the snacks. I'm enjoying some of SSG Tunnison's delicious dip. Cheese dip and n/a beer at 3 a.m. is the definition of Husker football dedication, in my book.

Shout-out

2006-09-23T04:37:00.000-06:00

Our Squadron PAO (Public Offairs Officer) is SFC Shultz. He is the editor and man in charge of our bi-monthly newsletter, and runs all public affairs type matters within the Squadron, including covering newsworthy events, interviewing soldiers within the Squadron, taking pictures, and sending news stories and information back and forth between the soldiers here in Iraq and media outlets back home. Yesterday he organized a Husker shout-out with the local PAO officer here at Anaconda. Soldiers volunteered to shoot a short (30 seconds or so) video clip, saying hello to family and friends back home and wishing the Huskers well for this season. The goal is to get these shout-outs played on the HuskerVision screens at a Husker home game some time this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Anyways, just in case you never get a chance to see the video, I had SPC Benes take a picture of me on the set, capturing this magic moment. I have my Larry the Cable Guy hat on in the picture, but I decided against wearing it for my shout-out. Wanted to maintain my militray image and what not.

Larry the Cable Guy

2006-09-22T01:43:00.000-06:00

Larry the Cable Guy hails from the state of Nebraska. As we all know, if you are born in NE, you have roughly a .05% chance of not being a Husker football fan. Larry does not fall into the .05 percentile. He is an avid Husker fan, and has recently shown his devotion to NU by investing millions into the program by purchasing his own skybox, and has also made a habit of showing up to Husker practices. Earlier this week we received a care package, courtesy of Larry himself, full of Husker gear. Boxes of woodland camo Husker hats and red "Git-r-done" Husker t-shirts were sent over as gifts to us Husker fans doing our thing over here in the desert. See below for a picture of yours truly, modeling this fine Husker apparel.

Before ... and after

2006-09-14T09:34:00.000-06:00

Alrighty folks, sorry about the delay since my last post, but things have been a little busy around here lately and my blog has been forced to suffer the consequences. Since SGT Kane went on leave I've had to take responsibility for some of the things he usually handles, so my plate has been a little fuller over the last week or so. The good news is that Kane should be back in about two weeks. The bad news is that Kane won't be back for another two weeks. Hopefully I can keep the ship afloat until his return. That saying is so true - you don't really know what you got till it's gone.

On a side note, my beloved Cornhuskers are traveling West to take on the mighty Trojans this weekend, one of many mammoth college football matchups slated for this weekend. The good folks at AFN are broadcasting a live telecast of the USC/NU matchup for us to see. What a treat. I will have to make a small sacrifice of sleep, as the game will kick off at 4 a.m. local time, but that is a small price to pay for such an occasion. Go Big Red!

Today's photos will show off a little before/after action. We've been in Iraq for about 6 months now, and we've made a few small changes to our surroundings in that time. I'm working on a project that will give you an even better idea of what Iraq is about than what I've already shown you through this blog. Stay tuned for the details. Here we go...

BEFORE: This a shot of the business end of our office. SFC Kerchal's desk is in the back left, SGT Kane's is the back right and at the time SSG Johnson and I were sharing the desk off to the right.
AFTER: SFC Kerchal and SGT Kane are still in the same spot. SSG Johnson now has his own desk, off to the left, while I'm now all alone at my desk to the right. As you can see, we've put a lot of work and effort into showing our Husker pride to all who visit us.

BEFORE: This was the desk that SSG Johnson and I were sharing. This setup, combined with our shared living quarters, was just a little more time together than any two soldiers should have to share.

AFTER: I still have the second chair, but now it's just for guests who come to bask in the glory of my brilliance. Or at least that's what I tell myself. I've used the extra space to expand my empire somewhat, and I enjoy my hidden spot in the office.

Anaconda in pictures - odds & ends

2006-09-05T23:32:00.000-06:00

Today's pictures won't cover any one thing in particular, but rather a couple of odds & ends that didn't merit their own post. Enjoy.

Here is our our chow hall. Food is not too shabby, but tends to get repitive. I hope to take some inside shots in the future.

The entrance to the beloved swimming pool.

Photo from my trip to the pool last week. Fairly busy lately, but the hot hot hot summer weather is starting to die down, and now we're just dealing with hot, which isn't too bad.
There is an outdoor basketball court and sand volleyball court outside of the gym. I've never used either one, but I've seen some folks using them from time to time.

Anaconda in pictures - movie theater

2006-09-05T08:15:00.000-06:00

Today's segment of Anaconda in pictures takes us to Sustainer Theater, the movie theater here at Anaconda. Next to the gym, the theater has to be my favorite thing about Anaconda - possibly better than the swimming pool. The cost is nice (free) and the location is swell too - only about 2 blocks away from my trailer. They also do a surprisingly good job on the movie selection - we're usually fortunate enough to get plenty of first run movies. Usually we get movies here about 2-4 weeks after they arrive in theaters back in the States. On some occasions, we've even gotten them the same weekend (as was the case with the new Will Ferrell flick) or in some rare cases, we've even gotten movies before they were out in the states (as was the case with Superman). The theater itself isn't too bad. Seats leave something to be desired, and the technology of the screen and audio is dated, but all things considered we are very lucky to have such a nice place to kill time here in the desert.

Sustainer theater, in all it's brick and mortar glory. The building has held up well. I'm not sure how old the place actually is. Their is a Subway restaurant upstairs, but I've never eaten there. Supposedly the food isn't quite the same as you would get back home, and the DFAC puts together really good sandwiches - for free - so I haven't really had much desire to check out Subway.
The concessions bar at the theater. Baskin Robbins has as stand here selling the basics - shakes, sundaes, cones, etc. They will also sell you normal movie theater stuff (popcorn, candy, pop) along with some things you might not get at theaters back home (full-size pizzas, n/a beer, etc.) This is the only portion of the theater experience that has a price tag. Admission, as I mentioned above, is always free.
A shot of the stairs leading up to the Subway restaurant and the balcony section of the theater. Balcony seats are usually highly sought after, and Generals and other higher ranking folks tend to suck up a lot of the best seats. We usually sit on the floor level - our way of sticking it to the man, so to speak.
The theater does a good job of looking and feeling just like any ol movie theater back home. A little dated, but still the tried and true movie theater experience. On this night SGT Kane, SPC Benes and I were checking out the new Disney flick, Invincible. Good film - we all enjoyed it. This was last Saturday night, before the Husker game came on the radio at 11:30 p.m. We got pumped up at Invincible, then rolled back to the office to listen to the Huskers steamroll LA Tech. Good times.

Anaconda in pictures - the neighborhood

2006-09-03T00:54:00.000-06:00

Today's pictures will give you a visual of the housing area that I live in along with some of the surrounding points of interest.

Also, have to mention that the Huskers romped yesterday, and I was able to listen to the game in it's entirety, thanks to the kind folks at Huskers.com who provide free streaming radio broadcasts of every Husker game. Go Big Red!

Behind those concrete walls (referred to as t-walls over here) is my housing area. It's quite a protective fortress that they have built for us. The idea is if mortar rounds or other enemy fire enters the area the t-walls will protect our trailers. I'd like to see them put in a moat and draw bridge type set-up to complete the whole castle effect, but I'm guessing that won't happen anytime soon.

Here is a shot of the street that runs right next to our housing area, which you can see in the top right corner of the picture. Our work area is to the right of the picture - you can't see it here. Off to the left is the restroom/shower trailers. You can see it's a bit of a walk from where I live to the showers. Not really what I'm used to, considering the last two apartments I've lived in I've had a master bedroom with bathroom five feet from my bed. One thing I will look forward to when I get home is having the ability to wake up in the morning and walk to the bathroom, without worrying about getting fully dressed, putting shoes on, etc.

Possibly the #1 thing I will not miss about Iraq - port-a-potties. They are everywhere, and unavoidable in most cases. Most mornings I end up making this my first stop when I wake up. Not a pleasant way to start you day, to say the least.

This is what the housing area looks like inside the t-walls. Between the t-walls and the sandbags, they protect our trailers fairly well. To really take the protection to the next level though, I really think we need to seriously consider the moat idea. I'll keep you updated.

Anaconda in pictures - Sprung Gym (part two)

2006-08-31T23:02:00.000-06:00

Here are some more pictures from the Sprung gym here at Anaconda.
The other side of the weight lifting end of the gym. Don't be fooled by the air conditioning ducts you see hanging from the ceiling - the average temperature in the gym at night is around 80-85 degrees. This contribuites to getting your sweat on in no time.

Who's that leading this group of soldiers in PT (black shirt, black hat)? Well it's none other than the Diamond Cutter himself, three-time world wrestling champion Diamond Dallas Page. He's old (50) and promoting some strange work-out routine that he's doing now that his WWF days are behind him. (For more information on DDP and his new shtick, click here) Nice of him to visit us over here though, I suppose. The basketball court is on the opposite end of the building from the weights.

Here I am, crushing it on the assisted pull-up/dip machine. Just in case your wondering, the reflective belt I'm wearing around my waist is part of the Army uniform over here in Iraq. It's worn mostly at night, in order to increase visibility and decrease accidents.

Thin mints anyone? It's not uncommon for the girl scouts to donate a box or two of their famous cookies for the troops over here in Iraq, but the gym obviously received an overabundance of cookies, as you can see in the picture above. SGT Kane and I were really excited about this, for some reason, and decided it was a blog-worthy photo opportunity. (For the record, SGT Kane is the king of recognizing blogworthy events)

Anaconda in pictures - Sprung Gym

2006-08-31T22:25:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to do over here is crush it at the gym. By crushing it, I'm referring to getting in crazy good shape at the gym by lifting weights and running. On my last deployment to Bosnia we were lucky enough to have a very nice gym on our base that allowed us access to a dizzying array of top of the line equipment. The gym here at Anaconda is larger and contains more equipment than the gym in Bosnia, but the gym in Bosnia supported roughly 500 soldiers - the Sprung gym (named after the manufacture of the building) here at Anaconda supports 15,000. Little bit different scope, but the bottom line is that the gym is here and I am more than happy to use it. One critical element to a solid workout routine is having a battle buddy to lift with you. SGT Kane has stepped up and filled that role, and has done a knockout job. We've been working out 4-6 days a week for the last 5 months or so. Lately, we've added SSG Johnson to the routine, which has added this whole three musketeers type dynamic to the whole thing. So far I'm roughly six months into this deployment and I can honestly say that going to the gym has been the best thing to happen to me so far. I've really enjoyed it. Here are a few pictures.

Inside the gym. Not really sure why we have racquetball. Sure, it's a good way to burn a few calories, but the court eats up a lot of valuable gym space that could be used for more weight lifting machines. Oh well. People seem to enjoy it.

The gym is basically a U shape that curves around the racquetball court. Wide variety of free weights, cardio and other equipment. It's usually not too terribly busy, but it can get a little crazy at night. This photo was taken on a relatively busy night.

An exterior shot of the gym. The gym is the large structure with the white metal roof in the background of the photo. In the front is the smaller gym, with an indoor basketball court and more cardio equipment. I don't usually spend too much time in the smaller gym. The serious weight lifters who are taking it to the next level stay in the larger gym. So of course that's where I go.

Re-enlistment

2006-08-30T21:40:00.000-06:00

I re-enlisted a couples days ago for another 3 years of good times in the Army National Guard. I know, some of you are probably scratching your heads wondering what illegal substance I was on when I made this decision, but trust me, I was in a clear state of mind. My original contract was set to expire in August of 2007. After my re-enlistment my new end date will be August of 2010, for those of you who can't do basic math. I'll use this extra time to finish up my college work on Uncle Sam's dime, which was one of the main reasons I joined the Guard in the first place. I'm crossing my fingers that the Army will leave me alone for three years, so I can graduate college before I'm thirty. Anyways, here are a few pictures from my swearing in ceremony, complete with tongue in cheek commentary.

Milling about before the swearing in. At this point I was contemplating my escape routes in case I decide to bail at the last minute. Mr. Regan (facing me, back middle) is eyeing me suspiciously, like a gunslinger in a wild west movie. He knows I'm screwed.

MAJ Teegerstrom, the squadron XO (executive officer), swore me in. SFC Lechner, the retention guy who swindled me into this whole deal, is standing in the background with a U.S. flag. To make it official and what not.

I'm not really sure why I look so happy in this photo. I just gave the U.S. government three more years of my life! Is it too late to take this back? Maybe I was on some type of narcotic after all. I know Nicki thinks I was.

Anaconda in pictures

2006-08-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

More pictures from the bazaar...

Soldiers browsing the booths, checking out what the LNs have to offer.

This fellow saw me snapping pictures, and was begging for me to take one of him. The LNs can speak some English - usually just enough to get your money in their pocket. Most seem happy and enjoy working the bazaar. When I gestured to this dude that I was going to take his picture, he asked me to stop while he grabbed a few things. Without wasting any time, he snagged a copy of Click! and a knife. Essential items, to be sure.

Shoes? Anyone want some shoes? A pair of brand spanking new Nike Shox will run you about $30. Beat that Footlocker!

Another table full of DVD box sets. There is a mixture of things you would find back home (Sopranos box set, Nip/Tuck, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, etc.) and some things you won't find at your local Wal-Mart or Best Buy (50 Disney movies in one box, 20 Julia Roberts movies, etc.).

Anaconda in pictures

2006-08-28T12:11:00.000-06:00

Anaconda is the base here in Iraq that I am spending my lovely all-expenses paid twelve month desert vacation at. Nicki says that I haven't shared enough pictures of what exactly Anaconda looks like. Well, when Nicki speaks, I listen. Most of the time. Yesterday was my day off, and I spent some of my afternoon wandering around taking pictures of things that you folks may or may not find interesting. I took over fifty pictures, all in all. I'll share a few of them, here and there, over the next few days. If the pictures are confusing or don't make sense, or you want clarification on something, feel free to post a comment and I will answer. I will call this series of photographs "Anaconda in pictures". Hopefully when it's all said and done you will have gained a better visual image of what I see and interact with on a daily basis.
I took this picture as I walked up to the bazaar. The bazaar operates on the weekends and allows LNs (local nationals) the opportunity to hawk their wares to the folks who live here at Anaconda. The bazaar is located on the back side of the pool, a few blocks away from our office and housing area. (the pool is located behind the t-walls, on the right hand side of this picture)

A shot of the bazaar, as you walk into it. The whole thing isn't that huge - less than one city block in length, with booths on both sides of the street. It has grown quite a bit since we first got here back in April - roughly doubled in size since then. The vendors try to obtain as much shade as possible - the heat is horrible.

DVD box sets, knives, 9MM holsters - the bazaar has it all! DVD's are the top seller - the discounts on what we pay here versus retail back home is fairly significant. For example, on this particular trip I picked up the Brad Pitt box set, which includes 15 of Brad's best movies - including Fight Club, Legends of the Fall, etc. I only paid $25 for this collection, which comes out to roughly $1.67 per movie - beat that Best Buy!

Moving on

2006-08-26T00:26:00.000-06:00

Alright, I've finally come to grips with the fact that my R&R leave is over. I've decided I need to move on with my life and start looking forward to the end of this ordeal and quit focusing on the past. To mark this occasion I will post one final batch of R&R leave photos. Enjoy.

Nicki holding her newest sister, Emma. My time back on leave gave me the oppertunity to hang out with Emma for the first time. She seems pretty cool, except for when she drooled on my t-shirt when I was holding her. But that happens to all of us from time to time, so I won't hold it against her.

Another picture of my welcome home party, hosted by the Kools. My cousin Amanda was able to come, which was very cool. Looks like she is having a fun time.

Nicki and I at BW3s.

Pool Party

2006-08-22T22:02:00.000-06:00

I'm going to break up the normal "Jon home on R&R leave" photo routine with something a little different today. A couple nights ago the S-1 guys (my section) were invited to a pool party, hosted by some of the soldiers working at the ECPs (Entry Control Point). They had a nice spread of food, including steaks, ribs, and lobster tails. Also had all the extras, including baked beans, potato salad, and even some n/a beer. A good time was had by all. Here are some pictures from the event.

SGT Kane, SFC Kerchal and myself, hanging out poolside sipping on ice cold Becks n/a beer.

SSG Johnson wanted to be cool for 5 seconds, so SFC Kerchal and I let him take a picture with us. I think he felt left out because he wasn't in the first picture. Notice that SFC Kerchal and I won't look at the camera. We were slightly ashamed to be in a photograph with SSG Johnson. Poor guy.

This is a picture of the brand new shelter that was constructed at the pool, just for pool parties like this one.

Some of the meat, cooking on the grill. The steaks were outstanding. Best cut of meat I've had since I was home on leave. Delicious.

The sweetest thing

2006-08-21T08:10:00.000-06:00

Nicki and I, keeping it real at the welcome home bash thrown by my grandparents, Bill and Nancy at their home, Fountain Glen.

Couples

2006-08-20T13:25:00.000-06:00

Jamie came up to NE allll the way from Colorado State to attend my shin-ding and say hello. High five to Jamie for being a good friend and taking the time out of her busy summer to visit us all up North. In the picture below, from left to right, is myself, Nicki, Jamie and her boyfriend, Jake.

Brothers

2006-08-19T22:22:00.000-06:00

Flanked by my two youngest brothers. Jacob on the left, James on the right. James will be a freshman at Hastings College and Jacob a senior at Seward High. Crazy.

homecoming

2006-08-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken only hours after I had arrived in NE. Nicki picked me up at the airport in Omaha, and we had just arrived at her apartment. Notice two things: I'm still in partial Army uniform, and Nicki made an awesome shirt just for my return!

b dubs

2006-08-17T21:48:00.000-06:00

Me and my boy Nate, at BW3s.

Boyd's are back in town

2006-08-16T11:44:00.000-06:00

Tim and Zach Boyd made a pit stop on their way to Chicago to stop in Lincoln and say hi to me. They were on their way from Denver, CO up North to Chicago to see their brother David graduate from Navy basic training. Tim and Zach were only in town a couple days, but it was a fun time and I was stoked that they were able to stop and say hi before I left for my return trip to Iraq.

Saltdogs

2006-08-15T08:52:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken at a Saltdogs game that Nicki and I attended. Being at the ballpark is always a good time, and I believe the Saltdogs won this game, which was an added bonus.

Picture time

2006-08-14T00:39:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of me chilling out with some of the guys at my welcome home party, hosted by the Kools. Clockwise from the top, starting with me: Nate, Ben, Alex, James and Ryan. Good times were had by all.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2006-08-13T13:07:00.000-06:00

Recently, my awesome girlfriend Nicki sent me a CD chock full of sweet pictures from my time back in NE. I wanted to think of a creative way to share some of these pictures with you, my loyal readers, and I think I've found it. I will post one random picture a day (or as often as my schedule allows me), until I feel I've posted enough to give you all a good feel for how my leave went, and to give certain people or events the attention (for one day, at least) that they so richly deserve. This will also give me a reason to hold on even longer to the great memories I had while I was home, and take my mind off of the task at hand. I'll try and include a little caption under each picture, describing who was involved and what was going down. So here we go...

I would be remiss if I didn't kick this whole thing off without a picture of my better half, Nicki, and I. This picture was taken over at Nate, Ryan and Mitch's apartment one fine evening while I was home. I think this picture pretty much proves that we are are the best thing since sliced bread.

Flying Squirrel

2006-08-12T00:16:00.000-06:00

While I was at home, a few friends and family members inquired about the story behind the black eye I was sporting for a week or so back in early June. (Read about it here) During the course of describing the entire incident in painstaking detail, I mentioned that our Squadron Executive Officer, MAJ Teegerstrom, had drawn up a sketch on a whiteboard next to my desk. The sketch is MAJ Teegerstrom's best effort to visually paint a picture of how my whole black eye incident went down. Well, upon my return from R&R leave, I found that my comrades here in the office had taken the sketch to another level. They had added mathematical equations and other numbers to add more detail to the original sketch. I decided I would capture this work of art by taking a picture, so as to record the event for historical purposes and record keeping. So without further adieu, here is the much talked about, much hyped sketch.

Cabela's Flag

2006-08-10T02:50:00.000-06:00

About two months ago, I wrote a piece on this blog about my employer back home, Cabelas, and how they had genourously donated a Cabela's flag for me to fly over here in Iraq. (Read about it here) The flag had been flying in front of the Lincoln Cabela's office, and they took it down just to send me so I would have something to fly over here. I flew the flag and then when I went home on leave recently, I returned the flag to the kind folks at Cabelas, complete with a framed certificate documenting the event. They were very happy with how the whole thing turned out, as was I. Here is a pic of me and the Human Resources rep at the Cabela's Bank with the certificate that I delivered. Thanks again to Cabela's for all their help in making this happen!

Go 'Skers

2006-08-05T03:50:00.000-06:00

Considering that the majority of my unit is from Nebraska, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that there are a lot of die-hard Husker fans within our ranks. When we first arrived in Iraq, there was a debate about what flag we should fly daily on the flag pole outside our headquarters building (where I work). Well, the logical choice to Husker fans in the unit was to fly a Husker flag, to show the rest of our base where our allegiance lies. SGT Kane generously donated the use of his Husker flag to this purpose, and from day one Kane's crimson and cream flag has been flying proudly (read about it here). Four months of Iraqi sun, sand and wind has put this Husker flag through a true test of durability. SGT Kane was aiming for a nice weathered look, so he can proudly display this Husker flag when he gets back to Nebraska as a veteran of the war on terror. SGT Kane is satisfied that his flag has reached a desirable level of wear and is prepared to hand off the baton, so to speak, to a new Husker flag. I am prepared to step up to the plate and take control of this important role within the Squadron, but I am missing an important piece - a Husker flag. I am using this post as an opportunity for some caring, compassionate soul back in the states to donate a Husker flag to this worthy cause. If you need my mailing address, shoot me an email. I appreciate your help in continuing this important tradition!

Shenanigans

2006-08-01T09:34:00.000-06:00

One of the highlights of my time spent back in NE had to have been the welcome home party that the Kool's threw for me. Nicki's mom Dianne and her husband Kent graciously hosted my friends and I in their back yard, allowing us to socialize and have some good times all night long. Nicki did a lot of the leg work, inviting what seemed like every friend I've had in the last 10 years to come say hello to their favorite guardsmen serving in Iraq, have a few drinks, and enjoy a warm summer night in Nebraska. Here are a couple of pics from the party.

Hanging out with some of "the guys" - Shaun, myself, K-Mart and Wags.

Two of my brothers made the trip from the farm to say hello, despite being in the midst of detasseling season. The scary thing about this picture is that I appear to possibly be the shortest Hanseling of the bunch. Yikes. Jacob, myself, Nicki and James.

Me with two lovely ladies - the hostess of my welcome home shin-ding, Mrs. Kool, and her daughter (and my g/f) Ms. Blazek.

Nicki and I with Wags and his girlfriend Hannah, whom I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time at the party.

Thanks again to the Kools for hosting, all my friends for showing up and saying hello, and most of all my lovely Nicki, for putting the whole thing together.

Back in the saddle again

2006-08-01T09:28:00.000-06:00

Some of my readers may be wondering why it has been such a long time since my last update. Well, do not fear, all is well here with me, but I've been away for awhile and that is the reason behind my break in posting to this blog. The general rule of thumb in the military is that you can not discuss specific details of events to be held in the future, but once an event has passed, it is then acceptable to discuss what is now in the past. Therefore, I wasn't able to share with the world that I was returning to NE for a 2 week long break from this lovely desert home of mine, but now that I'm back from NE and enjoying the heat and sand once again, I can now say that I've been back home visiting family and friends. I had a lovely time (as always) and enjoyed every minute of my vacation. I was able to visit with tons of family and friends while I was back, but I'm sure I missed a few people that I would have liked to touch base with. Fear not, people who I missed - come spring of 07 I will be home for good and we can hang out as long as we want. Hopefully in the next couple days I'll find time to share with you all a few pictures and comments on things I was able to do while back in NE.

Coach

2006-06-24T23:00:00.000-06:00

The Army's Morale Welfare & Recreation program (MWR) is in charge of giving U.S. Servicemembers things to do that take their mind of their mission. MWR here at Anaconda does supports and coordinates a lot of events for soldiers. Everything from softball leagues to Toby Keith concerts are MWR functions. A couple days ago MWR brought some college football coaches to visit us here at Anaconda - one legend, and one arch enemy of mine.

Lou Holtz was great. He's much smaller in person than I imagined - 5'7" or so, maybe 150 lbs. Fiery as heck though. When I stopped by his table, I told him it was an honor to meet him. Holtz replied with, "No sonny, the pleasure is all mine". That pretty much sums up Coach Holtz right there. Every soldier that stopped to talk to him got a firm handshake, a warm smile, and kind words of thanks for what we're doing over here.

Here is my arch-enemy, Les Miles from LSU. Les was the head coach at Oklahoma State for a number of years, but moved on to LSU a couple years back. Since his arrival at LSU, Coach Miles has been a burr in Nebraska's side. He has signed a number of blue-chip recruits that NE was also chasing. One high-profile example was about a month ago, when a highly rated high school quaterback from Texas, Jarret Lee, spurned the Huskers in favor of the Tigers. I couldn't help but give Coach Miles a hard time over this. When I asked him about Lee, Miles initially tried to play coy as if he didn't know NE was recruiting him. I pressed him harder, and Miles admitted that he knew NE was indeed recruiting Lee hard, and knew that Lee had basically chosen LSU over NE. His story was that location was big to Lee's parents, because they wanted to travel to alot of Lee's games. Baton Rouge is a 5 hour drive from Lee's home town. Lincoln is over 14 hours away. LSU wins. I tried convincing Miles that it would be most benificial for him to stop recruiting against NU, but I think he was too busy waving over the security folks to listen to my rant. I should give Les a little credit overall - he seemed genuienly thankful for my service over here, and looked me in the eye when I talked to him and never once gave me the impression he was bummed out to be in Iraq's sweltering heat instead of sitting on his deck in Baton Rouge, LA.

All in all it was a fun afternoon, highlighted by meeting Lou Holtz (Lou Holtz!), a living legend of college football.

Flying Squirrel

2006-06-23T03:17:00.000-06:00

As some of you may or may not have heard already, I had a horrific accident a few days ago at the LSA Anaconda outdoor swimming pool. As my faithful readers will know, I posted a blog a few weeks back documenting the outstanding outdoor pool facilites here on LSA Anaconda. I'm a big fan of the pool, and try to visit a few times a week. I've been busting out a few moves on the diving towers that I haven't used since my days growing up at the Milford, NE swimming pool. Needless to say, I'm a little rusty. Anyways, one such move was the "flying squirrel". I won't go into great detail explaining the move, but for those of you who grew up at a pool (my three younger brothers, for example) you should know exactly what I'm talking about. While attempting to pull of this high-wire act, I made a very unfortuante error upon my entry into the water, and my knee ended up making a violent collision with my left eye. The picture above was taken less than a couple hours after the incident. As you can see, the swelling is spectacular. This is the first black eye of my life, and I couldn't be more proud that it was self-inflicted (although my Dad may feel differently about his first born son). Anyways, I wanted to give you the straight scoop right from the source, and kill any rumors (see SGT Kane's blog) or speculation of how I earned this shiner.

The picture to the left was taken yesterday. As you can see, the swelling has gone down significantly, but the nice dark black bruise is showing up nicely. Also, on the whiteboard you can see MAJ Teegerstrom's rendtion of how the "flying squirrel" incident unfolded, for those of you who are unfamilar with the move. Just so you know, I have since visited the pool on two seperate occasions, to get some sun and enjoy the water. However, I have yet to travel back up to the 2nd tower. I'm sure once the black eye disappears I will have no problems moving forward and jumping off the second tower again.

1-167 RSTA

2006-06-21T04:00:00.000-06:00

I encourage you all to check out the new link that I've posted to the right. The 1-167 RSTA (my unit) has been working on creating a unit web site for awhile now, and the web site is starting to finally take shape. The main attraction, for me at least, is that the RSTA Review newsletters that I've been emailing out to all of you are now posted and archived on this site, for easier access.

One issue in particular that I will point out is the 1 May, 2006 edition, with the feature article on my section, the S-1. The article starts on page 4 of the previously mentioned newsletter.

Cabelas

2006-06-11T03:38:00.000-06:00

As you all may or may not know, I am an employee of Cabelas. I work at the bank location in Lincoln, NE as a credit card collector for the wonderful Cabela's Visa card. I am on "military leave" until I return to Lincoln to continue working for Cabela's. Cabela's has treated me very well every step of the way throughout this deployment process. They are keeping my job for me, and while I'm gone I am earning all the normal raises and benefits I would have earned if I was still actively working at the bank. I am very grateful to the company for this.

One popular way for soldiers to take a little bit of Iraq home with them is to fly a U.S. Flag on the flag pole out front of our building here at LSA Anaconda. This way soldiers can take a flag home with them that they can say was flown in Iraq. The flag also makes a great gift to family members and friends. Anyways, I was trying to think of a fun way to say thanks to my friends and co-workers back at the bank in Lincoln, and thought flying a Cabela's flag here in Iraq would be a neat way to show my gratitude.

I got in touch with the Human Resources department at the bank, and shared with them my idea. They were able to hook me up with the Cabela's flag that was actually being flown on a flag pole at the bank location in Lincoln, and sent it my way. I received the flag in great condition a few weeks ago, and yesterday I finally took the time to have it flown over the clear blew Iraq sky. See a couple pictures I took below.

Here I am attempting to attach the massive green Cabela's flag before I raise it up. The Cabela's flag was much larger than the U.S. Flags that are usually flown, so I had to rig together a custom hook-up procedure with zip ties to attach the flag to the rope.

Posing with the flag before hoisting it up the pole. You can really tell in this picture how large and in charge the Cabela's flag actually is.

Thanks to all the folks at Cabela's who were able to make this project happen - specifically L. Prater and J. Fisher. Cabela's has been a big supporter of mine ever since I got deployed. I really appreciate everything they've done for me so far. This is not the last post, hopefully, related to the Cabela's flag. I plan on taking the flag with home with me on my R&R back to NE, and have plans to do something special with it once I return home. I will give you the details of the event at that time. Until then, thanks for checking out my blog and continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers - I really appreciate it!

Non-alcoholic beer

2006-06-10T00:10:00.000-06:00

I'm always brainstorming ideas for things I can write about here on the blog, and one topic I haven't touched on yet would have to be non-alcoholic beer, or NA beer for short. Since we are U.S. Military service members serving in a hostile part of the world, one simple pleasure in life that we are denied is access to alcoholic beverages. All alocholoic beverages of any kind are prohibited in a "combat zone" such as ours. However, one way that soldiers such as myself are able to get around this rule and still enjoy in the pleasure of a beer every now and again is in the consumption of NA beer.

My section sergeant, SFC Kerchal, and I have tast tested a handful of different NA beers during our time in the desert, and we've seperated the haves from the have-nots, based on taste. NA Budweiser was by far the worst we have tried up to this point. A handful of others have also dissapointed. Becks and St. Paulies have been favorites so far. The dining facilites stock NA beer, and every once in awhile we'll have a NA beer with dinner. Little things like the NA beer are not neccessary, but serve as a decent reminder of what home is like, and also allow service members to kick back and relax for a bit and feel like a regular person.

Below is a picture of SFC Kerchal and I enjoying a can of NA Amstel in the office.

Mail Call

2006-06-09T23:47:00.000-06:00

I was planning on putting together a post here sometime covering our mail operations and all that they entail. However, my co-worker and workout partner SPC Kane stepped up to the plate and hit a home run on his blog with his own mail operations piece, so instead of trying to match the high standard he has set, I instead decided to do the American thing and simple ride the coat tails of his good work. You can check out Kane's outstanding post by clicking here, or by using the link on the right hand side of this page. I encourage you all check it out - the article is a good read.

Tomahawks

2006-06-08T23:32:00.000-06:00

Our unit (the 1-167th) is a Cavalry Troop. I don't have the knowledge or the time to go into a big history lecture on the Cavalry, but most folks should recognize a Cavalry trooper as a soldier riding a horse, wielding a saber. Click here for a better explanation of Cavalry history. The Cavalry trooper has a long, rich history in the United States military. Aside from the saber, another weapon that the Cavalry trooper was known to carry on occasion is the tomahawk. I believe this goes back to the Cavalry troopers close ties to various Indian tribes - but don't quote me on that (like I said, I'm no history buff). Anyways, the point of all this is that our Squadron Executive Officer, Major Eric Teegerstrom, is a big fan of the tomahawk and it's ties to the cavalry. While our unit was conducting pre-mobilization operations at Camp Shelby, MS, MAJ Teegerstrom ordered a few tomahawks and was determined to share his love of tomahawks with the 1-167th soldiers. One thing led to another, and tomahawk fever spread throughout the Squadron. Once we arrived to LSA Anaconda, one of MAJ Teegerstrom's priorities was to build a tomahawk range, where proud tomahawk carrying soldiers could go to polish their tomahawk throwing skills. I would rate my skill level at this time as "novice", and that is being generous. On Saturday evenings, MAJ Teegerstrom holds a weekly tomahawk gathering, where tomahawk owners can get together and throw their trusty tomahawks, discuss their love/obsession with tomahawks, check out all the different types of tomahawks, and so on. The main attraction of this event is the tomahawk HORSE competition, a game that most should be familiar with (most normally played on the basketball courts). I recently purchased my own tomahawk and participated in my first tomahawk night last Saturday, and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow evenings festivities.

Below you can check out some pictures I took yesterday, when SPC Kane and I went out to the range to practice and brush up on our skills. We played a practice round of HORSE, and SPC Kane came out on top. I look forward to seeking my revenge in the future.

SPC Kane throwing his tomahawk towards the center target.

Removing my tomahawk from one of the targets after a solid stick (tomahawk lingo).

Up close shot of the head of my tomahawk. You can make out the "167 CAV" that was hand stamped into this custom made, hand-fabricated tomahawk. MAJ Teegerstrom's contact does an excellent job of making these tomahawks - they are of the highest quality.

I will try to take some more pictures tomorrow night at the weekly tomahawk get-together to give you a better idea of how the whole thing works.

like opening the oven door

2006-05-31T05:56:00.000-06:00

100 degrees is somewhat of a magic, almost mythical number. People back home mention 100 degree weather, and folks will cover their mouth with their hand, and gasp. The weatherman forecasts 100 degree weather, and mothers tell their children to stay inside, enjoy the a/c - it's too hot outside, almost dangerous. Swimming pools overflow with customers. Summer sports and other activities shut down, due to the brutal heat.

Well, as most folks know, it gets real hot in the desert. Having never visited the Middle East before, I only had stories and word of mouth of what exactly "desert heat" feels like. Well, I'm here now, and experiencing it all first hand. When we first arrived in Iraq, we were still enjoying the spring season, and mild temperatures that came with it. High temperatures back then peaked around the high 80s and low 90s. Not too bad, we told each other. This is bearable.

Spring is in the rear-view mirror now. Summer is here, dropping the hammer of scorching summer temperatures on all of us. Soldiers stationed in the desert are defenseless to the bright sun, the hot dusty wind, and everything else that summer brings with it. Soldiers can not simply stay inside and enjoy a/c, or spend all day cooling off at the pool. Soldiers must continue on, complete their missions, all while enduring the triple-digit temperatures.

Each day this week our sections weather guru, SPC Burnham (a meteorology major at UNL) has been monitoring his weather station and recording the steady climb of the Iraq heat. Today has been the hottest day so far - we topped out at 111.6 degrees. The effect of this level of hot is hard to describe, but SPC Kane found a way to sum it up perfectly - "it's like opening the oven door in the kitchen - the heat kicks you in the face and forces you to look away". Everytime you dare to venture outdoors, the heat is waiting.

Continue to keep the soldiers of the 1-167th RSTA in your thoughts and prayers as we continue our mission in the extreme heat of Iraq. I'm thankful for my desk job and the stream of a/c - now more than ever!

Award Presentation

2006-05-30T09:12:00.000-06:00

I'm sure some of you find yourselves scratching your head from day to day and wondering, "I know Jon is deployed, but what the heck is he doing over there in Iraq?" Well, hopefully this post will help in identifying at least one or two examples of what it is, exactly, that I do here.
We recently had an incident where one of the soldiers in our Squadron was involved with discovering and confiscating a large amount of contraband (in this case, liqour) from a truck that was entering LSA Anaconda. The General here at Anaconda wanted to reward this fine soldier with an award for his discovery. After a few emails and phone calls, the news of the event made it down to my level and it was determined that yours truly would be responsible for writing the award and seeing that it was done properly so the General could sign it and award it to the soldier. I went to work, doing my thing, and once I had the award completed and signed by all the right folks, I forwarded it on to the General's office, which took it from there. This long process came full circle this morning, with the General making a visit to the soldier and awarding him with an Army Achievment Medal. I was present for the ceremony, and was tasked with taking plenty of pictures. I'll put a few on here for you to see.

(from l-r) LTC Apprich (Our Squadron Commander), GEN Halstead, and the awardee, SPC McPherson.

(l-r) LTC Apprich congratulates SSG Vance on the coin he received from the General.

G.I. Joe

2006-05-20T00:56:00.000-06:00

My job description and requirments don't allow me to get out too much. I pretty much spend my entire day in the office, behind my computer, doing my thing. However, every once in awhile I get a chance to be a real "soldier", and get out of the office. Today I was preparing for a mission and had a rare oppertunity to put on all my gear, and decided it would be a good photo oppertunity. I submit these pictures to you now, to give an idea of what I look like when I get all dressed up.

the Pool

2006-05-16T21:54:00.000-06:00

The inevitable heat wave has washed over LSA Anaconda, suffocating all in it's path with triple-digit temperatures and stifling heat. Gone are the mild spring temperatures of 80 degrees. Summer has arrived, and it's here to stay.

One of the best things Anaconda has to offer is their outdoor pool. The pool was actually built by the Hussein family for Iraqi athlete to train in for the Olympic games. After 9/11 and the U.S. takeover of Balad and LSA Anaconda, the military opened up the pool to provide U.S. service members a break from the scorching desert heat and at the same time let them enjoy a nice reminder of summer fun back in the USA. The pool is open 24/7, and is used for both lap swimming and pure unadulterated fun.

My favorite feature of the pool has to be the diving tower, hands down. Not only are diving towers fun just by themselves, but if you factor in a childhood spent at swimming pools such as the Municipal pool in Seward NE and Woods pool in Lincoln NE, then you can understand my enjoyment of this concrete structure. Many soldiers make fools of themselves attempting to pull off absurd jumps and maneuvers from the diving tower, but these types of incidents are encouraged, as they provide entertainment for the rest of us watching from a distance. Unfortunately for the thrill seekers, the top deck is off limits, but I think most would agree that the middle deck is high enough (30 feet) to satisfy any service members needs.

My workout partner (SPC Kane) and I have gotten into a routine of working out in the gym (which can be seen off in the distance of the above picture) and then walking over to the pool for a nice cool down period. This has been working out well, and will probably be a staple for months to come.

Bottom line: the swimming pool rocks, is one of Anaconda's best features, and will be one of my favorite spots during my time here in Iraq.

Before I wrap this up I just wanted to say congratulations to my brother James on his graduation this Sunday from Seward High School. An outstanding achievement, to be sure. Good luck brother at Hastings College - I know Mom would be proud, as the rest of us are.

Inside the Hooch

2006-05-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

I told you all awhile back that I would post some pictures of the inside of my room once the initial "just moved in" phase had passed and the place was presentable. After being here a few weeks and getting comfortable and everything in its place, I now present a pair of pictures of my room.

Above is the front corner on my half of the room. Most of the rooms here are laid out just like this one - two beds, two wall lockers, and lovely wood paneling.

Here is my cozy back corner. Notice the lovely blanket that Nicki made me and gave as a Christmas gift - it keeps me warm at night when the a/c is cranking. My brother Jacob sent me a handful of PS2 games that I play when I have time - thanks Jacob! This picture is now outdated, as I have now moved the green foot locker out of the way and tucked it underneath the bed. My roommate and I feel that the switch really opens up the space.

The living quarters are simple, yet efficient. The beds are comfortable - I sleep well every night. In the past, soldiers lived in tents, on cots, with as many as 12 men per tent. I am very grateful for what I have!

Huskers in Iraq

2006-04-30T23:53:00.000-06:00

I've already posted one picture of our Husker flag flying proudly in the blue Iraq sky, but I love the Huskers and I'm proud of our flag, so here is another shot. This picture not only shows the flag, but in the background you can see our parking lot and some of the area around our building. Take special note of the trees - this is a rare site. Soldiers from other smaller and more desolate FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) come to Anaconda and are blown away that we have trees. Again, something that might not seem to be too big of a deal to you folks back home, but is a big deal here in the desert.

Milk

2006-04-30T01:42:00.000-06:00

Long life milk. To most of you back in the states, this may be an unfamiliar idea. To a soldier stationed overseas? Long life milk is it. You see, because of the environment, force protection measures, the distance, the culture, the weather, and a host of other factors, regular straight from the cow milk is not available to your soldiers serving in the Middle East. Zain premium long life milk is a powder-based liquid that has the same smell, look and consistency of the milk you all are oh so familiar with back in the USA. There are two noticeable differences of long life milk, however, that I will explain to you now.

Number one, and most important, is the temperature. You see, long life milk is designed to survive over a long period of time without refrigeration. At our dining facilities here, the milk is stored at room temperature (75-80 degrees) then placed in refrigerators for soldiers to grab and consume. The turnover in the refrigerator is very high - soldiers need their milk. You can probably see the downside to this - the milk is never served cold. You may luck out in the early hours of the morning and grab a mildly cold box, but the majority of the time you are left to simply pretend that the milk is cold.

The second major difference with long life milk is the taste. Anytime scientists alter food to improve the lifespan, taste usually suffers. Long life milk is no exception to this common rule.

One other thing worth mentioning here before I end this lecture - have you ever tried emptying a box of milk into a bowl of cereal? This is a skill that takes time and practice to master. Holding the box upside down and squeezing the milk out of the straw and into the bowl is one common technique. Others choose to take their knife (all good soldiers carry a knife) and cut a large gash into the top of the box. This method tends to greatly speed the flow of milk into the bowl, but carries with it more risk - making too large of an incision in the box and spilling milk all over your meal is one example.

Bottom line is this: sometimes when regular folks back home go about their daily lives, they tend to take for granted some of the common conveniences of life in the USA. Milk is one of these conveniences. So next time you open up the frig, pull out that gallon of milk and pour yourself a nice tall cold glass of the white stuff, remember Sergeant Hanseling, sitting at a dining facility in Iraq, struggling to squeeze a box of powder-based long life milk into his bowl of lucky charms. Enjoy what you have back home ladies and gentleman - I know I do.

Pop quiz - how much calcium is in this box of long life milk pictured above?

the Hammer

2006-04-29T06:06:00.000-06:00

To all of you who think that I'm sitting in Iraq goofing off, or not doing anything productive, I present this picture to you as evidence that the opposite is true.

the Team

2006-04-26T07:49:00.000-06:00

This is the S-1 team: (From left to right) Kneeling - SGT Hanseling, SPC Gaskins; 2nd row - SGT Johnson, SPC Kane, CW4 Regan; Sitting on hood - SFC Kerchal, SPC Fleck; Standing - SPC Burnham, SPC Benes.

This picture was taken as part of a story that will be published in the next issue of the RSTA Review, on the S-1 section. For those of you on my email group, look for it soon.

Restore the Order

2006-04-22T10:10:00.000-06:00

The roof of our building - there is a new sheriff in town, ladies and gentleman.

the Hooch

2006-04-21T21:16:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures of where I live here in Iraq - my hooch, in Army slang.

C56 is where I hang my hat at the end of the day.

A shot of my "neighborhood". The sandbags provide protection from possible enemy attacks.

the Office

2006-04-20T11:03:00.000-06:00

This is my desk, that I share with SGT Johnson. It's a pretty nice setup.

We never forget where home is!

A wide angle shot of the whole office. Looks a little messy, but we're still moving in. So give us some slack.

Kuwait

2006-04-20T01:53:00.000-06:00

Some pictures from my short stay in Kuwait.

Shot of our chow hall
Packing our bags- ready to head North.
This is the tent I lived in during my stay.

Giving it a shot

2006-04-20T01:31:00.000-06:00

One of my new discoveries upon arriving in Iraq was that my old trusty photobucket web site - where I post pictures of my adventures - is blocked by the web administrators. This was the wrong answer - how would I give my friends and family back home a visual of what's going on with Sergeant Hanseling? Well, I know Uncle Mike has a blog on this website, and when I went to check it out I found I could post pictures here also. So, I figured I would give it a shot and see if this will be a worthy replacement for my photobucket site. So bear with me as I attempt to figure it all out.