Cotton Bowl

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!

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.

Buffalo Meat

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.

me = internet celebrity

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.

Purify celebration

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!

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.

Huskers vs Tigers

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.

Game Time part two

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

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

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!)

Dry spell

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Go 'Skers

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!

Huskers in Iraq

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.

Restore the Order

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