Stories from DadsCavern

CSI Baghdad Posted by: DimHarvest - on Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 05:16 AM

"I need help at the PPI camp!" That's what I heard on the radio and that's why I left the comfort of my air conditioned office and ventured out into the dry dusty day. I met both Tom and Randy as we walked the two hundred or so yards to our neighboring camp where Craig, our security guy, awaited our arrival. Being on a military camp here in Iraq puts us under the jurisdiction of General Order #1, which forbids all forms of alcohol. This doesn't set well with soldiers and civilians alike and often we hear of plots to smuggle the contraband into our little utopia. Earlier on this uneventful day I was informed of such a scheme which proved to be true and two cases of hard liquor were recovered. An amateur interrogation led to the PPI camp, the intended destination of said booze, which leads us back to the story at hand. When Tom, Randy and I spoke to Craig, he had already asked the PPI employees to cough up the goods. He gave them five minutes to turn it in voluntarily, no questions asked and no punishments dealt. Seven minutes later no one came forward so he called in the cavalry for a shake down. We all agreed that searching the trailers was a military duty and not something that should be handled by KBR so I was left to guard the trailers while Tom, Randy and Craig went back to the KBR camp to summon the Army and all their might. I was reminded of my years working for VVISD as I was suddenly surrounded by over a hundred people shorter than me, only this time they were all dark skinned men speaking a language I couldn't begin to understand. I was joined by Desmond Johnson, our medic, and Jason Hanson, one of our labor foremen, as the three of us watched over the camp while plans were made for the search. Once again I must make reference to working with kids as I realize that we had no more control of the current situation than three first year teachers trying to control a cafeteria full of Junior High students during a thirty minute lunch break. One of the obvious things that should have been enforced was to keep them out of their rooms, but no matter what you say to Indians they always tend to smile, bob their heads, and respond, "Yes, Sir." Did they understand? I don't know. I guess not because three more just went back into their rooms. There goes another carrying a full laundry bag to their laundry room. Was it only laundry in the bag? I don't know. There goes another one into his trailer. Didn't he just come out of that other trailer? I don't know. Ha. It was a joke. They were enjoying themselves. They weren't scared of us. I think they were playing with us. Desmond had brought his camera with him and Indians just love their picture taken. More than anyone else Desmond was keeping them out of their rooms just by posing for pictures with everyone. He was like a politician running for office as he moved smoothly from group to group shaking hands and passing the camera back and forth. Jason tried the direct approach and asked them to stay out of the rooms. He even opened a few doors and called for everyone to come out. Eventually he stood next to me and checked every laundry bag that passed for liquor bottles. Knowing the futility of such an endeavor, I simply stood and observed. None of the approaches we tried seemed to disrupt the Indians' fun and we were more entertainment for them than anything else. After about an hour of pretending to be in control of the situation the Army showed up, complete with M-16s, little riot clubs and rubber gloves. The Major in control of our makeshift special operation placed us in six groups of two. Each group had one KBR representative who was to observe and document any findings of their military partner, as well as keep them honest. We didn't want any Indian claiming the military had stolen their favorite toothbrush. I was paired with a Captain from Base Operations. We know each other from weekly meetings we attend together. We were assigned to trailer four and dutifully set out to find any contraband that might be hidden within. Rubber gloves, notepads, flashlights and a crime scene; all we needed was Grissom to give the orders and we were ready to be the next episode of CSI. The Captain set down his M-16 and crawled under the first of twelve bunk beds crammed into the 40 foot living container. PPI employees suffer living conditions that KBR employees would cry to their mommies about. We searched the first container for about 30 minutes and only turned up bars of soap and cd players, not quite the exciting evidence Grissom would be proud of. After reporting our lack of any incriminating evidence we were assigned trailer number six. Oh my goodness, we thought the first trailer we searched was crowded. This one looked like all twelve occupants were college aged boys who had no desire for order or cleanliness in their lives. Thurman showed up to assist us with this dorm room and we divided into three sections. The Captain started at the far end, Thurman by the door and I was in the middle. The bed I started with was so cluttered that I was still in the middle when the other two investigators met me there about an hour later. Our only significant discovery was a few girlie magazines Thurman found on the first bunk by the door, apparently that is the official hiding place for porn since the next trailer we entered had magazines in the exact same spot. Although magazines of that type are also considered off limits, we left them alone, after all we were here looking for booze not pictures. The third trailer was much different from the first two. It only had about eight occupants, all of which were men who kept their bunks clean and in somewhat decent order considering the cramped living spaces. We were in and out of that bunk in less than fifteen minutes. Then it was on to the chow hall, latrines, offices, storerooms and finally the trucks at the staging yard. After over three hours of standing, observing, documenting, and searching only one empty bottle was found in a trashcan outside. Of course I could have told anyone before we started that we wouldn't find much. Even if there were bottles in the rooms, they had more than enough time and opportunity to hide them before the search started. Criminalists we are not, but it was definitely an interesting change of pace and I got to put a little overtime on my timesheet for this week, ha.

Time for a break... Posted by: DimHarvest - on Monday, June 06, 2005 - 10:55 PM

Well today is June 7th and I'll be home on July 7th, one month from today. It is time for a break. I've been spreading my resume around back home hoping to get an offer I can't refuse, but nothing yet. Hopefully I can find something soon and leave this ugly place. I miss the green grass and trees, and I'm getting really tired of dust. We had a dust storm here night before last and when I woke up there was a thick layer of dust on everything outside. There was even a thin layer of dust on everything inside. The dust just seems to seep through the walls into the trailer. I opened the door to my trailer and the dust was still hanging in the air like a foggy morning back home without the humidity. Everything was the color of sand. The white trailers were the color of sand. The grey T-Walls were the color of sand. The bunkers, sand. The vehicles, sand. Cody's hair, sand. Even the sand had a pristine layer of dust that gave the appearance of new-fallen snow. I could see the fresh footprints of those who walked the path before me. When I went to breakfast and passed by Falcon Field, it was also freshly covered with foot trails developing where the soldiers had already travelled to and from the DFAC. No doubt this is an image I will always remember, but I sure am tired of all this dust! Give me humidity and mosquitos again, at least they come as a package deal with my family and friends. I guess what I'm trying to say is...It's time for a break. R&R - one month away and counting. Be Cool -Darve

Inside The Walls Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 01:27 AM

Life seems to have found a routine. There's only so much a person can do in a minimum security prison. I suppose that's how you could describe living on a military Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Iraq. We have walls, concertina wire, and guards. By and large, they tend to keep people out rather than in. We don't leave. I guess you could, but nobody really wants to. Restricted to activities that sometimes only the imagination and some ingenuity can provide, we manage. The office, gym, dining hall, and volleyball court are the extent of my travels. I tried swimming laps in the water treatment ponds once or twice. That was short lived. Some fun-haters decided it might stir up sediment, putting strain on the ROWPU water treatment process. The ROWPU guys, of course, disagreed. But forget them, they're only the experts, right? Either way, my pool adventures came to a screeching halt sooner than I had hoped. The weather is pleasant. It's still spring so we average about 100-110 degrees during the day. Soon, the long summer days will bury the thermometer needle at 140+ degrees. For those of us inside the walls, it's not so bad. The soldiers pulling patrol and checkpoint duties have the tough job, really. It's a different world out there, I am told. A few times the reality of it all comes crashing in to our little sanctuary. The trailer shakes and things are falling off the shelves. That was close- just outside the wall. Some guys are outside taking pictures of the dust-filled mushroom cloud. The sky is dark as the sun is temporarily obscured. At least we know this explosion was on purpose. They called a controlled detonation warning about 10 minutes ago. I still can't get over how loud it is. You don't really hear the sound with your ears. It's too loud. I think your body feels it first, then turns the ears to auto mute so the speakers aren't damaged. I check my pulse. For some reason, even though I know what's happening, my body still reacts. Last week I heard part of a garbled radio transmission ".....we have more casualties coming in..." I don't remember hearing explosions. I approached the military clinic and saw Iraqi army vehicles sloppily parked every where, and Iraqi soldiers- some with blood on their uniforms, others, looking dazed, quietly smoking in the shade. When I walked through the front doors, it sounded like a weekly episode of ER. Doctors were shouting out orders for medications and supplies. I look to see if there is any room for an extra set of hands. Generally, I don't get too involved. There are plenty of Chiefs and even more Indians, making additional people more of a hindrance than a help. However, this day is different. There are 5 or 6 critical patients and not enough Doc's to go around. The trauma room is buzzing. The smell of burnt hair, gunpowder, and blood taints the stale air. There are people huddled around in small packs attending to the wounded soldiers scattered on the floor- the 2 trauma beds already taken. It's organized chaos, if that makes any sense. I found some gloves and struggled to put them on (I admit, it's been awhile). My sweaty hands didn't help my efforts. The room felt like a kiln except with the additional benefit of humidity, probably from the sweat pouring off the doctors and medics. It's so hot, partly because it's hard to keep the cool air from escaping out the doors while stretchers are hurried in, but primarily because it's difficult for the patients, some of them with serious burns, to regulate their body temperature. It's hard to imagine someone getting hypothermia when it's over 100 degrees. If the temperature in here drops below 98.6, it could happen. Nobody protests. The heater stays on. I stop at the first cot. He's an Iraqi gentleman in his 40's with a head injury in status seizure. The "Israeli" bandage, perhaps hastily applied in the field, is slipping off and I see a lot of blood and a large part of his brain, the pressure pushing it out. I don't know what caused the injury. In an explosion, everything becomes a projectile. I help the US Army physician who's trying to secure the airway with no luck. The jaw is locked and all the soldiers' muscles are flexing. His legs are stiff- his arms bent inward, as if to hold on to life. It's usually not a good sign, but it could be worse. He is still breathing on his own- deep agonal respirations that are assisted with a bag-mask and oxygen. His pulse is rapid, but slowing, as are the efforts at breathing. His body is exhausted. We decide to paralyze him in order to put a tube into his lungs, helping him to breathe. It's a difficult decision. If we paralyze him, he no longer has the ability for spontaneous respiration. If we fail to secure an airway, he will lay there and suffocate. He begins to vomit. Expecting this, the suction is ready. I see what he ate for lunch- mostly rice. I can't help but see in my mind what this brave soldier was doing in the hours before the ambush- sitting around the hookah with his friends, looking forward to the Iraq of the future. They prepare for a convoy and eat some good home-cooked lunch. They bring in goats, sheep, and other animals from downtown. They love to eat those goats- I'll have to try it some day. One by one we load the soldiers onto helicopters to be transported to the Combat Support Hospital (affectionately known as the "CASH") where they will undergo various additional life saving procedures. Some will loose limbs. Some will not survive the short 5 minute flight over Baghdad. The Blackhawk's jet engines whine as they lift off. Some of the ING's peer out of the shadows long enough to show the apprehension and fear in their eyes, as their friends and, in some cases, relatives are whisked away. Pride and despair fill the faces of these fine American soldiers. It's a sobering scene. The Captain quickly turns on the AC and everyone feels the rush of cool, clean air. Chills start down my neck. I didn't realize how much I was sweating. I don't know how much of the moisture collecting in my sandals is my own. I don't need to look. I recognize the spot where I stood. There's a large pool of blood and other fluids surrounding my footprints. The room is littered with debris- bandages, IV bags, medications, chest tubes and other unrecognizable garbage. Hopefully the right body parts made it out on the right choppers with the right patients. They're all going the same place. Things should match up. The radio silence is broken as they announce that one more victim is en route. He's not in serious condition. We now return to the 5:1 doctor, patient ratio. I don't want to be a burden. We do find one more soldier. Nervously waiting in a treatment room, he is blind in the right eye and deaf on the same side. The olive skin on his face looks abnormally red. The coarse black hair on his head is singed above the ears- not completely gone, but enough to show he'd been burned by the blast. He doesn't know how lucky he is. Afraid as we pulled out an IV bag, he doesn't want an injection. The interpreter mumbled, what I can only imagine, something that assured him it was only to flush his eyes and cool the burning. I'm glad he didn't see what had just transpired in the adjoining room, what seemed like hours earlier. We don't have an ophthalmologist here. He would also need a helicopter ride. He'll have to wait a few minutes for the next shuttle. Strange- I never heard the explosion. Sometimes being inside the walls has its advantages. Sometimes the reality of it comes crashing in all around you. Suddenly the drama surrounding my lost swimming hole becomes a little less important. Desmond Johnson Paramedic D4 Camp Falcon

Summer Months = Heat & R&Rs Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, May 28, 2005 - 03:22 AM

Only a few more days and it will be June. School is out for the summer back home and the temperatures are always over 100 in the shade here in Iraq. The summer means two things here: heat and R&Rs. The heat is relentless. Sometimes, back home, when you open the car door on a particularly hot day, you are blasted by a gust of hot air from within the car that reminds you of opening an oven door to check on whatever you have cooking at the time. During the summer here in Iraq we get that same blast of hot air everytime we step outside. Walking around outside is like being the dish in the oven. When the wind blows in Iraq, unlike back home, it does nothing to cool you off. Try cooling off with a hair dryer set on the hottest temperature. It just won't work. The only way to stay cool is stay inside and drink plenty of water. The summer months also bring R&Rs. No one wants to hang around here during the hottest time of the year. In about 3 days, I will be the only one in the office on day shift and Cody will be the only one here for night shift. Everyone else will be on R&R. We normally have only one person on night shift so Cody will do just fine, but I'll be running day shift by myself. We normally have five workers on day shift. I thought I was busy before! Oh well, as long as I stay busy the days should pass faster and it will soon be my turn to get away from this oven. Be Cool -Darve

The Spirit Moved Him Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - 12:16 AM

I always try to write a story when something out of the ordinary happens around here and last night was one of those times so please bear with me as I detail yet another amusing time at Camp Falcon. Billy and I have been playing a new game on his Xbox called Midnight Racer or something like that, and we overheard the PPI site manager calling Brad on the radio asking for assistance in the PPI camp. I don't remember the actual words that Dave said, but being British he always has a few interesting phrases that I've never heard before and when you toss in his accent I thought I misunderstood his request for a security detail to come to the PPI camp because there was a soldier there "being a nuisance." Even in the middle of racing a brand new silver Lexus through the city streets of San Diego, I was interested in hearing more so I turned up my radio to listen in. Brad contacted Tom and volunteered to walk to the PPI camp to defuse the situation and Tom suggested getting ahold of Randy to help. I think before it was all said and done Brad, Tom, Randy and Joe were all headed to the PPI camp to check out the disturbance. Imagine this picture... A camp of over 100 Hindu Indians after work settling in for the night when a black US soldier approximately 20 years old wanders into the courtyard with his M-16 and a Bible. The soldier proceeds to remove his shirt and start preaching to the crowd, throwing his hands up and his head back. OK, good enough picture as it is, but now throw in a 6 foot 8 inch British man with spiked hair, communicating on his radio, asking for help with this nuisance of a soldier. Ha, that's funny stuff. The best part is, most of the Indians do not speak English and all of them were jabbering in Hindi, their native language. I can just imagine some of their comments. "What is this American clown doing out here?" "I don't know but he has a gun so just smile and bob your head like you are listening." Eventually Tom and the rest of the KBR security detail arrived and asked the soldier what was going on. He simply stated, "The Spirit moved me." When the soldier's First Seargent arrived and asked the same question, his response was slightly different. He told the 1st Sgt, "I don't know." Ha! I guess the 1st Sgt isn't a religious man. Oh well, life rolls on. Be Cool -Darve

Darve's Next R&R Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, May 14, 2005 - 02:00 AM

	Well after much consideration, I have finally decided on the dates for my next R&R. I'll be flying home on July 7th and staying for 20 days. My flight back to Iraq will be on July 26th. I'll be home for my anniversary and for Jordan's 16th birthday. Love ya my JoJo!

The Fly Guy Posted by: DimHarvest - on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 01:12 AM

Have you seen the commercials where they show a skinny kid in tattered clothing, flies crawling on their faces and it looks like they don't have the strength to swat them away? Well, it's not a matter of strength, it's a matter of futility. It isn't worth the effort to swat at one fly when there are 20 more flying around around your head just waiting to land on your eyelid and walk across you nose to perch on your dry lips. ewwwwwwwwww Well, we have lots of flies around here too, and quite a few in our office since people are in and out of here all day and night long. Each of us has a fly swatter on our desks and are very adept at smacking those annoying little creatures........ Our most animated fly-smacker is Cody. Cody will hit one fly seven times just to prove his point, all the time shouting obscenities and talking trash to the other flies in the room; daring them to come close enough to feel the same pain their little cousin just experienced. Cody is so aggravated by the flies in our office that he asked our vector control department to bring him some fly strips to hang in the office so he can laugh as their tiny insect feet get stuck in the glue and they hang helplessly as they die a slow death. When the fly strips arrived (Cody was at lunch) Carl explained how to hang them and apply the fly bait, a "sex attractant" to the container on the bottom of the strip. Joe hung one of the strips behind Cody's desk and in the process of applying the attractant, came up with the plan of putting a dab of the sex smell directly on Cody's desk. Ha. Billy and I helped out and we ended up placing a dab on a post it note and taping the note inside a cubby hole on his desk where it couldn't be seen, but could be easily removed when the joke was over. It worked like a charm. The flies swarmed Cody and his desk and not a single one ended up on the fly strip. Cody was fussin' and cussin' and swinging his swatter in such a violent manner that he almost fell out of his chair and the three of us wanted to fall out of our chairs laughing. Finally, I sent an e-mail to the office (not Cody) with pictures of flies talking to eachother saying how they wanted to go sit on the good smelling guy in the green shirt. Joe actually turned red faced and laughed out loud, Cody was getting suspicious and looked on another screen and saw th picture. The cat was out of the bag and we all had a good laugh. Cody took it well. Not willing to let the joke die just yet, I sent out another picture. This time it was a picture of Cody. I wrote "Fly Guy" on the front of his shirt and had two large flies sitting on his shoulders. The flies were talking to eachother again about how much they loved the fly guy. Again the whole office got a good laugh and Cody is now the fly guy. Be Cool -Darve

It's Hot Out There Today! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 03:56 AM

	How's the weather where you are? Yesterday we checked our thermometer that we have mounted on the front porch of the Operations Office and it was 111 degrees in the shade. Isn't it still April? When did summer get here? Wow, 111 degrees already. We had about ten different people walk into the office yesterday and say, "It's hot out there today!" Yep, and it's only getting hotter. Be Cool -Darve

Iraqi Barber Shop Experience Posted by: DimHarvest - on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 03:45 AM

Since I've been in Iraq (almost a year now) I have only had my hair cut twice, unless you count the time I did it myself last summer, but that was more like a head-shave, ha. Both times I got hair-cuts, it was right before I was going home on R&R. Well, today, Billy and I were out running errands, Haji Shop, BX, Laundry, etc, and while I was dropping my laundry off he went to get his haircut at the little Iraqi Barber Shop by the BX. I finished before he did so I went in to wait on him and the place was almost empty (usually there are soldiers lined up waiting to get haircuts) so I decided to get a haircut too... One of the barbers was sitting in the waiting area looking at me as I walked in, and although he reminded me more of a mafia hitman than a barber, he asked if I wanted a haircut today. I said sure, and he said what about tomorrow? It took me a second to realize that this was an attempt at humor, but as I waded through his thick accent I realized he was a pretty outgoing fellow and followed him to his chair. He asked me how I wanted my hair cut, but answered himself before I had a chance to respond by saying, "Today, we take it all off!" A few of his buddies chuckled and I could hear Billy from a few chairs down saying, "Give him a high and tight." I laughed at his humor and explained what I wanted, but told him that I would trust his judgement. Maybe not the best thing to tell an Iraqi, but he seemed to be a good-natured barber and it will grow back, eventually. He got out the clippers and a black comb and started over the ears. A little here and a little there and it looked like all was going to be fine. As he finished trimming the top he asked me if it was OK and thinking he was done I said it was beautiful and started leaning forward to get out of my chair, but he had not untied the big barber bib and had a little gleam in his eye as he asked, "What about beard?" I hadn't shaved my neck in a few days and was looking a bit scraggly, but I am quite capable of shaving my own face, and had heard bad stories about unfortunate haircuts from the Iraqis, so I counted myself lucky to have received a decent haircut and didn't want to press my luck. I was about to say no thanks when Billy must have heard the question and said he was about to get a full shave. Not wanting to have to wait for him, I decided that it would be ok for Nadir to shave my neck. Yes, his name was Nadir, it was printed on a piece of paper hanging just above the dirty mirror. I could see the name as he leaned me back and exposed my neck to his straight razor. Visions of Sweeny Todd were dancing in my head as he asked if I wanted the string too? "String?" I said. "Yes, String good." was his reply as the gleam returned to his eye. I tentatively agreed to the string, although I had no idea why he neded a string to shave my neck. I sat back up and noticed a spool of waxy string sitting on the counter right in front of me, something that before was just another bit of Iraqi junk sitting on a shelf and collecting dust, but now it was the good string. Nadir said, "Razor three days, string two weeks, string good." I nodded and repeated, "String good." Nadir then proceeded to unroll about three feet of the thin waxy string and elaborately wind it and wrap it around two fingers on his right hand, into his mouth and over to his left hand. Of course I was no longer thinking Sweeney Todd, but Jacob's Ladder instead. The result of his string dance turned out to be some kind of Iraqi torture device that was obviously created to force captives to divulge their darkest secrets at the drop of a hat. Nadir weilded the string weapon like a pro as it zipped and ripped large quantities of hair from my cheeks, forehead, between my eyebrows and on my ears. My eyes were watering, but he wasn't going to see this American flinch at his paltry efforts of torture. He finished the shave with the straight razor and asked again how it looked. I said it was beautiful and started untieing the bib myself as I stood and reached for my wallet. The haircut was only $3, or maybe $2, I can't remember which but I handed him a $5 bill and told Billy I'd be waiting outside in the 100 degree sun where it was safe. All in all it was a good haircut, and it gave me something to write home about. Until next time... Be Cool -Darve

Another pointless news story Posted by: DimHarvest - on Monday, April 18, 2005 - 10:51 PM

I'm glad Trask decided to follow his heart and the DadsCavern poll and take his trip to Israel. I know he's really looking forward to it, and this opportunity doesn't come along too often. I have no exciting news about my R&R except that it will probably be late July so I can be home for Jordan's birthday. Some friends and I have built a small network of Xboxes and are playing multiplayer games every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It should be fun and help relieve some of the work day stress. Groovy. Be cool - Darve

Back to Work Posted by: DimHarvest - on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 06:57 PM

Yes, we are back in Iraq and hard at work. As a matter of fact it is my first day back on the job and I am already working some serious overtime. It is 3:45 am and I am still at work. Randy, Joe and I are all in Randy's office typing away on the latest BOE. Fun Fun Fun! I guess a few overtime hours will help to make up for the hours I lost due to travel and standby time. It's all good. I had a wonderful time on my R&R and cannot wait to go home again. Gena, Jordan & Trevor, I miss you all terribly already. I did quite a bit while I was home, although we didn't really go anywhere for Spring Break, it seemed as though we were always on the road. I guess it's a good thing that I bought two new vehicles while I was home. I got to see Jo play tennis and star on the stage. Trev and I worked a concession stand and changed a battery in the old white car. We also went to the movies, the Mall, WalMart and various restaurants. We visited the zoo and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Rascal Flatts entertained us; as did the actors at the Alley Theatre. Yes, I did quite a bit while I was home. I visited friends and family and even got a kiss from one of my very best friends "E-Z-E" Eric VonCannon. I'm not sure I'm real proud of that, but it was fun to see everyone again. Maybe next R&R I'll spend more time relaxing in my easy-chair...or not. Nanners and Grapes, Baby! Be Cool -Darve

Waiting at Liberty Posted by: DimHarvest - on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 - 11:07 AM

	I am here at Liberty with Trask and Dan. Trask and I will be flying to Dubai on the 26th and heading home on the 27th. I can't wait to see good old Van Vleck again. I refrained from counting days this time, but now that it is only 5 days away, I can't help myself. Happy Birthday to Mom! We will see you all soon! -Darve

Droppings From The Falcon's Nest Posted by: DimHarvest - on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 02:57 AM

How do you like the title of this story? That is what we call our little newsletter here at Camp Falcon. Pretty funny huh? Randy has been gone on R&R for a while now and was supposed to be back today, but his chopper flight got cancelled due to the military turnover and no telling when it will be rescheduled. Tom left last night to go on R&R so I guess that leaves just me and Thurman in charge until Randy gets back. Don't worry, Randy, we are doing just fine. We have been constructing a new 5000 man DFAC (Dining Facility) here at D4 and it will serve its first official meal on the 15th. The army wants a KBR representative to make a short speech at the ribbon cutting. We will have some big wigs here from Liberty on that day and they will probably do the honors, but maybe Randy will get a chance to make a short speech since he is the site manager. We are all very happy to finally be opening the new DFAC the old one is way too small. Ask Trask about it. He witnessed it first hand when he was here visiting. We went to the DFAC for lunch and could not find a seat so we carried our plates back to my office to eat. We had to walk at least a quarter of a mile with food and drinks to find a seat...ha. I have been sitting in Randy's office while he has been gone, but I returned to my office this morning. It was way quiet in Randy's office...I'll miss that. Well, Trask and I will be flying home for our second R&R soon. I'm trying not to count the days yet, but if you are keeping track, we will be there on the 27th...groovy! On my last R&R I came home about 30 pounds lighter. This R&R I'll be coming home about the same. I stopped losing weight even though I really only eat one meal a day...breakfast. The other meals are way too crowded for me. If I get hungry I just grab a granola bar...yuk. We still can't convoy from here to Liberty. It is too dangerous on route Irish (one of the most active areas in the country right now) so we have to catch a Blackhawk to the Pegasus helo-pad. I'll be flying from here on the 21st and Trask will probably be picking me up when I get there. It's good to have a brother at Regional Operations. Well, I hope I haven't bored you all to tears with this long story, and I hope to see everyone soon. Be Cool... -Darve

Happy Grounhog Day! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, February 02, 2005 - 01:56 AM

	It's Groundhog Day...again. And what movie am I watching today? You guessed it... "Groundhog Day" one of my all-time favorites. Watch out for that first step. It's a doozy! Be good, have fun, look for your shadow and watch a movie. I recommend Grounhog Day.

Joe is back from R&R Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 01:01 AM

Going on R&R is quite the adventure now. Since we cannot travel on Route Irish, which is the only way to get to Liberty from D4, all R&Rs must leave via Blackhawk...cool. Unfortunately getting a chopper ride isn't as easy as hopping on a convoy so we end up sending guys out up to a week early...bummer. And Liberty and the BTC (Baghdad Transit Center) are always a real cluster. Getting a chopper takes at least a 3 day notice so an employee taking a 10 day R&R can actually be away from the base for up to a month...bummer. Well, Joe was gone on his 3rd R&R and it seemed like he was gone forever, but he is back now and life should start getting easier for me as far as workload is concerned. Between our 3 ops guys and Brad (Night Ops) we should all be able to relax a little. I've even heard rumors that we may have an HR person coming to D4, which would mean I would no longer have to do timesheets, R&Rs, pay advances, etc... Groovy! Be Cool... -Darve

The days roll slowly by... Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 10:59 AM

The rut grows deeper as every day seems to blend into the next. My routine has grown very tiresome and it is playing havoc with my internal clock, ha. I never know what day it is. Every day is the same thing over and over and over. No weekends, no holiday breaks. Where is that R&R? Wow, that was depressing. Bummer. On a lighter note, I've had some time to learn more about linux and php, and I've created an intranet for our camp...groovy. Oh well, life goes on. Be Cool... -Darve

Christmas In Iraq Posted by: DimHarvest - on Friday, December 24, 2004 - 11:09 PM

We wish you a Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year! Well, it is Christmas in Iraq and I just got off the phone with my family. It is still Christmas Eve in Texas and it is snowing! Yes, snow in South Texas, ha. Trevor is making snow angels and Jordan is throwing snowballs at her mother. I wish I were there to enjoy this Christmas Eve with them. I opened my gifts that everyone sent me. Thank you for the presents! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas day and holiday season. I really wish I could have been there for the snow. Take lots of pictures for me. -Darve

Long Time No Write Posted by: DimHarvest - on Sunday, December 19, 2004 - 10:41 PM

Yes, it has been a long time since I have written anything on the web-site, but I've been so busy that the time has gone by pretty fast for me. Between my operations responsibilities, my HR duties, my billeting duties, my mailroom duties, learning more duties, and trying to keep up with my school work, I barely have time to sleep six hours and get back to work. We are seriously shorthanded in several departments here and it seems the easiest way to fix it is to let Darve do it. It's good to be needed, but I am starting to get a little bogged down. On a different note... It is cold over here now. Every morning I bundle up for the morning meeting, which we hold outside, brrrrrr. Yesterday it rained again and there is quite a bit of mud in my new office! Oh yes, did I mention the operations office moved to a new and larger location? It is much nicer than the single room we had before. Now we occupy a whole 40' trailer...nice. Well, I gotta go prepare for an all-hands meeting this morning. I'll try not to neglect the web-site again. -Cheers!

Mud Mud Mud Posted by: DimHarvest - on Sunday, November 07, 2004 - 01:08 AM

	What do you get in Iraq when there is no grass and the rainy season starts? Mud Mud Mud! We have had more stuck vehicles in the past week than I think I have seen in my entire life. I'll post some of the pics for all to see. Hope all is going well with everyone back home. Feel free to blog and let us know how you are. All blogs are welcome.

We Are Home Posted by: DimHarvest - on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 09:17 AM

We have made the long exhausting journey back to the states and have been adjusting to the time difference. So far my R&R has been great. I love seeing everyone again and telling my stories. I haven't seen Dan since we went our separate ways at the airport, but I've seen Trask twice since we've been home. I'm sure, like me, they are excited to see all their friends and family, and I'm sure, like mine, their R&R will prove to be much too short. We fly back on the 3rd and then it's back to the daily grind. Be Cool... -Darve

G-mail Anyone? Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 10:49 PM

G-mail is free webmail offered by Google, kind of like Hotmail or Yahoo mail, but it has much, much more storage space. You can store up to 1GB on a Gmail account. It also has archive and search features based on the google search engine...pretty cool, especially if you get lots of e-mails. And no big banner ads slowing down your connection. Now don't go running to the google website to sign-up just yet. Unfortunately Gmail is not yet open to everyone...it is by invitation only. People are selling Gmail invitations on ebay. I was invited to try a Gmail account and have been given a few invitations to give away. If you want an invitation, just e-mail me at darvesmith@gmail.com. I have 11 to give away! Dan has a Gmail account too and has 6 invatations if you want to go through him. Well, that's all I got to say about that. Be cool... -Darve

Chatter Box Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 04:45 AM

If you haven't already noticed, I put a chat script on the site. (Look to the left under "PAGES") Try it out. I set it so 8 people can chat at a time. If you want to chat with me, Trask or Dan...just e-mail us when you will be online and we will come join you if we can. Gena, some of the VV students might have some questions that us Iraqis could answer...ha. If any of the teachers would like to plan a group chat as an educational tool, we could do that too, but let's try it out a bit to make sure it works ok. Other new items on the site include new pictures in the "Faces in Iraq" block and a link to Dan's Photos. Have fun... -Darve

VVISD without me? Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:31 AM

Well, school has started at good old Van Vleck ISD, and for the first time in 13 years I am not there to help sort through all the hustle and bustle of students, parents and staff trying to get back into the swing of public education. Jordan, I hope you have a wonderful year...10th grade...wow! Am I that old already? I am so proud of you and Trevor. Good luck with all the fun things you are involved in...cheerleading, marching band, drama, etc... Trevor, my big 2nd grader, the man of the house while dad is in Iraq, be good for mom. Study hard in school and listen to your teachers. Dad will see you in September. I'll be coming home for Homecoming. Gena, wifey-poo, thanks for keeping it all together while I am over here. I know it is difficult to handle your job, the kids, the house and all the countless things you do every day, but I know you can do anything and I'll be back to help again before you know it. Tell all your students I said, "Howdy, howdy!" Only three months into my little Iraqi adventure and I feel like I have been here for ages. I miss everyone and wish I were there. It will be difficult to know that the drama kids will be acting without me being there to glue hair on them...ha. Be good... -Darve

Life at the new camp... Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 01:43 PM

I thought I would let everyone know that I am doing fine here on my new camp. I am working Operations on day shift 7am - 8pm. Randy, Tom and I arrived on site four days ago and we are starting to get into the swing of things around here. Randy is the new site manager and Tom is the Chief of Services...It's cool to hang around with the big-guys...ha. Tom and I were put in the same room when we got here because they do not have any extra hooches available right now. I volunteered to take the cot and Tom got the bed. On our second day here we found out that no one was staying in the other room of the hooch, it is being used as an IT storage closet and server room. (They keep it very cool in there 24hrs a day.) Check out the pics I posted. I followed the IT guy in there and noticed it had a bed. I asked him if I could sleep in that room until a hooch opened. He said I could if I could take the chill. Ha. Tom and Randy both had extra blankets. Thanks guys. Now I sleep in the IT closet and work in Tom's room. Randy has his own room, with Virgil (the former site manager) as his suite-mate. Virgil will be leaving pretty soon and I might get to move into that room...I'll just have to wait and see. All three of us may opt to move into new hooches when they get ready. Hopefully we can get Trask over here too and the four of us will stay across from eachother and stretch some camo-netting between the hooches for a nice shady area. The DFAC here is one of the older models...low ceiling, not enough A/C, generally looks run-down, but I must say that the food has been great. At least as good if not better than all the DFACs on North Victory. I might start gaining back all the weight I've lost. The PX is nice, not very big, but not as small as some I have seen over here. I haven't visited the laundry yet, but I need to drop some clothes off tomorrow. I hear for 50 cents each, they will press your shirts for you...groovy. So far I have enjoyed the chance to start really working. At the Industrial Zone we spent a lot of time trying to find things to keep us busy. The time should pass much faster now that I have actual duties. Right now I have an internet connection on my desk, and a phone (with a Houston extension) which is really nice. If I move to another room, I'm not sure if the phone will move with me. I also have an operations radio and cell phone which I pass on to the night ops guy at 7pm. Well, now you know what I'm up to for now...pretty exciting stuff! Be Cool... -Darve

Making a move... Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 07:00 AM

Well, it is finally official, I will be leaving this wonderful camp behind and traveling with Randy and Tom to a new site. Randy was given the opportunity to manage an existing site and he offered to take me with him. We will say goodbye to the Industrial Zone tomorrow and probably be on our way to our new home on Monday. None of the travel information is official yet, and I couldn't put it on the website anyway so suffice it to say that we are going and do not worry, we will be just fine. Unfortunately we will not be taking Trask and Dan with us, but may be able to intice them with better paying jobs some time soon. I'll still be an operations coordinator, but chances are good that I may be promoted quickly, which will mean more money for me too. The site we are heading to has living areas all ready to go, so no tent life this time, which is definately a good thing. We have been packing our things for the last few days and hopefully they won't get lost in transit since not all our stuff will be traveling with us. Anyway...I will let everyone know more as I know more. Be Cool... -Darve

The Daily Grind Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, July 17, 2004 - 10:04 AM

Well, here we are two months into the Iraq experience and it looks like we have all settled into the daily grind. Dan is plugging away in IT, and has already become a steady fixture in their operations. His expert training that he received at VVISD under the wonderful direction of the Technology Coordinator has definately paid off as he has been able to hit the ground running over here. I hope they recognize his potential and he continues to rise in the ranks. Trask has joined the night shift at North Victory Operations (formerly known as Regional Operations) where I started when I first got here. He has his user account and his laptop now and has jumped into the job by taking on the entire roster for III Corps Baghdad. He seems to fit into Operations wonderfully and why shouldn't he...he is a Smith brother after all. I am happy to say that I am still working for Randy at the Industrial Zone. After a few weeks of extra jobs and being "loaned out"...I had the opportunity to change jobs. I'd like to thank Mr. Bruner for the offer, and for recognizing my potential, but after discussing it with others and thinking it over I decided that loyalty was more important to me than "rising in the ranks" and I can still offer my services if I have time. Yes, the daily grind has hit us all and because of it we have been a bit slow to post anything to the cavern. We would like to appoligize for the lack of information and at the same time say THANK YOU to all our members. Thanks for participating in our silly little polls. Thanks for the private messages, the news stories, and especially the blogs. We love to hear what's going on in your lives...no matter how ordinary or mundane it may seem to you, it is news from home for us and like the country song says, we are waiting on letters from home. If anyone has any suggestions for polls, any ideas for stories, or any requests for pictures...please let us know. We will be working on our second DVD soon. Hopefully we will be able to include some video footage this time. That's all for now. Be Cool... -Darve

Happy Anniversary! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Friday, July 09, 2004 - 11:46 AM

	Happy Anniversary! Happy Anniversary! Happy Anniversary! Happy Anniversary! Did I mention that today is my anniversary. 16 years! I love you wifey-poo. Hope you enjoyed the roses! I can't wait to see your new tattoo.

Experiences Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, July 03, 2004 - 11:32 PM

Yes, Trask is right. There are many thing here that I never experiencd in the good ole U S of A. Such as: An overwhelming force of coalition military, all carrying weapons...guns everywhere. A seemingly endless supply of Humvees, tanks, military vehicles of all sizes and shapes, including one to transport IEDs (not a job I'd like to have.) Did I mention guns everywhere? Also dust that has a mind of its own...it follows you everywhere, getting into everything, even where it is not welcome. Did I mention the guns? And most of all there is a never ending feeling of uneasiness, like you are not welcome, not where you belong. Who knows when the next boom is going to be, or where. The people over here don't seem to care much who they are fighting with as long as they are fighting. But with all that said, I want everyone to know that we are being careful and not careless. We live on a large military installation and all the guns that we see every day are in the hands of the good guys....and that is a good feeling. Being ex-military myself, I already had a strong feeling of duty and patriotism towards my country, but being here helps to strenghten those feelings and reminds me how much better we live life than those who were unfortunate enough to be born elsewhere. Happy 4th of July to all of you. Celebrate your freedom, it is truely a great thing! Be cool... -Darve

Vacation Paradise Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, July 03, 2004 - 05:34 AM

I haven't posted a news story in a while, and to tell you the truth I really don't have anything to write about now, but I'll ramble on a bit and pretend I have something worth saying. Iraq is a vacation paradise. The sun shines every day; no clouds in the sky. We walk into the Dining Facitities, get whatever we want, as much as we want and never have to pay a dime. When our clothes start to pile up, we just stick them in a bag and drop them off at the laundry. They come back clean and folded...groovy. The sun, the sand, palm trees, free food, free laundry service, what more could a guy ask for? Iraq...a vacation paradise...NOT! Dust everywhere. I have so much dust in my lungs right now that I have actually gained weight although I've had to tighten my belt due to skipping monotonous meals that never measure up to my wife's cooking. The sun is relentless, and with no clouds to offer any relief, your skin actually makes a crackling noise as you cook in the 120 degree heat, and I hear it hasn't gotten to the hottest part of the year yet. And whose idea was it to put a six inch layer of river rock in a 100 meter diameter around every possible place that you need to go? Sure it helps with the dust, and the mud when it rains, but have you ever tried walking through deep river rock? It is like trudging through piles of marbles, they don't have any flat sides so they don't compact...every step sinks into the rock and makes it more difficult to move, all the while you are left with a slightly off-balanced feeling that makes you tense up without even knowing it. I get sore just thinking about hiking to the DFAC or the BX. The hours are long and weekends do not exist. Your loved ones are half a world away... But...the pay is good, and after all, that is the real reason we are all here. So I'll keep reminding myself that Iraq is a dream come true, a tropical paradise, the perfect vacation get-a-way, and I'll be just fine as I count the days to R&R. Be Cool... -Darve

We have a winner! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 10:51 PM

The winner of the "Guess Dan's Tattoo" contest is nugentprod! Dan's tattoo does in fact say his own name "Dan" (written in Arabic of course). Don't worry #002, It is not a real tattoo...ha. Dan had me write it on his arm using a black marker. It has almost faded completely. Congratulations nugentprod! Send me your address and we will get the prize in the mail right away. Check back often, we will have another contest soon!

The Days Roll By Posted by: DimHarvest - on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 11:47 PM

Howdy! Howdy! As the days roll by here in Iraq, we have started to settle into a routine. As long as the work day is, it is still not too bad, but it can get a bit monotonous. Yesterday we broke that monotony when we became a soldier taxi. Before dinner, we stopped by the PX to pick up a few items and met two soldiers looking for a ride back to Camp Striker. We agreed to give them a lift even though we weren't quite sure where it was or even how far away. Specialists Micheal S. Daugherty and Joel D. Dullaga had been at Camp Striker temporarily and they wanted to check out the Burger King at North Victory. (It's good to be famous for something...ha) I think they had originally come from somewhere around Falluja, and are from the 1st Infantry Division, US Army. We all loaded into the White Tahoe (not the only one of those over here) and took off with the two soldiers giving directions taking us back the way they came. I'm guessing by bus, but I could be wrong about that. We left North Victory and weaved our way throuh South Victory passing many of Saddam's lakes, canals and even palaces. It was a very windy day and there were breaking waves on the lakes. Dust was everywhere as we wound our way past Iraqi buildings and a few soldiers. Soon we were at the far gate leaving South Victory and had decided to ask the guard if he knew where Camp Striker was. He didn't, so he radioed another guard and asked if he knew. His prompt but profane response left us laughing, but with no better idea of which way to turn. We left South Victory and headed down what once was a major highway to the Saddam International Airport...it was now deserted and led to the Baghdad International Airport. Ha. We all made uneasy small talk as we started passing Iraqi vehicles and the common sight of soldiers with weapons was left behind us. But our two guests were pretty sure we were headed in the right direction so we pressed on. I said we were glad they were with us with their weapons...wrong...they had not brought their weapons with them. After a few minutes they started seeing familiar sights, gates, mosks, and eventually more soldiers. We turned off the main highway and again wove our way through back roads until we found Camp Striker. It turns out that we were back on common ground and I knew a shorter way to return to North Victory. We had looped the entire airport following the path back to Camp Striker that the soldiers had taken earlier...ha. We gave them our web address and e-mail address and they said they could send us pictures and stories to post here. Thanks guys, we are looking forward to those. And thanks also for an adventure to break the monotony of the work day. Best of luck to both of you!

Working Up A Storm Posted by: DimHarvest - on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 02:01 AM

I have started working 1/2 day at the Regional Operations Center and 1/2 day at the Industrial Site. This morning I took Trask and Dan to the office and we located the A/C units that they will be putting in place today. We also stopped off by the ice plant and picked up 2 bags of ice for the ice chest...they will definately need a supply of water as they work over there. The generator still wasn't on site this morning...bummer, Janice went to track it down since it is supposed to be connected this morning. Janice is wonderful. I'll be here until noon then I will go pick up the guys for lunch and we will all four return to the office to continue cleaning and planning what we will do for the rest of the time Randy is on R&R. We hope to at least have lights, air, running water and a place for him to sit. Lofty goals when Randy says..."Progress around here is measured in grains of sand, and the wind blows every night."

The Office Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, May 22, 2004 - 08:56 AM

	I posted some pictures of the office in the photos section if anyone is interested. It sure needs some work.

Come Join Me Posted by: DimHarvest - on Friday, May 21, 2004 - 01:03 PM

Nice to hear that Dan & Trask will finally be joining me in this dust bowl. I went out to the industrial site today,(where we will all be working once it gets going), and the office building is a real disaster area. Wow, talk about layers of dirt...that place is going to take some serious manpower to get it ready to go. It has no electricity, but the good news is that a crew has finished wiring the office. We are waiting on a generator, which should be here tomorrow. Then we have to put in a work order to get it connected to the building. We have no running water there either, but it wouldn't matter yet because you can barely see the sinks and toilets from all the dirt on them. Ha. We do have two porta-potties though! I guess we need some labor foremen over here to watch over groups of sub-contractors who will do the cleaning. Lucky for us, Dan & Trask are both Labor Foremen...for now. There are still many many obstacles to jump before we are "officially" open as a site, but we will get there. I'll do whatever I can to make sure Dan & Trask stay on our site and not get loaned out to anyone else. Hopefully we will have enough work to keep them going until Randy gets back from R&R. In any case...I'll be looking for you two to join me soon. I'll try to post some pics of our site soon. My home away from home.

Messenger Woes Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 12:10 PM

I can't use MSN Messenger, or any of the other poular IM programs because KBR blocks them in their network, BUT...I am a network guy and I believe I found a way around their cute little blocks by using the web version of ICQ...SO...If you want to get a free ICQ account and download their free software (or use their website like me) we can chat when we are both online. Cool. My ICQ# is: 210745337 See ya on the internet.

Contact Info Posted by: DimHarvest - on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 - 09:22 AM

	If anyone wants my new e-mail address, it is: Darve.Smith@Halliburton.com Regular Address: Patrick Darve Smith KBR Victory Camp - Site F2 APO AE 09342

What a Ride! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 - 06:40 AM

Oh My Goodness! I don't know where to start. After Waiting Flying Processing Waiting Flying Waiting Waiting Flying Bussing Waiting Bussing Waiting And Lugging a Ton of Luggage, I am here! Did I mention Waiting? Lots of dust lots of rocks lots of wind very little comforts...bummer. I am in a tent with seven other cots...I say cots and not people because the people come and go. Those of us that will be staying in this camp are all on the waiting list for permanent housing, but there are no guarantees that we will be moved anytime soon. There are currently four guys in my tent "F" and one of those is on night shift so we have to tip-toe around him during the day. The tent is air conditioned which is a very good thing, but there is no way to keep the dust from getting into everything. I'll post some pictures of my tent as soon as I can. The showers and portable potties are within walking distance. But, Randy's room is pretty close too and he lets me use his shower and toilet when needed. He even left me his room key while he is on R&R. Thanks Randy. I am within walking distance of just about everything here on this camp, which is a good thing since I do not have any transportation yet. Randy has taken me on a couple of tours in his White Tahoe and left the keys here while he is on R&R. Thanks Randy. The PX (local walmart) is a few hundred yards away and the closest DFAC (dining facility) is just a bit farther...still long walks without a car. Thanks Randy. HR (human resources) got my job title mixed up and my pay scale is a bit lower than expected, but Randy met with them and got things back on track and although it may take a little while to get the retroactive back pay I was assured that I would be getting it. Thanks Randy. As you can tell, Randy has been true to his word and has been looking out for me since I've arrived, and Randy, if you read this, I will make sure to make it up to you. And I promise not to trash your room too much while you are gone. The food is good, and everyone I have met is friendly. There are many many things I know I am leaving out, but I will write again soon, and add pictures next time.

Ready or not...here I come. Posted by: DimHarvest - on Saturday, May 15, 2004 - 09:36 AM

[

Well, I just got back from a called meeting and due to a sandstorm which delayed some convoys, a few employees had to be rescheduled from flights they already had tomorrow, which left open spots on the charter flight to Baghdad. Yep, you guessed it...I got bumped up to tomorrow...bye bye Sharjah and Hello Baghdad. Ready or not, here I come. Gotta go pack...ha. More news later! Trask, Dan, See ya there.

Darve is Safe and Sound in Sarjah Posted by: Gena - on Saturday, May 15, 2004 - 09:31 AM

[

48 hours after I dropped him off at the convention center I finally heard from Darve. Here is a quote from the email he sent me: Howdy! I am alive and well in Sharjah (a suburb of Doubai). Sorry I didn't contact you earlier, but it was quite an adventure getting this far. The plane was late leaving Houston, the weather was horrible. We didn't get off the ground until 5:30pm. Paris was the absolute definition of chaos. The airport there must have been under construction, and when we finally found our terminal, they moved it on us. Ha. There are about 45 of us all travelling together and we were sitting at terminal 47 when an announcement was made that we needed to move to terminal 30...oh well, we made it. The airport at Doubai was crowded...very crowded. We had our passports checked and picked up our luggage then went on a trek of about a half mile pushing these large luggage carts, some of it uphill...bummer. We got in at about 11pm Doubai time. I have a roommate named John, he has been here a week and a half waiting to ship out to Iraq. We were told we would probably ship out Tuesday or Wednesday. Randy will probably be gone by the time I get there...bummer. As you can see from his message, more waiting is in store for him, but at least he is safe. I will post more news as I get it.

Sharjah Posted by: DimHarvest - on Friday, May 14, 2004 - 09:18 AM

[

Howdy, Howdy! I am on my second day in Sharjah, a suburb of Dubai, and I am really really bored. Ha. Everyone who travelled with me has checked into this hotel and we are here until Tuesday. We can tour Dubai or go to the mall, they are pretty westernized here, so I am told, but I'm just not really interested in those things right now. I am missing my family already and hope it gets easier as time goes by. Dan & Trask...email me when you get flight info maybe I will still be here. darvesmith@hotmail.com / darvesmith@gawab.com...either one will work...ha. I've been told we will fly out on Tuesday or Wednesday, but either way I think I will just miss seeing Randy. Oh well, those things happen. I have a roommate and we are getting someone else tonight. I haven't quite adjusted to the time difference yet. I slept past noon today...ha.

KBR Houston Operations Center Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, May 05, 2004 - 04:24 PM

[

I am now a KBR employee. On monday I was told that I would be working in the Houston Operations Center until I ship out for Iraq...and the good news is I will be getting paid for it. Most KBR employees headed for Iraq do not start earning their first paycheck until they step foot on a plane headed overseas, but my position has on the job training in Houston to prepare us for the job site. I have officially sent my letter of resignation to Mr. Keys and will miss all my friends at VVISD.

Processing is so fun! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 10:27 PM

[

Well, I have been processing for the past 4 days, and it is about over. I have filled out paperwork for a passport, applied for a military ID, had blood drawn in eight test tubes, peed in a cup, received 3 shots, got x-rayed, blew into a tube, took a hearing test, revealed all my medical history, bent left right forwards and backwards..and...turned and coughed! I sat through hours and hours of meetings, filled out paperwork until my fingers cramped, received my passport, and signed my contract. Now all I have to do is take 8 hrs of NBC training (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Suit), Get my military ID, pick up my government issued laptop, wait for my plane ticket and hop on the plane. No news yet when that will happen, but there is a good chance it could be late next week. I'll let you know. Thank you so much to Gena, Jordan and Trevor for visiting me here in Houston. I will miss you terribly while I am gone.

Processing has been scheduled! Posted by: DimHarvest - on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 09:08 AM

I talked to Kyle Chrisman, a KBR recruiter, on Monday afternoon and I am scheduled to begin my processing on Monday, April 26th! The processing can take up to two weeks, but after that all I'll need ia a plane ticket and I'll be on my way to Iraq. If all goes well during the processing, I will sign a one-year contract as an Operations Manager in an industrial zone supporting our troops at the Baghdad International Airport. Processing should be interesting. Halliburton / KBR foots the bill for hotel and meals while I am in Houston. I will have to take a written test and many medical and fitness tests as well as being trained in the NBC suit. (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Suit)

Waiting on a phone call... Posted by: DimHarvest - on Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 08:20 AM

I received an e-mail from Randy. He has turned in the requisitions for personnel at the industrial site. Dan and I should be getting phone calls from Houston any day now. Randy explained to us earlier that just like tools (ha), personnel had to be requisitioned. Once the requisition and resume are processed through the main office in Houston, we should receive a phone call to schedule a time to be processed ourselves. From what I understand, this processing will take an entire week, during which time Halliburton will foot the bill for us to stay in a Hotel in Houston. During the processing we will be taking physicals, filling out paperwork, getting shots, getting passports and military IDs, attending meetings and probably attending training in disaster preparedness. Then it will be waiting time again. After processing, I understand that we should be ready to go at any time...just wait for the phone to ring.

Valentine Weekend Posted by: DimHarvest - on Monday, February 16, 2004 - 11:51 AM

Had a nice Valentine weekend this year. Sent Gena a singing Valentine, which she really enjoyed, even though Trevor might have tipped her off that it was on the way. Had a nice visit from Gena's mother and enjoyed an expensive meal at Birraporetti's in Houston. Mike Henderson and three of his Coastalaires buddies sang to Gena in the High School office on Friday and earned me mucho brownie-points towards the sweetest hubby of the year award. They sang "Love Me Tender" and one other song and gave Gena a rose and hugs. Geneva watched Trevor Friday night and most of the day Saturday, (thank you), so that Gena and I could spend more time together. We enjoyed the Home & Garden show and then met Dan, Katie, Greyson and Jordan at Birraporetti's for dinner. The plan was to meet at the Aquarium, but it was much-much too busy so we didn't even pull into the parking lot. Birraporetti's was only about a two minute wait. The food was over-priced, but very delicious, and the company was wonderful. We all had a great time. Once again, Happy Valentine's Day, Wifey-poo! I love you with all my heart. - Darve