Um Quasr

Hello All! This week I made my final trip before coming home. Sam and I went to visit Um Qasr (see if you can find it on a map) that is in southern Iraq. The purpose of our trip was to evaluate the Iraqi Navy Training School. The flight down consisted of two helicopter rides (one leg on a Puma and one leg on a Merlin) and a fixed wing flight on a Hercules. All were flown by the British Royal Air Force. The helicopter to the left is a Merlin and we ended up on a 2 hour flight due to some stop overs and back tracking. It was interesting but a little long!

When we fly, we are required to wear our full battle gear. This is a picture of some of the British officers that were on the flight with us. Sam is sitting second to the end.

During the helicopter flights, we were able to see much of the countryside of southern Iraq. It was mostly flat and sandy but this one section actually had a few terrain features. I took several pictures out of the window so I will share them when I return.

Once we arrived at the Port, we went to visit the training site that consists of job specific training and English Language Training. Since English is the common language of the seas, the Naval officers are required to attend English classes and obtain a certain level of proficiency with the language.

The Naval Transition Team consists of Coalition forces that work directly with the Iraqi Navy to develop and grow their forces. Currently, there are only about 2,000 officers and enlisted forces in the Iraqi Navy and only about 16 officers are attending the English training. They have a long way to go.

This is the building where the training occurs. There are seven classrooms but only two are used for the English program. We sat through a class and observed the instruction. It was interesting but very limited on resources. Not a single computer in sight!





The Iraqi Navy is being reconstructed. Currently, they have 5 patrol boats and no ships or submarines. The patrol boats are used to guard the Iraqi oil platforms and pipelines that are located in the Gulf. We were able to tour one of the boats that was parked at the jetty.




The Iraqi Navy recently bought four quick response patrol boats that were also anchored at Um Qasr. I also got a tour of them while I was there.

On our last night, we were sitting outside admiring this beautiful sunset. It was such a pretty evening but a little disheartening to look at the sunset through the barbwire. I hope that some day Iraq will not need such things and the people will be able to exist peacefully. That is my wish for them.

I will be headed home soon so this will probably be my last entry. I look forward to seeing everyone and I have missed you all but I will miss my friends in Iraq when I return. I wish you could meet them - they are such kind and caring people, very much like us. They love their country and they are proud of their heritage. I hope that someday it will be safe for us to travel here and visit and that the country will grow and prosper due to our efforts, not in spite of them. It has been a wonderful experience that I would not trade for anything but I am looking forward to returning home, spending time with family and friends, and getting back to Maury. I will see you all soon. Take care!

Ar Rustamiyah

This week, Sam (Squadron Leader Samantha Emmett - Royal Air Force) and I went to Ar Rustamiyah to visit the English Language school for the Army and Air Force. The building to the left is the Iraqi Military Academy Rustamiyah (IMAR) Headquarters. They are responsible for all of the officer cadet training for both the Army and Air Force.







These are the officer cadets (it is only their second week in training) headed to their classroom building. They are lining up getting ready to march. They had to march and call cadence every where they went. It was quite fun to watch - and very loud!




One of the buildings we toured was a newly refurbished barracks (funded by the United States Air Force) that had been completed prior to the cadets arriving. They were the first group to stay in the new building.





We also observed one of the Army classroom lessons on English. There were around 75 cadets in the room with one teacher. It is very different than they way we would teach. Most of the class was in Arabic with only a few English vocabulary words thrown in.






While we were there, Sam and I visited the Iraqi Air Force English Language training facility. It was much more impressive than the Army English Language training. The classrooms only had 15 students in them and they were taught mainly in English with very little Arabic being spoken. Flight Lieutenant Emma Clamp (Royal Air Force), me, and Sam in front of the IAF building.



Emma and Sam - I was behind the camera :-) The flowers are beautiful right now in Iraq since it is springtime. Very soon it will get too hot for them to bloom.







Ar Rustamiyah is a NATO run facility. I thought the sign was interesting because it represented all of the different countries that are present at this location.






I hope everyone is doing well. I understand that you are getting a great deal of rain in East Tennessee right now. We could use a little of that here! It is hot and dry and very, very dusty. I will be glad to see the green hills of Tennessee. Take care and I will see you soon! Less than a month to go!!!

Happy Spring Break

Hello All! Hope everyone is having a nice, relaxing week and enjoying Spring Break! I really look forward to this time of year in Tennessee so get out and enjoy it for me:-) I love to hear the birds singing and see the beautiful tulips and dogwoods blooming. The best part is the smell of freshly cut grass - nothing like it!

We are experiencing Spring in Iraq but it is a little different here due to the climate. It is very dry and dusty but the flowers are in bloom. Not a lot of grass to mow unless you water it on a daily basis. This week, the newly constructed garden that is located next to the Training Center had an official opening. I took some pictures of it to share.


(Entrance into the garden. There is a large water fountain in the middle of the garden.)








(Statue of an Iraqi Soldier saluting the Iraqi Flag. This garden is located directly behind the Ministry of Defense which is responsible for overseeing all branches of the Iraqi Military.)









(Back of the MoD building that faces the new garden.)








(One of the fountains in the garden. The structure in the back is similar to the native houses that used to be built in Iraq. Some of the structures are still used out in the countryside.)






(The side garden located beside the MoD. This is the route I take each day walking back and forth to the MTDC.)








(Some of the first flowers of Spring. Similar to a yellow daisy.)




It is hard to believe that Spring time is here and that we only have 9 weeks of school left. I will be excited to be able to get back in time to share the last few weeks with you. Hope everyone is enjoying their time off and remember to work hard on your studies when you get back to school (Summer is right around the corner:)

Trip to Taji

(First helicopter ride in a UH-60 Blackhawk!)



Hello all! I flew up to an air base located northwest of Baghdad called Taji. It was about a 10 minute flight and my first ride on a Blackhawk. There were four of us that traveled together - two USAF members from Coalition Air Force - Transition Team (CAF-TT) and Sam(antha) and I from MOD-AT. (Sam is a Squadron Commander in the Royal Air Force - British). We went to visit the Iraqi Air Force Training Center where English Language classes are being taught. The flight was uneventful but too short. I really enjoyed the ride.

We spent the first day locating radios that had been purchased for the MI-17 helicopters. The two USAF members that went are from the Acquisitions section so they needed to verify that the radios had arrived. Taji is the main supply depot for all of Iraq. It is a very large base! We also got to tour the helicopter and see it in flight.



(MI-17 helicopter)








(Me "flying" one on the ground:)













The second day, we went to visit the training center. We visited a classroom, the technology lab, and even got to see a Basic Training graduation for new Iraqi Airmen. It was a wonderful experience!



(Iraqi Air Force Training Center - Main building)








(Sam and I with a few of the Iraqi 1LT students)








(The technology lab - notice the wooden benches)








(Iraqi Air Force basic training graduates)








(The students like having their picture made with Coalition forces)




It was a great experience and I took lots more pictures. I will have to wait and share them when I get home. Hope all is well in Tennessee and have a great weekend!

Iraqi Dinner

On Thursday, Mr. Wa'el took all of the professors from the MTDC to dinner. We went to an Iraqi restaurant, Benatha, for a fish dinner. The fish is cut in half and cooked over an open fire. As the fire dies down, the fish is laid on the coals. It was delicious! We had several side dishes including rice and bread. I ate way too much!



(Picture of the fish)









(Picture of the group of professors. Mr. Wa'el is sitting next to me in the front row.)




We had a wonderful time. The Iraqis eat late because they actually wait to eat lunch when they get off from work around 5:00 pm. They will generally eat dinner between 9:00 and 10:00 pm. Very different from our eating schedule. The weather has warmed up considerably and is now getting very warm during the day. It gets quite hot with all the body armor on. I am thankful that I won't be here during July and August which are the hottest months of the year. It can reach 140 degrees during those months.

Maury Students:
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and made it back to school. I know it is a busy time of year as you prepare for TCAPs and other spring events but remember to study hard and do your best every day! I will be back soon so I want to get a good report on how well all of you have done while I have been gone. Remember to thank your teachers for all the hard work they do. You are extremely blessed to have them! Take care - I miss all of you!!!

Website

Hello! I wanted to send a website link to you for the MNSTC-I public page. I wrote an article about one of the programs that I have been involved in during my time in Iraq. It is located at the following link:http://www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil/. There is also other information on the page about what our Command is doing with the Iraqi Military and Police forces. Thought you might enjoy reading some of the events that are ongoing.

The weather here has been wonderful for the past couple of days. Feels like spring time with cool mornings and warm days. I took pictures of the gardens yesterday and will post them later this week. The flowers are beautiful, especially the roses. Hope everyone is doing well. Take care!

Funny Story

I had a fun day earlier this week...or maybe I should say interesting. We had ordered furniture for a new computer lab at the MTDC and when they asked about using a local company I said sure since that would contribute to the local economy. I didn't know what I was getting myself into! I had to go and meet the trucks at the checkpoint (See the pictures below. I took them on the way to the Checkpoint. The road was a narrow strip with the Tigris River on both sides.)

First of all, the delivery trucks sat in line for three hours waiting to get to the checkpoint and be searched. It was quite an operation - electronic x-ray machine and bomb dogs. When we got to the checkpoint, we waited about 2 hours to get all the paperwork approved for them to enter the IZ and then when I saw the trucks I knew we were in trouble. They were flatbeds with side rails and both were stacked to the top and beyond. I don't know how they got so much stuff on that truck! One of the trucks was older and barely moving - the guy at the checkpoint told me to go ahead and get in front and move over out of the way because the truck was going to have to take a running start to get up the hill. We aren't talking a very steep hill just a little incline.

So we headed out and then the truck decided to die in the middle of Baghdad rush hour. Imagine 15 Iraqi men running around in the road, getting behind this truck and pushing it down the road. We got it over to the side and they decided to tow it. So they tied this large truck to the back of a Toyota Corolla. We took off again and made it to the school house but along the way, every time we hit a bump, boxes of paper would fall off the top so one of the Iraqis in the Toyota would hop out, run back, pick up the box and throw it on the other truck. It was like watching "Iraqi's Funniest Home Videos". I just had to laugh. But, we made it safely and only one piece of furniture got damaged. They are replacing it for us next week.

As you can tell, my days are busy. I have so many stories and pictures to share when I return. I can't wait to show them to you. Take care and have a wonderful week!


(New U.S. Embassy - largest US Embassy in the world.)









(Close up picture of the U.S. Embassy - flag flying in the middle.)









(July 14th Bridge - Who can find out why it is called the July 14th Bridge? Research Iraqi history.)






(Baghdad Hotel across the Tigris River)








(One of Saddam's former Palaces located along the Tigris)

Tennessee Visitor

Good morning all! It is Sunday and I am at the MTDC this morning. We have an Advisor Training Course in progress that will finish up today. On Tuesday of this week, we had a Tennessee visitor at Phoenix Base - US Representative Steven Cohen. I met him, along with four other fellow Tennesseans, and we had lunch together. He represents West Tennessee (Memphis area) but it was nice to hear a fellow Tennessee accent!







We have been experiencing more sand storms this week. I took a couple of pictures. What looks like fog is actually small dust particles. The sun became a little, glowing ball since their was so much dust in the air. Very unusual experience for me.



(Picture of the sun - little spot in the middle of the picture)









(The dust has been so thick that it looked like fog. You could feel it in your mouth.)



Other than the sand storms, everything is going well. I am on the countdown (approximately 60 days and counting) and looking forward to returning home. Hope everyone is having a good weekend and looking forward to Spring in Tennessee. Take care.