Buffiniraq

Time flies when you're havin fun...LOL Seems like yesterday yall were givin me a "goin away" party under the guise of a Marriage Encounter Family picnic at St Peter's. Still can't believe yall wore those towel turbins around your heads to greet me...how politically incorrect yall are!!! LOL Anyway, some of you have asked to get an idea of what it's like from day to day so as time goes on I'll try to describe it as best I can to the extent allowable under the conditions.

Our area of operation is the Diyala Province (if you're looking at a map, it's the eastern province from Baghdad east to the Iran border up to Tikrit). For those of you into geopolitics, a province is similar to a State and within the Province there are Qadas, similar to our Counties and within a Qada there are Nahiyas, which are voting districts made up of small towns and villages. The head of a Province is the Provincial Governor. The head of Qadas are Mayors and Provincial Council Members and the towns and villages are also lead by Mayors, Shakes, and others. Many towns and villages have no running water, sewer systems, or electricity. Most homes are made out of mud brick/blocks. Although the home may not have running water, toilets, or electricity, many have small generators with a TV satellite dish sitting in there back yard! In spite of the living conditions, the Iraqi's I’ve met seem to accept their plight as they have never had it any other way. As the Corps continues to build power stations, schools, bases, roads and water supplies, their horizon line changes and you can only imagine how their smiles get broader each day...
I'm reponsible as a Project Engineer to represent the Corps in managing different construction projects underway (as I've taken over the Postal Distribution Facility about 25% complete) and others in the pipeline. All of our Construction Reps are career Corps professionals who have volunteered to come here from cushy stateside road, waterway, hurricane relief and government building projects. I'm the only "civilian" who signed on here in Anaconda, however, there are other National Guard types who pulled 6 or 12 month tours and will be going home to their regular jobs after finishing up here. There are very few of us "civilian types" I'm told in country and the Corps can use all different kinds of construction expertise from the private sector, sooooo, if anyone reading this is bored, retired or needs an excuse from watching the grass grow or is embarrased about his mushrooming handicap and needs an excuse to get away for awhile (LOL) go to the Corps of Engineer web site and see the phlethora of jobs available. There's nothing like being able to serve our country in times like these. Didn't mean to get off on a tangent...I work from 6:30 AM after a great breakfast at the Mess Hall with all the soldiers. There are 4 on base and the food and selection is like a huge Golden Coral only more of both! Anyway, I get here to the office (only 20 minutes if I walk and 5 minutes by SUV goin 20MPH MAX allowed on base!) Then, after checkin mail, I'm off to the job sites and seein what I can do to further the progress along. Records of each day are submitted to me by my Con reps (project managers)who essentially are my eyes and ears on the sites. After comin back to the office I catch up on puter things and filing and meeting with GC's etc etc. About midday I'm back to Mess hall where I can do it again (not to worry Colette, I'm bein a good boy and stayin "Fit for Life"). After that back to the jobs/office and yadda yadda yadda. That's the routine 7 days a week (except for Mass on Sunday from 11 to 12) and 12 hours a day. SOoooo, now you know why and how "the time flies when you're havin fun"...LOL Next time I'll try to load some pics and talk less. I love you babe...couldn't have done this without ya girl. Hug William for me and love to everyone