Part One
Counterflow: So Love May Find Us. This is a long song/short film cut into two parts. Youtube and every other site I've looked at have a 15 minute time limit. The song is almost 20, so here's 10 and 8 in two parts. The footage and photos are mine, the music - Australian band extraordinaire ,"The Church."
Part Two
Showing posts with label Camp Echo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camp Echo. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Flagged: The New Iraq's First American Tourist
A collection of shots from a few days ago. When I get back to Camp Echo unintentional themes surface when I sit at my computer and review the contents of my camera. In this case flags, Iraqi and US. This first one, on a wall within the walls of another central south eastern IP station, is a sub-artistic depiction of this country's recent maladjustments to huge and hasty change. Recently I started a Facebook account and mentioned that I felt like a tourist at times amidst a discussion with other soldiers on how hard or easy it is to be deployed in Iraq at this point in time. It's true, I had more difficult times in my life for various reasons as a civilian in the states. As well, I know '04 thru '07 was a near constant Hell for coalition soldiers deployed here, but I understand the pain of separation from loved ones, and the anxiety of boredom that these young soldiers deal with daily. Being older and having developed ways to cope with such things as a civilian, I hope I can as a soldier and a medic, help other soldiers do the same here and now.
In this photo, IPs load up for a patrol, share water in the heat, and wait within walls for another policeman to open the gate. Taken while we waited in our trucks.
An Iraqi Army gunner's post near dusk at a check point in Diwaniya. The spring season heats into summer and the violence level in Iraq follows the same pattern, heating up in varying degrees of bloodshed each year. IPs and IA are currently the most common targets outside tribal clashes.
The American flag and soldiers, focused and imposed on the setting, as a woman visits the police station.
Another shot from the ride home. I never know how shots are gonna take. The weighty armored truck jack hammers the mixed terrain surface of rural roads at high speed and I delete two thirds of what I take right after I get it. Often I get frustrated with missing the fly-by sights just out of frame and ready for the next chance. I could for moments at a time forget that I'm an army medic "...just waiting for the worst day of a soldier's life..." as I recall a sergeant saying to me one morning before mission. But I never forget this. I just keep myself occupied in the meantime pretending to be the new Iraq's first American tourist, embedded with the troops.
Another shot of our flag with the blurred faceless IP, not unlike the policemen that become daily statistics and world headlines.
These workers in a garden grove, just off the road, taking a break in the shade.
He almost blends into the background against the t-walls with the truck, naturally. Almost invisible at first glance.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Camp Echo
One of the soldiers here who looked at my blog suggested I post some pictures of Camp Echo since that was something his wife asked for recently. I felt like that was a good idea but two problems surface. 1. There is nothing really photogenic about the scenery on a military FOB (forward operating base). They all look the same. 2. There is the intel/security aspect, meaning anyone in the world, even the bad guys could possibly see my blog, so I try to avoid something that could be used against us. Basically anything that could be used to construct a layout/map.
Inside a CHU. Two soldiers per Contained Housing Unit.
The Post Office
The PX
The CHUler Park
The old Iraq Army structures are put to use. Sand bags over windows to protect from blasts.
Inside a CHU. Two soldiers per Contained Housing Unit.
The Post Office
The PX
The CHUler Park
The old Iraq Army structures are put to use. Sand bags over windows to protect from blasts.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Only In Iraq
Not to say so much that, "this can only be seen in Iraq" as "I have only seen in Iraq." Although unlikely in North America, such similar sights must occur in other countries of the world.
I saw a little boy ask her to ask us for something. I don't know what. The answer was no.
View of the local Iraqi Army Headquarters from the gates to Camp Echo.
Like a Marian statue, waiting for a taxi.
A challenge to race, but no takers.
Shortly after the shot of the woman this donkey came trotting by with no hesitation or looking around. Seemed to know where he was headed.
This little one was wandering around near the street visibly in a good mood all by herself.
Crossed wires, residential power, KBR style.
I have seen small children as passengers on bikes many times. Usually smaller than this fellow and on the handlebars or under an arm like a bag of groceries. This is the only picture I have so far.
The little wanderer was rounded up by some older kids and brought to another girl, maybe five, who came out and seemed to fancy herself as grown up. A cute scenario that could have ended otherwise.
I saw a little boy ask her to ask us for something. I don't know what. The answer was no.
View of the local Iraqi Army Headquarters from the gates to Camp Echo.
Like a Marian statue, waiting for a taxi.
A challenge to race, but no takers.
Shortly after the shot of the woman this donkey came trotting by with no hesitation or looking around. Seemed to know where he was headed.
This little one was wandering around near the street visibly in a good mood all by herself.
Crossed wires, residential power, KBR style.
I have seen small children as passengers on bikes many times. Usually smaller than this fellow and on the handlebars or under an arm like a bag of groceries. This is the only picture I have so far.
The little wanderer was rounded up by some older kids and brought to another girl, maybe five, who came out and seemed to fancy herself as grown up. A cute scenario that could have ended otherwise.
Friday, March 27, 2009
CNN: Shoddy Wiring Everywhere (on military installations) / My Photographs (Camp Echo)
The following is a new article at CNN.com. After reading it, I stepped outside and took a couple shots. All of the following photographs are mine and were not with the original article. I didn't have to go looking around for examples of shoddy wiring. All of these pictures were taken within 10 paces of my CHU, Contained Housing Unit.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan have such poorly installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks, a top inspector for the Army says.
These wires installed in Iraq are some of the most important to ensure safety. They all need to be replaced.
"It was horrible -- some of the worst electrical work I've ever seen," said Jim Childs, a master electrician and the top civilian expert in an Army safety survey. Childs told CNN that "with the buildings the way they are, we're playing Russian roulette."
Childs recently returned from Iraq, where he is taking part in a yearlong review aimed at correcting electrical hazards on U.S. bases. He told CNN that thousands of buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan are so badly wired that troops are at serious risk of death or injury.
He said problems are "everywhere" in Iraq, where 18 U.S. troops have died by electrocution since 2003. All deaths occurred in different circumstances and different locations, but many happened on U.S. bases being managed by various military contractors. The Army has has reopened investigations in at least five cases, according to Pentagon sources.
Of the nearly 30,000 buildings the Army's "Task Force Safe" has examined so far, Childs said more than half "failed miserably." And 8,527 had such serious problems that inspectors gave them a "flash" warning, meaning repairs had to be completed in four hours or the facility evacuated.
He said the majority of those buildings were wired by contractor KBR, based in Houston, Texas. KBR has faced extensive criticism from Congress over its performance in the war zone. KBR has defended its performance and argued it was not to blame for any fatalities.
Military electrocutions became a national issue about a year ago, after the January 2008 death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A decorated member of the Army's Green Berets, Maseth was electrocuted in his shower at a U.S. base in Baghdad that once served as one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
His death was blamed on improper grounding and dangerous wiring on his living quarters. Soon after that, the Army asked Childs to help create "Task Force Safe," a team of master electricians assigned to inspect Army posts for electrical dangers.
Childs said the "large majority" of the buildings the task force examined in Iraq had been wired by KBR, which he expected would follow American standards. But the results, he said, were "just horrible."
In one building, "I had them pull a switch out of the wall to look at a switch, and when they pulled it out of the wall, the wires fell out of it," Childs said. Thinking that was an exception, "We pulled the one next to it. They fell off," he said. "It was just very, very poor quality work."
Much of the work was done by crews from countries beyond Iraq, "with very little supervision by anybody." And many of the problems involved improperly grounded systems that allowed plumbing to conduct electricity, which he said could lead to electric shocks such as the one that killed Maseth.
Childs said service orders on at least two occasions warned of the hazard in Maseth's quarters, and "two simple electrical 101s" should have been checked out by electricians.
"A competent electrical contractor and electrician would have gone to that job site and tried to discover why pipes could have been energized," he said. If they had been, "then Ryan Maseth would not have been electrocuted, in my opinion."
Maseth's family is suing KBR. An Army investigator has recommended that his cause of death be changed to "negligent homicide," accusing the company of failing to properly supervise or inspect its work. The Army has yet to accept the recommendation.
KBR has repeatedly said it was not responsible for Maseth's death or for any of the others and defended its work.
"KBR has worked diligently to address electrical issues when asked," the company told CNN in a written statement. "What is important to remember is the challenging environment in which these issues exist.
"The electrical standards in Iraq are nowhere near those of Western or U.S. standards. Add to this the challenges that exist in a war zone. We have been and remain committed to fully cooperating with the government on this issue."
But Childs said the majority of buildings on U.S. bases were built and wired by KBR since the U.S. invasion.
"They installed the housing units, they installed the electrical, they installed the wiring. They installed it all. And it's wrong," he said. "It's all put in wrong."
KBR was not alone, however. He said the Army survey found problems with every contractor whose work it inspected.
Task Force Safe has yet to inspect another 70,000 buildings in Iraq and has just begun its review of bases in Afghanistan, where contractors have raised similar concerns. In written answers to questions from CNN, Pentagon spokesman Chris Isleib said, "We are correcting hazardous conditions every day."
"This is a huge undertaking but absolutely necessary for the life, health and safety of our service members and civilians," he said. "When we find a defect, we put in an emergency work order and take action immediately to protect the people working or living in those facilities."
But Childs told CNN he is surprised more Americans have not been hurt.
"All the potentials are there," he said. "It just hasn't happened."
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan have such poorly installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks, a top inspector for the Army says.
These wires installed in Iraq are some of the most important to ensure safety. They all need to be replaced.
"It was horrible -- some of the worst electrical work I've ever seen," said Jim Childs, a master electrician and the top civilian expert in an Army safety survey. Childs told CNN that "with the buildings the way they are, we're playing Russian roulette."
Childs recently returned from Iraq, where he is taking part in a yearlong review aimed at correcting electrical hazards on U.S. bases. He told CNN that thousands of buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan are so badly wired that troops are at serious risk of death or injury.
He said problems are "everywhere" in Iraq, where 18 U.S. troops have died by electrocution since 2003. All deaths occurred in different circumstances and different locations, but many happened on U.S. bases being managed by various military contractors. The Army has has reopened investigations in at least five cases, according to Pentagon sources.
Of the nearly 30,000 buildings the Army's "Task Force Safe" has examined so far, Childs said more than half "failed miserably." And 8,527 had such serious problems that inspectors gave them a "flash" warning, meaning repairs had to be completed in four hours or the facility evacuated.
He said the majority of those buildings were wired by contractor KBR, based in Houston, Texas. KBR has faced extensive criticism from Congress over its performance in the war zone. KBR has defended its performance and argued it was not to blame for any fatalities.
Military electrocutions became a national issue about a year ago, after the January 2008 death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A decorated member of the Army's Green Berets, Maseth was electrocuted in his shower at a U.S. base in Baghdad that once served as one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
His death was blamed on improper grounding and dangerous wiring on his living quarters. Soon after that, the Army asked Childs to help create "Task Force Safe," a team of master electricians assigned to inspect Army posts for electrical dangers.
Childs said the "large majority" of the buildings the task force examined in Iraq had been wired by KBR, which he expected would follow American standards. But the results, he said, were "just horrible."
In one building, "I had them pull a switch out of the wall to look at a switch, and when they pulled it out of the wall, the wires fell out of it," Childs said. Thinking that was an exception, "We pulled the one next to it. They fell off," he said. "It was just very, very poor quality work."
Much of the work was done by crews from countries beyond Iraq, "with very little supervision by anybody." And many of the problems involved improperly grounded systems that allowed plumbing to conduct electricity, which he said could lead to electric shocks such as the one that killed Maseth.
Childs said service orders on at least two occasions warned of the hazard in Maseth's quarters, and "two simple electrical 101s" should have been checked out by electricians.
"A competent electrical contractor and electrician would have gone to that job site and tried to discover why pipes could have been energized," he said. If they had been, "then Ryan Maseth would not have been electrocuted, in my opinion."
Maseth's family is suing KBR. An Army investigator has recommended that his cause of death be changed to "negligent homicide," accusing the company of failing to properly supervise or inspect its work. The Army has yet to accept the recommendation.
KBR has repeatedly said it was not responsible for Maseth's death or for any of the others and defended its work.
"KBR has worked diligently to address electrical issues when asked," the company told CNN in a written statement. "What is important to remember is the challenging environment in which these issues exist.
"The electrical standards in Iraq are nowhere near those of Western or U.S. standards. Add to this the challenges that exist in a war zone. We have been and remain committed to fully cooperating with the government on this issue."
But Childs said the majority of buildings on U.S. bases were built and wired by KBR since the U.S. invasion.
"They installed the housing units, they installed the electrical, they installed the wiring. They installed it all. And it's wrong," he said. "It's all put in wrong."
KBR was not alone, however. He said the Army survey found problems with every contractor whose work it inspected.
Task Force Safe has yet to inspect another 70,000 buildings in Iraq and has just begun its review of bases in Afghanistan, where contractors have raised similar concerns. In written answers to questions from CNN, Pentagon spokesman Chris Isleib said, "We are correcting hazardous conditions every day."
"This is a huge undertaking but absolutely necessary for the life, health and safety of our service members and civilians," he said. "When we find a defect, we put in an emergency work order and take action immediately to protect the people working or living in those facilities."
But Childs told CNN he is surprised more Americans have not been hurt.
"All the potentials are there," he said. "It just hasn't happened."
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Traffic Jam Surveillance
Not the preferred place for anyone, anywhere...stuck in traffic. And in our case, a military convoy, feeling vulnerable in the best of conditions, sitting at a complete stand still does not help one feel like less of a target. So what to do as a passenger, to stay alert, aware of your surroundings and stay calm? Take pictures.
One of many murals in Diwaniya. This one outside a police station, on a t-wall, is a favorite.
Iraqi Highway Patrol..."IiPS?"
Got the reflection of our gunner as I took a shot of another driver.
Still see something new and surprising every time I leave Camp Echo.
Many buildings here with tell-tale signs of an unstable time. While our unit was in Baghdad I could hear distant shots and explosions from our FOB in the Green Zone at least once a week. It's much quieter here in the south.
I got the evil eye from this vehicle's passenger. I wasn't as bold as it might seem. I only tried to take shots of moving vehicles as they passed.
Once we got to and passed the bottle-neck, we caught up with the motorcycle, and traffic opened up.
One of many murals in Diwaniya. This one outside a police station, on a t-wall, is a favorite.
Iraqi Highway Patrol..."IiPS?"
Got the reflection of our gunner as I took a shot of another driver.
Still see something new and surprising every time I leave Camp Echo.
Many buildings here with tell-tale signs of an unstable time. While our unit was in Baghdad I could hear distant shots and explosions from our FOB in the Green Zone at least once a week. It's much quieter here in the south.
I got the evil eye from this vehicle's passenger. I wasn't as bold as it might seem. I only tried to take shots of moving vehicles as they passed.
Once we got to and passed the bottle-neck, we caught up with the motorcycle, and traffic opened up.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Diwaniya Iraq (Part 2)
Mother and Child
Roadside Free Enterprise
Rural Woman
Arabike
College Girls outside Al-Qadisiya University
Another Diwaniya DIY
Road Improvement Worker (by Al-Qadisiya University)
Woman Underneath
Diwaniya Police Academy Recruits
Roadside Free Enterprise
Rural Woman
Arabike
College Girls outside Al-Qadisiya University
Another Diwaniya DIY
Road Improvement Worker (by Al-Qadisiya University)
Woman Underneath
Diwaniya Police Academy Recruits
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
De Niro and the HQ Kids
We arrived expectantly unexpected, but we never know what we'll find at the downtown Diwaniya Police Headquarters. Our mission to re-affirm that all operations were going smoothly inside is typically interrupted by a local gang making demands outside.
Before we even had the trucks parked I spotted the one called "De Niro." He was enjoying his breakfast and seemed to be in a good mood for this visit.
No sooner than you can say "...sugar cone special" we were spotted, and De Niro alerted his gang, The HQ Kids came running out from around corners and barrier walls from all directions in the dense downtown district and surrounded our trucks. While some of our squad went inside to conduct business, some of us stayed back to keep watch and one careful eye on De Niro and his rowdy bunch.
The gang were asking for "Halloween," apparent street slang for...candy! Demands for "footballs," and "money" were also made, but we stood our ground...and we don't carry soccer balls in our trucks anyway. A couple of dangerous gangsters inspected the razor wire, no doubt an attempt to find out how we got in through the guarded entrance.
This reminded me of a previous encounter when De Niro and the kids were asking me and the other soldiers, "fallafel me-sta?" On that visit we tried the fallafels that they got for us from a near-by shop, and they tasted quite good, although the price went up a dollar each visit after that.
De Niro was happy to do business with us, and this kept the peace. We got fallafel again and the gang got their cut I'm sure as 2 for a dollar has become 1 for three bucks! But none of us mind, and how could we, really?
Soon it was time to go again, on to the next station, but not before De Niro made a final demand, and the HQ kids waved good-bye, till next time.
I could see De Niro sipping my cold soda in my rear-view mirror. He's tough that one.
We encounter the same kids a lot as we go out to the same stations a couple times a week. We've gotten to know them and given them nicknames. De Niro because of his facial expressions. Some soldiers aren't real keen on the kids hanging around, and others like myself enjoy their presence which breaks the monotony and mood.
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