|
|
Mess cooking
Posts: 13
| Subject: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
are over and it's great to be home! It was quite an experience, an Honor and Privilege to work with the greatest military in the world and something I will never forget!
The only thing that kept me going the last 6 months were the men and women of our military because i'd become so disgusted with KBR and their way of doing business that I was ashamend to be associated with them. Good people treated like crap, while lazy, worthless people were put in positions of authority.
My job was to operate an 11 ton crane for the purpose of replacing engines, transmissions, up armor, and anything else my lil buggy could do to make the soldiers and civillian mechanics job easier.
Replacing a HET engine/transmission pak (the biggest vehicle in the Army inventory) for 90k$ plus was common practice when for 3 hours labor, and $400.00 in parts we could have fixed the problem. I could go on for hours and tell you about the costly and stupid things we did over there that cost the military and the US taxpayers money but what's the point, i'd rather tell you about the good parts.
Bottle water showers, D-Fac food(tasteless) 135 plus heat, rain and mud(nuthin like Iraqi mud) but the best of all was the Iraq dust storms!!! Blocking out the sun for days and getting into everything, the food, my hooch, eyes, mouth, clothes, just a very enjoyable experience:-)
All kidding aside tho, we all took pride in the fact that when we fixed a vehicle, everything from a Humvee to a Het, that vehicle went outside the wire on missions and brought the kids back in one piece! THAT'S what it was all about!!!
Met some great people, every rank from Private to Full Bird, Army, Marine, and Air Force and they were great. The NCO's are really the best tho, the backbone on the Military. Even had a few Navy personell at Q-West too. Mostly comm. specialists although we had some from the Teams the came thru once in a while. Had a UAV unit too, flyin their lil plane around the AO takin pix.
A lil bit about the Marines. What a bunch!!! Not an ounce of fat on these kids and talk about motivated, they wanted to do one thing and that's find the bad guys and render them dead!!! Had a company come thru the spring of 08 and when I asked the Gunny what brought them to Q-West, he told me R&R. Hot chow and runnin water. These kids had been out in the desert for 100 days, lookin for bad guys, livin in, on and under their vehicles and to them, Q-West was like paradise. Gimme a hundred of these Marines and lets go hunting.
One thing I tried to do was keep myself in check. When I thought I was having a bad day, all I had to do was go check out the units gearing up to go out on convoy support. I'm wearing lightweight carhartt pants and a t-shirt, it's 135 plus at 1700 hrs and these kids are strapping on 60/80lbs of battle gear w/weapons and ammo to go outside the wire. I got NUTHIN to bitch about.
And lastly, despite what you might hear in the media, we ARE making a positive difference. Course, unless it's a 155mm IED, or a suicide bomber killin soldiers and civillians, your not gonna hear about it in the news. Water flowing, electricity, schools and hospitals and even jobs for the locals, it's all happening now. There is always gonna be strife in Iraq, it's their history, it's all they know but all most of the people want is to have a decent life and be left alone.
I'm glad to be home and i've gone on long enough but I just want to say what an HONOR it has been for me to serve with the newest Greatest Generation. We have nothing to fear my friends, our back is covered by the best damn Military in the world and I for one have a newfound respect for these kids out there protecting my freedom each and every day. Thanks |
|
| |
|
Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: Welcom Home Greg
Thanks for the update. Need more reporting like that. |
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1405
Location: Houston, TX (Best state in the US) | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
THank you for your service and sacrifice and a great report. I thank God for men like you and those over in the middle of the sand, May the Lord watch over them. |
|
| |
|
COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2540
Location: Wappingers Falls, NY | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Welcome home, Greg. Thank you for your service. I echo Dave's sentiments...THANK GOD for men and women like you, who will go into harm's way and do a job like yours.
I also echo Ric's sentiments...we need to hear MORE "HONEST" and POSITIVE REPORTS like yours...
Again...
WELCOME HOME!
|
|
| |
|
Old Salt
Posts: 438
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Congratulations and welcome home. 2.5 years! Can’t imagine.
Thanks for the report also. Bit of a contrast to some of the stuff posted here lately.
|
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1814
Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
WELCOME HOME, GREG!!!!! I been wondering about you, thought surely you musta come home long ago, but just quit posting. 30 months, I can't imagine living in that hell hole that long. You done yourself proud, Son! Time for a little R&R and I & I now, then when the urge hit ya, tell us some NTINS sea stories (well I reckon they would be desert stories).
BRAVO ZULU, SHIPMATE!
Steamboat sends |
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 2253
Location: Foothills of the Ozarks | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Well done, Greg and Welcome Home.
My experience with the Marines was very similar; different time, different place but Marines are still Marines and thank God for it.
BZ
Doc Gardner |
|
| |
|
COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Glad you're back safe and I hope sound. We missed ya and I was beginning to wonder what became of ya since we hadn't heard any up dates. Rest up and drop on by to tell us more.  |
|
| |
|
Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 561
Location: Belleview, Fl | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
WELCOME HOME Greg, been wondering how you have been and if you were home yet. Thank you for making our soldiers lives better and safer every day that you were there. My hat is off to you shipmate, BZ for your time spent in Iraq.
Darrin
3d ID OIF1 |
|
| |
|
Old Salt
Posts: 419
Location: Anchorage, Alaska | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Welcome home, Greg.
I hope you're enjoying this cool spell today after yesterday's 80o heat!
You don't need a magnetic ribbon on your car, you really did "Support Our Troops."
Bravo Zulu.
|
|
| |
|
Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 811
Location: NW Connecticut | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Welcome home Greg.. BZ to you and yours .. I'm toasting you with a smooth and beautifully tanned 18 year old.. ( single malt that is)
Hey don't listen to Doc's banter about Sardines.. They only taste good ground up on a cracker with a slice of Tamato on top... The best Sardine is a Submarine.. |
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 2191
Location: Port Ludlow, WA (the Olympic Penninsula) | Subject: RE: My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
Welcome home Greg! thanks for your insight as to a situtation that gets very little positive reporting! Our grandson Joshua just left yesterday for his 3rd deployment with the 442nd we all wish those guys the best, they tend to be "out front" too much of late!
 (Joshua.JPG)
Attachments
----------------
 Joshua.JPG (55KB - 473 downloads)
|
|
| |
My 2 1/2 years in Iraq
