Now that i've returned back to Japan from leave in the good ol' U$ of A and stopped being lazy, i've posted some pics of my wonderful time in Iraq.
I was deployed to LSA Anaconda or Balad Air Base as it's known to Air Force folks such as I. It's just northwest of Baghdad in the lively Sunni Triangle. It's common nickname is Mortaritaville due to the large amount of mortars that are fired into the base. Prior to the war the base was the jewel of Saddam's Air Force but now it's nothing but sand, rocks, and concrete barriers. During my time there we had at least 230 indirect fire attacks and that's not including the ones that landed or exploded off base. The high number of shit that was thrown at us made Anaconda once again the highest attacked base in Iraq.
To quickly sum up my time there...
- No, I didn't get to shoot at anyone. I fired 10 rounds to re-sight in my weapon, and that's about it. The nature of my job (Security Forces Augmentee/TCN and LN Escort) kept me on base. I never got to go outside the wire, which is a good and a bad thing.
-Most of the Iraqi's I encountered were decent hard working people that were just trying to make a living. Some were complete shit bags that would lie and beg for clothes, food, candy, etc. only to sell it off base.
-Turkish workers are dirty, smelly, horny pigs that lust after American women.
-There is a SHIT TON of money pumped into the country and you've probably already known/assumed, a lot of it is being put to waste.
-American contractors run rampant, and some even make 100k a year simply fixing sewage pipes, air conditioners, and other menial maintenance tasks.
-I despise American contractors. They are the rudest and most inconsiderate people over there.
-By the time I left the temperature was in the 110s and on the last day it was 125.
-It didn't rain a whole lot but when it did, damn did it rain HARD. The mud almost drove me insane.
-I still support the overall mission but I have major qualms with the way things are being run over there. So much money is being wasted.
-Also fuck Halliburton and especially it's bitch of a subsidiary KBR. Oh do I loathe KBR.
Now on to the pics!
A usmc cobra flies overhead.
Smoke from a mortar that landed on base.
An F-16 takes off to prematurely soom poor sap's life.
F-16 in a hardened shelter.
An A-10 is prepared for takeoff.
Marine pilot checking a GBU.
This picture is not altered in anyway. A dust storm had swept through moments before a severe thunderstorm hit the area. I felt like Douglas Quade on mars.
The aftermath of the aforementioned thunderstorm.
Barriers like this are all over the place. Some are "rah rah kill kill" while others feature memorials for fallen comrades.
The first smoke of another long day.
Iraqi's love to pose for pictures.
Iraqi's getting ready to fill sandbags at $.07 a piece.
Found this in the vehicle bone yard. I laughed every time I went by it.
The Large Vehicle Inspection Station. I spent 2 months here searching vehicles, Iraqi's, and foreign workers.
Taking a break at the search pit. I'm on the left if anyone cares.
At the terminal moments after stepping foot back in Japan. Once again if anyone cares i'm on the left.
Sorry for the lack of pictures. I took alot while I was there but after looking through them I realized that most of them sucked. Alot of them basically repeated themselves. But, to make up for it, here's a video my buddy made with a bunch of pictures and clips that he had. Sorry for the cliche music (I would've played some Tiny Tim).
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OFG9CSUlzmE
Enjoy!
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