Where the hell is that guy? Still in Suffolk? I thought he deployed to Africa.

Hello All,

It has been a couple of weeks since I posted and I apologize.  I always have good intentions of posting every week and usually follow through.  The past few weeks have been pretty busy as I have been preparing products for this 2 week mission rehearsal exercise and conducting the training at the Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, VA.

As expected, traveling to the U.S. sucked as it always does when your starting point is Africa.  Traveling actually went about as expected.  It took 30 hours of elapsed time with a long layover in Paris.  Got in late to Dulles Airport and missed my flight to Norfolk and a bag was unaccounted for at that point also.  It was determined that my bag was on a later flight which was no big deal as it was just stuff I didn't need in Africa and was hauling home.

I must say, it was an unexpected treat to be back in the U.S.  My room at the Hilton Garden Inn is as nice a room that I have experieced in the last 4 months.  It was also great to eat somewhere besides the chow hall in Djibouti.  Over the course of the last couple of weeks I have eaten Italian, sushi, Mexican, Thai, and Fire House subs (I had some hot sauce so hot it made my eyes water!) 

I have also taken the opportunity to drink some bourbon which I can't do in Djibouti as it is against base orders.  Something about "good order and discipline", whatever that means. 

My brief and training package was well received.  Some days were slower than others as our job was to act as subject matter experts and be available to assist the new staff as required.  The comments from the training audience at the end of training after action review overwhelmingly concured that those who traveled from DJ were the greatest value added to training.  I will consider that a mission success.

The biggest treat of the trip was goin' back to see my woman in Sneads Ferry.  It was such a morale booster to be able to see Jodi!  The house was decorated for Chirstmas and everything looked great.  She made sure that there was nothing to accomplish around the house so we could just spend time together.  The time went by fast and it was just as hard to leave then as it was 4 months ago.  Well, two more months and I will be home again back to my ever lovin' wife. 

Don't expect to be doing anything out of the ordinary around Christmas.  We always have Sunday off but will also get Monday off.  I plan on being on a dive boat for Christmas this year as well as the Monday following Christmas.  I have determined a long time ago that the less time you can spend in your CLU (room) the better.  By the time I depart base and return after diving, the day is mostly over.  If I wasn't doing something the day would really drag. 

So, I would like to wish everyone an advanced Happy Chanukah (first night is Tues, 20 Dec) and Merry Christmas.  You will be in my thoughts as I am floating around the Gulf of Aden on 25 Dec. 

On duty in Africa,
Michael

One hundred...and...thirty six feet.

Hello All,

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks because sometimes it takes that long for enough interesting things to happen to make it worth sitting down and telling you about it.

First of all, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  I for one have a laundry list of things that I am thankful for including my wife, Sarah, Chase, and _________ (insert your name here).

I have been diving a lot lately and, honestly, if I were not doing that, I am not sure how I would fill an entire day off.  I was out on Sunday, Nov 20th, and got a real surprise. 

I was meandering along at a relaxed pace down at 45' feet checking out the reef (below me and to my left) when I looked up and noticed a large dark mass.  I looked to my left and a giant whale shark was passing me going the opposite direction.  It was like we were on a two lane highway each going the opposite direction.  It was only about 8' way from me!! 

When I looked over, its head had passed by and I was about mid-body.  By the time I turned about to give chase, I was at its tail.  After about 10 seconds of robust kicking, I had caught up to its head and remained just out of its field of vision.  I swam with the whale shark for about 150' before I broke off.  It was REALLY cool.  The whale shark was about 20' long, graceful, and swimming almost with no effort. 

If I had not looked up, he would have passed right by me.  If I had not looked up and was swimming about 8' to the left, I think I would have swam right into its mouth!

Went out again Wed night before Thanksgiving on a night wreck dive.  That dive was just ok.  There was a lot of plankton in the water and visibility was not that good as a result.

So, what's the one hundred thirty six feet all about?  Well, it also equals 41.5 meters and it is the distance a car traveling 46 mph covers in 2 seconds.

With nothing going on for Thanksgiving and having the entire day off, I decided to go out on the dive boat again.  On the second dive of the day, a master dive instructor, a dive master in training and I descended to the depth of...136'.  If you are not familiar with SCUBA diving, this probably doesn't mean much, but it is actually a little beyond the depth a recreational diver would be permitted to dive to (at least if they are following PADI guidelines). 

At 136', the pressure on the body is 4x that on the surface.  Because of the extreme pressure, the rate at which nitrogen leaves the body slows dramatically.  Our wrist mounted dive computers (like a watch but it doesn't tell you what time it is) indicated that we could only spend 5 minutes at that depth before we would have to go through a rather complex decompression sequence.  After a few minutes, we started ascending in order to avoid all this. 

Most divers will never dive that deep so I am happy to say, "been there, done that". 

Again with not much going on this past Sunday, I decided to dive again.  The first dive was uneventful but the second dive was a bit of an exploration.  The same two listed above and I went into an area no one had dove in before just to see what was there.  We ended up finding a really neat reef had developed on a large boulder field.  Since we found it, we get to name it and it will be referenced on future dives to that location.  Again, very cool.

The last bit of news is that I moved out of my "shared dry CLU" (roommate, no bathroom, containerized living unit) to a "private wet CLU".  My new digs are a little older then my old room but what an upgrade.  The best part is not having a roommate and having my own "head" (naval shipboard term for bathroom).  The location is also a lot better being in the center of camp vs at the opposite end from my office. 

Well, that is really about it.  Next week I am off on an adventure to other dark continent, North America, where I will be studying the behavior of the indiginous population as well as sampling local foods and beverages.  I'll keep you posted on my observations/explorations.

Until then,
Michael

Another one crossed off the list

Hello All,

This past week I took a few days off for a 4 day/3 night SCUBA diving trip.  In a nutshell, it was great.  The Deli (pictured last week) was the perfect size to allow everyone to spread out and the crew did a wonderful job.  On board were (8) military and civilians from base and we were rounded out by a couple from Finland and a couple from Italy, both of whom traveled to Djibouti specfically for this live-aboard dive trip.

We sailed to an area that I had never dove before which was the Gulf of Tadjoura and the Bay of Ghoubbet both in the vicinity of Djibouti.  We did (3) dives on the first and last day with (4) dives on days two and three.  Let me tell you....(4) dives a day is a lot and has us underwater for three hours per day. 

You may recall from a previous post when I was in Germany that I had a list of things to do before I died.  In that particular post, it was "climb the world's tallest steeple" which I did in the town of Ulm, Germany. 

Well, I'm happy to tell you that I crossed another one off the list..."SCUBA dive between the earth's teutonic plates".  As you probably know, teutonic plates are what makes up the crust of the earth and earthquakes shift these plates. 

Thursday morning was the highlight of the trip as we desended over 100' of water and then into the crack.  The site we dove is literally the crack in the earth between the continents of Asia and Africa which is caused by the movements of the earth.  This crack marks the separation between the African, Middle Eastern and Indian Ocean tectonic plates. It’s an amazing feeling to sink between the rock walls below the crust of the earth.  I am told that Djibouti is the only place in the world recreational divers (read those who dive to 130' or less) can experience this. 

Night two was also very interesting.  After sunset, (3) whale sharks spent about 90 minutes feeding mere feet off of our starboard bow (right side as you are facing forward).  Whale sharks eat plankton (sorry to all the Sponge Bob fans out there) and very small fish (1"-4").  On this particular evening there was a school of tens of thousands of these little fish and I think those three whale sharks ate just about every one of them.  Of the three, the biggest was estimated to be 25' in length.  Let me tell you, a 25' fish is enormous! 

However, the largest one ever sighted was estimated to be 41' and checking in at 47,000 lbs.  Did I fail to mention that the whale shark is the world's largest fish?  The 25 footer seemed to have a mouth as wide as I am tall and could have easily fit a human in there. 

Well, check another one off the list..."swim with the whale sharks".  Two off the list in only one outing.  Not bad.  

The food was also top notch.  Simple...but very good.  On nights one and two, we ate whatever found its way onto a hook earlier in the day.  We ate very freshly caught king mackerel, grouper, and tuna.

We all had assigned cabins but that was just a place to shower and stow your stuff.  Most everyone found a comfortable spot on the deck to sleep at night.  The weather was beautiful with clear, full moon skies.  The temperature was just right for sleeping and all you needed was a thin blanket to keep the wind off of you.  Very restful after long days of diving.

Honestly, I was exhausted after we got back.  It was a fabulous trip and now back to the reality of life aboard Camp Lemmioner.  The good news is that I am off on another adventure in a couple of weeks as I travel to the land of milk and honey to a place called "Suffolk, VA".  I can only imagine what excitement that holds as I check my list of things to do before I die.

Oh, wait.  "Visit Suffolk, VA" is not on the list....

Until next time,
Michael

Its Sunday, again? Really?

Hello All,

Yes, Sunday again.  I find myself in the unusual position of trying to figure out how to entertain myself today.  For the past month and a half I have been SCUBA diving every Sunday.  That would leave me scrambling Saturday morning before work to get all my Sunday stuff done and return Sunday night to unpack and do some laundry.  Today, not so much the case.  I passed on diving today because my (4) day dive trip starts tomorrow.  Today is my prep day.

Well, now the challenge is how to fill blog space for this entry. 

I talk with Jodi every day via Yahoo IM and she is doing well.  Thanks to all of you who look in on her occasionally either through a phone call or an invitation for dinner.  Chase and Sarah are also doing well and in the throws of school.  Sarah visited Chase a couple of weeks ago and they both had the time of their lives.  Jodi, on the other hand, not so much.  Turns out that taking care of two kids really is about double the effort.  But, because of her, they both had a memorable time.  Thanks, Honey!

What else, what else? 

I have taken a liking to hot sauce over the last 6 mos or so.  I order online from Hotsauce World and they carry hundreds of kinds of hot sauce.  This is stuff you don't see in the stores, even the high end grocery stores.  I have reordered "Virginia Gentleman" hotsauce made with real bourbon and just cracked open a bottle of "Blair's Original Death" hot sauce.  I am slowly begining to appreciate hot sauces that most people would consider "really friggin' hot".  I am not ready to try some of the hottest sauces available which are made with Bhut Jolokia chili peppers or "ghost peppers".  These little babies are 400x hotter then Tabasco sauce. 

The current "world's hottest" is the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T, officially tested at 1,463,700 SHU.  SHU or Scoville rating measure how hot peppers are.  By comparison, Frank's Original hot sauce checks in a 450 SHU and Tabasco is around 3000. 

You might ask yourself, why put something so hot on food?  A good hot sauce adds flavor, the heat is a by product.  Of course, the key is moderation.  Some of these sauces are applied by the drop. 

Jodi's Dad, Jerry, has a blog also.  It is not a "this is what I am up to" blog like mine.  His blog is a little more poignent then mine is and I admire his dedication to the research he does for his daily posts.  He has found a lot of interesting clips on the "Occupy Wall Street" bunch.  Some posts are funny but all of them are thought provoking.  The clips are entertaining and found at http://blogfromonhigh.blogspot.com/

I look forward to reporting back to you next week after my trip.  I hope to have a few pics worth posting.  It is also Veterans' Day this upcoming week.  Everyone knows someone who served.  It is because of them that we have the freedom to choose our religion, to speak out against our government, to vote, and to read this blog.  Please thank them for their contribution.

It is also the Marine Corps 236th birthday on 10 Nov.  If you know a current or former US Marine, tell them "happy birthday".  They will know exactly what you mean.

Until next week,
Michael

Well...I am back in Africa.

Hello All,

You would think that after a week in Germany I would have more to write about.

The trip went very well and the group got a lot accomplished in a relatively short period of time.  Flying in and out of Africa is a real pain with our return trip taking a total of over 14 hours.

It was great to get out of Djibouti for a bit.  I had forgotten what normal (at least to me) civilization looked like.  The town we stayed in (really a small city) had all the things you would expect to find.  By the time we got done with work during the day, nobody really felt like doing much besides going out and grabbing dinner. 

I managed to eat a few tasty meals and drink some of that delicious German beer.  The one thing I had forgotten about is how expensive everything is in Europe.  It is not that it is expensive in local terms, just expensive when you convert US dollars to Euros.  It takes $1.40 or so to buy one Euro.  So, a $20 Euro meal ends up costing you $28 USD.  Throw in a one Euro tip (15% is not customary as tip is built into price, but you usually round up and leave the server the change) and you are looking at $30 USD for a decent restaurant entree and a beer.  Seems like kind of a lot by American standards. 

The strong Euro is not necessarily a bad thing (unless you are traveling to Europe).  As you probably know, strong foreign currancy relative to the USD helps American companies who EXPORT goods to those places with strong currancies.  Companies like Catarpillar, Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola, and the few other companies in the US that actually export products make out pretty good as their products become cheaper as foreign currancy becomes stronger.  It is also beneficial to companies like Disney, various ski resorts, and other tourist destinations in the US because it is cheaper for tourists from other places to come here.

At any rate, it is always nice to be done travelling and I have quickly settled back into a normal routine. 

This upcoming week, I will be taking a few days off to go SCUBA diving.  A group of us from camp will be going out on that 75' twin mast schooner that I go diving off of on Sundays.  We will leave Monday morning and return Thurs afternoon.  Should get in 3-4 dives per day including night dives, wrecks, whale sharks, and a dive between the earth's teutonic plates (gap in the earth's surface/plates). 

I have almost completed my Advanced Open Water SCUBA certification which included underwater navigation, deep dive (went to 100' which is pretty deep by recreational diving standards), and still need a night dive. 

Time to put those skills to work!

At least when I get back, I will have something more interesting to write about.

Back to the Fatherland.

Hello All,

Russia is called the "Motherland" but Germany is called the "Fatherland" (and the U.S. is the "Land of milk and honey" or it was at one time).

At any rate, I am back in Germany. 

I just arrived a few hours ago and the trip has gone really well.  I am up here for a week long conference to finalize the training package the new staff will get in December. 

A small group of selected individuals, myself included, left Djibouti Saturday evening from the airport around 7:30 pm.  We were connecting with a flight bound for Frankfort out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and departed at 10:30 pm. 

We arrived at the very early hours of 5:30 am in Frankfort.  I have come to discover that it is impossible to get anywhere outside of Africa at a normal hour.  The flight was very smooth and I enjoyed a couple of scotches and a couple of beers over the 6.5 hour flight.  I haven't had scotch since I left NC and it tasted good. 

A couple of people I was traveling with had carry on sized bags like I had and they decided to check them.  Apparently, they don't have very much experience traveling in and around Africa.  Once we were all met at the gate, I exclaimed, "You checked your bag?!  What, are you out of your mind!!?".

Sure enough, when we got to Frankfort, their bags were not waiting for them.  They will be lucky to see their luggage before we leave late Thurs night.  Lesson learned, I suppose.  I can tell you that I had NO intentions of parting with my gear.

Each of our two groups picked up rental cars and we were off after a little bite to eat.  The site of the conference is about an hour away and we arrived around 7:30 am.  Great, what ever shall we do for the next 8 hours or so until we can check in (keep in mind most everything is closed in Germany on Sunday).  Well, we were in luck again.  We got to our hotel (mom and pop place with a modern bed and breakfast feel like most hotels in Europe) and the inn keeper had a couple of empty rooms and handed us keys to our rooms.  Jackpot!

As you may recall from my previous post from my time spent in Europe, hotel rooms in Europe are very small by American standards.  I was very surprised to find that my room was the size of a small one bedroom apartment.  Jackpot again.  The first thing I did was take a hot shower in my private bathroom (as opposed to the bathroom I use in DJ which features a row of 8 shower stalls and 8 sinks).

Actually, I think this small 36 room inn used to be an assisted living facility based on its layout.  Jodi would say that this will be good practice for me as I am not getting any younger. 

One thing that I had not really considered was that late October in Germany is much different then late October in Djibouti.  DJ is still seeing highs in the low 90s and evening temps in the mid 70s.  It is actually a pretty pleasant time of the year in the Horn of Africa. 

This morning on our ride out to the hotel it was below freezing!  I really forgot what that felt like.  It felt cold for the record.  As I was getting ready to go to Africa during the hot summer season, I had not given much consideration that I might wind up somewhere cold.  I never gave any thought that I would be sent to the North Pole for a conference! 

May have to pick up something at the Rammstein PX to keep me warm in the evening when we head out for something to eat.  I will also have to have Jodi send me a jacket for my trip to Suffolk, VA, which is the first couple of weeks in December.

It feels great to be back in civilization!  I am looking forward to some really good beer and really good food!  I will keep you posted on how my trip to Germany goes...

Until next time,
Michael

My God! THEY'RE HANGING THE TOILET TISSUE THE WRONG WAY!!

Friends,

I've always said, "there is a right way and wrong way to do everything." 

Did you know there was a "wrong way" to hang toilet tissue?  Maybe you never gave it much thought. 

I was in the "never gave it much thought" camp until around the Fall of '97 when I found myself "couch-surfing" at a friends house in Raleigh, NC, while I was between assignments with the Marine Corps. 

One afternoon, I used the last little bit of toilet tissue and slapped a new roll in the holder.  Later that day, my friend, Joe S., returned from work, came out of the bathroom, and asked me if I changed the roll of toilet tissue.  Of course, I responded that I had, in an effort to be a good house guest.  He responded, "well, you put it in backwards."

I was thinking to myself, "what the hell is he talking about?".  Backwards?  I didn't recall seeing any instructions or suggested ways of mounting the roll of toilet tissue on the holder.

Backwards?  Really?

So, after a shot of bourbon (it was happy hour and I love bourbon), we grabbed beers and headed into the bathroom to explore this further.

Joe demonstrated that when the roll is backwards, it hangs close to the wall making more difficult to grab.  It also seemed to have a bit of rolling resistance.  We reversed the direction of the roll and it was like night and day.  The tissue hung out in front of the roll and it was very easy to grab.  Additionally, it seems easier to pull out the required number of squares.

Why am I telling you all this?  Well, there seems to be no standard operating procedure (SOP) with the cleaning crews with regards to how toilet tissue is hung in the rest rooms.  This is a little frustrating and I find myself putting rolls of toilet tissue in the right direction on a routine basis.  I'm not sure what kind of organization is in charge of this, but they are not doing a very good job.

For some, you may have long ago discovered the "right way" to hang toilet tissue.  For those of you in the "never gave it much thought" camp, give it a try.  Go ahead, right now.  Do a little experiment in your home and I think you will agree...there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.

Until next week,
Michael

The World's Largest Aquarium

Greetings All,

As many of you may know, I have been taking a SCUBA diving certification course over the last few weeks.  Turns out that people actually travel TO Djibouti to SCUBA dive!  I figured since I am here anyway and not really doing much when I am not working, that I would check it out.

Conveniently, a local dive shop conducts classes right here on camp.  The governing body of SCUBA diving certification is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.  They mandate the same training for divers everywhere in the world.  Entry level certification is called Basic Open Water Diver.  Training consists of 8 hours of class room instruction, a written multiple choice test, closed water (pool) practical application and (4) open water practical application dives.

Sunday, 2 Oct, was my first dive outing.  Lauched from base with a group of (4) other student divers and we made our way down to the pier.  We were surprised to find that we would be going out on a 80', twin mast sail boat with inboard/outboard motors.  You are probably thinking: "Wow, an 80' sailboat!".  Well, it was nice by Djibouti standards but not as nice as the one Donald Trump owns.

There were about 20 other divers so it was a fairly large group.  We sailed around 9 am with a couple of 12'-15' skiffs in tow.  We slowly motored out into the Gulf of Aden towards Moucha Island which is about 6 miles away.

Once we got to our anchor point we got into one of the skiffs and launched for our dive site, some 800 meters or so away.  Once there, we "kitted up" and plunged in (actually, we sat on the side of the skiff and rolled in backwards). 

Once everyone was in, the plan was to descend to the bottom to about 13 meters (45') and begin our practical application.  They tell you don't go diving if you are sick.  I almost had an upper respitory infection beat with a little bit of congestion in my nose and sinuses.  I can tell you, it was very difficult equalizing the pressure in my ears on the way down.  You have to equalize every few feet and the technique you use is to pinch your nose and blow air out your ears (like on an airplane).  If you can't equalize and continue to descend, it is very, very painful (think ice pick through your ear drum).  I took twice as long to get to the bottom as everyone else but finally made it.  The fact that I didn't have enough weight on my weight belt didn't help either.  I never thought I would have so much trouble sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

Once down, we went through our drills and then finished with exploring the reef.   Diving in the reef was like being inside the world's largest exotic fish tank.  Many of the things you might see at an aquarium could be seen here, out in the wild so to speak.  I saw clown fish, angel fish, moray eels, scorpion fish, rays, and all kinds of other colorful sea life.  It was really, really something. 

We came in, had lunch, and went out for our second dive to demonstrate other required skills and to see more of the natural beauty found below. 

We wrapped up the day with a slow ride back to the pier.  I was half way to being a certified basic diver.

This past Sunday, I headed out again to finish up my certification.  I was all set...gear, book to read while underway, snacks, camera, etc.

I was a little surprised when we walked to the pier to find that the boat the instructors were loading gear on was a small 15' skiff.  I asked the question: "Are we taking this skiff out to the big boat?"  Nope that was our boat for the day.  I was a little surprised given the size of the last boat.  Well, I'll stow my gear and make the best of it.

We sure got to where we were going on the smaller, faster boat!  I was sitting in the rear of the skiff and got to feel the full effects of the 2'-3' sea state.  As we bounced over the swells, I was in receipt of a delightful spray of sea water.  Actually, it was like someone throwing a glass full of salt water in my face every 3-5 seconds.  By the time we got to our dive point, I was soaked.  Towards the end of the ride out, the 2 guys sitting next to me and I were re-enacting the beach landing scene from opening of "Saving Private Ryan".

The diving was great!  Our first dive was a wreck dive of the SS Archon Raphael which sunk in 1968.

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?102427

The second dive was the same reef we dove the week before.

Having completed dives #3 & #4 of my certification, I am now a qualified PADI Basic Open Water diver!

I will have to work hard to come up with a new adventure for next week.  Right now, the calendar is pretty empty.

Cheers,
Michael

At last, I'M AN A-LISTER!

Well, maybe I'm a solid B-Lister.

You have probably all heard the term used to describe the social cream of the crop; those who are on the primary guest list or the "A List". 

I scored an invite to a sought after event which was the farewell party for the members of the Japanese Self Defense Force unit who are responsible for a P-3 (aircraft) counter piracy mission.  They will be leaving shortly and returning to Japan to be replaced by another unit who will pick up the mission.

I must say, it will probably go down as the best party I will attend while at CJTF-HOA.  I headed out this past Tues with a group from the command and we made our way over to the Japanese base on the other side of the airport. 

I was surprised at the size of the guest list which included the US and Japanese Ambassador to Djibouti, local government officials, and high ranking members of the French and German military.

I met up with my Japanese friends from our last get together and headed for the bar.  The sake was cold as I had hoped and, after brief comments from the Japanese Ambassador and the Commanding Officer of the outgoing unit, it was time to eat some hor d'oeuvres.

The food was a real treat!  The spread included 5 kinds of sushi, shrimp tempura, edamame, chicken yackatori, smoked white fish, vegetable dishes, and assorted rice dishes.  Of course, the fish was flown in special for the celebration. 

Also featured was live musical entertainment and a table where a few of the Japanese soldiers were doing Japanese calligraphy.  I asked them to do one that has Chase and Sarah's name on it.  It will serve as a nice memento of the party as well as my time in Africa. 

Turns out that there a several parties at the US Embassy which I am not being invited to so I am probably a B-lister at best. 

Another bit of good news to announce:  I have been selected to participate in the training of the incoming core staff which will take over in Jan 2012.  Why is this good news?  I will doing a bit of travelling to accomplish this task which will take me off base.

First trip is 22 - 29 Oct where I will be in Rammstein, Germany for the week.  Looking forward to some good German food and beer!

The second trip is from 2 - 18 Dec where I will be traveling to Suffolk, VA, of all places!  Suffolk is near Norfolk and Virginia Beach.  It is probably 4 or less hours from home so I will be travelling back to see my Sweetie for the weekend. 

I look forward to getting a start on my "honey do" list!

Until next time,
Michael

When in Rome...

Greetings all,

As you may recall from a previous post, in many parts of the world (including Africa), folks often times don't have traditional toilets as you and I know them.

In Muslim dominated countries, it is considered very insulting to eat with or touch someone with your left hand.  As I had outlined in a 2009 blog, typical toilets are open pit affairs with nothing more than a hole to squat over.  When finished (number 2),  you pour or spray water on your backside and you scrub with your left hand.  Pat dry (with your robe, I suppose).  Wash with hot soapy water?  Not on this continent! 

So, based on the above, you too would probably be insulted if someone touched you or offered you food with their left hand.

One thing that I noticed here that was not installed last time I was here in 2009 are hoses with spray nozzles in each bathroom toilet stall.  That's right, the same type of spray nozzle you might find attached to just about any kitchen sink in the States.

Well, I had been here for awhile noticing these things and one day when no one else was in any of the other stalls, I figured I would find out what it was all about.  So, I grabbed the nozzle, positioned it just so, and pushed down on the lever.

It was a little out of the ordinary at first but the water was warm and highly pressured.  After a few seconds of jetting warm water, I thought that probably did the trick.  I grabbed a little bit of tissue to wipe/dry and then I was done. 

I must tell you, I think the spray/wipe combo takes post toilet hygeine to a new level, leaving me clean and refreshed.  Come to think of it, the Europeans/Asians have been on board with this by virtue of the bidet.

Hmmm...I wonder how much it would cost to have these little sprayers installed in the bathrooms at my house?  Jodi: would you mind calling a plumber and getting a quote?  What a nice home coming surprise that would be!!

On another note, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen Amos (4-star General), visited the base this past weekend along with (2) 3-star Generals and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.  This is noteworthy as both the senior Marine officer and senior enlisted Marine in the Marine Corps were here.  I was invited to a cocktail reception on Saturday night for them all which was very enjoyable.  I knew one of the 3-stars from my time with II MEF and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps said he recognized me from 29 Palms, CA, where we were both stationed in 2000-2002.  Small words are the words commonly heard. 

I was supposed to go SCUBA diving on Sun but received an email on Sat stating "if you are in receipt of this email, your presense is required at the CJTF-HOA mission brief to the Commandant of the Marine Corps."  Well, so much for diving.  Just as well.  I am just now getting over some sort of upper respiratory infection and you are not supposed to dive if you are sick, especially if it involves any kind of congestion. 

I guess I am breathing in too much of that burning camel smoke from the city dump. 

Until next week,
Michael

Ground Hog Week

 Greetings All,

Well, it was ground hog week here in Djibouti. 

You see, my schedule is largely the same every day of the week.  It starts off with staff update briefs or intel update briefs, followed by sorting through my unclassified and classified email accts, another meeting, lunch, various working groups, etc....

Saturday is a half day so I hit the gym in the morning, get cleaned up, go to lunch, then work.  In the evening, I meet a bunch up at the cantina and play texas hold'em.

Sunday is a day off.  I clean my room, change sheets, do a load of laundry, go to the gym and catch up on some reading or watch a movie or two. 

I do most things solo which is the way I like it.  The last time I was here, Marines had to wear their uniform unless they were doing some sort of physical training.  I think the regulations allow for limited wear of civilian clothes but I still wear my uniform most places.  I find that people I know will talk to me either way but people I don't know (or want to talk to) will leave me alone based on my branch of service and rank.  Most non-uniform types (civilian contractors) congregate together, enlisted members of the service don't want to or are told not to engage in chit chat with officers, and junior officers will maybe offer a pleasantry and move along. 

Even the menu in the chow hall follows a weekly pattern.  Not sure what Monday is but Tues is Tacos, Wed is pizza and pork night, Thurs is prime  rib and turkey carving station, Fri night (mostly fried) with every other Friday featuring 4 oz (overcooked) lobster tails, and Sat is steak night (very well done ribeyes, yum!).

This week, the Director of Strat Comm is taking his 2 weeks of R&R (only for the people here for 12 mos) so I will take my rightful spot as leader of the shop, lol.  A month ago, I didn't even know what strat comm was and now I am the lead man for the CJTF-HOA area of operations which is probably almost as big as the continental U.S.  This means I get to go to his meetings as well as my meetings.  This will include being the "talking head" at all the meetings the Admiral chairs as well as routine meetings with the Chief of Staff.  Well, I guess it will look good on my resume'.  Luckily, I have a great bunch working in the shop and I will count on them to make sure I know all the pertinent issues. 

I also started my SCUBA PADI certification leasons this past week and will finish up this week.  The PADI cerification means I can go SCUBA diving with local dive shops.  Turns out the divers actually travel to Djibouti as a destination for diving because there is lots to see and the water is really warm (92 degrees today).  I'll keep you posted as I plan on taking my first diving day trip on Sun, 28 Sept.

Not much else to report.  Attached are some pics I thought you all would find interesting.  One pic is an example of the Containerized Living Unit (CLU) that I live in.  It is a 40' shipping container with a dividing wall in the middle.  Each half houses 2 people.  Cozy, huh?

The other pic is of some camels grabbing a bite to eat along the fence line.

The picture of the baboon was taken as I was returning from an hour and a half ride out to a training area to see some of our guys conducting desert survival training with the French and Djiboutian Armed Forces.  I wouldn't have went if it weren't for me having to act as the Director of the Strat Comm shop this week. 

It was really something to see the baboons.  They were just sitting on the side of the road, climbing rocks, chasing each other etc.  (As always, you can double click on any pic to expand it.)

Well, that is about it for this week.  Next Tues, I am off to the Japanese base again for an official function.  Hope the sake is cold!

Cheers,

Michael

"Look", said the Frenchman, "the U.S. Marines are retreating!"

Greetings all,

Yes you read the title correctly and yes, those are Japanese Naval Officers in the picture above.  More in a minute as I will
start off with the Marines retreating.

Last week, I was especially looking forward to the upcoming week as I was to attend a military function at the French base just around the corner (uniform for the event for Marines was our "charlies" which I am pictured in above).

A small group of us left as the scheduled time.  The group representing the Commander of CJTF-HOA was (2) U.S. Army Colonels, (2) U.S. Navy Captains (equivalent to a Col), (1) U.S. Marine Colonel, me, and (1) U.S. Army Major.  We were met at the event by (2) more USMC Majors, and our French Liason Officer, a French Army Capt. 

We were directed to a parking area and then escorted to the Distinguished Visitors reception hosted by (2) French Major Generals (two star).  I was a little disappointed when we walked into the room and there was no beer or wine.  Boy, I would have really enjoyed a beer.  After about 30 minutes of socializing (I spoke at length with one of the 2 Stars about watches as he was wearing a very nice watch), we were directed to take our seats in the viewing area.  The military parade/program was about to begin. 

It didn't feel too hot while we were walking to the reviewing area but a few minutes after we were seated, it felt like I was in a sauna!  The sun had set over an hour ago but it still must have been 95 degrees out and not a trace of a breeze.  Sweat was pouring off of me. 

The program started and it was in French so I had no idea what they were saying.  Luckly, most military parades of this nature are pretty much the same so I could figure it out.  The program seemed to go on forever and they finally wrapped it up by showing a video on a Jumbotron TV.  This video also seemed like it just went on forever.  It was FINALLY over, much to my relief, and we were directed to the outdoor reception area. 

As we arrived in the reception area, I noticed lots of military uniforms, local clan/tribal elders, and Djiboution government officials.  This event must really be a sought after invitation!  More importantly, I noticed bars set up at various locations which appeared to feature soda, beer, wine, and what appeared to be whiskey. 

"Jackpot!" I was thinking to myself.  A few cold beers and socializing would make the torture I went through all seem worth it. 

But wait, not so fast.  The base Commanding General had a few words to say.  He concluded his remarks with "the bar is open". 

It was seconds later that one of the (Army) colonels said that a majority of the group wanted to leave so that was what we were going to do.  A majority?  I don't remember voting.

At any rate, I was pissed.  You mean to tell me that the American delegation was not going to stay for one stinking drink and speak with our host for even a minute.  Pathetic.

The battle cry "retreat" was sounded and we were gone minutes later.  I swear I heard someone say: "look, it is the Americans who are retreating for a change!"

A sad end to the evening to say the least.  If I was a little quicker on my toes, I could have said:  "You fellas go on without me, I will catch a ride back with the other two Marines" (who stayed until 2:00 AM).  Oh well, it was a missed opportunity.

An unexpected pay back was to be had on Fri.  The Japanese Self Defense Force commander invited CJTF-HOA personnel to take part in a guided tour of their brand new base, followed by dinner and drinks.  We had a great response from our office with a dozen or so taking part. 

We started the tour with a mission brief followed by a tour of their living quarters (much nicer then ours), gym, recreation area, small PX, library, and chow hall.  It was all very nice and very clean.  Of note (and pretty cool), was a large communal shower/bathing area.  What was interesting was a very large pool of water that they had in this communal area which served as a hot tub sans water jets.  It looked very relaxing.

After the tour, we headed for the chow hall where a Japanese chef oversees the kitchen staff who prepare traditional Japanese cuisine.  I'm not sure how everything was prepared but we had rice, soup, stew, a chopped chicken patty, and chicken tempura.  It all tasted fantastic as it was all fresh made in small batches which is a far cry from what we are served at our mess hall.

After dinner, we were ushered into their cantina where we were served beer and sake.  Our social hour was filled with great conversation ranging from what we each do in our respective military branches, our families, military equipment, and Formula 1 racing. 

I made many new friends and certainly got my fill of sake.  Maybe the week wasn't a bust after all.

Until next time,
Michael

Oh Irene, where art thou?

Greetings All,

It seems like it was a months ago but Hurricane Irene blasted up the East coast just last week.  I guess that is months ago by news standards.

I am happy to say Sneads Ferry, the house, and Jodi all faired very well. 

Jodi worked hard to get the place ready for what was sure to be a powerful storm. Anything that could be picked up by a 100 mph wind and propelled through the windows was secured. Filled up the gas tank, found the batteries, and inventoried food supplies. Check, check, and check.

The storm was predicted to make landfall Sat morning somewhere between an hour south of us and an hour north.  As predicted, the storm hit hard Saturday early morning.  The idiots on various weather channels were gleeful at the prospects of a "monster category four" hurricane, which was never in the cards.  I guess these dimwits have to grasp onto an chance of being in the spotlight when they can.

Chase had moved to higher grounds (or at least grounds to the south at his Dad's house) Friday afternoon.  That's him in the picture above down by the dock/boat launch. 

To my relief, Jodi's brother, Jarrod (a city fire fighter in Roanoke, VA) arrived late Fri night to offer his assistance.  I know Jodi appreciated his presence even more then I.  THANKS JARROD! 

The weather associated with the upper left quadrant of the storm moved through and it calmed down for a bit.  As the storm moved north, they also got hit with the lower left quadrant of the storm...round two.

By late Saturday night, Irene was an unwelcomed guest who moved on. 

To my surprise, Jodi never lost power or internet.  Not everyone in the community was as fortunate.  Most lost power for several hours to several days and there were downed trees and power lines everywhere. 

The house held up well with nothing more then some groaning and creaking under the stress of 90 mph winds.

As for us, there was no damage to the house but the yard was an absolute disaster.  There was debris everywhere, the tops of two trees broke off, and one tree was blown over at the roots. 

A special thanks goes out to Scott, our neighbor across the street, who spent the better part of a day chain-sawing those trees and removing it.  I owe you A LOT of beer, buddy!  Thanks again.

As for me, it was a pretty routine week.  We have Monday off as a holiday, not that there is much to do with your time off.  I have two weeks of the "Wall Street Journal" and "Investor's Business Daily" to read so I will use the time to get caught up.  I will go into work for a bit on Mon as I have to brief the boss (Navy Rear Admiral) on an issue that came up with a couple of our guys in Tanzania that has resulted in some of the embassy personel getting their pants all in a knot.  My estimate of the situation is that it is much ado about nothing. 

On Tuesday evening, I will be attending a reception held by the French Marines which will commemorate one of the battles they took part in.  Should be good fun and a chance to get off of the camp.  I also get to wear my "charlies" which is the one with green trousers and  a short sleeve, open neck shirt.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Until then,

Michael

What's that smell?!

Hello All:

WHOSE READY TO PLAY: "What's-That-Smell"!!?

That's right, once again, it's time to play "What's That Smell" (international version).

Jodi loves playing "what's that smell" and she will tell you that you usually have to be in close proximity to me to play.  Well, this time you had to be at Camp Lemmioner this past Tues night.

I was outside Tues night and there was a bit of smoke and haze in the air accompanied by a foul smell, one which I had never encountered before.

Turns out that someone had dumped a couple of camel carcasses at the city dump (about 1 mile away) a few days prior.  Camels are fairly large animals and I am not sure how they got them there.  I am confident that they were not passing by and just keeled over.

At any rate, city workers decided that they couldn't just let camels rot at the city dump, not to mention wild dogs who were helping themselves to the buffet.  The solution:  dose the dead camels with diesel, light them on fire, walk away. 

I guess that is one way to handle it. 

Changing subjects, I just finished up my rather lengthy check-in process which included "welcome aboard" briefs from the CL Base staff as well as the CJTF-HOA staff.  I think some efficiencies can be gained as the two briefs were largely the same. 

One of the briefers was throwing out some factoids which inspired the next few paragraphs on the country of Burundi, which is east of Tanzania and providing thousands of soliders in support of the Transitional Federal Government of Somolia.

Burundi is a land mass of 10,800 sq miles which is the same size as Maryland.  By comparison, Sudan measures 967,0000 sq miles which is three times the size of TX (and throw in CA). 

Its population is 10 million which is double that of Maryland and equal to that of Michigan. 

It is also one of the 10 poorest countries in the world with a per capita Gross Domestic Product of $108 annually (US per capita GDP is $47,500).

Up until the past couple of decades they produced no electricity internally and purchased it from neighboring countries.  They now produce 43 Mega Watts of power with 32 MW coming from hydro-electric facilities.

Like Burundi, CL also produces electricity using a dozen or so Caterpillar diesel powered generators (not the ones you buy at Lowe's, these are the size of tractor trailers).

CL produces 27 MW of power, or about 62% of what the country of Burundi produces. 

Glad I live in the US of A.

Until next week,
Michael

Prison or Paradise?

Hello again to all.

This week we examine whether Camp Lemmioner (CL) is more closely aligned with a prison or a paradise.  While your initial estimate may favor one over the other, you may be surprised after taking a closer look.

1.  Lodging:  In my last blog, I noted the similar dimensions of my quarters compared to a prison cell.  My room is slightly larger but lacks a sink and toilet, which a prison cell has.  Sure, the door locks from the inside and not the outside but that is not enough to offset the sink/toilet upgrade.  Lock me in my room during the hours I am asleep, not a big deal.

Edge:  Prison.

2.  Access to the facility:  Both places feature very high walls topped with razor wire, tightly controlled access in and out, and armed guards.  Those at CL can leave the camp for the day with prior approval.  In prison, you can leave the facility but the best you can hope for is a chain gang or picking up trash along the highway.  At CL, I can move about freely 24/7.

Edge: CL

3. Alcohol:  At CL, you are permitted to have (3) beers or servings of wine per day but it can only be consumed on the premises in the two places that serve.  You need to have your ration card and ID; cost $3.50.  No alcohol in your room, hard liquor is prohibited.  In prison, all alcohol is prohibited.  However, alcohol is easily produced using fruit, sugar, and yeast.  The resulting "hooch" probably leaves something to be desired given how bad it probably tastes but it is free and you can make it in your room (cell).  Sure you have to hide it in your toilet so the "screws" don't find it when they toss your room upside down looking for contraband but at least you have a toilet.

Edge:  Prison (due to the permissive enviroment and low cost)

4.  Food:  3 squares at CL and prison might make this one a draw.  The food in prison doesn't look very good based on the movies I have seen.  I don't think they have a salad bar either.  CL has food available 22 hours a day, fresh cut fruit, salad bar, NY strip steaks on Sat for dinner (usually overcooked), and "seafood Friday" (I had (3) 4 oz lobster tails, yum). 

Edge:  CL

5.  Recreation:  If you have a captive audience and you don't give them something to do, they will find something to do.  Prison has the rec yard for various athletic activities, in room TV,  movie night, library, and knitting club.  CL has air conditioned gym, basketball/volleyball court, movie night, sports leagues, karaoke at the primary recreational facility where there are also pool tables, wireless internet, ping pong and darts.  I also play Texas Hold'em on Tues and Sat (they play cards in prison too). 

The kicker is that CL sponsors off base recreational trips to include restaurants out in town, scuba diving, snorkeling and shopping excursions.

Edge: CL

Weather:  Most prisons are in fairly agreeable climates except for TX and AZ and you only get limited time in the yard anyways.  CL is located in Djibouti City, Djibouti, which typically has some of the hottest temps on the continent.  Summer temps typically 110-120F and high humidity.  Let's face it, it is pretty damn hot here and most people walk wherever they need to go. 

Edge:  Prison (outside of TX and AZ)

Bedding:  As previously posted, I have sheets made from a 50/50 cotton polyester blend.   Fabric of prison sheets could not be determined through my research.

Edge:  Inconclusive

Well, an interesting result....3 to 3 with one going to neither. 

Given the fact that you don't have to join the Aryan Brotherhood/ Mexican Mafia/Black Guerilla Family to stay alive, not getting shanked in the yard, and dudes aren't getting raped in the shower, I'll have to give an extra point to CL, making them the winner. 

Now, if I could only get them to ditch the cotton/poly sheets, we would really be in business.

Cheers,
Michael

Greetings from Africa (again)

Hello all and welcome if it is your first time, welcome back otherwise.

As most of you know, it was time to deploy again (it had been over 2 years since my last one, so not too bad). I was sent to the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) in Djibouti City, Djibouti, to serve as the Deputy Director of Strategic Communications.

Strat Comm is defined as: Focused US Gov efforts to understand and engage key audiences to create, strengthen, or preserve conditions favorable for the advancement of US Gov interests, policies and objectives through the use of coordinated plans, themes, messages and products, synchronized with the actions of instruments of national power.

I can tell you that it has been quite a journey in the making. I detached from my previous command on 11 Jun to the Deployment Processing Center in order to begin and complete the required predeployment training. I had most of it done before I reported in so I had lots of half days/days off.

I thought I would be leaving around 25 Jul for Africa but the best the Marine Forces Africa Liason Officer could do with booking tickets was 5 Aug. There was really no "work" for me to do as I was simply awaiting travel. This meant that I just had to call in every day to let them know I didn't die in my sleep and was still ready to go.

WOW! 11 days of free vacation. I can say that it was time well spent in Sneads Ferry. Made a point to eat at places which I enjoy because it would be a long time before I got to eat there again. Additionally, I got to swim in the community pool which was supposed to be open at the end of Jun.

Ok, vacations over. Time to deploy.

I loaded up Jodi's vehicle with all my bags and we were off to the airport to catch a flight at 2:20 pm. Jodi sat with me at the airport for a bit and she then went on her way after a tearful goodbye.  Well...we didn't know it was raining in Charlotte, NC, where I was headed. My flight was cancelled which meant I would miss my connection to Paris. The entire itinerary was shot.

I called Jodi and told her what happened. She was really pissed having just gone through shipping her husband off for six months. Mentally, she had prepared herself and this was just screwing that up.

The flights I had were for a Fri and the trip got rebooked on the following Tues for Thurs (11 Aug) travel. I was again ready for travel that would span 3 days and 2 nights.  I left Thurs with a slight delay in Charlotte. I had a short layover and then an overnight flight to Paris.

I landed in Paris this past Fri morning and had 15! hours to kill.  Thankfully, I am friends with the Commanding Officer of Marine Security Guard (MSG) Region 5, which covers Paris. I contacted him and he put me in touch with the MSG Paris Det Commander. The Det Commander told me that they would be more then happy to host me for the day! I grabbed a cab to the Marine House where they all stay and was met by the Deputy Commander who was serving as my escort officer. He showed me to my home where I took a much needed shower.

After my shower, he told me he had about 45 minutes of work to do at the US Embassy and after that, we would be off to see the city. The embassy was really cool, if nothing else to say that I was there. Turns out that that it is pretty quiet there and nothing like what you saw in the Bourne Identity.

The guided tour of Paris was unexpected and we covered a lot of territory in less then 6 hours. Got to see Notre Dame (construction began in 1163), the Paris Opera House, The Eiffel Tower, the Arch de Triomph (the same one that division of Nazi soldiers paraded thru in 1940) and, of course, The Mona Lisa at The Louvre. The Louvre is huge and it would take you weeks to even glance at everything in there. The Mona Lisa was the rock star in the building with hoards of people surrounding the exhibit. The crowd must have been 25 people deep.

After a whirlwind tour of Paris, it was back to the airport and back to reality. I left on an overnight flight to Ethiopia and arrived at 0700. The airport was not as crappy as I recall but I think I was in a different terminal. Had a beer and cheeseburger for breakfast (you quickly lose the concept of morning, noon, night after spending a couple of nights on a plane where I get very little sleep).

I arrived in Djibouti around 1:oo pm and was happy to see that my ride was waiting for me (couple of guys from my shop showed up). After a short ride from the airport (Camp Lemmioner is on the other side of the runway), I had arrived at my home for the next 6 mos. It was getting late in the day so there really wasn't much time to do anything except get my room and get unpacked.

As a LtCol, I rate a single room with my own shower and toilet. I was shocked to find out that there is a 3 mos waiting list for this type of room. I'm on the waiting list for an appropriate room but a little pissed that any incoming LtCol is not slotted above the highest Maj no matter how long they have been on the list. I would gladly give up my room to house the enlisted Marines I lead but I will be damned if a Maj is going to have priority over a LtCol.

I am sharing a room with an Air Force LtCol . The room has no running water, so no toilet either. It measures 7'x18' for a grand total of 126 sq ft.  Research indicates that an average sized prison cell is 8'x10' for a total of 80 sq ft also shared by two. HOWEVER, a prison cell has a toilet, a pretty good trade off at 2 am when you have to take a leak.

How could things get worse I asked myself. That question was answered when I was making my rack (bed). As I unfolded the sheets, they just didn't feel right. I looked at the tag and sure enough...cotton/polyester blend. So long 600 count Egyptian cotton, hello cotton/polyester. What happened to the days of "only the best for our American service people??

So, as you sleep soundly tonight on your 100% cotton sheets, know that deployed service people everywhere are sleeping on cotton/poly blend.