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.