NUKE_CLEVELAND

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 11:42 AM) Hey Nuke, I saw you on here today and was curious about the perseption of things over there among you guys and the general populous. What is the initial impressions on results of the troop surge? Is is helping, hurting, no difference? How is the training of Iraqi's going? Are the desertion rates, and the stories of them not learning accurate at all? How is the infrastructure work going? Are things like streets, oil industry, schools etc getting built? Anything else you want to throw out there? I think we got pretty fortunate. The area we are responsible for is fairly quiet, however the area to the immediate east of ours is like the wild west. Every time we have to go over there to help out for whatever reason something crazy happens. As for the surge, I'm reserving judgement. It actually seems to be working because the violence has dropped off somewhat but then that could very well be because guys like Al Sadr told his goons to lay low for a while till the heat's off. Who knows. The Iraqi's that my platoon goes out with are pretty good guys. They seem genuinely interested in doing their job, they're pretty good shots and they are fairly aggressive when something goes wrong. The biggest problem we have is communication, for obvious reasons, but when we have time to sit down and hash things out with the terp and them then it goes fairly well. Infrastructure work is very frustrating for us. We've been been getting a lot of complaints from the locals about lack of power but when we make arrangements with the local power workers to go fix something they blow us off and dont show up. The place seems to have running water but sewage is still, in many places, still in the streets (yuck!). The homes are almost all run down and look terrible. There's also a good many abandonded homes ( which make for great observation posts for us when we're out on a cordon and search ). I guess many people have packed up and moved away since the war began. Our own living conditions are fairly good. I think I mentioned them in the diary thread so I wont be redundant. Uhh, what else? Our mail has been kinda hit or miss. Some stuff takes less than a week to get here and other stuff takes 2-3 weeks. I can't think of anything else really at the moment. Anyone has anything they want to ask I'll answer.

Just as soon as I start to run my yap about how quiet things are we almost have a really bad day. We were called in to cordon off an IED blast site ( nobody was hurt there ) and while we were pulling security someone took a shot at one of my guys and came within a few inches of hitting him in the head. We couldn't figure out exactly where the shots came from cause it was dark and there were many buildings so we didn't return fire. Those who weren't already in the trucks took cover behind them until we could all get aboard and then we got out of there. All told nobody was hurt but it was a close shave to say the least.

Been a few days so time for another report. Within the last few days we moved out of the overflow tents we've been staying in and into a building here on our FOB. This place used to be an Iraqi military base back in the Saddam era and now it serves as a base for American troops. The building I'm in is not to shabby considering where I am. It has power, heat, AC, and large trailers outside for showers and going to the bathroom. As a bonus, there is wireless internet inside the building so I can surf, write e-mail and manage my affairs online. It's run by the locals and the price is 2 dollars an hour. Pretty fair price if you ask me. Again, not a bad setup considering where we are. The move over here took up a lot of what little free time we had the last few days. We've been running 2 patrols a day and working on training up the Iraqi National Police. The other day we did some target practice with them on their compound. Some of them are pretty awesome shots ( in fact one was able to hit a cigarette at 25 meters ). Additionally, I got to fire some rounds through an AK and confirm the zero on my M4. The area we've been patrolling is quiet for the most part although we did have some excitement the other day. We were handing out propane cylinders to the locals ( they use propane the same way we use natural gas ) and a gun battle broke out about a mile away between another one of our units and some insurgents. I didn't hear about anyone being hurt or killed but the sound of automatic weapons fire that close is enough to raise anyone's pulses. Aside from all that, things are not too bad here. We're getting settled in our routine here and most of the guys are very upbeat.

Hello there! NUKE here again checking in to let you know Im doing alright. Last few days we've been really busy. We've been running 2 patrols a day, doing house searches, and just cruising around getting familiar with the area. The area we're responsible for is a dump. There's trash and fetid water everywhere, and all the homes are run down. Good news is that the people seem friendly enough so I guess that's a plus. That's about all for now. Hopefully everyone else is doing well and continues to do so. Take care. Rob

It's been a hot minute since I've checked in here so here we go again. The sector they have us patrolling is fairly quiet, for the moment. So far so good I guess. During our off time we usually just watch movies or play basketball for lack of anything better to do. Speaking of basketball..........There was an incident yesterday that raised a few pulses. We had been going for like an hour or so. All of a sudden the sergeant that works directly under me committed a hard foul on one of our privates. Words were exchanged and then this sergeant hauls off and sucker punches this private right in the jaw. No damage was done cause this guy hits like a b**** anyway but that finally gave me the excuse I was looking for to get rid of this sergeant ( who just so happened to be my only problem child ). He'll be busted down in rank and moved out of our unit, hopefully, within a matter of days. Good riddance jackass! Aside from that, like I said, things are fairly quiet and uneventful out here for the moment. Hopefully things stay that way for a while while we get in the swing of things.

Ted Knight, Caddyshack

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 23, 2007 -> 11:24 AM) Exactly. We have to suspend freedom of speech when we are fighting a war. Never criticize the government. Damn hippy commies That's the problem though. As a soldier you do not have the right to publicly criticize the government's war policies. That's one thing you forfeit when you sign on that dotted line.

Ok. Ive been slacking lately ( but then Ive been busy so I guess I have a reasonable excuse ) so I'll get back at it here. I've arrived in Baghdad. We got here like 2 days ago and since then we've been getting our gear and equipment out of the shipping containers and making sure all the new stuff works properly. The FOB where we're staying at is pretty cool. They have internet capability ( like a dollar for an hours use ) and phones for like 10 cents a minute so staying in touch with the outside world is fairly easy. What else? Well we have to take our humvees in to get some mods done cause they're right out of the factory and there's a few things that need to get done to them before they're mission ready. We should start working our patrol area here in about a week or so. That'll be a good thing I guess. It'll be nice to get down to business here. I guess it's kinda wierd to walk out for breakfast and listen to small arms fire off in the distance but that seems to be the norm around here. There was an explosion maybe a mile or so from where we're living also. Most of us just shrugged and kept on with our business. A sign of things to come I suppose. Anyways, that's about all for now.

Hello again folks. Been a really hectic last few days so it's time for another update. I spent the last 3 days out in the boonies doing a bunch of refresher training on various subjects ( dismounted movement, ambushes, counter IED and counter sniper stuff ) as well as a 2 day stint out in the boonies working on traffic control points. Since Ive been gone they have changed our mission 3 different times and Im at the point now where I'm not going to believe anything they freekin tell us until we actually get on the ground and start doing it. We're stuck here in Kuwait for another few days at least and then they'll move us north and we'll get settled in and get this show on the road. Some of you have asked about a mailing address for me. If you want it you may PM and now that I have an updated one I'll pass it along.

Hey folks, how's everything going?! I've been on the ground here in Kuwait for 3 days now so I figure it's time for an entry. Things are really easy going around here so far. We haven't done anything high impact here just yet. We've just been doing some refresher training on a few things and taking it easy. It's kinda funny really, the tent we're staying in is like a freekin Best Buy store. Everybody's got a PSP or a laptop or a portable DVD player or all of the above. Between that and going to the gym every night it's pretty easy to stave off boredom. Not for sure yet how much longer we're going to be in this area but it wont be all that much longer. Then, of course, is when the REAL fun begins. Anyways, just a quickie here to keep you folks updated. I'll post a few pics next time if I remember to bring along my USB drive.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 07:07 PM) This coming from a guy with 3 times as many posts as I have. Hey. With me you get quality AND quantity.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 08:20 AM) None of us are. Its a message board; kind of like driving a car, you lose about 30 IQ points when you start posting in here. Reading all your posts will have that effect on people.

Thanks for the support everyone. Tex, I'll PM my mailing address to you once I actually get one, aside from that, though, I'll be able to communicate on here fairly often ( Im thinking at least once a week ).

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 4, 2007 -> 10:30 PM) My family, friends, and Scouts are praying for you and all involved in wars worldwide. Nuke, what is your mailing list and can kids send letters? Don't have an address yet. Will post something when I get that info.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 4, 2007 -> 09:17 AM) Nuke, you mentioned the body armor, how has that changed since your first trip? What are the pros and cons for the new design? It seems that there is a balance between being safe when hit and avoiding getting hit in the first place. For example, heavy cumbersome stuff that makes you an easier target versus lighter more maneuverable types that allow you to get out of the way easier. I've read comments that some guys will not wear it because of comfort and a belief that it causes the enemy to aim for their heads. They've made lots of upgrades to it since the war started. There are now ballistic side plates to protect against roadisde explosions. Seems a lot of casualties were being caused by guys taking hits to their sides. Now the armor weighs a lot........something like 40-45 lbs for just the armor itself ( not including ammo and other stuff ). At any given time I'll have like 60-70 lbs of equipment on my person ( ammo, water, misc stuff, and the armor itself ) I can get around in it pretty easily but some of the guys are going to need some time to get used to it. In our previous talks about body armor on here I noted that mobility was going to be a problem eventually if they kept adding stuff and its starting to hit that point. I suspect that guys are going to take off some stuff ( especially the kevlar sleeves that fit over the upper arms ) as time goes on.

QUOTE(knightni @ Feb 3, 2007 -> 11:21 PM) What's "rediculous" is your spelling of ridiculous. lol!!! Touche.

Wow. I must have had a bad year around here. There were 2 categories I won last year ( thread starter and drinking buddy ) that I didn't even get nominated for this time around. LOL! I was surprised to see my name under the armchair manager award though. That was pretty funny. Of course, I got a nod for the Conservative award again and I like my chances to make it a 3-peat on that one.

Did any of you catch the little speech she made at a recent get together for all the Democratic candidates for 2008? I caught some of the audio on Fox News the other day and she stated the obvious that Exxon Mobil made 36 billion last year and then went on to say that those profits should be confiscated by the government and plowed into alternative energy research. Now I'm all for taking away their government subsidies now that they're making a killing and using it for such purposes but to confiscate a companies profits from it and use them for other purposes is blatant socialism and runs contrary to everything this country stands for.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 01:37 PM) The system needs an overhaul. that is obvious, what isn't obvious is what to do. As soon as you push here something squirts out there that you don't want. I don't know how many kids you have, I suspect none, but the small increases in assistance for each child doesn't come close to meeting their demands. Having more kids isn't a ticket to wealth in this system. Plus, the money in theory is to help the children, do you really think the American taxpayer is going to deny food and shelter to an infant or child? It's easy to fall into the "we're not going to give the adult more money for having that child, but that just hurts the child and causes more of a drain. It is a very tangled mess we gradually got ourselves into, and it probably will be a gradual fix. Yeah, that money is MEANT to help the kids but it usually gets spent on booze, smokes, drugs, and lottery tickets. I often hear cries from the left about how "pointless" and "unjust" the war on drugs is but I think the real crime is this so called "war on poverty". While well intentioned, all it has done is create a cycle of dependency among those it was intended to help, and has wasted more than a trillion dollars in the process.

QUOTE(knightni @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 12:24 PM) They'll be sorry when the US drops bombs on them in the name of freedom (read: oil). Rediculous.

QUOTE(CrimsonWeltall @ Feb 3, 2007 -> 10:38 AM) ? Does anyone here say the pledge of allegiance or something similar to the flag every day? Yes.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 08:57 AM) Al Franken is going to run for U.S. Senate out of Minnesota. Thoughts? This should be fun... Thread title is wrong...........Al Franken IS a joke.

Alright! It’s getting down to crunch time for me now. My unit is slated to leave for the Middle East on Tuesday the 6th. Looks like we’ll be spending about 2-3 weeks in Kuwait drawing equipment and doing some last minute training before rolling north. Of course nothing is set in stone so we’ll just have to see how things shake out. One thing that does help is that the sector of Baghdad that my unit is being assigned to is the exact same sector I was patrolling when I went over there the 1st time so at least I’ll be somewhat familiar with the area. That, along with body armor that weighs almost as much as I do and the most up to date armored humvees. It’s been 9 months since I arrived at Fort Riley for my assignment with the 1st Infantry Division. In that time we’ve stood up a brand new unit, trained it for war and now we’re going to go put our skills to the test in the very heart of the fight between ourselves and our allies .vs. the forces of Islamofascism and their Syrian and Iranian backers. We’re trained, we’re pumped up, and we’re ready to go over there and take the fight to our enemies. God willing, we’ll all make it back in one piece.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.../701310347/1003 If U.S. Airways can afford to buy Delta Airlines for 10 billion........including 5 billion in cash........then how is it that they can get dump their pension liability ( worth 3 billion ) on the taxpayers? What a rip off.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16903238/ Kinda sad really.