The Start of the Rain Season

Greetings!

I don't have much time left on the computer here at the USO, so I'll be brief.

Last night we had the first 'real' rain since I've been here -- a thunderstorm no less. Followed by yet another, longer storm, at about 6AM this morning. Fortunately, it stopped about 10 minutes before I left my hooch to go to breakfast chow, and then to work. However, it seems the storm knocked out power at the Dining Facility (DFAC) and so no hot food was available this morning, though I did have a couple tasty banana nut muffins and some apple sauce, along with some V8 vegetable juice.

I've got some pictures of all the near-flooding, and I'll see if I can post them in the next couple days.

Well, that's all for now. God bless!

New Features

Based on your many requests, I've added a few things to the blog...

If you want to receive new posts via email, you can subscribe by entering your email address in the form on the right side of the page. When there's a new post you receive it via email. No new posts, no email for you!

Also on the right is an icon showing the current weather conditions at Balad Airbase. Click on it to get details, current time there (it's different than here!), and a forecast in case you want to visit next week. :-)

If you have a feed reader, you can get this blog feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/NateGnews. Or see the RSS subscription links at the bottom of the page. If you understood this paragraph you are under 25, a nerd, or both.

Satellite Image -- Or, Where's Nate?

Here's a Google map satellite picture of Balad Air Base near Balad, Iraq. It's about 45 miles (c. 70km) north of Baghdad (in spite of what Wikipedia says, and I blindly repeated in my first post).

It looks very brown from space. Except for the gray parts.


View Larger Map

Today's Weather; smoke

So should we worry when the weather icon over there on the right --> says the current weather is "smoke" as it did Monday night? ;-)

Daily Life

We had our longest phone chat yet with Nate. He called after returning to his hooch from the iraqi bazaar on base, where one can buy pirated movies.

The trip into Iraq from Kuwait was via air on a C-17 (large cargo plane) with no windows, so he's seen nothing of Iraq except the base & its immediate surroundings. It's been a safe place to be. The new "R2-D2s" have been effective deterrents to rocket and mortar attacks. There was one incoming shortly after he arrived, and none since. A couple years ago the base earned the nickname "Mortaritaville", but not so much any more.

It's a good thing Balad Airbase is big and has lots to do, as Nate hasn't been outside the wire yet. There are many stationed there, of course, who never get outside the wire their whole time there, like hospital workers and such. Once Nate gets started travelling with CHP King, he'll get to see much of the country. The chaplain's first trip out was cancelled, his flight grounded due to weather. Nate wasn't scheduled for that one anyway, as he has been tasked to coordinate the prayer breakfast later this month.

So what's he do when he's not working? Pretty much whatever he wants. He's seen several new release movies for free at the base theatre (concessions are still overpriced -- just to create that back-home feeling I suppose). Actually, concession revenue covers operating costs (see this article). Once in a while they actually see the movie before it opens stateside.

Temps are cooling, so highs are well below 100 now. If the leaves are changing color :-) , it's impossible to tell under their coat of dust. Nate saw his first drops of rain today. Dust & air quality are the worst of the environment. In Kuwait, it was all sand, so when the winds died down after a sand storm the sand dropped out of the air immediately & one could breathe again. In Iraq the soil isn't sandy, so they get dust storms, and the dust lingers in the air for 3 days after winds die.

He really likes the USO. It's a very nice facility with an internet cafe, telephones, games, book swap, TV, etc. They have several interconnected X-boxes for multi-player gaming. They also provide a nice free service to GIs with young children back home. They have several children's books they record the soldier reading onto DVD. The soldier writes a note to the kids, and the USO slips the note in the book and ships it along with the DVD to the kids back home. Nate would like to volunteer at the USO once his schedule settles into routine.

MWR has similar recreational activities, though nothing like the bus tours Kay & I used to take around Europe when I was stationed in Germany.

The internet cafe, and sometimes his office, are his only access to the internet. Some housing areas are getting WiFi towers, but monthly rates are high. He doesn't know if/when his housing area will have access or if he'd be willing to pay the price.

To get around base he usually walks, or if he has a great distance to go there are shuttles running. The chaplain doesn't have a vehicle, so when they need one for their mission, they sign one out from the motor pool. Nate's looking for a bicycle, but hasn't found any sellers yet.

He & the chaplain are starting to think about what to do for Thanksgiving. The chaplain hasn't decided whether he should celebrate at Balad where the battalion has its highest concentration of troops, or go to one of the other FOBs (forward operating bases) or COBs (combat operating bases).

Nate attended the Lutheran worship service on base the first three weeks he was there, but then the only LC-MS chaplain redeployed to the States. He was pleased to find they used LW (Lutheran Worship hymnal), which is what he used at home in Tacoma, WA and Columbia, SC. The service on base is now conducted by ELCA & Episcopalian chaplains, so he's been less enthusiastic about attending. He thinks he'll give it try.

It sounds like life at Balad is as good as circumstances allow. If war is hell, maybe hell's not so bad. Just hot, dusty, lonely, and 8 hours ahead of central time.

CHAP'S CHAT:

CHAPLAIN KING

Dear Soldiers, Families, and Friends,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord! Well, the temperatures are really beginning to drop here in Iraq. It has been getting down to a cool, almost chilly, 95 degree average during the day! In all honesty, it does feel pretty good compared to the 120's we were sweating in down in Kuwait. Needless to say, the land-scape here is dry, dusty, and barren – a far cry from the "Evergreen State."

However, not far from the base, you can see an area that is lush, green, and full of life. Palm trees fill the horizon in this oasis in the desert. How is it that this patch of vibrant vegetation rises up in the midst of a desert wasteland? Well, I'm glad you asked! It's because it lines the banks of the Tigris River from which it derives its life-giving water.

This reminds me of a passage from the Psalms. It says that the person whose delight is in the Word of God and who meditates on it day and night is "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:2-3). God's Word is a source of refreshment for our souls. When we fail to spend time drinking from its life-giving waters, we become dry in our spirits and we struggle to bear the good fruit of kindness, gentleness, patience, and love for others.

...the person whose delight is in the Word of God and who meditates on it day and night is "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."

We all face "dry times" in our lives, and therefore it is essential that we take time to drink from the waters of God's Word. By doing so we will find life-giving spiritual water that will enable us to not only survive, but to thrive in the difficult, dry times.

THE COMMANDER'S NOTES:

LTC FREDENBURGH

Hello 51st Family and Friends,

I am so immensely blessed and proud to be a member of this Battalion. The FRG, Families, and Rear Detachment have really stepped up to the plate and are working diligently to take care of business at Ft. Lewis. And regarding the Soldiers here, you all would be so proud to see them in action. They are amazing and are truly making a difference here.

Obviously much has happened since our last newsletter. We successfully deployed to Iraq and have taken over for the 63rd Signal Battalion (Expeditionary). Getting off the plane, a wall of heat met us in Kuwait. Thankfully, the weather has started to cool off as we all moved North– 97 degrees feels like a nice day here! Each company has settled into their respective locations. Teams have been de-ploying to every corner of an area that is roughly half the size of California. Our respon-sibilities here are immense; we provide voice and data communications to major Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), as well as every size of unit down to small Military Transition Teams (MTT) that train the Iraqi Army.

Every Soldier has a role in our overall success. And back stateside, behind every Soldier, there are family members making unique sacrifices. Whether it is handling the family finances, yardwork, medical issues, or raising children without the help of your spouse, I appreciate your sacrifice and commitment to your Soldier, our unit, and our great Nation.

I ask the entire 51st Family to continue our commitment of working together as a team to accomplish our mission and get everyone home safely.

Thank you again to everyone in the Battalion Family for your commitment and support.

Always Constant,
LTC Paul H. Fredenburgh III

THE 51ST SB(E) TAKES COMMAND

BY 1LT DALEY, BN ADJUTANT


On September 30, 2008, the 51st and the 63rd Signal Battalions(E) con-ducted a formal cere-mony to relieve the 63rd from its wartime mission. During deployment, this process is referred to as a "Relief in Place" (RIP). For two weeks leading up to the RIP, the 51st and the 63rd worked side-by-side. The 63rd conducted normal operations as the 51st observed. A week later, the 51st assumed many of the responsibili-ties inherent in the mission while the 63rd observed. This training method is referred to as the "Left Seat, Right Seat, Ride," much like many of us experienced in school during driver‟s edu-cation. First you observe, and then you practice while under observation, then you carry out the task. This practice is beneficial in that the replacement unit can learn from the experience gained by the outgoing unit dur-ing their deployment. Once the RIP is com-plete, there is an official ceremony to recognize the "Transfer of Au-thority" (TOA). This ceremony marks the completion of the mis-sion for the outgoing unit and the continuation of the mission by the in-coming unit.

The TOA ceremony in-cluded the casing and uncasing of battalion col-ors. LTC Carlos Morales and CSM Bruce Stanley of the 63rd Signal Battalion(E) cased their battalion colors, symbol-izing the completion of their mission. LTC Paul H. Fredenburgh III and CSM Milton Weatherly of the 51st Signal Battalion(E) uncased their battalion colors, symbolizing the continuation of the signal mission by the 51st under the new leadership. COL John Hildebrand, Com-mander of the 11th Signal Brigade, presided over the TOA ceremony.

Office Space

The chaplain and his assistants are moved into their new office. Nate is very happy, and looking forward to begin travels in the next couple of weeks.