Hello from Kirkuk...oil and Kurds.

Thursday, 1 June 2010
>
>This evening Lt Col Young and I took the Rhino convoy to VBC. We are
>flying to Kirkuk tomorrow. Kirkuk is a heavily Kurdish are but also
>where my fixed and rotary wing simulators, planes, helps, maintenace,
>and instructor pilots are. MSgt Velasco who I supervise and looks
>after day to day contractor operations is there also. The purpose of
>or trip is mostly orientation so we can better manage the various
>efforts there.
>
>We are spending the night in transient tents. The have beds, lockers,
>and good air. I stayed in a nearby tent when I first arrived on
>country and I rembered that one bed had a memory foam topper that was
>really nice, so I snuck into that tent and borrowed it for my use
>tonight. I wish I could figure out a way to get this back to the IZ
>where it would be appreciated every night instead of my the occasional
>traveler. Heck, some traveler left it behind and I an sure it has been
>lonely.
>
>We have to check in for our flight at 0700 so I better get to bed.

Friday, 2 July 2010

Wow...what a bad nights sleep! The AC is the tent blew like crazy all night and could not be turned down. I nearly froze with the thin blankets here. I had to put on socks, rotate my head to the foot of the bed to get out of the direct wind blast a little, and put my gaiter (for dust) on my head. I got up once in the middle of the night to stand outside to stay warm.

We got on the C-130 flight just fine. One take off was aborted but then we tried again and took off fine. It was hot and sweaty but made it safely. We spend the day meeting people, seeing our aircraft, going over issues and process and getting to know FOB Warrior, Kirkuk. Kirkuk is in the Kurdish areas of Iraq and as you may recall the Kurds and the Turks cross the boarder to harrass each other once in while, sometimes not to far from here. Also, Iran is only about 50 miles away.

Kirkuk is also the center of Iraq's oil industry. You can see oil refineries from here, especially the stacks where they burn off the excess gasses. You can see some hills in the distance. Supposedly on a clear day you can see mountains further off.

This seems to be the wild west out here. The base is rough, dirty, and of course everyone on base carrys a weapon. It is hot also. Supposedly it gets cold here in the winter...we are further north and closer to the mountains...although you can't see them today for the haze.

Tony and I are staying in some DV CHUs...seperate rooms in a connex with an adjoining bathroom we share. I have a TV *with* a signal (AFN) and a laptop that works OK. And most importantly, I can control the AC! Life is good.

Hope you are all well. Love,
Dad