Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Camp Life & Our Veterans (Better late than NEVER!)
I have a had a few requests for the nature of Camp Life over here, ( and a few other thoughts) so here goes:
Camp Lemonier is actually pretty impressive, considering that the whole place was constructed on an old, deteriorated French base. For a remote area outside the main city-things are pretty good for us. The runway at the airfield is first rate, and its over 10,000 feet long, and the surface rivals any runway you would find in the states. It isn’t as well lit as runways in the States, but all in all not bad. (It makes flying in here at night one of those “black hole” approaches that the pilots out there will be familiar with).
The Camp itself is pretty nice, we get decent food and we have a few luxury items to keep us entertained on our off days. There is a gym, a little movie theater, and a coffee shop. They even have a little NEX (Navy Exchange). The gym is good enough that I have no excuse in not being in tip-top condition for the St. Anthony’s Triathlon when I get home. (well, that and Stacey has been riding her cute rear end off, so I better keep at it, or she might drop me on the bike like a bad habit).
Camp Lemonier is actually pretty impressive, considering that the whole place was constructed on an old, deteriorated French base. For a remote area outside the main city-things are pretty good for us. The runway at the airfield is first rate, and its over 10,000 feet long, and the surface rivals any runway you would find in the states. It isn’t as well lit as runways in the States, but all in all not bad. (It makes flying in here at night one of those “black hole” approaches that the pilots out there will be familiar with).
The Camp itself is pretty nice, we get decent food and we have a few luxury items to keep us entertained on our off days. There is a gym, a little movie theater, and a coffee shop. They even have a little NEX (Navy Exchange). The gym is good enough that I have no excuse in not being in tip-top condition for the St. Anthony’s Triathlon when I get home. (well, that and Stacey has been riding her cute rear end off, so I better keep at it, or she might drop me on the bike like a bad habit).
We actually stay pretty busy, and most weeks both aircraft are flying all over the horn. On our off days we try and catch up on admin duties, go to the gym, and keep ourselves entertained. We usually get up around 630 or so (some later than others!) hot breakfast and go the office…which is actually a tent with wooden floors. There we do mission planning, admin stuff or whatever. Poor John and Hardy get to go to a lot of official meetings-the Navy apparently loves meetings as much as the Army does.
Most nights we watch movies or surf the internet, and occasionally hit the Cantina for our officially sanctioned three (3 only!) beers. So all in all, life is good. Other than being over here in the first place I have no complaints at all. I just miss Stacey and everybody at home.
Having said that, please, keep in your thoughts and prayers those soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors who are actually in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. These kids are the true heros…they are making an enormous sacrifice, one that you cannot possibly imagine unless you have actually been in that situation. Talk to any Viet Nam veteran, and you will get a sense of what I am talking about.
Speaking of which, although I am a little late for this (Veteran’s Day) please take time out to thank any and all Viet Nam vets you might come across…they did a remarkable job in the face of a world and a nation that treated them with derision and disdain. They didn’t get the support that we are getting today. We all owe them tremendous thank yous. I firmly believe that their sacrifice was instrumental in eventually winning the Cold War.
To the Soldiers Before Us and After Us....
Monday, November 26, 2007
In the Wise Words of Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna take it!
After months (well, a few years, actually) of listening to and enduring the opinions of politicians, editorial writers, news pundits, bloggers, and various and sundry other people express their opinions about the war, I have decided to express MY thoughts for a change. I guess I have earned the right to do so, given the fact I have actually been to some of the places all these so called experts are talking about.
I assume that I will be expressing my views to people that are largely sympathetic to my point of view. So, if you are offended by politically incorrect sentiments, now is your chance to tune this blog out (at least for the day). First off, this is my opinion, and does NOT reflect any official position of the US Army, DOD, or CJTF-HOA. So here we go…..
As all of you might have guessed, I am a supporter of our missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. I truly believe that our cause is a noble and just one, and that this current war represents the biggest struggle our nation has faced since World War II and the Cold War. I have grown sick and tired of politicians on both sides of the aisle bending and twisting the facts of the current world situation to support whatever agenda that they might be pushing. Then of course every somewhat successful actor, reality show star, sports figure or other self appointed expert parrots the arguments they overheard from other equally obtuse anti war pundits. I have a few words of advice for them: SHUT UP. No, really. Please, just SHUT UP. We have heard all the inane, pointless, “America is bad and imperialist…they are only terrorists because of us” argument a thousand times over. I have some advice for you: before you run off at the mouth because you think that your opposition to this war makes you some how super intellectual or makes you feel less guilty about being an American, do a little research (unbiased, please) about the roots of this war before you start talking or writing your opinions.
I have a bit of unsettling news for you politicians out there: This war, will continue on regardless of which group of politicians manages to get their hands on power this upcoming election. And guess what: WE ARE IN IRAQ, SO THE DEBATE ABOUT HOW WE GOT THERE IS COMPLETELY IDIOTIC AND A WASTE OF TIME. The only thing that matters at this point is pulling together and winning this war. Quit sayings it’s unwinnable because you have NO idea what you are talking about. It is such an easy thing to critique this war with a slick, prepared, press release from your PR advisor from the safety of a cushy office in Washington DC as opposed to actually talking with the soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors who are actually downrange. Just because this war is no easy thing isn’t any reason to give up and leave those who support us in Iraq and Afghanistan to whims and mercy of the radical islamists. Make no mistake, our enemy in this war is willing to strap bombs on their women and children to kill us…they make no distinction between civilian and military targets, and THEY WILL NOT STOP if we withdraw from Iraq and go home. This is not a problem we can negotiate away. Our only option is to defeat the enemy. Period.
I also have strong words for our so called “unbiased media” : I don’t CARE what your opinion is, or if you hate the war and your own country. The whole idea of being a reporter is to completely COVER the story without the interference of the lens that is your opinion. At least take the time to actually research things before you put them into print. All I ask is to report both sides of a story, or at least turn a critical eye toward the press releases of the enemy. You know, the terrorists are pretty good at using you media types as a mouth piece for their propaganda. I suppose that reporting facts, even if they don’t support your particular point of view, is something that modern journalists don’t want to be bothered with. I find it ironic that now that the surge is going full swing and the military’s offensive against the terrorists seems to be making gain, all we get to read about is the daily body count, the contractor scandal, the expense of the war, anything but the tactical success on the battlefield. Why is that, I wonder?
To quote General Sanchez, former Commander in Iraq:
"For some it seems that as long as you get a front-page story, there is little or no regard for the collateral damage that will be caused. Personal reputations sometimes have no value. They report with total impunity, and are rarely held accountable for unethical conduct. Given the near instantaneous ability to report actions on the ground, the responsibility to accurately and truthfully report takes on an unprecedented importance. The speculative and often uninformed initial reporting that characterizes our media appears to be rapidly becoming the standard of the industry.
"Once reported, your assessments become conventional wisdom and nearly impossible to change. Your unwillingness to accurately and prominently correct your mistakes and your agenda-driven biases sometimes contributes to this corrosive environment. All these challenges combined create a media environment that does a tremendous disservice to America, in some instances. Over the course of this war, tactically insignificant events have become strategic defeats for our country because of the tremendous power and impact of the media -- and by extension, you individually, the journalists.
"My assessment is that your profession, to some extent, has strayed from these worthy ethical standards and has allowed external agendas to manipulate what the American public sees on TV, what they read in our newspapers, and what they see and read on the Web. For some of you, just like some of our politicians, the truth is of little to no value if it does not fit your own preconceived notions, biases, or agendas."
We have got to understand that despite what we have been told over the past twenty years or so by the politically correct media, that the US, and indeed Western Civilization, is, in fact, worth defending. I know this because I have seen it firsthand. True, we do in fact have problems in the West. But we got a lot right- and I am convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that the United States and our western allies represent a much brighter future than the alternative presented by radical Islam.
I assume that I will be expressing my views to people that are largely sympathetic to my point of view. So, if you are offended by politically incorrect sentiments, now is your chance to tune this blog out (at least for the day). First off, this is my opinion, and does NOT reflect any official position of the US Army, DOD, or CJTF-HOA. So here we go…..
As all of you might have guessed, I am a supporter of our missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. I truly believe that our cause is a noble and just one, and that this current war represents the biggest struggle our nation has faced since World War II and the Cold War. I have grown sick and tired of politicians on both sides of the aisle bending and twisting the facts of the current world situation to support whatever agenda that they might be pushing. Then of course every somewhat successful actor, reality show star, sports figure or other self appointed expert parrots the arguments they overheard from other equally obtuse anti war pundits. I have a few words of advice for them: SHUT UP. No, really. Please, just SHUT UP. We have heard all the inane, pointless, “America is bad and imperialist…they are only terrorists because of us” argument a thousand times over. I have some advice for you: before you run off at the mouth because you think that your opposition to this war makes you some how super intellectual or makes you feel less guilty about being an American, do a little research (unbiased, please) about the roots of this war before you start talking or writing your opinions.
I have a bit of unsettling news for you politicians out there: This war, will continue on regardless of which group of politicians manages to get their hands on power this upcoming election. And guess what: WE ARE IN IRAQ, SO THE DEBATE ABOUT HOW WE GOT THERE IS COMPLETELY IDIOTIC AND A WASTE OF TIME. The only thing that matters at this point is pulling together and winning this war. Quit sayings it’s unwinnable because you have NO idea what you are talking about. It is such an easy thing to critique this war with a slick, prepared, press release from your PR advisor from the safety of a cushy office in Washington DC as opposed to actually talking with the soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors who are actually downrange. Just because this war is no easy thing isn’t any reason to give up and leave those who support us in Iraq and Afghanistan to whims and mercy of the radical islamists. Make no mistake, our enemy in this war is willing to strap bombs on their women and children to kill us…they make no distinction between civilian and military targets, and THEY WILL NOT STOP if we withdraw from Iraq and go home. This is not a problem we can negotiate away. Our only option is to defeat the enemy. Period.
I also have strong words for our so called “unbiased media” : I don’t CARE what your opinion is, or if you hate the war and your own country. The whole idea of being a reporter is to completely COVER the story without the interference of the lens that is your opinion. At least take the time to actually research things before you put them into print. All I ask is to report both sides of a story, or at least turn a critical eye toward the press releases of the enemy. You know, the terrorists are pretty good at using you media types as a mouth piece for their propaganda. I suppose that reporting facts, even if they don’t support your particular point of view, is something that modern journalists don’t want to be bothered with. I find it ironic that now that the surge is going full swing and the military’s offensive against the terrorists seems to be making gain, all we get to read about is the daily body count, the contractor scandal, the expense of the war, anything but the tactical success on the battlefield. Why is that, I wonder?
To quote General Sanchez, former Commander in Iraq:
"For some it seems that as long as you get a front-page story, there is little or no regard for the collateral damage that will be caused. Personal reputations sometimes have no value. They report with total impunity, and are rarely held accountable for unethical conduct. Given the near instantaneous ability to report actions on the ground, the responsibility to accurately and truthfully report takes on an unprecedented importance. The speculative and often uninformed initial reporting that characterizes our media appears to be rapidly becoming the standard of the industry.
"Once reported, your assessments become conventional wisdom and nearly impossible to change. Your unwillingness to accurately and prominently correct your mistakes and your agenda-driven biases sometimes contributes to this corrosive environment. All these challenges combined create a media environment that does a tremendous disservice to America, in some instances. Over the course of this war, tactically insignificant events have become strategic defeats for our country because of the tremendous power and impact of the media -- and by extension, you individually, the journalists.
"My assessment is that your profession, to some extent, has strayed from these worthy ethical standards and has allowed external agendas to manipulate what the American public sees on TV, what they read in our newspapers, and what they see and read on the Web. For some of you, just like some of our politicians, the truth is of little to no value if it does not fit your own preconceived notions, biases, or agendas."
We have got to understand that despite what we have been told over the past twenty years or so by the politically correct media, that the US, and indeed Western Civilization, is, in fact, worth defending. I know this because I have seen it firsthand. True, we do in fact have problems in the West. But we got a lot right- and I am convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that the United States and our western allies represent a much brighter future than the alternative presented by radical Islam.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
HappyThanksgiving from Djibouti
Hello everybody! I just wanted to take a few moments to wish all of you a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Thank you all for your support! Since I cannot be with all of you on this special day, I hope that you all realize how much I miss you and I am thinking of you all everyday. I am truly a lucky man to have the life that I have, and could not do what I do with out the support of my wife, Stacey, (hi Honey!) and my family. I have so much to be thankful for, it would be hard to find the words to express it in a truly heartfelt way with out my words coming out like a bad hallmark card.
Have a Happy, blessed Thanksgiving, everyone of you.
Have a Happy, blessed Thanksgiving, everyone of you.
Cheers to you all!!
Al
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Big Al's Soccer Drive For The Kids
Hey everyone! Sorry to dissapoint, it's just Stacey here.
First, I know Al thanked you guys for reaching out to him and sending him mail, but I also wanted to say THANK YOU for being so kind and keeping his spirits high over there. Between his good friends - and my wonderful friends, he has been getting a lot of mail and packages. I joke that he is probably the most popular kid at camp!
So, I mentioned to some of you that Al was going to talk to the Chaplain about sending soccer balls to him for the kids. According to Al, the kids there love soccer, but very few of them have a decent ball to play with. So, he wanted to do something nice. The soccer balls will provide a spark in an environment filled with poverty and deprivation. It's a small act that will bring great joy to many of the kids as they get the opportunity to be "kids." This will mean alot in their continuing effort of creating more friends than enemies over there.
Marie Battaglioli and her friends and colleagues at Foster & Company sent the first soccer ball. They sent it fully inflated and it arrived with no problem. I have went online to see if there were directions for the best way to send them but I couldn't find anything concrete either way. I saw one site said to just mail them (this was for an Iraq Soccer Ball Drive) and then another said to send them deflated - we should also include a few pumps. I will continue to investigate this - if you know anymore than I do, please email me or post to the comments section at the bottom of this particular blog.
Additionaly, the Chaplain said that cheap sunglasses and travel kits of toothbrushes and toothpaste were also big hits!
So...do you want to make a little kid's eyes light up like it's Christmas morning even though the child knows nothing of Christmas? This is not really an effort to get these to them by Christmas but to still give them the joyous feeling that Christmas brings to so many children here in the United States.
Okay, so with that said....if you want to participate in "Big Al's Soccer Drive" - email me at schapman@heery.com. I can provide you the address, if you don't already have it or we can work together to get them shipped out. Check out the YOU TUBE to the left: Soccer African Style.
Thanks everyone for your continued support!
Stacey (and Al!)
REVISED TO ADD:
If you send soccer balls deflated, you can send several in a FLAT RATE box and save some money! All items mailed will need a customs form. AND Stephanie has taught me that mailing from the post office is cheaper than mailing from a UPS Store.
First, I know Al thanked you guys for reaching out to him and sending him mail, but I also wanted to say THANK YOU for being so kind and keeping his spirits high over there. Between his good friends - and my wonderful friends, he has been getting a lot of mail and packages. I joke that he is probably the most popular kid at camp!
So, I mentioned to some of you that Al was going to talk to the Chaplain about sending soccer balls to him for the kids. According to Al, the kids there love soccer, but very few of them have a decent ball to play with. So, he wanted to do something nice. The soccer balls will provide a spark in an environment filled with poverty and deprivation. It's a small act that will bring great joy to many of the kids as they get the opportunity to be "kids." This will mean alot in their continuing effort of creating more friends than enemies over there.
Marie Battaglioli and her friends and colleagues at Foster & Company sent the first soccer ball. They sent it fully inflated and it arrived with no problem. I have went online to see if there were directions for the best way to send them but I couldn't find anything concrete either way. I saw one site said to just mail them (this was for an Iraq Soccer Ball Drive) and then another said to send them deflated - we should also include a few pumps. I will continue to investigate this - if you know anymore than I do, please email me or post to the comments section at the bottom of this particular blog.
Additionaly, the Chaplain said that cheap sunglasses and travel kits of toothbrushes and toothpaste were also big hits!
So...do you want to make a little kid's eyes light up like it's Christmas morning even though the child knows nothing of Christmas? This is not really an effort to get these to them by Christmas but to still give them the joyous feeling that Christmas brings to so many children here in the United States.
Okay, so with that said....if you want to participate in "Big Al's Soccer Drive" - email me at schapman@heery.com. I can provide you the address, if you don't already have it or we can work together to get them shipped out. Check out the YOU TUBE to the left: Soccer African Style.
Thanks everyone for your continued support!
Stacey (and Al!)
REVISED TO ADD:
If you send soccer balls deflated, you can send several in a FLAT RATE box and save some money! All items mailed will need a customs form. AND Stephanie has taught me that mailing from the post office is cheaper than mailing from a UPS Store.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Gigantic Bats of Comoros
Our latest mission sent us out over the Ocean once again, this time out to the Island Nation of Comoros. Comoros is a small Island chain of the coast of Southern Kenya and Tanzania. It is located just to the east of Madagascar and is a former French Colony. The Islands are all volcanic, and are quite isolated. It is a majority Muslim nation, and CJTF-HOA is performing humanitarian assistance there in the form of Navy Sea Bee’s (think combat engineers for the Navy and Marines…very hard working people) and Civil Affairs teams. The Sea Bee’s are building wells and helping with school construction and the Civil Affairs teams are working with the local people. The State Department has USAID people here as well.
The mission in Comoros goes to the very heart of what our mission is over here. The mission, contrary to what you might think after reading my blog is not so we C26 guys can just fly around Africa. Our mission is to show that the US is NOT the nation that is shown in extremist Islamic propaganda, or what the people of the nations here in Africa learn about us from Hollywood. We are here to help-which prevents groups from Al-Qaeda and other such nut jobs from gaining toeholds in nations that have so far avoided embracing radical Islam. For what it is worth, I think the mission is worthwhile and is working. I will try to a better job of covering what our sister services are doing here. These folks deserve a lot of recognition for what they are doing.
Comoros has had some issues in the past-this tiny Island nation has had something on the order of 27 coups since gaining its Independence from the French. Needless to say, this instability hasn’t helped out in the ole progress part.
This is a cash only Island, and when we landed at the Airport in Maroni, a small army of people came out of the wood work with various papers and forms for us to fill out so we could be charged appropriately. This took place before we could even get the passengers off loaded. Several women clad in the traditional hijab (with an Island twist though…the garb here was full of color, as opposed to the plain black or other drab colors in other Islamic nations) came up to me looking to collect money for an organization known as (and no, I am not making this up) The Agency For Safe and Secure Navigation in Africa and Madagascar. I think we would up paying over 700 bucks for various charges ranging in navigation fees, airport fees, taxes, and the ever mysterious airway fix usage fee.
After we filled out our paperwork, we headed out across the Island to our Hotel. It was about a 45 minute ride over the ridge to the other side of the island. We learned that out hotel was fortunate enough to have a back-up generator and its own water system, since both utilities are subject to frequent interruption. During dinner, the power did go out….but luckily the hotel’s generator did its job.
The mission in Comoros goes to the very heart of what our mission is over here. The mission, contrary to what you might think after reading my blog is not so we C26 guys can just fly around Africa. Our mission is to show that the US is NOT the nation that is shown in extremist Islamic propaganda, or what the people of the nations here in Africa learn about us from Hollywood. We are here to help-which prevents groups from Al-Qaeda and other such nut jobs from gaining toeholds in nations that have so far avoided embracing radical Islam. For what it is worth, I think the mission is worthwhile and is working. I will try to a better job of covering what our sister services are doing here. These folks deserve a lot of recognition for what they are doing.
Comoros has had some issues in the past-this tiny Island nation has had something on the order of 27 coups since gaining its Independence from the French. Needless to say, this instability hasn’t helped out in the ole progress part.
This is a cash only Island, and when we landed at the Airport in Maroni, a small army of people came out of the wood work with various papers and forms for us to fill out so we could be charged appropriately. This took place before we could even get the passengers off loaded. Several women clad in the traditional hijab (with an Island twist though…the garb here was full of color, as opposed to the plain black or other drab colors in other Islamic nations) came up to me looking to collect money for an organization known as (and no, I am not making this up) The Agency For Safe and Secure Navigation in Africa and Madagascar. I think we would up paying over 700 bucks for various charges ranging in navigation fees, airport fees, taxes, and the ever mysterious airway fix usage fee.
After we filled out our paperwork, we headed out across the Island to our Hotel. It was about a 45 minute ride over the ridge to the other side of the island. We learned that out hotel was fortunate enough to have a back-up generator and its own water system, since both utilities are subject to frequent interruption. During dinner, the power did go out….but luckily the hotel’s generator did its job.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Thank You for Your Continued Support.
I was sitting around Camp Lemonier today and thought that before I get too much further along in this blog, I need to take a few minutes and express my sincere thanks to all of you who actually read this blog, and more importantly, all of you that have taken the time to write me, post comments or otherwise support me during this deployment. I cannot articulate with adequate words how great it is to know that you folks take time out of your lives to think of me and my fellow servicemen (and women!) over here at CJTF-HOA. (Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa).
People are constantly thanking me for my service, but you all should know that I am…indeed all of us, are very thankful for the support. Without your support we would not be able to do this mission, or indeed any mission in this war on terror. It just is not possible without your prayers, support, letters and thoughts.
So without further ado (and in no particular order) a huge, heartfelt thanks goes out to the following people:
Stacey Chapman, Steve and Vicky Hovis, my Mom, my Dad, Laura Chapman (Surf’s Up Sis), Pete, Kim and Trent Waldrop, Jeff and Joanna Lether, Angie and Beth, Kim Cameron, Diane Taylor, Janet and Matt, Barb, Sharon Ealy (now Whitfield), Gina G., Diane Dial and Family, Frank and Kathy Conrad, Stephanie and Glenn,(all the guys love their cards Stephanie!) Hansel, Pepper, and Earl, Kevin and Krista Reilly, Janis Francis, Rhonda Kemp (and all her kids at school), Anna and Brent, Greg, Renae and Jake, all my Tri friends at Get Fit Atlanta, (Thanks Dana!), Lynette and Sam Rickman, Todd Ballew, and Q100 for the Write a Soldier Campaign (for Thanksgiving).
In the unfortunate event that I missed someone, please forgive my oversight. You all are great, and I cannot thank you enough. Every one of you gives me innumerable reasons to do this job, and the mission that we do IS NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Until next time....
People are constantly thanking me for my service, but you all should know that I am…indeed all of us, are very thankful for the support. Without your support we would not be able to do this mission, or indeed any mission in this war on terror. It just is not possible without your prayers, support, letters and thoughts.
So without further ado (and in no particular order) a huge, heartfelt thanks goes out to the following people:
Stacey Chapman, Steve and Vicky Hovis, my Mom, my Dad, Laura Chapman (Surf’s Up Sis), Pete, Kim and Trent Waldrop, Jeff and Joanna Lether, Angie and Beth, Kim Cameron, Diane Taylor, Janet and Matt, Barb, Sharon Ealy (now Whitfield), Gina G., Diane Dial and Family, Frank and Kathy Conrad, Stephanie and Glenn,(all the guys love their cards Stephanie!) Hansel, Pepper, and Earl, Kevin and Krista Reilly, Janis Francis, Rhonda Kemp (and all her kids at school), Anna and Brent, Greg, Renae and Jake, all my Tri friends at Get Fit Atlanta, (Thanks Dana!), Lynette and Sam Rickman, Todd Ballew, and Q100 for the Write a Soldier Campaign (for Thanksgiving).
In the unfortunate event that I missed someone, please forgive my oversight. You all are great, and I cannot thank you enough. Every one of you gives me innumerable reasons to do this job, and the mission that we do IS NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Until next time....
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Kilimanjaro Pictures As Promised
Top three pictures are actually in Mombassa Kenya. Mombassa is located on the east coast (Indian Ocean) side of Kenya. Bottom photo is of Kilimanjaro during the approach to Kili Airfield.
Containerized Living Units - CLU Going Forward
Here are my living quarters (called CLU's, Containerized Living Units) at Camp Lemonier: Not bad, considering we could be in Tents:
Friday, November 2, 2007
Mombassa Kenya, Kilimanjaro
We fly all over the Horn of Africa: Here are some pictures from a recent trip to Mombassa Kenya and Tanzania. Mombassa is on the coast of Kenya on the Indian Ocean. We stayed in a really nice hotel with a safari style theme. We even had monkeys wandering around our porch. Unfortunately, I didnt get any pictures of the monkeys. Those little guys can be fast. While in Tanzania, we over nighted at an airfield near Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania. Tanzania is one of the nations in Africa that is doing fairly well. The roads are good, and the infastructure is good shape. Dar es Salaam,the capitol city (Meaning the place of Heaven in Arabic) is a modern place with a thriving economy. The Tanzanians are about 30% muslim and speak a mixture of english, and swahili. Despite the tribal history of this nation, Tanzania has for the most part put her tribal past behind and managed to forge a progressive modern nation. Also, there is no apparent tension between the muslim population and the other religous groups.
Pictures coming soon....
Pictures coming soon....
Camp Life at JABOOTI JABOOTI
These are of Rob and I, and our office. Note the GA State Flag hanging on the wall.
Technical Difficulties....But up and running now!
02 November 2007
Ok, sorry about the delay in updating the Blog. I have had a few technical difficulties and have been a little busy. So I thought I would add some pictures to give you all a feel for how life is here at Camp Lemonier and finish up the trip over. The mission here is keeping us busy, with the Navy getting alot of utilization out of both airplanes, they are keeping is pretty busy.
We are flying all over the Horn of Africa, which is good as it keeps us busy. It is starting to cool off a bit here. When we first arrived in Camp Lemonier the high temps during the day would routinely hit the 110 mark. It was hot, dry and dusty. The temperature is moderating a bit, with daytime highs now around the 100 degree mark.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
