US News and World Report
Issue, 25 February 2008
"Wide Open Spaces for Sale", Page 9, and "Rethinking the Environment", Page 18
Unused property could be used to plant trees and algae to offset the carbon produced by urban sprawl. One thing that keeps coming to mind is Fort Carson with the "red rock" yard landscaping. This was supposedly put into place because of a draught several years ago. Why not plant some form of carbon muncher? (In a recent article, it is estimated that deforestation is contributing 25 to 30 percent of the global warming problem.) In fact, why doesn't Colorado lead the way and launch a new green practice that requires each municipality to sustain enough foliage to offset greenhouse gases produced? For example, we know that every gallon of gas contributes 19 pounds of carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere. My car uses about 13 gallons a week, so I am guilty of 247 pounds of CO2 per week, or 12,844 pounds per year. And that is solely for my car. That does not include electricity usage in my house or any of the other contributing factors. (When I came home on environmental morale leave, R&R, I payed like $150 in carbon credits at http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_tellafriend.asp. This money is supposed to go into research and development for clean energy.) I am curious how many trees I would be required to maintain to offset my carbon contribution.
One reason for not implementing this initiative is the use of water in an already strained environment. We are seeing more draughts as global warming escalates. How about reutilization? The system I've been thinking about for some of my future experiments is a dual transport system, one for black water and one for grey water. The grey water is put into a filtering system and cycled through a reservoir before being piped to reclamation areas, such as a tree reserve. Next question, what is the cost-benefit ratio? What will be the positive and negative ecological impacts?
This also brings up the, "But how do we pay for it?" question. Taxes, of course. Add another nickel or dime to each gallon of fuel and use that for the reserves and for clean fuel alternative research, such as wind turbines, hydraulic power plants, and solar energy. Where is the initiative that says, "Colorado will be clean energy by 2025," or some other such thing?
Friday, April 11, 2008
Wikipedia: Composting Toilet
Definition. A composting toilet can be defined as "a system that provides an environment within a container for predominantly aerobic decomposition and stabilization of refuse.
2 types
o in situ
o bucket and chuck it
Soak material such as straw, sawdust, and dry grass are added to...
o absorb excess liquid
o cover waste materials
o exclude flied
o reduce smells
o balance carbon to nitrogen ratios
The article mentions separating human waste from other kitchen scraps and garden waste. Why? As mentioned in the Humanure Handbook (Joseph Jenkins), all organics will decompose.
Conventional toilets consume large quantities of clean, drinking water (I think it was like 400 gallons per week per person)
In Situ: Drawbacks. technological curve, spacial requirements, some require an accelerant such as gas, some require electricity (pollution), stirring or rotating. Benefits. utilization is similar to hydraulic systems (no social adaptation), minimal water requirements, reduced exposure of refuse to the environment.
Bucket and Chuck It: Drawbacks. social stigma of handling shit, transport bucket to external compost pile, requires a secondary compost pile. Benefits. Compost pile can be used with all household organics (estimated 80-90 percent of garbage that otherwise goes into the dump sites), gas and electricity not required (for the decomposition process), thermophilic decomposition means fossil fuel accelerant not necessary
After 5 years, only 1-2 percent of the original volume remains. It is then a mineralized soil and will decompose no further.
Yields furtilizer that is, after the legally required period of time, able to be used in horticulture and agriculture.
Change compost bins annually or bi-annually for adequate aging of the compost to eliminate all hazardous bacteria and fungi.
Mesophilic composting (pathogens destroyed over time) vs. thermophilic composting (pathogens destroyed by heat).
NSF and Standard 41?
How many western, technological countries are doing this?
Waterless, odorless composting toilets facilitate homes remaining occuppied in draught areas.
Odors can be controlled by...
o keeping urine and feces separate (kind of defeats the purpose. urine is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous. Feces is a carbon item. balance, not separation)
o adding high carbon soak materials
o materials must remain aerated to prevent anaerobic decomposition (ammonia) (some think this means you have to turn it, but a sufficiently coarse stock might allow oxygen to continue to circulate. It's also a consideration in bin design. I've thought about putting 12-18 inches of topsoil in the base of my bin and putting earth worms in. As the compost ages, and temperatures drop, I am thinking the worms would climb the stack, serving to aerate and further eliminate harmful bacteria and fungi.)
2 types
o in situ
o bucket and chuck it
Soak material such as straw, sawdust, and dry grass are added to...
o absorb excess liquid
o cover waste materials
o exclude flied
o reduce smells
o balance carbon to nitrogen ratios
The article mentions separating human waste from other kitchen scraps and garden waste. Why? As mentioned in the Humanure Handbook (Joseph Jenkins), all organics will decompose.
Conventional toilets consume large quantities of clean, drinking water (I think it was like 400 gallons per week per person)
In Situ: Drawbacks. technological curve, spacial requirements, some require an accelerant such as gas, some require electricity (pollution), stirring or rotating. Benefits. utilization is similar to hydraulic systems (no social adaptation), minimal water requirements, reduced exposure of refuse to the environment.
Bucket and Chuck It: Drawbacks. social stigma of handling shit, transport bucket to external compost pile, requires a secondary compost pile. Benefits. Compost pile can be used with all household organics (estimated 80-90 percent of garbage that otherwise goes into the dump sites), gas and electricity not required (for the decomposition process), thermophilic decomposition means fossil fuel accelerant not necessary
After 5 years, only 1-2 percent of the original volume remains. It is then a mineralized soil and will decompose no further.
Yields furtilizer that is, after the legally required period of time, able to be used in horticulture and agriculture.
Change compost bins annually or bi-annually for adequate aging of the compost to eliminate all hazardous bacteria and fungi.
Mesophilic composting (pathogens destroyed over time) vs. thermophilic composting (pathogens destroyed by heat).
NSF and Standard 41?
How many western, technological countries are doing this?
Waterless, odorless composting toilets facilitate homes remaining occuppied in draught areas.
Odors can be controlled by...
o keeping urine and feces separate (kind of defeats the purpose. urine is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous. Feces is a carbon item. balance, not separation)
o adding high carbon soak materials
o materials must remain aerated to prevent anaerobic decomposition (ammonia) (some think this means you have to turn it, but a sufficiently coarse stock might allow oxygen to continue to circulate. It's also a consideration in bin design. I've thought about putting 12-18 inches of topsoil in the base of my bin and putting earth worms in. As the compost ages, and temperatures drop, I am thinking the worms would climb the stack, serving to aerate and further eliminate harmful bacteria and fungi.)
I am more interested in the deeds of man
I am more interested in the deeds of men than the divine will of God; for they are the only things over which I may have any influence. God's will, will be done regardless.
Infinite Solutions
For every tactical problem there is an infinite number of solutions. None are right, none are wrong, each must be developed to overcome weaknesses in the solution to attain the desired goal.
On Divine Will
God set his plan into action by putting us, all of us, here together. How we facilitate his plann is up to us; it's called free will. Waiting for HIM to solve our problems is farcical.
Decentralization for the Evolution of Leadership
The road march thing on Wednesday. To much control! As an alternative, the Commander might give guidance to run a total of x-number of miles per week and road march a total of x-number of miles per month. This forces subordinate commanders to make decisions. Platoon Leader development, et al. As an example, the Battalion Commander's guidance might be road march development weekly. Further, he might define the road march as tactical foot march, conditioning foot march, or tactical dismounted patrolling. The Company Commander then provides further guidance by stating 12-miles per week minimum or, for example, 12-mile tactical foot march at a 3-mph pace (increasing the pace per week; or, the weight or packing list, etc). The Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant then plan to meet the training guidance. Using the above examples, two possible solutions might be...
1) a 12-mile foot march on Wednesday, with a 50-pound packing list at 3 mph.
2) Two 6-mile foot marches, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Tuesday foot march is with a 50 pound packing list at 3 mph. Thursday packing list is a patrol with an 80-pound packing.
This principle, when properly applied gives subordinate leaders the greatest opportunity for decision making development, an area that is severly deficient in our leader development programs. Perhaps, as part of our organizational evolution, we might start looking at ways to further decentralize the decision making process to develop leaders more proficient at sound, snap decisions in stressful situations like - oh, combat.
This is most likely my continued appreciation for NCO development programs of the German Army after WWI. As an example, during one field problem, I argued with one of my Lieutenants about our maneuver. In short, the solution called for the machine guns to set up and start shooting. The guns would cease fire when the assault squads would cut diagonally in front of them and start a bounding assault on the objective, providing their own security. "Why don't they flank and assault from the side, so the guns can keep firing?" I asked. I was told it was the approved solution. I could go on for a good couple pages on this, and I might actually hotlink a PDF file with imagery later to show what we were doing and what I was recommending, but the point here is that, the solution had be provided by higher and deviation was not allowed.
1) a 12-mile foot march on Wednesday, with a 50-pound packing list at 3 mph.
2) Two 6-mile foot marches, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Tuesday foot march is with a 50 pound packing list at 3 mph. Thursday packing list is a patrol with an 80-pound packing.
This principle, when properly applied gives subordinate leaders the greatest opportunity for decision making development, an area that is severly deficient in our leader development programs. Perhaps, as part of our organizational evolution, we might start looking at ways to further decentralize the decision making process to develop leaders more proficient at sound, snap decisions in stressful situations like - oh, combat.
This is most likely my continued appreciation for NCO development programs of the German Army after WWI. As an example, during one field problem, I argued with one of my Lieutenants about our maneuver. In short, the solution called for the machine guns to set up and start shooting. The guns would cease fire when the assault squads would cut diagonally in front of them and start a bounding assault on the objective, providing their own security. "Why don't they flank and assault from the side, so the guns can keep firing?" I asked. I was told it was the approved solution. I could go on for a good couple pages on this, and I might actually hotlink a PDF file with imagery later to show what we were doing and what I was recommending, but the point here is that, the solution had be provided by higher and deviation was not allowed.
On approach, 31 December 2008
As we make our approach on New York, I find myself reflecting on Iraq and contemplating whether or not I will put my consolidated writings into one of our expensive journals. I keep thinking of mine and Lieutenant Carlisle's early discussions about patrolling the muhallahs. My first assessment had been that we could turn 10 percent, that 10 percent would remain ardent enemy, and the other 80 percent would passively support both sides. There was not scientific basis on these numbers and I was probably musing to begin with.
I remember talking about gaining popular support from the locals and how key terrain, as a tactical term, was obsolete unless one regarded the people as key terrain. In a counter-insurgency, the only consideration is how to leverage the population from the insurgent. Everything else must support that objective. Think in second and third orders of effects. If the people are dissatisfied, they will eventually rebel. But if they are satisfied, then the insurgent has nothing on which to base his claims and nothing to offer.
I remember talking about gaining popular support from the locals and how key terrain, as a tactical term, was obsolete unless one regarded the people as key terrain. In a counter-insurgency, the only consideration is how to leverage the population from the insurgent. Everything else must support that objective. Think in second and third orders of effects. If the people are dissatisfied, they will eventually rebel. But if they are satisfied, then the insurgent has nothing on which to base his claims and nothing to offer.
Notes on the Qu'ran
10: 67-70
They say: "God has begotten a son." God forbid! Self-sufficient is He. His is all that the heavens and the earth contain. Surely for this you have no sanction. Would you say of Godwhat you know not?
Say: "Those that invent falsehoods about God shall not prosper. They may take their ease in this life, but to all Us they shall then return, and for their unbelief we will make them taste the grievous torment."
I remember reading this and thinking, "so much for a peaceful religion." However, I also recall in our own Bible, God saying to 'wipe them from the earth.' The point is, extremists of every religion will find, or create, what they need to give momentum to their faction. Those are the ones, I think, that need to be wiped from the earth. Yes, there are passages that promise an endless war between the different religions, but I think those are the ones we should remember as historical reference, but supplant as we evolve. My father, an honorable man, said that if I were killed in Iraq, he would want vengeance. I am certain that is the same for all my family. But I would like to point out that, if I die in Iraq, it was my choice. I enlisted, without coercion, but of free will. Therefore, if I were to die in Iraq, I would have you celebrate my sacrifice at the alter of freedom and humanity, and continue my works to aid the Iraqi people. That is how you would honor me.
They say: "God has begotten a son." God forbid! Self-sufficient is He. His is all that the heavens and the earth contain. Surely for this you have no sanction. Would you say of Godwhat you know not?
Say: "Those that invent falsehoods about God shall not prosper. They may take their ease in this life, but to all Us they shall then return, and for their unbelief we will make them taste the grievous torment."
I remember reading this and thinking, "so much for a peaceful religion." However, I also recall in our own Bible, God saying to 'wipe them from the earth.' The point is, extremists of every religion will find, or create, what they need to give momentum to their faction. Those are the ones, I think, that need to be wiped from the earth. Yes, there are passages that promise an endless war between the different religions, but I think those are the ones we should remember as historical reference, but supplant as we evolve. My father, an honorable man, said that if I were killed in Iraq, he would want vengeance. I am certain that is the same for all my family. But I would like to point out that, if I die in Iraq, it was my choice. I enlisted, without coercion, but of free will. Therefore, if I were to die in Iraq, I would have you celebrate my sacrifice at the alter of freedom and humanity, and continue my works to aid the Iraqi people. That is how you would honor me.
Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples
Yet another excerpt from a book in Kuwait.
"...In it, Ibn Khaldun tried to explain the rise and fall of dynasties in a way which would serve as a touchstone by which the credibility of historical narratives might be judged. The simplest and easiest forms of human society, he believed, was that of the people of the steppes and mountains, growing crops or rearing livestock, and following leaders who had not organized power of coercion. Such people had a certain natural goodness and energy, but could not by themselves create stable governments, cities, or high culture. For that to be possible, there had to be a ruler with exclusive authority, and such a one could establish himself only if he was able to create and dominate a group of followers possessing 'asabiyya', that is to say, a corporate spirit oriented towards obtaining and keeping power. This group could best be drawn from the energetic men of the steppe or mountain; it could be held together by the sense of common ancestry, whether real or fictitious or by ties of dependence, and reinforced by common acceptance of a religion. A ruler with a strong and coherent group of followers could found a dynasty; when its rule was stable populous cities would grow up and in them there would be specialized crafts, luxurious ways of living and high culture.
"Every dynasty, however, bore in itself the seeds of its decline: it could be weakened by tyranny, extravagance, and the loss of the qualities of command. Effective power might pass from the ruler to members of his own group, but sooner or later the dynasty might be replaced by another formed in a similar way. When this happened, not only the ruler, but the whole people on whom his power had rested, and the life they had created, might disappear; as Ibn Khaldun said in another context, 'when there is a general change of conditions, it is as if the entire creation had changed and the whole world had been altered.' The Greeks and Persians, 'the greatest powers of their time in the world,' had been replaced by the Arabs, whose strength and cohesion had created a dynasty of which the power stretched from Arabia to Spain; but they in their turn had been replaced by Berbers in Spain and the Maghrid, and by the Turks further east."
Of particular interest to me, here, is, "it could be weakended by tyranny, extravagance, and the loss of the qualities of command." Extravagance. The end of the Roman empire is sometimes tied to extravagance on the part of the Roman citizens, which forced the legions to be manned by Barbarians. In time, Romans, except for the poor and destitute, stayed out of service. What does that say about us, here in America? 80 percent of our citizens are obese, by last estimates. Only a small percentage volunteers for the military. "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." Extravagance.
"...In it, Ibn Khaldun tried to explain the rise and fall of dynasties in a way which would serve as a touchstone by which the credibility of historical narratives might be judged. The simplest and easiest forms of human society, he believed, was that of the people of the steppes and mountains, growing crops or rearing livestock, and following leaders who had not organized power of coercion. Such people had a certain natural goodness and energy, but could not by themselves create stable governments, cities, or high culture. For that to be possible, there had to be a ruler with exclusive authority, and such a one could establish himself only if he was able to create and dominate a group of followers possessing 'asabiyya', that is to say, a corporate spirit oriented towards obtaining and keeping power. This group could best be drawn from the energetic men of the steppe or mountain; it could be held together by the sense of common ancestry, whether real or fictitious or by ties of dependence, and reinforced by common acceptance of a religion. A ruler with a strong and coherent group of followers could found a dynasty; when its rule was stable populous cities would grow up and in them there would be specialized crafts, luxurious ways of living and high culture.
"Every dynasty, however, bore in itself the seeds of its decline: it could be weakened by tyranny, extravagance, and the loss of the qualities of command. Effective power might pass from the ruler to members of his own group, but sooner or later the dynasty might be replaced by another formed in a similar way. When this happened, not only the ruler, but the whole people on whom his power had rested, and the life they had created, might disappear; as Ibn Khaldun said in another context, 'when there is a general change of conditions, it is as if the entire creation had changed and the whole world had been altered.' The Greeks and Persians, 'the greatest powers of their time in the world,' had been replaced by the Arabs, whose strength and cohesion had created a dynasty of which the power stretched from Arabia to Spain; but they in their turn had been replaced by Berbers in Spain and the Maghrid, and by the Turks further east."
Of particular interest to me, here, is, "it could be weakended by tyranny, extravagance, and the loss of the qualities of command." Extravagance. The end of the Roman empire is sometimes tied to extravagance on the part of the Roman citizens, which forced the legions to be manned by Barbarians. In time, Romans, except for the poor and destitute, stayed out of service. What does that say about us, here in America? 80 percent of our citizens are obese, by last estimates. Only a small percentage volunteers for the military. "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." Extravagance.
Karen Armstrong, The Battle for God
A History of Fundamentalism
"At all events, the hideous September [11] attacks show that when people begin to use religion to justify hatred and killing, and thus abandon the compassionate ethic of all the great world religions, they have embarked on a course that represents a defeat for faith."
A book I found and quoted into my journal while in Kuwait. I love this quote, and actually paraphrased it into a later entry concerning an Arabic Politician who said he'd wasted his time in his country's parliament and thought it might be time to try "something else." I'll hot-link the other entry when I key it in.
"At all events, the hideous September [11] attacks show that when people begin to use religion to justify hatred and killing, and thus abandon the compassionate ethic of all the great world religions, they have embarked on a course that represents a defeat for faith."
A book I found and quoted into my journal while in Kuwait. I love this quote, and actually paraphrased it into a later entry concerning an Arabic Politician who said he'd wasted his time in his country's parliament and thought it might be time to try "something else." I'll hot-link the other entry when I key it in.
Departures, 26 December 2007
I entered the C-17 with a sense of dread, a sense of longing, and an overwhelming loneliness. This was my war. This had been my battle, and my men had won.
As we approached the bird, I looked at the lights of the airport and imagined the city of Baghdad. I imagined Dora, with all our friends, eagerly awaiting the next morning with hope. There may be jobs.
My future hangs heavy on my soul. When I close my eyes, I see myself as an Infantry leader. And yet, for fear of professional integrity, I feel it's time to leave. Special Forces or Civil Affairs? I later learned I wasn't eligible for either. As a Sergeant First Class with 4 years in my current rank, I exceed the time in grade window for Special Forces and as a Sergeant First Class, I wasn't eligible for Civil Affairs at all.
Civil Affairs guarantees Bragg, which puts Jessica in a position to finish her law degree.
I cannot say that badges don't matter. I'd love to get my long tab. I'd love to honor my father and, as Barry Sadler said, he'll be a man, they'll test one day, have him win, the Green Beret.
And yet, as I ponder this decision, the beginning of Troy comes as though foreshadowing an epic decision. If I go SF, I will earn my glory, but fail to achieve the normalcy of family. If I go Civil Affairs, I will impact the world to some lesser degree and perhaps actually have a modicum of family interaction.
Self-edification. The word keeps popping into my mind.
As we approached the bird, I looked at the lights of the airport and imagined the city of Baghdad. I imagined Dora, with all our friends, eagerly awaiting the next morning with hope. There may be jobs.
My future hangs heavy on my soul. When I close my eyes, I see myself as an Infantry leader. And yet, for fear of professional integrity, I feel it's time to leave. Special Forces or Civil Affairs? I later learned I wasn't eligible for either. As a Sergeant First Class with 4 years in my current rank, I exceed the time in grade window for Special Forces and as a Sergeant First Class, I wasn't eligible for Civil Affairs at all.
Civil Affairs guarantees Bragg, which puts Jessica in a position to finish her law degree.
I cannot say that badges don't matter. I'd love to get my long tab. I'd love to honor my father and, as Barry Sadler said, he'll be a man, they'll test one day, have him win, the Green Beret.
And yet, as I ponder this decision, the beginning of Troy comes as though foreshadowing an epic decision. If I go SF, I will earn my glory, but fail to achieve the normalcy of family. If I go Civil Affairs, I will impact the world to some lesser degree and perhaps actually have a modicum of family interaction.
Self-edification. The word keeps popping into my mind.
Idea for a paper; 24 December 07
A paper on the ideas Doc Willer and I discussed about how Saddam Hussein had basically given the people everything: food, petroleum, and services. It sounds good at first glance, but then we realized that he had done all this as a method of control. Who would want to dispose of the man that provided for your family, even if he put your neighbor in a meat grinder and you weren't allowed to really object to any of his policies. And thus:
Idea for a paper. Social platforms of the Democratic party as an environment for control. Also, the manipulations of fear by the Republican party as an environment for control. On one side, you could sell your liberty for free gas (like the Iraqis) or on the other you could allow the government to usurp your liberty in the guise of your personal safety (watch V for Vendetta if you don't understand)
Additional thoughts on this include social welfare programs. Again, they sound good, but when is enough, enough? When do we hold people accountable for their actions? Specifically, I am referring to women who have kids out of wedlock, do not hold a job, and demand the government take care of them "with a check." How is this for taking care of them: take their kids and put in a birth control implant. There are many good uses for the welfare programs, like helping people get themselves back on track. But simply being on the dole (Roosevelt) is wasting the tax dollars that could be used for other, productive ends.
Idea for a paper. Social platforms of the Democratic party as an environment for control. Also, the manipulations of fear by the Republican party as an environment for control. On one side, you could sell your liberty for free gas (like the Iraqis) or on the other you could allow the government to usurp your liberty in the guise of your personal safety (watch V for Vendetta if you don't understand)
Additional thoughts on this include social welfare programs. Again, they sound good, but when is enough, enough? When do we hold people accountable for their actions? Specifically, I am referring to women who have kids out of wedlock, do not hold a job, and demand the government take care of them "with a check." How is this for taking care of them: take their kids and put in a birth control implant. There are many good uses for the welfare programs, like helping people get themselves back on track. But simply being on the dole (Roosevelt) is wasting the tax dollars that could be used for other, productive ends.
Friday Prayer in November, 2007
One Friday, I had my interpreter listen to the Mosque message to see if the local Sheikh (Imam) was still doing a Pro-Iraq message, instead of the anti-American, anti-Iraq message that used to come out every mosque, every Friday. I took notes as the terp translated and was most pleased with the message. One could easily find the same in any Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish message, and feel quite at home.
Iraq is like our mother, but we don't steal from our mother, or disrespect her. Why do we do these things to Iraq? ( Here, he was talking to the politicians, as well as the people of the neighborhood. For the politicians, he was referring specifically to government appointed officials - and the elected officials - to stop stealing money and hiding it in Jordanian accounts. Instead, they should be using that money to make life better for the Iraqis who had very few jobs and hard lives. For the neighborhood, he went on to talk about how they were throwing garbage on their own streets and that was why their homes looked so poorly. Also, he kind of addressed the neighborhood men to stay away from insurgency and instead help to make Iraq a better place. )
Keep your sons off the street. On the street, they learn rudeness. Islam is a polite religion. When your children are rude, it is your fault. Keep them in your house and raise them right. ( Here, he was talking about gangs that had popped up as insurgent groups. )
Iraq is like our mother, but we don't steal from our mother, or disrespect her. Why do we do these things to Iraq? ( Here, he was talking to the politicians, as well as the people of the neighborhood. For the politicians, he was referring specifically to government appointed officials - and the elected officials - to stop stealing money and hiding it in Jordanian accounts. Instead, they should be using that money to make life better for the Iraqis who had very few jobs and hard lives. For the neighborhood, he went on to talk about how they were throwing garbage on their own streets and that was why their homes looked so poorly. Also, he kind of addressed the neighborhood men to stay away from insurgency and instead help to make Iraq a better place. )
Keep your sons off the street. On the street, they learn rudeness. Islam is a polite religion. When your children are rude, it is your fault. Keep them in your house and raise them right. ( Here, he was talking about gangs that had popped up as insurgent groups. )
Robert Louis Stevenson
REQUIEM
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter, home from the hill.
25th or 26th of December, 2007
My post script comments will be in italics. I will attempt to keep the transcriptions as I wrote them at the time, though I may edit them to protect identities or to protect myself (selfish as that might sound, I am prone to shooting myself in the foot).
Closing thoughts, Exodus, Day 1.
I am lying on a cot in a tent on Baghdad International Airport. I layed out my poncho and liner, folded length-wise on my cot to serve as a temperature barrier. I am now in my sleeping bag lying on the pillow Jessica sent with the stuffed dog (presumably from our dogs) that is also on the cot.
I said goodbye to [my very good friend and interpreter], Jimmy on the way out of the barracks: my akuya. I have since written him an email, but have gotten nothing in return. I shall have to call and make sure he is alright. When I sit and think on Iraq, I often get depressed that my life here in America is not as productive as in Dora. There, we made things happen every day to make the Iraqis' lives better. Here, I watch life pass quickly by, hoping for my retirement so I can put myself in a position to improving my environment again. Here, I am a spectator of current events.
We had lunch with Lieutenant Fiedler and Staff Sergeant Brown from a civil affairs advisory team. They spoke to me at length about the provisional reconstruction teams and I must confess that I am quite interested. There are three to six month deployments - as opposed to fifteen. Jessica would be able to apply to law school at Campbell University, her alma mater (?). And I can seek out my degree while active duty, possibly at NC State. After dealing with raw sewage and seeing children walking down streets in sometimes mid-calf deep shit water, I developed a desire to figure out how to use composting to resolve the issue. I have since read several books on the subject and determined my future to be in Agricultural Engineering (Soils concenctration) with a double major - or minor - in microbiology. But we'll get into that in depth as we go along.
Closing thoughts, Exodus, Day 1.
I am lying on a cot in a tent on Baghdad International Airport. I layed out my poncho and liner, folded length-wise on my cot to serve as a temperature barrier. I am now in my sleeping bag lying on the pillow Jessica sent with the stuffed dog (presumably from our dogs) that is also on the cot.
I said goodbye to [my very good friend and interpreter], Jimmy on the way out of the barracks: my akuya. I have since written him an email, but have gotten nothing in return. I shall have to call and make sure he is alright. When I sit and think on Iraq, I often get depressed that my life here in America is not as productive as in Dora. There, we made things happen every day to make the Iraqis' lives better. Here, I watch life pass quickly by, hoping for my retirement so I can put myself in a position to improving my environment again. Here, I am a spectator of current events.
We had lunch with Lieutenant Fiedler and Staff Sergeant Brown from a civil affairs advisory team. They spoke to me at length about the provisional reconstruction teams and I must confess that I am quite interested. There are three to six month deployments - as opposed to fifteen. Jessica would be able to apply to law school at Campbell University, her alma mater (?). And I can seek out my degree while active duty, possibly at NC State. After dealing with raw sewage and seeing children walking down streets in sometimes mid-calf deep shit water, I developed a desire to figure out how to use composting to resolve the issue. I have since read several books on the subject and determined my future to be in Agricultural Engineering (Soils concenctration) with a double major - or minor - in microbiology. But we'll get into that in depth as we go along.
(This is sewage, not water)
Then there is the opportunity for me to work with composting across the world. I am eager to make my first sawdust toilet and even more for my first batch of compost. I spent many patrols talking to Doc Willer about the composting he had seen in Boulder. He brought up alot of interesting ideas for civil planning (the green belt in Boulder), composting, and the list goes on. We discussed my design for a home compost bin that I might be able to use in a residential area. The big obstacles are smell (otherwise no one will know what I am doing) and sanitation (children playing in the area being exposed to something dangerous).
Thiebe. Aminah. Ghofran. Dora'a. The pretty little girl in the red, flower-print dress. Tariq and daughter. Jimmy, Michael, Alex, and Rose. I will miss you all. I love you all.
I think about playing soccer with Jessica at the park near our house. Maybe when I get home. And counting. I remember thinking about the local kids coming and playing with us. Then, once I got home, reality sank in. In Iraq, I had been able to walk down the street (after we dominated the insurgents) and play with the children. We spoke to all of them, and many tipped us off to bad people. But back in America, the days of innocence are dead and forgotten. When I was a boy, I remember playing in the neighborhood and sometimes getting a spanking from a neighbor down the street. Then they would tell my dad and I would get another, or a coscaron (hit on the head) at the very least. Nowadays, should I tickle a child, the parents would probably have me arrested as a pedophile. I wonder how we came to this point in my 35 short years on the planet.
Foreward to Coming Entries
The next several entries will be from my several journals, kept from around April 07 in Iraq through redeployment and after AWG selection. Eventually, I will be posting items kept on my e-Journal on my laptop, but they have to first be declassified, so I don't know how long that will take.
As a good prologue to these entries, I thought I might share a song by Enya. No, it isn't "Only Time", but rather, "Pilgrim", from A Day Without Rain.
As a good prologue to these entries, I thought I might share a song by Enya. No, it isn't "Only Time", but rather, "Pilgrim", from A Day Without Rain.
Pilgrim how you Journey
On the road you've chose
To find out why the winds die
And where the stories go
All days come from one day
That much you must know
You cannot change what's over
But only where you go
One way leads to diamonds
One way leads to gold
Another leads to you only
To everything you're told
In your heart you wonder
Which of these is true
The road that leads to nowhere
The road that leads to you
Will you find the answer
In all you say and do
Will you find the answer
in you
Each heart is a pilgrim
Each one wants to know
The reason why the winds die
And where the stories go
Pilgrim in your journey
You may travel far
But pilgrim it's a long way
to find out where you are
Pilgrim it's a long way
To find out where you are.
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