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01-24-05 I managed to find some scenery after all! Not only does this place have pretty cool sunsets and sunrises (of which I've seen many), it can be interesting when you get to explore every inch of it. So, in no particular order, here are some pictures from the last few months or so: |
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| Iraqi 5-0! | A truck being righted after crashing into a bus | The control tower here at Al-Asad air base | Medical blackhawks waiting for the next call | CH-53's banking sharply overhead |
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| A mini-mag acting as a candle when our power went out | One of the brick buildings at the local Iraqi Police training center | Goofing around in a machine gun bunker | The CH-53 "Super Stallion", our biggest and best helicopter | Just one of many helo hangar areas here |
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| An example of the ingenuity out here | Christmas spirit at Pizza Hut | The "Huey" helicopter - useful since Vietnam | Sgt. Isenhower, the coffee addict | The comm shack, or Homer Santa's Doh-Nut shop? |
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| Me as the Desk Sgt at our old building | Desk Sgt area at the new building | So much more space! And no asbestos is also a plus. | An on-base reminder of the off-base danger - a wrecked HMMWV | One of the grandiose entrances of the former Iraqi base |
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| The view at one of the entrance's towers | The outer fenceline's gate, a few miles from the base | "Haji Santa" listens to Lcpl Personius's long list of requests | One of the maintenance hangars, built into the cliffs | A medical helo hovering above my room, waiting to land |
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| An "Iraq" sticker on one of the destroyed Iraqi tank vehicles | Playing with some of the artillery in the junkyard | One of the many junked Iraqi/soviet "MiG" planes around the base | One of the more humorous letters from kids back home - and yes, we beat the Germans already. | Getting the can in the Christmas spirit! |
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| Lcpl Yiu Leang Lo, opening a package from someone who obviously thought he was a girl! | A sobering sign on the main street of the base | Another of the MiG's sitting around base - this one is mostly intact | The same MiG, seen from the cliffs above it | A safe pathway through a minefield on base, left over from the Iraqi regime |
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| The base's mosque, which thankfully doesn't sound a prayer call daily at 4am! | My Super Trooper look - all cops need mustaches and aviators! | One batch of mail from kids back home (including that previous letter) | But aren't you glad I did anyway? | The northern perimeter, looking west. The main area of the base is in a large open basin. |
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| Same view, looking east. The rest of the base (runways, etc.) is up on the plateau, and much windier. | The "oasis", a sacred site for Iraqis - probably because it's the only greenery around | Our old headquarters building before the move. Yes, we filled all those sandbags! | Ssgt Sommers with Al Franken during the Christmas USO visit | The dust and clouds together make for great sunbeams |
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| Coming up to the southern perimeter road | The road during the rainiest day so far | It rained for almost 2 days straight, a rarity here | It left puddle everywhere, and nothing but mud | An old Iraqi vehicle used for radar (obviously) |
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| A Marine emblem made with sandbags at the Regional Detention Facility | A HMMWV's engine right after a washing | One of the better sunrises here | A sunset after a thunderstorm | This has to be the best sunset here yet! |
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| My Christmas tree, fully decorated! | Someone else's can, also in the Christmas mood | Players of the Fall Football Classic - including Sgt "Heisman Trophy" himself | Jacobs in his new ride - a MiG 23! | Almost ready for takeoff! |
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