Prayer Request

I neglected to add on the last post that we had to send one of our guys home on emergency leave because his wife was very very sick. She is getting better now but it looks like he'll have to stay home and take care of their children because she must go through months of physical therapy to regain her motor skills. Please pray for them and a speedy recovery, thanks.

Big Changes

So a lot has happened since the last post... The biggest hit is the Iraqi unit that we are supporting is moving which is causes a bit of a problem for us - having to be on the road to go work with them. The place that they are moving to barely has room for them, let alone us, so right now we are working to get their area set up first. The conditions are worse than what they had before, if you can believe it. The only good thing is that the have a dining facility within walking distance and they won't have to truck their food in every day. Their new area doesn't have electricity or water yet, it was basically a junk yard that they have to clean out before they can move in.

Another big event started, its called Ramadan, here's a brief rundown on what Ramadan is: It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until dusk. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of Allah, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity. Toward the end of the month is Laylat al-Qadr, considered the most holy night of the year, it is the night in which the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad, the "Night of the Power".

There is an extremist view that believes "When Ramadan arrives, Heaven's gates are opened, Hell's gates are closed, and the demons are chained up" and who ever passes away will enter paradise. This leads to suicide bombings and attacks on US forces, but the majority of Muslims don't view it this way.

I just wanted to throw that information in to give a background on what is going on right now. Other than that, college is going well, I signed up for the next semester already, I'll be taking World Geography, Music, and an English class. I hope you all are doing well, till next time!

Not Enough Power to Give Power...

I just looked at my last post and saw that it has been almost two weeks, sorry for the delayed update. Most of the Iraqis are still on leave and we won't be doing any training for probably the next month as they will be celebrating their holy month of Ramadan. During this time they fast from sunrise to sunset, not even taking water. You can see why we won't be conducting training for them during this period. Also, I would like for them to get the electricity up and running so that they can at least have a little comfort in the AC instead of fasting all day in the heat. I thought I had finally got an answer to part of the problem by getting a crane and forklift coordinated to go over to their side and position the generator that has been sitting on the back of a truck for months. I thought that all they needed was for this generator to be put on the ground and put into operation for their stuff to work. I was only able to get the crane and forklift for an hour in the afternoon, so time was tight. While I was in the midst of getting the Iraqis to understand that we only had a little time to get things done, the Lieutenant Colonel calls on the radio and says to leave the generator on the truck because it's broken and he's going to take it to a mechanic in the village to get repaired...this caused me to have some mixed feelings and questions...

1) Why didn't you tell me it was broken to begin with?????
2) How is the "mechanic in the village" going to fix the huge generator while its on the back of the truck, I know they don't have the means to take it off the truck
3) How long are you going to wait to take the generator to the mechanic???
4) Why are you allowing your Soldiers to suffer every day?????????????????

So, I'm pretty upset by this time and I don't know how to tell the Sergeant Major that I was working with that his boss is jerking us around. The truck is still sitting and the generator is collecting dust as I type this. I at least could have had it taken off the truck and have everything set up so that IF it is broken, we would just have to take the piece off and get that piece replaced.

Another bad turn this week, the maintenance company that I'm advising lost all their good mechanics to the Division. I have yet to get a number on what they have left, but I'm sure it isn't good. They only had 40 something to begin with and of those only a few were experienced. I guess that means I just have to provide more training to them.

On a good note, I started two online college classes this week, Earth Science and World History from 1500, so at least I'll be busy all day and possibly night depending on the work load. The past few weeks have flown by, hopefully these classes make the time go that much quicker. That's all for now...I'll add some pics on the next one hopefully.