Go Vikes!

So I got to watch the game last night while I was waiting for my flight to Baghdad so I can get to Kuwait and start leave. It was nice to see the Vikings win, especially over the Cowboys, although I would like to have seen them beat the Packers a third time this year...oh well.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to give a class to about 20 Iraqi mechanics on the Hummer's electrical system. I took two hours on two consecutive days, the first being class room and the second a hands on portion of the troubleshooting steps we covered the first day. I think I made some bonus points because I was able to acquire the technical manuals they need in Arabic, although it looked like about half of them couldn't read once we opened the books up. The class was specifically on the alternator and charging system on the Hummer with some basic battery maintenance thrown in there. We didn't have electricity for the first part of the class so I couldn't show them the illustrations that I wanted. It finally came on about half an hour after I started so I quickly reviewed with pictures this time and it seemed to help them understand what I was talking about (actually what the interpreter was talking about on my behalf). The second day, only about a third of the people from the first day showed up, but they all seemed very interested in learning so I didn't mind. All in all it was a good experience, I learned a few things that I'll do differently in the next class (more pictures!) and hopefully they learned a couple of things that can help them. The next class that the Iraqis requested was on the Hummer transmission. I'm already excited about it, although I'll have to wait a few weeks while I'm on leave. Hopefully I see most of you soon!

Update! Here are a couple of pictures from the range where I got to shoot an AK-47

For The New Year

Happy New Year everyone! This one has gone by surprisingly (and thankfully) fast. To celebrate the event we had a bonfire, which was constructed of pallets stacked to make a 15' tower. We also threw some smoke grenades and grilled steaks and burgers. Not bad for the middle of nowhere in Iraq. Earlier that day I was a bit disappointed. I had invited some of the Iraqi guys over for pizza because they had never had it before. I went and picked up 5 pizzas from Pizza Hut (yes there is one here) and brought them back anticipating a great lunch and hoping to build a stronger relationship with the Iraqi guys. Sadly though, something must have been lost in translation because nobody showed up and I was stuck with a ton of pizza by myself. The Iraqis are busy prepping a bunch of their vehicle for a parade in Baghdad later this week. The only bad part is that the tanks they are driving are from the 1970s and there aren't many parts to repair them. Hopefully they at least make it the length of the parade route without breaking down!

I will be coming home later this month, so I am very excited for that. I can't wait to see Melissa and Isaac and Luke! I'll even get to see Lola so that's cool too. One thing I want to do while I'm home (besides not freezing to death) is go ice fishing. I haven't done that in such a long time, and I think the boys would enjoy it, so if anyone knows a good spot to go please let me know!