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 | | The New Adventures of Indiana Ted - Weeks 39 - 41
Thursday, July 14 @ 00:03:14 PDT by ted (1419 reads) |  Hey Everyone,
We are beginning to wrap things up. I should be home within the month. I can't wait to go hiking or for a nice drive without worrying about something blowing up or being shot at.
I had a chance to go to Jordan for a couple of weeks. It was totally cool!!
It was an official mission related to my duties, but we had some "down time" to see some of the sites.
There are a lot of historical and Holy Land things to see:
 We went to the Dead Sea for a day. It was really salty. It was so salty, you couldn't sink. They said that it was the lowest spot on earth. It didn't seem very low. The bottom of the Grand Canyon seems farther down but it was a nice drive. We were able to look across the valley and the sea from Mount Nebo. This is a place were Moses hung out. Not Charleston Heston -- the real Moses. There was a lot of cool old stuff to see.
 Another day, we went to Petra. It's OK, I had no idea what the heck it was when someone told me that I had to go there. In "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Sean Connery and Harrison Ford went to this temple carved in the side of a cliff. I didn't believe it, but the place really exists! The invisible bridge and the other tests of death are not inside, but the outside is really carved in the side of a cliff. There were other tombs and places also. We were even able to ride horses and camels. This place is beyond cool and a "Must See" if you like traveling.
We had a chance to visit the Red Sea, but I couldn’t get it to part. But I did find a lounge chair and an umbrella on the beach. The drive was great and the people were nice.
Amman is a really wonderful place to hang out. They have the largest flag and tallest flag pole in the world. You can see it for miles. The hotels are the best.
I think more Iraqis would take vacations in Jordan if the drive to the Baghdad Airport wasn't so awful. It was like the "Toll Road of Doom". If it wasn't for the IED craters in the middle of the road that we had to be careful not to fall into, the military road blocks to keep everyone away from the unexploded IED's, the burning tanker trucks blocking the road, the check points with tanks and the broken air conditioner which turned the vehicle into a mobile oven, it would be a nice relaxing trip.
I can't wait to get home.
I hope to see you all soon.
Until next time.
SSG Hilliard
Weeks 39 to 41 in pictures
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Weeks 35 - 38 - Superman and the French Maid
Wednesday, June 22 @ 11:30:41 PDT by ted (2177 reads) | Hey Everyone,
I'm still here. Things have been very busy.
 You would be surprised how something small, like a few actors and actresses visiting, would cause such a buzz. Dean Cain, the guy that played superman in "Lois and Clark", came to the FOB with a girl that had a bit part as a French maid in "American Pie 3."
There was a huge line just to take a picture with them. It reminded me of being at an amusement park waiting to get on a ride. It must be a tough job being an actor -- having to constantly go on PR and marketing tours, meeting hundreds of people everyday and trying to say something positive with a smile. I guess it's kind of like being a politician. I don't think I could do it. I can imagine myself trying to relax at the library or somewhere quiet, and having people wanting to talk to me or have me sign a picture or something, and instead of saying something nice and polite, I would probably flip-out on them because I just wanted some "me" time. I think they did a great job cheering up the troops and giving them something to talk about for a few days.
There was a wicked dust storm the other day. I don't know if they have stuff like this in the mid-west, but it was terrible. The wind was blowing and you could hardly see. I'm glad that I was able to stay in-doors most of the time. It's kind of like fog, except different.
Other than that, it has been business as usual. The food is still really good. I wish that they served rice in the morning then I could have rice and eggs everyday instead of French toast and eggs. But I'm not complaining. It's getting hotter everyday. Everyone is starting to count down the days until we go home.
I have an exciting mission coming up soon. I'll get to go somewhere really cool.
Until next time.
SSG Hilliard
This week in pictures
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Week 32 in pictures
Monday, May 16 @ 10:33:06 PDT by ted (779 reads) | 
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Weeks 32-34 - Land of the FOBits and the Falling Sky
Monday, May 16 @ 10:29:37 PDT by ted (1343 reads) |  Okay, okay… You're probably asking "What the heck is a FOBit?" A FOBit is someone who lives on the FOB (Forward Operating Base) and never gets off the base until he flies home.
Can you believe that there are soldiers that fly all the way to the other side of the world and only see the country from 30,000 feet or 500 yards from behind a wall and barbed wire?
Things are going okay. It's getting hot. It's not as hot as Kuwait was when I arrived but it is getting there. Good thing the air conditioner in the CHU is working well.
The food is so good that I think I have put on 5 to 10 pounds! I'm going to only eat at the chow hall twice a day from now on. Yon can only eat so much steak and lobster. Did I mention how good the lasagna is?
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Week 31 - Women in business in Iraq
Thursday, May 05 @ 22:42:31 PDT by ted (1165 reads) | Hey everyone,
I have come to the conclusion that people have the same core values everywhere in the world. They want the freedom to learn and take care of themselves.
 People may think that women in Iraq have no rights, but this is not necessarily the case. There are many different ethnic groups and religious groups within each one. Just like at home, there are young women here that are starting their own businesses. I've met career-minded women from engineers to graphic designers.
I know a woman that goes to the university to study Computer Information Systems, while at the same time manages an engineering firm. I don't know many 24 year olds at home that have so much drive and responsibility.
I don't know if the training we have done will make them a million dollars, but I do know that they appreciate the opportunity to try.
On a training note. Are you really earning your pay if you do a training, but you don't understand what the overhead slides mean? Not that you don't understand the topic, but you are presenting in English, but the slides are in Arabic. You just hope you keep the slides in order. It's kind on embarrassing to be talking about one thing, but the slide says something totally different.
I'll continue to keep my head down for my mom.
Untill next week.
SSG Hilliard
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Weeks 26-30 - Change is Good!
Monday, May 02 @ 11:37:06 PDT by ted (879 reads) | I really love it when I talk to people back home and they say "You must have gone through hell." My usual response is "Gone through hell? I’m still here!"
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better in Iraq, it did. I had to move to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) near by. Remember the great room I had with 2000 channels of satellite TV and 24 hour internet, well it's gone. No more French MTV. No more Christmas lights. No more grumpy roommate. No more guard duty. No more evening meetings. No more being bothered on my "on-call" days. Wait a minute, maybe this was a good thing. Yessss it was.
I was a little scared at first to move to the FOB. It's not that I thought anything bad would happen to me. It's just that I didn't know what it would be like. I didn't know that they had Karaoke ever Saturday night. I didn't know that they had a day spa where you could get a massage and a facial for only $30. They have a library that's open 24 hours a day. They have a movie tent with a wide screen TV and surround sound. I think this change is great! There are four times a day when you can go to the chow hall and eat everything you can imagine. We even have lobster and crab legs every week! Don't let anyone ever say that the military doesn’t feed you well in combat zones.
Don't get me wrong, I do miss my unit in town. I think about them every now and then in between opening another can of NON-ALCOHOLIC beer while sitting next to the pool. Yes, they even have a swimming pool! It’s an Air Force FOB, so they really know have to enjoy themselves. It's not Club Med, but it will do.
 It's getting hotter now. It is usually in the 70's and 80's. The living conditions are a little cramped. I used to share a room the size of a garage. Now I have my own place, but it is the size of a large closet. I live in CHUville in a Containerized Housing Unit (CHU). It does have air conditioning and windows. I try to only sleep in it, so it isn't too bad.
Because I am the only person from my unit that works at the same place most of the time in town, I convoy with the unit from the FOB. I meet them in the morning at the "park 'n ride/carpool" spot and off we go. As the name describes, if I don't need to drive, I just park my truck. If it wasn't for all the guns and body armor, I would think I was in the real world.
I miss everyone very much. I can't wait to go home.
Until next time.
SSG Hilliard
Week 26-30 pictures
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Weeks 22-25, Election Month
Thursday, March 10 @ 12:24:43 PST by ted (1196 reads) | Would it be a surprise if I told you nothing has really changed? Well it’s true. One of my favorite movie quotes is coming true, "I want my French pancakes." I’m getting second helpings of routine and I like it.
The same morning convoy to work. The same lunchtime sandwich. The same evening meeting. Sure the topic may change, but the outcome is usually the same. Then there is guard duty.
I never thought that I would look forward to waking up in the middle of the night, getting dressed and walking around for a few hours. It's actually relaxing to have a little time to myself to walk and think about my life. You would be surprised of some of the things I have figured out. Sure, sometimes I'm so tired I feel like a zombie roaming the night looking for my next victim. But, I haven't found any yet. I also really enjoy looking into the darkness with the night vision goggles (see pictures). There usually isn’t very much movement, except for the wild dogs and the bats. It's just like you see in the movies or on the news.
The elections were very exciting. One day one group was going to boycott. Then the next day they would change their minds and another group was going to boycott. In the end, I think everyone went to the polls. There were no cars on the street for two days. Everyone had to walk to the polls and around town. It was very nice. Everyone was dressed up and walking, like they were going to church or school. It was a very big deal for some of the Iraqis that I work with. One of them wrote this article for the paper:
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Week 18-21 - In Iraq, no news is good news
Friday, January 28 @ 08:45:19 PST by ted (804 reads) | I haven't had much to write about. When you get a new job or move to a new town, everything seems really exciting. After a while, the excitement wears off and it all seems the same. I think I have arrived at this point. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. An uneventful day in Iraq, is a good day in Iraq.
It's still pretty cold outside everyday. I was wondering why they gave us so much cold weather gear. I didn't think that the desert would be so cold. There was even ice on the ground a few really cold mornings. I hear that it snows up in the nearby mountains. Maybe I will get a chance to go to the snow this year after all.
I can't say that it was depressing being here for the holidays. But, I did miss watching all the holiday movie blockbusters. I really appreciated all the holiday gift packages people sent. The most interesting package was the live tree that was sent. It's still alive today! I don't have any plants at home, so I will attempt to keep it well as long as possible. I didn't have to deal with all the holiday stress, just the combat stress. I think the holiday stress is worse because is just keeps coming year after year. I didn't have to go to all the crowded stores and run around on Christmas day delivering presents. I just let my finger do the shopping. I did all my shopping on-line. It was the coolest thing. I have never been a big on-line shopper, but it was pretty easy. I ordered things from here and they were delivered there. Next day delivery from the other side of the world! Not bad.
 Not everyone was having a happy holiday, but we made the best of it. I think the chow hall does the best job celebrating the holidays. They change decorations every holiday. I liked Halloween the best, but Christmas wasn't that bad. (see pictures). Besides the decorations, I think the food is really good. They always have chicken, rice, vegetables, potatoes and gravy. The steaks are nice, but no lobster. My favorite is Lasagna!! I know that some people may think I'm crazy, but I think it's the best I've ever tasted. I know that the sauce is out of a can, the noodles were not handmade and the cheese is not "organic," but for Iraq, it's really good. I always have two helpings when ever they serve it.
Christmas passed pretty quietly. We did get the day off. That was a nice present. New Years came without a Bang. That will due for this year.
Until next time.
SSG Hilliard
Week 18-21 pictures
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Week 15-17 - ''Come back on time''
Monday, January 10 @ 18:10:32 PST by ted (853 reads) | 6:00 am wake-up call - Large explosion followed by machine gun fire.
"Dude wake-up, they are shooting at us," I said to my roommate. He sprang to his feet, put on his helmet, body-armor, and boots, and ran out the door. I prefer to fight with my pants on, so I got fully dressed before I went out to the party. It was only a rocket hitting the wall of our compound (see pictures) Nothing to get excited about, I was going home today for a few weeks. It's funny how something that would bring the city to a stop at home is hardly worth letting your cereal get soggy for. It's all perspective.
It was great to go home for a while. Well worth the 3 days of briefs and travel. I think they could have done many of the briefs at the same time, because they more or less said the same thing:
1. Don't take anything home that you shouldn't.
2. Don't do anything at home you shouldn't do.
3. Don't get yourself killed at home.
4. Don't kill yourself or anyone else at home.
5. Come back on time.
It sounds like something I would tell the kids before they go to spring break or something.
I want to thank the people that greeted us when we arrived in the US. As we got off the plane, you could hear the reception music playing, people cheering and clapping as the soldiers exited the ramp. They lined both sides of the hallway. It took me 5 minutes to go 50 feet, as I shook hands and gave hugs. It was just like the "good old days."
I didn't have enough time to visit many people while home. I spent most of my time with family. If I didn’t see you, don't feel bad, I'll see you when I really return. I didn't want to explain to hundreds of people why I had to go back and say good-bye again. It was a little unreal being home.
I spend most days with the girls (my daughters), hiking on the coast and in the woods. I even had the chance to go to school with them for a day. I'm very proud of them and I appreciate all the time my family and their teachers spend teaching them to be successful as they grow up.
I was sad to leave, but duty calls.
Until next time.
SSG Hilliard
Week 15-17 photos
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Week 12-14 - Road to Recovery
Friday, December 31 @ 10:25:27 PST by ted (695 reads) | Hey Everyone,
I know I haven't written a while. After all the excitement the last time, things have been very routine.
My gunner is doing well. The stitches have been removed from his arm and hip already. Besides a cool combat swagger in his walk, you would never know that he had been wounded. The human body is an incredible machine. I heard about a guy that was bleeding out and they pumped enough blood and fluids into his body to replace all the blood in his body and then some, and he was out of the hospital within 3 days.
We continue to go to the gym to stay in shape. It’s not 24 hour fitness, but you work with what you have (see pictures).
The Road Warrior |
I spend much of my time going from one meeting to another. It's not like at home where I just hop in the car or on the subway and go. Besides the backpack with my computer and papers -- no briefcase -- I have all my tactical gear. Then there are all the weapons that need to be checked and loaded. Then there is the convoy planning that must be done. Instead of a nice relaxing commute, it's like Mad Max. We stop for nothing!! I remember when I was young and my best buds and I use to race through the streets. You aren’t driving fast enough if you don't screech around the corner. Don't get me wrong, we are being as safe as possible, but speed is your best defense. Imagine NASCAR with armored cars instead of stockcars. There is the occasional sideswipe and someone loses their mirror, but no one gets hurt. Even the local donkeys pulling carts get too close sometimes, but they don't get hurt.
People always ask me what things look like here. Everything is brown. Most of the building, the landscape, even the sky from the oil fires. You get use to it after a while. No bright green or red houses here. If you don't like the DMV, you won't like it here.
The "Warden" is letting me out to go home for Thanksgiving. There is some justice in the world. But, I have to come back. Yah!!
Until next time.
SSG Hilliard
Week 12 in pictures
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Week 11 - IED Scary
Friday, November 19 @ 20:33:33 PST by Ted (1431 reads) | I remember the time when I was young and my brother was getting kicked in the head by Frank Pinkard while fighting at the park. I also remember the time my oldest daughter hit her head on the piano while we were playing in the house. That is how I felt when my gunner got hit.
 No sh_t. There we were driving back to our compound… It seemed like any other normal night in town. All of a sudden there was a loud bang, everything went black, the front window turned white and there was smoke everywhere. Over the ringing in my ears, I could here my old commanders words from Ft. Bragg, "Get out of the Kill Zone!"
"I'm OK, I'm OK!" I shouted with my foot floored on the gas.
I think I was reassuring myself more than telling my gunner. "Are you OK?!" I shouted, looking to my gunner for an answer.
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Week 10 - Talk of the town
Tuesday, November 09 @ 09:23:25 PST by Ted (753 reads) | Hey everyone!!
It has been a great week. It's Ramadan, so lots of people are fasting and not smoking during the day. It’s rather interesting. Then, each evening, we are invited to "break fast" with our Iraqi associates. The food is really good. We always have lots of rice with nuts and raisins in it. I must bring the recipe home. Then there is the chicken and lamb. All you can eat. That’s after the soup and salad. It is like a seven course meal. Dinner isn’t complete until you have your chai (tea) and a cigarette.
We were able to spend some time out of town. After making our way through a dust storm at night, we made it to our destination. You really don't know how great the real world is until you have been away from it for a while. During our time out of town I was able to take a hot bath. Okay, this may not seem very exciting to many of you, but after taking showers everyday… Sometime there is only cold water, sometime only hot water, and sometimes no water at all. It was the most relaxing bath I had taken in years. We ate in a really nice hotel. A 4-star hotel will do these days.
I think we were the talk of the town that day. We had the opportunity to be tourist for the day. Well armed tourist, but tourist non-the less. From the moment we stepped out of the vehicles, we were surrounded by young people wanting to take pictures with us. It was a little weird. I just wanted to walk around a little and do some shopping. We found ourselves on a guided tour of the really old part of town. Our guide was a young Iraqi guy that just really wanted to show us around. All the time we where followed by dozens of young kids. People offered us drinks and food at every turn. The tour through the market was very exciting. It was like walking in a maze. I was sad to leave.
If it were not for the war, this would be the perfect vacation.
Until next week
SSG Hilliard
Week 10 pictures
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Week 10 - Iraqi kids on the block
Monday, November 08 @ 16:30:46 PST by Ted (713 reads) | 
More kids on the block - Iraqi-style
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Week 9 - New kids on the block
Monday, November 08 @ 16:02:59 PST by Ted (740 reads) | I remember when I was a kid and I got really excited to see firemen and policemen. I even remember being excited to see the garbage-men when they use to carry their garbage cans up the hill to the back of our house to get the garbage. I remember running on the side of the road or to the window and waving as they went by. That’s what it's like when we drive around in town. Many adults wave as we go by, but it seems like every kid on the street stops playing and starts smiling and waving. It feels more like a three vehicle parade, then a military convoy. My arm gets a little tired as we move from one location to another, waving most of the way. It’s even cooler when we stop.
You would think that we were selling ice-cream or something really sweet. Before we even get out of the vehicle, they are coming out of doorways and running down the street to gather around us. I think it makes our security guys nervous. I wonder if I’ll get tired of waving. We will see. Kids here really like having their pictures taken. They must find it amazing to see themselves in the display on the back of the camera. If I take enough pictures, maybe I should have an art gallery exhibit.
I took my first Blackhawk flight through the countryside this week. It was totally great! We flew about 100 feet above the ground the whole way. We flew by several small villages that were full of mud houses and sheep. It felt like I could touch the canyon walls as we flew through the hills. I don’t recommend this ride if you are afraid of heights. And best of all, I got to ride for FREE!! I can't wait to go for another ride. We approached the LZ (landing zone) by flying just above the river bed, which was below the valley floor, then popping up at the last second and landing. For some reason, the pilot didn't want to stay on the ground very long, and we didn’t hang around to find out why. This was the most exciting day this week.
Everyone is still very positive and excited. Seeing and doing new things is always exciting. I hope things don’t get boring. I’m still missing the weekly accounting workshops and taking baths. I don't talk 2000 minutes per month on the cell phone these days, but I still have my fair share of meetings. That another good thing about the Army, there are plenty of meetings. We have meetings to coordinate just about everything. We have meetings before we go on a convoy. We have meetings to plan the day. We have meetings to review how the day went. We have early evening meetings to plan what we should discuss at the mid evening meeting. I love meetings, but I miss my cell phone.
It's not that hot at all. Rumor has it, the rainy season is going to come soon. They tell me it even snowed once last year. Saying it snows in the desert is like saying it's a cold day in hell. They just don’t go together.
If anybody wants to send care packages, we really like homemade cookies. Cereal and plastic bowls would be good also. Honey nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch are our favorites.
Until next week
SSG Hilliard
Week 9 pictures
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| Send mail to | SSG Ted Hilliard
351 Civil Affairs Cmd
1776 Old Middlefield Way
Mountain View, CA 94043 | |
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| Old Articles | | Tuesday, October 26 | | · | Week 8 - Going back to school |
| Thursday, October 21 | | · | Week 8 - On the lookout |
| Monday, October 18 | | · | Week 7 – The Terminal |
| Sunday, October 03 | | · | Week 7 - Desert Moon |
| Monday, September 27 | | · | Week 6 - Hurry up and wait!! |
| · | Week 5 - Beat the Heat!! |
| Thursday, September 23 | | · | Week 5 - We saw camels |
| Sunday, September 12 | | · | Week 4 - Into the heat |
| Friday, September 10 | | · | Week 3 in Pictures |
| Thursday, September 09 | | · | Week 3 - Getting Ready |
| Sunday, September 05 | | · | Week 2 - Training |
| Tuesday, August 24 | | · | First Post - Week One |
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