tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54548859856801524392012-01-13T08:26:52.614-06:00Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.comBlogger2021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-12865486038441968602012-01-11T03:53:00.000-06:002012-01-11T03:54:31.009-06:00

The Liberians have recently completed their second set of “free and fair” elections since the end of their civil war, reelecting Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to her Constitutionally last term as head of state. The inauguration ceremonies are Sunday, just days away. It was a somewhat disputed election, so I’m glad to be flying this evening, just in case the losers get uppity. I doubt that will be the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-76171132188482311342012-01-09T15:16:00.001-06:002012-01-09T15:40:04.256-06:00

Few things are as powerful as water. That’s one of the reasons I like working with it. Storm sewers surcharge, culverts overtop, levees fail, and foundations scour. Heck, I can design the heck out of most any facility, but always run up against the need to economize, so the cost of a larger facility is balanced by the risk of failure (damn). For dam design, we’ll look at historic and maximum

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-75013145724500003712012-01-09T01:40:00.000-06:002012-01-09T01:41:28.471-06:00

Although the air quality in the city leaves something to be desired, conditions improve mightily in the bush. Daily temperatures have been topping out below 90 on most days, and the humidity is tolerable, provided you never get more than a few feet from a bottle of water. The real challenge is the vertical. Although we’re only 50 feet above sea level on the floor of the power house, we need to

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-56646756893926617722012-01-08T00:30:00.000-06:002012-01-08T00:31:12.668-06:00

In 1964, the Company performed construction management services on a dam we had designed upstream of Monrovia in Liberia at a site called Mount Coffee. We originally constructed a long main dam, a forebay dam, an interconnecting channel, tailrace, intakes, powerhouse and two hydroelectric turbines to harness part of the energy tumbling down the St. Paul River. Soon thereafter, a European outfit

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-91411865098015969442012-01-06T15:20:00.001-06:002012-01-06T15:24:01.242-06:00

I couldn’t see much of the ground during our approach to the Robertsfield airport outside of Monrovia. I suppose having the window blind closed made a difference, but even when it was opened, you can’t see much from the aisle. I did eventually open the blind and leaned into the empty seat beside me to catch the view, and saw mostly haze until about a thousand meters, when the dark, grey-blue

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-85771166215252875852011-05-28T11:34:00.000-05:002011-05-28T11:35:35.210-05:00

After a few hundred thousand miles, I thought that I had this International travel thing figured out. Sure, there’s not much you can do about a lost bag, except wait for it to be found. [To mitigate the potential loss, though, it’s a good idea to split stuff between your checked bag and carry on, just in case.] The effect of missed, cancelled, or incredibly delayed flights can also be eased

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-20461306659290010462011-05-23T07:00:00.000-05:002011-05-23T07:00:11.307-05:00

This is my third day in country, which means I should be over the jet lag, yet I’m still shagged beyond belief. Perhaps it’s the sapping and oppressive heat during the day, perhaps the non-stop schedule of meetings and field reconnaissance, perhaps the fact that I was typing meeting minutes into the wee hours, only to get up with the sun to start it all over again. Or perhaps a blend of

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-33196107200429040162010-08-28T22:10:00.001-05:002010-09-15T09:06:05.190-05:00

I wish I could complain about the massive amounts of work I needed to get accomplished this week. I wish I could complain about the hum drum, day to day monotony of performing too similar tasks for days on end. I wish I could complain about an overly needy client confronting us hourly with nonsensical fire drills.I got none of that. Wishes and fishes, you know. Strange that I’d waste mine on

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-5282855374822903632010-08-09T13:16:00.000-05:002010-08-09T13:17:24.910-05:00

Over the past three summers, I’ve spent more time in airplanes and airports than on the saddle of my motorcycle, flying close to 200,000 miles and almost always to places hotter, grittier and more uncomfortable than the Oklahoma Panhandle in mid-August. This doesn’t leave time for Great Rides. In fact, I rarely have the opportunity to get lost going home from work. With the time I thought I’d

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-61586532824501033092010-07-15T23:47:00.003-05:002010-07-15T23:50:03.022-05:00

My current office is in an increasingly dusty/dirty construction trailer, sitting on one of many mismatched and broken chairs. The nicest looking ones seem ready to snap off at the pivot and the overall wheel radius is smaller than normal, so you take a chance in leaning back and putting your combat boots up on the desk. The second variety is too narrow except for the narrowest of asses, like

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-25620582432650887432010-07-12T09:51:00.001-05:002010-07-12T09:54:54.474-05:00

They sent me here with a new team this time, only two with prior Afghanland experience, but everybody’s worked in this section of the world before. I’ve got an electrical, two architects, and three civils, including myself, which strikes me as one civil too many. In the contract, I’m actually a “military planner”, but I’m pretty sure that only means “skilled kibitzer”. Mostly, they’ve got me

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-60736985880663621102010-07-10T19:35:00.001-05:002010-07-10T19:37:36.562-05:00

I hang a map of Afghanistan in my office at home, decorated with small yellow flags indicating the varying locations where I’ve got my boots dusty. In the past fifteen months, I’ve collected close to a score of little yellow flags, this past week adding one more at Kabul. Despite seeing large portions of the eastern side of this country, my tours have been largely by air, and our ride in from

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-14051267439999875082010-05-08T20:56:00.002-05:002010-05-08T20:58:29.864-05:00

War zone hazards can pop out of nowhere and strike when you least expect it most, catching you off guard and on your heels, three sheets to the wind and at a loss for appropriate adages. Dan and I were completely unprepared then, simply having lunch, when the chaplain major joined us for some drive-by morale-ing. He sat. He ate. He chatted. He subtly queried as to our emotional and spiritual

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-76683334307162623872010-05-02T10:08:00.001-05:002010-05-02T10:12:01.418-05:00

You’d think that, since we’re living feet from an airfield overfull of military assets, and being employed by the Department of Defense, that we’d be able to catch a flight from one base to another. Not so, but that won’t keep us from trying.It took us three attempts to get from here to Camp Marmal. The first time, we sat in a couple of pickups adjacent to the rotary apron in the rain for two

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-87987890355987204282010-05-01T10:06:00.000-05:002010-05-02T10:08:02.034-05:00

If I can’t sleep (which is usually the case), and I have a little spare time (which is rarely the case), I’ll don a pair of sneakers, grab my laptop, and head east first thing in the morning. First stop is the PX/AAFES “mall”, where the ineffective WiFi can be accessed at slightly better speeds than at the end of the day. After an hour or so of web based frustration, I’ll trek further east to

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-81058614651822919472010-04-29T10:03:00.000-05:002010-05-02T10:05:57.425-05:00

Back in Bagram and well on our way to wasting the $400 Million they gave us to blow. Sorry, taxpayers, but we can’t all be Contractors. However, I can, so there’s the benefit (follow the money), and there’s the rub. Does the world really need another strategic airlift apron?Of course, and a few more helicopter and mixed use aprons, and more dining facilities and headquarters, and hospitals for

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-37638005307393788592010-04-26T09:30:00.000-05:002010-04-26T09:30:00.052-05:00

Ask anyone who knows me. They’ll tell you. They know me.I hate to fly.I know. This is sort of a pain in the ass for assignments like this, where the entire thing starts with thirty hours of air travel, and is ultimately peppered with short hops in country every couple of days. The big birds aren’t too bad, provided there’s not too much turbulence. I actually enjoy helicopter travel (for the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-18376075693453582072010-04-26T08:30:00.001-05:002010-04-26T08:30:00.251-05:00

We’ve been at a lower altitude for the past few days, generally less than 450 meters, so the headaches have subsided. The food, while awful, gets better with every lowered expectation, so I’m not dreading it so much anymore. As of this morning, I’m caught up with the project effort to where I want to be.So far, so good.I still can’t get on the wonder web effectively, which is why these don’t

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-26527099775362744842010-04-23T22:00:00.001-05:002010-04-26T00:56:20.310-05:00

Up at 0400 in Mazar E Sharif to a surprisingly quiet 200 man tent (actually, there were a few women, but they were camouflaged just as effectively as the men). I could have slept a bit more. Instead, I used the early morning to take advantage of an empty shower trailer and then went back to bed. For a brief moment, I considered wandering over to the perimeter fence to watch the sunrise, but

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-67539674549673337762010-04-22T21:00:00.000-05:002010-04-26T00:54:36.559-05:00

Seven days on the ground. Still breathing heavily, but starting to catch my breath. Some of it’s the fact that the higher altitudes here leave me somewhat breathless, both figuratively and physically. Right now, I’m at a German camp, FOB Marmal, just southeast of Mazar E Sharif, with an elevation of, who knows, much higher than the 950 feet I’m accustomed to. Add to it the helo flight over

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-68028413624367006522010-04-16T18:59:00.002-05:002010-04-16T19:44:52.359-05:00

It's almost habitual that we eat our last supper outside of the shit at the Irish Village in Dubai. It's surprisingly Irish for the Middle East, with pretty good mutton and some insanely dense soda bread - if you like that sort of thing. By and large, it's an opportunity for a few pints of Guinness before heading to someplace that, alcoholwise, is drier. As an added bonus, they've got a few

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-54393351539093512802010-02-11T15:49:00.000-06:002010-02-11T15:50:38.892-06:00

We headed south to watch baseball. To commune with fifteen thousand sports fans, enjoying the warm climate and cold beers. To cheer for the hometown team, and root for quality play. To sit outside in the sun and watch a bunch of men hit a ball with a stick. To squirm and continuously reposition our collective buttocks on immeasurably hard plastic and aluminum seats.That last one wasn’t really

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-87937951445280097602010-02-10T15:47:00.000-06:002010-02-11T15:49:44.700-06:00

There’s only so much snow I can handle, and that amount diminishes with each passing year. Snow used to be fun, with the sledding and snowballs and snow this and snow that. I suppose it was around when I bought my first driveway that the pleasure began to wane. For a number of years, I even entertained the thought that just an inch, every few days, would be fine throughout the winter – just

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-4622354333055173172009-11-07T02:07:00.002-06:002009-11-07T02:10:32.664-06:00

Exciting travel opportunity is a pretty common problem these days, but one not altogether unexpected, unwarranted or unwanted. Once you get on the Company’s “List”, it’s tough to get off of it so, as projects develop, and a particular skill set is required, the call is received. For most jobs, the skill set enlarges during the tour, so there’s more to sell the next time. This is the natural

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-8044395221753567532009-11-05T11:30:00.001-06:002009-11-07T02:15:56.876-06:00

Driving down the streets and thoroughfares of Djibouti City, and my primary thought was, “I’ve seen all of this before”. I’ve never been in this particular filthy municipality before, but I have been to markedly similar places. Drive down a dusty track in the Third World, and you’ll see bare footed men and women. Some working, some walking, some just hanging out in whatever shade is available.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-34246307173256392092009-11-05T11:24:00.002-06:002009-11-07T02:14:23.558-06:00

The base Commanding Officer yelled at us yesterday. We’ve been drinking to excess. We’ve been going to neighborhoods where the bad guys hang out. We’ve been visiting brothels, and tattoo parlors and nightclubs that have been specified as off limits. We’ve been violating curfew, exceeding our three beers a day drinking limit, and not maintaining a designated driver.Liberty has been

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-56565586854526703552009-11-04T10:40:00.003-06:002009-11-04T10:44:28.915-06:00

Briefly (since the connection here is just as good as Afghanistan), I'm back at Eleven Degrees North (close enough to the latitude), Tusker in hand, awaiting the start of the Armed Forces Entertainment sponsored band - Hip Kitty.Can't wait. Arctic Monkeys' latest on the juke machine, so it's, like, musical mammal night at Camp Lemonnier.Probably *can* wait, but can't be anywhere else on base

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-91497257893529222802009-11-01T04:02:00.001-06:002009-11-01T04:04:47.527-06:00

It’s Halloween in Djibouti, and there’re a few costumes of note. Plenty of folks dressed as sailors and army men and marines, and quite a few dressed as the overseas deployment of some Japanese Defense Force. Of course, there’s the last minute a toga or two, an inspired six foot tall whoopee cushion and, being so close to Somalia, there’re a few pirate costumes. I came as a consultant –

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-51773938292561032392009-10-30T10:44:00.000-05:002009-10-31T10:46:03.077-05:00

Ambulating up the left bank of the Seine, I approached an elderly woman walking from the opposite direction. At about three or four meters distance, she stopped suddenly, stooped to the sidewalk, and arose with a shiny gold ring in her hand.What luck for her! She appeared amazed and immediately wanted to show it to me. Wow. Very shiny. I couldn’t understand the next part, even if part of it

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-62831176171614905692009-09-14T12:57:00.001-05:002009-09-14T12:59:27.172-05:00

Our hopes ran high until the initial personal foul sometime late in the first quarter. Backed up against their own goal line, the opponents quarterback was scrambling to the outside, fading further back towards the endzone, subject to the ongoing rush of crimson and gold. Without the penalty, perhaps the play would have ended with the bad guys at fourth down and long on their own one yard line.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-50074845719160851182009-08-18T23:04:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.718-06:00

It was almost short enough not to notice, except of course for the whole Afghanistan thing happening all around me. Still it was (or will turn out to be) eleven days away from home, almost too short to even bother with.But bother I do, because that's where the job sends me, and I tend to like the job, despite some less than desirable situations.The biggest difference between this and the other

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-40193867109829915872009-08-17T10:09:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.719-06:00

Got an email the other day, asking if I'd consider 6-12 months in Bahrain. My first reaction was instant rejection. It's 115 degrees in the shade here - how bad would it be closer to both the equator and the sea? Of course, it would be an assignment on a tropical island, and I do seem to like those. Ultimately, I resolved to maintain my initial reaction, and hold out for a better tropical

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-42247177402083306252009-08-14T01:21:00.004-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.719-06:00

Friday, now, I'm pretty sure. If there's any change to the days here, it's Friday, when local labor takes the day off, some outfits take a half day, and the bazaar's in town. I slept in, somewhat intentionally.My plan was simply to sleep until I got up, and to throw off the last of the nine and a half hours of jet lag that followed me here. Simple enough, but at 0330, some joker in the war

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-55255810562894423362009-08-12T04:21:00.004-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.720-06:00

I thought "Afghanland 3 - The Redemption" would be a cool title for this one but, as it turns out, there's still little that is actually redeeming at Kandahar. Sort of like "Terminator 3: Redemption" or "Kickboxer 5: The Redemption", but probably more like "Rock Bottom - From Hell to Redemption", where Jason Mewes tries to kick Heroin. Why can't I quit this place? 'Cuz it's fun. "It's a blast

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-22750613049857144282009-07-26T14:13:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.720-06:00

Terminal 1 at Dubai is a spectacular place. Fifty foot ceilings and fake palm trees. Food court and hotel. Acres of seating. Shopping and more shopping. One hundred more minutes, and I’ll be done with it and another step closer to home.At Warrior, the FOB from a couple of days ago, I figured I was as far from home as I was going to get, as it would take another helo ride to get back to

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-15414536487542151042009-07-22T14:10:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.721-06:00

Well, after the General briefing yesterday, we’re done here, except for that part about leaving, getting on a helicopter and four airplanes and making it back to the Midwest. If the number of flights were any indication of the depth of this shithole,…When I say “done”, I mean that there’s no more work required to satisfy the contract requirements. Eye Eeee, how does one waste a few days in the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-57488108572537287582009-07-20T14:08:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.722-06:00

Since I landed in country, there’ve been a mess of helicopter flights to various bases in the eastern quarter of Afghanistan, but I never got out of the FOBs themselves. Peering through the chainlink, or even standing atop the Hesco barriers that line the perimeter occasionally, I could clearly see Afghanistan. It’s awfully mountainous there, outside the wire, and there are few places on any of

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-91598016149162114182009-07-19T14:07:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.722-06:00

Big submittal tomorrow. Our estimated costs are due for the mess of projects that we’re working on. Not that there’s that much pressure on us, except for the occasional early request for cost data on the fuel systems. [They’re high, by the way, as expected.] It’s all been rather lax since the start, and I’m pretty sure my electrical is feeling a little guilty collecting the paycheck.I’m

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-16843607857991684182009-07-18T14:02:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.723-06:00

My rack at Airborne was a military spec cot, essentially a single sheet of fabric stretched super taut across a metal frame. It’s like sleeping on a board, except a board will eventually warm up. The thin material of the cot tends to suck the heat right out of you and, since nighttime temperatures in our 20 man tent at 7,000 feet drop to below fifty, sleep was bad and the back is really

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-38653442360348259232009-07-17T14:00:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.723-06:00

Forty minutes by air from Ghazni, and back up to 7,500 feet is Forward Operating Base Airborne. With barely 400 residents, it is by far the smallest FOB we’ve been on this tour. Tucked into a mountain valley, it’s the most scenic as well.If Congress says it’s okeydokey, we’ll plant a four place helipad here in FY 2011, and spend around a million and a half Yankee Dollars in the process.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-59875832680283590892009-07-16T13:58:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.724-06:00

I expected at least a couple of Polish dishes at Ghazni, but the closest they came were various sausages (patties or links). Perhaps they save the Kielbasas, Pierogis, and other home delicacies for Friday nights, when the other FOBs are serving surf and turf.Our billet was austere, one quarter of an old brick and mortar structure. Perhaps it was an office or supply area when initially

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-18210358071655740362009-07-15T13:56:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.725-06:00

About forty minutes from Sharana and 400 feet lower lies Forward Operating Base Ghazni. I’d like to buy a t-shirt to commemorate this place, but it’s so small, there’s not even a PX, just a very small Hadji Mart where I could buy another toothbrush if I was so inclined and, since I brought a spare and also got a nice one from the bathroom of the hotel in Dubai, I won’t be indulging.Small to be

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-90097496989670883422009-07-14T13:53:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.725-06:00

There’s a certain something about the Forward Operating Base at Sharana worth mentioning. It’s nearly 7,500 feet above the level of the sea. “Big whoop”, you might opine. Then again, you might have spent your entire life under 1,100 feet, in which case you might state, “I’m nauseous, my large muscles and joints hurt like the bajesus, and my headache is one for the record books.”Fortunately,

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-50123916778343575752009-07-13T13:50:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.726-06:00

When we aren’t walking, we move around by helicopter. That we actually have dedicated air services is of immense relief, in that we now do not have to fly stand by, or first available, or not fly at all, which was the case in Kandahar. Having transportation allows the team to get our boots on the ground at the various forward operating bases and project sites. Hopefully, getting a first hand

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-85277333829775551072009-07-11T13:48:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.726-06:00

After several days of dense haze and high winds, the morning light brought clear skies. Through them, I’ve finally noticed that there are mountains in Afghanland. Go figure. Through the haze, largely dust and humidity, all I could glimpse was a shadow, perhaps miles away, perhaps just outside the wire. With the change in weather came the change in perspective. Bagram Airfield is located on a

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-80562357265067305582009-07-08T13:45:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.727-06:00

Staring at the bottom of the rack above me, I pondered the numerous other beds I’ve taken over the years. From many of them, I’ve stared into the space above, working on thinking about nothing, which usually immediately precedes the eye closing and the sleeping – except when I’m nine and a half time zones away from home and I can’t sleep, then I spend some time thinking about other beds, or at

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-17014159869244273982009-07-07T14:48:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.727-06:00

Sitting in my Spartan room at the Dubai Traders Hotel, watching the clock spin towards midnight and knowing that the 0500 wake up call will call regardless of if I've had enough sleep. Why should the phone care, really? I've questioned if I should set a supplemental alarm as back-up, and probably will, but hesitate to do so because I haven't used an alarm since I got back from here the last

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-72680669345083053012009-05-16T19:56:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.728-06:00

Oh Five Hundred and watching the jets depart and getting more confident and anxious all the time that I'll soon be gone.And the clock ticks - tick tick tick tick tick tick.Mom writes (in part): "late last night I finished "Three Cups of Tea", where Greg Mortenson just agreed to bring his schools plus projects into Afghanastan. I urge you all to read this book if you haven't already. Next to

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-69885081031074824132009-05-16T09:25:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.729-06:00

Down to the hours, now, and not a moment too soon. The Marines are here, you see, and there’s not much room for anyone else. Since the second night, we’ve been in this pre-engineered metal building towards the center of things. It a simple building, with fourteen rooms in a row and latrines on each end. Much nicer than a tent.The first week we were in it, “they” started to tear out the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-90658793167629431322009-05-12T20:04:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.729-06:00

Again, down to a mere handful of days before redeployment. Probably a good time to stop and reflect, but I’m still working twelves and free time isn’t so plentiful. There’s snippets here and there, including the few minutes after an email session between when I’m done with my business and my coworkers are ready to head to chow, just like this one.For this twice daily task, we’ve ensconced

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-52290157954361635972009-05-09T19:05:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.730-06:00

I’ve moved my morning campsite recently, north a hundred meters from where I used to spend the predawn hour and the hour that follows, in an attempt to get a better connection. I’ve given up on the free WiFi altogether, as I’ve experienced nothing but frustration with it of late. I’m pretty sure it’s as a direct result of Nu Surge ™, as hundreds of troops are arriving daily and all of them need

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-71264841006927792072009-05-09T19:05:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.731-06:00

I’ve moved my morning campsite recently, north a hundred meters from where I used to spend the predawn hour and the hour that follows, in an attempt to get a better connection. I’ve given up on the free WiFi altogether, as I’ve experienced nothing but frustration with it of late. I’m pretty sure it’s as a direct result of Nu Surge ™, as hundreds of troops are arriving daily and all of them need

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-22474579333898922642009-05-04T07:59:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.732-06:00

I never did make it out to a FOB. Two of my boys did, but just barely, then they got stranded there overnight while negotiating a return flight. And the rest of the team? Caught in Detention (our term of endearment for our austere wooden conference room at the edge of the base). I’d still like to see something outside of our camp here, but duties call, so my only exterior view will be through

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-3444662332358921082009-04-28T05:16:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.732-06:00

Suspended over Afghanland on six fragile rotor blades, I thought the rotors seems miscoordinated, then felt a new shimmy, and noticed hydraulic fluid flowing through the padded ceiling at the back of the aircraft, despoiling the uniformed men and material who were crammed into the cramped cabin beneath.Remember the training, I thought to myself. It was brief, as the bird was damned loud.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-6789339926468788572009-04-26T19:11:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.733-06:00

If asked to judge my favorite shitholes, Kandahar would rank right up there. And it not just the southern breezes from over the sewage lagoon that lead me to that conclusion. No, it’s much more. It’s crappy and sterile all at once. Disciplined yet filled with indiscipline. Great fun one moment and abject boredom the next. Schizophrenic in the mornings and bipolar in the afternoons.And to

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-15642883972865377172009-04-25T20:12:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.734-06:00

In our last episode, our hero was stymied by the client’s decision to sent one of our group CONUS. Despite the reasons that he may have done this, or the reasons the Company may have allowed it, it turns out that this member was our in-country Project Manager.Hence, we’re leaderless. The proverbial ship without a tiller, rack without the pinion, state without the head, evening news without the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-80396628188446638942009-04-21T20:08:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.734-06:00

If you’ve been following along, I usually go off on a rant about the project at about this time of the tour. If you’ve been following along, edge of the chair waiting for an explanation as to why I volunteered for another war zone in the GWOT, today is not your day. My apologies, as this one’s about the folks who travelled here with me.We spend our days in a 16 foot by 20 foot conference room,

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-90198898913450902482009-04-20T19:53:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.735-06:00

At oh dark thirty, it’s tough to imagine being more exhausted. I’m at that time between a long, ineffective wakeup and the time when the coffee hits, and I am sorely tempted to head back to the rack and sleep the rest of the day. Hell, I’m already up. I’ll slog through another, and hope I can find an opportunity to recharge later on.Not much email traffic on a Monday morning – only dealing

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-45436538091927225132009-04-16T20:46:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.735-06:00

If we had one thing to complain about here, it would be connectivity. My preference would be to have the low thread count in my sheets as my only complaint, but such is not the case. There’re the food and housing and ineffective client to bitch about, but at the top of the complaint heap is the very obvious lack of a fast web connection.We don’t surf, Skype, IM, shop, download or do any other

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-77090427551689154802009-04-14T19:10:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.736-06:00

The days are on the warm side, quickly rising towards the 90^s these days at peak. The sun beats hard on the unprotected noggin, and scorches the neck and arms. The mornings, though, are still nicely cool, and a couple of sweatshirts are needed to keep in the body heat while I sit in an open space towards the middle of camp and type and try to surf. I’d complain more about the dust, but that

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-57420779247696256812009-04-11T19:55:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.737-06:00

The assignment itself isn’t particularly routine, but that doesn’t mean that routines can’t develop while on assignment. Sure, it’s only been a couple of days in country, but I’m starting to see a trend. My day starts somewhat groggily at 0400 every morning to process mail on the Boardwalk. There’s some free WiFi here, but it slows markedly once more than a half dozen guys get on it, so

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-16859058740230089562009-04-09T19:59:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.738-06:00

Trying something different today. Despite the lagging lack of sleep, I got up about a quarter to three, packed up my machine, snagged my watch cap and headed to the Boardwalk in an effort to find an internet connection. Two of our crew joined me and, to noone’s surprise, we found two more already there, camped out at a couple of the undeniably dusty tables set up near the Tim Horton’s. Sadly,

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-13985891220323727312009-04-09T07:53:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.739-06:00

It must be the ninth of April. Hard to be sure, though, with the jet lag following a couple of days of travel. Add to the confusion is the fact that Afghanistan has a time zone a half hour offset from the bulk of the world. Makes one think, though – since every place has a local noon, we could really have an infinite number of time zones, which might make watching your favorite shows on Fox more

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-3798774698872468742009-04-07T14:33:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.739-06:00

Maybe. I really don't know. What I do know is that they (meaning your government) whould rather I not post to this format during my brief tour of Afghanland.I may still, but I'll likely not include the level of project details that I would not have bored you with, anyway. Got it?As of this moment, I'm not even sure as to the level of communication we'll find in country. There's sure to be the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-85507162142348965642009-04-05T21:06:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.740-06:00

It's getting harder and harder to go to war and they don't let just anyone play these days. No, there are fitness requirements and preventive medicine requirements and training requirements and form filling requirements. Holy crap, the forms!We left Mudville during the wee hours, with only a HyVee #3 and a bad cup of coffee to tide me through to St. Louis. And tide it didn't , so we stopped in

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-44138051492835678042009-04-03T07:05:00.004-05:002010-02-24T07:51:10.740-06:00

There's a couple of old saws at play here. The first being that no international assignment is assured until you're on the ground. The second being that, no matter how long they tell you that you'll be gone, the time away from home will be doubled.Are these beliefs in conflict?I received my final medical result this morning, "Our company physician has approved you for deployment." This

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-42796174472490086482009-03-15T16:15:00.001-05:002009-03-15T16:17:29.654-05:00

This one they did deign to publish - as the "Letter of the Day", no less, with zero edits, which is most surprising.If the GOP ever intends to regain political control, it must stop catering to the radical right-wing elements of the party. A consistent platform of smaller government, conservative economic policies, strong defense and personal liberty would crush the socialist policies of the left

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-84235749551007878402009-02-09T08:18:00.003-06:002009-02-09T08:23:04.817-06:00

Here, our hero rants about Lincoln, who he's never liked. I sent this to the local rag for publication on Thursday, but I have my doubts if this is an opinion they want to share.This Thursday, on his 200th birthday, the Lincoln Cultists will further deify our 16th President. This glory is unwarranted. Abraham Lincoln made a name for himself as a railroad lobbyist, a very successful lawyer who

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-71746166404655454962009-01-15T12:41:00.000-06:002010-02-24T07:49:42.574-06:00

Only very rarely will anyone tell you about the air travel experiences that were nice. This is not one of those occasions.Yet another long flight to the desert. Yet another opportunity to be crammed into cattle class, elbow to asshole with the masses yearning to breathe free. I'm only starting to recover from it.Cairo called, just one more time, so I packed my bags and headed eight time zones

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-45735353309720341262008-12-16T07:40:00.002-06:002008-12-16T07:50:10.376-06:00

Our attorneys had warned me that there might be some level of interrogation by the opposition, and that thought sort of lingered in the back of my noggin for a couple of days prior to the proceedings. My role would be as expert witness of sorts, defending the County staff in their decision to issue my client a permit to build their 250 megawatt power plant. I didn’t know what exactly to expect.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-47227506950543129942008-10-19T09:35:00.004-05:002008-10-19T09:39:47.501-05:00

Come and sit by my side, if you love meDo not hasten to bid me adieuJust remember the Red River ValleyAnd the cowboy who loved you so trueOn behalf of myself and the David Palmer family, I would like to welcome each of you to this celebration, and to thank you all for the support and compassion you’ve directed towards us. It is truly appreciated.Dad had a plethora of positives. Despite not

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-52060378074541882862008-10-13T10:27:00.000-05:002008-10-13T10:29:22.220-05:00

I did this one solo. Those who missed it should regret it through the entire fast-approaching winter. Leaving at about 0830, I drifted south on MN 52 through some clouds and temperatures in the low 50's. the electric vest was set on 2 or 3, but that came off at my first stop in Preston. As you may recall, I was in search of the elusive Chainsaw Trout, which plies the clear waters of the Root

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-51539169851659653292008-08-19T10:29:00.001-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.574-06:00

I’ve been walking to work this past week, leaving the marble floored comfort of the Palace for the dust and dirt of downtown Cairo. It takes about 40 minutes, door to door, more or less, with a comparative minimum of life threatening street crossings.I’m so crisp as I pull shut my hotel room door. Creased trousers. Freshly laundered, starched and pressed shirt. Perhaps a tie and jacket.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-72858996668040262222008-08-14T11:55:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.575-06:00

We took a hotel taxi to the office one morning. We had a day off from the Army, and wanted to see the local digs. Hotel taxi was fine, essentially a scheduled fare from Mirage City to downtown. Once we got close, I could direct the cabbie as to where to stop. Fun traffic as always. Twenty Pound tip. Straight to the door.Heading back, we were, by necessity, going to take a local taxi. These are

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-20607768074220071912008-08-14T11:03:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.575-06:00

Sort of pissed, I suppose. I was being shuttled around various parts and quarters of Cairo by our local guy, hitting a couple of errand spots on the way to my new swank hotel. We returned from a stop at the office, down into the bowels of the secure and covered parking, when I noticed that a couple of flaps on my luggage were open, exposing the empty space beneath. Ali Baba had struck, moving

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-6561836101685536932008-08-11T09:52:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.576-06:00

Any hotel I stay at anywhere should be somehow obligated to place their best English speakers behind the bar.As is typical, I'm less than a week into this particular adventure and I'm about ready for some company that is *not* the client or my traveling companions. Sure, they're all fine and all, but (by the gods) all we have is work. For me, I like a little banter unencumbered.Sadly and for

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-2154546154936696992008-08-10T23:46:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.576-06:00

So, our first day of meetings with the Egyptian Army go well enough. Snowed or no, the Brigadier seems to like what we're doing for them thus far. Anyway, it's hot, 35 C if it's a degree, it's late in the afternoon, and I'm a little dehydrated when we get back to the hotel. My bag goes on the belt and I walk through the detector, which commences to beep in that annoying way of its. My

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-43513305666806988392008-08-09T23:27:00.003-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.577-06:00

There's some travelogues in the can. These should probably be out on the WonderWeb. They might appear here later (or sooner), but the dates won't be current (or maybe not), so to the casual reader it may (or may not) seem that I'm moving through time and space at a pace that would generate hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles.This is not the case. It's only thousands of frequent flyer

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-76589600049288589042008-08-09T13:41:00.004-05:002010-02-24T07:49:42.577-06:00

Came back to Cairo.Rather *sent* back to Cairo. Hell, it's not so bad. There's plenty of worse places nearby. And the hotel's big swank. Nice Lebanese place in the basement next to the hundred dollar steak joint. Tasty messah. Tasty steak. Costs more than an Egyptian makes in a month. Costs about what the client will pay without thinking about it.Lucky you.

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-86628552263747073902007-05-25T06:56:00.002-05:002010-02-24T07:44:43.078-06:00

I need a tune. Best submittal gets a piece of shrapnel.Night of the Big VoiceBig ol’ Voice says “a bomb’s a comin’”Hooch starts a shakin’ and I know he’s rightIf one hits close I’m gonna soon meet my makerFuckers launch that crap most days and nightsTryin’ to sleep when the static went at itFollows the boom and I hear him each timeStay under cover says the big guy, like last timeGonna be a long

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-79044743835840349672007-05-25T06:54:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.347-06:00

This is a dangerous place. Since setting wheels down 26 days ago, there have been 28 lockdowns, more often than not associated with mortar and/or rocket attacks on the I-Zed. More often than not, they hit us in the late afternoon and evening, although there are exceptions. More often than not, they hit us once on any day, although there are exceptions. More often than not, they launch three

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-82822135968519840022007-05-24T06:53:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.347-06:00

You'd think if we can put a man on the moon, I could get a decent cup of coffee in Iraq. Well, we can and I can, but that's not the point. The point is that I can't get a good cup of coffee from any of the six Braun coffee makers that populate the Company space.In the DFAC we have a choice between "Coffee Strong" and "Coffee Light". Since I like my beans with a little bite, I had been getting

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-5809074789639492092007-05-23T06:53:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.348-06:00

“Flea on de magadog?” Okay, maybe I’m not actually a parasite. Why mince words, though, when profiteer is such a nice one? The fact is, there’s a huge pile of money to be made here and if the Company don’t rake it, some other outfit will.In all honesty, this reconstruction operation is little different than any other government program, more designed to benefit the contractors and bureaucrats

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-89842790884684681892007-05-21T06:52:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.349-06:00

Now, here’s a little musical/lyrical interlude: “Right in Two”, by Tool.=====Angels on the sideline,Puzzled and amused.Why did Father give these humans free will?Now they're all confused.Don't these talking monkeys know thatEden has enough to go around?Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,where there's one you're bound to divide itRight in twoAngels on the sideline,Baffled and

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-56335110448363189832007-05-19T06:51:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.349-06:00

For this installment, let's open the old mailbag, shall we?"John" of "Minnesota" asks, "Are you out of your freaking mind?"This has been covered before, "John", but yes, I probably am. Thanks for asking.Next up, "Joel" from "Washington" writes to say "The Left complain that the completed work is largely shoddy and often unusable, while the Right complain that the real story of Iraq

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-46065580906470747852007-05-18T06:50:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.350-06:00

Some days in Baghdad are atypical.For instance, a couple of days ago I met a General. Granted he was merely a Brigadier, and not really that atypical for a general, but a general, nonetheless, and bumping into one is atypical. As it turns out, he’s the commander of the GRD – the USACE Region that manages the reconstruction program (among others duties). He was working the dinner crowd at the

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-35621761872176591422007-05-17T06:49:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.350-06:00

Let's suppose we ignore the GWOT for a moment and concentrate on the success of the reconstruction program. The Congress threw a heap of money into the IIRF in 2003, and later, into the IIRF-1. From that huge pot of cash, there were 5576 planned projects, of which 5551 have been started and 5077 completed.Then along came a veritable Pottery Barn full of tubs of money, including DFI, MNCI, USAID

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-40199228515601833262007-05-15T06:48:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.351-06:00

A couple times day, I'm subjected to someone saying that some task or another "isn't rocket science." I imagine the point is that rocket science is still a difficult task, at least, more difficult than rebuilding Iraq. Another phrase we use internally, salvaged from the last time we were here, is "Enough of that, I've got a country to build." I'm that good. Honest.And it ain't rocket science

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-5110387860044127762007-05-14T06:47:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.351-06:00

In our last episode, loser Reform Party Vice Presidential Candidate Vice Admiral James Stockdale (Retired) asked, "why am I here?" The corollary to this wizened question might be, "what am I doing here?"Rebuilding a country, dammit! And, to quote Our Great Leader, "it's a hard job." It must be, or we wouldn't still be doing it after four years.When we arrived in October 2003, the dozen of us

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-74672278670222392142007-05-13T06:43:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.352-06:00

For limited release.If you care to see my office, point Google Earth to XX XX XX.xx N XX XX XX.xx E, more or less.The ziggety zaggety building is the Freedom Towers. North of that is a parking lot. Across the street to the east are four rectangular buildings side by side. My work space is in the south end of the second one from the west.My commute then is back across the street, west across

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-4412006337811480362007-05-12T06:42:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:45:41.353-06:00

Sometimes, after the “Are you out of your mind?” types of questions end, there is a call to explain the work that I’m doing here. However, in deference to those who ask, I do not believe that I have completely lost touch with reality. On that note, if the statement was, “you should have your head examined”, I’ve already got that covered, as a more serious bout of headaches suffered prior to

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-79023136977078532232007-05-10T06:39:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:46:23.044-06:00

Almost got ran over by Dick Cheney’s motorcade this evening on my way to chow. Okay, maybe it wasn’t actually W’s Evil Overlord, but he was in town today, further strengthening the resolve of the Coalition.Sure.It really was someone important, though, as they had sirens. Sirens, however, border on the idiotic. Why would you want to advertise your presence to such an extreme as to scream, “Ooh

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-43788490330408530922007-05-09T06:38:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:46:23.044-06:00

As you may recall, housing the last time started with a night sleeping in the dirt at BIAP, and progressed through the 150-man hallway and the six-man closet, before culminating in the four-man tin hooch. I'm pleased to report that one of the tangible benefits of our democracy building activities here for the past four years and our "well developed theatre" is that the Coalition housing stock

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-77905669365803759862007-05-07T06:37:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:46:23.045-06:00

I would have hoped that I'd be able to sleep through the night after a few nights of practice. Hmmm. There are a lot of noises that I don't usually hear in suburban Minneapolis. Perhaps that's got something to do with it?My new hooch in the "Motel 6" is located right between the hospital helipad and the military helipad. These are not helipads like what you'd see in the States, as there're a

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-14530666599297641472007-05-06T06:37:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:46:23.045-06:00

My, how things have changed, and a great portion of our casual conversation has centered around this. "Back in the day,… When we were here the last time,… It used to be that,…" start many of our conversations.It’s reminiscence, in part, mixed with a desire to keep our newest team member (hither fore uninitiated to the Mideast) up to speed, and a need to establish our credibility with those who

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-5728915196956402742007-05-05T08:35:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:46:23.046-06:00

Words to live by: if, in the retelling, some event will make a great story, treat it as adventure and start enjoying it now. And so far, one adventure after another. First was the dead battery on the car I was going to use to get to the airport.No, no, no. First was that the Company sent me the wrong sized helmet. "But", she said, "all of them are the same size. Let me measure the other one."

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-15141886363057024802007-05-05T06:34:00.000-05:002010-02-24T07:46:23.047-06:00

I'm back.=====It was just another day like no one other before it.. One of those days where, intentions not withstanding, the gods had me in their thoughts and planned a luau around the event.I had a simple plan, really. Just meet up with a few riding buds and head for what is locally known as the "Lakes Area". It's sort of strange, I guess, for a "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes" to have a "Lakes

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-74259019412231910932005-08-31T10:59:00.000-05:002008-09-05T11:00:15.292-05:00

Party of the Third Part.I’ve always been a morning person, so there’s never much wasted daylight when I ride. Besides, morning air is crisp and morning traffic is light, my morning mood is good and there’s nothing in my way for the first tank of the day. Once I-5 is added from Redding north to Green and I bordered on elation. I had left the oppressive heat in the lower altitudes and thoroughly

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-33555065948720110012005-08-30T10:58:00.000-05:002008-09-05T10:59:26.621-05:00

Party of the Second Part.I’m not one for too much hype, I also tend to trust people, so when someone tells me that they have the largest ball of twine, my assumption is that they’ve found a way to measure other balls of twine and compare them to their own. Mass, diameter, or length of component twine are all valid ways to measure a twine ball, butt what exactly are units of loneliness? I only

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454885985680152439.post-62706037259880906642005-08-29T10:54:00.000-05:002008-09-05T10:58:42.596-05:00

My current excuse to ride is my Springfield quest. This could be a nod to the Simpsons, I suppose, butt more likely it’s just an excuse. To pursue them all, I’ll need to trek from the Midwest to Maine, Florida, California, Oregon, and 29 other states in the process. My most recent extended kitchen pass sent me west last August, through more small towns that I could ever remember, except for

Rex Morgan, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715287310197228469noreply@blogger.com0