Sir Duck

Kandahar Internation Airport Terminal

2011-01-18T18:05:00.000-06:00

The new Sir Duck

2008-12-28T08:11:00.004-06:00

http://post218.blogspot.com

Copy writed pictures

2007-04-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

ALL PICTURES IN SIR DUCK AND SIR DUCK TOO BLOG SITES ARE COPY WRITTEN AND CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF ME, SIR DUCK

New site

2006-11-23T08:42:00.000-06:00

Pictures I took in Afghanistan except the ones I'm in on this site:
Click on this: http://sirducktoo.blogspot.com

Canadian Heros

2006-10-16T16:02:00.000-05:00

Cpl E. G. Hjalmarson & Sir Duck

At Sir Duck's hooch (tent)

at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Cpl Hjalmarson is the author of

the two poems below

Cpl Hjalmarson in the hills of
Afghanistan

Will be posting pictures of this unit - PPCLI - from Canada while in Afghanistan

THIS SITE IS ALSO DEDICATED TO THE CANADIANS THAT HAVE GAVE THEIR ALL FOR ALL TO REMAIN FREE

WILL NOT BE ABLE TO POST ALL THE NAMES AND/OR PICTURES JUST THESE FEW AT THIS TIME

If there is anyone you would like to post a name and/or picture

on this site I would be glad too

let me know by posting on the comments below

KIA - Aug 3rd, 06

Kandahar, Afghanistan

Left to right

Sergeant Ingram-Cpl Reid-Cpl Keller-Pvt Dallair

Princes Patricia Canadian Light Infantry

This is the first poem written and was sent to me by my bud and friend Cpl E. G. Hjalmarson who is with the 1 PPCLI (Princes Patricia Canadian Light Infantry) in Afghanistan, on his flight back to Canadia for R&R. The next one is what he wrote when he returned back to Agfhanistan.

ON MY FLIGHT FROM FRANKFURT GERMANY TO CALGARY AB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC, TIRED AND HAZY THROUGHTS FLOATED THROUGH MY MIND. I WAS REMEBERING ALL THE KIAS AND WOUNDED COMRADES ALL. THE VERSES OF THE POEM FLOATED THROUGH MY MIND AND I MUST PASS IT ON.

COMRADES
I look around and saw them
At their faces "O" so clear
I looked around and saw them
As we moved across the field

They moved with pride and valor
Their objective was quite clear
Not a moments hesitation
Not the slightest sign of fear

"O" what a band of brothers
We have gathered at this place
And it matters not their cap badge
Their religion or their race

The goal was clear and common
As we marched towards the guns
The objective will be taken
And the battle will be won

I looked around and saw them
And their faces weren't so clear
I looked around and saw them
At our numbers growing fewer

Their faces fade in memory
But their names are etched in stone
And the list is ever growing
As the missions carry on

But we the old survivors
The ones that made it home
Will not forget the faces
Or the names upon the stone

Cpl E. G. Hjalmarson
1 PPCLI

The second poem written by Cpl E. G. Hjalmarson 1 PPCLI. It is also posted on http://stupidrandomthoughts.blogspot.com IT SAYS IT ALL

Fields of Stone:

In a peaceful glades and shady glens
In fields that never end
The stark straight lines of chalk white lime
These cold and chiseled signs

Where once the sounds of battle raged
And gallant deeds were done
Where lives were lost to pay the cost
Of countless honors won

Where sacrificed and selfess deeds
Were done without a thought
Of bleeding souls or dreams untold
Of loved ones left behind

Now laid to rest in measured rows
Beneath the blooded soil
Where pipes lament and tears are shed
Upon these fields of stone

Cpl E. G. Hjalmarson is currently serving in Afghanistan
1 PPCLI (Princes Patricia Canadian Light Infantry

Pvt Robert Costell

Capt Goddard
Pvt Costell is the second from the right in the group picture, I am in the middle. I used to drink coffee at the coffee place by the air field and sometimes Capt Goddard would be there with her troops drinking coffee outside the shop and I would always say howdie and they would get a kick out of my Texas accent which I always told them they talk funny too.

I have been busy the last few months and have to post this in honoring our Canadian brothers and sisters. Even though my bud Jaf (http://stupidrandomthoughts.blogspot.com) has posted and honorerd them on his site and I needed to post them on my site also. Pvt Robert Costell was killed in action in Afghanistan a few days after I left Afghanistan for R&R and Captain Goddard was killed a few weeks later and is the first woman in the Canadian Military killed in Action. There has been other Canadians that have gave the ultimate since and these two are more personnal to me. I still honor the ones that have gone before and after them. This is my tribute to them all. Jaf will sometimess still be posting stuff I send him.

Thanks to all of you for supporting not only our soldiers but also the troops from other countries, especially Canadia that have given their lives so we all can have freedom.
Sir Duck

Memorial in Afghanistan

2006-03-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

This building is called the TLS (Talibans Last Stand) it is where the Taliban made their last stand against the US military and no prisoners where taken and this monument was erected for the sacrifices of all men and women in the coalition forces that gave their lives or wounded against terrorism and for all the people of that lost their lives in 9-11. I am standing by it. I will not post any pictures of anyone or any locations of buildings, the picture you see of me has my face blocked out. I have a lot of pictures without people in them and they will be posted. This is for securtiy reasons. I will be posting pictures for a while and my buddy Jaf might be posting pictures on his site. Will let you know. I will be posting more pictures for a few days. As a person on the ground in Afghanistan, myself and the people around me thank all of you for your support and prayers.

Sir Duck

Desert in Afgahanistan

2006-03-20T12:35:00.000-06:00

Desert in Afghanistan not to far from Kandahar. The black dots in the center are some sort of house's people live in and the dots on the right center of the picture are camels. This river runs all the way to the Northern part of Afghanistan.

Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

2006-03-18T08:44:00.000-06:00

This is Kandahar air field Afghanistan. The town of Kandahar, Afghanistan is to the left of the picture. For security reasons cannot give details and locations of certain buildings.

Afghanistan

2006-03-16T15:51:00.000-06:00

Valley in Kandahar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan

2006-03-16T05:55:00.000-06:00

This is what the country looks like

Back Later

2005-11-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

I am going to busy for awhile, check back in about a week and hope you all enjoyed the pic.

In the mean time go to

http://stupidrandomthoughts.blogspot.com for good info

'Sir Duck'

Out Here

Captured arms

2005-11-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

This pic was sent to me by a friend of mine

SFC Martinez under the yellow 1 and his bunch, Iraqi Nat'l Guards on both ends and his men inbetween. An Iraqi told them where this stuff was, located in the house behind the walls, top and below pics.

More of the muntions and the bad guys that lived there. They are being arrested, photographed and questioned by the Iraqi Nat'l Guard (ING), then shot (joke).

SFC Martinez had a feeling about this vehicle and had it searched. Bomb making stuff, RPG's, bullets, and other killing stuff was in the trunk.

Believe it or not this soldier returned back to his unit in Baghdad, Iraq awhile later. You can see the wall behind him through the hole. I don't think his mother has seen this picture, so I am not going to mention his name. This is the only bad picture I will show. This guy could have gone home but decided to stay in Iraq.

Iraq

2005-11-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

These two pictures are the typical signs on hummers, beginning and the end of a convoy. Some are bigger and colorful but they all mean the same, do not pass this convoy or come along side, you will be shot. In our convoys we had Hummers run point to stop traffic before the main body. Each convoy is different depending on who and what is running in it and this is what dictates the security.

The sign below didn't to need to remind every body they are leaving a so called safe area.

The above picture is part of the most dangerous highway in the world. From this bridge is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours to Baghdad. Some of these underpasses their is a military present, like a check point to see what and who is driving on this highway and you had not better be a single vechile on it. This first time I traveled this highway and when we came to one of these overpasses the driver did a zig zag before going under it and I asked him why he did that. He said the bad guys would lay on top of the bridge and when we passed under it to the other side they would drop a hand grenade on the vechile. Iraqi Taxi cab with the orange or red fenders. Some how these guys and their taxis are immune to IED's, hummmmmmm

These Iraqi workers just got a raise to 65 cents an hour. The American overseeing these workers, called a labor foreman, is making $8,000 a month tax free. I stand by this: if the Iraqis was paid the minimum wage that is paid in the USA they would be more likely kill the ones that are threating and killing them. I all ways tell the Iraqis they need to do this, kill Ali Baba and they would leave them alone.

What do you think?

more pics coming

Memorial in Iraq

2005-11-04T12:34:00.000-06:00

Both top and bottom pictures are a memorial service held on Memorial Day 05, for all fallen soldiers past and present. If anyone does not like these soldiers bowing their heads in prayer I sure can pass your name to my Buds in this picture.

There is a reason why I put up these pictures, just read between the lines.

The bad guys try and monitor everything but they are stupid.

This is one of the many canels throughout Iraq. These kids could not go swimming in this canel during Saddam H reign. All the canels in Iraq waters are OK.

THANK YOU

University of Wisconsin students for YOUR support.

and Jeremy & Jenna

Camp Victory North, Baghdad #3

2005-11-02T08:46:00.000-06:00

Px to the right, Defac (mess hall) to the left
Straight ahead is the lake and was 1st Cav HQ now 3rd ID HQ

Picture taken from the hill. Overview of the PX at Camp Victory North, Baghdad, Iraq

a. place where the picture was taken below

b. Defac (mess hall)

c. below c is Burger King

d. Px, both tents

Burger King to our right. Px behind us. I just came out of the desert and ran into these guys I knew from Ft. Hood, TX

Px. the Burger King is to the left

Notice the Burger King is set up in a trailer. You pay for your burger at the little white shed and walked up the stairs to get your burger inside the trailer and then walk through to the other side and down the stairs. The little cabannas is where you eat.

HQ across the lake

Good Night You'll

Thanks for Up-armor

2005-10-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

This Polish army escort in their up-armor truck accompanied us to Baghdad. Notice the steel pans. They were with the Polish Major that was with us, the Major that caused the convoy to stop on the most dangerous highway in the world so he could deliever some papers to a US Camp on the way to Baghdad and he would not have to drive to Baghdad by himself, we were stopped for 30 minutes on that highway waiting for him. We had Hummers at both ends of our convoy with 50's mounted on them. I had no idea why these guys (aboue pic) were running with us except to guard their Major. Because if we got into a gun fight these Polish soldiers probably would get killed, maybe maybe not but I wouldn't want to be in their truck.

If the Hummer below didn't have the armor the soldiers inside would not be here.

The driver of this Hummer said he would like to be the spokesman of the company that up-armored it. A 155mm artillery round IED set off by the bad guys as they passed by it did this damage and all three soldiers inside walked away without a scratch. At least when the troops travel in these up-armor Hummers there is some security not like before or how would you like to travel around Iraq in the Polish army truck, pic above.

more pics coming

Camp Victory North, Baghdad #2

2005-10-27T17:35:00.000-05:00

Misc pics

These are the vechiles the Kiwi's and the South Africans ran around in at Camp Zulu. Sometimes they went to Baghdad in them but mostly back and forth to the ammo dump.

IED hunter-killer

I saw these running ahead of convoys on the highway to and from Baghdad. There were a lot of stuff attached to them to blow the IED's, I guess.

(The Buffalo) IED hunter-killer
The newest and best

One of the trigger devices used to set off IED's

army photo

These two way radios are getting to be the most popular triggers replacing cell phones.

pictures coming

More Toby Keith - Camp Victory - Baghdad

2005-10-26T14:36:00.000-05:00

Toby Keith in red hat

California Girls

Camp Victory North, Baghdad

2005-10-25T17:52:00.000-05:00

Camp Victory North (al-Tahreer) Baghdad, Iraq
From a to b

South of the lake is Victory South

Courtesy of the Texas Guard

Toby Keith concert

Toby Keith in the red hat

One of the fishes in the lake and both rivers, T&E

This guy caught three fishes, knew what two of them were but the third fish had no idea, never saw one like it before.

See the first picture

more pics coming

Camps in Baghdad

2005-10-23T13:14:00.000-05:00

This poster is hanging on the wall with the picture inside at the 1st Cav Headquarters, Ft Hood, Texas

In case you didn't know the movie WE WERE SOLDIERS was about the 2/7 Cav 1st Cav Div and was the first military unit to battle the NVA in Vietnam, around 200 men where KIA in this two day fight.

The following pictures shows some of the soldiers hooches around Baghdad.

Camp Griffin

Part of Camp Black Jack

If your lucky you get to live in one of these, notice the gravel it's every where. It is layed on top of the desert so you can walk and helps keep down the dust.

Another part of Camp Black Jack

Bad guys hooch, just one of them in Baghdad.

Their hooches are better than the ones myself and others lived in.

more pictures coming

Hurricane in Iraq

2005-10-21T17:52:00.000-05:00

Al-Asad, Iraq
May 05
60+ mph winds

Memorial in Babylon

2005-10-19T22:45:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of the coliseum taken when the US military first went into Babylon.

You can see other pictures of it in the other Babylon posts.

I almost forgot to do this.

The last picture is a memorial service on 16 Oct 04 for three soldiers of the 716 MP Battalion killed in Karbala, Iraq

Will explain what the a.b.c. means in another post

Underneath the blue writings is where Saddam H and his guest watch what ever took place in the arena or on stage

716 Military Police Battalion

Memorial on 16 Oct 04

for their three soldiers killed in Karbala, Iraq

Held at the Coliseum

Babylon, Iraq

Boom Booms

2005-10-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

The most dangerous killer

the IED

Blowing up a found IED in place

Air strikes

Hummer meets IED

All inside escaped with minor injuries

Friends of minds just walked away from these Hummers a few seconds before the IED went off. The bad guys just missed the timing. No one was hurt just scared the you know what at of them.

SFC Martinez with a 500 lb bomb. An Iraqi showed them where it was hid. There were 4 of them with an empty hole where one once was. They think the missing one was used to kill Spc Odems. More about him and others when I post a memorial site dedicated to the hero's I knew that gave it all.

Here are a couple of rockets that didn't go off, 57mm. Kind of makes you think when you walk outside of your hooch and see one these sticking in the ground at your front door.

These mortar rounds and the above rockets are one of the ordinances the bad guys use to shoot at us. Mostly they miss but sometimes they hit a target, a duck.

THE LIZARD

This guy is about 3 feet long, they get bigger and mean. Had to find a place to put up its picture and since it remind me of the F-you lizard in Vietnam seemed like a good as place as any with the IED's.

Will be jumping around from Camp Zulu, Babylon, Baghdad, Al-Kut and other places.

Memorial for our hero's coming soon

BAGHDAD #1

2005-10-18T07:46:00.000-05:00

Baghdad below

1st Cav HQ

North of airport

BIAP

The bad guys were shooting at us, top of the picture when we were landing, Apache gun ships took them out and a lot of booms before we got into the terminal below.

BIAP terminal

bottom floor, you can see throught it, is arrivial

2nd floor is departure

One of Saddam's Palace's in Baghdad

This one is by the airport, you can see it in the photo above.

My Buds

HHC C/111th En Bn Texas Nat'l Guard

Baghdad, Iraq by the Palace above

From Irving, Texsas

The rest of C/Co 111th Texas Nat'l Guard

more pictures in and around Baghdad coming

Sunrises and Sunsets in Iraq

2005-10-15T19:42:00.000-05:00

ONE OF THE THINGS I WITNESSED AND EVERYONE THAT HAS BEEN IN IRAQ:

The sunrises and the sunsets in Iraq which cannot be described and pictures does not show, can't think of words to say about the beauty of them both. The pictures below are both and the only way you can tell if it is a sunrise or sunset is to be there at that time because they look the same. Especially in the desert, like where Camp Zulu is and the full moon is another story, you could sit outside and read a book under the full moon.

These pictures tells their own stories

more pictures to come

Babylon, Iraq TOUR 4

2005-10-15T11:40:00.000-05:00

A. below A in the bare area is where tent city used to be.

B. below B and front of the walls is where the Polish hospital is located.

In the trailer park there was four rows of about six small house trailers in each row. No one lived in them, just a waste of money.

This is the entrance to the exam room for the Polish hospital in Babylon, Iraq. This Polish soldier is one of the armed guards and we became good friends. I tried to made sure every where I went that people with guns knows who I am so they would not shoot me because I was dressed a little different and carried funny looking weapons.

This is one of the tents I lived in while I was Babylon. The red letters on the right is my cot

The red X is the tent below. Picture taken from the coliseum.

The tent is in the courtyard of the coliseum, above picture. Open the door and turn right and you would see my bunk. I like this location in the tent because if you came inside without knocking you would get a big surprise from me and you would not like it. By the way that is an olive tree in front of the tent.

Will be posting more pictures from all over Iraq in the next few days, from Baghdad to the south of Baghdad.

Babylon, Iraq TOUR #3

2005-10-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

Saddam's southern Palace

you can see one of the mounds above it. See below

Old picture, a. Is Saddam's place, b and c are mounds where his son's were going to build their own big Palace and have a water way in between all three of them

Another old picture, a - the ruins. B - location of Saddam's Palm Date Tree, picture below, if you got caught picking dates off the tree or on the ground where they fell, Saddam had you killed. The white number 1 is the Euphrates river, picture below the tree.

I was told this tree had something to do with his family. This is why there is a concrete wall around it. When Saddam H and his sons would visit his Palace they would stop and walk up the steps to where I am standing and have a little ritual of some kind.

In the above Ariel picture the number 1 is the location of the picture taken below. To my left is one of two places we ate chow, the largest place. Behind me is an Iraqi looking at the strange fishes in the river. He knows what kind they are, I didn't ask. The fish was about a foot long, green and round about the size of a finger, the head was long like a sturgeon and had teeth and there were hundreds of them. I figured if you fell or jump in the river the mama and daddies of these fishes would more and likely would eat you, don't know. The white building across the river is a listen post where the Polish soldiers stayed. Below the building in the river is the boat. It was one them kind that sinks easily and you didn't need a life vest because the fishes would probably eat you anyway. By the way, this is a fast moving river at this point.

Old painting of what the artist thought the precession look like going through the Ishtar Gate.

This is the precession street headed towards the Ishtar Gate

The is the precession street headed towards the Euphrates river. Standing in the middle of them both.

The Ishtar Gate

The Iraqis call it the blue gate.

See how wide the gate is, not very wide. After you walk through the gate you would veer off to the right and you would see the precession street, above picture. That's Jamal you can barely see. He is the same Iraqi that didn't hit the ground like the rest of us at the start of a mortar attack and yelled Ala has come to get me. We grab him by his arm and as we were pulling him to the ground yelled back telling Jamal we are not ready for you to go just yet.

MORE PICTURES IN THE NEXT TWO OR THREE DAYS

Babylon, Iraq TOUR #2

2005-10-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

The Ukraine Soldiers are in the Sept archives

Testing the new look with these pictures of Saddam's Palace in Babylon

New pictures of Babylon coming forth

Left of the main entrance

picture below right

Mohamad and Sir Duck standing in the doorway below

do not know what this is. It is hanging in one of the stair wells like the painting to the right and it is huge.

Salvandorians and me. To the left of us is what you see below

Will be fixing this post in the next few days. More pictures of Babylon

Babylon, Iraq TOUR

2005-10-06T23:15:00.000-05:00

Will return to Camp Zulu, Iraq soon.

The Babylon, Iraq - TOUR

The pictures that where taken after I left Babylon are the first and third picture. It is very hard to get into Babylon at this time if you are not military. Babylon is 60 miles south of Baghdad and you would have to travel from Baghdad, which is very dangerous and the percentage of getting killed on the way is real good because you would be traveling on the most dangerous highway in the world. There is no place you can safely stay around Babylon and you would have to travel back to Baghdad. It will probably many years before tourist will be allowed back in Babylon because of the danger in getting there and having a place to stay. You cannot see eveything in Babylon in one day it took me four or five days. I am probably one of the few people, American, that has walked from one end of Babylon to the other and all places in between. Walking around in the ruins and seeing the name of Nebuchadnezzar on the bricks gave me a weird felling knowing this is the same place that is mentioned in the Bible. A lot of strange things happened when I was Babylon and after I left.

This is one of many that I can tell. There was little building behind the PX which was used as a storage place, have picture of the PX. Directly across the PX was the Chow hall when you walked out of the building after eating you were on the banks of the Euphrates river, have pictures. I am trying to give you a picture of the location. When we ate lunch we would go to this building and wait for the Iraqi workers finished their lunch and daily prayers. They had a place next to the building, we knew they wouldn't leave this place because the Polish soldiers would shoot them and they knew this. One day I was in our little building by myself and was looking around and I saw a book with a lot of dust on it. I picked it up and realized it was a Bible, I have never saw one like this before. It was like something guided me towards the Bible and to opened it, I couldn't believe that I opened it to the verse in the Bible about Babylon. I started to take the Bible with me but I had this feeling to leave it there, which I did. Don't know why but this is the first time I have mentioned this to anyone.

Also, I have a more extensive picture tour of the ruins of Babylon on a CD and if interested you can go to view my complete profile contact and email me or you can go to comments and do the same if you would like to have a CD. I will not post in this site because it is to big.

Numbers and letters below will give what is around them.

a. The town of Al-Hillah

b. below is the road to Hillah and one of two entrance to Babylon, will show picture of entrance later.

1. The road towards the lake and LZ (helo landing zone)

2. In the open area of the 2 there were aprox 50 trailers you lived in which no one did. The building to the right of the 2 was used as a vehicle maintenance for a military unit. If you look closely you can see the ruins by the 2.

3. The bottom curl of the three is a date palm tree that was Saddam H and if went near it or picked any dates from the tree you disappear and/or lose your head, have picture will show later. Very few people knows about the tree, my bud Mohammed told me. You can barely see the road that goes in front of the tree. If you went father to the right you would come to a fork which is the other road that surrounds the palace. When you finally get to the entrance to the palace door which is on the other side a you see the road end. The long hoizional black window on the palace building was Saddam H master bedroom. Directly below the window the Polish army had twin 40 mm gun (the twin barrel gun you see on ships in WW2 shooting at airplanes) sitting on a veranda above the three windows.

4. Below the 4 is a big mound, this is where one of Saddam H son was going to build a palace like his and have a water way built to it. The other son was going to do the same, his mound is to the left of Saddam H palace, have pictures will show later.

This picture was taken from the coliseum looking towards the palace and I waited a long time to take this picture.

a. Palace

b. Helicopter landing zone

c. Road to the LZ and the lake. You go left about 400 meters and you would run into the main road into Babylon from Baghdad

d. This is the fueling place for all of Babylon, last picture below

a. helo LZ landing zone

b. MP Headquarters, to the left of b is the tent by the river

c. building below c is the other chow hall, from c to f you can see part of the road going towards Baghdad

d. directly below d is the same road, below that is the road that surrounds the lake

e. you can hardly make out the little building which is a port-a-potty and the white spots below the e is where there was tables with umbrellas where you can take a break while walking around the ruins. Sometimes there was an Iraqi selling water and answering questions about the ruins.

f. to the right of the f is the coliseum.

a. Below a is the other road from the palace

b. Below b is an MP Headquarters and right behind is a big tent by the river, I stayed there a couple of nights, also have pictures will show later.

c. Below c is where we bought stuff from hodgee, Iraqi who runs a store or there something like it.

d. The famous lake and to the right is the little chow hall.

e. S-hook landing picture of it on the ground in the next picture

f. Below f is the top of the coliseum

a. To the left of a is the palace

b. helo LZ landing zone

c. Below c is the chopper in the above picture landing

d. Fuel bladders

e. Fueling stop

f and g are the beginning of the road that goes around the lake which was one way.

Will try and post more pictures every two or three days

Ukraine Soldiers at Camp Zulu, Iraq

2005-10-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Three pictures below of the Ukraine soldiers were involved in the Jan 9 incident where it took 8 Ukraine soldiers lives. I left off their names because I couldn't get hold of these soldiers families to ask permission to use their names.

You can go to the 9/25/2005 posting to read their names, I can do this memorial but I couldn't put a name with a face

We used this truck to get water out of the canal a few miles down the road from Zulu until a Ukraine officer was killed in it by an IED. The thing laying on the ground beside it is a 15,000 gal water bladder, there are four of them which two of them is where the dirty water went and two is clean water that went through our water treatment system.

Notice there are no windows and side mirrors on the truck. The little dots is where the shrapnel entered the truck and killed this Ukraine Captain, Capt Yuriy Ivanov, I can mention his name because there is no picture of him. The Captain wanted to drive the truck because it was new and they didn't have anything like in Ukraine. He went to the watering hole three times in a row at the same time each day, the third day is when he was killed by an IED. The blast blew the truck on it side and all the windows out of it including the side mirrors. When they brought his body back to camp the Commanding Officer ask us if we could build a coffin for him so they can ship his body home, which we did and there was a little ceremony for him afterwards.

The truck still drives good but it is hard to backup without side mirrors and we only drove inside the camp.

He was a Captain

Me and this guy came to become good friends. He told me I was his first American friend and I told him he was my first Russian friend. He was from Odessa on the Black Sea and was married and had two girls. What was strange he told me his father was a Pilot in the Russian military and flew Migs and was shot down over North Vietnam by an American Pilot during the Vietnam war. This is when he told me I was his first American friend. He like to drink cokes and I would always sneak a couple when we had them from the mess hall at chow time and give them to him. He would never take them and I always had to threaten to pour them out and then he would. He was a good man and I notice his fellow soldiers would always look up to him.

Another good friend, he was a member of the Russian Army Special Forces before joining the Ukraine army. He made a point one time to show me pictures of his family which I felt honored, there were about 30 pictures in a photo book. He had a good looking wife and I told him she could be a model in the USA, he laughed and said she already is one. There were pictures of his son who just graduated from a Russian military academe and pictures of the graduation and is now an Officer in the Russian army. There were other pictures and I thank him for letting me see them.

The last time I saw and talked to him was around one in the morning at Ukraine Headquarters in Camp Zulu which he was fixing lead the convoy I was in going to Al Kut, Iraq.

He was a strict Ukraine Officer and a professional soldier in everyway and am glad to be his friend

Camp Zulu, Iraq part 5

2005-10-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

The red thing by the trees on the left is part of a gas station and those are cars waiting in line. This road is the main road to Zulu from to the right, Baghdad, to the left Hillah. The thing that is parked is called a BTR, Russian APC (armor personnel carrier)
This is not my favorite thing to ride in.

It is like riding in a submarine on land with very little movement inside. The steel fence on the side with sand bags behind them is supposed to stop a RPG from tearing up the BTR. As long as the bad guys shoot just one not a bunch of them which sometimes they do and when that happens no more BTR and the people inside. Getting into Camp Zulu you have to ride in one of these things for about 5 to 6 hours if you cannot get a ride on a chopper. Camp Zulu is at the top of the list of dangerous places in Iraq to get to. A lot of people have been killed and wounded leaving and trying to get into Camp Zulu.

Inside Camp Zulu, Iraq

2005-09-30T07:24:00.000-05:00

Straight down this road is one of the entrance into the camp. Take a left at the white trailer and go about 300 meters is the other entrance. To the right of the truck for about another 100 meters is the other end. Behind the truck for about 25 meters is another end. This is to give you an idea the size of Camp Zulu, which in not very big. The tall concrete walls are called tee walls and they are supposed to protect the interior from mortar and rocket attacks. Behind the white trailer is the mess hall and to the right behind the walls are a couple of buildings is where some of the Ukraine soldiers live. The gap between the walls on the left is where the hospital is located and the beginning of the walls again is where the more Ukraine soldiers live.

Notice the tree far down the road, it will come into play in the next pictures.

Another picture of my hooch, where the a/c is and the picture below is looking at my hooch from the inside of the barriers where the U soldiers live. I wanted to show you how protected I was from mortar and rocket attacks, NONE. Behind my hooch is the end of the camp.

Straight ahead looking at the open building, my hooch is to the left, is where we had to build a coffin for one of the Ukraine soldiers, more about that later. The building on the left where the ladder is standing is where we keep the Iraqi workers during their lunch hour. In the gap in the walls in the next picture is where I took this picture.

The little building on top of the building is where the Ukraine snipers stay and there are a couple of weapons, 40 mm machine guns, you cannot see. Had to make this walk ever morning at 4:00 from my hooch to these walls (about 50 yards) to get ready for the up coming day with the snipers watching me. I had a little blue LED flash light and flashed it off and on a couple of times and if I didn't get a responds I would not move. Sometimes I would have to flash my light 4 or 5 times before someone saw me then they would flash their light a couple of times letting me know it is ok for me to move. This happened every morning and then I had another problem, our headquarters are in the building below where the snipers stay and there is a lock door with an armed guard sitting on the other side and I always forgot the pass word until I scared a Ukraine soldier one time by beating on the door waking him up and he nearly shot me. Needless to say I never forgot another pass word.

Notice the tree

Notice the trees. There are the only trees in this camp.

Notice the trees and the opening in the walls. A good look at the little building where the snipers stay. Down the road to the left is where the little green truck is parked in the top picture.

Looking out from Camp Zulu, Iraq

2005-09-28T11:15:00.000-05:00

THIS IS A SHORT POST

These pictures gives you an idea what you would see when you look at the surrounding area of the camp.

See the 9/8/2005 Camp Zulu posting for more pictures

More pictures coming soon and the two bad guys I guarded that had to go meet Ala (clean pictures)

Ukraine Soldiers Memorial for Camp Zulu, Iraq

2005-09-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

I knew these Ukraine Soldiers that where killed on 9 Jan 05 and some of them were my friends. I put this memorial together for them and the eight other soldiers-names don't know that where also killed at Camp Zulu.

All the after action reports I have read about what happened on 9 Jan had the same conclusion, the bad guys had set up an ambush that killed and wounded 19 Ukraine soldiers by Camp Zulu.

This is the least I can do for these soldiers and Jan 9th is a date I cannot forget because it is the birthday of someone I know that is real close.

The name of the unit which is an engineering unit

72nd Sep. Mechanized Battalion

Bolgrad

I asked these soldiers why they came to Iraq and each and everyone one of them said they volunteered. When I say they were killed at Camp Zulu, which they were, but not inside the camp. Camp Zulu is in the desert and they were killed near the camp. Pictures of the camp will be in the next post.

Iraqi desert

2005-09-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

C-130's over Iraq

Back one is dropping anti-missle flares to protect them.

What does the picture remind you of?

pictrue taker unknown

Will publish a new post soon.

Had to post this picture because of the hurricanes. Also, what is going on in Iraq.

Back to Baghdad, Iraq

2005-09-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

Notice: I will try and publish new pictures every three or four days.

99.8% of the pictures in these photo essays I took except the ones that I'm in and if I use a picture that I didn't take I will make it known.

We are lining up to convoy to Baghdad, I'm the one with the bandage on my right arm standing by the door, in these up-armorerd SUV's, which by the way is death trap if hit by an IED (improvised explosive device) or RPG (rocket propel grenade) but supposed to withstand small arms fire. The bad guys know this and they seldom shoot at these convoys with small arms. If they do their chances to see the sunset or sunrise again is very slim.

This is the main road that leds in and out to Baghdad from Babylon, see picture below in the back to Babylon posting. The Isthar gate is behind me down the road.

This is my SUV and we are a few miles from Baghdad and this Polish Army Major had to stop and deliver something to Camp Castle (US Army camp). The camp is about a half a mile to the right of the picture.

This is the most dangerous highway in the world and YOU DO NOT STOP! But this major did not want to travel this highway by himself. I can understand this but it was not mention, stopping, in the briefing before we left. The briefing is to get every body on the same page as what to do if we are attacked on the way to Baghdad and if it was mentioned, we would be stopping on this road, then we would have told the major he had better find another way in getting this package to this camp. I am not fond of the Polish army because of their arrogance and the way they handle things. One day at the entrance check point into Babylon a bad guy snuck up and threw a hand grenade over the barricades and the Polish soldier guarding the check point couldn't run fast enough getting away from there dropping his weapon on the way.

I went back to check, I'm on the right, how the others are doing and about stopping. The three guys down the road behind me are looking at the camp and watching the major's jeep in case they got attacked. We were stopped for about thirty minutes on a highway that reminds you of the highways back in the states but with an outcome that could be hazardous to your health.

Baghdad Sir Duck

1st Cav deployment to Iraq from Ft. Hood, Texas-January 2004.

The guy on my right, left of me in the picture, is Sergeant Major Brown. I have known him since he was the rear detachment SGM of the 4th Infrantry Div when the 4th ID went into Iraq in 2003. He was getting to his end of time in service and could have stayed with the 4th ID and retired. Instead he transferred to the 1st Cav Division knowing he would end up in Iraq which he did. The picture above was taken in Abrams gym at Ft. Hood where the big brass gives their soldiers a big send off. They have already said their goodbyes at another location to their families.

SGM Brown getting on the bus to the airfield for Iraq. Jokingly I told SGM Brown I would see him in Iraq. You can see his little grin, saying yeah right.

We put on an event to collect items for the soldiers in Iraq which was held in March 2004 at Porter's Army & Navy Store in Irving, TX.

The three ladies are from the 12th District American Legion Auxiliary in Ft. Worth, TX which has helped out not only at this event but other events in collecting stuff for our soldiers in Iraq. See the back to Babylon post below.

The soldiers behind me are from the Texas Nat'l Guard in Irving, TX and at this time they are in Baghdad, Iraq.

The smiling soldier over looking my white hat is SFC (Tex) Stadler. He brought this truck up from Ft. Hood to take the stuff we collect back to the 1st Cav Headquarters at Hood then ship the stuff to Iraq on their military transports. Even though Tex was leaving for Iraq in a few weeks he came up anyway. SGM Brown had left a month ago and they didn't know each other since both were attached to Headquarters, not just yet. SFC Stadler with G-5 (1st Cav liaison with civilian and others with HQ), SGM Brown with G-3 (1st Cav operations).

Even though it was cold and rainy that day in collecting stuff we still had a good turn out. The coolest thing I witness when both of us (Tex and me) was standing next to the truck he brought from Hood a little person (about 6 or 7 years old) was coming towards us with his daddy in tow and came to SFC (Tex) Stadler and stood at attention and saluted Tex and then said "when I grow up I am going to be a soldier just like you". SFC Stadler then stood at attention and saluted the young man telling him he will be an officer. I look at this little persons dad and I saw the proud look in his eyes. Then a car stopped by the truck with a lot of stuff in the car and as we were helping to unload the car a little old lady came up to me and thank me for what we are doing and I told not to thank me but the man wearing the desert uniform because in two weeks he will be in Iraq. She then looked at me with this sad look on her face with tears in her eyes. Tex was talking to the people that was with her and I finally got his attention to say something to this lady. When he did I could see a little smile on her face. More pictures of this event and other events will come later.

Tex fixing to get on the bus at Ft Hood, Texas going to the airfield to catch his ride to Iraq.

I told Tex the same thing I told SGM Brown when boarded, I will see you in Iraq, notice the same little grin as SGM Brown had.

This picture was taken at 1st Cav Headquarters - Ft Hood, Texas on the same day Tex left for Iraq. My brother Dean is on Tex's right and Capt Aleo is on my left.

Guess who showed up at 1st Cav Headquarters - Camp Victory North Baghdad, Iraq. You should have seen the look on there faces when I walked up to them. SGM Brown thought I was one of his men when he first saw me. You can't tell it but I just came from the desert and probably smelled like it. By the way that is Trigger behind us.

One of the PX,s (Post Exchange where you can buy stuff) in Camp Victory North - Baghdad, Iraq is behind me and to my right is a Burger King. The gazebo directly behind us is where you eat your hamburger. First you pay for what you want at little building and then walk up the stairs to pick up your order and to the gazebo to eat, there is no seating inside the Burger King. I walked out of the PX and was headed to HQ and saw some soldiers wearing the 1st Cav patch on their arm seating in this gazebo, there are about 7 or 8 of them in the area. I don't know why but something told me to stop at this particular gazebo. As I was talking to these guys one of them reached up and looked at my ID that is hanging around my neck. The next thing that took place just about floored me. The soldier (on my left in the picture) that looked at my ID said he had my Sir Duck's business card in his wallet which he pulled out and showed me. When I saw the card I remembered talking to him about eight months ago when he deployed to Iraq from Ft Hood, I made a lot of these deployments at Hood giving the soldiers, men and women, a good send off to Iraq representing the American Legion and the USO. During this time I tried to personally talk to many of the soldiers as I could and this is when I gave them the Sir Duck's card and told them if they need anything all they have to is either email or write me. I forgot to mention his name, Master Sergeant Anderson. He told me he was in one of the Striker Brigades and this was like a R and R for him and his men to come and get a Burger King hamburger. He told me they where not supposed to hear at this time and was scheduled to be hear tomorrow. I mentioned that a lot of weird things has happen to me in Iraq and this is one of them.

Change of pace, need to acknowledge some VIP's

The person on the left is Louise Childs - President of American Legion Auxiliary Post 218 and sitting next to her is my wife Carol.

The three ladies in the white tee shirts are with the Prayer Bears ministry are at Ft Hood delivering prayer bears to the troops.

From left to right: Terry Krawitz, Kirss Spykes, Michelle Blackmon

This organization, PrayerBears in partnership with other organization to send stuff to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan rates number '1'.

The web site for prayer bears: http://www.prayerbears.org click on the web site and see how you can help.

If it matters I did not take the above picture of these ladies.

From left to right: Steve Porter, Cindy Porter (Porters Army & Navy Store Irving, TX), Issac Howard (Fisher House Manager Ft Hood, TX) Nina Swing (Big K), and Sir Duck.

If you would like to help our soldiers that are harms you can send a donation to the Prayer Bear Ministries-web site above and/or Sir Duck: P.O. Box 171112, Irving, TX 75017

Back to Babylon, Iraq

2005-09-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

Saddam H built this coliseum on the spot where the original coliseum supposedly stood.

I am standing (maybe) in the area where Daniel had the problem with the lion many moons ago.

Off to the left of my shoulder is a soccer goal, the Polish soldiers play soccer here.

Top of the stadium, above my head, is where I took the picture below.

Looking down in the courtyard, picture below.

Notice the tents, I stayed in one on the other side of the courtyard, pictures later.

Looking back to where I took the above picture.

The building besides the top of the stairs is a stadium box and this is where Saddam H and his guest watched the events, pictures later.

The fourth column above is in front of the tent below.

Like the first American flag on the moon, this is the first and only American Legion Post in Babylon, Iraq, Post 218 and probably all of Iraq at this time.

I was the Commander of Post 218 (2003-2004) before I came to Iraq and turned down to run for the 2004-2005 year because I knew I was going to Iraq.

During my term as Commander, the American Legoin Family, citizens of Irving, Texas, citizens of the State of Texas, Cindy and Steve Porter of Porter's Army & Navy store-Irving,TX, my brother Dean Burkett and his wife Betty, and the Big K-Nina Swink (it would take a whole page to list all the names that helped, including New Mexico and all the states) in collecting and sending over 30,000 pairs of socks, around $130,000 or more in items our soldiers needed during first year of the war in Iraq.

Everyone that read this, 12th District Aux, and you all know who you are and the ones I didn't mention your name, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, I want to thank you in collecting the stuff above when I came to you and asked for your help. The only thing I did was I knew some people that could get the stuff to Iraq and you all did the rest.

During this time when I was in Iraq, I felt like I was representing you all and proud to know each and everyone of you because of what you all did and still do.

In my travels in Iraq I saw the soldiers reactions when they recieved something from strangers in the US and saw little tears. Then I realized the things we collected and sent to our soldiers during the first year how they felt. I never told any body over there what I was, Commander, and was part of sending stuff to the ones before them, I knew and that is all that matterd.

You all need to be reconized but I don't know how except this posting hoping a lot of people read it and be sure to pat yourselfs on your backs, someone needs too.

All these guys in the above picture were in Saddam's H army, they were thankful and held all of us in respect for defeating Saddam (didn't believe or trusted them watched them with my hawk eye instead of my duck eye).

I didn'd trust the Iraqi standing on the left of the picture, I always called him ala baba, bad guy-not thief, and he would laugh. Until I came through Babylon one day and saw him. When I got out of the vechile he was standing beside one of our guys and said something to him then came running over to where I was. The way he was running towards me I through I was going have to hit him when he came up to me and was waving something in his hand. When he came closer I reconized it as the American Legion Auxiliary patch Jennelle Allen-5th District President of the Auxiliary at that time-gave me. I carried this patch in my pocket through 4 or 5 different countries and had lost it. He told me he found the patch after I left Babylon and knew it belong to me and I would be back. He said he carried it in his pocket knowing this and when he handed it to me I reached in my pocket and gave him 20 dollars, this is a weeks pay for him. He handed the 20 back to me and told me he made sure I got the patch back because I was his friend and could not accept the money. After threatening to shoot him if he didn't take the 20, jokingly, he took it.

Jannell Allen now has the patch

10 minutes after the above picture was taken we came under a mortar attack. The Iraqi on my left, name is Jamal, stood still after everybody including me hit the ground yelling Ala has come to get him. I reached up and grab him by his arm telling him I am not ready for him to go just yet as I pulled him to the ground.

In case you didn't know and/or expected my Editor and spell checker are both DRUNK!

Camp Zulu, Iraq

2005-09-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

This was a truck stolen by the bad guys loaded with bombs from the ammo dump and tried to drive it into Camp Zulu's main camp site. Of course they didn't make it. Everybody was waiting for them. Notice the un-exploded bombs laying on the ground. By the way could not find the bad guys, just part of a shoe.
DON'T FORGET TO READ
THE POST BELOW

Camp Zulu, Iraq

2005-09-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

Camp Zulu, Iraq
Camp Zulu is approx 20 miles south of Baghdad in the Wasit Province of Iraq (also in the triangle of death) and was commanded by the Ukraine army, part of the coalition forces. The army main objectives were to guard and blow in place the munitions in the 22 square mile ammo dump that was part of Saddam Hussein army. The other largest ammo dump is in Tikrit, Iraq north of Baghdad.
At Camp Zulu there were from 3 to 5 hundred soldiers in the camp and about 20 Filipinos who did the cooking, also ten Americans which over saw the day to day activities of the camp. One of the jobs was to coordinate with the coalition military in getting supplies in the camp and another one of the main jobs was to watch, guard, and protect the Iraqi workers from getting killed while they did their job in and outside the camp.
There were 14 Ukraine soldiers and 6 Americans killed at Zulu while another 15 were wounded, Americans and Ukraine. I personally new most of the ones that were killed. The number of Iraqis killed and wounded is unkown-classified.
Camp Zulu, Iraq was turned over to the Iraqi army on August 13, 2005 by the coalition forces headed by the Polish army.

This is the main entrance into Camp Zulu. There is a two lane road about 1/4 of mile behind us in the tree line. Take a right and you will end up in Baghdad. Take a left and you will end up in Al-Hillah, this is where most of the Iraqi workers come from. You will come to a bridge going in either direction and the bad guys like to booby trap the bridges just to let us know who controls the roads around Camp Zulu. This was one of the reasons we had a hard time in getting re-supplied because the roads were too dangerous to travel.

This Ukraine soldier above is back in his country after doing a 6 month tour, he also did a tour in Afghanistan where he was wounded in the hand. They can volunteer to come back to Iraq after they go home which a lot of them do. ($600 a month is their monthly pay in Iraq)

This guy was one of the meanest Ukraine soldiers I had ever meet. We didn't get along a first because he pointed his AK (rifle) with it on fully auto a couple of feet from the face of the Iraqi next to me when he passed through the gate. (painted red and white behind us) The way he was speaking to the Iraqi in Russian I throughout he was going to shoot him and if he did there was a possible chance I would get shot too. After yelling a few choice words in Russian and English to put his weapon on safety and telling the Iraqi to get back on the other side of the gate he finally put it on safety and pointed it up in the air. A Ukraine officer saw what happen and came up to us and asked me if I wanted to press charges against this soldier because he throughout he pointed the weapon at me. I told him no that I didn't want to get shot if he shot the Iraqi. He mumbled something and walked off and when the other Ukraine soldiers saw what happened they sort of made friends with me.

I understood why this soldier did what he did because the night before six Ukraine soldiers were killed in an ambush down the road towards Baghdad, these soldiers were headed home.

We are facing the picture below, from the gate to this arc way is about 30 feet.

This arc, we call it the arca, is the gateway to Zulu which is about 2 and 1/2 miles down the road on the left and about 3 more miles is the beginning of the 22 square mile ammo dump. This is the beginning of the desert and the 2 and 1/2 miles to camp is no mans land and the bad guys sometimes like to shot at you but not offend. We are hear to pick up the Iraqi workers and escort them to Zulu hopefully safely. But sometimes that doesn't happened. Generally there were 20 to 30 Iraqis we had to pick up with one truck, you can barely see it behind the barrier on the left (white) and we let the Iraqis drive a couple of their vans to the outside of the camp, picture below. This is where a problem took place in no mans land between the arca and Zulu. We had a van full of Iraqis (7) ran off and left us at the arca racing to the camp by themselves. In the road stationed on the outside of the camp was a BTR (Russian amored personnel carrier) and the main gun is a 30mm auto gun and the soldiers inside seeing a lone Iraqi vehicle coming towards them at a high rate of speed, enough said.

Someone had to go to the main gate (arca) to pick up the Iraqi workers every day 7 days a week and escort them to Zulu.

A day in Iraq is like three days state side. The day of the week does not matter only the time of day. Friday to the Iraqis is like our Sundays and at Camp Zulu that didn't matter either.

Landing at Camp Zulu in a Polish chopper. The helo pad was outside because there was no room for it land inside the camp. The building on the left side of the picture was part of S. Hussein's military. This was an Iraqi army base and all the buildings are scattered over the 22 sq miles, very few of them are close together.

Top left of the picture is the arca, main entrance, there are two at the camp. One is kinda centered left and the other is behind the white buildings.

I'm on the western side of the camp setting up an lemonade stand for the bad guys. A glass cost one bullet. Camp Zulu is in the center of the picture and if you look hard enough you can see some antennas, left centered. Which will be in the picture below. If you did a 360 deg it look like some of the pictures I saw of Mars.

The antennas, this is where we kept an Iraqi spy inside the tent listening to communications traffic in the AO (area of operations) of Zulu. The Iraqi workers in camp didn't know what he looked like because we meet him on the road to Baghdad and brought him in a vehicle with tented windows. This is one of the reasons the bad guys like to shoot at us. I mean rocket and mortar attacks and if they are crazy enough sniper fire. If you look down the sand bag line you can see a black dot of something sitting on top, well that is on the top of my hooch (living quarters, picture below). It is a big round antenna which eventually after a rocket attack was mounted on the ground. (to big of a target) Down butter is the other entrance into the camp.

I am on top of a gun tower looking at the antennas in the middle of the picture which are the same ones in the previous picture. My hooch is on the right in the middle of the buildings. The white pickup, one the vehicles I drive is fixing to go out the gate. By the way this gun tower is always vacant, it is supposed to trick the bad guys thinking someone is in it.

The antennas, my hooch is the one with the Texas flag hanging on the door. (8x8x20 metal shipping container-ten feet of it was mine 8x8x10 what I called home.)

More of Camp Zulu later

Coming soon

2005-09-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

Coming soon Camp Zulu
be sure and read the post below
Babylon, Iraq

Sir Duck

2005-09-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

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Babylon, Iraq-south of Baghdad

2005-09-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

To all that are reading this stuff for the first. It is best to scroll down to the end of this page and beginning reader the posts upward.

Will try and post new pictures with comments every day.

At this time only I will be able to post new stuff every third day

This is one of two entrances into Babylon, Iraq. The Iraqi workers from Al-Hillah, Iraq which is about two miles up this road come through. Farther up the road which you cannot see the barriers is where Polish soldiers first search the Iraqis before they are allowed to pass down the road which is about 300 meters to the next check point on the left. Then they are allowed to proceed to where the white vehicle is in the left of the picture and wait for someone to come and picked them up. You can't see them but there are armed Polish soldiers watching the Iraqis and if they tried to walk away from this area there is a possibility the soldiers will shoot them. Only foot traffic is allowed with the exception of certain vehicles down this road.

This is the other entrance into Babylon and is what you see after you pass through the barricades and check points guarded by the Polish army. You can't see it but a the end of this road is the Isthar Gate, pictured below. This is the entrance you would use if you came from Baghdad and/or going to Baghdad which is a two and half hour ride in a convoy passing through little villages before you get on the main highway to Baghdad. The blue thing down the road on the right of the picture is a port-a-potty, the Iraqis called them little blue houses and they use them. A sign is on the door written in Arabic and English are the ones the Iraqis can use. An incident happen one day and I needed to go to a blue houses in a bad way. There were about six or eight in a row where a couple of them had this sign on it. I went to one that didn't have one of these signs on it and opened the door to go inside and meet an Iraqi face to face except I had to look up at him, what he was doing was standing on the part you set down and he scared you know what out of me. I hollered and he hollered and then I slammed the door shut on the blue house. There were loud banging noises going on inside and I figured I had better go down a few more blue house away from this one because a mad Iraqi might come out of it looking for me. What happened is when I slammed the door shut he jump up and hit his head on top of the blue house, thinking I shot him, and semi knocking himself out and was trying not to fall in the hole making the banging noise, this is what he told the medic because he cut his head when he hit the top of it and had to have it bandage. When the story got to me I laughed and told no one that it was me that slammed the door on the Iraqi letting the story go down in one of the many tales in Iraq.

I shared a tent with three others in the courtyard of the coliseum and one of the them told my there were about 300 blue houses in Babylon, he knew because he oversaw an Iraqi crew that clean them every day.

One evening I was telling this story to the guys in the tent about a 19 yr old kid from Arkansas I meet in the hotel I was staying at in Houston. What brought my attention to him was he was in the lobby with a bunch of other people trying to tune his guitar which wasn't going to well. I went over and told him I would tune it for before people around him lose their hearing. After I tuned it and played a few blues riffs, naturally he wanted me to show him how to play them which I did and every time I ran into him he would always hand me the guitar to play the blues stuff. He carried it all the time and what was strange he would lay it down or put it in a chair and walk off, it was never stolen.

Around the hotel I keep hearing this story about this young kid on his way to Afghanistan stopping in Paris, France to change planes and handing his passport to the stewardess and she never handed it back to him which caused the French police to arrest him. After he spent three days in a French jail the U.S. Embassy finally came and got him. I bet you guessed it already, the kid with the guitar was the kid arrested. The kid, forgot his name, told me what happen in Paris. That he had been no farther than 20 miles from his home in Arkansas which he referred as the back woods in his life and he was stupid because he didn't ask any question. He told about about being in a cell with two others barely enough room to lie down and when the U.S. Embassy came and got him that they threaten to leave him there if he didn't shut up yelling at the French police, I imagine they were glad much less his roommates to see him go and from what he told me he yelled at them all the time. I asked him about all his gear since it was on the plane headed to Afghanistan. He just shrugged his shoulders and said it was gone and would have to buy the replacement gear. Before I could finish telling the story about this kid, one of the guys (the one who had the crew in cleaning the port-o-potties) spoke up and said that was his son. I just nearly fell over, Iraq just shrunk. Of all the places I could have went to and I wasn't supposed to be here in Babylon in a tent where I stayed a month earlier running into the father of the kid from Arkansas. We both laughed and he said his kid finally made to Afghanistan and all his gear in that was in Paris was there and now he had two sets. The father, don't remember his name either, told me when he went to Houston to chew out his son and to give him some money to buy the replacement gear, I told him I heard him chewing out his son but I didn't get to close to both of you I just saw your back, he laughed and said this is weird. I shook hands with him and the other guys and told them they would not see me when they wake up in the morning. That I was leaving on a night convoy to Baghdad and will not be coming back unless something else strange happens. This is just one of the strange events that took place when I was in Babylon, more events will come later. The Ishtar Gate: click on this web site to read about the Ishtar Gate http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaThe_Ishtar_Gate.htm
It tells about Nebuchadnezzar ll building the gate during his reign (604-562 BC). Saddam Hussein had the gate reconstructed and it is the entrance to the ruins of Babylon. Pictures will follow later.

Sir Duck standing at the entrance to the Babylon ruins. The temperature that day in Babylon - 135 deg.

Kuwait to BIAP con't

2005-09-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

To all that are reading this stuff for the first time. It is best to scroll down to the end of the page and read upwards. Because the beginning of the postings start from the bottom and follow suit up. Will be adding pictures and stories that go along with them every day.
Let me know what you think. At the end of the posting there is a place you can add you comments.
Just click where it says comments.
Sir Duck

Start of the Tigris river and the Persian gulf headed in Iraq

Iraq and the mouth of the Tigris river

Tent city outside of Baghdad and the desert south of Baghdad

This is a Bosnian friend of mine sleeping, all of us had little sleep because of all the moving from place to place in Kuwait before heading to Iraq, next to me on the plane to Iraq (1 Sept posting). His name, I never could pronounce much less spell it and he always told me was to call him Jazzman since it sounded like his last name. (Later I found out while I went to different places in Iraq there usually was a few Bosnians there and one of them was always called Jazzman, come to found out this name is like Smith to us)
Jazzman, myself, and a couple of others got together in Amsterdam after our flight from Houston (12hrs) to watch out for each other in the airport since we had a eight hour layover to Kuwait. During this time Jazzman told me about himself and his family and the reason he was going to Iraq.
He started to tell me about his time in the Bosinan Army and about being wounded during that war and the lost of some family members. I could see the sad look on his face and I needed to change the subject. I asked him about his family and he showed me pictures of his wife and his two little girls (6 and 9) which brought a little smile on his face. Leaving his family for Iraq was hard since he never has been out of that little country let alone away from his family.
Getting to Iraq for Jazzman was a story in it self.
Jazzman never did explain how he got the job in Iraq but he did tell me about the travel from Bosnia. If you didn't know Bosnia is about a four hour flight to Iraq from Bosnia. In his broken English, by the way is better than some Americans, said he had about two months to prepare and learn how to speak English better.
First of all, he flew to New York City from Bosnia refueling in Germany. Then he flew to Houston to get the training and stuff to get in Iraq. About the stop offs in these cities, he couldn't stop talking how big the cities where. He had this saying for everything (unbelievable) good or bad. Jazzman couldn't understand why he was flown from the other side of the world-Bosnia to Houston-back to that side of the world-Iraq and I could not explain it either.
When we got to Baghdad he went one way and I went the other. I ran into him a few days later south of Baghdad in a place called Babylon (two and halve hours in a convoy) and this is where I learned to go to the bathroom before you leave and don't drink any water, you know what I mean, because bad guys like to shoot at you when you're stop on the road.
We had a good laugh about getting into Iraq and I would talked to him again a few weeks later when I passed through Al-Hillah going to Baghdad.
Sorry to say Jazzman was wounded in a convoy going to Diwaniyah south of Al-Hillah by an IED (improvised explosive device) a few weeks later and died of his wounds a month later.

Baghdad Airport (BIAP) from the air, the driver of the plane is corksrewing the plane down for landing, this is harder for the bad guys to lock a missile on the plane, sometimes they just wait until it lands then shoot at it. (read the 1 Sept posting) Riding this thing down wasn't that bad, kinda made me a little dizzy until I saw Saddam Hussein's Palace (picture below) when we leveled out for landing. When I saw the Palace I had to unbuckel my seatbelt to take a picture of it before we passed it up. The short little chubby mean looking guy (our Russian steward) was talking to the drivers of the plane before he went to his seat for landing and saw me out of my seat,my seat was behind the drivers with our gear in front of me, taking pictures. He said something in Russian, couldn't hear him because of the roar of the plane's engines, I answered him back in Russian (@#$%) and he just grunted and went to his seat. When I took the picture below I knew there was a few seconds to get my seat belt on before touch down. From the time I took the picture of the airport until we landed seemed like it took only a few minutes.

Saddam Hussein's Palace next

to Badhdad Airport's runway

Charlie Co, 111th Texas Nat'l Guard from Irving, TX

is somewhere by and/or living in the Palace

Baghdad International Airport (BIAP)

2005-09-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

Inside BIAP terminal
Upper level - departing

This is a follow up from the posting below - Kuwait to Baghdad.

Read Kuwait to Baghdad first.

This is the departing level (upper) at Baghdad airport (BIAP). The lower is the arriving level. The Baghdad terminal is like terminal B at DFW airport but without people.

Leaving Baghdad is like arriving, generally your group are the only ones in the terminal because the airport is closed to commercial travel.

Generaly there is shop open on the departing level where you can buy drinks or Iraqi stuff and a duty free shop where you can buy booze or beer - yes; they sell booze ($30 - liter of Jack Daniels) and beer ($60 for a case of Heniken) in Baghdad. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed on US military camps in Iraq but is allowed on coalition camps; camps controlled by Polish, Ukraine armies.

Unlike arriving at BIAP where you know you were shot at during landing like we were because the helo gunships took out the ones that were shooting at the plane at that time. One of the ways you would know if you were shot at during take off is when the plane is shot down; not good. Coming and going from BIAP you say a little prayer and cross your fingers and hope the bad guys don't have a kings X. Not only this pertains to flying but leaving the airport in a soft shell (not a uped-armour) vechile to a so called safe area and then to your destination. Traveling any where in Iraq on the roads is seriously dangerous without any armed escorts. You asked the question the first time you traveled in these armed convoys waiting to get shot at and/or having a IED (improvised explosive device) take out part of the convoy while traveling in Iraq; what am I doing here? Actually the question was all ready answered when I volunteered to go to Iraq and it came up when the person next to me in the vechile asked the question when an IED went off three vechiles in front of us. No one was injured because of the timing of the explosion. The bad guys timed it wrong as the brunt of the blast went between two vechiles which the blast immobiled them but the riders were OK except they kind of stunk when we pulled them out of the vechiles. A friend of mine was one of the passengers and when we pulled him out he looked at me and he said it wasn't him. I told him thats OK your riding on the hood.

Going through the villages and the towns seeing little kids come up to the road side or standing where they are smiling, waving, and giving us the thumbs up sign put a lump in my throat wishing we could stop and give this kids something but that was imposible because of the impending hostilities against us; maybe one day.

Kuwait to Baghdad

2005-09-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

Will get back to the group picture of me and the Ukraine soldiers later.
In the meantime, here is a picture of our ride to Baghdad.

The right side of the plane where you see a little dark opening is where they loaded our gear and I sat at the window behind the gear with my feet prop up on the gear and took a few pictures from the window which you will see later.

As we approached the plane the guy behind me pointed out one of the front tires was bald and I told him to look at the back tires and it was a match with the front tire.

When I boarded the plane I saw two guys dressed in dirty cover alls and a short little chubby mean looking guy standing in the back of the plane. When we all got on board (15 of us) the two guys dressed in dirty cover alls came to the front and one sat down on the pilot seat and the other the co-pilot seat, they were the drivers of the plane and the little chubby mean looking guy was the steward and to top that off they were Russians. I guess it made sense because this was a Russian plane.

I was glad to get out of Kuwait, it was to hot temp wise-153 deg F, and into Iraq where it was cooler, 135 deg F even though I was flying in a strange plane with strange people driving it and without a parachute.

Come to find out later this was the same crew that refused to fly us into BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) in the beginning because they got shot at every time they flew in there.

After going to Kuwait Airport three days in a row at 0400 to catch a ride to BIAP I guess the Russians gave in because of the heat, doubt it, and off we went.

This time wasn't any different for this crew flying us into BIAP. I didn't realize we were getting shot at until we landing and got off the plane. As I was walking towards the terminal, about 300 meters from the plane, I heard explosions behind me by the runway we just landed. There were two Apache gunships circling like buzzards firing at something on the ground which blew up. Welcome to Iraq.

Sir Duck in Iraq

2005-08-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

Coming soon, Sir Duck's adventures in Iraq.
(bottom row, 2nd from the left)