Photos from the past few months

Hey everybody -- I know posting has been sparse over the last few months but these pictures should bring you up to speed. Captions are posted below. Some have been edited for operational security purposes. Enjoy!

Waiting to leave Washington for Afghanistan

Passing time at Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan

I almost threw up on this guy. My stomach does not take kindly to helicopter flights.

Aerial shots I managed to take between the episodes of extreme nausea.Our new home.

My 12,000-pound bank vault on wheels.
Maybe we should have had the Germans or Japanese design the interior.
Checking the progress of my beard.

Getting ready for a drive.
I don't leave the base without any of these.

Combat Life Saver Training

I had the opportunity to complete the Army's Combat Life Saver (CLS) class as part of our pre-mobilization festivities. The last test involves starting an IV on a fellow soldier. I was fortunate to have a very competent partner who only needed one try to get the IV going when it was his turn to try on me (it took me four on him -- sorry Bruce). He took a split second too long to apply pressure further up the vein, though, so we got a little spurt of blood on the table.

The joys of Utah winter

Picture below edited for OpSec.

Lehi, Utah-The beginning of Training

Looking all studly in his goggles!

Marching a 5 mile march in Lehi, Utah in the snow. Graham's helmet with snow in it.

I'm Predicting an Afghanistan Troop Surge

This is only the beginning:

Wall Street JournalJanuary 15, 2008 Pg. 2
Pentagon Moves To Deploy More
Troops To Afghanistan
By Yochi J. Dreazen
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed off on a proposal to send additional troops to Afghanistan, and a formal Pentagon announcement will be made as early as today, according to people familiar with the matter.

The decision effectively guarantees that 3,200 more Marines will deploy to Afghanistan to bolster the U.S.-led international force there. Mr. Gates will discuss the plan with President Bush before issuing final deployment orders, but an administration official said the president was certain to endorse the proposal when he returns from the Middle East this week.

I just wanted to throw that out there, since my near prophetic predictions are almost always right in this regard. I'm also going to make a prediction that this surge will impact my life in the upcoming year. ;)

I called it six months ago... "Admiral Mullen" is an idiot and a coward

Gitmo Should Close, Chairman Of Joint Chiefs Says
Prison's reputation has hurt image of U.S., Mullen says
By Associated Press
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL
BASE, Cuba — The chief of the U.S. military said Sunday that he favors closing the prison here as soon as possible because negative publicity about treatment of terrorism suspects has been "pretty damaging" to the image of the United States.
"I'd like to see it shut down," Adm. Mike Mullen said in an interview with three reporters who toured the detention center with him. It was his first visit since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October.

Uh, oh, the U.S.'s public image is damaged? Stop the presses! We have to make this right so we will be highly regarded in the eyes of the international community!

So where will the detainees being held there go, "Admiral" Mullen? Some will go back to Saudi Arabia, where they were originally from. What will the Saudi government do to them? (Don't answer that, Mikey, because your military interrogators aren't even allowed to imply that they would return a detainee to a country that would torture or kill them). And where will the Afghans go? Back to Afghanistan to re-join Al Qaeda and the Taliban, right? Genius! Coalition servicemembers and Afghans will get to re-engage these terrorists, hopefully before they plant some IEDs or mortar a Coalition FOB.

Seriously, Mikey, keep the great ideas coming.