Last Modification to Site: Aug
9, 2011!
Well back in a sub-camp of the sprawling Victory Base Complex (VBC). Place is visibly 'drawn done' in
the year I was gone. To paraphrase the song: "The times they are becomming quite different." Settling
in with new environment. Have a private room and share a bathroom which is luxury defined, compared to my first trip over
here.
Timeline to Date: 3 Years 0 month: Iraq.
4
Months: Afghanistan.
Well did not plan this
third trip over here as I have not 'planned' any of these trips but here I am. Just got back from my Vacation after 134 days
'ON'. Went on a sample 'Will I like it' 7-Day Cruise and it was great. Neat to open drapes and bang a new City is there. Spent
the rest of the 28 days in Dubai and as a Tourist note, it costs some Coin to spend three weeks in a 5-Star Hotel. But
was great and the 'Sample Cruise' will probably be followed by a 14 Day Cruise along the Med. and see Greece, Spain, (Alexandria
if it cools down), and Gibralter. To be honest this seems like the Dr. Seuss book: "Oh the Places you will go!' (Or something
like that!) Anyway Thanks for reading and Vicky (note the spelling) I had a Blast and look forward to next time!
Nice to see from Cruise Ship Balcony in Muscat, Oman. Warm &Fuzzy combined with Lump in Throat Feeling.
Go NAVY!
As with all transitions there is aprehension and doubt but I did want to work in what Kipling
called 'The Great Game' and also called: 'The Graveyard of Empires'. Hopefully the U.S. and Coalition can effect positive
change and hope, to that land divided by Tribal clans, where loyalities and alliances shift like the
tide while vendettas and blood feuds last for generations. Wish me luck and will post a pic once there. A friend who served
there while in the Army and is a Network Administrator gave me this link of Camp Phoenix:
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=12641245227257186955&q=phoenix,+kabul&hl=en
Actual SNOW in winter so looking forward to that (I think). In any event easier to put warm clothes
on when cold than to remove clothing during a 125 degree Baghdad Summer. The change will be interesting.
______________________________________________________
THANK YOU ALL OF YOU, Friends and Family who listened to complaints, supplied Green Tic-Tacs and all forms of
Electronic Support!!
Vice President Biden came to Camp Victory over July 4th. Link of meet/greet
from www.CNN.Com is:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/07/04/biden.visits.troops.cnn?iref=videosearch
Well Stephen Colbert of "The Colbert Report" did four shows at
the Al Faw Palace. President Obama ordered General Odinero to make Mr. Colbert's hair match those of his audience!
Here's the link, please watch!
http://www.colbertnation.com/home?sicontent=1&sicreative=3259883290&siclientid=1838&sitrackingid=75568945&gclid=CO72qLWH_JoCFZkA4wodjgl0sA
NOC undergoing a 'retro-refit' so technological chages are following the political and resultant
military changes. Fascinating time and AGAIN beats a grey-cube anytine!
Back
in the groove for the most part. NEW to all this social networking but Facebook appears to be the Forum for my upcoming 30th
High School Reunion. Doubtful can attend but can vist with and read about the upcoming festivities and that makes it
seem that much closer! Thanks to all who are working to make BCHS class of '79 reunion a fun and memorable event!!
Well as the singer wrote: 'The times they are a becoming somewhat different.'
Well its been a year! I've decided to stay a while longer as there seems to be an election coming and the two
candidates are of somewhat different minds about all things Iraq. The 'trial of middle age crisis' on my part is over. However,
since it'll be the same 'pain' to get all my belongings out of storage today as opposed to day-month-year-to-be-determined
I've decided to stay and see how the elections and new policies that come from whoever wins manifest themselves over here.
I want to thank the 1500+ visitors I've had from Sept 7, 2007 to Sept 7, 2008 and hope
you come back for the 'ride' as I try to post what has become the most fascinating time of my life. (Not hard as I spent 20+
years in a various Dilbert-grey-felt-cube mazes doing 'regular' IT work).
Thanks again,
please keep visiting, drop me a line and NEVER forget to support these wonderful soldiers we have here and abroad. Vote come
November! We at home drink from wells we did not dig, are warmed by fires we did not make and are sheltered by walls we did
not build. I know as I've seen the folks here who did all that. They are trying to do that for the folks here as their predecessors
before them did for us back home to EARN our Freedom and ability to Vote.
A very good book about the United States and its relations in the Middle
East is “Power, Faith and Fantasy”, by Michael Oren. It’s in paperback now available from Amazon et al and
at 800+ pages a bit of a tome but meticulously documented/footnoted and deals with Thomas Jefferson and Barbary Pirate issue
of Muslim ‘Musselmen’ in late 1700’s of ‘Shores of Tripoli’ fame till now..
_________________________________________________
Around June, 2007 I was contacted by a company called ITT out of Colorado Springs, Co. They
were looking for IT folks and this recruiter's area was Iraq. ITT is contracted by the U.S. Army to staff various roles for
a year contract per individual. Being 45 about to be 46 and also being divorced, no children except two (now one) cherished
pooch (see Dog page) I said yes.
See: http://www.ittsystems.com/
If: Single (or want to be), Staving off a mid-life crisis, Like the idea of spending
a year in a far-off exotic locale - and your not fleeing prosecution, and lastly wonder what really is going on 'round these
here parts, then contact ITT and tell'em Joe sent you!
As
a consequence the last two pages of this five-page manifesto will be re-focused towards my experiences of being in what is
universally recognized to be the cradle of civilization. It has seen more strife than any other two countries in its 7000+
year history and today is no exception. (The news can't seem to talk about anything else...)
As this site is Hosted by a third party I do not have access to Frontpage or other 'Bell and Whistle' tools.
Nothing in recent recorded History has changed, altered, for better or ill the life and behavior of people than
Computers. It ranks among: Fire, Inclined Plane, Wheel, Gutenberg printing press, Gunpowder, Electricity and the Cotton Gin.
Add the integration of the first global cybernetic communications infrastructure and it is indeed among the top.
So here is an abbreviated 'goings on' over here and I would VERY MUCH ask for a letter or two
from friends and family and even the occasional accidental browsers. I have no meta-tags for this site but it does get far
more hits than my target audience of Friends and Family would account.
One
bit of mutual synchronicity was an ex-Military fellow Googling one Professor Charles Wheeler in anticipation/fortification
of taking his General Physics class and ran across my site. We traded emails and turns out he was an ex-Victory Base Camp
guy and we traded notes on each others upcoming experiences..I was to avoid the red/white shakes at DFAC by exit and he was
to avoid wearing Red during Tennessee v Alabama week!
A true mutual service!
Thank You!
I
can be reached at:
JGWhitsonJr@Gmail.com
Joe.Whitson@NTMI-Gtt.NATO.Int
JGWhitsonjr@Mindspring.com
JWhitson@Vizadanetworks.com
And rarely at this sites Email: Joe@JoeWhitson.com
And as have made contact from my High School buddies I've a 'space' at:
Face Book under Joe Whitson
So as I've
stated because this is not Hosted locally by myself no 'Java' no '.Asp' or applets of any kind.
As the Bard said:
'Brevity is the soul of wit' therefore this is all for now. I hope to add new things as time allows. Please feel free to let
me know what you think.
Take Care and Thanks for Visiting!
Joe
