Iraqi Air Force General assassinated

I received some sad news today from the head Nurse here at JBB.  I went to Baghdad with her and a small group of 6 people back in March.  I had recently posted some of the pictures from our trip.  Unfortunatly, the deputy commander of the Iraqi Air Force that we met on that trip was assassinated yesterday.

Here is the article:

BAGHDAD, April 28, 2011 (AFP) - Gunmen using silenced pistols shot dead

a senior Iraqi general in Baghdad on Thursday, an official said, the

latest in a spate of assassinations of top military and civilian

officials. 

The killing of Brigadier General Mohammed Alaa Jassim was the fourth of

a senior Iraqi official in the past week, with at least three others

having narrowly escaped death in that time.

Jassim, the deputy commander of the Iraqi air force's Al-Muthanna base

in central Baghdad, was in his car on a busy thoroughfare in the

Ghazaliyah neighbourhood in the capital's west when he was killed, an

interior ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The group of us who went to Baghdad had the honor of meeting, having lunch and spending an afternoon with General Mohammed and his Iraqi Air Force troops who were being trained by our medical technicians at Victory Base in Baghdad.  General Mohammed was very charismatic, shared a lot of life stories with us in his office while we were there then invited us to come back for lunch with him.  He told me I had a beautiful smile and to never stop smiling.  He also gave me a china tea cup from him office before we left to remember my trip by.  He was trying to instill the US Forces way of life onto his Iraqi Air Force troops and was very passionate about making Iraq a great country.  I am thankful to have gotten to meet him, and see the work the U.S. forces and Iraqi Air Force are doing jointly to make Iraq a better place.

I will never forget General Mohammed and thank him so much for everything he did trying to make his country a better place! 

March and April come and go.....

Hello from JBB! March has come and gone and April is almost over! Whew! We've been working hard 6 days a week, 10 hrs a day but here are some of the more "exciting" events from the past few months!



                                                        This fish a soldier had while

being treated here at JBB many years ago, the soldier unfortunately didn't survive.  The hospital is trying to get the fish back to his wife and child back in the states since JBB is closing.

 This is what the dust storms look like when they start rolling in.  I didn't take this photo.  We have to wear goggles, face masks helmets and all sorts of gear to keep the dust/sand/dirt out of our mouths/eyes/ears.  It's gross....and the dust covers everything for days!

 Here is me and my co-worker Linda getting to practice shooting at the range.  We are required to carry weapons here now, but this is the only place were allowed to actually have the magazine and ammo in the weapon.



Opening Ceremony



 JBB did a Relay for Life walk on 26-27 March. We put a team together that was AF/Army who work in the Joint Medical Ooperations Building (JMOB) I work in everyday.  The Army units I work with in my building are the Blood Warriors who keep track of how much blood we have and need in Iraq and then the Army Preventive Medicine Unit who test water and do some of the "Occupational Health" duties I do as in the Air Force.  It's been interesting working so closely with the Army, their way of thinking is defiantly different than ours!  However, we came together and walked in honor and memory of the friends/family members we know who have been affected by Cancer. We took 2 hour shifts and walked for 24 hours straight.   The base had different bands and entertainment come out to keep us going through the night.  It was a really great event!



Starting the Night Luminary Ceremony




One of the Army Relay Teams

  


<> Me and Lauren on lap 1

<>

Hard to see but they used light sticks and wrote "HOPE" in the stands, along with we could make luminary bottles that were placed all around the 1/4 mile track.  I made one in Memory of my Papa, Kent Enevoldsen, Leslie Clements and in honor of Cleta Spore, Amos Simpson, Jerri Spore

 

      

For St. Paddy's Day we had a "Mustache Contest", a near-beer pong contest and some other festivities at the hospital.  I won second place for my fabulous stache'.  The horrible part was I hate hair and I couldn't smile without it falling off.  My stache' was actual hair from one of the Army girls "weaves" that she didn't use.  I'm keeping it as a souvenir to give to a co-worker of mine back at Tinker who I always give a hard time about his facial hair. (YUCK!)

Here is our equipment room I've been trying to organize and clean up! The suits in the right corner are our Level A suits that we wear during "unknown" response emergencies.  I've gotten rid of 23 pieces of equipment this past week and still have about 15 more things to get rid of so our next rotation won't have to worry about it.

Here is a picture of Brent and the girls! They are hanging in there.  Brent's mom came and stayed with him and the girls the month of March to help while he worked part time for the Thunder basketball games.  Brent has been adventuring out with the girls to the movies, parks, zoo, omniplex, chuck-e-cheese. 

I've started taking Salsa dance lessons on Monday nights with my old Biology Lab partner, which is super fun! Hopefully I'll get some pics there soon and be able to share them.  Maybe I'll be able to talk Brent into trying dance lessons when I get home...ha ha. 

I'm enjoying the decent weather we are having now (mid 70's/80's) and I try to go to the pool once a week to get some sun....amazing what some Vitamin D can do for the soul.  The pool is an olympic sized pool that was convieniently here when we decided to build up the base.  I get to go test the water at the pool every other Friday and I'm trying to get my boss to just let me spend the day there on the days I have to test the water....just in case of any "emergencies" - he still hasn't agreed!

I'm finally down to 60something days.  This past week was a tough one for my family remembering the final days my papa was with us, but we also got to celebrate my mom's birthday and life we still have with her.

I hope everyone is taking care of yourself and eachother! Keep smiling.........

Trip to Baghdad (well Victory Base in Baghdad)

So I'm trying something new, since I've tried to send out my last two newsletter with lots of rejections because I add too many pictures!   Sorry it's taken me a month to figure it out!

 I got selected to go on a trip 60km or so south to Victory Base in Baghdad.  We went ot see how the medical facilities operate there, visit the Iraqi Air Force base that the Air Force is trianing on how to deal with trama and care of patients for when they take over medical care at the end of the year.  We visited the Al Fwa palace, which was one of Sadams' palaces and the Victory over America/Iran palace that we (US) bomed during our search in 2003.   

Here are some of the amazing things I got to see on my trip!



Yep...me, hanging out in Sadam's palace chair...at Al Fwa palace.



 

Traditional ceilings Sadam had in his palaces.  They were all very detailed wooden carved and hand patined pieces; very beautiful (@Al Fwa Palace)




Walking up the steps in the destroyed Victory over American/Iran palace

 



Entrance to the Iraqi Air Force Base portion that's located on the Army Victory Base.  The Iraqi Air Force members we met and visted with were medical personnel. 



My JBB AIr Force Medical Group members who traveled with me and the Iraqi Air Force General: General Mahamad




Victory over America/Iran Palace




Al Fwa palace where we went to an Army Transfer of Authority
Cermony and did some sight seeing



 



 



View across a second floor "viewing" room that Sadam liked to have so he could
watch over his guests during his hosted parties



Where the bomb came through the Victory over America/Iran palace





        From top of Victory over America/Iran Palace into Baghdad city

So it was like a mini-vacation and I was lucky to get to go.  I honestly had NO desire to go off base once I got here but the opportunity came up and we flew.   We were hoping to get to fly in a Black Hawk helicopter but I didn't get to.  I did get to ride in a Chinook helicopter though which was AWESOME.  It was really cool to get to see first hand the trianing of Iraqi medical troops and meet the Iraqi Air Force General.  The time period I am here serving in Iraq is called "Operation New Dawn" because it focuses on what the Iraqi Military and citizens will have to take over once our military forces leave here at the end of the year.

The trip was AWESOME butg I have also been busy at work  going through our equipment and find out if other bases need it or if I can go ahead and turn it in to be returned to the good' ol U.S.A.  I've already turned in over 130 items and have 30 pieces of eqiupment I'm turning in.  The more I can do the less people will have to do after me!

Until next time..........keep smiling:)