Welcome one & all to Mortar-itaville, aka Mortor Alley. Its a heck of a place to live and work!
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Welcome one and all to Mortar-itaville aka Mortor Alley. Its a heck of a place to work and a crazy way to make a living!
We drove by this old Russian tank all the time (I think its a T-72 any Analysts out there want to correct me on that?) on the way to eat, so one day I pulled the van over and crawled around inside it, took a few snaps to boot! On this page I have a few more pictures I have taken, and links to more pictures buried in the text, like a fighter jet for example. I hope you enjoy the reading!
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Domo Origato, Mister Roboto! Bomb Disposal Team on the way!
I happened to catch a glimpse of this Humvee (below), with a bomb-bot on back just after an alarm red went to an an alarm yellow (Alarm yellow means mission essential personal can get back to work, but if you don't have an absolute need to go anywhere stay put). They were on the way to an impact site nearby where a rocket or mortar landed but didn't detonate. Anyone who knows me is well aware of my life-long love of robots, so I'm hoping all my mechanical friends come home in one piece! |
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Other sights:
As I wander around with my camera I snap the occassional pics of local flora and fauna. Here are some photos of the first flowers that bloomed here (another flower here). Here is one of a sunflower field just outside the wire. I may take some more pictures if any of the plants look more alive and less like dust covered, half-dead skeletons. We also get lots of critters such as foxes, jackals, mice, preying mantises, beetles, camel spiders (Check out the size compaison with a dollar bill) and lizards among others. |
The Dragon Lady flies these skies!
You send the care packages to Warrior Bravo, and here is our sign. Its great working for the Air Force, thay have the Army beat in many ways. I'm not sure who the airman was who made the sign, but they did a pretty good job in my opinion. |
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This is what we do!
I work with some interesting folks over here. You can see their shining faces here and here. You can check out the site at sunrise, and the old goes out as the new goes in. |
There really was an Iraqi Air Force? Really?!?
Yes, indeed, and heres the proof. These Migs (again, my analysts, correct me if Im wrong) were wisely left to rot in the desert instead of facing a superior US Air Force. And its lucky for us because we get a photo op out of em! The American troops (and Polish, and Phillipinos, and Pakistanis, etc etc) defaced the birds with all kinds of interesting slogans. Maybe it will be a memorial park one day? |
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A well-grounded Air Force.
As you get close up to these junked birds, you can see some interesting things. Look here for the tail from a Mig with messages for loved ones and another tail from a Mig. I have a few more Mig pictures here, here I am goofing around, here I am goofing around more and another one in the top paragraph on this page if you just can't get enough! |
The Cradle of Civilization, the land of Islam.
This mosque has seen better days, but it is intact, if a bit bruised. We are strictly not allowed anywhere near it, in fact the muslims on post go to the chapel for services. Crazy, mixed up world isnt it? |
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And next on our tour...
If you've looked on my other pages you may have seen some photos of tent town, but you might have missed the Fishing Club or the reindeer! |
Remember that scene from Close Encounters?
Ok, maybe you dont, but I do. They found boats in the middle of the desert, turns out aliens dropped em there from the Bermuda Triangle (duh, of course!). These are a little more reasonable, they were dropped by the military, most likely for patrolling the near-by Tigris and the local canals. |
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A thing or two you might see over here:
Besides boats in the desert, you might see a civilian supply convoy, a smoldering pile of burning waste or local women working the fields. |
Theres a joke there, but Im leaving it alone. . .
This is the tank on the way to the mess hall that I took a few pictures of. It was fun climbing all over it and checking out how busted up it was - and also how intact, in that makes any sense! |
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Tanks for the memories!
Here are some other photos of war wreckage: another shot of the tank we drive by on our way to the chow hall and some wrecked military trucks. |
I will post up some more pictures in the text here so keep checking back! Allah-be seein you later, mortor-come! lol
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