24 May 2008

Been feeling some better. Still not 100%. The Army doctor had some tests run, but the lab here is inadequate to run sophisticated tests. I read on the internet, how some US Soldiers are coming back to the USA, with parasites. I hope I do not have a parasite. There are sand fleas here, and a bite can give you leishmaniasis. They call it the "Baghdad Boil". You get red spots and inflammation on your skin. At least I have not noticed any of that.

Still hot and dusty. Fortunately, there is unlimited water, and I can get a shower daily. I must force myself to drink water, I am up to about a gallon a day. I will keep taking it easy, and get myself well.

Still on sick leave

Been feeling bad. Only able to eat once a day, just no appetite. This is one good thing, maybe I can lose some weight here. The dining hall (American) has unlimited baskin-robbins ice cream, and soda pop. There is tons of fried food, french fries, etc. All the stuff that goes right to your hips.

HOT here, make no mistake, when the sun goes down, the temperature drops to 90. I must drink a gallon of water per day. The sweat evaporates so fast, you dont even notice. At least I can sleep easily. I usually do not need the air conditioner.

I miss cable tv. I sure enjoy CNN, and history channel. I also like having a daily newspaper. When I was in Fort Wayne, I bought two newspapers every day, and read them. Here, the military paper is hard to locate, but it is free.

I miss Freemasonry. There is no way to attend lodge, and it is impractical to set up a Square and Compasses lodge. I have never been to a lodge meeting in Iraq, but there are lodges at some of the bases. Once in a while, I run across a Freemason, there are some in the US Army. But it is seldom.

When I return to the USA, I want to get back into the Oriental Shrine. I had a ball with the Shriners, when I was in Columbus OH, back in 1990. I was in five Shrine clubs, and president of one of them. Maybe when I get my vacation, I will be able to attend lodge. I got to attend a lodge in Moscow Russia, and it was terrific. The lodge is not wealthy, they have no lodge building, so they meet in a meeting room in a hotel. This is in our splendid Masonic tradition, when we used to meet in taverns and inns.

Still feeling sick

I got so sick, I had to go to the American Doctor. The Army runs a clinic on the American side, and the doctor there saw me right away. The Army does not have to help us, but they give us medical care on a courtesy basis. I have been given some powerful antibiotics, and I had to give some blood,etc. so that the lab could run tests.

Being sick in this country is bad news. I work outside in 110 degree weather, and I must run to the porta-john often. One good thing, I cannot look at food, maybe I can lose some excess weight. When I was living at Al Asad and Tall'Afar, I ate too much. Unlimited Baskin-Robbins ice cream will pack the pounds on.

I put together a package of my winter clothes, I am sure not going to need them here! I will send the excess clothing back to my home, and if I need any warm clothing, I can get it here, or from an on-line store.

I did not stay up all night, to see the Preakness Stakes. But I read all about it, on the Daily Racing Form internet page. It looks like Big Brown, is on the way to racing immortality, he might have the right stuff to win the Belmont Stakes, and then retire undefeated. What a horse!!

Tuesday afternoon

Been feeling a bit ill. There is a virus going around, and I have it. The nurse here, gave me some antibiotics, and started me on one a day, then increased it to two a day, now the med-tech wants me on three a day. My appetite is gone, food is impossible. I sip water, and juice all day, just to keep my fluid balance up.

A dust storm blew up quickly, ths afternoon. There will be a slight dribble of rain, which is not a problem, the dust will settle, and the air will be a bit cleaner. Aircraft cannot fly in these storms, so it will be quieter. I must say, I do not like the choppers flying over my trailer at 0500am, and getting woken up!

One of the team here, has a birthday, so there will be a little celebration, they set up a charcoal grill.

Work is slow, the team rotates their day off, and I get Tuesday off today as well. Work will pick up.

My address

My precise location is not disclosed. I do enjoy getting comments, and emails. I get some bulk mail, and books, etc. through a forwarding service in the USA. If anyone would like to email me, my email is cemab4y@hotmail.com if anyone would like to send books and reading material to the troops, just email me, and I will provide you with the address. The troops love to read. (So do I)

Sunday afternoon

Sunday. It has been unseasonably cool the last couple of days. Last night was very clear, I actually saw some stars. It is hard to believe that astronomy began in Mesopotamia, the nights are so dusty, that it is difficult to see the stars on most nights.

Work is excellent, I am so grateful to be working here. We have some slow days, but we will pick up soon. I have been picking up junk parts at the junk yard, and recycling them for use. Now, the resource is about depleted. I went to the wash rack yesterday, and collected some junk parts there. Scrounging is part of life in Iraq.

Still trying to lose weight. I would love to drop 10-20 pounds while I am here. If I can stay away from ice cream and soda pop, I might make it. Last night, there was shredded beef stir-fry with onions and green peppers. They feed us good here. Today for lunch, some of the work force went to the American chow hall on the American base, and ate T-Bones and lobster tails. I don't like to travel all the way to the main base for lunch.

I hope that I get some mail today, the APO has mail almost every day. I could sure use some books. If you like to read, this is the place. I got a bunch of paperbacks at Al Asad, and read every night.

7 May my day off

Slept in late this morning. Got a shower, and a shave. Picked up my laundry, and ate a small beefsteak for lunch. Temperature not too hot, around 90. The environmental dust, is not too bad, but the high-level dust has blocked out the sky for weeks. I have not seen the stars for some weeks. One thing about Afghanistan, is that being up in the mountains, away from any light pollution, the sky was clear.

Biggest problem here , is the loneliness. I do not have TV in my trailer yet, but soon. Only leisure activity is surfing the net.

Monday morning 5 May

I was sad to hear about the euthanizing of Eight Belles, on the track on derby Day. Horse Racing is the king of sports, and the sport of kings. Sometimes, the sacrifice has to be made. Big Brown, looks like a real champion horse. He may go all the way, in the Preakness and Belmont.

We had two more engineers arrive from the USA last night. These two guys look to be real fine men, I will not work with them, but I wish them well.

Saturday Morning, 3 May 2008

Cold this morning. The desert does not hold the heat, so by 0500am, the trailer is cold. The firm wants us on the job by 0700am, not a problem. I like getting to work early. This morning, I went down to the junk yard, and I picked up some parts.

The desert winds, sometimes cool the place down. By noon, the temperature was 75. The chow hall served grilled prawns (shrimp) and beef fried rice. The chow hall food is fine, no complaints from me, except that I eat too much.

The Kentucky Derby is tonight, I may stay up and watch it on the CNN. The greatest horse race in the world.

Friday afternoon

Got up at 0615am, same as every day. I prefer to take my shower in the morning. Ate a breakfast, eggs, chicken sausage, pepper bacon, tea, mango juice. The mornings this time of year, are cool. As long as the dust is down, the mornings are the best time of day. I went to the salvage yard, and collected some parts.

Back at the office, then I found out about some more parts, so I went over to the recovery yard, and collected some more parts.

The afternoons are getting hotter, I have been through two of these summers, and they are HOT. We had a drill today, they sounded the sirens, and we all had to run to the concrete bunkers, and wait for the "all clear", then we had a head-count.

I need to collect my clean laundry, but the laundry has been closed all day. I have enough surplus clean clothes to last for a week.

I spoke with my mom on the phone, she asked if I was reading. I told her, I did not have much appetite for reading. I read the newspaper here, and keep up with the news on line, and watch CNN in the dining hall. We are getting TV run into our trailers, but it is not on yet.

Monday afternoon

Very busy on Saturday/Sunday. I got a set of coveralls, and worked with the guys, installing the equipment. Hot, and dusty, but I enjoy it very much. The work here, will help the American forces come home sooner. Been feeling rundown, I have some kind of virus, I went to the medical clinic, and he gave me some tablets.

In Iraq, you have a whole new "family" of bacteria, and germs, which you ingest everytime you breathe or eat. I drink only bottled water, but you still get bacteria, from the environment. Without going into too much detail, I have had to keep a straight line for the men's room. You have do drink extra clear water, just to build up your fluids.

Since we are ahead of schedule, today is a bit slow. Wednesday is my scheduled day off, but I am on call, so I will probably have to do some work, I don't mind. Work is very good here, and I want to remain in Iraq for some years, if possible.

We got a very bad duststorm on Sunday. You could not see 100 yards. All of the helicopters were grounded, so it was quiet and spooky. Imagine the worst fog you ever saw, and everyone wearing surgical masks, that is Iraq in a duststorm.

Last afternoon and evening, the sky was pretty clear,we thought the storms were behind us, but the air is getting dustier by the hour, and we will probably face the storms for the next two days.

Just found out, about the tornados in Suffolk VA. I worked in Suffolk 2001-2002, and I lived in nearby Franklin. I really liked that job. I supervised 5 cable TV systems in two states, and some days I drove 300 miles in one day. I was on call 24/7, and I got a lot of call ins. Cable TV is an interesting industry.

Writing to me directly

I posted my email elsewhere on the board. If anyone is interested in writing me directly, please send email to:

cemab4y@hotmail.com

I am always delighted to answer any questions, if you leave a question or comment, and you want a direct response, please leave a return email address. I will not disclose either the question, nor the address.

Another Hot Saturday

This morning started out fairly cool. I got up at 06:15am, and ate a small breakfast. I drove over to the junkyard, and picked through some equipment racks, that had been stacked in a pile. I recovered some parts, that may prove useful.

By 10:00am, it was getting hotter, so I just started drinking more water, and trying to keep cool. In this climate, you have to drink 3-4 quarts of water per day, just to keep even with the perspiration. I used to take extra salt tablets, but I think I have enough salt in my system, because we eat so much canned and processed food here. The dining hall has packets of powdered gatorade, if you need to keep your electrolyte balance up.

Keeping clean in this dusty hot environment is a challenge. I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on my desk, and I use it frequently. There are plenty of places to wash your hands, and with the solar heat, the water is always hot. I got one of the Iraqis to give me a haircut last week. He did a tolerable job, but I just hope he keeps the electric razor properly sanitized, so that he does not spread head lice. The Iraqis are great people, but they do not practice Western standards of personal cleanliness and hygiene.

When I was at Al Asad air base (Aug 2005-Nov 2006), I kept my hair very short. In this climate, and this dust, and the outdoor work that I do, a military haircut is more serviceable.

The work flow here goes in "waves", there will be a large amount of work, and we are all very busy, and then there will be some days, where there is very little to do.

Back to work

I have decided to hold off on most postings. Life in Iraq, goes on. My scheduled day off is Wednesday, but I work if needed. The mornings are warm, the heat really builds up in the afternoon. Nights are warm, but I can sleep without the air conditioner. The camp is getting television cabling installed, and we will have TV in the trailers. The dining hall gets CNN, and couple of English TV stations. If you want to give up TV, this is the place.

I am very impressed with the food here, the dining hall is excellent, but some of the guys hop over the American side, and eat with the troops in the Army dining hall. There are some fast-food operations, Burger King, Pizza Hut, taco bell, Popeyes, etc. I ate the Popeyes chicken one time, it was excellent.

I am very impressed with the men I work with. They are all kind, and work hard. I have been in Iraq for two years, and I never worked with Iraqis before.

For the record- I am not in the "green zone", I am out in the boondocks, in a very safe area. I am forbidden from traveling to Baghdad, I have no wish to go there at all.

Freeze on new postings

I have decided to freeze any new postings, on the situation, and delete all comments. I do not wish to embarrass anyone. I will read all comments, but in the interest of fairness, I have decided to hold all comments from publication.

Comment policy further clarified

Once again. This is MY blog, and I have the final say on what is posted. I intend to publish ALL views, both for and against. I want to be fair, and present a balanced view of the situation.

I normally require ALL posters to list their name (or handle). If you are man enough to make a comment, you should be man enough to list your name (or handle). I will, often publish "anonymous" comments, if the contents of the comment are of interest to the readers. But the final say, on what goes on this blog, begins and ends with me. I reserve to right to edit, publish, or reject ANY comments for ANY reason, or for no reason.

To be fair, some comments have been sent in, that are supportive of my position. These comments have contained really vulgar and disgusting remarks about people in masonic leadership positions. I feel, that in spite of our differences, and this sad situation, that we are all brothers, and we should treat each other with respect and kindness. I, therefore, have decided to delete all comments in support of my position, which contain objectionable and vulgar material, that is not in the spirit of Masonry.

I will NOT publish racist, bigoted, obscene, vulgar, lewd, or other objectionable material. I get all types of name-calling, and really disgusting comments sent to me. One man sent an entire page of "n-----" to me, every day for a week. If the fact that such disgusting comments are not published on this blog, is a problem for you, then that is your problem.

If your comments do not make it to the board, please try to remember the policies, which are clearly presented here. Blogs can be had for free, so start your own, if you like.

Letter from a friend

deleted

Suspended by The Sanctum Sanctorum

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Comment policy

This is MY blog, and I control ALL posts and comments. In the interest of fairness, I take a very liberal view, and I post nearly all comments, even those I do not agree with. Especially those I do not agree with, because I want all sides to be presented.

I get a large number of very bigoted and obscene comments. I once received a comment that was an entire page of "n-------". I once set the blog to automatically publish all comments, but the vulgar and obscene remarks just got out of hand. I had to put a stop to it.

In the interest of fairness, I normally do NOT publish "anonymous" comments, whether I agree with the individual or not. I feel that if a man has an opinion, he should have the manhood to list his name. However, I review ALL comments for publication, and if the anonymous poster has merit, and his comments will be of interest to the readers, I often publish the comment, regardless.

Masonic Temple construction underway in Baghdad! No Joke!

I get the most interesting E-Mails! This one arrived today!


Hello mate,

Sorry for the late replay we're busy for the last 2 weeks up in north building new school.

We're 5 personals planning to build the temple here in Baghdad we're not starting yet the construction we found the land but we're waiting for the right time, there is an old temple here in Baghdad and there is another one down in Basrah but every body knows the situation out in the red zone so we moving carefully.

deleted ( Logistic and property manager fordeleted owner )
deleted ( deleted owner )
deleted ( deleted partner )
deleted ( Owner of deleted company )
deleted ( Attorney )
We trying to coordinate with the Iraqi government to get the property certificate for this 2 temples if we not ganna get any answer we will start our own one.

There is couple question please:
1. we need to be a free masons, how and where we can do that ?
2. who can help us to build a temple here in Baghdad and did we need to get a permission from a specific temple so our temple be a Certified.

Finally,
All of us we believe in free masonry and need some body to lead us there is lot of my friend they wanna convert but still waiting for the right time if you have answer for my question please replay if not let me know please so I can try a different way .

Regards

Cell: + deleted( Iraqna )

deleted

deleted

(Charles Martin's comments)

(Names, emails, and cell phone numbers have been deleted in this post. In some countries, people can be killed if it is known that they are involved in Masonry. I have the contact information for the men who are working to bring Masonry back to Iraq. If anyone has a legitimate need to contact the men, please send an email to me, and I will provide the information)




=============================

My comments:

I am bowled over, to find out that there are men in Baghdad, who are interested to become Masons, and build a temple here. There is not much I can do, I am out in the boondocks, and I am not permitted to travel to Baghdad.

I wish there were an international fund ,and "team", set up to assist individuals in getting Masonry into new countries. Sort of like "Habitat for Humanity" or "Constructors for Christ".

What do you guys think?

Nepalese New Years

We have several Nepalese Gurkah guards working for us here. Today is Nepalese New Years Day. They bought a goat, and brought him here to the camp. Then they took him out behind the chow hall, and performed a ritual slaughter. They first gave him a name "Osama Ben Laden", and then they held him down, and took a machete, and slit his throat, ear-to-ear. They took a steel pan, and collected most of the blood, which the Nepalese will use in cooking.

They are going to butcher the meat, and chop it into nuggets, and mix it with curry. Tonight, we will have a celebration, and eat curried goat meat and rice. There will be a stereo set up, and dancing with Nepalese music. The Iraqis will set up the hookah-pipe, and smoke flavored tobacco all night.

Life in Iraq! I love it!!!!

Comment from Ed, a Masonic friend and brother

deleted

From a masonic friend in Iowa

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Additional letter from Kentucky

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Letter from Kentucky

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11 April

Not much to report. This is the best time of the year to be in Iraq. The days are warm, but the real heat of summer is still some weeks away. The nights are cool, I have to put on a sweater sometimes. The dining hall food is improving day by day. Today, I had an excellent shredded beef and green peppers on rice. I would really like to lose some weight here, I would love to go back to the USA thinner.

The work flow is just beginning. The work here is all unclassified, we install radio sets in Iraqi vehicles. But when there are no vehicles, we have to slow down.

A new American engineer arrived today, Merrill Evans, he seems to be a fine upstanding man. I hope he enjoys this lifestyle.



This is an interesting time to be in Iraq. I miss the USA, but I can cope with it here.

Monday in Iraq

Cooler today. The morning dust was thick in the air, and it gave the place an eerie amber glow. The wind has not been strong enough to blow it away, so aircraft are all grounded. Got up early, got a shower. Ate eggs and cheese and french toast for breakfast. The dining hall is serving South African orange juice, and it is good. Had a bowl of Apple Jacks for dessert.

Worked this morning, drove over to a recycling yard. Stood around for a while, and tried to get some scrap metal. Left the yard, and returned back to the camp for lunch. Cheeseburger, fries, diet soda. I plan to lose some weight here. If I can avoid the baskin-robbins, I can go back to the USA thinner.

Back into the office. Bought a few bits online, I need some large styrofoam cups. Work over soon.

Tomorrow, I will go back to the salvage yard, I could really use a conex container. You cannot be too rich, too thin, nor have too much storage space.


There is some confusion about Military lodges. "Land, Sea, and Air Lodge #1" is a traveling military lodge. It has no lodge building, nor fixed address. It is a real, working lodge, and the charter is from the Grand Lodge of New York, F&AM. You can see the story of the lodge, and see the charter at

http://www.esmason.com/ fall 2005 issue page 32

Land, Sea, and Air lodge #1, is able to do degree work, make new masons, conduct funerals, and do everything that a fixed "bricks and mortar" lodge can do in the USA. LSA#1 has no officers, no elections, no dues. The lodge exists only to serve the needs of military masons, during time of war or international conflict.

I am a member of Master Builder lodge #911, Kenmore (Buffalo), New York. I was approached by the Grand Lodge of New York back in November 2005, and asked to take over the operation of the lodge. The charter is sitting in a museum in New York City, and the lodge equipment has not even been unpacked, since I received it in November 2005.

I have made repeated requests to the Grand Lodge of New York, to obtain a charter or other authority to operate. The Grand Master and Grand Secretary, will not answer my mail.

Sunday

Getting hot in Iraq. Both in climate, and in military situation. The city of Baghdad is still under curfew. Much fighting in Balad, as well. This war is going to take many years, before there is a successful conclusion.

Today, the base dining hall, served T-Bone steaks and crab legs. Our whole crew got into vans, and rode to the other side of the base, and ate with the soldiers. There was a young female soldier across from me, and I asked her "What is a nice kid like you doing in a place like this?", and she cracked up laughing. The other soldiers were hysterical.

My co-worker wanted to visit the PX, so we went. All I wanted was a newspaper, but the PX was out of papers. I may get a subscription from a USA newspaper, and just get them by mail. The political campaign is underway, and I miss being part of it. Most of these guys are not interested in the campaign.

I got a headset, and now I can call the USA by internet. I called my friend RB Hooks, Jr. last night. I also called mom and dad.

I got my first shipment of toiletries from drugstore.com I was on my last cake of soap, and my toothbrush is so old, that it is almost useless. I brushed my teeth for five minutes, and massaged the gums. My brother has lost all of his teeth, but I have spent many thousands of dollars on my teeth, $1200 just last January! I want to keep my teeth until well into my late years. My mom and dad have been able to keep their teeth, so I stand a good chance.

After supper each nite, I relax with the Iraqi men here. We talk, some of them have good English language skills, but I cannot speak a word of Arabic, it is totally incomprehensible to me. I lived in Saudi Arabia for one year, and Iraq for two years, but the language is beyond me. And I cannot read even one letter, it is just dots and squiggles.

I miss television, I need my daily dose of "Jeapordy". I miss chocolate, cooking my own meals, taking a tub bath. I miss Freemasonry, and going to church on Sundays. I miss driving. Such is life in Iraq.