Iraq — having fun

This post will be about some of the activities we’ve done to relax.
While going out to dinner, or playing a round of golf is outside the realm of possibility, there are plenty of things to do.
Quite honestly, the two most popular activities here are watching movies and playing video games. While I am not a fan of the later, I have watched a couple movies in my limited free time. Here are some images from events that have kept the base entertained.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Amateur Night at the Apollo in New York. Well, we had a similar talent show here. A lot of courageous people got in front of a large audience and showed off their skills. The Apollo’s trademark is “Where stars are born and legends are made,” and although there were no big-time producers in the audience, there were plenty of stars in the making.


This trumpeter is an amazing musician.

I know this guy looks a little funny here, but he was actually a very talented break dancer.

My guys also finished building this stage. As you can see, we didn’t wait until it was completed before using it as a venue for concerts.

The fire department invited us out for a barrel competition. As you can see, it’s a two-person team that uses the fire hose to push a barrel to one side or the other.

It’s a deceptively simple concept: use a hose to push a barrel past the other team. However, the water really obscures your vision, and the water pressure makes the hose come alive.
When it was my turn to go, I managed to keep the barrel in the middle for about… 30 seconds. Oh well, it was fun nonetheless.

September 18th, 2007 will be the 60th anniversary of the US Air Force. To celebrate this occaision, our base decided to have a number of events. That has included a flag raising, a series of lectures on historic events in our service’s short history and a series of athletic competitions.
The pictures below are from the base photographer, who documented the competition.
The first event was a game of elementary-school-style kickball. The teams were broken up roughly by rank. So my teammates were company grade officers (lieutenants and captains). Surprisingly, we remembered how to play pretty well and actually won the event.
This is me sending the ball on a little ride.

The next event was the formidable dizzy bat.

You can see here that I had the job of counting revolutions as people spun around the bat. Also, I tried to help people from falling too hard on the rock hard ground.

Then, it was my turn. I really didn’t want to go (not a big fan of spinning around in circles), but my team pleaded that we didn’t have enough people to compete. So, I acquiesced.

As expected, it was a little tough to run in a straight line. In fact, I was barely able to stay on my feet! But, somehow managed to get through to the finish line.

Unfortunately, one of my teammates, Tyler wasn’t able to keep his footing. At least he was still smiling. 🙂 Unfortunately, we weren’t quite fast enough to win this event.

Our Army brethren also joined in on the fun.

The next event was a mental challenge. We competed in a lively game of trivial pursuit, where we tied for the win with a question about which country had a sword and shield program that taught young children how to fire AK-47s (answer: the Soviet Union).
However, following the mental strain, we decided to revert back to athletic competition with a sprint triathlon. I tried to be the organizer, race director and competitor. Let’s just say the event gave me new found appreciation for my friends on Guam who do that all the time. I had helped, but never ran one myself. I was glad to do it, but it certainly was a challenge. Oh, and this was at night, so I had already worked outside all day setting up the tents you saw in the last post. By the end, I was completely wiped out. But, it was still fun.



Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller have done much to bring dodgeball back to the mainstream. However, the company grade officers proved we had much to learn about the sport, since we finished dead last in this event.



The last athletic competition was a 10K race. This one was different from all the others and started before sunrise. It was a perfect morning for a run.

Jake and I ran most of the race together. I’ve found it’s much more fun to talk and run with someone else, than in silence by yourself (since we can’t wear headphones outside).


After each event, my team joined me here for a BBQ and social gathering. It’s nice to be able to hang out with peers and just relax.


So, those are a few of the things I’ve done to relax and enjoy my time more here.
–Jim