Bad in Baghdad Biker Gang Outing
I survived! I survived my first outing with the Bad in Baghdad Biker Gang here on our little outpost. Not everybody is fortunate enough to be able to say that. We've had folks flip over their handlebars, break collar bones, flatten tires, disfigure bike frames, you name it. Thankfully I survived the outing with nary a scratch or even a cool story that will linger on in infamy (ie they don't have to nickname specific potholes in Baghdad after me). ;) Here's the lowdown--I started running again with the plans that I'll continue to run road races while I'm here in theater. Next one in the queue is the Army 10-miler--about a week from today. However, running on flat, rocky, dusty terrain can get rather boring and monotonous pretty quickly--especially to a trail runner such as myself. So the first couple of times that I saw the biker gang whiz by me at break neck speed with 'speed racer' intensity on their faces I knew I had to be a part of it. They were having a blast and were appearing to take mental vacations away from the doldrums here in our bizarre deployment circumstances. I knew the crosstraining approach would be a much welcomed break to my routine. So, I started to ask around and quickly figured out how to join. Here's a nice story about humanity and something that will rarely ever make the media back in the 'mainland' as it's a feel good story and not focused on death & destruction.
Interesting Vignettes of Individuals who Serve
We have some professional types here in theater who have shuttered their private practices back in the US to contribute back to their countries without any expectation of compensation or accolades. They're quite humble about it and won't even really let anybody in on their unique situations--unless you start prying for the 'true story' behind the stoic facades. Within the past week I've met four individuals whose situations have truly reconfirmed that some men are truly 'good people'. I hesitate to divulge specific details about their backgrounds so I'll try to describe their situations from a 'general' perspective so as to protect their anonymity--be assured, however, that these individuals certainly exist and appear to be genuinely participating in this effort with honest intentions.
Biker Gang Leader/Benefactor
The story behind the biker gang--a certain professional (#1) here in the area shuttered his private practice for a couple years and up and joined the military at an age really close to 60! He arrived in theater and noticed that the 'exercise scene' on the ground was pretty monotonous and repetitive. He wanted to add some spice to the situation and personally purchased a dozen high end bicycles and had them delivered to the theater so he could encourage Soldiers to get out, get some exercise, see their surroundings from a different perspective, and enjoy life a little bit. These bikes aren't just $50 Huffys--we're talking Gary Fischers, Diamondbacks, Treks, bikes that easily start above $500/each! They've developed a riding club system where individuals can sign up to participate in a ride 6 of 7 days each week. The workouts range from really high-tempo/long distance rides 4 days a week and then two slower paced, more leisurely, rides the other two days each week. Then they've developed a network of riding routes around the region that introduce you to some of the 'off-the-beaten' paths around this massive complex. It's really an ingenous solution to the monotony of living on a tiny little outpost. The coolest thing is the gentleman behind all this. He was doing well in his civilian life and wanted to contribute something back to our nation. He dropped everything to join the military for a few years--putting his practice on hold and to come support these 'young bucks' here in theater. His biker gang operation has been such a neat thing to witness and experience--it truly warms your heart!!!
Pro Bono Work in Support of our Nation
Professional individual number 2. Another person who dropped a successful career, a thriving private practice in one of the premier venues of our country, and I'm certain a very elevated income level lifestyle--to come spend a year in virtual squalor, to live in housing situations that make "Katrina cottages" look like custom-built, high end estates, and to participate in frequently dangerous convoys to contribute something back to his nation as a worker bee behind the scenes on developing the legal 'infrastructure' in birthing this new nation. I'm in total awe of this individual. He approaches his job with the excitement, passion and vigor as a child who enters an FAO Schwartz toy store. His face illuminates like a kid in a candy store when he embarks on the menial tasks of his job. He said he likes to be reminded of the important things in life and this is one way of doing it. From observing his abilities and the passion and zeal with which he approaches his work in his current position it is obvious that he is a very capable and successful professional individual. I can only imagine the income and lifestyle amenities that he is 'giving up' to spend a year over in this dustbowl. America has definitely birthed some very great individuals, indeed. Even ones who quietly go about their work--ensuring the 'behind the scenes' things are accomplished in master-level perfection.
Local National Determined to Rebuild his Fatherland
Local national number 3. On this big adventure of mine I've met several individuals who were born and raised in Iraq and at some point in the past thirty years they had fled the country out of fear for their lives. The first gentleman was on the plane with me from Kuwait to Iraq and only confided in me upon landing on the tarmac in Baghdad that this was his first time back in Iraq in 29 years! His personal story sent chills up my spine. Yesterday, I met another individual who returned to Iraq four years ago to help rebuild his native country. He is yet another person who has put not only his own, but his entire family's safety, on the line in an effort to help rebuild his fatherland. I can't go into details about it but his story is yet another reminder that there really still are people who are good at heart in the world. Reading the papers you'd rarely think that...
Soldier with a Smart Plan for Personal Finance
General Issue Soldier (individual #4). Ended up eating dinner with a Soldier (who else do you eat with in a dining facility crammed with 400 other individuals at any given time) yesterday. Spent some time discussing personal finance with him (anybody who knows me knows I have an interest in all things finance related). This young buck totally had his head on straight with respect to personnel finance. Normally I hear Soldiers here in this environment talk about the brand new truck or motorcycle they plan on buying when they return home from their deployment. This Soldier, however, wasn't talking about vehicles and loan payments. Instead he was talking about the job he plans to apply for when he returns home--something similar to the Alaskan King Crab fishing boat positions (a la Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch tv show) that nets (ha ha--all puns intended) some $250k/season. His goal was to go home use the money he's saved up during this deployment as a downpayment on a foreclosure property, pick up one of these fishing boat jobs for a couple of years, pay off his house as quickly as possible and then start purchasing additional properties, paying each one off at a time before buying another one. I was so impressed! The Soldier might have been all of 29 years old and he'd already learned one of the big lessons in life--to live within your means, set money aside for the future and to avoid debt! I was so excited to meet somebody with a similar philosophy in life! Pretty cool! I wish him all the best in his future pursuits.
Victory Over America Complex
Today I've got plans to tour this interesting complex here in Baghdad. It's my first complete day off since I left home in August. I hope to be able to use my camera and take some interesting photos. We'll see. I carry my camera with me just about everywhere around here but most places you're prohibited from snapping pictures. Hopefully, that won't be the case this afternoon. However, it might take a while to figure out how to upload pictures here as I'm using a 'common' area computer to access this blogging site--not some CPU where I can upload any documents to. We'll see--I'll try to get some things posted to site, somehow.
A view of No Man's Land (the gap of land between the Berlin Wall that separated West Berlin from East Germany as seen from the French Sector of Berlin in May 1990 when I visited the area on a study program as a cadet.
Me doing my part to help 'tear down this Wall!" ;) (May 1990)
Finally, I recall seeing posters advertising the German-American Rodeo & German-American Volksfest plastered all around Aleksander Platz (the big city square in downtown East Berlin). Seeing those posters was when it really sank in that The Wall had fallen for good! ;)