Christmas and USO

 The "tree house"

This is where you can buy every think.

 One of many indirect fire (IDF) bunkers

 SSG (staff sergeant) Frasure.  He's my all around do everything guy.  He hates getting his picture taken, so I had to surprise him.

 "Anti-stress Kit:  Bang head here"

 Hanging the Justin Beiber poster Megan sent for Christmas.  It was definately a funny joke, but I took a lot of razzing and accusations of being a fan.  This is SSG Peterson, he does administrative work for me.

 SGT Piper impersonating Justin.  I'm pretty sure he's a fan.  He also manages our interpretors.

 Words of wisdom from Dwight Schrute, another poster sent by Megan.

 SSG Peterson impersonating comedian Zach Glifianakis.  Peterson is a one man wolfpack.

 My major award is a big hit.  Everyone is jealous.

 Amnesty ammunition.

 A comparison of bullets.  The left on is a 7.62 mm as fired by the AK-47.  The center one is a 5.56 mm (.223) as used in the M-16 family of weapons.  On the right is the .50 caliber as fired from the Browning machine gun.  It's a little more powerful. . .

 All live rounds turned in and waiting for me to dispose of them at the range.

 Justin hit puberty

 Another uparmored vehicle, but this is the first one like this that I've seen.  It's a Ford and looks like an Expedition tank-ified.

 Not to be confused with entrance.

 We had the USO holiday tour pass through camp and got to meet a bunch of famous people I'd never heard of.  This is SGT Casper gone cross-eyed after meeting some real life Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

 Here is SFC (sergeant first class) Miller.  We call him Elfboy.

 SGT Thornley with country singer Emily West.

 Country singer Buddy Jewell.

 Me and SGM Preston, the Sergeant Major of the Army

 My first sergeant and friend 1SG Mike Wigen with Leeann Tweeden, a model of some sort.

 This is rock singer Alana Grace performing.

 Buddy Jewell singing his version of the apparently mandatory country singer pro america song.

 Country comdeiane Chonda Pierce.  She was really very good.

 This is Kenni Thomas, another country singer.  He is a former Army Ranger who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu and imortalized in the book and movie Black Hawk Down.

 He and his band with some help sang a song about getting drunk in Mexico and dealing with the results.  It was pretty funny and a lot of fun.

It was Alana Grace's birthday so this Soldier gave her a breakfast pastry with chem-lights (glow sticks) as candles.

All in all the event was a lot of fun and, though we haven't been here too long, it was nice to be distracted for a minute.  I didn't get my picture taken with anyone besides the SMA, mostly because I hate asking people to take my picture.  Instead I kept my distance and played the creepy guy taking pictures from afar.

More of Prosperity and Al Salam Palace

 I'm not kidding.

 There are a bunch of patios with fireplaces around the lakes.

 We even have a fire department.

 Some of my unit playing volleyball against the Italian police.

 This little rodent was in the tree in front of my house eating seeds.

 I think it's a wild hamster.

 Taken from the second floor of the palace.

 When this building was in use by the American military, they ran  AC and electrical and communication lines everywhere.  They also made plywood build outs for offices and living spaces.

 This looks ornate, but the designs are all made of wall paper.  It looks like there used to be a chandelier here.

 There are several of these murals throughout the second floor.

 Some of the build outs.

 A collapsed ceiling from the bombing.

 This showes the level of workmanship.  Concrete poured into forms with broken bricks tossed in to cut costs.  This building was built during a time of UN sanctions.

 These murals are of American aggression toward Iraq.  The bombs falling have "USA" inscribed on them.

 This one has US bombs falling on women and children.

 A bathroom.

 This is where a tub used to be.

 I like this notice, "Surprise!  You're a grown up, act like it!"

 A mangled archway.

 The rubble on the floor is from the ceiling that collapsed from the bombing

 These bridges were built to enable people working in the palace to cross the enormous holes left by the bombs.

 The old theater.

 During the surge, space was at such a premium that people put desks in the bath tubs to use as workspaces.

 A row of sinks looted and broken.

 As I said. . .

 I think this must have been the recruiting office.

 On the roof at dusk.

 A poor picture of the building I was on previously.

 It looked like there was a fire on top of the dome at the Iraqi army HQ.  I never heard what the deal was.

 A closer picture of that enormous mosque.

 I think this was a ballroom or atreum on top of the roof.

I'll get better pictures eventually, these are pretty dark.  This is inside the domed atreum room.