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titolito
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Name: Titolito
Metro:
Gender: Male
Interests: Music, friends, computers, photography, dancing, high explosives, debate, outdoor activities, gaming, firearms, mechanics, electronics, food, women, poker, and so on, and so on.
Expertise: Projectile motion, close air support, and memorandums for record.
Occupation: Trigger Puller
Industry: Military
Email: email me
AIM:  titolito
Member Since:
11/2/2004
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| Everyone has been concerned about going "green" lately. Everyone is up in arms about being fuel efficient, reducing our dependancy on foreign oil, solving the "energy crisis," and all that other tree-hugging hippy crap....
Now, to be honest, I don't give a rat's as about the environment and probably never will unless it starts affecting the way I live, or if it starts to hurt the wallet. I'm willing to bet most everyone else is the same way, admit it or not (tangent & case-in-point: you may hate that offshore drilling and the harm it does to the environment, but I bet you're not lifting a finger to stop it).
That being said, I have a very simple and agreeable solution to clean, "green" energy that has many "pros" and very, very few "cons." Excuse the lack of articulation and continuity as this blog was written under the influence of alcohol...
Before I let out the secret: lets give a little background...
We have these things called building codes. In Florida, buildings and structures are SUPPOSED to be able to handle hurricane force winds, in Colorado, structures are required to be able to handle the weight of heavy snowfall on their roofs. In California, building codes ensure that structures can withstand the force of large earthquakes. Building codes for public buildings also require that handicapped access mechanisms are available to everyone who needs them. Certain amounts of air should be circulated through X number of square feet per second...blah, blah, blah. You get the point. Building codes require this and that and other shit...
...So let's take that to another level....
Here's my idea....Let's add to the NATIONAL building code (if there is such a thing, and if not, make one). From this day forward, every new building that is erected (hehe....erected) that has electrical requirements (i.e. needs electricity for a light bulb or a power socket), shall, by LAW, be required to have solar energy panels built onto the roof of the structure.
Solar panels take up LOTS of space! Have you seen pictures of solar farms? They're HUGE! And, in the grand scheme of things, don't create that much energy compared to coal, oil, or nuclear power plants. But think about how many square feet of roofs are created each year with new structures. The aggregate effect would be a metric fuck ton of energy being created by that big bright thing in the sky. Of course this would only apply to NEW buildings in order to avoid current building owners from getting pissed off about having to buy solar panels; but eventually, their old, piece-of-shit buildings will be torn down and replaced with a new building anyways. Eventually, I think all the building with large roofs that create more power than used will make up for all the smaller roofs of building that suck down energy. And even if it doesn't balance out nicely, don't you think it will make a huge dent in the use of un-renewable energy? I think so.
There. That's the secret. Clean, renewable energy. Now let's address the potential cons...
"But what if it's not sunny?" Go outside on a cloudy day and turn on your solar-powered calculator. Does it work? Now imagine a much bigger solar receptor and it's on 24/7.
"But it will be too difficult to incorporate into the public electrical power grid." Bullshit. Once upon a time, PG&E (California power company, for those of you from out of state) used to PAY people with solar panels for the the extra energy that their domicile did not use. So there is some way to manage it.
"But that energy is only used as it's created, like my calculator!" Batteries. They store energy. Ever heard of a Prius? Same shit!
"But it will increase the price of homes and business by adding the increased cost of solar energy equipment!" Oh boo hoo hoo! I did a little research on how much it would cost to supply a home for all the power it would ever need no matter what the weather. For a normal sized, middle income home, it would cost (very) roughly $12,000 dollars. Assuming you're building a $500,000 home (which IS a middle income home where I'm from), that's roughly 2.5% (i'm drunk, so no accurate math here) of an increase to the price of the building. $12,500? Not a big deal when you're ready to spend $500K anyways. Quit being a cheap bastard and suck it up! And besides, if this works, there will be a HUGE demand for solar panels, entrepreneurs will recognize the potential in the market, increased competition and economies of scale will lower prices, and solar panels will cost even less. So, in the long run, it will be even cheaper.
Now for an admission...I'm stupid. I know that. Don't think you are above me. You're stupid too, don't deny it. If I sent you out into the middle wilderness with nothing but an knife, how long before I get an e-mail from you..........? Yea, exactly! You're stupid too! I know there is probably much more to it than a blanket law or building code. There will be exceptions, bitches, gripes, and complaints. But I don't think anyone can argue the overall, overwhelming, positive results.
So, since I am politically indifferent, I don't REALLY care, and I'd much rather just take a nap, I charge YOU, my more motivated friends to take this idea and push it through our channels of government, through congress, to protest, toss a few molotov cocktails, hole yourself up in a tree for two years, or set yourself on fire in a busy intersection in order to get the point across that we can really be a "green" society without much effort (God forbid we have to WORK for anything). Cause really, I don't have time to protest shit...I have a job....now... | | |
| Mission Accomplished! That’s right ladies and gentleman! I know that a certain world leader has diluted the meaning of that statement, but I mean it! * My * mission is accomplished and I’m coming home! After a short stay in Kuwait, they flew us into lovely (not!) Fort Dix, New Jersey. Currently, I am still in New Jersey, finished with my post deployment medical screening, administrative out-processing, and sitting around, waiting for my flight home tomorrow morning. In the mean time, at least I can breath a sigh of relief that the journey home is almost complete.
To say that this past year has been a challenge for me would be an understatement. The hardest things for me to deal with were:
1. Missing loved ones back home
2. Having a crappy, asinine, and morally questionable chain of command
3. People trying to kill me via various means and methods
…..in that order! It was quite an adventure for me. But it was a challenge and I’m glad it’s over. I will miss my soldiers, I will miss the friends I have made, but they don’t compare to what I’ve missed back home. It’ll be good to se everyone again.
I feel like I should have some profound statement about war and/or the state of affairs in Iraq, but I don’t. Iraq sucks. War sucks. There are still bad guys out there, but they are few and far between. I don’t think most of the bad guys are even Iraqis. What I do see is a lot of is normal Iraqi people going about their daily lives, trying to earn a buck and put food on the table. Sure there’s a lot of bad things going in Iraq, but that’s the only thing that makes the news. There really are a lot of positive things happening in Iraq that you never hear about. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true. In my short time there, I saw tangible evidence of progress as we patrolled around the villages and towns. I’ve seen how bad guys are hunted down and the odds are severely stacked against them! I’ve seen what a motivated group of Iraqis can do to ensure the safety of their village and their way of life. The net result is progress. There will ALWAYS be some jackass with some explosives that wants to blow something up and fuck things up for everyone else – extremism seems to be a byproduct of their culture. But in the end, I think the freedoms Iraqis now enjoy will result in an environment that motivates people to increase their standard of living. As far as our involvement in all this goes, they could not have done it without us. Period. I don’t care what peace-loving, war-protesting, world love, hippy crap ideas anyone else has, Iraq would be a much shittier place without us there. There’s no sense in mulling over why we went to Iraq in the first place because we’re already there. And as long as we’re there, we might as well make the best of a shitty situation. Well there you have it: in the process of telling you I have nothing much to say about the war, I formulated those thoughts. So much for much for not making a statement.
Now it is time to re-integrate back into life back home. With that, means getting a job. It’s my #2 priority upon my return (after spending some time with the people I love). I’m on the hunt. So if anyone has a job for a young war veteran with an IT degree and a hearing problem, let me know! Otherwise I think I might try out that cardboard-sign-at-a-busy-intersection gig and see how that works out for me.
Thank you all for your love and support. It has been a great motivator to read your letters and e-mails. Without your help, this deployment would have been much more difficult for me. You’ve brought me this far and I appreciate it. Take care. See you on the flip side. King Cobra 26, out!
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| A week ago, I experienced one of my best days here in Iraq. It was the best day not only for what did happen, but also for a few things that could have happened, but didn’t. I can’t get into much of the details of the mission, but I’ll try to convey just how exciting it was. It is customary for all soldiers to start every war story with: “So, no shit! There I was…”
So, no shit, there I was…the day started of in the wee hours of the early morning before the sun came up. My alarm went off and I jumped into my uniform and full combat gear. I did pre-mission inspections of my vehicle and my crew and we were ready to begin our unconventional mission. We exited the base and were off to our objective off in eastern Iraq. Along with the sun, the Iraqis were rising as well. The brighter the morning got, the more activity of all sorts we saw all around us. I saw all the usual things I’ve described in previous updates – the trash, the children, the donkeys, the farmers – but there was something different about this morning that is quite difficult to describe with words. I was more at ease. I did not feel the fear that I once felt when I first arrived in Iraq. While I was still vigilant for threats, the sense of danger was almost non-existent. It’s like I KNEW the people around me meant no harm (at least not at that moment). I saw people doing things that would once upon a time raise a red flag. But that day, I knew the guy digging a hole next to the side of the road was planting his crop, not an explosive device. I knew the guy standing on the rooftop with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher was looking out for the bad guys, not looking to shoot it at us. I knew that the guy in the car that got to close to us was just an inattentive driver, not a suicide bomber. I knew what to look out for. I knew my surroundings.
As the mission went on, daylight revealed some of what makes Iraq a beautiful place – you know – in a sort of third world country sort of way! We reached our objective and completed our mission. It was time to execute our secondary mission of the day. My secondary mission was to perform the oath of re-enlistment to one of my soldiers who asked me to swear him in for another term of service in the military. I was honored that my soldier chose me to administer the oath. Right there in the open desert of Iraq, amongst combat vehicles, an Iraqi sheepherder, and a flock of sheep, I administered the oath to my soldier while two other soldiers held up an American flag behind him. It was a Kodak moment.
After the re-enlistment ceremony, we quickly jumped back into our vehicles and made our way back. The country was busy with activity! We saw vehicles, people, children, and animals everywhere! There were so many things to call out to my convoy that I finally announced that I would only call out the important things to look out for. There was so much activity that I wasn’t as confident in my ability to detect a threat. We carried on. Along our route, I spotted a large group of 15 to 20 children waiting to cross the road. As is the norm, the group waited for the military trucks to pass before crossing. I called out the group to the rest of my convoy. The vehicle behind me brought the convoy to a halt in front of the group of children. I told my gunner to continue to “cover me” as I got out of my vehicle. Every other vehicle did the same thing as the vehicle commander exited the vehicle. We scanned our surrounding looking for threats. The children stared at us, puzzled by our actions. After a few seconds of scanning for threats, we each reached back into our vehicles and grabbed boxes of Girl Scout cookies. As we approached the group of children I could see the excitement in their eyes! They didn’t know what they were getting, but they knew it was going to be good! We each handed out a box of cookies to different kids. This one kid got greedy and tried to grab two from me. I held on to the second box tight and passed it off to another child. “Shukran!” I heard a few times (meaning “thank you”). We backed away, watching them start tearing into the boxes. A few seconds later we were all back in our vehicles and on our way back to our base. It felt good to get out and interact with the children. I know Girl Scout cookies aren’t exactly part of a nutritious diet, but I’m sure those kids enjoyed them! Sally Struthers, eat your heart out! Fuck you and your “$0.25 a day!” You ain’t got shit on us! We got back safe and everyone agreed that what we had accomplished that day made this the best, most fun mission we’ve ever done! There’s a lot more to it than what I can share in this medium, but take my word for it: it was a good day to do a good mission in Iraq.
Despite all the potential danger during the mission, the most dangerous part of my day came later. So no shit, there I was…riding the bus back to my office when all of a sudden…BOOM! The bus I was on rocked to the right and was on two wheels for just a second! My ears were ringing a little. I look back and see a big plume of dust rising about 100 meters behind us. The bus driver put the pedal to the medal and gunned it to the next concrete shelter. He opened the doors to the bus and quickly jumped out to get into the shelter. I, on the other hand, calmly got out of the bus and stood outside on the street looking back at the plume of dust and all the Air Force pansies running for shelter, thinking “That sucks!” I stood there, annoyed that I was being delayed. After all, I had things to do and people to see! I couldn’t be inconvenienced by some fucking petty rocket attack! Minutes went by without another explosion and glared at my bus driver as to say “Get back in that damn bus and drive me to my bus stop!” Thinking about it later, I came to the conclusion that I am a selfish asshole! There was just an explosion nearby and all I could think about was how it was cutting into my free time. What if someone were hurt? What if someone needed help? Since I was so close, I should have been one of the first one’s to check to see if everyone was OK. Oh well. Shit happens. It’s over now. The following day, I read the report of what happened. An 80mm rocket impacted and sent shrapnel into a fellow soldier. All of a sudden I felt like a real jackass for having the selfish attitude I did. I could have helped that soldier. I should have gotten off that bus and run to his aid instead of thinking only for myself. I felt like shit while I was reading the report. It turns out the soldier did receive shrapnel wounds, but they were non-life threatening. Still, that sucks! And I still felt bad. The other thing that crossed my mind is how much of a non-event it was for me. My heart didn’t race. I didn’t get excited. I just wanted to get back on the bus, get back to my office, and tell my buddies the story and how badass I was for being a cool cat and not diving head first into a bunker like everyone else around me! At the same time, it’s a bit sad how desensitized I’ve become to the sound of explosions and gunfire. I need some quality time at home to restore normalcy (holy shit, “normalcy” is an actual word)!
But fret not, my readers: all is well. This was a very eventful day! Most of my days are rather mundane. I just need to hang in there a bit longer and I’ll be home soon enough. Until then, thank you for your love and support, don’t drink and drive, pay your taxes, and for God’s sake spank your children! Adios.
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| **Insert obligatory apology for not writing more often here.**
You’ll get over it, I’m sure.
Now that that’s out of the way, it’s story time. I almost killed Dave a few weeks ago. Before I get into that story, I need to explain how we carry weapons here in Iraq. A color code system is used to describe the status of bullets inside a weapon; be it a pistol, rifle, machine gun, or grenade launcher. “Green” status signifies that the chamber of the weapon is clear and there is no magazine (A.K.A. clip) inside the weapon to feed rounds. “Amber” status means a magazine is inside the weapon, but there is no round in the chamber. In amber status, all you need to do is cycle the weapon to chamber a round and that brings us to “red” status: meaning a magazine is in the weapon, a round is in the chamber, and the weapon is ready to be fired. 99% of the time, when we’re inside a base, our weapons are in green status. Every time we leave the base and arm our weapons, we make it a point to make 100% sure that our weapon is safe and in the green status when we re-enter. Now that the explanation is done: on with the story.
A couple of months ago we went to this base in eastern Iraq. Once we got inside the base, I made my weapon safe like I always do when entering a base. I removed the magazine and made sure there were no rounds in my pistol or my rifle. We got out of the vehicles and did our usual huddle to find out how long we were going to be there and what needed to be done before we left. We made our way to the chow hall to get some food and relax for little bit before it was time to hit the road again. When we entered the chow hall, I saw that one of the soldiers still had his magazine in his pistol. Being the concerned officer that I am, I questioned him about it. “Hey! Your weapon has a magazine loaded in it! You know better than that! Clear our weapon!” The soldier then explained to me that this was an “amber” base. All soldiers at this particular base must carry their weapons in amber status all the time. Predictably, I asked “Why?” All the soldiers around me explained that this base was notorious for having wild dogs roam into the base and attack people. So the policy was to carry your weapon in amber status so that you can defend yourself from one of these wild dogs. Of course, my imagination got the best of me. I envisioned Cujo, growling at me, foaming at the mouth, showing his teeth, and then charging at me, biting me. I wondered what I would do if that ever happened. Would I be able to react quickly enough? Would I be able to draw my weapon, cycle it, take it off safe, aim, and shoot the dog before the dog got to me? How would I defend myself if I couldn’t get the shot off in time? I know! The eyes! I’ll gouge that fucker’s eyes out with my fingers! That’ll get him off of me! Or I’ll get a running start at him and punt him like a football right in the mouth before he got a chance to maul me! But wait! They usually pounce at the last moment don’t they? I can’t kick that high! I guess I’ll have to use my legs to get him off me too! I can kick pretty hard! I can leverage my legs to pry him off me! But wait! It’s pitch black out here! There are no lights! How am I even going to see it coming? Oh, who am I kidding! I’m gonna die! Death by Cujo! As you can see, I thought this through a lot. My imagination ran wild. It kind of creeped me out and I was a little paranoid going back to my vehicle.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. We’re back in that same base. We get inside and I clear my rifle, but I leave my pistol on amber status. I jump out of the vehicle, and B.S. with some of my soldiers while we wait for everyone to come out of their vehicle for the huddle. At this point some of the vehicle lights are still on. All of a sudden, from the direction the lights were pointing at, I see a dog, at a quick trot, coming towards our group! I don’t think I ever really even thought about what was going on! I just reacted! I drew my pistol, and cycled my weapon to chamber a round. I had my pistol in red status and was pointing it at the dog. I didn’t shoot right away because I wanted to make sure it was absolutely necessary to kill this dog before I actually did it. Before I knew it the dog was surrounded by soldiers, petting him. “Hey buddy! What’s up! Good to see you again,” said one of the soldiers. At some point someone looked back and noticed that I had drawn my weapon and was aiming at the dog. “Uhm, what are you doing, sir?” “What the fuck?!” “Whoa! What’s this?” “Relax! It’s just a dog, sir!” Those were some of the reactions from other soldiers when they noticed what I was doing. Just a few seconds later, the dog got up and trotted directly towards me. He sniffed me a little bit, then plopped onto the ground, laying down on top of my feet. And there he laid, licking his balls and biting his fleas as I pointed a pistol at him. Obviously he wasn’t a threat, so I put my weapon back on amber. I almost shot that mongrel!
We had our huddle around the dog as he lay on my feet. Once the huddle was over, we made our way to the chow hall to relax until it was time to leave again. This mutt followed us the whole way! He knew exactly where we were going because he got in front of us and walked directly to the chow hall! Later, I was told that this particular dog shows up all the time and that he has a habit of approaching groups of soldiers. Soldiers pet him and feed him, so he seeks them out. I told this story to one of my buddy Ryan the next day when we were back at our base:
Ryan: “You’re a fucking asshole, dude! You almost shot Dave?!”
Me: “The dog’s name is Dave?”
Ryan: “Yea! His name is Dave. He’s cool! I like him! I see him every time I go there.”
Me: “Who named him Dave?”
Ryan: “I did. I always wanted a dog named Dave. So he’s Dave! Don’t shoot him! You’ll make me very upset!”
So there you have it, the dog’s name is Dave and I almost killed Dave a few weeks ago. I went to that base last night, but I didn’t see Dave. It was raining, so be probably stayed somewhere dry. Now I kinda miss Dave!
Other animal-related stories I have from my time here:
-Making wild dogs chase the laser from my rifle.
-Pushing a stubborn donkey off the road with a Hummer.
-Scaring the crap out of a herd of goats with fighter jets and attack helicopters.
-Donkeys and lonely Iraqi men.
-Roakill of all shapes and sizes.
I'll share those stories in person when I get home. P.E.T.A. hates me enough as it is. Keep me away from your cats!
I can't promise more frequent updates but I promise to share my experience in great detail and with movies and pictures when I get home. Until them, thank you for your continued support. I miss you all! | | |
| First of all, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Second, sorry I have not written more often. It was never my intent to leave my loyal readers (both of you) hanging. It's just that things have not been too eventful around here. I'm kept fairly busy most days and when I'm not busy all I want to do is sleep or relax with a good movie.
I had the opportunity to visit Baghdad. Well, not really. I got to visit A BASE in Baghdad. I flew in a Blackhawk helicopter! It was cool! The only other time I have been in a helicopter was at Fort Lewis back in 2001. It was really cool to be flying only 200 ft. above the homes. Closer to our base, there is a lot of farmland and rural areas, but Baghdad was a much more urban landscape. It really gave me a different view of the country. As I looked down at the homes below I realized that from the air, the suburbs and urban centers looked like any other suburb or city in the U.S. I could have been flying over…dusty…Chicago suburb for all I knew. I'm on the opposite side of the planet and the only way I can tell the difference is that I'm carrying a pistol, a rifle, and enough ammunition to hold up a bank in L.A. Quite interesting.
Despite never having been a coffee drinker, I can now count on my daily cup of coffee. I'm not sure why I started drinking coffee, but I think it has something to do with the freezing temperatures. Once upon a time in October, the temperature would drop to a very chili 85 degrees at night and into the next morning. Being used to the comfortable 115 degrees during the day, I wore my thick black fleece over my uniform to warm me up when the temperature dropped. Lately, it's been getting into the 30s at night, and my only defense against the cold is the same black fleece I used when 85 was too cold for me. Therefore, hot liquids such as coffee and tea, have become an important part of my warm up routine. True, I have gradually acclimatized to the change in weather, but I'm a skinny fucker and I just don't have the insulation to maintain comfortable body temperatures! Brrrr!
I finally had vocal interaction with the local Iraqis! It was cool! I was doing a shift on the perimeter during the daytime when a local was walking his 11 pet cows next to the base. I picked up my weapon and used the scope on my rifle just to get a closer look at the guy when I realized that the muzzle of my M4 carbine isn't exactly a friendly sight. This wasn't the best way to be diplomatic! So I put my weapon down and just looked at the guy with a smile. "Assalaam alaikum," he said (peace be upon you) as he waved at me. I gave him the standard response "Wa alaikum assalam" (and peace be upon you). This other time we were lining up on the perimeter preparing to go out on a mission when a group of children started yelling gibberish at us as we were walking around our vehicles. One of my less friendly soldiers yelled at them "Imshee halla," which means something along the lines of "Get away from here!" We finished discussing our plan and were all headed back to our vehicles when I noticed one of the boys was running along the fence line beside me as I walked back to my vehicle. I looked at him, gave him the "hang loose" gesture and said "Shaku maku!" (what's up!) It was like something straight out of National Geographic. The kid was wearing a pair of shorts that looked like they had been sown together out of old rags and that was it. When I got to my vehicle I pulled out my camera and snapped a picture of him. Once he realized I took a photo of him, he started yelling more gibberish and gesturing for me to take his picture again. He gave me the dual devil horns (as in: "rock on"), a big smile and posed as I snapped the picture. That kid rocked! In the picture you can see the concertina wire used on the perimeter. I think the picture pretty much encapsulates my time here in Iraq: I'd like to go out and meet the people but I'd rather not leave the safety of the base or the armor of my vehicle to do it. It was really cool and I kind of wish I could just walk around town and shake hands, greet people and play with kids. I've always wanted to take a picture with me surrounded by a bunch of Iraqi kids or next to one of the adult locals, but I seriously doubt I'll ever be in a situation to take such a photo.
If there ever were a "ritzy" part of Iraq, I think I've seen it. We rolled into this one town and it had a guarded gate to get in. The main street we drove on had statues, fountains and decorative under-lit structures. It was actually quite picturesque. Too bad we only saw it at night, otherwise my pictures would have come out better. All the houses…err…mansions looked beautiful and were even decorated with Christmas lights. I didn't think they celebrated Christmas here! Maybe this is the Christian part of Iraq? Anyways, before I knew it we were rolling into a coalition base within this already gated town. In true Army style, they took this diamond in the rough beautiful piece of land and fucked it up to make it look all dreary and depressing within the base. Way to go, big green machine.
I have created quite the collection on pictures and videos from my adventures and journeys in this country. I'll share a picture or two here and there, but the video take up way to much space. It's too bad because the video is some of my best material. I can't wait to get home and show it off.
Merry Christmas to everyone and thank you for your kind words of support and encouragement. Anyways, it's time to go get ice cream before I head out to a Christmas Halo 3 tournament. Then I think I'm going to end my Christmas by watching "Bad Santa." I know, I know. War is hell. I wouldn't have it any other way. | | |
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