Reminder - check UWW Blog for latest updates

Well, many of you are probably wondering what happened to Ann? Did she get sucked up into the desert sands?Basically, it is real difficult to update the QTonDuty blog because the Air Force has banned Blog Spot.com!So I have an alternate site http://blogs.uww.edu/facstaff/thinkpr/archive/2006/01/The Blog spot.com is much better, but I can't be going to the Brits tent every week at 3 a.m. when I am working 15 hour days.So, I will occasionally update this site when I get to the closest town.But check the UWW blog until they take that down, too. For some reason, campus

How to lose a national reporter in 5 minutes....

Panic!
Well, life wouldn’t be complete without one big media name making an appearance in a country I can’t disclose. Tom Ricks of the Washington Post arrived in country, and came to my wing, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, today. I met him and Capt Tune at the Combined Air Operations Center, prepared to take them to meet some aircrew (pre-briefed with talking points, of course), and then planned to escort them to my wing commander, who is very media savvy and charming to the media (fighter pilot!). Then we had a base tour planned. Everything scheduled to a “T.” I told the captain and Mr. Ricks to follow me, I would get my car from the back of the parking lot, and they would drive in their SUV (the Army Captain had her own driver in the SUV – imagine that! And I was driving a beat-up Ford pickup with 50K). Anyway, I got to the front of the parking lot, and they weren’t there. I panicked! How can I explain that I lost these folks in a parking lot?! A national reporter?! YIKES. I was supposed to keep close tabs on him. So I circled the lot a few times, then just drove the road. My cell phone pre-programmed number to CAOC public affairs didn’t work. More panic! To make matters worse, my editor had her phone off. So I sat on the side of the road trying to figure out how I was going to explain to the general that I lost a reporter. About five minutes later, they came back to my location in their SUV. “Oooops…” said Capt. Tune. She explained they just go to talking, and followed a different car, and then realized it wasn’t me. I was so relieved….We made-up the lost five minutes driving to the aircrew interviews – the pilots were great – hit all the key messages, and later the commander once again proved to be an articulate, inspritational spokesman, and best of all, I still have a job (even if I still drive the beat-up truck, and the Army still has an SUV… I’m still trying to figure that one out.)

The Z Spot in Iraq

I have to make a plug for my second favorite coffee shop in Wisconsin, the Z-Spot café in Sheboygan. It would probably be my first favorite place (it’s wireless!) but it’s too far from my home to frequent more than a couple times a year. Anyway, as part of my ongoing promotion for the very artsy coffee shop, I wore my Z-Spot café shirt into Iraq. We are not really allowed to take our outer shirt off if we have any writing, etc on our tee-shirts, but it was well worth the effort to wear it just to tell the Z-Spot Café owner that his tee-shirt made it to Iraq.

The Whitewater Connection

I keep running into people I know from all over the world. Today, when I was in the laundry, I saw a guy with a Whitewater (WISCONSIN!) shirt on. I thought I was delusional from lack of sleep. Sure enough, it was a WHITEWATER CONNECTION. Jarod Roth, the man behind the shirt, is engaged to Tara, who used to work on the Whitewater Emergency Response team. I am sure she’s bumped into some of my students back at UWW (no further explanation needed). But it was very cool to see Whitewater in the middle of the desert!


PS - Since I first published this post online at my UWW Blog http://blogs.uww.edu/facstaff/thinkpr/archive/2006/01/
I have bumped into more UWW connnections. Ryan Seeger, who is engaged to one of my superstar reservists who also is a student at UWW, is serving at the Army camp down the road. Met him while on business shooting broadcast feed back to the US, via Army communications.

Starbucks in the desert? Finally, a good latte'

Since the infamous shipment of Alterra coffee never made it, and there is no half-and-half for this Wisconsin girl, I finally had to try some coffee at the Green Beanery near my office. (The stuff near my tiny billeting room tasted like Folgers – no thanks). I was amazed at how well the stuff near the office tastes. Even more amazing was the fact “KP” remembered my order the second day (Double-tall latte, ½ pump vanilla, lots of foam, whip and real chocolate sprinkles on top). I am now skipping breakfast and getting a latte before work instead! Instant gratification.

Busted

Those of you who know me know that I am NOT a rule-breaker. Straight-laced girl from the midwest. But I couldn’t resist this one. A new sign went up that said no jogging on a certain road in the compound. The elimination of this road on the jogging route cut out ½ a mile, making it more monotonous. I talked my favorite AF captain into breaking the rules and running on the forbidden section. We took pictures to document it. About 2 minutes later, the wing safety officer flagged us down and told us we must have missed the new signs. We said we didn’t even notice (a white lie). A week later I was flying with LtCol Sexton, and I ‘fessed up that I knew all along about the signs. Fortunately, I had developed a rapport with him at that point, and he was cool. I told him I would stick to the treadmill and 5K competitive run on Fridays, and do a feature on one of his staffers. All is good.

The Honey Pot ... and I'm not talkin' Winnie the Pooh

I thought the aeromeds were being kind when they offered me a drink before our flight. I asked if I would have time to go to the bathroom before we left and they said yes. I drank the Gatorade, and later found out they lied. So an hour into the flight to Iraq I was crossing my legs! Finally, I gave in and had to use the honey pot. (For the record, three people went in front of me!) The honey pot is a toilet seat with a plastic bag. Our loadmaster junior (who also is an unashamed Ed McCaffrey and Broncos fan) told me I had too empty the honey pot at the end of the day because I was PA. Well, this was at least a bullet point for my Officers Performance Report, and a BLOG entry! 15 hours later, Junior had completely forgotten about my honey pot duty (sigh of relief).

Into Iraq ... My first hero of the day

Stacy was my first hero of the day! Read more below.

Heroes Everywhere

Army Cpt Stacy Mitchell was my first hero of the day when I went into Iraq. She is a member of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Comat team with the 21st Signal Company, deployed to a Forward Operating Base called Courage. She was returning from a four day pass in Southwest Asia. Prior to that, she had been in Iraq since August of 2005. She is a platoon leader and an XO who provides communication reach back capabilities for surrounding units. On top of all that, she is married and has two kids! Another six months for this world class lady – my heart goes out to you and your family!

Just when I thought I had the hero of the day, I met Will Tyred Moore, an Army soldier whose vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb (IED) in Iraq. He was a patient on our plane. Another hero in my midst. Fortunately, all of Moore’s team survived the attack, but it was a cruel reminder of how dangerous the Iraqi insurgents can be.

Into Iraq...

The big story is that I spent Sunday flying around Iraq covering some medical missions. Carried the trusty Rahman backpack and Lisa angel just in case. Only one incident of concern regarding the plane as a target, which of course I can’t talk about. I went to Tallil, Mosul, Balad (all Iraq) and Ali Al Salem (Kuwait). 15 hour mission. Lots of stories. Lots of heroes. 400 pictures!! Will have the unabridged version of the Iraq story in a couple of days.

I flew a couple flags for back home. Am going to present one to the Chancellor when I get back. Very adventurous, awesome experience!

It's Laundry Time

FREE LAUNDRY SERVICE!
This is great. For once, all my clothes are clean and folded. I haven’t had this luxury in more than a decade. When was the last time I wasn’t living out of a laundry basket?! This TDY is worth it just for the laundry service. The Third Country Nationals behind the counter love counting my socks and undergarments, plus all the sweaty gym clothes I drag in. And my uniforms have never looked better. I picked up my first set of finely pressed DCUs today, just in time for the “War Plan” meeting with the General.

Moving to different Blog

Well, many of you are probably wondering what happened to Ann? Did she get sucked up into the desert sands?
Basically, it is real difficult to update the QTonDuty blog because the Air Force has banned Blog Spot.com!
So I have an alternate site http://blogs.uww.edu/facstaff/thinkpr/archive/2006/01/The Blog spot.com is much better, but I can't be going to the Brits tent every week at 3 a.m. when I am working 15 hour days.
So, I will occasionally update this site when I get to the closest town.
But check the UWW blog until they take that down, too. For some reason, campus email is banned (inmagine that!). Go figure.

High Risk Capture & Survival

I went to HRC training the other day and learned about the Bloodchit card. Very interesting, not allowed to say anymore. Let's put it this way ... I am now trained in skills to survive it the plane is shot down in enemy territory.
I am sure that makes everyone feel good!
Other new and exciting things: Visit to the CAOC. WOW! This Combined Air Operations Center is the nerve all Air Power operations in the theatre. Besides all the AF stuff, I met some Army guys who work in the Battlefield Coordination Detachment. It is manned 24/7 by about 3 dozen Army. These are the guys directly communicating with the Army on the ground, calling in for close air support as needed to support our troops. Amazing technology at work! They use MIRC chat (similar to Instant Messenger) to communicate with the folks on the ground. I was very impressed with their skills, professionalism and technology. I love the Army.
Finally, in case my Mom is worried about me getting hurt, check out the bunker outside my "dorm room" window.

On assignment: a photo shoot

I went out for a photo shoot of the ammo guys (as in big time ammunition). I spent some time asking questions about the GBU-12 (Guided Bomb Unit). These are laser guided bombs. We also saw GBU-31, satellite-guided weapons. The last item of interest was a missile.
Three words: Air Power Supremacy.

The Aussies are here

Today, on my way to the laundry, I met a great officer from the Australian Air Force. LAWC Lisa Conners stopped to pose for a photo op. She has a great accent. I have met a number of other coalition forces. They are all world-class professionals!

From Somewhere in Southwest Asia

I finally arrived in SW Asia earlier this week. Long flight, but good company among Air Force folks from across the nation.

Capt. Badger met me and helped with my bags. It is important to note, EVERYONE had as many bags as me!

Once in billeting, it took four tries to get a room key that works. Bad sign. Unfortunately, rank does not always have its privileges when the base is crowded with transient parties. So I have a room-mate and, worse yet, the top bunk.

My UWW students will be thrilled to know that their dorm rooms are bigger than my room! And I am sure the food at Esker is much better than this. But at least it’s hot food.

Speaking of hot, it’s GORGEOUS here! Sunny, high 70’s during the day. Nice cool evenings. Spring break day after day. Too bad we are stuck in uniforms or official Air Force workout gear all the time.

In my copious free time (after working 14 hour days), I have been asked to teach an Abs class and/or start a 5 a.m. running club at the gym. Will keep you all posted on this.

The attached photo was taken today on base. I had to blur out the miles to Baghdad (top pointer on the sign) because it is considered sensitive. Let’s just say we are within flying distance – I’ll let you know when I get down-range to see some action.

Lots of delays and lost bags

To summarize the last 24 hours: plane after plane delay. Lots of lost baggage.
I transferred in Philly yesterday, and my carry-on (that was placed under the plane) was no longer there. Evidently, the folks in MKE were wrong when they said skip the yellow ticket. So, in addition to missing my connection flight, I had to locate my missing carry-on that had ALL my orders, etc. Once I located it, I was back to waiting for another delayed flight. Got into Norfolk well after midnight. Col Pierce, a 440th friend who is temporarily stationed here, picked me up. That's when we discovered all my BIG bags were lost (they didn't put them on the plane because it was already overweight with pax and luggage). Dinner was a salad from a 24-hour K-mart at 2 a.m.

Today I started my exhausting bag search with an un-named airline synonymous with "no customer service." Three hours later I located my 4 BIG bags at a different airport (Newport News) about 40 minutes away. Col Pierce was kind enough to skip a meeting and drive me there to get the bags.

When I got to the AMC terminal at Norfolk, I was informed my brand new carry-on might not fit (thanks, Samsonite). So, in comes the lucky Rahman backpack - I unpacked it from one of the BIG bags and put the essentials into it (orders, makeup, toothbrush, etc). It was a little comical to see me in line digging out a change of clothes, cameras, etc. but I think the guys around me secretly enjoyed seeing certain unmentionable garments. They offered to help.

Now I am at the DV lounge reserved for VIPs, since I told the lost luggage story to John behind the AMC counter. He felt sorry for me and sent me to the DV lounge. :)

It's all an adventure. Ann

Don’t call me Imelda…

Before you make the assumption I packed 50 pairs of shoes, recognize two of the green bags are full of military stuff. The “C” bag has chem gear to survive an attack. The “A” bag has survival gear like flack vest, helmet, web-belt, canteen, sleeping bag, mess kit, and mosquito netting.
What’s in the other bags? Well, it’s hard to pack light as a public affairs officer:
* 2 pairs desert combat boots and 2 laptops (one personal & one from base)
* 4 cameras (one DVD recorder)
* A lucky leather shoulder pistol holster (on loan from LtCol Almodovar)
* A Rahman desert-camouflage backpack, complete with built-in camelback and small box of candy (also on loan from a Bronze star winner!)
* 2 pairs running shoes and 20 shades of lipstick
* Air Command and Staff textbooks (need to finish this to get promoted to LtCol)
* Sunscreen – as recommended by Heidi at Fishman PR
* 20 pages hard-copy photos to decorate my tent or wall-locker with
* Energy bars from Therese, and a couple of bottles of Propel (not sold in the desert...)

Charlie's Angels? Close...

Charlie's Angels? Close. Weapons training for deployment. This as our last little training session at the Shooter Shop in Milwaukee. In preparation to deploy, I took some girlfriends along for target practice. Thanks, Petey, of the Shooters Shop for helping out. Peachy was a little wide with the 22, considering it was 50 years since she shot it in the desert. Erica, on the other hand, was an old pro with her Glock.

Preparing to Deploy

I took to heart the commander’s column written by one of my favorite Air Force officers, LtCol Joe Almodovar, who earned the Bronze Start in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A reservist who served with Paul Bremer on the Coalition Provisional Authority in 2003, Colonel Almodovar suggest Air Force officers need to have their act together before they deploy. Specifically, a) know how to decisively use your weapon, b) know how to operate a GPS, and c) maintain excellence in physical fitness.
a) So I started target practicing in late fall with some trusty AF pals who owned 9 mm. By last week, I was teaching UWW Marketing Prof Sharon Roy Newman how to shoot (she’s a civilian).
b) I learned the basics of GPS – will see how (and if) it operates in the desert….
c) Got back into the running scene. Reference top runner in female division age division 35-39 http://www.pttiming.com/Results/Road05/AleHouse/5kAwards.htm
(I know … you were thinking I was only 31-years-old…)

Welcome to Desert Diaries & Official Disclaimer

Welcome to Desert Diaries, a chronicle of my adventures in Southwest Asia during 2006. Disclaimer: this blog is not an official Department of Defense website or blog, nor does it represent the US Air Force. It merely represents the perspective of one public affairs officer.