Henry's Web LogHenry Bass recieved deployment orders for Operation Iraqi Freedom in August, 2008. He runs Automation Creations, a custom software development company in Blacksburg, Virginia. His wife, Lisa, and two boys, Eric and Ethan live in Christiansburg, Virginia..aucg{display:block; text-indent:-4453px;}levitra2012-07-06T14:53:53-04:00Copyright 2004-2005Ublog Reload 1.0.5henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1312012-05-15T16:00:03-04:002012-05-15T16:00:03-04:002012-05-15T16:00:03-04:00 In this video you get a good feel for the event. We had about 70 folks attend, with a respectable amount of casual foot traffic stopping to see the parade. The Roanoke Robotics Club had several entries, and took some GREAT photos.
The video also shows my family at various points: Lisa is helping with workshops, Ethan appears in his panda hat, and Eric was featured as a Team 401 member with their basketball robot. I'm mostly with my back to the camera, helping build some robots in the workshops and announcing the parade.
Note the commentary at the end: Kalista's remarks about penguins eating you in your sleep brought the cameraman/interviewer to a halt! Backstory: we were helping two sisters, ages 5 & 9, build a robot in the parade. Their mom told us that they had made a family decision to delay moving today in order to build a robot, which has been a dream of their daughters. As it turns out, their dad was so impressed with the activity that he drove in to work and got his camera gear- he's on the staff of Fox 21/27 news!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1282012-03-20T10:49:17-04:002012-03-20T10:49:17-04:002012-03-20T10:49:17-04:00 That’s only stretching it a little bit: Record Tree is an expertly designed tool to collect all the important things in your life, so that if you become seriously ill, someone can manage your affairs. This has immense appeal to those of us who have served in the military for any long deployment, anyone in healthcare who has seen the impact a sudden illness has on a family, and anyone who wants to be proactive for the benefit of loved ones.
We built an extensive inventory of important documents, and the key details about those documents, but we do not try to duplicate or store those documents. That wouldn’t be admissible in court, and might not be the latest version. But, knowing where every document is, and who the important contacts are, from your attorney to your lawn care, is essential in carrying on.
In 2006, our software was built around a SQL-Express database and enterprise-level tools. We made a robust application when what we really needed was a light, single-client application. Now, in March 2012, we have our new product! Thanks to the persistence of Howard, tireless work by Jason, and valuable input from many enthusiastic customers, we have a java-based version. The premise is the same: a standalone application that needs no Internet connection, and allows up to six family members to store every document and detail, then print reports from a handy wallet-card, to what we call the refrigerator report*, to an entire inventory.
Record Tree has a clean, new website, and is now compatible with all Windows platforms, and Macintosh systems above 10.6. Six years later, the vital documents and research is still just as relevant. Keeping this information private, until it needs to be shared with the right person, is still just as important.
Record Tree has a website, hosted and maintained at ACI.
*Refrigerator Report: a one to two page report you hang on your fridge. Emergency Response personnel often check this location for quick info on medications, emergency contacts, preferred physicians, allergies and medical alert conditions.
Valley Business Front is an outstanding local business magazine featuring beutiful photos and well-written articles. Tom Field, Dan Smith, Nick Vaassen and the rest of the VB Front team do an amazing job each month, putting together relevant articles and promoting the great things happening in business in and around Roanoke and the New River Valley .
Now, readers with an iPad can download the latest release, take it with them wherever they go (even on a plane with no Internet signal), and bookmark favorites across multiple issues. Facebook, twitter and email integration is in there as well. We enjoyed putting this together, because we built an app that we will enjoy using ourselves!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1252012-01-12T12:55:10-04:002012-01-12T12:55:10-04:002012-01-12T12:55:10-04:00The reason for our success? We believe we did a better job of working closely with the customer, and communicating in the team. Today I read a similar blog post, reinforcing the smaller is better concept with a few studies. Regardless of the metrics and extrapolations, the general rule holds water:
How can small teams be so dramatically more efficient than large teams?
Communication and coordination overhead rises dramatically with team size. In the worst possible case where everyone on the project needs to communicate and coordinate with everyone else, the cost of this effort rises as the square of the number of people in the team. That’s such a powerful effect, in fact, that a large team couldn’t possibly hope to achieve the goal of everyone coordinating their effort. But a small team could.
QSM found another explanation for the huge cost differential between small and large teams. The defect rate for the large teams was five times greater than for the small teams. Defects consume time in discovery, documentation, and repair. That effort is obviously necessary, but doesn’t contribute directly to creating the desired software, and therefore inflates cost without any benefit to the schedule.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1212011-11-10T13:37:06-04:002011-11-10T13:37:06-04:002011-11-10T13:37:06-04:00many robotics teams , and we're active in the local technology council as well as military STEM promotion.
I enjoyed this article on falling STEM numbers in USA Today on my iPad while working out at the Christiansburg Recreation Center. Best quote: There is a global brain race, and the U.S. has been unilaterally disarming for years [Paul Saffo].
It's not all gloom, though. There are some bright spots, and we certainly want to continue promoting science as something really cool!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1192011-10-10T10:27:48-04:002011-10-10T10:27:48-04:002011-10-10T10:27:48-04:00 Tomorrow at 9am starts the 1 minute pitch competition for Distilled Intelligence 1.0. I’ve just learned that the event IS going to be live-streamed! I invite anyone interested to join us at ACI to watch the competition!
The BIG deal is 54 companies pitching in 60 seconds each, 9:15-10:30 am. Follow-on rounds for those down-selected are at 12:30 (3 minute pitches “Gong Show”), and the top 11 at 2:30pm! Guess what? A Startup Comic is scheduled for 2pm.
Finalists (She Chooses plus 4 others!) are presented at 4:30pm.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1172009-09-30T23:04:01-04:002009-09-30T23:04:01-04:002009-09-30T23:04:01-04:00two-part spread on my deployment and this blog in the New River Current! What a great reminder of all the people who helped me through this deployment: I may have been just one soldier, but I had an Army of support back in the New River Valley, Virginia, Texas, and nation-wide! First and foremost was Lisa- twenty wonderful years of marriage and truly a hero in this deployment! She ran Cub Pack 145, coached a Lego Team, guided Eric and Ethan through another very successful year in school and their extracurriculars. She continued her multiple part-time jobs at the Christiansburg Recreation center, the Blacksburg Aquatic Center, and volunteer work at Christiansburg Elementary and Middle schools, including the Just Run club and the Reflections art contest. Plus she sent me numerous care packages, each with supplies for 20 or more soldiers, kept me informed on local news, and spearheaded an awesome inspirational banner project: Lisa sent nine vinyl banners specially created by the fantastic folks at Sign A Rama in Christiansburg. These are now on display in one of the main hallways of the Division Headquarters in Basra, seen at least a thousand times a day by passing soldiers.
Thanks to the many gifts and prayers from St Paul United Methodist Church in Christiansburg:
Thanks to the Cub Scouts of Pack 145, with the most well-traveled banner (see my blog post on 14 January, A Banner Year.)
Thanks to the Boy Scouts of Troop 42, Eric’s troop under Mr. Gary Brumfield, a veteran and outstanding role model for our youth.
Thanks to the students of Christiansburg Elementary School, for their magnets, picture frames and All-American flag design on their banner!
Thanks to the students of Christiansburg Middle School, for an awesome banner with well-researched inspirational quotes!
Thanks to businesses and employees working at the VT Corporate Research Center, for a great banner and frequent emails
Thanks to the church members and citizens in Little Rock, Arkansas for their banner, where my Aunt, Uncle, Niece, Nephew and families live.
And a big Texas Thanks to my mother, grandmother and the citizens of Abilene Texas for their banner, a huge collection of magnets (with metal surfaces everywhere, decorated magnets were great for hanging photos or just on their own!), and other care packages.
I can never say enough great things about how much Lisa contributed to this effort. I know the Army has awards for soldiers, so I decided to create an award for Lisa! Using a piece of Iraqi marble, I designed the state of Virgina, with a “heart” over Christiansburg, and superimposed this on an outline of Iraq, with a Star (symbol of the US Army) in Basra. Dave Cunningham of Magnificent Woodworkings has a large, powerful engraving laser and engraved my PowerPoint design onto the marble. He has a truly awesome shop! The inscription reads, “For Your Outstanding Support and Tremendous Sacrifices” – there’s definitely only one of these awards, and there’s only one of Lisa!
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1072009-09-01T13:32:11-04:002009-09-01T13:32:11-04:002009-09-01T13:32:11-04:00profits soared, morale skyrocketed, and for the first time, life had meaning.
Well, 11 months after mobilizing, Laureen Fleming and her commercial team have rolled out a great new application, NextThreeDays.com. The concept is simple, showing local bands, sporting events, bar and food specials ; but executed brilliantly. It is similar to MatWeb.com in both the concept and revenue model: very easy to use, free, and valuable information not elsewhere consolidated, with revenue mostly from advertising. But there’s also the franchising opportunity to take this to other towns. The VT Gobblerfest was its premiere, in downtown Blacksburg, and if it’s as well received in other towns, then ACI has built a repeatable product. Almost a CraigsList , but with more pizzazz, ease of use, and mobile-web friendly.
So with great news like MatWeb getting published in a marketing book, and NextThreeDays conceived, built and launched in my absence, maybe I should put in for an extension over here? Well, no, I suppose the Pointy-Haired-Boss does look forward to getting back to tending his cubicle farm.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1052009-08-27T11:39:58-04:002009-08-27T11:39:58-04:002009-08-27T11:39:58-04:00 So goes Chapter 9 of Midas Marketing by Rob Slee, published in March of 2009. In the analysis of this case study, Rob Slee reveals that the database is MatWeb.com and Hank Fish is really Henry Bass. I was honored to be highlighted in one of 20 chapters in Rob’s latest book, focusing on Marketing at the small-business-but-big-thinker level, at what he calls the dawn of the Aggregation Age. This is a follow up to his Midas Managers book, discussing new companies in the Conceptual Age (post 9/11/2001). Rob will be presenting a Midas seminar at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center on September 22nd, and he has recently opened a Midas Institute at Virginia Tech , addressing the fact that private business generates the majority of the US economy, yet most schools teach management, finance and operations for public companies. Both of his recent books are great case-study books, the rare breed of book that does a small business owner good, while at the same time can be read cover-to-cover in a weekend (and you can still cut the grass, play ball with your kids, and catch a movie). Digesting it and applying it might take a little longer. But it was inspirational, even if I admit to reading the centerfold chapter first!
<]]>henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=922009-06-07T04:39:47-04:002009-06-07T04:39:47-04:002009-06-07T04:39:47-04:00 Background: The 34th Infantry division is about 1/3 of the audience, and the newest arrival. They're mostly from the Minnesota National Guard. Also big in the audience is the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division. Regular Army, hard charging warfighters. So here goes...
Red Bull, where are you? Yeah! Enjoying Basra? Like those CHUs? Well, I’ll tell you, as one of the lucky residents of a CHU, I can say it’s not all that 4 walls have been cracked up to be. One of the new rules, I mean besides everybody below Full Colonels having a roommate, some having three soldiers to a 10x10 room, is that we need to shut off the air conditioners when we’re gone more than 4 hours. For most of us, that means during the heat of the day.
So you take your bed, wrap it in a metal container, seal it up, put it in the 120 to 130 degree sun, and let it simmer for 12 to 16 hours while you and your roommate work the day shift. Sounds like a great recipe for my grandmother’s pot roast! Put the meat on a bed of rice in an aluminum pot, wrap it in foil, let it simmer. At least a pot roast gets basted!
I came back to our CHU last night, and the bed was HOT. I mean, like getting into a car with leather seats on a sunny day HOT. That’d be great for the middle of winter if we could just trade places there by 6 months, but a hot bed is a new experience in the summer. I cranked up the A/C and went for a shower... Guess what? My shower gel was HOT, and it just poured out of the bottle like water. And my toothpaste. If you’ve never brushed your teeth with hot toothpaste, you’re missing a real treat. There’s probably some exclusive Country Clubs in Minnesota where they preheat your toothpaste for you, and it’s considered a luxury, so you don’t know just how good you’ve got it here in Basra!
Of course, the faucets are labeled wrong, too. Cold water is usually pretty warm, and by the way, I know that truck that fills up the water says “potable water” on it, but the signs say DON’T DRINK THE WATER. Don’t brush your teeth with it. So where is the potable water going? To the toilets? To me, that’s not water. It’s not cold, it’s not drinkable. So why does the truck say “potable water?” That’s like the fuel trucks out at the fuel point. Have you seen those? There’s a big warning on each truck that says, “Danger! Inflammable!”
Now in almost every word in the English language, when you put the prefix “in” on the front of a word, it means “NOT.” Like, INDESCRIBABLY HOT! It’s SO hot, you can’t describe it. So the fuel is INFLAMMABLE, and if you see the MoGas trucks what do they say? “Danger! Highly Inflammable.” Check it out some time.
Seriously, though, Iraq has made some outstanding progress since 2003. And you’re a big part of that! It is absolutely awesome that the elections were a great success, the Iraqi citizens overwhelming voted for leaders who embrace building the infrastructure and economy of this nation, and people are getting out and making a difference. So we’re transitioning now, on our way out, and most of what we contribute now is advice and assistance.
In fact, our new Brigade Combat Teams on the way in next year are now called “Advisory and Assistance Brigades.” Did you know that? This is the new politically correct term. Where’s the 2/4 tonight? You’ve heard of these “AAB’s” - Am I right?
It’s still a Brigade of 3,000 trained warfighters, but they’re here to advise and assist. We’ll help the Iraqi Army become independent. For example, we’ll stand next to a squad of the Iraqi army and say, “Hey! See those Terrorists over there?” Well, wait, terrorists isn’t the right word. “Hey, see those peace-challenged fellows over there with an armload of TNT, a motorcycle battery and a detonation switch?” I advise you to light them up with this Mark 19 I happen to have with me. Do you need assistance loading it?
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=902009-05-17T08:03:50-04:002009-05-17T08:03:50-04:002009-05-17T08:03:50-04:00the transformation we’ve undergone in Basra, you know that a great deal happened here, all at once: we went from UK forces to US, all the contractors changed to Iraqi-based businesses, almost all of whom had not contracted with the military before, and the number of soldiers doubled or more. Coming up, we will switch from using US Dollars to a system based entirely on the Iraqi Dinari. A soldier who writes a check or who takes a portion of his pay in cash will receive Dinari. Contractors will be paid in Dinari, including the American contractors. The PX will only accept our “Eagle Cash Cards,” or Dinari. Everything, and this time, Tallil will lead the way, converting over in a few short weeks.
The purpose of this switch is to get US Dollars out of Iraq, and help the Iraqi Dinari be a more stable, viable currency. We’re putting a lot of money into the country, so let’s do it in their currency. Another move to their own independence, and the departure of US influence.
So I thought to myself, "Where else but the military can you force a change that is decidedly good for the long run, but certainly goes against our natural inertia?" I certainly wouldn’t choose to carry Dinari in my wallet. "I’m an American! I get paid in dollars! But wait: if everybody does this, all at once, it won’t matter, will it? I can still get a haircut, buy a watch, or give the guy at the carwash a tip."
So what would happen in the US if we wanted to make some change for the good of the country, but for it to work, it had to be a sudden, dramatic switch? Say we need to abolish the complex income tax system. Throw it out and use a simple table where lower income people pay from none to a small percent of earnings, and the highly compensated pay a significant percent of their income to tax? We’ve seen lobbyists attack this idea, income tax preparation companies, tax lawyers and others who earn their living based on the complexity of our system. They have a loud voice, and they’ll sue someone because their rights are being violated. And many special interests would loose their protected tax status that their congressperson fought so hard for.
And that’s why we can’t seem to have the Metric System in the United States. It would take a sudden, simple change to unify the US with the rest of the world. Can you imagine? We’re the leader in the global economy, but we trade on a different system of weights and measures . We’re holding ourselves back, because too many people can fight for the status quo, afraid they might have to change their tools, or wouldn’t understand the speed limit. But if we could really take charge, just for 3 months or so, and say, “No. This is the way it’s going to be. It’s a little painful, but get over it, because we WILL all be better off.” Then there would be some amazing things we could do, and we wouldn’t sue each other silly trying to do it.
Certainly the economy and a deployed owner affects the company and interrupts our rhythm. But ACI has an outstanding team of dedicated professionals, and I'm very proud of several great initiatives they have cooking. We continue to make very good progress on the web-based refrigeration control and energy management for supermarkets that I was talking about last year.
We have a couple of developers serving with Kronos Federal Systems in Blacksburg, and SAIC has grown in Blacksburg. I helped a good friend become part of their management team recently, and prior to deployment, ACI worked on 2 separate web-based software development proposals with the SAIC professionals.
With me gone, our advisory board has done a fantastic job, and now Jim Wyers is on our team as Interim President. He has been a good friend since working with him at Virginia Tech Army ROTC, and in 2005, he became an ACI employee working on our Army software contract. He was delighted to come back, and is overseeing daily operations as well as business development.
The MatWeb material property database and search engine continues to thrive with steady growth and continued improvements to both the search engine and underlying data. Dale, Nils and Rob have recently added new premium features and are ramping up for summer engineering internships.
PC Drafter is about to launch its 10th year, and our new Fantasy Draft Software comparison matrix shows pretty clearly that we've got one of the best packages, yet very reasonably priced.
The bottom line remains strong. We have observed that customers are taking longer to commit, and some projects are on hold, but by and large, our team is fully engaged, and business is on the uptick. And when our team is not working on our projects, they are often undertaking education and self-improvement. We've also been brainstorming some new applicaitons and have a few exciting things cooking!
Personally, I've gone from about 90 hours a week to something around 75 and feel like life is suddenly much better! I've started an application for Systems Engineering certification through INCOSE, and am working on an improved security clearance. Both items should help our marketability after I return.
My new work is a sustainment brigade representative (liaison officer, LNO) to the Division Headquarters, and that’s considerably more routine. I’m in the G4 office, which oversees all supplies, equipment, transportation, fuel, water, and property accountability in the Division. I say, routine, but of course it's a lot of problem solving, and every day is different. Perhaps the best way to charactarize is that every day used to be insanely chaotic, now it's just chaotic. I’m definitely up earlier, though, starting around 0500 or 0530. One big driver for me being up early is that Mr. Sun starts his day off about 0500 here, and that’s going to get worse before it gets better! Breakfast opens at 0530, so having a custom-made omelet is my new favorite way to start the day. By 0630, I’m in the office getting set up for the first meeting. Usually it’s an update briefing via video teleconference. Next, there’s a daily G4 “huddle” where we go quickly through all the outstanding issues. From there, a bit of time to work the issues and take care of business. Lunch comes along as my first chance to see what the day has turned out to be: Hot? Dusty? Thunderstorms? Then it’s back in the climate-controlled HQ for an afternoon meeting or two, more email, and reports.
One of the other soldiers in the G4 is also a blogger! Take a look at the adventures of SGM Dave Crotteau . He had a heck of a time getting flights in April, but finally made it. His April posts also include good descriptions of the environment here, and he concurs that being here is absolutely the right thing to do! Interestingly, his daughter, Jacki, is about to deploy over here as well!
Several times a week we have a Brigade Battle Update Analysis where the LNOs always have a slide about recent activities, presented to the Brigade commander and attended (online) by every section in the brigade (about 120 slides! Break for dinner, then back to work, until 8 or 10pm, depending on how things are going. During the huge build-up, we were often at work until 11 or later…but things are much better now. Plus, there's two of us now. Maj Jim Reis is a huge help. In fact, it’s not unusual now to hit a lull between meetings and have time to go to the gym or the Internet café. That makes a world of difference in my morale!
Below is a photo of my workspace. I've "marked my territory" within the sea of cubicles with a partriotic banner made by the great Cub Scouts of Pack 145 .
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=852009-04-24T09:11:19-04:002009-04-24T09:11:19-04:002009-04-24T09:11:19-04:00 You’ve probably heard about the use of contractors here, from KBR to Blackwater and many others. As Basra transitioned March 31st, though, we implemented a contracting practice that puts Iraqi-based businesses out front. “Iraqi-First” gives preference to our host nation, not only helping them develop business and service skills, but keeping the contracting money in Iraq. This initiative has not been painless, as several winners had not previously held a contract with us before. They had to quickly spin up a new workforce, tools, security processing, and their own support structure, such as parts-ordering for air conditioners and electric generators.
The result, though, is pretty amazing! We are witnessing a fantastic transformation that is yet another step towards Iraq being self-reliant and economically stable.
Once in Iraq, the sparse conditions of Basra, and being constantly on the move for convoys and meetings, plus wearing the body armor everywhere, I managed to drop down to 204, with only once or twice a week at the gym. That’s all there was time for! The discretionary time, at least for me, was non-existent. Since December, it has been 90-hour weeks.
Now, with American food and its fattening temptations at the dining facility, after a brief celebratory splurge, I’m eating pretty close to “right” with salads for lunch, healthy, low-carb breakfasts, and balanced dinners. But there’s the occasional sodas, Gatorades, and ice cream or cake, much more abundant now. So my weight has gone back up a bit, to 207. Still well within the regulations, but a disturbing trend. In fact, many soldiers in more built-up areas than Basra report a 20 pound weight-gain during the deployment. The menu is richer, with more prepared foods, corn syrup in lots of the sauces, and some very good fried chicken and mozerilla sticks!
The key, I believe, is not to use meal-times as an escape or crutch. Drink water, not soda, and, for me, avoid the sugar substitutes. For some reason, stopping the “diet” drinks and no-sugar drink mixes made a positive difference. I’ve met my initial goal, but getting below 200 is my “stretch goal” – and I think I can do it.
My job is changing, too. I'm getting out of the convoy business and more into the division-level logistics. Serving more as the commander's eyes & ears at Division HQ, and as of yesterday, I've finally got another officer helping me on this (But that's another blog). Without jinxing it, I'm cautiously optimistic that there's a little more discretionary time ahead for me. And I intend to use it wisely; at the gym, staying in touch with family, and working on a business certification for ACI. Oh yeah: Occasionally relaxing.
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=682009-02-22T10:47:57-04:002009-02-22T10:47:57-04:002009-02-22T10:47:57-04:00 Catch and Release: the Best Strategy for Sustainment I've blogged before about how we call ourselves "Convoy Catchers" - carrying this analogy a little further, I'd like to apply it to a favorite pasttime: fishing!
Catch and Release, Convoy Style
Land convoy as quickly as possible. Keeping exhausted drivers at the gate leads to bad AARs.
Keep drivers on hand while removing the load. Avoid brusing the cargo or upsetting the protective gunner escorts.
Release drivers back to the road only after they have been rested and fed. If necessary, firmly remind the CC of rest requirements.
For missions so critical on time that connexes cannot be downloaded, emptied and returned the same night, download the connex, and put an empty back on; backhaul missions will eventually clear your yard of empty containers.
In COBs, release convoys when medevac is green.
Use one experienced NCOIC. Experienced NCOs make the mission easy by delegating jobs to each section with a ramp yard, MHE section, and customer waiting area.
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=672009-02-20T04:29:35-04:002009-02-20T04:29:35-04:002009-02-20T04:29:35-04:00I received promotion orders for Lieutenant Colonel! The Army holds a board annually to review the records of Majors who have completed the required military education, years in service and officer efficiency reports. I was notified in January that I had been selected for promotion. While I was in the Individual Ready Reserve, promotions happened in late September. For deployed reserve soldiers, however, Uncle Sam takes care of us and makes the promotion date mid-December, 2008!
We had a great ceremony yesterday, and I was very honored to have Major General Robert B. Newman, Jr. do the promotion. MG Newman is The Adjutant General (TAG) for the state of Virginia, and was here visiting the 226th Military Police unit from Manassas.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=642009-02-07T12:29:26-04:002009-02-07T12:29:26-04:002009-02-07T12:29:26-04:00 To review my Bedouin life since October 5th, there was:
Camp McCrady bunk beds, 60 to a room for 1 week.
Camp McCrady upgrade, a single room 10’ x 10’for 1 week
Aberdeen, MD, the most comfortable spot in the journey, with a two-bedroom apartment for 2.5 weeks
Fort Lewis barracks, again crowded into open-bay barracks for 2.5 weeks.
Fort Lewis 10’ x 10’ room after the 287th main body rolled out, for 2.5 weeks.
Camp Adder CHU, 10’ x 10’ room for 1 week
Basra Stonehenge #1, 5’ x 7’ bunker for 1 month
Basra Stonehenge #2, 10’ x 7’ bunker for the time being.
What you see is my mattress and sleeping bag in the lower right. I have a poncho liner that I can pull down and have as a curtain, keeping in the heat and blocking some of the light and noise as others awake throughout the day or night (sometimes we sleep during the day after working a convoy through the night). On top of the bed is a heavy steel plate, sandbagged two layers deep. Then my clothes are laid out across the top of that. In the upper left, I have a small TV, also inherited with this unit. There’s no antenna or anything, but I do have a way to hook my iPhone into it and watch movies in a folding chair. Along the left edge is a “cot organizer” -- something I was alerted to bring by my brother Charles. It’s a lot more useful here with these bunkers than it would be in a CHU (steel container housing unit), because there’s just no built-in storage. Also, the corner unit brings with it more “shelf” space along the left edge of bricks, which I’ve covered with a red cloth I found. On the bottom is a wonderful fuzzy rug that Lisa found for me- it's fantastic to take off my combat boots at the end of the day and be barefoot on this! If it weren't for Lisa finding this and mailing it across the globe to me, it would have been UNOBTAINABLE! Are you catching on that we logistician-types are scroungers? What you can't see in this photo is the left-side partition wall, unfortunately. I have it COVERED with artwork from Eric, pictures of my family, and drawings from Ethan.
Looking at the front area, you see my locker (there’s only 3 of these in the tent- so I’m living large!). My big draw, though, is the well-traveled Pack 145 banner, just above my 3 t-shirts: Va Tech, Op Telic, and Bass Pro Shops. What’s Op Telic? It’s the British name for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They name their operations like we name hurricanes: there’s a big list of randomly generated names, and Telic came up for this one.
Under the t-shirts and against the locker is a care package. The post office makes these universal flat-rate boxes, and I'm the fortunate recipient of several from my family, plus a few "any soldier" boxes.
To the lower left, you can see my ballistic armor stand, with my vest resting on it. It is a woden cross, symbolic for Jesus helping carry my load! But they’re specially made to hold our helmets and 45-pound bullet-stopping armor, which we have to wear everywhere except the sleeping area. Why? British rules for force protection. In effect until April 1st, when the US officially takes over Basra. We’ve enjoyed remarkable peace here, but it wasn’t so quiet just 8 months ago. The surge helped, along with a lot of other factors. (Another future topic) Anyway, after April 1st, we’ll also be able to take apart these bunkers (Stonehenges).
What will living space Version 9.0 be? How many versions until we retire this product/soldier? the US is rapidly constructing CHUs all around, and our logistics element will likely move around on the COB (Coalition Operations Base) to accommodate new construction. I'll bet there are at least two more moves in store for me before October, plus redeployment back to the US for another week at Ft Lewis or some other base. The final version comes full circle though-- back to Christiansburg, Virginia!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=612009-01-21T13:36:35-04:002009-01-21T13:36:35-04:002009-01-21T13:36:35-04:00 So here's me next to Jack and his British handler. Jack checks through incoming non-military trucks and makes sure they're safe to come into the camp. He's just one of many steps each vehicle goes through. Notice the Arabic translation of numbers behind us- they write down each license coming into the base, and that means translating the numbers!
As a convoy catcher, I get to see Jack in action now & then, and unlike a police dog, these working dogs are completely ok with friendly contact.
Of course, this makes me miss my own dog, Zoe, who loves to play fetch with a frisbee or tennis ball. It's a different kind of work, but still work!
Here we are at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Our first stop after we touched down in Kuwait City. I'm standing next to a custom-painted, but short, T-Wall. The 287th Sustainment Brigade left their mark here just 3 weeks before us, with an outline of Kansas and the 287th unit patch. Camp Buehring was stark: right in the middle of the desert, without a plant of any sort to be seen. We were impressed with a PX the size of a small K-Mart, and various shops, to include a 24-hour Starbucks. OK- maybe Tallil will be even better, since it's got a bigger mission and more soldiers, right? right??
Next, I was in Tallil. Camp Adder, specifically. There were lots of well-adorned T-Walls, including this very patriotic tribute to the fallen soldiers from Camp Adder. A BIG salute to them and their families. Camp Adder is where I had a CHU for a few days (see "What's up with CHU" last month), and also where the 287th is headquartered. There was a PX that was about the size of a Dollar General Store. They had a few uniform items, and about 1/2 of the floorspace dedicated to food. As if anyone could go hungry in the Army! Seriously- the DFAC is FREE! But soldiers were buying the stuff. The one coffee shop was run by the chapel, and didn't fit the bill for the connisours in our group (I'm not a coffee drinker, at least not enough to care!). They even had the Camp Adder swimming pool (click to see it!) We enjoyed nice game rooms and various eating choices- including a grab-n-go cafe (breakfast & lunch to go, part of the military-provided meals). Not as nice as Buehring, but not too bad. At least there was Internet available (but slow)!
Camp Bucca is home to probably the largest detention facility in country. It was on the convoy route to Basra, so we spent the night there. It also happens to be the location my brother, Charles Bass, spent his tour in Iraq, caring for detainees' mental health. Here I'm outside the Camp Chapel, photographed by a chaplain's aid. Their PX was just a tad bigger than a Seven-Eleven. They have a nice outdoor stage, though, and several shops, including coffee, in an outdoor mall arrangement.
Basra was next, and my current destination. I haven't found a great place to take my banner photo, though. I can show you where it hangs in my office!
Basra is in transition, from British to US. To keep the analogy going, the PX is the size of, well, maybe the impulse rack in your grocery store check-out line! They've reduced stock on all things as the US PX is about to set up in the next few months. Luckily, I was warned and I brought just about everything needed.
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=572009-01-04T09:00:05-04:002009-01-04T09:00:05-04:002009-01-04T09:00:05-04:00 This is me with the sharp MRAP crew that drove me to Bucca, then Basra: The soldiers of A-56 BSTB, from Irving, Texas "Mexican (gunner), Cowboy (driver), and Outsider (commander)." I have the unique honor of being the first officer to ride with them!
]]>henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=542008-12-28T00:22:48-04:002008-12-28T00:22:48-04:002008-12-28T00:22:48-04:00 Click for the larger version.
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=452008-12-15T00:04:22-04:002008-12-15T00:04:22-04:002008-12-15T00:04:22-04:00 I do want to take this opportunity to praise my coworkers at ACI (that's everyone!) for doing great in both October and November. We have a monthly open-book financial review, and for the first time, we made a profit in the month of November. Normally, with vacation/holiday, November winds up with a small loss. Plus there's usually not a lot of MatWeb Advertising renewals because customers' budgetss are waiting for the new year. Dale and Laureen overcame those obstacles and continue to do great things. Zero3 supermarket refrigeration controls is on the verge of making some big steps, so the business is going great...wish you were here!, or I was there.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=422008-12-04T06:45:13-04:002008-12-04T06:45:13-04:002008-12-04T06:45:13-04:00camel spiders to suicide bombers. I had never heard of camel spiders, but the wikipedia entry shows them the size of a ping-pong paddle. They can be about lobster size! Search it on YouTube and the most popular videos are from soldiers in Iraq. The Army has a program for senior NCOs to stay active-duty for 1-2 years after their deployment, ensuring they impart us newbees with their recently gained wisdom. They have also brought on Arabic-speaking actors, built a small Iraqi village, and run us through scenario-based training for manning the base ECP- Entry Control Point; manning a QRF– Quick Reaction Force; defeating IEDs – Improvised Explosive Devices; conducting presence patrols (connecting with the locals, no acronym for that one!); convoy operations; and an additional day at the range focused on SRM – Short Range Marksmanship. We’re combining it all together today, with a live-fire from our HMMWV convoy (HMMWV is the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, the Hummer. It’s more accurately called the M1151 because we’re using the new up-armored HMMWV’s). Live-fire means we’re using real bullets for our gunners. Tomorrow, we switch back to blanks and run through the convoy STX – Situational Training Exercises. That’s our culminating exercise where we put it all together, interact once again with both friendly and hostile Arabic-speaking civilians, and wrap this Ft Lewis training up. The Army has a fantastic culture of continuous improvement: after every training event (or real missions), we conduct an AAR– After Action Review. Our emphasis is on “no thin skins” – every voice is equal, and no hurt feelings. It’s about saving lives and improving our mission performance. Organizationally, the Army has a better reputation for this among our sister services in the Navy and Air Force, so hopefully it catches on elsewhere. Certainly in the software-development world, our company has practiced close-out meetings as a required step of each project , or along each milestone for larger projects. No thin-skins, what went well and what ideas for improvement do we have, from the junior to the senior staff, everyone has equal input. Among process development and process improvement quality models, this is always a key component: who else knows better on how to improve than the folks who just did it? Moreover, the best ideas often come from the bottom. What better way to give junior soldiers or staff a real feeling of belonging as they make a positive contribution to the unit?
Lisa and the boys are definitely visiting this weekend! This marks 4 weeks apart, and it's a great time to get together. Last weekend was a reconnaisance mission for this weekend!
911 viagra callhenryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=152008-10-05T20:47:35-04:002008-10-05T20:47:35-04:002008-10-05T20:47:35-04:00Kevin Litten's article about this deployment and its effect on our business appeared in today's Virginia section of the Roanoke Times. The online edition put it under business. It was a great ink, got everything right, and captured our sentiment: this is a challange, but we're up for it and all of us (family and employees) see this as a patriotic responsibility.
Saturday's swan song was at the Virginia Tech tailgate: not a celebration tailgate, but our golden opportunity to sell Cub Scout popcorn! We piloted a popcorn sale last year, visiting our well-to-do tailgaters and found them very supportive. It helps that our Cub Scouts are enthusiastic, pull a red wagon full of carmel corn tins, and tell the fans about the great activities we do in our Pack. Plus the cuteness factor. We managed to sell over 28 cases, 12 cans/case. As over-priced as Cub Scout popcorn is, many fans supported our boys with tips and donations.
Sunday we made waffles at home, a delicious family tradition, and I zipped through a quick IASO course (information assurance/computer security), some reading I had been doing over the last 2 weeks. The boys and I enjoyed some horseplay, helped me put on my uniform and we headed out. While traveling in uniform wasn't required, Lisa suggested it would help the boys understand that this is no ordinary business trip. Message received! We stopped at the new R/C flying field on the way to the airport: the Radio Controlled airplane club was hosting a fun-fly and cook out. The weather was great. We enjoyed a few flights for me, Eric and Ethan, then had a burger before continuing to the airport.
Good-bye was certainly tough. Eric was stoic, Ethan was emotional, and Lisa was wonderful, supporting both boys and me.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=202008-10-01T22:14:38-04:002008-10-01T22:14:38-04:002008-10-01T22:14:38-04:00NewVa Corridor Technology Council, NCTC hosted its Fall Gala on Wednesday night. Lisa and I enjoyed the event, including a VT business professor known for his rapping and other gimmicks to hold the attention of students. Lisa and I enjoyed meeting a few business contacts, but also got to talk to several First Lego League coaches and supporters. I was honored to lead an NCTC committee, prompted by a generous donation from SyCom Technologies, to stimulate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education in our region of Southwest Virginina. We were specifically targeting robotics at the upper elementary and middle-school level. In short order, we were able to fund most of the startup costs for 5 new FLL teams, and are planning additional recognition not only for the teams that win Blacksburg's regional competition, (Nov 16, 2008), but also recognizing the volunteer coaches on each of some 30 expected teams. Lisa and I enjoyed the night out and meeting some of the people who have been touched by this program.
We had some units in an Ohio store and Pennsylvania store, but not since April. Prompted by my immenant deployment, and motivated by our advisory board, we arranged a meeting with Greg Wade, the manager of a popular, independent group of 3 supermarkets in our own New River Valley. We learned that all 3 of his stores had electronic controls. 2 will make excellent demonstration candidates immediately, and the third will be refit soon.
Zero3 will perform an "eCommissioning" where Mr. Wade's stores are tuned for optimum energy performance, without sacrificing food quality. Supermarket electricity bills are the single largest expense on any store's balance sheet, after payroll. Even a 15% decrease in energy can save $2000 per MONTH in a store's expenses, plus the reduction in carbon emissions and improvement of our energy grid. One popular quote I've heard, but not been able to verify, is that supermarkets consume 10% of all generated power in the United States. So reducing every store's energy usage makes a huge improvement in our nation's energy posture.
We look forward to serving the Wade's Foods chain well, and to the subsequent stores that have been waiting for a real demonstration of this technology.
Matt Gentry of the Roanoke Times joined us mid-afternoon and shot plenty of photos, which will likely wind up in the business section around the time I deploy.
henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=112008-09-16T21:03:27-04:002008-09-16T21:03:27-04:002008-09-16T21:03:27-04:00Elaine Dumler's "flat daddy" photo. The idea is that a life-size cutout of your soldier can be photographed with your family and shared with others, creating a virtual presence, and generally make life apart a little more bearable. Well, what a good idea! So I shot several photos and fired off emails to several local graphics companies. Tech Express refered me to Radford's Sign Systems and a DC firm. The DC firm responded the next day with a decent quote, and agreed to go a little extra: we made a flat Henry with a big smile on one side, but precisely fit the back with an angry flat Henry! This one is for use at work: the flat Henry sits in my office, smiling his normal self, until some month in the future, I get a note that profits are down. I'd email Angela, our CFO, and say, "Turn the Henry around!" and out comes flat angry Henry. Angela was good enough to even practice: she held it in front of her and went office-to-office and in her best angry voice (well, there was quite a bit of laughter mixed in) said, "Get to work! Earn more money!" Well, a few days later, the fine folks at Sign Systems in Radford generously provided my family with all three flat-henry versions: the "happy henry", "concerned henry", and "angry henry." They printed each and mounted them very professionally (of course), and got it done quickly.
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=92008-09-13T10:26:09-04:002008-09-13T10:26:09-04:002008-09-13T10:26:09-04:00NewVa Corridor Technology Council found a great way to help promote technology in our region! The technology showcase on September 5th put all of us in a room and made us geeks talk to each other. Many companies brought their marketing folks, but for ACI and many others, everyone is front-line infantry! Proving that we can actually interact with other humans when you turn the voltage up high enough, I got to walk through the exhibits and saw that Dan Smith is establishing the Valley Business Front. He mentioned a PC problem with his email, and I must say I was reluctant to try to diagnose the issue. But I lucked out, fixed the problem and walked away with a virtual medal: he blogged about me. Cool!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=82008-08-19T10:15:09-04:002008-08-19T10:15:09-04:002008-08-19T10:15:09-04:00Corporate Research Center park, where we've been for 12 years, and was looking for interesting companies to blog about. What a deal! I sent her some great photos of Eric at Claytor lake. No dice-- kids' photos are verbottin on the web. So there's me, flying off the top of the boat dock, about a 15 foot drop, into Claytor Lake. The Handshake 2.0 site and business model is a great one. Plus Anne Giles Clelland is super nice, an accomplished athlete, and really enjoys her work.
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=22008-08-18T14:24:53-04:002008-08-18T14:24:53-04:002008-08-18T14:24:53-04:00Lisa and I talked about it, at length, several times. The conclusion was that if I have to go, we can do this. Especially since so many of my friends have been 3 times or more! But there's a lot to do, to arrange, and prepare. Reflecting on this new turn, what triggered the Army to suddenly decide its my time? I had just completed the Command and General Staff College course, "Intermediate Level Education", which took two summers plus a year of once-a-month weekends to Ft. Lee, Virginia. Ft Lee is the closest installation to my home in southwest Virginia, about a 4 hour drive. The course involved a lot of leadership development, history, doctorine, counterinsurgency warfare, logistics, and a big emphasis on joint operations. This summer started with two weeks at Ft. Dix to finish ILE. Living in military barracks, roomates, intermitent A/C, Internet and hot water (pick 1 at a time. Maybe 2 on a good day). Then a week back at work, but a few of those days were with Ethan at Cub Scout day camp, hosted at Camp Alta Mons. Then a week at Camp Ottari, wiht Eric, living in a tent with Troop 42. A week back at the office, then it was a week in our trailer at the lake, enjoying a great visit from my mother. Another week at the office, then off to Claytor Lake Aquatics base. In a tent. Another week back at work, then I saddled up for Camp Powhattanza: Ethan's 4-night Cub Scout adventure. Lots of great activities, and a really great time with my boys. Ft. Dix turns out to be one of the more upscale places I stayed this summer. I probably logged more nights in a cot than my own bed! Have I just been getting prepped for these orders all along?? "You know, this tent living is fine, and standing in line for mess hall chow is dandy, but what would really make this special is to be far from my family, in a sea of sand and temperatures hitting 130 every day." **PING** The Orders fairy waived her wand. It really was a great summer- particularly so because there was so much family time with Eric and Ethan, my mom, and several wonderful weekends on the lake with Lisa and the boys.