Henry's Web Log

As one of the other Majors moved out, I slid into his old bunker. It was an upgrade, since he had a corner unit. There are still 30 of us in a tent, divided into “pods” of 5 soldiers each. But with this upgrade came a little more room. And I inherited a locking cabinet for my computer and Army gear!

To review my Bedouin life since October 5th, there was:

1. Camp McCrady bunk beds, 60 to a room for 1 week.


2. Camp McCrady upgrade, a single room 10’ x 10’for 1 week
   
3. Aberdeen, MD, the most comfortable spot in the journey, with a two-bedroom apartment for 2.5 weeks


4. Fort Lewis barracks, again crowded into open-bay barracks for 2.5 weeks.
   
5. Fort Lewis 10’ x 10’ room after the 287th main body rolled out, for 2.5 weeks.


6. Camp Adder CHU, 10’ x 10’ room for 1 week
   
7. Basra Stonehenge #1, 5’ x 7’ bunker for 1 month
   
8. 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!

Friday the 30th was a tough day. It was to be Sgt Harrington’s memorial ceremony in Basra and just 6 days after his passing. We were standing down for the day, allowing soldiers time to remember Sergeant Kyle J. Harrington and everything he brought to our lives.
But I thought, why not join in the British Fun Run, being sponsored to raise money for wounded veterans? Brightening the day just a little is something Sergeant Harrington was good at! The course was 5.6 kilometers, so here I am just after the course, near the finish line.



I didn’t know what it meant when it was advertised as “fancy dress” – there are some serious translation issues here with the British! It turns out, fancy dress means wear a costume. I wore my "Bass Pro Shops" USA T-Shirt (Get it? Major Bass??) and for soldiers, anything other than strict Army PT clothes or the new digital cami-ACU uniform is a huge variance. But the truly courageous ran in gladiator outfits, some a little too revealing, and cardboard tank cutouts. Everybody got a nice t-shirt, and it started the day off with a smile.



You can see the dust and rain starting to kick up as the race wrapped up:

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything. You see, on January 24th, SGT Kyle J. Harrington died at the age of 24 in service of his country. It was a tragic accident, and SGT Harrington is truly a Fallen Hero.
The internal conflict for me recently is that my blog messages are always upbeat and positive about the Army. I do enjoy serving my country, and I’m proud to be here, but the reality of military operations is that we are at war, and people get hurt.
Sergeant Kyle Harrington’s loss was felt across the camp. He was a bright light, and spread his light through a positive attitude even in toughest times. He worked in the maintenance team where I work and our unit here sincerely misses him.
We are grateful for his time with us, and our prayers are with his family. Our memorial service was deeply moving, and there were similar services in Tallil, Iraq where his unit is headquartered, as well as Ft Lewis, Washington and his final resting place in Swansea, MA.


His family printed this obituary in the Massachusetts Herald News:
Sgt. Kyle J. Harrington
Sgt. Kyle J. Harrington, age 24 of Fort Lewis, Washington formerly of Swansea, died January 24, 2009 while serving his country in Iraq. Husband of Faith A. (Ryan) Harrington of Fort Lewis, WA, father of Joshua Dennis Harrington and Kaylee Elizabeth Harrington, son of Kathleen (Blow) (Seligman) Harrington of Fall River and Dennis Harrington and his wife Jodi of Cranston, RI, brother of Elizabeth J. Harrington of Fall River, son-in-law of Debra and Bill Ryan, grandson of Irene J. Harrington of San Andreas, CA., also survived by several aunts, uncles, cousins and three nieces. Grandson of the late Lionel and Hilma Blow and Fred Joseph Harrington.
Kyle was born in Newport, RI. on July 17, 1984. Growing up he spent many years in cub scouts and playing a variety of sports. He was a 2003 graduate of Joseph Case High School. He then joined the Army as a mechanic in pursuit of a better life for his young family. During his 4 and a ½ years in the army he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom for 21 months. He had a passion for rock music and movies of all genres. Kyle attracted others to want to be around him with his charming attributes and he formed many lasting friendships, including those with his brothers in arms. He was a devoted husband and father, spending most of his time with his family. Kyle had a very close relationship with his parents and sister despite moving cross country with his wife and children. Although he had a large family that is scattered, they managed to stay close with reunions and during holidays. His entire family was very important to him. He was a man that any mother would be proud to call her own. He will be terribly missed by all the lives he has touched with his presence.
His funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 10 AM in the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME OF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE AT BIRCHCREST, 189 Gardners Neck Rd., Swansea. Visiting hours Fri. 4-8 pm. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in his honor to the Kyle Joseph Harrington Memorial Trust Fund, PO Box 82, Swansea, MA 02777

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!

You don't know how good you've got it, until you wind up without it.
Here's my new living space in Basra.

We have about a 5 foot by 7 foot living area, fortified with masonry bricks on all sides, and sandbags overhead our matress. That's my mattress, with my sleeping bag on top, in the lower right of the photo. This is the way the British have designed it, and I suspect the US will make some CHANGES as we move in and the British head home. For one thing, I've banged my head too many times! It must be what it's like to sleep in a submarine!
Our tent is a single layer of canvas, but we do have warm air (or cool A/C) pumped in. Still, when temperatures dip below freezing, the canvas is no match, and inside temperatures reach the low 40s. Lately, it's been better, though, around 53.
You'll see me wishing for these temperatures come this summer, though!
And notice my t-shirt: GO HOKIES!