tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:00:29 +0000...the hardest lessons are the ones you repeat... ...like a second deployment to the middle east... (due to a recent flurry of negative feedback i have taken the liberty of changing or omitting any names or information that i see fit to protect national security and to cover my own ass...thank the haters...) ...my views do not reflect that of the military or the u.s. government... <li><strong>WARNING!! SPELLING AND GRAMMER: ATROCIOUS, CONTENT: SUPREME</strong></li>http://turningtables.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (moja)Blogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-116755514375300780Sun, 31 Dec 2006 08:51:00 +00002006-12-31T12:22:34.863+03:30For those of you that might still care.I'm still alive and kicking although nothing turned out like I'd hoped, but what ever really does.http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2006_12_31_archive.html#116755514375300780noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-109785966698268890Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:28:00 +00002004-10-16T12:19:37.656+03:30out of the blue i get random emails...but isn't that how it always works...because if you expected them they wouldn't be so random... a few days ago i received one of these emails from a person who has meant a lot to me in the last few years...a guy i came to know deeply...who put things in a profound sense and helped me understand so much...he was actually the reason i started this blog so long http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2004_10_10_archive.html#109785966698268890noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-108150881228930761Fri, 09 Apr 2004 11:06:00 +00002004-04-09T15:42:59.826+04:30one of the best soldier war blogs i've yet to find... e-rocky-confidential...maybe it's just his color scheme...damn you blog spot...with your limited user preferences...bahhttp://turningtables.blogspot.com/2004_04_04_archive.html#108150881228930761noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106434007414564683Tue, 23 Sep 2003 17:02:00 +00002003-09-23T21:31:14.240+03:30i sat at BIAP (baghdad international airport) for 13 hours for a 1 hour plane flight...the troop side of the airport is made up of giant tents...a small p.x. housed inside a big rig trailer...and a front gate with a sign that warns you in nice big red letters that "deadly force is authorized"...i slept on the floor...in the rocks...on my duffel bags...but not in the airport chairs which were http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_21_archive.html#106434007414564683noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106410225240070689Sat, 20 Sep 2003 23:56:00 +00002003-09-21T04:27:31.733+04:30i'm home...more later...much more indeed...http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_21_archive.html#106410225240070689noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106338962372901274Fri, 12 Sep 2003 17:59:00 +00002003-09-12T22:30:23.760+04:30thank paul woodward of warincontext.org for this interviewhttp://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106338962372901274noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106338919557019520Fri, 12 Sep 2003 17:03:00 +00002003-09-12T23:03:57.020+04:30i'm writing from my tailgate...it's dark...the mosquitoes are bad...one of my best friends on earth...laub...he just left...he came over to my site and spent most of the evening with me...it was a good way to wrap this up...thinking and talking about old times...old parties...old friends...he just left...i may or may not see him again...it's hard to tell...i hope i do...i hope i see a lot of http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106338919557019520noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106329665625667271Thu, 11 Sep 2003 14:32:00 +00002003-09-11T20:52:30.420+04:30some people join up...and they know that they will do 20 years...they just know some how that they are a 'lifer'...some people sign on for only 2...and they know they won't do a minute longer...i signed on for 6...boom...right off the bat...6 years...i would be lying if i said they were all easy...if they were all a cake walk...i've hated my job more then once...and a few times the only thing http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106329665625667271noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106321490213625869Wed, 10 Sep 2003 17:28:00 +00002003-09-10T22:08:06.936+04:30i packed today...i still have a few days to go...but since i really had nothing better to do and i knew that packing would only take me a few minutes i went on ahead...i never really unpacked...i've lived out of duffel bags for almost 8 months...i used an old n.b.c. bag as a sock drawer and i hung it from the tent rail across the ceiling above my cot...i stick my underwear in there too...when i http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106321490213625869noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106311057393542068Tue, 09 Sep 2003 12:29:00 +00002003-09-09T17:08:14.420+04:30well i've caught hell over what i said about riverbend...what she said moved me like nothing that has moved me in months...it upset me...it made me feel bad... there are so many people out there who think that all iraqis are the enemy...that all of them are not worth one american life...i'm scared by this mindset...this is how these things will perpetuate and drag on forever...we will have a http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106311057393542068noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106303462079570873Mon, 08 Sep 2003 15:23:00 +00002003-09-08T19:58:10.143+04:30everything i have ever written...or said...or will ever write...or say...is worthless in comparison to this post...08sep2003http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106303462079570873noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106302907728968117Mon, 08 Sep 2003 13:51:00 +00002003-09-08T18:21:17.326+04:30the word for the day is empathy... surprises for me this morning...i got in two new soldiers...new troops to take the load off my horrified privates...one of them is a reclass generator mechanic (which is always a good thing to have around) and the other has a few years of experience but it is all strategic...which means they both know nothing about tactical...but they will learn...they are bothhttp://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106302907728968117noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106292853706225732Sun, 07 Sep 2003 09:55:00 +00002003-09-07T14:31:57.956+04:30i started throwing stuff out this morning...the whole mice thing has me freaked out...because i'm deathly afraid of snakes...i went digging around in my 'poggy bait' box...poggy bait is just junk food...i don't know why they call it that in the army...it's just one of the many things that i take on face value...once i reached down to the bottom and pulled out my ramen noodles i could see that http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106292853706225732noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106288825096682238Sat, 06 Sep 2003 22:44:00 +00002003-09-07T03:16:56.690+04:30it's the middle of the night...02:39 to be exact...blogger is finally up and i understand why they have been down for 2 days...they have totally revamped their template...it's actually pretty killer now...to bad i think i'm coming to the end of my journal...today i received a definite date for departure...i'll be out of country in a week...i've been giving a lot of thought as to whether or not i http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_09_07_archive.html#106288825096682238noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106276757094979677Fri, 05 Sep 2003 13:12:00 +00002003-09-05T18:07:58.793+04:30i was listening to an ex-marine turned army staff sergeant...and an ex-abrahms tanker turned signal puke...they described the scene as a long stretch of road running through the middle of a small foreign town...fox holes and machine gun nests littering the road way...snipers plugged up in windows...the enemy dug in deep...an assault by ground forces would prove catastrophic...there were very few http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106276757094979677noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106267945774061842Thu, 04 Sep 2003 12:44:00 +00002003-09-04T17:19:35.893+04:30i'm sleeping as much as possible...every chance i get...so that my days will fly by...and they are...amazingly enough...for a while it was getting really rough...it started once i found out that i had a pretty tentative date to leave...i watched every minute of every hour...they couldn't go by fast enough...but the realization is starting to sink in...and i don't believe it...i almost can't http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106267945774061842noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106267684300660886Thu, 04 Sep 2003 12:00:00 +00002003-09-04T16:40:43.236+04:30TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, THE E-MAIL THAT HAS BEEN SENT OUT USING OUR COMPANY'S DOMAIN NAME IS A VIRUS THAT HAS MALICIOUSLY ATTACKED OUR WEBSITE. WE REFUTE COMPLETELY THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND APOLOGISE FOR ANY UPSET THAT IT MAY HAVE CAUSED. WE THANK YOU MOST SINCERELY FOR ALERTING US TO THIS SITUATION AND ARE PRESENTLY DOING OUR UTMOST TO RECTIFY THE DAMAGE THAT THIS ATTACK HAS CAUSEDhttp://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106267684300660886noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106259923977129750Wed, 03 Sep 2003 14:27:00 +00002003-09-03T23:36:36.223+04:30my soldiers are starting to get lackadaisical on me...i'm a pretty friendly guy...i like to joke...i like to laugh...i like to mess with them...but then they start to get to comfortable...they are both young privates...and they aren't able to distinguish the line that must be drawn within our relationship...that takes time...some n.c.o.'s never even try to relate to their soldiers...they are http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106259923977129750noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106242413417477729Mon, 01 Sep 2003 13:48:00 +00002003-09-01T18:26:12.283+04:30there was some kind of screaming...i'm in bed...and i'm being waken up by something other then my alarm clock and my girlfriend once more...something bad...not mortars...or explosions...or even small arms fire...but screaming...horrible pain filled sobbing...in a flash i'm up...out the door into the dark...bare foot and shirtless...there's already a crowd forming...others are walking out into thehttp://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106242413417477729noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106235707170793732Sun, 31 Aug 2003 19:11:00 +00002003-08-31T23:48:24.530+04:30my soldier just returned from his r'n'r trip to doha quatar...he said it was an experience...they were allowed to leave the compound and go out into the city...they were not allowed to go to any of the hotels that serve alcohol because al quada had been testing the reaction time in which the m.p.'s could arrive on the scene...he didn't say how they had been testing... he went to a mall...and http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106235707170793732noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106233262666056056Sun, 31 Aug 2003 12:23:00 +00002003-09-01T00:08:27.530+04:30while salam and river are duking it out over car bombers and the future of this here iraq...i followed some links off of his page...i ended up reading a site that is sure to bring the unhappiness of allah upon you...please take with a large grain of salt and maybe a prozac or two...ecstasy wouldn't hurt if you are among very faint of heart... i read through the whole thing...it is blatantly http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106233262666056056noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106226523827042495Sat, 30 Aug 2003 17:40:00 +00002003-08-30T22:17:40.753+04:30everything is relative...i sound like a broken record...but nothing is more true...i was out at another compound...all out and gone in the middle of the desert...the similarities to afghanistan caused me stop and take notice...it felt like deja vu...green tents...not the kind with frames that i have now...but the kind with big poles in the center...they were every where...their sides rolled up http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_24_archive.html#106226523827042495noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106224609080156685Sat, 30 Aug 2003 12:21:00 +00002003-08-30T16:51:30.813+04:30more convoy madness...pictures...http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_24_archive.html#106224609080156685noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106215498828707736Fri, 29 Aug 2003 11:03:00 +00002003-08-29T16:42:14.000+04:30I started to write yesterday…but I think I was on some kind of sensory over load from the convoy two days ago…I needed time to take it all in…I wanted to write about the presidential palace…but there was just so much going on in every direction…I didn’t even know where to begin…today the internet is down for the count…and I’m not sure when it is going to come back up…so you might see a few http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_24_archive.html#106215498828707736noreply@blogger.com (moja)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449660.post-106200297305010816Wed, 27 Aug 2003 16:49:00 +00002003-08-27T21:19:33.420+04:30my alarm clock...went off early...a freakin' hour early at that...i've dropped/thrown it one to many times...and it doesn't read right anymore...but i make do... i'm up now with about 4 hours of sleep...late shift last night...i'm dressing...and off in the distance i hear small arms fire...it's 5 in the morning...outside it's pitch black...and i make my way towards my hmmv...in the back ground http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_08_24_archive.html#106200297305010816noreply@blogger.com (moja)