This is Ortiz in deep thought as he waits to load the aircraft. Sauer found this toilet in the dump (it was new) and brought it back to the flight line so Potter decided to bring it along for a flight. It was quite a hit with the passengers.

This is Potter doing his rendition of the crane. The guys in the back are always working to amuse themselves just to keep things interesting. In this picture the aircraft is configured to load cargo with all the seats up. At every stop it is a constant adjustment of seats up or down depending on the cargo/passenger mix.

This is flying across the desert out west. I liked the color contrast.

This picture was taken on a lake north of us. I was intrigued by the one remaining hill in an otherwise flat area. It must have had some good cap rock on it.

This is taking off from a LZ closer to the Euphrates River, hence all the trees. You can see some of the old bunkers amongst the houses and other buildings in the background.

I have added a couple more chow hall sculpture pictures. The mother and child one was put up for Mother's Day. All the faces have an Asian heritage which makes me even more curious about who makes them. The tree and parrots in the back ground was part of a spring motif that included a lot of other plants, most of which are now gone.

This sculpture of two swans has been up for months (since around Easter I think). They must be pretty proud of it plus it isn't very big so it can hang out without attracting much attention.

History

I finally got around to tracking down this short history of the air base. It is some pretty interesting stuff, enjoy:

Origins - Al Taqaddum Airbase (TQ) was built in the mid 1980’s to replace the aging and obsolete airbase at Habbaniyah- which was built in the 1930’s by the British to house both fighters and sea planes. Known under the Saddam Regime as Tahmmouz Airbase, TQ was constructed by Yugoslavian contractors who completed 24 trapezoid hardened aircraft shelters prior to 1985. The base had various defenses against air attack, namely Russian SA-2 & SA-3 as well as French made Roland anti-aircraft missile batteries. The underground chemical weapon bunkers housed on base were defended by ZSU-23 & ZSU-24 anti-aircraft guns, tanks, and Special Forces infantry. It is of note that since the 1970’s, the areas around TQ were strictly off limits to anyone not a member of the ruling Baath party.

Pre-Desert Storm - TQ’s fighters and bombers flew frequent missions off the base in the war between Iraq and Iran. TQ was bombed by Iran, although the airbase at Habbaniyah was bombed more heavily because it was the more established base. It was during this period that IL-28 Russian made bombers based at TQ were used not only against Iran but also against various Kurd uprisings. Also, at this time TQ housed chemical and biological weapons. Intelligence reports there was at least one underground chemical storage bunker aboard the base and this was logical given that one of Iraq’s two largest chemical / biological weapons factories was located in the adjacent town of Habbaniyah. Chemical weapons used against the Kurds in the 1980’s were delivered by planes launched from TQ. It is interesting to note that the MIG-25 fighter aircraft based here were actually controlled by a Soviet Union military contingent stationed at TQ during the Iran-Iraq war.

Desert Storm - TQ was a priority target for the Coalition during Operation Desert Storm. The base was attacked by F-117 stealth fighters as well as other Coalition aircraft throughout the engagement. Targets attacked on the opening night of the war were: what was thought to be the chemical weapons storage bunker, aircraft (some being Russian TU-22 supersonic bombers), the Iraqi Air Force Operations Center, GCI radar facility, and command, control & communication bunkers. The IAF were able to launch only two aircraft from the base against Coalition aircraft during Desert Storm. One plane had to abort it’s take off due to intense Electronic Counter Measures, and the other hit a runway denial mine before takeoff. The base was hit again during follow-on strikes and was never to play a role in Desert Storm. The IAF flew 97 planes to Iran- many of them top of the line MiG-29’s and French F-1 fighters based at TQ. Iran never gave the planes back.

Post-Desert Storm to OIF - TQ was heavily damaged during Desert Storm, but was then cleaned up and used heavily by the IAF because of its geographical location as one of a handful of bases that were not located under a UN clarified “No-Fly Zone”. It was during this time Saddam started his most controversial tactic of “saving” his Air Force- the disassembly and reassembly of his aircraft. Planes were routinely torn apart and put back together to hide them from UN inspectors and save them from the potential of future air strikes. As of 2002, Saddam had a mistrust of his Air Force because an Iraqi MIG-23 flown from TQ (there is some debate about whether this plane instead flew from Balad) attacked one of Saddams palaces near Lake TharThar by attempting to bomb the palace. Before the pilot succeeded, the plane was shot down by Saddams guards and the pilot captured after he ejected. The pilot was interrogated by Saddam himself, and brought before base commanders. The pilot was burned alive in front of the command, and then all commanders at the base were executed. During this time, it is believed Saddam acquired and stored approximately 100,000 tons of various ammunition and weapons aboard and around TQ. Some items were useless such as the 6,000 pound Chinese aerial naval bombs as the IAF did not have a plane that could deliver such a bomb.

Operation Iraqi Freedom - The IAF was non-existent during OIF. The last plane in the IAF flew March 19, 2003 (the beginning of combat operations under OIF). On that day, most IAF aircraft were hidden or were in the disassembly stage as no order was given to reassemble the planes for combat. It is suggested that Saddams intentions were to save his Air Force from flying in a war where they would have no effect and could not be turned over to a new government once captured. If the war had gone his way, the aircraft would then still be available for use once unearthed and reassembled. The first note of Coalition Forces entering TQ was by Australian SAS. They discovered approximately 50 planes hidden under camouflaged netting. TU-22 supersonic bombers were discovered in their revetments destroyed, still there from the opening night of Desert Storm some 12 years prior. The discovery of buried aircraft came from a tip from a local national and at TQ alone totaled 30-40 planes.

Today – Since the initial capture of TQ by Coalition forces, TQ has been under the control of various commands- mainly the 82nd Airborne and U.S. Marines. Most damage to TQ came during Desert Storm since an OIF primary strategy has been to not destroy key infrastructure or facilities with the intent of later use. In 2003 and to the present this has been easier to accomplish because no Iraqi air threat exists and technological advances in weaponry have allowed a greater degree of precision in targeting and acquisition. Today, TQ is home to several American force commands. Multi-national Force units transit or are tenants aboard the installation and its twin runways are capable of supporting strategic aircraft as well as tactical fixed wing and helicopters. TQ is a central hub in the Multinational Force areas of operation and directly supports combat operations throughout Al Anbar Province.

21 June

The last couple of weeks have been dominated by dust. We have had a few clear days but for the most part it is the same routine – it is clear for a few hours in the morning but then the wind picks up and the dust starts blowing. I was on a test flight Monday and we were able to get off early before the winds really started. I climbed up to 2000’ where the dust ended and above that it was perfectly clear. So it’s not caused by weather fronts moving in but by the top layer of soil being picked up by the wind – kind of what I imagine the dust bowl areas were like in the 30’s. The last three days have been clear and I have stayed busy. I finished up the post-phase flights on 169 two days ago, flew a mission yesterday, and did 176’s pre-phase flight along with a bunch of training for the crew members in the back. I decided to change my schedule and get up a couple of hours earlier (4 instead of 6) in order to have some time in the morning before work. I started it today which wasn’t a real good choice since I spent almost all day on the flight line and it got up to 114 today. It was just about unbelievably hot in the cockpit and by the end of the day I was pretty tired and maybe just a little but irritable. On a different note, I found out yesterday that I was selected for the Army fixed wing course. I won’t be going until after our year in Egypt but I think it will be a nice change of pace.

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This is Palmer (one of the crew members). He is a lot of fun to fly with and I have never seen him without a smile on his face, which usually means he is up to something.

Down time at one of the bases while the cheerleaders were doing their thing. It was a good opportunity to take a nap. Armstrong is on the right and Wells (one of our new pilots) is on the left.

This is Madeline (at least I think that is how she spells it), one of the Eagles cheerleaders, sitting in the jump seat of our aircraft. Halfway through the flight she told us that in general she really doesn't like flying but a helicopter was actually fun (my thoughts exactly).

This is one of the famous MRAP vehicles (the long version). We see them all over out here but this is my first picture of one.

This is of the more impressive cement plants (at least I think that is what it is) still in operation out west. Every time I fly over it I admire the landscaping efforts - it seems so out of place.

This is what used to be a resort town for wealthy Iraqis wanting to vacation on the lake. A lot of the big buildings are still there and you can see the parks and landscaping they did but it is pretty much abandoned now.

These are some of the decorations in the chow hall that put up for Memorial Day. They really go all out but I have no idea where they get the designs for the statues. They have had some very interesting ones on the various holidays.

7 June

The days are just clicking by. It still seems like a long time before we go home but the days aren’t long. Everything is going very smooth at work. The weather is still causing us problems but the aircraft are doing great. It is rare that an aircraft comes back with anything more than a minor problem that is fixed within hours. It’s a combination of getting the problems worked out of the aircraft and the maintenance guys being good at what they do. Yesterday we finally got 174 back up from the collapsed aft landing gear but for the last month and a half we have been flying the same mission load with six aircraft (usually five because one was in phase) as we were doing with eight. As I have said before maintenance usually goes in cycles but I hope this up cycle lasts until we leave. I did the first flight on 170 out of phase today and after it is done we only have two more. We should be all done with phases around the first of July. I’m not back to doing a lot of exercising yet but I am back flying missions. Yesterday was a fun mission – we flew a group of the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders around to different bases out west. They had a lot of fun flying with us and it was nice to talk with someone over here that isn’t associated with the military. It was a long day but anything a little different is always nice. The last group of people went on leave today – another milestone on the road. More and more pilots are getting their follow on assignments and it looks like a lot of us will be leaving within a couple of months of our return.

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Jim took this picture as I was flying overhead on one of my test flights today. What I think is much more interesting is the collection of old Russian bombers. There are old planes all over this base and this was the place all the buried aircraft were found after the war. There is a brief history of the base that I read several months ago - I will track it down and post it in the next couple of days.

24 May

I am officially back at work now (which basically means I don’t have an excuse to sleep in any more). I spent my first two days back (22^nd & 23^rd) taking 168 out of phase. It was a nice reintroduction to maintenance – long, hot, frustrating days that culminated in flying right before sunset. The thing is 168 is a good aircraft and the whole process was relatively smooth. I was anxious to get back into the missions so yesterday I volunteered to take Jeff’s spot on the mission today. It wasn’t until I got home and relaxed a bit that I realized how tired I was and that doing a long mission in the heat wasn’t a very smart idea so I gave the flight back to Jeff. It was a good decision because this morning I went in and did a short test flight and by lunch I was beat. I guess I still have a ways to go to get back to 100%. Today was our first real taste of what summer has in store for us. It was 111 F and the wind was developing that nice blow dryer quality. Brian went on leave yesterday. I am going to miss having him around but it was good to see him go – he needs the break. I have been doing a lot more reading lately. For some reason I have to be continually reminded how much I enjoy it. One book I just finished is A History of Iraq. It’s not an encouraging book – history is definitely not on our side, at least as it relates to our current goals.

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This is Mike of our flight guys who gave up flying for this deployment to be a TI. Here he is relaxing with his ever present can of Red Bull. He pretty much lives on Red Bull and sunflower seeds. I don't know how he does it.

This is a picture of me reading. Not a bad life really except being away from home.

This is Brian in his usual movie watching pose. I think he sits that way because it allows him to see who comes in the door but still pretend he doesn't if it is someone he doesn't want to talk to.

This is a series of pictures of what we do on slow afternoons in the maintenance world. You might think Friend is hard at work but he is actually trying to kill the computer's tank before it kills his (which when I tried it it was actually a lot like work).

This is the table in PC where we keep all the logbooks (record of the maintenance status of the aircraft, plus much more). All the work done on the aircraft is recorded on these computers so it is the first thing we check to determine the status of the aircraft. We are required to always fly with the logbook on board so we added all the maintenance manuals to the computers. It has helped us on many occasions when we find ourselves with a broken aircraft away from home. For some reason Steve designed the table as a stop sign with the Arabic work for stop on it. It is an octagon so each aircraft had an edge but as you can see now we are down to only seven.

A baseball game some of the guys in the unit organized a few days ago. Most of them are on the night shift so they were pretty much dead by the end. We probably won't see much more of these. The last couple of days it has been in the 90s by 10 in the morning.

This is a rare picture of the two guys actually running PC (at least for now). L-R Friend (he is taking Steve's job until he gets back from leave), Brian (who just went is getting ready to go on leave) and J.R. who is hanging out looking for test flights (or not).

This is taken inside the maintenance office a few days ago. Some of the crew members were enjoying a cup of coffee and some conversation before heading out to work (L-R Jeff, Tim, Brian)

Here is Steve hard at work with all his gear on. We had some sort of threat on base so everyone had to get dressed up. It was a regular occurrence on our last deployment but thankfully rare this time around.

I had to post one more picture of dust, hopefully this was our last dust storm of the season (we haven't had one in almost a week). It almost looks like aircraft in a fog bank.

15 May

I am back at it – at least on a limited scale. On April 29^th I went running and after a mile I thought I was going to pass out – it was like running at 8000’. I then tried biking with the same effect. I felt perfectly fine except I had no energy and I started being unable to sleep for more than a few hours a night. On May 1^st I flew a mission and about halfway through I started feeling really bad with a fever and my whole body aching. I didn’t realize how bad I was until I got out of the seat at the end of the flight and had a hard time walking. At first I figured it was the flu but the only symptom I had was constant fevers. They would come and go day and night and medication had no effect on them. After a week of IVs and feeling sorry for myself, the Doc diagnosed it as Q fever and started me on antibiotics which stopped the fevers right away. Q fever is an interesting illness – I won’t go into details but you might want to look it up (the pictures I posted earlier of the dust have a direct bearing on this). It has been a week since then and I am doing much better. My appetite is back and I am trying to eat every meal to get my strength back. I am up to about five hours a day of being on my feet before I have to lie down. I will probably be another week before I can fly. It should have been a good time to catch up on my reading but mostly I have sat in my chair staring at the TV. I don’t know what sick people did before TV. As far as the unit goes things appear to be running as normal. 081 got shipped off to the crusher and they tried to take 174 (they need more parts for the F model) but we convinced them we could fix it so that is still moving along. There is other news – the promotion list came out May 1^st and I am on the list for CW4. I won’t actually pin on the rank until March of next year but it’s nice to know I made it. Also, it looks like my next assignment is going to be in Egypt working with the Egyptian Chinooks. It’s a one year assignment and right now I am working on the details to make sure Wendi is able to travel with me. So prayers that it will be a smooth process – we have had more than enough of living apart.

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