Good Bye Bat Cave/ Mr. Sanitation

This week I got to say my fair well to the Bat Cave. The system there is going to be moving to another location, so it looks like I will no longer be traveling out to take care of it. Myself and a group of Marines went out to tear down the system. We got there on a Tuesday and came back on Friday. The bat cave has been a source of both good and bad memories. The personnel that manned the site have sort of grown into friends over time. It was always a nice break to go there and be away from every thing else. I will miss it.

Building where Bat Cave was

I had my first conflict in Iraq. On the scale of conflicts it was towards the insignificant category. It had a significant impact on me though. I had gone running this particular evening and so had need of a shower. I took my needed shower and was nice clean and refreshed. It was around midnight chow time and I was a little hungry, so I went to use the potty, washed my hands, and headed off to get something to eat. On the way into the chow hall there is a hand washing station. There was one guy washing his hands there. Since I was sparkling clean and had just washed my hands, I bypassed the said station. Apparently this was not well liked by the person who was there washing his hands. He felt it was necessary to comment to me that 'they have a hand washing station for a reason' with a whole load of attitude. I am not a conflict oriented person by nature, so I attempted to explain that I had just washed my hands before I got there. This was not sufficient explanation as I found out that 'there are still germs'. At this point I was a little perturbed. Being that I am not a quick witted and clever fellow, I did the only thing that came to mind, I asked him in a stern voice what his name was, as though that would put him in his place. He returned the favor and endowed me with a new title in the process, 'Mr. Civilian'.

Coincidently we happened to sit across from each other in the chow hall, which didn't help me forget the incident. As I was brooding over this attack on my sanitary state of being, I kept thinking of what I could have said to my attacker that would have been witty and clever, had it been said immediately following the attack. I would have given him the title of 'Mr. Sanitation' and invited him to inspect other areas of my body for cleanliness. That was the best one I came up with. I knew that my anger was ridiculous and I kept thinking of the verse in the bible that says, 'the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God'. I hope that if I run into Mr. Sanitation again that I will be able to be kind and generous to him. Here are the verses I read the next morning that really put me in my place.

1 Corinthians 4:12-13

"...when we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly..."

That is the life I strive to live. This incident was a little set back from that standard, but hopefully it will be a lesson learned.

Back in the Sand

I am back in lovely Iraq. I had a wonderful vacation. It was the first real vacation I have ever taken. I think I am liking the idea. I think I will make it a point to take more vacations. It was a lot different than coming back from my deployments in the military. It felt more potent. My life looks a lot different than it did when was in the military, so I am sure that has a lot to do with it. I definitely have a greater appreciation for life in than states. Any complaints I may have had before are totally void now.

I got the chance to stop off in London on the way to and from leave. I am totally in love with that city. It reeked of bohemian urbanism. The first time through I did the whirlwind tour and saw nearly everything in about 3 hours. The Tube system in London is marvelous. I would wander aimlessly from sight to sight until I ran into a Tube station and then would just hop on and catch it to some other random tourist spot and start walking again. The weather was fantastic. It really sucked going from a bright and sunny 65 to a 110 and dry. My next time through London I will take my time and spend a few days there enjoying all it's marvels.

The site that was having issues before I left is finally fixed. It took three techs and a month of trouble shooting to finally narrow down the problem, but it is working and that is all that matters. I have learned a ton through this painful process and hope I can spare others from going through the same. Now it is back to the same old routine. My motivation level for my job is not the highest it has ever been. I almost feel like I am just trying to make it to January. I try to take pride in what I do and that helps a little.


Six Months to go.