DONE

Back in the USA, going to all of my final appointments and relaxing when possible. Thanks again for keeping in touch. Looking forward to catching up with everyone!

Last ten hours...

Only ten hours left in Qatar!

I begin my trip back to the USA Sunday, with a brief stop in Dubai. I
have enjoyed keeping in touch with many of you via email over the past
six months, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you in person soon!
My trip back to the USA will take me to Florida for 15 or so days to
finish up my paperwork with the military then back to DC the beginning
of October. Already excited to get back to DC and work. This
deployment has been very interesting and educational in many ways.
Looking forward to sleeping in, having a day off, RAIN, temperatures
below 100 degrees, good food and my queen-sized bed! Have a great
rest of your weekend, I am off to drag my suitcases to the car!

Andrew

Baghdad, Iraq

Here is a quick note from Baghdad, Iraq.

It has been an intense and incredibly INTERESTING couple of weeks
moving between Afghanistan and Iraq meeting with a number of
interesting people. Yesterday I saw John McCain while walking in to
eat lunch. That was a nice surprise, but sadly he was being rushed
out to his vehicle, so no photo or handshake. A few days ago I had an
quick ride in a helicopter from Balad to Baghdad. It was a nice to
get to talk with the crew look out the window at an illuminated
Baghdad by night.

The best part of this trip has been meeting a number of Iraqis who
work here on base. I had a great meal with about 10 of them tonight,
followed by a few hours of discussing the future of Iraq while smoking
shisha(tobacco). Everyone was very open and positive about the
changes in Iraq. All ten locals strongly believe the future of Iraq
is bright and that they will be able to stand on their own two feet.
At the same time, none of them want to see the Americans leave their
country. They embarrassed all of us by thanking America again and
again for the sacrifices the USA has made to help them along the way.

With that I am headed to bed. Hope everyone is doing well! Only 22
days left until I head back to the USA!

Andrew

Doha Industrial Area and Vehicle Servicing

Chalk the past three hours up to new experiences and new friends. This afternoon we convoyed over to a location in the city to pickup a few vehicles. The pickup area is smack in the middle of an off-limits area due to crime and other issues. The workers could not have been more friendly, motivated more to sit and chat then actually help us get our vehicles. From my original perch in a Yukon near the gate I go to watch the ridiculos traffic pattern of a one lane road, now turned into a four lane road with everything from Semi-trucks to bicycles going by... If only I had a camera.

Now fours hours later, I have had three cups of tea and a small handful of dried dates with our new friends. Back to work and hopefully a productive gym workout!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Spice Market

Quick post, here is a picture of some of what they have for sale at the local Spice Market in town.

Anyone need some raw saffron?

45 Days...

Well I am thrilled to say I have less than 45 days left until I return home to the USA!

I had no idea what I would find coming over here. This deployment has given me a chance to learn about a new country, and learn about myself. Working the past 5 months without a day off has been an experience. Once I get back to Florida I am looking forward to getting some long restful days in on the beach, sleeping in and kicking back doing anything but work.

More soon!

Sorry For the LONG Delay

Good Morning!

Wow it has been a few months since my last post. Things have been busy! I have been able to really explore Doha and have seen some great sites and tried some of the excellent food this city has to offer. My favorite place so far is Isfahan Gardens, an Iranian Restaurant in the old Souq(Market). I added a picture of the formal dining room to the post. Pretty amazing, huh?

Crazy to think my last post was after about 60 or 70 days...and now I have fewer than 60 days left. Time really moves by when you get into a cycle of work, sleep and working out. Planning on heading into Doha to buy some of the famous wood boxes sold here. They essentially use different types of wood to make an inlaid wood design. Well I am heading off to bed, more soon, I HOPE!

12 Days in Qatar

Good Morning to about 99% of you!

 

Well I am 12 days into my time here in Qatar.  While the days move fast, it seems like I have already been here a month!  I headed into downtown Doha, Qatar last week to check out the city.  I have travelled to a few places around the world, but only Cairo rivals Qatar for the #1 ranking as the city with the craziest drivers.  Next time I will go out during the day light and take pictures, but picture a 3 lane round-about when the people on the inside lane have no issue pulling a hard right to exit at anytime...  Keeps you on your toes!  I am just happy to be in a hefty Yukon or Denali while in traffic.  As I reorganize my shop here at work my free time should increase.  I want to see some culture while here, not just the sand blasted brown landscape on the base.  The call to prayer can be clearly heard each of the five times it comes on during the day, an ever present reminder of where I am and of the culture and religion in Qatar. 

 

Hope everyone is doing well! 

 

 

Andrew

 

 

Address!

I finally got my address here for sending me snail-mail in Qatar.

Here it is:

Andrew Sklar CEG
ASG QA
Qatar SOC FWD
Attn: 515 FWD CEG
APO AE 09898

Off to get some sleep now!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sand and dust

Well, I made it. A nice 26 hour trip. Pretty hazy tonight but looking forward to some food and maybe an a little sleep, but I am not holding my breath!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Venezia

Just looked on the map, only about 50-60km from Venezia!

Did I mention I love Italy??

Italy

Buon Giorno!

We are now in Italy awaiting clearance to fly to our final destination. 

This trip is quickly becoming a jet-lagged tour of Europe.  We got a beautiful view of the alps flying over from Germany.  Already had a prosciutto panni and a cappuccino.  Just wish we could stay here for a while.  Everytime I return to Europe I remember how I love being here. 

No telling when I will get to my base in Qatar, but with the current delays we will probably arrive just in time to eat breakfast! 

More soon!

Andrew

All checked in!

Well...  All checked in with seat 6E, a middle seat for the next 36 hours.  All my bags are checked and I am all set to enjoy kindle and book on the way over! 

Weapons Qualification

Here is a picture from my weapons qualification.

D-Day

Hello Friends and Family,

Well my two bags are packed and I have about 2 hours before I head to the airport! I cannot help but be excited and nervous at the same time. My upcoming six months in the middle east will hopefully help me better understand a culture quite different from our own and a people with a rich history often misunderstood.

I fly out today and should be back sometime in Sept/October 2009. My time will begin in Qatar where supposedly we can go into the capital city of Doha from time to time. I hope to be able to stay in touch while deployed but please be patient if you do not hear much from me since my first priority is the work I will be doing.

Next update will be from Qatar!

Andrew Sklar

Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

Good Evening!

Here is a picture I took of my sunset view this evening.  Four days left until I take off overseas!

Looking forward to having a nice weekend in DC!

Last week of Training and pre-deployment checklists!

Tomorrow begins my final week of pre-deployment checklists and training. Sometime this week I will take a fitness test(push-ups, situps and a run), weapons qualification, and Chemical Biological Warfare Defense and preparedness training.

Outside of work stuff I have been trying to call friends and family this week while I can still do so easily!

Convoy Practice

Here is a little view of the convoy practice. Of course there will be a lot more pictures to follow!

Battle Armor and Florida Fun

Greetings from NW Florida! I feel so lucky! The base lodging was full so I have had the privilege of staying in a Four Points Sheraton with a room looking directly onto the beach and the Gulf of Mexico! The pictures above are my balcony views from my hotel-room...rough huh? I have been down here since the evening of the 18th of Feb, training and getting paperwork in order before heading overseas. Two of my really close friends are moving for school and the military while I will be deployed, so I have enjoyed getting to spend time with them both.

The paperwork hurdles have been exhausting to say the least. I am nearly complete with a 4 page checklist. On a positive note, my medical and dental exams took less than a full day!

I am currently going through a Combat Skills Course, complete with wearing full body armor(Pictures to come), convoy practice and M16 Sim-Round training. Sim-rounds are paint filled tips fired by an M-16A2 Rifle. So they cannot kill you but the certainly sting.

To all of my friends in Washington, DC, I get to come back through DC on my way overseas! Will be back in the city the evening of the 7th, flying out of BWI to the middle east on the 9th of March!

Test

Testing my e-mail to posting feature.

One Week Out

So the date is looming. My room is a complete mess, awash with stacks for storage, stacks for Florida and a HUGE stack of stuff going with me, including uniforms, supplies and even ammunition clips for an M9 and an M16... I think I have my accounts in order but I doubt I have covered everything!

To be honest this past week I have been in a near panic with all of the random to-do lists floating in my head. Thankfully I have kept myself under control and I have gotten a majority of my lists checked off! I loathe packing and unpack...let alone doing so for a 6month trip!

Now On FACEBOOK

Well, this little budding blog is now setup to appear on my Facebook profile.  HOPEFULLY this will make viewing my yawn of a blog less painful.  We shall see if it works!

The Setup

Well just getting this blog setup.  Who knows if I will end up being able to update this blog once I get overseas.  My intention is to use this blog to comment on my thoughts about deploying in service to my country.   I am planning to start posting comments leading up to leaving the country, while overseas and during my readjustment to life back here in the USA.  I am not going to discuss what my job is while overseas, or any portion of my work related life.  Hopefully a few bored friends of mine will take a few minutes, and read my postings.  I also hope that I will follow-through with posting on this blog to share my life with you over the next 8 months.  Leaving the people I love for to serve will be very hard for me, but I am very proud to serve.  With any luck I will actually write posting worth reading!