I better Bite My Tongue Next Time
“Everything’s a damaged dysfunctional fit, got a bad reputation that just won’t quit”*
We had some of our parameter guards decide to hot wire some of the F350’s and joy ride. They wrecked three of them, two are undriveable, one just has a tail light out. None of them would confess, so, the three posts that it happened at are in jail. Throwing someone in jail is an Iraqi solution, I’ll suggest to Sadi to put them to hard work. Make little rocks into big rocks kind of stuff. Another decided to joy ride a Humvee. I watched him beg for mercy…”Sadi, be patient with me”…”Your going to jail”. Which is fine with me. The kid was a trouble maker, the Iraqi’s own words. The other day I caught him laying down on post. He jumps up when he sees me. Then gives me the “poor me, I’m sick” routine. He points to a nasty scratch on his side, which must have hurt upon impact, but, was nothing. I told the Iraqi Colonel he was not a good guard and should be taken off of the Guard force. He agreed.
Women have a higher tolerance of pain then men. I suppose for child birth. I think God gave it to men so we know when to stop.
“It was me against the world, I was sure I’d win, but the world pushed back punished me for my sins”**
I snapped at my Iraqi Counterpart the other morning. He’s in the back seat of my truck and lights up a cigarette. There is nothing unusual about this, it happens all of the time. I tolerate it, it’s their culture. We’re not supposed to smoke in our vehicles, Commanders policy, I don’t smoke, I don’t care. A whiff hits my nostrils…”put the cigarette out Chief.” “Jack”, my interpreter instantly relays the message. Not a word, he puts it out. The radio had been blairing, the usual chatter…It caught me the wrong way. I then explained about the smoking rule. The next morning, I told him my commander said he could. He asks before he lights up now. I shouldn’t have snapped. It’s the way they are, and I’m a way too. We’re different, and we know it. I've had a bad soar throat, he was smoking and I caughed, he apoloagised as I said don't worry. We are considerate of each other. They still grin at me and ask, “shaku maku?”, where I answer “safia dafia”, and they laugh. . …Not!
The Jolly Red Head Giant wrote me. He’s telling me to watch my ass and come home without a bullet hole and not in a bag. Well, it’s not like I’m out of the wire, but, things can happen, so never say never. What’s funny to me, and you would have to know him, seriously, what he said to me when I got orders last March. He had retired already, so I call him. “Yep, 545 day orders, definitely going to
*This actually comes from a positive song called “We’re all in love”
**This is some Social Distortion from “White Light, White Heat and White Trash”, I was listening to it during a transition time of my life, I heard it on the radio…then ordered the CD, because I had it on cassette. I just felt like quoting it.
Time for your snide comments that don’t bother me
The Appalachianist
posted by Hill Billy Rave | Monday, January 29, 2007
24 Comments:
i'm glad to see they are not being soft on them..i would expect the same from one of them as i would from our own..especially if they are poor, that should mean they are willing to work harder not be that way. what would an american soldier get for distruction of goverment property? or theft of it?
annon, what they would get is a great big ol' Field Grade Article 15, where they would be paying for said property. These guy's couldn't pay for one. They think they cost a few thousand...They don't grasp prices.
The "jolly red headed giant," are you talking about Med. . ., if so, he sounds like a smart man to me. He is smart whoever . . . and he gave you damned good advice which being the smart man you are . . . you will take to heart. . . don't you just love being preached to by an old fart who is retired (but it is good advice nevertheless). The mountains south to Cherokee were to get a light dusting of snow this day. It usually doesn't get to Columbia . . . a pity. Take care. Bill Sipes
I don't think you should feel bad about not letting the guy smoke in the truck.
Oh yeah, I was finally able to switch to the "new" blogger! Yea!
Ok cutie, stay safe.
~xo
Bill, what other Jolly Red Head Giant do you know? Don't dare tell him he's smart...
Lee Ann, I like being called Cute by a pretty lady first thing in the morning, but it's almost like telling the Jolly Red Head Giant he's smart.
Really, relationships with Iraqis can be fragile. I've tolerated it with them since June. I've tolerated it with friends and love ones for years. None the less, it's smoothed out. Being an adviser is tricky work, you can't let your ways over bare on your counterparts ways.
we are all in love?..yeah, i'm just feeling all kinds of love in here..
What you don't feel the love, Kitten?...Well, let me hug and squeeze on you...My sweet cuddle bunches...
You know that 90% of Ford trucks are still on the road... the other 10% made it home!
Bada Bing!
A.G.T. - Proud Dodge Dakota owner. :-)
Ha Gunner! Bad things, neither of these ever made it out.
I've moved on to lot's of mileage, rusted Toyota's with a warped bed. I wonder how the new to me truck is doing...
Toyota - good vehicles. In fact, one of the step-sons and his wife build Toyotas down in Georgetown.
Mrs GunTrash had a '92 Toyota pickup when we met and we sold it to a young man one town over a few years back and it had 110K miles on it then and I see him motoring about in it every now and then. Like your ol' Faithful, a little more rust on it, but it's still going strong.
New to me truck.... I must of missed that post. Did you get a new pickup?
Yeah, Gunner, I bought one when I was home on leave back in October. It's in the care of my cousin formerly known as Jello Boy. I call him the reguvinator now, because he looks like a guy from the "Just for men" commercial when he grins. Has anyone seen it around town? He doesn't ever say anything, but the Mrs. does once and a while.
i thought i had seen it, but without you in it it's just to hard to tell..
No, it has't earned the reputation the last one had yet.
I thought you might me talking about Metcalf. Anyway, you got a tough job, but you ain't in the wire if three "guards" ain't guardin,' but that's a hand you're dealt. Anyway, a forest ranger on the Chatooga found my bobcat (not "my" bobcat)last week. It chased him into the river and across. The cat might have been a "painter," because the color was wrong. The cat was black (It's hared to tell when you are running as fast as you can.), and the speculation is that it was a pet (panther) turned loose. Good for you on the smoking. I wish I could get Number 1 son to quit. He couldn't have a better instructor including me and that goes for the Iraq guys. Ain't got no use for smokin', but sometimes I have to tolerate it. Thanks Bill Sipes
Bill, there ain't no telling. People will set them out. Big cat's like that can have a far range.
Of course it was the Big MC.
Time for another post here at Appalachian Patria! You'll hound me if you don't go seeing one soon. In a day or so. I know, don't post for the sake of posting, but, I couldn't write last night.
FWIW, A.I. - I started out on Lucky Strikes and ended at Marlboro Lights a few years back - 43 years in all.
Quit several times during those years, but never for very long. But this time I've done it for good and I gotta say that it was these rascals that did it for me.
They don't work for everyone, but they did for me.
Gunner, good for you. As health conscious as you are, it really surprises me. It would be good if more people quit. It ain't good for you.
So why don't all you people get all of those cigs together and throw em' in your wood stove. I was going to say sea, but, that's Gods creation and we litter it enough.
That's twice today I had to look up web acronyms.
FWIW, For What It's Worth, It's worth it for someone, I'm sure.
And he one my teenie bopper Step Daughter used on me...TTYL, Talk To You Later...
This is like getting an education!
It is gettin' an education . . . I am so glad someone told me what all those letters meant. Where do you look up those things . . . . TTYL. Take care.
Bill, I Google search it.
Here is a hug and a kiss.....Have a good weekend cutie!
~xo
you sure do give an interesting slice on life over there and are humble, admitting you snapped at the Iraqi. Keep yourself safe, is Taji the same as Tiji?
That's sweet of you Lee Ann. We don't have weekends here though. It's just a day. I keep better track of them than when I had been here a couple of months. Now, I told you about calling me cutie...
Sage, maybe I am humble. If you can't admit your piece, then what good are you? I've had it hammered into me from my parents to the army. I've had to look some ugly truths in the eye. Truth is truth. Taji is about a dozen miles north of Baghdad. Not far from Boob Al Sham and Sabb Al Bor...LOL, Tiji is out there somewhere else. That or it's a misprint.
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