Makes You Wonder

Did you ever get the feeling that someone has been looking at their own plan for so long they've forgotten what it says?  In the formulation of the Plan for a Major (Possible) Event here in East Africa I had a conversation with someone about the portion they are supposed to write.  They'd gotten information from the Holders of the Plan and were working off of that.  I thought for a moment.  Then I said, "Uh... I'm not really sure that's entirely accurate."  I leafed through some paperwork.  No, it definitely wasn't accurate.  However, since things change so rapidly around here I offered that it could be me who was misreading the Plan.

But I don't think so.

Random Care Packages

There's a program in the States, I've seen it done but kinda ignored it until now, that allows people to fill boxes with stuff and send them out to US military personnel.  These boxes wind up in office spaces and opened up by us folks, usually near the end of the day when we're bored and tired.  I have to say that we really appreciate this.  Sometimes the packages are addressed to specific individuals and sometimes just to the office code in general.  The package is opened, like a Christmas gift, and the unknown contents are pulled out and distributed to each according to his need.  Just yesterday I was thinking about getting some hand sanitizer for when I go out on the ranges.  Poof!  A couple of bottles of it appeared in the next care package.  Thank you to whoever sent that.

Sometimes we also get really special treats such as the below cookies from Carl in Virginia.  (Or, more likely, from Carl's Wife in Virgina.) They are very tasty.

The Passport

I knew I was going to need a passport so I started that procedure months before I deployed.  What I never quite figured out correctly is what the difference was between a tourist and official passport.  The tourist version is blue and the official is red.  But that's not the real difference.  The real difference is that the official passport gets you through customs without having to pay for a visa.  Also, a visa application could take a few minutes or could take forever and ultimately be denied.  The passport for which I paid over a hundred bucks is the tourist kind.

I'm now in the process of applying for an official passport.  On the good side, it's free of charge since I'm working on government/military business.  On the bad side, it's going to take two to three months and I have places to be within that time frame.  So, if you find yourself coming out to Djibouti, you're going to want to look into getting that official passport as soon as physically possible.

Oh, another Important Tip about coming out here:  Get lots of extra passport photos and bring them.  The only way to get them here is to go out in town and you will probably need them for various things.  Like visas and new passport applications.

The Rotator

The rotator is the mil air flight that brings new people in and old people out of Djibouti.  It shows up once a week at an hour of its choosing.  Today it chose right after midnight.  I've been up for quite a while helping a few new members of our office get their bags sorted out, trucked down to CLUville, and get them settled in.  Unlike my commercial air flight, they stopped just about everywhere possible on their way from the States.  Mostly Navy and Air Force on this rotator.  Marines tend to fly commercial air due to the location of our pre-deployment training.  And it's a good thing, too.

Stuff Blew Up

As part of my job here I schedule the ranges for all the various units that want to shoot stuff and blow stuff up.  Sounds simple but when the Djiboutians own the ranges and the French run the ranges there's a lot of coordination that has to happen.  Anyhow, yesterday I got to go out and watch Marines shoot up some 55 Gallon drums and drop live ordinance on some range hulks.  500 pounders.  Amazingly loud from 2500 meters away.  The above helo was landing for a quick meeting with the range OIC before making its attack runs.

The Old Cantina

Next to the Combat Cafe is the Old Cantina.  It's a large patio type space, about 50' x 100', covered by a suspended tarp/awning system.  There is a big screen TV and a scattering of tables and chairs.  Up until very recently they served alcohol in the evenings but that's been stopped due to 'staffing issues.'  The issue at hand was that the bartenders were Chief Petty Officers stationed here and working in the evening, getting a paycheck from the contractor responsible for base operations, and getting tips as well.  Lots and lots of discussions ensued regarding words like 'conflict of interest' and 'inappropriate senior/subordinate relationships.'  The decision was finally made to stop the chiefs from being bartenders.  It is very unlikely that the Old Cantina will open back up for alcohol.  Now, since the weather is reasonable, it's a popular place to sit and eat noon chow.

Balbala

This is the shanty-town called Balbala.  It's filled with Somali refugees that have absolutely nothing except rocks and dirt.