REST AND RELAXATION

The time has come for WATWHEELS to leave the team for a lil rest and relaxation back to the world. So these 4 phases of preparation will soon pay off. Since i`m being forced to be first i am setting the tone for my fellow MUNGADAIS to follow. My journey back to the world will be safe as my fellow team will continue to advise the local nationals. So MUNGADAIS have a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR cause i will cause HENNESEY and COKE ain`t no joke. WATWHEEELS OUT.

The Range: Part Deux

Attacking the Course

In a violent but controlled manner

Gun Runners' shooting skills

The .50 cal singing

Another great day for the Mungadai, range time + free bullets = great day! And by free bullets I mean paid for by the U.S. taxpayers, so thanks for the Christmas present. Our second range was similar to the first although at a different site. Very basic accommodations and any targets you want to shoot you have to bring with. We built on to the skills from the first range with everyone getting plenty of trigger time with our rifles, pistols and also incorporated an assault course. Once everyone went through the assault course we negotiated it again except this time with our non firing hand on the trigger making the simplest task of a magazine change into a complex effort. After that we brought an MRAP around and rotated everyone through firing the M2 .50 caliber machine gun. Music to my ears.

Although there is no range yet scheduled for the immediate future we have plenty of ammunition set aside for one. Once again, thanks for the bullets!

Gunrunner Indeed...

I believe that Gunrunner's post on chai consumption and the wonders worked by Max Lumber with a ball peen hammer and a cold chisel constitute the first instance of someone unilaterally establishing his own callsign. Did I miss it? Has anybody heard a net call for Gunrunner going out?

That's all right, dude. You can call yourself Gunrunner, Leadslinger, Widder-maker, whatever floats your boat...you'll always be Hello Kitty to us.

Still Waiting in Ambush

I just got back from the nightly ops meet, and looked in on some of the Mungadai playing bones. This most definitely is not "the day of Buddha." Heh.

Congratulations to the Marlboro Man...

On his re-enlistment in the US Army. For administrative reasons, we had little warning that we would execute the re-enlistment today. I think I saw the words "for the rest of your natural life" in the contract.

To celebrate, the Mungadai all pitched in to buy the Marlboro Man a special remembrance of this special day...a shower scruntchy.

The Day of Buddha

I would like to take this time to defend myself and the love for the pastime of “bones”. Not winning is a façade and a simple way for me to build the confidence of my fellow teammates. I am strategically placing myself for the winners chair when it counts. As of right now, this time has yet to come. I know for a fact I have Top sleepless at night almost attune to my little scheme. For those that play “bones”, be wary because the day of Buddha will come. The reckoning of numbers and complexity of my skill will spew terror in the simple minds of our little fraternity of dominos.

Gross violation of Man Laws

Some may take offense to this, but it’s a topic that has irked me for some time now and the opportunity has presented itself for me to vent. Yeah, me getting wound up about something, I know. This morning while enjoying my second pot of coffee and my umpteenth morning cigarette I saw a “guy” walking across the parking lot with his index finger and thumb daintily pinching the little yarn loop that’s connected to a pink shower scrunchy.
I talked to Shellbird about this (for the record she advised against going forth with this) and she said, “It exfoliates the skin” where in turn I replied, “my point exactly!” When did this become important? Do you also have a batch of scented candles to go along with it? If exfoliation is a concern of yours and you have in your possession a “shower scrunchy” or “puff”, as I’m told they are also called, ask yourself this. If they were meant for men to use would they be called that? If you need to get the dirt off go ahead and get yourself a hard bristled brush and leave the female bath products alone.
Dirt isn’t brave enough to get on Chuck Norris, but if it were, he would take it off with a belt sander.

What Keeps Us Busy

Families may wonder what keeps the Mungadai busy when we are not advising our INP counterparts. First, there is one activity that all Mungadai participate in, drinking chai (aka tea) with our counterparts. Iraqis posses a craving for the beverage on the scale of an addiction, and the chai is as sweet as you can find in an Georgia roadside dinner. No matter the time of day or location Mungadai can be certain that chai will be served. In fact, the Mungadai are so concerned with the sugar content of the chai (1 part chai to 2 parts sugar) that we are certain that we will have diabetes when we redeploy.

One Mungadai has kept himself busy by modifying every piece of equipment that can be taken apart. Max Wood has the uncanny ability to look at a perfectly functional piece of Army equipment and find a way to "make it better". He is constantly taking something apart and modifying to the "Max". Unfortunately, when he is finished, the equipment is generally held together with zip ties and a couple rolls of duct tape. For the record, Max Wood is not allowed near my truck for fear of "modifications". In addition to equipment modifications, Max Wood has completed a number of barracks improvement projects. He has built most of the furniture for our rooms and has roped in The Marlboro Man and Wheels to help him. Max Wood's biggest triumph was putting in a light over the steps that lead into our barracks.

The game "Bones" or Dominoes is a nightly event for some of the Mungadai. The primary players are Top, Wheels, Max Wood (when he isn't taking something apart), Buddha, and the Kid. I for one do not know how to play "Bones" but if I decide to learn I know who I will not ask to teach me. According to the score board Buddha has yet to win a single game. I feel confident that a win is in his future.

Of course the most important pastime is keeping in touch with our loved ones at home. We speak often of our families and share gifts sent to us from home. We all thank you for your support and taking care of the home front.

A day at the Range: Part 1

Show me your KILL face

Uhmm... prone UN supported

The Mungadai recently had a day away from the normal grind and went to the small arms range. Any day you get paid to go fire weapons with free bullets is a good day. And fire weapons we did, almost 500 rounds per Mungadai! We started off with the M4 rifle and then fired our M9 9mm pistols. Once that was complete we alternated between them both with transition drills. Fire a controlled pair with your rifle and going to a controlled pair with your pistol etc..., good stuff. Once that was complete we climbed onto our MRAPs to fire the M240B 7.62mm machine gun mounted on top at the gunners station. What could be better? Tank live fire, but in the mean time I guess machine guns will have to fill the void.

We have another range scheduled soon so stay tuned for "The Range part 2".

Relentless

We all know that Mungadai and knives go together like peanut butter and jelly, peas and carrots, blood and guts...
And no one makes a better knife than Relentless.
So we'd like to congratulate Relentless Knives on Hollywood's selection of the Relentless M4X as the blade-of-choice for Frank Castle in the new Punisher movie.
The Mungadai have a great affinity for The Punisher; he adheres to exacting standards, asks no less of anyone else than he would ask of himself, and metes out the appropriate measure of justice to those members of society who cannot or will not follow the basic precepts of the social contract.
If you go to the Relentless Knives ENewsletter, you'll see some friends of Relentless patrolling the streets of Mosul.

PS-For all the Mungababes out there, nothing says "I love you, Poopsie" like a Relentless Knife. It's the gift that keeps on giving...to Al Qaeda, to the Mahdi Army, to the Badr Corps, to the Quds Force...

Beuller? Anyone? Beuller?

I'm thinking we need a good post for the Fam Damily's. And I'm thinking I'm not going to do it. I'm thinking some enterprising Mungadai warrior is going to post...say...something about our range this week. And I think that that particular Mungadai is...wait for it...The Marlboro Man. So, get to work, Smokestack.

Dispatches from Lake Diamondback, formerly LSA Diamondback

The rain has been non-stop the last couple of days here in Mosul. This has played havoc with our operations, as the roads are washing out, what isn't covered by standing water is covered by mud (usually it's a combo), and the motivation of our National Police brethren--most of whom only have one uniform and little or no rain gear--is not exactly high. Unfortunately, our pics don't show the extent of the flooding.
All in all, it's been good fun. The MRAPs slide around on mud like a toddler on a frozen pond. Everyone got a good leg workout due to the extra 10 pounds of mud on everyone's boots, and we had a blast playing "get to the latrine trailer without drowning" when we came back at night. I ask you: does it get any better?

Godspeed to the crew of STS-126

Space shuttle mission STS-126 is supposed to re-enter and land today, after 15 days in orbit. The crew's mission was to finagle some of the solar panels on the International Space Station. ("finagle" is a NASA technical term)

The Mungadai wish Godspeed and a safe landing for the astronauts of STS-126.

A Mungadai's Best Friend

The German Shepherd is the official dog of the Mungadai (okay, maybe not official, since I didn't talk to anyone else about it; let's say official enough for this post). The German Shepherd is loyal beyond question. The dog will protect the family, save children from drowning or house fires, guard your property, and do all of the really important stuff, too.

A Mungadai Thanksgiving...

Growing up as a kid and even now, I have always found Thanksgiving to be one of my favorite holidays. If Top was writing this humble exploit of the blog he would tell you it is because I love to eat. You would hear him in the background yelling “Hey Buddha, stop eating cupcake”. Thanks for building my self-esteem Top…

I find Thanksgiving to be a time to reflect on what we have and a time of fellowship with family and friends. Though we are away from home, and we miss you all, we were able to sit down as a team and enjoy the festivities of the holiday over a pretty good meal. Please know, each and every one of you are in our thoughts and prayers. From the Mungadai Team, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Things that make you go HMMMMMMM

Season Premiere of "24" and the Roundhouse Kick!

I will start this post with a trip down memory lane to Camp Funston. When the Mungadai would depart for an intense day of training we would walk past two posters on the left and right side of our living area. They were of course posters of Chuck Norris facts, these facts are the foundation of the Mungadai training philosophy. Chuck was our inspiration during those times of indecisiveness and a simple roundhouse kick seemed to solve any problem, until now.

Tonight of AFN (Armed Forces Network) the season premiere of 24 airs. There has been somewhat of a buzz amongst a few Mungadai over the premiere to include Boss Mongo. All this talk of Jack Bauer, a two hour stand alone t.v movie that ignites the season. And then it started as I tried to enjoy a burger at lunch. I was asked if I knew what Chuck Norris would be doing tonight. I said no and was then briefed he would be watching 24! I don't think so! And have we kicked Chuck to the curb after all he has done for us? It's roundhouse kick time!!!

We Mungadai know by heart the top Chuck Norris facts and believe them as true. Eddie Bauer or Jack Bauer or whatever he calls himself has no facts that I'm aware of other than he wears scarfs and probably drinks Starbucks coffee and is a bad shot. Bauer trained with Delta Force, meaning he made their bunks and brought them coffee, Chuck Norris IS Delta Force! So I'm posting two recent photos, one of Chuck and the other of little Jack on his cute phone wearing his scarf. 24, whatever go to google and type in Chuck Norris and hit the "I feel lucky" tab. Of course the owner of the Jack vs Chuck website is to much of a punk to speak the truth and calls what would be a one sided fight (Chuck kicking Jacks *ss) a draw. Looks like there is someone else in need of a roundhouse kick!

Sad State of Affairs

Has anyone noticed that no one but me has posted anything on the Mungadai Days since 06 NOV? Must be because I have so much more leisure time than anyone else. I know that the Mungadai have all kinds of pictures and news updates to share with loved ones. Poor dears, they're just too smoked to lift a finger and type. And posting photos? That actually requires mouse clicks--far too arduous for our little darlings.

Don't worry, Mungadai friends and family, the Mungadai do love you and want to keep everyone up to date on what's going on: they're just too tired, weak, and sorry to do so just now.

Outside Looking In

I thought this article, written by a French soldier serving with the 101st in Afghanistan, was pretty cool. We often forget the military culture shock that foreign military professionals have when they get a close-up view of the US military and our troops. In a way, the deep impression that we make is a double-edged sword; while the impression is almost always singularly positive, it creates the impression that we can do anything, from a tactical/operational point of view. This sometimes generates resentment when we don't produce results right away, because of the mindset that "they could easily do it if they really wanted to, so they must be blowing us off."
The Mungadai are butting up against this in our advisory role. We're so rich, so tactically capable and logistically "fat" in comparison to our Iraqi brethren, that failures to produce results on the most outlandish requests is viewed as a willful disregard of our counterparts' priorities.
Some of the French author's views are chuckleworthy:

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine - they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.

I'm sure that most people are shocked when they discover that the top priority for the vast majority of US troops, when given some downtime, is to hit the gym. The greatest source of frustration for most of the guys serving in remote COPs is the lack of PT venues. Still, no one is so built that

Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest.

Obviously, the Army gets a "T" in training training troops on the principle of "shut up and suck it up." I don't think any of our guys lack for discomfort after putting in 12-16 hours in full battle rattle. I start the day at right around 6' tall, I end it at about 5'7". At the end of the day, when I take off the kit, my decompressing back sounds like the pneumatic pump of the MRAP door.

To our outside observer, the support of the American people for their troops is preeminently evident:

Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location : books, chewing gums, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people backs him in his difficult mission.

Some of our author's comments would be considered a left-handed compliment:

And combat ? If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all

Hmmm. Not sure too many of our senior NCOs would concur with that, as they constantly remind our troops that "you ain't Rambo, knucklehead."

I remember that Jean Larteguy, French paratrooper and war correspondent, author of The Centurions, wrote in his autobiography that the French soldier will heal from his wounds much faster than his American counterpart, because the Frenchman knows that he has no one to really depend on but himself, while the American knows that he can wait for his military to help him heal. Not sure why that quote popped into my mind on reading the article; probably because I don't read a whole lot of literature authored by French soldiers.

Another Mosul Article

This article is pretty good. We were on this particular operation, and the good CPT Harper is right; it was a circus.

Thank You, Coral Shores High School...

For the boxes of goodies. The guys enjoyed all the stuff you sent us. Well, maybe not all of it. We'll be doing a class later to explain to some of the Mungadai what deodorant is, and how one actually uses it. Then, we'll be enjoying everything you sent.

Mosul, Not a Pretty Picture

This article paints the best picture I've seen of describing Mosul. Especially vivid, and accurate, is the portrayal of Western Mosul, our AO:

The core of the insurgency is in the Ottoman Empire-era old town and nearby western Mosul — densely populated areas, interlaced by narrow alleys stacked with cheek-by-jowl houses and burrowed under with tunnels and caverns.

Oh, and bad guys? We've got bad guys for days:

On the security front alone, Mosul is a complex nut to crack. Not just al-Qaida, but more than a dozen Sunni Muslim and other insurgent groups are on the loose, together with criminal syndicates and rival tribes.

Read the whole thing, and you'll get a good idea of where the Mungadai spend their days and nights.

IED Factories and Whatnot

This article offers a slide show on IEDs found in Mosul. One of the problems is that IED "factories" are just peoples' houses, and as you can see from the slide show, the components of the IED are pretty small; easy to hide, easy to cache, easy to move if the bad guys think the heat is on (and, after the last couple of days, the Mungadai are pretty sure that the bad guys think that the heat is on).

Also, the slide show shows a bag of HME (home made explosive). We found an IED loaded with this stuff a couple (three?) days ago. Once we convinced the ISF to stop playing catch with it--no, really-- we isolated the device and called EOD to blow it. The relatively small container packed quite a wallop. In fact, the blast was strong enough that I thought the EOD guys had put charges on it and factored a high "P" factor (P=Plenty) into their demo calculations. Instead, they said they had merely run a wire and sent a current through the device. I was pretty impressed with the power of the "Home Made" IED. Ours didn't smell like cinnamon, though.

We've got pictures and video of the blast, which we'll post as soon as we get the chance.

Mosul Article

I found this article on Mosul; it's dated, as the elections have come and gone. But some of our brethren from Thunder Squadron and Lightning Troop are quoted. No comment on the political content of the article, I just wanted to see if I could figure out how to post a hyperlink.

Mongo no like magic box. Magic box frightens and confuses Mongo. Where the heck is Buddha when you need him? (See, guys? I used "heck" to maintain the family- friendly nature of the Mungadai blog. Get the picture?)

Wheels Wheels Wheels

As you look at this and say to yourself “oh they got a truck stuck in the sand” there are a few versions of what happened on this infamous day. The bottom line is, our very own Wheels managed to get an Army Strong four wheel drive combat ready vehicle stuck in the only MUD in the middle of the DESERT. Now doesn’t that make you think to yourself, hmmm. Now we all know Mr. Murphy; I guess it was just Wheels day to hang out with him. For all those that have crossed the barrier where action meets reaction, welcome to the fine line of physics… Basically, a 42,000 pound vehicle on wet sand equals sinking. Way to go!
On a brighter note we continued on to Badoush, Mosul where we assisted the National Police in detaining over 40 plus bad guys.

Thanks, Deathdealer...

for the tip. Wilco.

C'mere, Troop

Top distracts an INP to get him to point his RPG in the right direction (away from us) by offering to--you guessed it--pose for a picture.

Buddha's New Best Friends

Buddha and new best friends from the Iraqi National Police. The INP we are working with are motivated and aggressive. For a new unit, they are a lot more competent when they roll out than we thought they'd be. They are plagued by all the problems all Iraqi units suffer (primarily logistical in nature) but they maintain a positive attitude despite their often austere living and working conditions. They also love posing for pictures, to the extent that they'll stop in the middle of a firefight and say "hey, get one of me now!"
Our INP brethren have taken a real shine to Buddha. They haven't realized, probably due to the language barrier, that we make Buddha wear the helmet even during down time. So that he doesn't hurt himself.

Under the Wire

When you read the papers, you see that one of the average Iraqi's primary concerns is electricity, or in most cases the lack thereof. Providing enough electricity to all the urban centers in Iraq will go a long way to enhancing the government's credibility and legitimacy--which is why power stations and lines are so frequently targeted by insurgents and terrorists. The primary obstacle to providing adequate electricity is the almost geometric rate at which demand is outpacing supply. Every city and ville we've been through is festooned with satellite dishes, implying color TVs (if not full-fledged entertainment centers) inside.
Few people had televisions during Saddam's reign. And those that did had an eclectic mix of totalitarian propaganda and Big Brother public service announcements to choose from. Now, Iraqi's enjoy whatever media and programming they can pay for. Other electric appliances (often used and in varying states of servicability) are sold in the outdoor markets and indoor show rooms.
No utility company could keep pace with the Iraqi's exploding demand for electricity. So the Iraqis take matters into their own hands and run spikes into whatever power lines and sources that they can. The result is that when we go out on patrol, we're often traveling under an unbelievable net of home-grown power lines. This poses two problems for us.
As seen below, the MRAP stands pretty high. Definitely high enough to rip out some of the lower power lines. Gunner Joe already ripped out a major power line near one of our Iraqi National Police Battalion command posts. The line arced all over the top of the vehicle. Luckily, Gunner Joe was down in the turret with other problems, as the snagged power line had ripped his .50 cal out of the mount and dumped it into his lap. Still, the adjoining transformer was very pretty as it blew up and took out about a half block's worth of the grid. So there is some a safety issue with manuevering through the streets in an MRAP (or, rather, the power lines add an additional safety issue).
Which leads to the second problem: it's hard to win hearts and minds when you take out a guy's MTV, dude.

Dawn in Downtown Mosul

The Beast

This lovely beast is the MRAP, the Mungadai vehicle of choice. It guzzles fuel at an outrageous rate, needs about 75 feet of clearance to pull a U-turn, and does 0 to 60 in abut 4.5 minutes. And it is a beautiful, beautiful machine.

Taking a Break

Voodoo, Wheels, and Witch Doctor take a break.

It's all about the rules

In Mosul

We are currently in Mosul. Upon arrival in Iraq, the National Police brigade with whom we were going to be partnered was changed. We linked up with the outgoing team and signed for their equipment, but instead of assuming a partnership with their Iraqi counterparts, we were assigned to a new brigade which has never had a Transition Team before.

We signed for our equipment, did our driver's training, and conducted one combat control in Baghdad, and then headed out to Mosul. It took us two days to get up here--actually, it took us about five hours just to shake loose of Baghdad; I guess that insane heavy traffic is a good indicator.

We got to Mosul, checked in with our US "sponsor" unit, and then met our counterparts. We've been operating non-stop since we got up here. Things have been a little hectic. Our FOB is transitioning numerous units into and out of the AO, so when we arrived we got the "no room at the inn" story. We were allocated a condemned, ramshackle building that has, for all intent and purposes, been abandoned by the coalition. Except for the local latrine I had to bunk in one time in Kenya, it was the worst place I've seen someone try to stick US Soldiers.

The Mungadai did a great job getting the place shaped up (it's still a work in progress, and probably will be until we leave, but at least now it's livable). First, we acquired some mops, buckets and about 47 gallons of pine-sol. That got the first few layers of "ick" off of the floor. Top acquired cots, and a couple of hours later managed to procure some (brand new) mattresses. Of course, the cots are about 2/3 the width of the mattresses, so one has to tie them down to the cot in order to avoid unforcasted midnight ballistic impact with the ground.

Wheels and Maximum Lumber got hold of a carpentry kit. So benches, desks, and shelves were soon in all the rooms. We're working on getting internet, both official for the Command Post and personal for the Mungadai.

Our National Police Brigade, thus far in the operation, is pretty impressive. They are motivated, professional, and aggressive. They were moved up here to Mosul from Baghdad specifically to handle the toughest, meanest streets in Mosul. The Brigade Commander, General H., is determined to see Mosul purged of terrorists and insurgents, and is pushing all of his subordinate battalion commanders hard toward that end. He also provided a warm welcome to the Mungadai, and I think we won the lottery when it comes to partnering with a unit.

We have lots of pictures of our movement from Baghdad and our operations up here to post; unfortunately, we can't do it from the internet cafe. Once we get the internet up and running in our now-livable billets, we'll get them posted.

Also, your Mungadai now has a mailing address and should get it to you in the next couple of days. This is not a permanent mailing address, but should be good for at least the next month. I'll post plenty of warning before this address becomes void, sometime before we move back to Baghdad.

Desert Gypsies

I want to apologize to everyone that we don't have a mailing address to put out yet.

Upon arrival at the Phoenix Academy, we were told that we were going to receive a "truncated" version of the training, because we had to go out on a mission as soon as possible. So, in the very near future, we'll be heading out. Once we get to the AO and I find out what the Public Affairs guidance is and what the OPSEC considerations are, I'll post that information.

So, it's been a whirlwind for the Mungadai. We've signed for the outgoing team's equipment and conducted all of our transition tasks and training. We did our first mounted combat patrol today; everything went extremely well. We'll move out on the operation soon and, as I said, I'll post the details once I'm sure it's okay to transmit in the clear.

One of the surprises in store for us was that we had been "re-missioned." Instead of inheriting our outgoing team's National Police counterparts, who have responsibility for one little slice of Baghdad, we've been assigned to a brand-new unit that has (we think) a charter to act across the nation of Iraq. This complicates our "home base" footprint.

Also, once we complete the upcoming mission, no one is sure yet where the new unit will plant its flag. So, I can't put out a mailing address because the new location is so secret, no one in the Army (US or Iraqi) knows where it will be. Total Ignorance, it's what's for dinner.

Once we know approximately how long the upcoming mission is going to last, we'll know whether we should have mail sent (at least temporarily) to the mission location or whether it makes sense to just wait until the dust settles.

If we had known all this before we launched from Riley, we'd have probably named ourselves the Gypsies.

Finally, the last training iteration

The Mungadai arrived in Taji two days ago to begin our last training iteration before we can finally launch and start executing the mission we came here to do (we got here two days ago, and I'm just posting this now; I apologize, but as ever our internet access is constrained).

We'll be here for a week or two before we cut loose and start executing our Transition Team mission with the National Police.

All Mungadai are healthy, in good spirits, and knocking out the training with their usual superb professionalism.

Bandwidth Limitations

Our bandwidth size and internet speeds are pretty constrained here. I'd intended to post more of our Mungadai pictures as a substitute for substantive text until I get a little more knowledgeable about how to work this blog stuff. Unfortunately, it's taking me about 10 minutes to upload each picture. I'll keep at it, intermittently through the day. If you don't see your Mungadai yet, don't worry, I'll get a picture of him as soon as I can. Of course, everyone is in the cook out team picture, you know, the one where Voodoo decided to commit suicide.

Glass House II

Glass House Training at Fort Riley

Team Glass House training at Fort Riley. This was during the MOUT portion of the training. This was probably the best training we did at Riley. The only down side was that we only got three days to do three weeks worth of training.

The team cook out before we launched; Voodoo signed his own death warrant with the bunny ears. I guess Witch Doctor's got my back, which is a scary thought.

Kuwaiti Dawn

Initial Blog Shot

This is the first post for the Mungadai blog. The purpose of the blog is to give the team an easy, reliable way of letting family know how the team is doing and what we're up to. Right now, I'm the only team member who can post on the blog. As we figure out what we are doing, and how to better do it, we'll expand that.

There are a couple of issues the team will have to deal with before this blog is up and running and full speed. The first is obviously OPSEC. We'll do everything we can to keep family updated, but please be cognizant of the fact that this blog will be used, to the greatest extent possible, to update you on what we have done, not on what we're going to be doing in the future. While there is nothing secret in the mission of a Transition Team, OPSEC is still a vital consideration on anything we publish.

Also, I'm not real comfortable with putting the men's given names up on the site. So we'll go with code names, and family members will know, via separate correspondence, who their team member is by his code name. My knee jerk reaction was to just use our call signs, but some of them are pretty dry. Voodoo and Witch Doctor are, of course, a given and those will be used. I obviously chose Boss Mongo. I'm not (you may have heard) a real democratic type of guy, but I'll let the team members pick their own code names; as always, I retain veto power (yeah, I'm talking to you, Mungadai; keep it clean). Initially, I was going to just use some of the nicknames that we've been using around the team room, but I figured Cupcake and Hello Kitty might have some heart burn over that, so the guys will pick their own nicknames. 'Cause that's me, I'm a giver.

So, the plan is for this to become a better and better vehicle to let family members share in the Mungadai days. Eventually, everyone on the team will be able to post, and we'll allow reader comments once we figure out how all this works, exactly (Mongo no like magic computer box; magic box frightens and confuses Mongo). 'Til there's more to write, I'll try to post some of our Mungadai pics of the team thus far, once I, uh, figure it out. Speaking of which: Voodoo, while reviewing the pictures to put up, I saw you giving me bunny ears at the team cook out. You're a dead man.