AbeFroman Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hey nuke, Good luck over there and stay safe. I think everyone here is going to be keeping a keen eye on your posts. There's probably a whole bunch of stuff about life in everyday Iraq that we don't get to hear about. I'm anxious to hear about your encounters with locals, life in iraq, how the military is perceived by different factions... Stay healthy over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Controlled Chaos Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 God Speed!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Stay safe and stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Thanks for the support everyone. Tex, I'll PM my mailing address to you once I actually get one, aside from that, though, I'll be able to communicate on here fairly often ( Im thinking at least once a week ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I really look forward to reading about your experiences in Iraq. Stay safe out there and god bless you and the rest of our armed forces!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Take care of yourself Nuke-stir. We'll hopefully have another world series trophy waiting on you when you get back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Take care, be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scwible Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Stay safe. Go Army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Today is D-Day for Nuke. I am going to go ahead and close the thread and leave this for him to post in. Any questions, comments, or anything else can be directed to the other thread, or to Nuke himself through PM or email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 Hey folks, how's everything going?! I've been on the ground here in Kuwait for 3 days now so I figure it's time for an entry. Things are really easy going around here so far. We haven't done anything high impact here just yet. We've just been doing some refresher training on a few things and taking it easy. It's kinda funny really, the tent we're staying in is like a freekin Best Buy store. Everybody's got a PSP or a laptop or a portable DVD player or all of the above. Between that and going to the gym every night it's pretty easy to stave off boredom. Not for sure yet how much longer we're going to be in this area but it wont be all that much longer. Then, of course, is when the REAL fun begins. Anyways, just a quickie here to keep you folks updated. I'll post a few pics next time if I remember to bring along my USB drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 17, 2007 Author Share Posted February 17, 2007 Hello again folks. Been a really hectic last few days so it's time for another update. I spent the last 3 days out in the boonies doing a bunch of refresher training on various subjects ( dismounted movement, ambushes, counter IED and counter sniper stuff ) as well as a 2 day stint out in the boonies working on traffic control points. Since Ive been gone they have changed our mission 3 different times and Im at the point now where I'm not going to believe anything they freekin tell us until we actually get on the ground and start doing it. We're stuck here in Kuwait for another few days at least and then they'll move us north and we'll get settled in and get this show on the road. Some of you have asked about a mailing address for me. If you want it you may PM and now that I have an updated one I'll pass it along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 Ok. Ive been slacking lately ( but then Ive been busy so I guess I have a reasonable excuse ) so I'll get back at it here. I've arrived in Baghdad. We got here like 2 days ago and since then we've been getting our gear and equipment out of the shipping containers and making sure all the new stuff works properly. The FOB where we're staying at is pretty cool. They have internet capability ( like a dollar for an hours use ) and phones for like 10 cents a minute so staying in touch with the outside world is fairly easy. What else? Well we have to take our humvees in to get some mods done cause they're right out of the factory and there's a few things that need to get done to them before they're mission ready. We should start working our patrol area here in about a week or so. That'll be a good thing I guess. It'll be nice to get down to business here. I guess it's kinda wierd to walk out for breakfast and listen to small arms fire off in the distance but that seems to be the norm around here. There was an explosion maybe a mile or so from where we're living also. Most of us just shrugged and kept on with our business. A sign of things to come I suppose. Anyways, that's about all for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 It's been a hot minute since I've checked in here so here we go again. The sector they have us patrolling is fairly quiet, for the moment. So far so good I guess. During our off time we usually just watch movies or play basketball for lack of anything better to do. Speaking of basketball..........There was an incident yesterday that raised a few pulses. We had been going for like an hour or so. All of a sudden the sergeant that works directly under me committed a hard foul on one of our privates. Words were exchanged and then this sergeant hauls off and sucker punches this private right in the jaw. No damage was done cause this guy hits like a b**** anyway but that finally gave me the excuse I was looking for to get rid of this sergeant ( who just so happened to be my only problem child ). He'll be busted down in rank and moved out of our unit, hopefully, within a matter of days. Good riddance jackass! Aside from that, like I said, things are fairly quiet and uneventful out here for the moment. Hopefully things stay that way for a while while we get in the swing of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 Hello there! NUKE here again checking in to let you know Im doing alright. Last few days we've been really busy. We've been running 2 patrols a day, doing house searches, and just cruising around getting familiar with the area. The area we're responsible for is a dump. There's trash and fetid water everywhere, and all the homes are run down. Good news is that the people seem friendly enough so I guess that's a plus. That's about all for now. Hopefully everyone else is doing well and continues to do so. Take care. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Been a few days so time for another report. Within the last few days we moved out of the overflow tents we've been staying in and into a building here on our FOB. This place used to be an Iraqi military base back in the Saddam era and now it serves as a base for American troops. The building I'm in is not to shabby considering where I am. It has power, heat, AC, and large trailers outside for showers and going to the bathroom. As a bonus, there is wireless internet inside the building so I can surf, write e-mail and manage my affairs online. It's run by the locals and the price is 2 dollars an hour. Pretty fair price if you ask me. Again, not a bad setup considering where we are. The move over here took up a lot of what little free time we had the last few days. We've been running 2 patrols a day and working on training up the Iraqi National Police. The other day we did some target practice with them on their compound. Some of them are pretty awesome shots ( in fact one was able to hit a cigarette at 25 meters ). Additionally, I got to fire some rounds through an AK and confirm the zero on my M4. The area we've been patrolling is quiet for the most part although we did have some excitement the other day. We were handing out propane cylinders to the locals ( they use propane the same way we use natural gas ) and a gun battle broke out about a mile away between another one of our units and some insurgents. I didn't hear about anyone being hurt or killed but the sound of automatic weapons fire that close is enough to raise anyone's pulses. Aside from all that, things are not too bad here. We're getting settled in our routine here and most of the guys are very upbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Just as soon as I start to run my yap about how quiet things are we almost have a really bad day. We were called in to cordon off an IED blast site ( nobody was hurt there ) and while we were pulling security someone took a shot at one of my guys and came within a few inches of hitting him in the head. We couldn't figure out exactly where the shots came from cause it was dark and there were many buildings so we didn't return fire. Those who weren't already in the trucks took cover behind them until we could all get aboard and then we got out of there. All told nobody was hurt but it was a close shave to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 (edited) Another close shave today. We were driving down a dirt road in our sector and went over a small hump and a small explosion went off in front of my wingman's truck. After that happened we cordoned off the area and had the EOD guys come out and blow the device. What happened was the primer for the device ( 2 fire extinguishers cut open and packed with explosive ) somehow fell off the device and when the bastard that initiated it did so, only the blasting cap went off. Nobody hurt so it's all good. Once the device was destroyed we went out to where the command wire led off to and cleared the house. We ended up finding a couple of spools of wire but nothing else. Tonight's mission was boring as hell. Just drove around in circles through sector the whole time looking for anyone out running around after curfew. Edited March 24, 2007 by NUKE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 Well, snipers and IED's didn't have any effect so it seems that they're trying to bore us to death lately. The last few days and up till the 31st they have us sitting on a 2 KM stretch of road. Our 3 platoons just go out and pull an 8 hour shift each sitting on observation posts in our humvees. Nothing to keep us awake but crude jokes at each others expense and heated debates about what direction that small arms fire off in the distance was coming from. The Iraqi Army dudes at the checkpoint a few kilometers to the north are VERY trigger happy so we have to call in that we heard gunfire WAY more than we'd like. Aside from that, not a lot to talk about really. Time is scarce as usual cause when we finish our 8 hour OP we have to be on call in case someone needs help and we are pretty much guaranteed to get spun up at least once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 Ahhh, let the wheels of boredom continue turning!!! Seems that the Sitzkrieg I alluded to in my last entry has been extended until the 3rd. So another 3 days of crude humor and debates about where that distant small arms fire is coming from. I'll never complain about driving through relatively quiet neighborhoods or handing out propane ever again ( for a while ). Seems sometimes like we're little more than very heavily armed beat cops with all the requisite bulls***, paperwork and boredom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted April 6, 2007 Author Share Posted April 6, 2007 Everything is alright here. Our first day back in sector after the end of the Sitzkrieg and guess what, it was a crazy day to say the VERY least. We did a cordon and search of this neighborhood and found an IED factory. There were 82 IED's total in various stages of construction and a bunch of the electronic components to act as triggering devices. While we were waiting for EOD to come destroy the stuff we took a lot of sniper fire. Myself and a team of guys were on a rooftop and we fired back and killed the guy. This after having about a half dozen rounds pass so close we heard them whizz by. Good stuff!!! We ended up blowing up the whole house and that took care of the bomb making stuff. Today we went back to the same area to give out damage claim forms to the neighbors whose houses were damaged in the blast. They were very happy to see us and glad the bomb makers were arrested and on their way to jail. Aside from that, there really isin't much going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Back again. Last few days the internet has been on the fritz around here so I haven't been able to get online. Nothing really special happened since my last entry. Im still doing paperwork even 5 days after our little adventure back on the 6th. In order to get awarded the Combat Action Badge you need 2 sworn statements from people who saw what happened, there has to be a page long summary of events, a powerpoint diagram of the area where things happened has to be done and on and on and on. I have 8 guys in my section that were in contact that day, myself included, so you do the math. I didn't have to go out on mission today so I ended up finishing everything I hadn't had time for and now it's all done. THANK GOD!!! Next couple of days look to be fairly quiet with not a lot on the schedule. We'll see how things go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted April 14, 2007 Author Share Posted April 14, 2007 (edited) With every day that goes by over here I become more convinced that we're not going to accomplish anything over here. The way this war is being run is just a complete joke. Today I found out that the bomb makers we rolled up the other day were released. Not only were they released but they're probably going to get paid a handsome sum of money for their trouble. Why? Because certain people bought their lame ass story that all the fire extinguishers in their house were there because they were being refilled. Never mind the following facts: A. The EOD crew confirmed to us that at least half of these fire extinguishers were filled with explosive material. B. These 2 upstanding citizens both tested positive for explosive residue on their skin. C. Both of the IED's we've encountered in sector since we've been here were made out of....was it artillery shells?.........was it mortar rounds??.......no no no.....it was fire extinguishers filled with explosives!!! DING! D. The owner of the house and alleged "fire extinguisher refitter guy" when first questioned about all these fire extinguishers claimed they weren't even his and that he didn't even know they were there. E. No sooner did we start searching the target house than snipers opened up on us from like 3 different locations. So now, these 2 bomb makers are back out on the street and flush with cash courtesy of the U.S. Military. All of this because certain people got a bad taste in their mouth because of the collateral damage caused by the blast. Oh, and about the collateral damage. We went in and took pictures and got everybody's name and all that good stuff the following day. Now we're jerking these people off. we're making them jump through all these different hoops and fill out all these different stupid forms ( which change daily ) and all the while they're saying they have only a day or 2 more to get their money before we close the door. So. The innocent people who deserve help are getting the run around while we let the guilty ones go and pay them off. You people wonder why it's taking so long to pacify this country. I could write 4 pages of rant about all the other stuff that's causing us hell here but that would involve operational matters and I cant do that. For now.........rant over. Edited April 14, 2007 by NUKE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted April 17, 2007 Author Share Posted April 17, 2007 It's a pretty sad day for us here. We lost our 1st man killed yesterday and had another badly injured by an IED attack. They were on their way to link up with some bulldozers and then go to flatten some abandoned mud huts that were being used by insurgents to hide and stash weapons and stuff. They never made it. Device went off under the front of their truck, flipped it over like a kids toy and landed it sideways. Gunner was killed instantly and the truck commander had about 8 different fractures to his legs and one of his arms. Driver was able to walk away with some heavy bruising to one leg. Good news is that both the survivors will be fine and make a full recovery. What's worse, these bastards shot at the medevac chopper when it was landed on a soccer field to pick up our casualties. We pinpointed a house where we thought it was coming from and between our machine guns and the Apache's 30mm we pretty much made the place unfit for living anytime soon. During the rest of the day there were another 5 IED's found in this same stretch of field. This is exactly what happens when we get kept out of sector for any length of time as has been the case recently. Haji has all this time to set his s*** up and we get it right in our face next time we show up. Needless to say we're pretty pissed off and henceforth anyone who even looks at us the wrong way out in sector is going to pay a heavy price. All these smiling motherf***ers who wave and say "america good!" are in on it as far as I'm concerned. They dont have jobs and just sit around their front yards all day drinking tea so they see all this going on and they let us walk right into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 Not a lot has happened since my last entry. It's been quiet in sector and aside from the other section sergeant in my platoon being a total douchehole things are alright here in the unit also. We had the memorial service this evening for the soldier we lost earlier this week. Needless to say it was a very sad occasion for all involved. On a lighter note, I found out when my 2 weeks of R&R leave is going to be. Looks like I'll be leaving here on the 29th of May and probably be home no later than the 1st of June. I was hoping to go sometime in July or August but I'll take what I can get. It'll be party time for me for sure! Tomorrow my guys dont have a mission so we'll probably spend the day tinkering with the trucks, actually eat all 3 meals and watch a movie or 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 (edited) Just when I thought things were starting to quiet down some here in sector..............well........you know where this is going. This morning we got ourselves into a wild firefight with a bunch of AK toting boneheads running around taking potshots at us. It started innocently enough, we went to the local power station to check on the progress of repairs there. Well, there weren't any repairs done and the place was abandoned ( no wonder they never have power in that area ). We left there and as we were going out on a dirt road one of our trucks sunk in the mud. Me and a couple of my guys got out and hooked up our chains to pull him out and just as I got done snapping a picture of what was going on, we got opened up on from the highway which runs parallel to the north. Me and my boys took cover and the rest of the platoon moved in to cover us so we could pull the stuck vehicle out. Once we got him loose we called in that we were being shot at and moved north to find out who was doing it. As soon as we got up on the highway we took fire from an abandoned house. We proceeded to light that sucker up. All 4 humvees fired on that place at once with our 240's and 50 cal. Yeah, not much was left of the place. While we were looking around for a place to pull off the highway to go investigate, we took fire from a bunch of little mud huts on the other side of the road. Same reaction. We all pulled on line and leveled like 4 of them with our guns. We make it onto this access road and yet another house opens up on us.......and yet another house gets shot to hell with machine gun fire. So we finally get to the houses we were told to go clear and THEN things get interesting. Me and a bunch of guys got off the trucks to go clear it and the gate is locked with a chain. One round from my M4 took care of that and we go in. Right as we reach the top of the stairs, we get opened up on again! This time we had rounds impact all around us and one even grazed off the back of one guys helmet ( no injury ). We found lots of brass and some blood in the place. Whoever it was didn't quite get out before the shooting started. We took cover inside of the now empty house until the trucks could suppress the fire coming at us on the ground. Once that was done, we all scrambled out of this place and got on board. Now that we're all back on the trucks we start driving back and forth down the main highway trying to bait whoever was left into shooting at us again. Our friends in the mud huts start up with a couple of shots so we all get on line again and cut loose on this area again. It was kinda funny, I just kept telling my gunner to sweep right with his fire and all the other guys had pretty much the same idea. This time we leveled like 20 of these places. If there was anyone even close to that area they got toasted badly. After that was done we spotted a pile of sandbags on a roof ( in the same are we took fire from ) that sorta looked like a sniper position so we lit that up, and the rest of the house, also. By now all the fire in the area stopped. Our friends either s*** their pants and fled or they're grease stains in those mud huts. Only reason we didn't go down toward the mud huts to check it out is because they sometimes use small arms fire to bait us into an IED attack. We're a little too smart for that so we just left once the firing stopped. WHEW!!! What a day!!! Time to chill out, stuff my face and take a nap before we go out again later on tonight. Edited May 16, 2007 by NUKE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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