SA Friday Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I was thinking (yep, it hurt) about sharing pics of some of the stuff I photograph while in Southern Iraq in my range diary. The more I thought about it, the better idea seemed to be a thread in the gallery instead. I know a few that might want to see at least some of what I've photographed while here. Then I started thinking about a couple of the other shooters I know are over here (those lucky bastards up in Baghdad even started a USPSA club....). I thought they might want in on the thread too. So, here it is. Post what you see, but keep it at the PGish level; no blood, no guts, NO CLASSIFIED stuff in the background... You get it. There is a lot more here that is never talked about in the news. There are images in all of us from this place that are very difficult to relay when we get back home - not the horrorific stuff that the news loves to play over and over again, but atmospherics that never are really explained in the BS movies or the BS news. So, to start off this shindig, I'll pick a really cool bit of history for everyone to see. So, who went to bible study and acutally listened???? What was the name of the city that Abraham lived in and where it's speculated he was going to sacrifice his son to God? I have a pretty good idea what the answer is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 Abraham lived in the city of Ur. The remains in the picture are the ruins of the palace in the city of Ur and the obilisk in the distance is the Ziggarat. The remains of Abrahams house and village are just to the west of where this picture was taken. There are also Tomb ruins within this historical area, and writings on the walls of the tombs that predates the Jewish and Arabic languages. All of these ruins are acutally located on the base. We took over an old Iraqi air base, this one, Tallil AB and made it a USAF base and Army post. I find it ironic that Saddam decided to build one of his largest air bases right smack dab next to one of the most historical sites in the world. A site that was significant to Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 (edited) here are (sort-of) panoramic shots from the Dowlat Shaw district center , Northern Laghman Province , Afghanistan with a young (high school age) Afghanistan National Police officer in the foreground. Edited August 12, 2008 by Mark Perez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 yours truly on a hilltop, same province. I swear everytime we did a dismounted patrol, it was uphill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 yours truly on a hilltop, same province. I swear everytime we did a dismounted patrol, it was uphill! Now that's what I'm talking about. You don't see stuff like that on the news about Afghanistan. When I look at your pictures, I relate it to the CO Rockies. They look very familiar (not the mud houses thought...). Nice pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 Here's a pic of my partner and I at one of the local villages. Good people from one of the smaller nearby tribes. It was a tad bright out during the picture as you can see from the glare off of my recently shaved head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Keep it up guys! Those are some great pics! I'm a geography nut, and find this stuff fascinating. Thanks! And thanks for your service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Boit Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Stay safe and watch your back guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbine Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Nice pics thanks for sharing and keep them coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 (edited) heading back South after the district center visit. you can see the lead most humvee waiting for the #1 truck to go thru a REAL narrow section of the road. We had to ride the wall on the left side of the truck, otherwise the road would fail and a roll over resulted. Not good (the previous unit lost 2 soldiers to rollovers and drowning). Edited August 12, 2008 by Mark Perez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 another sort of panoramic from an overwatch position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 crossing the Alishang river, it smelled really bad - use your own imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 future ACM forces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Hitched a ride in a Chinook. Worst flight ever. Person next to me tossed their cookies. Funny sign on a FOB in southern Afghanistan. Neat dust devil in middle of nowhere Afghanistan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Typical corner market scene in Kabul. Another market scene. I was shocked at how popular watermelon is over there. I was also surprised at the sheer variety of sodas available over there. Coke I can understand . . . coke sales reps will probably find alien lifeforms and set up shop before NASA discovers them. But Mountain Dew??? There's a fortune to be made in recycling steel from dead Russian tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 Southern Iraq is mostly looks like this until you get into the marsh areas around the Euphrates River. It's very 'surface of the moon with trash on it' kinda vibe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtr Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Cool pics guys thanks for posting them. More importantly thanks for going to these places to keep us safe at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 This is closer to the river and irrigated for the palm trees. There used to be over 40 million palm trees in southern Iraq. Now there is only about 8 million. The big tan colored clumps hanging off at the top are dates, and are a cash crop here. Saddam dammed the Euphrates and killed off most of the trees. He almost wiped out the marsh dwellers down river, a 7,000 year old unchanged culture. That marsh area is hypothesized to be the no-crap Garden-of-Eden from the bible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Perez Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 (edited) couple of 'bikers' the kids always come up every time we stop - "no pens for you". Edited August 13, 2008 by Mark Perez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Freeman Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 So, to start off this shindig, I'll pick a really cool bit of history for everyone to see. So, who went to bible study and acutally listened???? What was the name of the city that Abraham lived in and where it's speculated he was going to sacrifice his son to God? I have a pretty good idea what the answer is. He is a pic of the Zuggy of Ur taken from my point of view. Rolling off the perch headed into Baghdad. The parking ramp at Kabul. Getting close to the rocks prior to an airdrop in Afghanistan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BNorth Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Here are a few from my time in B-dad. Unfortunately, I didn't find the USPSA club back when I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDRODA396 Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 A pic of some of the Boys off loading one of the many rides at the overseas Amusement Park. The "Anti-tank Weapons Experience" at the same Amusement Park! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 Have you ever seen nothingness. It's tranquil until you realize that s#!t will kill you if you give it half a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvb Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 couple of 'bikers' Does Caspian make complete motorcycles or just parts you have to fit together yourself? -rvb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEH Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 great pictures --MEN-- and I do mean MEN--thanks for doing what you are doing so we can stay here and do whaterer we want to==stay safe and hurry home-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now