Becky's Blog July 24, 2007
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Becky’s Blog #9 June 29, 2007
Hi! It is a nice balmy 100+ degrees outside right not at about 1145 this beautiful Friday morning. It will get to about 120 degrees this afternoon. I know its getting hotter. Generators are having trouble keeping up with the power demands. We had a bunch of brown outs yesterday. Summer is definitely here.
I slept well last night, only one incoming. I woke up ready to start the day, but with a backache, so then I said nah, I’m going back to bed for a couple of hours. It’s really nice that I get one day a week to do that, which is not Sunday so I don’t miss church. I am so thankful that the sermons are on the internet because I still have not made it to services here. I’ve missed the ride 3 times and got sucked into work 3 times and then missed the ride.
I haven’t been neglecting my spiritual life. We are trying to restart a Bible study on Weds. Nights but it is difficult with the work load we carry to do a lot of study. It is also difficult to find a time for all of us to get together to study. I may have to do something about this as the Major is bogged down with work too and has some personal studies that must be done for his job that are important too. I will be praying for guidance about this as well as I don’t know yet what I should do. I have been reading the Prophet of Doom book which is a study of the Quran and Suriah books of law about Islam and why we should know in the west what Islam really says. I have been reading the Psalms, particularly the 23rd before I go to bed at night as this helps me sleep. I am also reading a book of daily devotions by Joyce Meyer that the Sabins gave me before I left. It has a year of reading so this is a good way to keep track of how far along on my tour I am. I had to look up today when I am due to come back to the states. I should return by Mother’s day next year + a couple of days. I am planning on scheduling my R & R for October, when it is cooler and the fasting of Ramadan is over. Ramadan in 2007 will start on Thursday, the 13th of September and will continue for 30 days until Friday, the 12th of October. At the current time this is my plan. It may change if I find out that this would not be a good time to travel.
I finally got to go to the ancient city of UR where Abraham got the call from God and left with his father and family to do God’s will. The area is very desolate now. The Euphrates river used to be near the city and so it would have been incredibly green where now all is dry and dusty and dead. The oldest known standing archway is in the city of UR and to an Engineer that is really something to stand in a archway that is ~4000 years old. The ruins in the city are in surprisingly good shape considering their age. Apparently, the original city portions that are standing where built using naturally occurring pitch (bitumen, asphalt, tar) to mortar the joints. Walls that were done in this manner didn’t erode away. Later walls that used mud mortar are partially gone. It is very interesting to me. I have asked one of the Iraqi Engineers to translate a sign that I got a picture at the city of UR. It gives a lot of dates and stuff that I found interesting but can’t remember all that the guide has said about UR.
If you want to read about the tombs and things discovered at UR. Go to this website
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/tombs/explore/exp_set.html
For general information on UR and the Bible, go the this website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur
I will try to attach some pictures taken at UR for you. We went to the royal quarters first, then to the tombs, then to Abraham’s house, and then to the ziqqurrat.
This picture is taken in the Royal Tombs. The person taking the picture is standing in the Queen’s tomb. I didn’t go down in the tombs as the steps are pretty eroded and my knees were hurting by this time, so I played it safe. Behind me you can see the korbeled arch leading to the King’s tomb. These tombs are from ~2600 BC. Or about ~4600 years old give or take a year or two. To get down to the tombs you have to walk across the korbeled archs which was kinda scarry when I turned and looked at the condition of the archway above the queen’s tomb. It has a decided sag in it where no sag should be but considering the age of the arch I’d be sagging too.
This is Abraham’s father Terah’s house. I think the guide said 56 rooms, 5 courtyards, and a second story that Saddam didn’t have rebuilt. The Pope wanted to visit in 1999 and bless the site before the year 2000, which Saddam agreed to but Saddam also said he couldn’t guarantee the Pope’s safety so the Pope did not come. A lot of the walls are curved. Roofs were made out of reeds and wood. The 2nd story was supposedly only 2 rooms. The guide said there was documentation of the layout of the house from ancient times but didn’t have it to show us.
The way they hinged the doors to the rooms was interesting. Terah’s house is from a later period than that of the royal tombs. About 1100 BC I think the guide said, but I don’t remember for sure about that detail. Terah’s house was out in the suburbs of town. Probably couldn’t afford the higher rent districts inside the royal wall.
By the time I got here I had drunk all the water that I brought off the bus with me, a liter and a half. I had a frozen one that I left on the bus for when I got back. Boy was it hot. I was sort of wilting a little by this time. I made it back to the bus etc. where I was glad I had saved the frozen bottle for later as it was mostly thawed by this time and so I drank it with relish. I don’t drink much besides water here because practically everything else is dehydrating and so can be dangerous when we are out in the heat. As you can see in the next picture there is no shade in the near vicinity.
This is me on top of the ziggurat with the tombs behind me. It was very windy on top of the ziggurat, so I was holding my hat. It was about 110 degrees about 5pm in the afternoon when we took the tour. The tour took a couple of hours. Royal tombs are about where the arrow points.
To the tree line behind me was city and it is unexcavated. For a mile or so to my left there is also unexcavated city ruins. I wonder how many stories could be told from that dig. The ziggurat is solid through with mud, rubble interior. I guess the point was to get the moon goddess temple as high as they could. The little temple is all rubble, Nothing left of it here but a few bricks and mud. 
Our guide Dhia, whose grandfather worked on the excavation dig in 1922. I was standing where the arrow points in the previous picture..
Where the arrow is pointing is where I was standing in the previous picture. The holes in the sides of the walls are drains for water. I speculate that possibly these were for the hanging gardens, but I can’t substantiate that. Just an idea on my part. This ziggurat stands ~35 meters high. (~115 feet). The ziggurat was put together with tar. Only about the top twenty feet of the ziggurat were not buried in the sand when it was excavated in 1922. For a 4600 year old structure it is in remarkably good condition. Of course most of that time it was buried in the sand. The discoloration on the base is tar. I have definitely filled a book tonight. I will save and try to send tomorrow.
Love in Christ Jesus who saves us from our sin,
Becky
Episode #8 – 6/15/07
Hi everyone. I am going to go to a Combat Life Saving Course this coming week at District Headquarters in Tallil Air Base. Our commander wants as many civilians as can to take the course, so there are as many people trained as can be. I will enjoy the break from work. I am also hoping to get to go on the tour of the ruins of the city of UR and the temple to the Moon Goddess and the House of Abraham. I will take pictures and send what I can through the emails.
We had a Fox News crew here this last week for awhile. They did stories on our camp. At least two stories that I know of. Check out the web site for the stories. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,281854,00.html?sPage=fnc.foxfan/blogs
Friday nights we have steak and seafood kabobs or lobster tail. Tonight was lobster night. It was good. I ate two steaks tonight, but I won’t be eating much tomorrow as I’m going out to visit two of my substation projects. I will try to add some more pictures to this tomorrow as I have more pictures on my work computer. I have some pictures of me at the jobsite at the port of Umm Qasr that I visited on Wednesday of this week. The port is one of the safer places for us to visit because it is guarded and so busy. Iraq has only one port and they protect it.
I was just sitting outside with my neighbors enjoying the balmy night air. It would seem that I am getting adjusted to the warmth of the desert. It is not really so hot yet but got to about 112 degrees today. Must be around 90 outside now and it feels nice. It is nice having these evenings of little to do but talk and write home etc. We don’t get a lot of time off, but what we do get off we really do appreciate. I am learning to appreciate the little things in life more, like good company, good conversation, an affectionate letter from home. It is remarkable to me how jaded we get and how caught up in things we get to be. I really appreciate my computer that Josh and Roy bought me so I could keep up with things going on at home. Just as when our pastry chef makes my brownie tort it is a taste of home and helps us all enjoy our moments of peace and contentment. I am beginning to think that God brought me here just so I could learn to be content in all things and that my circumstances don’t dictate my happiness. I think I had that head knowledge before but now it is more heart knowledge as I am thankful for all of you in my life that give it so much meaning, and I’m not talking of just my immediate family, Josh and Roy. All of you reading this blog that are praying for me and helping to keep Roy and Josh healthy and whole while I am gone are my extended family and I want you to know that I love you all. Hi! It is a nice balmy 90+ degrees outside right now at about 0900 this beautiful Friday morning. I slept well last night, no incoming. I woke up refreshed and ready to start the day. The internet in our rooms is down this morning so I’ll write this and then send it from the office later today. We have two different servers for internet service. The one for our room is a commercial service and is the one that is down. The one for the office is government and is up and running. Security is still an issue here. The militias are beating up and/or killing Iraqis suspected of working with the coalition forces. We can’t have the guys coming to meetings here on base because it’s to dangerous for them. The city is relatively quiet this week, or at least I haven’t heard of anything going on. Last week the British military killed the leadership (top 3 positions I think) of the JAM party militia. They are the ones that are killing our Iraqi associates. There are several parties or militias here in Basrah. The most active is JAM. They are the ones that mostly shoot rockets at our head. We have been getting together with the British military on Thursday nights at our camp and Tuesday nights at theirs for movies and pizza. I didn’t go last Thursday night or last night as I wasn’t real interested in the movie playing. Also last Thursday I got sick with Basrah Belly as the British Aegis security force call it. I don’t know what I got a hold of but I was out of commission for 2 days. Anyway, this week I finally got to go on a tour of the airbase with some other guys. We have a multi-national group here. I didn’t know till this week, but every force has there own camp within the airbase like we do. After getting a look at some of the other camps I think ours is the best. I know we have the best food. NOBODY loses weight here. We are getting a new District commander in 6 weeks. I think a lot of the people are glad. I have mixed feelings about it. It is always hard to change leaders. I’ve think everyone is almost afraid of the present Colonel. He’s just a guy like any other, and I guess he yells. I’m glad he hasn’t yelled at me but even if he had I don’t think I would be afraid of him. I don’t think leading by fear or intimidation is a good thing. My boss says that the new Colonel coming in has a more laid back attitude. Of course, that could change fast. Basrah has some of the most popular projects in the country. Popular in that people from the first lady down have their eyes on some of our projects. I guess everybody gets nervous with that kind of oversight on your stuff. I have several with that kind of exposure, but I’m hoping that I can avoid the hassles of the media. Fox news is supposed to be coming next week and I’m hoping that I don’t have to take them to any of my projects. I don’t enjoy public speaking, and with the press you have to be so careful of what you say. One of my projects is a Roll On-Roll Off berth. Like on a ferry. You can drive on and drive off. Same principle here, but with larger ships. The berth will have a pontoon and extension ramp that will let the ship lower its ramp onto it, so loading and unloading doesn’t require cranes but just trucks and fork lifts. It is an easier and faster way of handling loading and unloading of these special ship types. They are called RO-RO ships, like this berth is called a RO-RO berth. My other projects are electrical substation rehabs, and PHC’s (Public Healthcare clinics). I get to supervise a group of Iraqi engineers. They are great guys. They even have senses of humor. These men are real heroes going to work every day wondering if someone will recognize them as working with the Corps. Some of these guys have taken their families to other countries to live and have come back so that they don’t have to worry that their families might be kidnapped to force them into working against the coalition. I have wondered if I would continue to go to work everyday if I had to lead a double life. These guys can’t let their neighbors know who they are working for. I guess most carry false work ID’s, etc. I know it sounds cool in stories not knowing who you can trust but in reality its ugly and very very stressful. I still haven’t made it to church services here. Sunday is a workday and I missed the ride to the chapel. I haven’t been there yet, so maybe this week. I’ve not felt too bad about it as I have been keeping up with Brians sermons. I just wish I had the bulletin and sermon outline. It would be easier to follow then. HINT HINT!!!! I sure do miss everybody there. There is a great group of people here, but it is not home. I ask that you keep on taking care of Roy and Josh for me. Prayers are always appreciated. I love you guys. If anyone wants to drop me a line, it would be appreciated. My address here is: Rebecca C. Wingfield USACE- GRS Unit #60515 APO AE 09375-0515
Episode #6 - 5/11/07
I am busy at work. I’ve closed out 3 projects and I have 3 projects that are very close to closing out. What I mean by closing out is that the construction is complete and the contractor has corrected any deficiencies that were noted on the final inspection. One of our engineers left for home after an18 month tour and now 4 of us are managing 50+ projects. We have a replacement coming but he won’t be here for about another 10 days or so, and he won’t be up to speed on the projects for about 2 weeks I would think. Anyway we are all trying to carry a pretty good load.
I have got my days and nights straight I think, anyway I am sleeping through the night except when we get incoming. Then I reach over in bed and pull on my IBA(individual body armor, and go back to sleep. The older guys who have been here a while tell me that I have had more rounds shot at my head than many other units. I found out in a meeting today that Basrah Air Base has become number one in Iraq…..for incoming rockets. Well I guess somebody has got to be number one. One hundred fifty six rounds shot our way in the month of April. No one on our camp (Camp Blackadder II) was hurt, although I believe some British soldiers have been hurt last month. Ask Roy or Josh about Blackadder(PBS show with the “Bean”). At first I thought it was named for a snake (macho stuff), or it was a play on the old Batman show because we all have “Bat”callsigns on our radios. Instead the LTC, our commander, is a fan of the 4th season in the Blackadder series which is about Captain Blackadder in WWI trenches in France. The show is a hoot. Hence our camps name. I am so glad that most everyone here has a great sense of humor. It is not all fun and games here. I know of at least 4 deaths this week, from a company I have a project with. I can’t say anymore than that, but it does bring home to me that this is a dangerous place. Even with the danger, I try to visit each of my project sites at least once every two weeks. I have been out to some of my projects 4 times and others none. That is because of the security aspect of the visits. We have a threat assessment every time we ask to go to a project site. We have two contract security companies we use. They are both British and are called Aegis and Erinys. From what I have seen and heard, these guys are the best here at what they do, and they have lost a lot of men protecting the Corps people here in Iraq. Erinys uses big suvs (Ford Excursions). Aegis uses Land Rovers. They are smaller and possibly more agile. Most of the protection for our trips is unpredictability and speed. We travel through the desert on tracks etc. (very little by road) at a top speed of about (good pavement) or about 90 mph. I am surprised that I have gotten some of the good pictures I have at that speed. On Wednesday I saw a herd of 20 or so camels. I haven’t looked at the pictures yet so I’ll let you know next time if they came out.
Episode #5 - 4/27/07
Boy, I bet you guys thought I wasn’t writing any more. Well it has been a busy and difficult transition time for me. You know that I got shipped to Basrah the 2nd day in country. Basrah is the 2nd biggest city in Iraq. It is currently under British control, as is the Basrah province. Basrah is about 4 times the size of Kansas City with over 2 million people. I have not been in the city proper because I have no business (projects) there. All of my projects are on the outskirts of the city and in or near the only port Iraq has at Umm Qasr. I knew that people were in dire straights here because of the broken economy and the war damage but Americans can really have no idea of the levels of poverty I have observed. I would say that these people are desperate in the greatest sense of the word. Twenty years or so ago here this country was very western in its lifestyles and economy. Then came the war with Iran and everything started to go downhill. Critical Infrastructure like electricity and water and sewer systems were let go because the war demanded the money. Now the western media like to blame conditions here on us, and the 1991 war and the 2003 current one. People here will steal anything that has value to sell just to survive, but that makes our rebuilding job so much harder. Every project has to have a security element to it. You have to have guards at the worksite 24/7 to keep people from undoing the work you have just accomplished. It would not be thought wise in the US to enter a 132 kV electrical substation and throw a chain across a couple of wires to short them out so you could cut off a section to pawn. People do that here. We could have had probably 50% more work done if we did not have to redo work so many times. This is why there are armed guards and fences at almost all of our worksites. Of course it is hard to do that with a road or a pipeline or and electrical transmission tower and lines. When we drive by a farmhouse the kids will usually run full tilt to the edge of the road (I use this term loosely) to wave. Sometimes they pat their bellies and hold out there hand indicating they are hungry. Of course, most of the time our job and security issues preclude our stopping but I have been told of times when Americans have arranged to take food and water to a people. We do not usually travel by road. Most all of our driving is done cross country or on backroads because we don’t want to be predictable. Security issues are very tense here in Basrah. I can tell you that the number of targets in Basrah for Insurgents to aim at are lessoning because the smaller compounds are pulling in to the main base. That means that there will be more InDirect Fire (IDF) pointed my way. I have not felt like exploring much because I have needed the time to adjust and because I don’t know my way around and where all the safe places are (bunkers). It is safer inside and cooler too. It was 100 degrees F today. I heard today in a meeting that there has been a ten-fold increase in IDF at Basrah AB. This April so far we have over 138 rockets and mortars shot at us. I don’t know of any fatalities but I do know of some people who were injured by flying shrapnel. The amazing thing is even with an average of 5 attacks a day we all just dive for cover and put on our individual body armor (IBA). I work 13 hour days 6 days a week and on Friday only 5 hours. On Sunday we only work 10.5 hours. We get ½ hr for lunch and dinner. If its been a quiet day I usually get down on the floor of my trailer and get up next to the wall in my IBA and sleep on the pallet I have made out of the bedding. I go to sleep and don’t wake up unless a particularly close one hits. Most nights I only spend a couple of hours or so on the floor cause I wake up when it gets quiet. Then I take off my IBA and crawl into my bed and sleep the rest of the night. Fortunately rockets are very hard to aim except in the general direction of where you want them to go without a sophisticated guidance system. I certainly don’t think of myself as particularly brave, but God has allowed me to experience his peace in the midst of this chaos and turmoil. For that I give thanks to God every minute of every day that he has taken away my fears.
Episode #4 - Pictures
Today is my second ½ day off. I slept in till 7 am which was so nice. Then I decided to try again to get on the Rosetta Stone Arabic lessons. I succeeded. I quizzed out of the 1st lesson Roy based on what we learned. I then took the second lesson and got a 100% on the quiz after taking the lesson. My mind is in a whirl. I don’t think I can do 2 lessons a day. I took some pictures yesterday on my trip to Tallil and back. So I thought I would include a few to let you see some of what I have seen. Then I am gonna take a nap for about 45 min before I have to go to work again.
First pic is of the outside of our tent in Ali Al Saleem AB Kuwait, next is of the inside of our tent. The lights only go out once a day about 4am for 1hour or so. Pic 3 is of natural gas being burned off in the oil fields. Pic 4 was one of the camels in a herd of 5 with the natural gas fires burning behind him. So far the only camel I have seen have been the one hump kind.
Episode # 3 – Packing to Go
What a drag to pack to go someplace for a year. You basically go through everything you own and decide if you think you might need it in the next year. Then you throw away, put away or pack. This is emotionally draining as well. It is springtime so spring cleaning it is. Roy and I did this together so that we could enjoy consensus on stuff. Sometimes I just want to sit down and cry as I really hate cleaning and packing as well. It is so hard to decide what to take and what not to. I am still probably taking to many clothes. Roy and I left for my brother’s on Thursday the 29th of March at about noon. We traveled to Effingham Illinois that day and slept overnight in our car at a rest stop just before Effingham. We got up early on Friday and traveled all the way through Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia on Interstate 70. We stopped for the night at Washington Pa, and left for my brother’s 1 hour north of Pittsburgh Pa on Interstate 79 on Friday morning. We got to my brother’s and he was working on my Dad’s 1997 Ford pickup. It had some blown fuses. When Randy got the truck fixed, his wife Leslie and the kids left for the day to help some friends. Randy took us to visit our Dad and we had a good time. It wasn’t until near the end of the visit that it became obvious that my Dad was getting me confused with his younger sister Marilyn. He never called me her name but he thought that I should know some things that only she would know. Randy left to finish up some work of his at home and Roy and I had dinner with my Dad. We had a great time, and Roy had never seen my Dad so animated around other people before particularly other women. He was amazed at the way my Dad would turn on the charm for the girls. I guess that we had not been around many other people when my Mother was alive and we went to visit. On Friday evening we left and went back to Washington Pa to the Days Inn where we spent the night before and Saturday night as well. We got up and left on Sunday morning for Winchester Va. We followed the Interstate south and east thru West Virginia into Maryland and then US hwys south thru West Va and into Va. We arrived at The Fairfield Marriott Hotel about 1300. I checked in and we went to eat and have lunch. Roy and I unpacked the van into the Hotel room and then huddled up for the afternoon and evening. I got up early on Monday morning and caught the van into TAC (Transatlantic Deployment Center for the United States Army Corps of Engineers).We were issued our gear for the deployment. Then we had classes all day. We had to report to Tac 15 minutes earlier the next day. Classes were held for eight hours each day with only 2-5min breaks. These classes were exhausting but interesting as the training is necessary in most cases for people who are deploying for the first time overseas. This schedule was really hard on the smokers.On Wedsnesday we had to wear our uniforms to class and we had to pass the gas mask test. We had to put our gas mask on and clear and adjust them to our heads in 9 seconds. I had a really hard time getting the gas mask out of its case. I had to practice and practice. I finally passed the test.On Thursday we had to get all our stuff packed and ready to go as we were leaving for Dulles airport at 12:30 pm from the hotel. More next week on the flights to Germany Kuwait and Iraq. Pictures will accompany next weeks saga. Episode # 2 - Preparing to go - Things to Accomplish for Roy and me Moses had it easier. He only had to move ~600,000 people across the Red Sea and into the desert away from Egypt’s Army. He didn’t have to do passports, complete physicals, or shots. Even the ten plaques was a simple “Thus says the Lord God”, and it was done. I have a 2 inch binder of paperwork that I have had to do and send in. One security document I had to do online 3 times because of computer glitches. I’ve even had to do some training online to get ready for the job. Roy has an office staff at work to handle most of his paperwork. The paperwork isn’t even the most pressing issue to take care of. Systems must be created for Josh to know how to care for the house and bills with the least amount of problems. Moses had God, Joshua , Aaron , Miriam , Zipporah, and his father-in-law Jethro to help him. I’ve just got me to do the things I need to do. I am creating an Excel spreadsheet; of the food we buy and where and usual price; of the bills we pay and the expected amount and where we pay; and of the medications we take and how much and when we order and where we buy our vitamins. I also have to complete and otherwise handoff my responsibilities at church which is hard but “I’ll be back”. Roy finds out during this time in late February that they (command staff at CENTCOM) are saying that he can’t deploy to Iraq. At first it was said that their might not be refrigeration for his insulin. We solved that concern and then they said that that really isn’t the issue. What is the issue for Roy? We don’t know either, so now I’m back to considering a 13 month separation from Roy but this time I’m the one who is going adventuring. God surely does have a sense of humor. Roy and I are struggling with it, but God is in control. We’ve called in the prayer warriors. Episode # 1 Saga of Becky Wingfield’s trip to Iraq
With my acceptance of the job in Iraq, I find I have to arrange for all my medical tests and shots. I even have to get myself fingerprinted. After 20 years I’m going to cut my hair (picture from 1995 with long hair). I’m cutting my hair to 3 inches length over all my head(in March). Those of you that knew me from college days will remember my short hair. My hair is shorter than Josh’s.
Be Careful What You Pray For!
Who Knows God may be Gracious to me!
Last fall Roy and I conducted an analysis of our retirement status. We noticed that we would have a shortfall of income, so it was decided that we would more aggressively seek to change this situation. I started praying for God’s guidance in this area. Last fall we also started attending Brian’s spiritual leadership class. Bottomline, Spiritual leaders are on God’s agenda. Whoa, does this mean that I have to change my life!
I had been looking for a job off and on for the last 10 years. When Roy applied in Iraq I was resigned to a year’s separation or more. I have been keeping up my resume so when Roy asked me for my resume I didn’t hesitate to email it to him. A colleague of Roy’s was back from Iraq and was in the office for a few minutes on a Friday. Roy told David that he was trying to get over there but wasn’t having much success and that I was also an engineer. David asked for both or our resumes. Roy also passed along my resume to Vira who sent it to the Transatlantic Deployment Center in Virginia. On Monday morning I was offered a job in Iraq, which I accepted on the proviso that Roy and I would be sent to the same command area and base.