Camp Adder

Recently, I volunteered to go on mission to visit a country that I have not been to since late 2003 and add another country to my geocaching profile, Iraq. On the way north, we stopped at Camp Buering and with some time on my hands, I managed a few finds. History on the Walls was an easy find very close to where we parked the bobtails and stayed two nights. I found that one just before midnight and found Cold Frappe' and a Hot Spot after midnight with a group from our convoy who wanted to obtain some coffee from Starbucks. The next afternoon, we began to head out and after picking up Class I supplies (Snacks, Gatorade, Ice), I picked up Camp Buehring TB Hostel a large ammo can very near the staging lanes that sets right under the noses of hundreds of muggles that pass by.

Our trip took us north to FOB Kalsu where there were no geocaches. FOB Kalsu did seem to have the best DFAC (Dining Facility) in theater. Leaving Kalsu, we arrvied at Camp Adder in Southern Iraq, the based used to be called Tallil. In 2003, I was based nearby at Camp Cedar II and visited Tallil Airbase on occasion. There I made my first geocache find in Iraq with ground flare #3 (incomming). It was an easy find that required climbing an old Iraqi bunker. I was in the area visiting the Organizational Maintenance Shop to replace a tire. The following day, after getting some direction of where the PX was located I picked up three more caches. Israel, which was interesting that it was located near ancient marshland. Mikaaiyl, a walk and grab nano on the way to the MWR and finally Transient Altoid Tin-Tallil which is located near the MWR.

The trip added a fourth country to my profile and recently had a patch made for myself "Combat Cacher".

Franklin Mountains

The 1171st Transportation Co. flew to Fort Bliss, TX on December 4, 2009 and soon as I got off the plan I saw the Franklin Mountians and immediatly wanted to go caching in the mountains. I did manage to get away a couple of times to cache with two trips into the mountains from El Paso, TX.

After completing training, the last group was at Ft. Bliss awaiting a flight to Kuwait, the motor sgt. arranged for a group outing to take a trolley up one of the mountains (Ranger Peak). We took the trolley, a couple of people were a little nervous but we were safe and arrived at the scenic platform. Four of us immediately set out to find Take a Hike OR Get taken for a Ride. The GPS was going nuts with all the metal and antennas on and around the platform and we searched and searched. A ranger noticing we were searching for something inquired what we were doing and I told him about the geocache. He remembered something about a geocache and called the office at the bottom of the mountain and turned out the cache was located in the gift shop that was closed. After contacting the cache owner of our issue and showed pictures of us on the mountain with GPS, he allowed us to claim the find. With that aside, the views from the top were breathtaking.

Being held back again, this time for a medical issue I saw my friends leave again. This did give me one more chance to visit the mountain range. The last full day before departing for Kuwait, I went after Backyard Fun. This cache gave me a solid workout and I was huffing and puffing on he way up the mountain. Found the cache after some searching and sat to admire the view of El Paso from high up.

10 Years! -Kuwait!

Was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in late Feburary, my company, the 1171st Transportation Co. had already been in Kuwait about 6 weeks prior to my arrival. I started caching at Camp Arifjan the first week I was in-country. Later, after reading the 10 year birthday party events being set up back home. I came up with an idea to create an event in Kuwait. After a few emails with the region reviewer, I set up 10 Years! -Kuwait. Just after listing the event, Airooster posts a will attend. I sent invitations to other cachers who had been visting Arifjan, some would attend, some could not, due to being on missions, R&R leave or re-deployment home.

The event was fun with many stories about geocaching and making friends. I soon found that one of the Chaplians of the new brigade that recently moved in is also a geocacher, chapredeb. Two US Navy officers showed up, having just arrived at Arifjan 45 minutes before the event. One of them, jeepnjudy has visited two Geo-Woodstocks.

The following day, I revisited the most of the geocaches at Arifjan; the 3rd time for Zone 6, with jeepnjudy and I found 3 that I had not found. After the archiving of one cache, I have found all at Arifjan. We ended up walking 3-4 miles and on the way back to Zone 6 in the rain, chapredeb saw us and gave us a ride after seeing us with Garmins hanging on our necks.

TF's Civil War Geocache Series

Upon reading an article on MSNBC website that the State of Virginia has proclaimed April as Confederate History month, I decided to use my blog to describe the geocaches that I set up in reference to the American Civil War or as some call it, the War Against Northern Aggression.

Northwest Tennessee didn't see the heavy action as did parts of Virginia and Middle Tennessee. Soon after the fall of Ft. Donelson, the fort at Columbus, Kentucky was abandoned and Union forces occupied my hometown of Dresden and West Tennessee. During the war, there were some skirmishes by local militia and cavalry raids conducted by General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

My favorite hide is Forrest Raids Dresden. It's a difficult cache to find in that the terrain is very difficult and with that, there have not been many finders of this cache. In December of 1862, Gen. Forrest made his first West Tennessee raid to cut the communication of Union Gen. Grant has he moved south towards Vicksburg, MS. Gen. Forrest was successful in his raid cutting all railroad communication for the rest of the war, forcing Gen. Grant to rely on the Mississippi River for supply. My geocache is located next to an opening next to the railroad bed. Visitors to the cache can go inside the opening and see the several stumps with axe marks left by Confederate soldiers.

Charge 'em both ways is located at the battlefield of Parker's Crossroads. The Confederate line was near what is now the westbound lane of I-40 and during the battle Forrest was surprised from the rear. When a junior officerr asked Gen. Forrest what to do, he ordered the force to charge both Union forces. The action prevented the a defeat and allowed the CSA forces to leave the area and return to Middle Tennesse.

Battle of Lockridge Mills is located between Latham and Palmersville, TN and saw the largest combat action during the war where a patroling Union force from Iowa was defeated by a large Confederate force.

Skrimish at Shades Bridge is located between Greenfield and Skullbone, TN. During this engagement, Confederate militia failed to prevent a Union force from crossing the bridge over the Obion River. After the Union force crossed the bridge, the militia returned to burn the bridge.

Unknown Confederate Dead is located in Union City, TN and judge from the logs is one of the most popular and found cache that I own. A monument to the unknown soldiers sets in a residential neighborhood next to the old railroad bed. Over 20 unknown Confederate soldiers are buried here.

The Charge is the only geocache that I own in reference to the Civil War in Kentucky. The Charge is located just across the state line in Dukedom, where a historical marker and kiosk inform visitors of Gen. Forrest 2nd West Tennessee raid and into Western Kentucky. Gen. Forrest's troopers passed through this area on the way to and from Paducah, Kentucky.

The last two geocaches in reference to the Civil War are not locations of any combat action. When I joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans I obtained permission to place a geocache at Bonnie Blue Travel Bug Hotel which is in Greenfield, TN. Later, I assisted in the placing of a huge Confederate Battle Flag in Trimble, TN and was asked to place a geocache near the location to bring attention to the flag and called the cache St. Andrew's Cross. On that cache page I borrowed a poem from Dr. Michael Bradley, "I am their Flag". I have had the honor to actually hear this poem repeated by H.K. Edgerton in person while attending a Lee-Jackson Banquet.

In 1861, when they perceived their rights to be threatened, when those who would alter the nature of the government of their fathers were placed in charge, when threatened with change they could not accept, the mighty men of valor began to gather. A band of brothers, native to the Southern soil, they pledged themselves to a cause: the cause of defending family, fireside, and faith. Between the desolation of war and their homes they interposed their bodies and they chose me for their symbol.

I Am Their Flag.

Their mothers, wives, and sweethearts took scissors and thimbles, needles and thread, and from silk or cotton or calico ­ whatever was the best they had ­ even from the fabric of their wedding dresses, they cut my pieces and stitched my seams.

I Am Their Flag.

On courthouse lawns, in picnic groves, at train stations across the South the men mustered and the women placed me in their hands. "Fight hard, win if possible, come back if you can; but, above all, maintain your honor. Here is your symbol," they said.

I Am Their Flag.

They flocked to the training grounds and the drill fields. They felt the wrenching sadness of leaving home. They endured sickness, loneliness, boredom, bad food, and poor quarters. They looked to me for inspiration.

I Am Their Flag.

I was at Sumter when they began in jubilation. I was at Big Bethel when the infantry fired its first volley. I smelled the gun smoke along Bull Run in Virginia and at Belmont along the Mississippi. I was in the debacle at Fort Donelson; I led Jackson up the Valley. For Seven Days I flapped in the turgid air of the James River bottoms as McClellan ran from before Richmond. Sidney Johnston died for me at Shiloh as would thousands of others whose graves are marked "Sine Nomine," - without a name - unknown.

I Am Their Flag.

With ammunition gone they defended me along the railroad bed at Manassas by throwing rocks. I saw the fields run red with blood at Sharpsburg. Brave men carried me across Doctor's Creek at Perryville. I saw the blue bodies cover Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg and the Gray ones fall like leaves in the Round Forest at Stones River.

I Am Their Flag.

I was a shroud for the body of Stonewall after Chancellorsville. Men ate rats and mule meat to keep me flying over Vicksburg. I tramped across the wheat field with Kemper and Armistead and Garnett at Gettysburg. I know the thrill of victory, the misery of defeat, the bloody cost of both.

I Am Their Flag.

When Longstreet broke the line at Chickamauga, I was in the lead. I was the last off Lookout Mountain. Men died to rescue me at Missionary Ridge. I was singed by the wildfire that burned to death the wounded in the Wilderness. I was shot to tatters in the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania. I was in it all from Dalton to Peachtree Creek, and no worse place did I ever see than Kennesaw and New Hope Church. They planted me over the trenches at Petersburg and there I stayed for many long months.

I Am Their Flag.

I was rolled in blood at Franklin; I was stiff with ice at Nashville. Many good men bade me farewell at Sayler's Creek. When the end came at Appomattox, when the last Johnny Reb left Durham Station, many of them carried fragments of my fabric hidden on their bodies.

I Am Their Flag.

In the hard years of so-called "Reconstruction," in the difficulty and despair of years that slowly passed, the veterans, their wives and sons and daughters, they loved me. They kept alive the tales of valor and the legends of bravery. They passed them on to the grandchildren and they to their children, and so they were passed to you.

I Am Their Flag.

I have shrouded the bodies of heroes, I have been laved with the blood of martyrs, I am enshrined in the hearts of millions, living and dead. Salute me with affection and reverence. Keep undying devotion in your hearts. I am history. I am heritage, not hate. I am the inspiration of valor from the past. Look Away, Dixie Land!

I Am Their Flag.

Trip to Camp Buehring

My first trip outside the “wire” leaving Camp Arifjan was to travel to Camp Buehring which is also in Kuwait. I have been to the camp once before in the fall of 2003. Back then it was called Camp Udari and I participated in training in close quarters marksmanship and convoy operations. This trip was to be simple trip to sign for new body armor. I had the geocaches in the camp loaded onto the Garmin and hoped to get a find or two. Our time was tight and after obtaining the body armor, we drove near the DFAC for lunch. I attempted to grab One Degree of Separation and unable to find it. After lunch we boarded the bus to head back to Arifjan, which was about 1:30 in the afternoon. The guards at the gate would not permit us to leave without an escort. We then drove near the PX and waited several hours to finally leave the camp. During that time, I introduced another soldier to the sport of geocaching finding diecast64 and PT- Good for you, good for me. Having the new geocacher was helpful on the last cache since he is a few inches taller than me.

We finally managed to leave the camp near dusk and later arrived at Camp Arifjan about 9:30 pm. I have been caching for a little over 5 years and have ran across many light pole, guardrail and storm drain caches. But in a the warzone, barrier caches are popular.

Cachin' in Kuwait

I have managed to carry my hobby of geocaching across the pond and have grabbed three finds at Camp Arijan in Kuwait. Being a fobbit for the most part, I will be limited in my caching opportunities throughout this region. One thing I discovered, I will not cache alone with the high presence of muggles. This has given an opportunity to give others in my company a chance to see what the game is about first hand. Thus far, with three geocachers within the company, about 10% has witness the hunt in action and over half have verbal knowledge of the game. A few others have shown interest. The negative part of showing others; is that I am unable to pick a good cache, such as a regular size container or an interesting location. Being a military base in a flat desert, there is not much I can do about it.

My first find was on the way to the motorpool with a mechanic. The cache page indicated a small container and we found a altoids container next to a tent. I waited a couple of days for my next find after scouting out the location. Being in the location of the female barracks, I waited for a female cacher to go with me on this hunt as to not give the idea I am stalking around the female barracks. Soldiermama had attempted to find this cache twice before and thought the cache was missing. After a good search and thinking outside the box and remembering similiar type hides, I found the cache. After that find, I found another cache within Zone 6. Currently, I have two more caches to find in Zone 6. There are other caches to be found at Camp Arifjan and will go after them in time.

I will be hosting a cache event on May 1, to celebrate the birthday of Geocaching.

Tale of a Flight

Finally arrived in Kuwait this week after being on training hold and later medical hold at Ft. Bliss. Last Friday I was informed there would be a flight leaving Ft. Bliss on Monday; my information was taken for the manifest. Packed most everything and was ready when I received the call at 11 am on Monday to have my bags in the parking lot to be transported to get my weapon and proceed to the airport at Ft . Bliss. I was informed that I would be a tag along with units.

In my military career I have found that flying on chartered aircraft brings or awaiting a flight can bring about some drama. In 1991 our job completed in Saudi Arabia, our company was split with half going home, leaving the unmarried, higher NCO's and officers back; there dealing day to day of how we would get home. In 1998, trying to leave Equador our flight was delayed a day and stayed the night in an Equadarn Army base. In 2003, our flight to retrive my company in Kuwait was delayed by weather on the US eastcoast. With no real place to sleep, some of us stayed up all night and I had the opportunity to try out a Cuban cigar.

These time around the plane was not able to take off due to ice on the wings. Cold fuel was added to the plane and it was unusually cold in El Paso, TX and I slept on the floor of the airport terminal. Next morning the flight took off without any trouble and proceeded to Hahn, Germany. Landing in Germany, I added this country to my European list that already included: Belguim, Italy and Ireland. While in Germany in the terminal, I purchased an hour of internet for 8 Euros. Money well spent since I was able to use Skype to call someone in my section to gather last minute information of what zone and building number and also alert the company that I was on the way.

With 22 years of experience in the military and making my 3rd overseas deployment I had the odd feeling that some would go wrong (a Charlie Foxtrot was in the making). We arrived at Kuwait City International Airport and the escorts for the buses informed me that we would all go to Camp Arifjan. I got some sense of relief and boarded the bus after dealing with the baggage. Got in a short nap and awoke looking around and the location was no longer familiar. I pulled out my GPS and saw that Ali Al Salem Airbase . I had downloaded a pocket quarry of all the geocaches in Kuwait and knew I was heading the opposite direction of Arifjan. Like I told my 1st SGT later, can't fool a geocacher. We went to the airbase to check in and there I was informed I was on my own and to get on the 1830 bus to Arifjan. I did not have time to find a wi-fi and make another attempt to call anyone in my company. Arrived at Arifjan bus terminal and it was just a set of benches. Met other service members and they asked if I knew my way around. I told them that may last visit to Arifjan, most of the roads were not paved and building were underconstruction, that was 2003! They pointed the way to another bus that moves about from zone to zone. My feeling continued to sink due that I was hauling over 300 pounds of gear that included body armor and a rifle. Leaving any of my bags unattended was out of the question. Arrived at my zone (Zone 6) and thankfully there were two soldiers on the bus who recognized my patch and knew where my company was located and helped me get to my baracks. I entered the building to the surprise of everyone that I made it from Ali Al Salem totally on my own.