Gakwonsa Temple, Cheonan, South Korea (July 2017)

“Gagwonsa Buddhist temple is located on Mt. Taejosan. Located on the temple grounds is a large bronze sitting Buddha, which is 15m high, 30m in circumference, and weighs over 60 tonnes. The Buddha sits with the peak of Mt. Taejosan directly behind it, and faces west out over the city and valley. Worshippers and tourists alike climb the steep stairs from the base of the mountain.

Mt. Taejosan is also home to the smaller Seong-bul-sa temple.[13]

In the southwest of the city, near the city’s border with neighboring Asan, sits Hyeonchung-sa Temple, a large complex that houses a main temple and an elaborate garden. The temple was built by Confucian scholars and is a shrine to Admiral Yi Sun-sin (his grave is located on the grounds). The temple and grounds also house a number of National Treasures.”

(Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonan)

This was a beautiful temple about 30 minutes north of Pyeongtaek, Anseong-ri, where Camp Humphreys is at. It’s a beautiful temple complex sitting in a valley. It was raining this day and I had no hiking clothes on, so I missed out on that beautiful view. But I thoroughly enjoyed this temple and walking around. Beautiful site!

Afghanistan (2014)

In 2014, I worked in Afghanistan as a Contractor for a private company that worked for the U.S. I was stationed in several forward operating bases (FOBs), with the U.S. military, and these pictures are from the places I was at on base.

I worked as a Remote Paramedic for On-site OHS (medical sub-contract for LOGCAP IV) and Sterling Global Operations (on the Joint Munitions Disposal-Afghanistan [JMD-A] project). I worked on Kandahar Air Field (KAF), FOB Walton, Camp Leatherneck, Kabul and Bagram Air Field (BAF).

Above: Kandahar Air Field, the boardwalk.

Below: Camp Leatherneck. It snowed hard for a few days there.

Camp Leatherneck, On-site OHS Clinic.

Above: Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province. I worked in a medical clinic here, providing medical for other contractors.

Above: FOB Walton

Above: Kabul, a company owned and operated FOB, from a company I worked for.

A lot of exercise while assigned here. Drinking is not allowed on these FOBs so I supplemented my stress relief with exercise.

A patient’s finger I was cleaning, dressing and maintaining, while working in Bagram.

Above: Bagram Air Field.

In order, I was in Kandahar Air Field (KAF), Camp Leatherneck, FOB Walton, Kabul-only for a couple of days, and lastly, Bagram Air Field (BAF). I worked as a Remote Paramedic. I worked for two different companies and made a lot of money in a short time. I only spent a few months out there, but it was memorable and interesting.

Iraq (2010)-album 1

These are photos from my deployment to Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq with the 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron (ESFS). I remained life long friends with several fellow troops, and these are the highlights of my U.S. military deployment.

Be prepared, there are a lot of “cool guy” photos here. I found this deployment to be quite exciting and edifying in so many ways. American lives were lost in this war, thousands and thousands, so for all of us to survive is truly a blessing! Two people from the 506th ESFS that I know of, and know personally, suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from indirect fire (IDF) rocket attacks launched at us on base. Whether in the fight or in the read with the gear, anyone could get hurt or killed by enemy fire. One of those two TBIs were later retired from their civilian career as a Police Officer and their Air Force Reserve career as well. He is a very hard working man and great person overall. 

All things considered, we had a very safe deployment. People were hurt but no causalities were reported. With that being said, it was a very successful deployment. Approximately 30-40 personnel from my reserve unit (482nd Security Forces Squadron: The Blue Knights) were on deployment with me and we had an excellent time together. Lifelong memories, brotherhoods, and friendships were made here. 

The Rules of Engagement when the Use of Force was Authorized in this Area of Responsibility (AOR) was summed up into a 5 word acronym:

Shout, Shove, Show, Shoot, Shoot.

We were allowed to wear alias nametapes, so I went with Sgt. Pepper. There is no “p” in the local dialect they speak here, so everyone pronounced it “Bebber,” as far as the locals were concerned.  To some people out there in the world, I am simply known to them as “Bebber.” 

M249: I let the gunner rest his knees for a few mins. 

While I am not being shot at in this photo, people have died doing vehicle searches at base gates in theater. There is some element of danger and high risk involved, relatively speaking. 

I mean, I thought I looked cool in this photo. I don’t know, maybe it’s a bite too much vanity. 

I was the Noncommissioned Officer In-charge (NCOIC) of Gate 2, so Rip Its was a must!!! 

One in the chamber. 

Don’t let….the green grass fool ya.

Cool Guy Poses 

Look..we were younger…and excited. We were picture happy. 

The FOB Father out with Talon Flight. 

482nd SFS serving in the 506th ESFS and on Talon Flight.

Talon Flight was the designation for EOD Personal Security Detail (PSD) Team. 

(above) this felt like wearing a onesie, like a baby again. Pretty dang comfy. 

Guero was the most chilled dog ever! He was an explosive detection dog that would come up tot the gate every so often. He was very cuddly. 

I was trying to focus…I’m a terrible driver. How the heck did I get this job!?! 

4 Dudes in a Box…No Homo. 

Gate 2: The Brown Gate 

Security briefing before stepping off base. 

The Flight Chief wanted me to take a picture of the “That Guy” patch going off base. This patch was passed along to anyone who messes up, in any big or little way. They would keep the patch until the next person would mess up, then they would inherit the patch and wear it until someone else messes up.

Upon dismissal of Guard mount, I made a wrong facing movement, one that we make every day. I never turn the other way, but this last day I did. I got the patch and got to retire it, taking it on our last off base mission. I was the omega for the THAT GUY patch. 

We thought this guy looked like Borat and he agreed. 

(Photo above) That is a real photo with Senior Airmen Escalante and Armenta, who were my counterparts and junior enlisted members that I supervised at Gate 2: The Brown Gate. I’m the guy on the right, closest to the sun. 

 

 

(above) that device was such a pain in the ass! Iris scanner. 

Flying the American flags I brought home as gifts. I flew them over the Gator Sector (Gate Sector) Command Post of the 506th ESFS and took them on our last outside-the-wire mission. 

Inducting MSgt. Frank (FOB Father) into the Latino Intelligence Agency (LIA), which is a made up organization my friends and I started. This was an inside joke type of thing jabbing at the three letter agency types who had a “special badge” to get immediate access onto the base from outside the wire (off base). The LIA was compose of myself and two other Latino Airmen who ran the second gate, Gate 2, aka “the brown gate.” -note that nobody took offense to this brown gate reference and everyone had thick skin around here, well, most everyone. 

MSgt. Frank is a good friend of mine and was one of my supervisors on this deployment. He retired several years later after decades of active duty service in the U.S. Air Force. He happily resides in South Florida with his children and family. 

MSgt. Franks, aka the “FOB Father,” introduced us to the dinning facility’s (DFAC) Supervising Manager. We had some good chai tea together. 

(above) This guy’s name is Muhammad Ali. 

Training and evaluating the Ugandan Security Forces hired by the Torres Group to perform Air Base Security after we depart the area of operation. 

TSgt Wronski’s friend had passed and we took this photo for his friend. 

Rip Its was the CrAcK of choice out here! 

(above) yep, there are scorpions in the area here. 

(above) some munitions for the controlled detonation. 

Lots of foxes in this area. 

Receiving the Iraq Campaign Medal in country. 

We shut down the base from U.S. Air Force and handed over control to the U.S. Army. Years later (2014), Kirkuk Air Base would be overrun and the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) . 

The Ugandans were hard workers and sharp security personnel. The Iraqi’s that came through our gate, which was Gate 2 (Iraqi Air Force Gate-uniformed Iraqis came through there), were quite scared when they took over. 

The Iraqis found them intimidating and we found them to be quite professional. The Iraqi Air Force personnel’s, who were mostly pretentious officers, fear of them was humorous to us. 

(above) that dude was always overly friendly and we found that a little suspicious. 

A rocket landed in an Army hooch in his empty roommate’s bed. The rocket didn’t go off and if it had it is more than likely that Army personnel would have died from injuries sustained. By chance, the rocket also landed on an empty bed while that person was on duty. Planets aligned and blessings were upon these 2 Army personnel. 

Sand storms are a thing in Iraq and they suck! I could taste the dust in my mouth looking at this photo. It looked like Mars or some other world. In a way, this place is another world. 

Snakes are thing here as well. Hyenas too but I didn’t get a clear picture of one. 

(above) This is the rocket that didn’t go off and landed on an empty bunk across from a soldier. 

A controlled detonation with the 506th Expeditionary Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team. It was an honor to have been assigned to this special team that conducted security escort for the 506th EOD. 

I was assigned to the Pass and ID, Bravo, and Gator Sectors, as well as a member of a special team detail that conducted outside-the-wire security protection to the 506th Expeditionary Explosives Ordnance Disposal Squadron.

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Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida

Iraq (2010)-album 2

More photos from my deployment to Kirkuk Regional Airbase, Iraq, with the 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.

That first beer after more than six months of sobriety and serving in a combat zone. That was the best beer of my life and will likely remain that. The taste of Freedom!!!

I lost 70 pounds on this deployment. I was also dieting and going to the gym daily, aside from wearing about 100 pounds of gear on my body daily, working over 12 hour shifts with limited days off. All of these factors helped me lose the weight I needed to lose. Several of us lost quite a few pounds. Not too bad for the “Chair-Force,” huh?

I had a pretty big culture shock hit me when I arrived. I was very stoic and did not know how to feel about it. It was used to seeing nothing but sand for so long that I had a bit of sensory overload. Oh, and I was also massively hungover from drinking the night before, when we arrived in Baltimore.

These photos also capture the good time we had at the airport terminal in Shannon, Ireland. We were there for three and a half hours in transit back to the United States. Upon arrival to our hometown, we were greeted with family, friends, patriotic strangers and news cameras. My father and cousins were there to welcome me home.

The history of Kirkuk Iraq is interesting:

According to Britannica.com

Kirkūk, city, capital of Kirkūk muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northeastern Iraq. The city is 145 miles (233 km) north of Baghdad, the national capital, with which it is linked by road and railway. Kirkūk is located near the foot of the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The oldest part of the town is clustered around a citadel built on an ancient tell, or mound. During the period of Assyrian prominence (9th–10th century bce) the city was called Arrapha. Local tradition holds that a tomb in the old quarter is that of the prophet Daniel; it has served as a synagogue and church and is now used as a mosque. The city’s population is of mixed Turkmen, Arab, and Kurdish stock. Kirkūk is a trade and export centre for the surrounding area’s agricultural produce and cattle; textiles are manufactured there. It is also a major centre of Iraq’s petroleum industry, with oil pipeline connections to Tripoli, Lebanon, and to Yumurtalik, on the Turkish coast. The crude oil production stimulated sustained expansion in the city. Pop. (2003 est.) 600,000.

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According to The Kurdish Project:

Kirkuk is a central component of the Kurdish story in Iraq. Historically, it is one of the oldest sites of continuous occupation in Iraq, dating back over 5,000 years.[1]

According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, the Kurds predate other ethnic groups in Kirkuk, the second oldest ethnic group being the Turkomans. For decades, the various ethnic communities were known to peacefully coexist in this city. In 1957, the last official census reported a total of 178,000 Kurds, 48,000 Turks, and 43,000 Arabs living in Kirkuk.[2]

Oil in Kirkuk

Kirkuk is known for its rich oil reserves, producing almost half of Iraq’s daily exports, and has been one of the most highly disputed areas between the Kurdish people and the Iraqi government in Baghdad.

Oil has been difficult to transport through the war-torn region, but Iraqi Kurdistan is managing to export nearly 500,000 barrels of oil per day. Most of this oil is being sold to Turkey.

Modern History of Kirkuk

When the Ba’athists took power in the late 50’s, the new government began systematically destroying Kurdish villages and relocating Arabs to Kirkuk, in an attempt to bolster the Arab claim to the city’s vast oil fields.[3] One of the many consequences of this forced relocation is that the Kurds lost their majority population in this area.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein, however, the Kurds began to return to Iraq, and Kirkuk in particular.[4] Today, the Kurdish presence in the city is greater than ever, as the Kurdish Peshmerga defend the city from the self-styled Islamic State or “ISIS.”

As thousands of Iraqi soldiers fled the city in June 2012, the Peshmerga stepped up its positions from surrounding towns to protect and defend the Kirkuk oil fields.[5] They remain there to this day.