Before now poetry has taken notice
Of wars, and what are wars but politics
Transformed from chronic to acute and bloody?
from "Build Soil"
Robert Frost

Thursday, March 15, 2007

The Dump

We went to the dump today, two of my buddies and I. A dump is a normal fixture at any base in Iraq- I've already explored scrap piles at Ramadi and Habbaniyah. Dumps interest me; I like to see what other people have no more use for. I like to put into practice the old saying: "One man's trash is another man's treasure". I've always been that way; a trip to the dump with my dad as a kid almost always ended in him trying to keep me from dragging home more trash.

Most of the material in this dump is useless- torn and burned hulks of vehicles, both ours and Iraqi, tangled snarls of old concertina wire, expended brass and used portable rocket launchers. The Falluja dump is also home to a collection of rusting Iraqi anti-aircraft guns. They sit along one wall with their barrels criss-crossed towards the sky, slowly rusting into the sand.

There's always something usable in amongst the trash, though. Today's visit produced a handful of portable individual radios- small sets with a 1-kilometer or so range, from which we were able to cobble together several working sets. One of my buddies found an small old-fashioned oil can, made of brass and about the same size and shape as an old pocket watch.

7 comments:

  1. That sounds like a good time! :)

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  2. Anonymous15/3/07 11:51

    I thought of you last night. Youand Badgers Forward and American Soldier and all of the blogs that I try to keep up with. I went to the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames hockey game. when the national athem was sung at the beginning of the game, you guys were right there. The anthem has become so much more since 9/11. But since I've started reading the blogs and the warriors now have faces and personalities, it strikes home even more. Thank you for sharing, thank all of you. You are in my thoughts always, but more so last night with the words, "Home of the Brave" echoeing through the stands. (The Avs beat the Flames 3-2, woohoo.) Take care and be safe.

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  3. Anonymous15/3/07 12:45

    Did you find anymore jet engines to play with?

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  4. Any more???

    Oh, dear sister of Don... where can I find this story?

    And Don. By oil can, you mean soemthign to add oil to small mechanical things? if so, that is quite a find...

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  5. Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 03/16/2007
    A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

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  6. Anonymous16/3/07 19:37

    AWG, they say a picture is worth a thousand words... ;-)

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  7. Picture? There are PICS of Don-o playing with a jet engine? Oh now you MUST share...

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