Aerial Therapy

There are so many stressful situations here in Iraq. Different personalities clashing is common. Weather changes can bring down morale. And one being without their family or things they've grown accustom to has had the potential to trigger insanity. I, however, use traveling, preferably by air, to bring my morale back up. As an added bonus, I shoot photos while flying. It's awesome! The view from the air is totally different than you'll ever see walking on the streets or driving down the road.

And, on top of that, it's so loud that you cannot hear anyone talk to you. 45 minutes of rotating blades which allows you to think about life and take in the sights. I love it. Above are some of the images I see when I've been up in the birds.

The first image is F.O.B. Prosperity. I like it there. It's nice. The second is Al Rahman mosque, one of my favorites, which I photographed in 2005. The third image is one of the outskirts of Baghdad. Some places just don't have too much there. The fourth is another of Al Rahman mosque. It's one hell of a sight. I love catching glimpses of it. It's so large and oddly shaped. The last image is another shot of Baghdad from the air. I love riding in the choppers and sniping from the air with my cameras. Most never earn or receive the chance. I'm blessed.

AFN Iraq Personalities (Part I)

Many days I don't get to look at television out here unless I relax at the dining facility for a good hour or two cause there are a few TV's in there. I really don't have time for that so I just chill at my office for live entertainment. My co-worker's are some of the most interesting smart people I've ever worked with. We have so many different people working here and everyone was thrown together from throughout the states. So this situation is like an everyday episode of "Real World Iraq". I really can't even describe this the way I want in words so I'll show you... This will be the first of a series of entries about the characters of American Forces Network Iraq.

First, we have Crystal Cook; better known as Staff Sgt. Cook. She decided to re-enlist in the Army. I must say, that was a quite unique ceremony. Not only did it happen in Iraq, but on the roof of one of the bombed out palaces in Baghdad that the we took over. Cook is one of a kind though. She is as hardcore as female public affairs Soldiers come. I think this is her third deployment to Iraq. On the personal side, Cook is from Texas and is proud of it.

Next we have Brian Forbess; better known as Air Force Master Sgt. Forbess. He is the TV team chief and the coolest supervisor I've ever had in life besides myself when I used to run my own business. Forbess makes me want to join the Air Force every time we discuss my professional development as a photojournalist. Occasionally, he gets up in the middle of the day and does situps and incline pushups. It's kind of unique because Air Force people aren't known for the physical fitness... lol.

Third, we have Sean McNeal; better known as Staff Sgt. McNeal. This is his first deployment to Iraq. He is reaching middle age but, at times, I can tell that he is a kid in a candy store here in the Middle East. McNeal has been an infantryman, military policeman and he does advertising in the civilian part of his professional life. He can be a lil' in your face at times. However, away from pressure and stress, he is a really nice guy.

And fourth is Matthew Stern; better known as Capt. Stern. He is the executive officer of AFN Iraq. Stern is that guy who you wanna be around. He will bring life to any situation. I've never heard him raise his voice but he can get the job done without that type of behavior. He always has a smile on his face. I commend him on his love and faithfulness to the world of photography. Every opportunity he is granted you'll see him with his camera out practicing. I better keep studying and practicing or he may surpass me.

Last, but not least, is David Baez. He is better known as Staff Sgt. Baez. This unique character may be the most interesting person in the unit. Baez is the Radio station team chief. He has so much energy. That's probably why he is sleep here. All that energy probably ran out for a short period of time. I see him make some of the weirdest faces and do some of the weirdest things. Usually if I hear weird sounds, they are coming from him. Baez, like a few other Soldiers here, left family back in the states. I commend him for that sacrifice cause I don't know if I could handle leaving a wife and young children for a year to come to one of the most dangerous places in the world.

But that's a few of the AFN Iraq crew. Stay tuned cause there will be some more very soon.

My Roommate

Military individuals, here, throughout Iraq have at least one roommate. As far as roommates go, it doesn't get any better than my situation. Daniel Wirges is my roommate. He is from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and proud of it. He's always telling people about his experiences as a Soldier and a Department of Defense police officer there.

Daniel is one of the most talented Soldiers in the communications field. His intelligence and skill in rigging up some of the wildest contraptions that actually work is mind blowing. Sometimes he can be a bit abrasive with his approach but at the end of the day he is completely harmless. Daniel and I take the best care of each other that we can. He knows I got his back and I know he got my back. When I need a strawberry mango smoothie from Green Beans, he got me. When he needs some pix done for his family, he knows I got him. He's like my brother from another mother.

True Love

I met a husband and wife here, in Baghdad, a couple weeks ago. They're Soldiers and really interesting. I couldn't believe their story. They've been deployed to Iraq together three different times. She is a medic and he is a platoon sergeant in the same unit. They even married in Iraq! Wild story, huh???... lol. That's true love. Check it out.

The Peruvian Guards

I've met some of the coolest people ever while on deployment. These are the Peruvian guards who guard the compound I work at when I'm not out on missions. They can barely speak English but they'll have a conversation with you in a hot minute. I still can't speak a lick of Spanish but I practice with them all the time. Sometimes Scotty, our supply sergeant, and I will stop and shoot the breeze with them when we aren't on a deadline for something and they keep us laughing. When it gets really hot out I make sure to bring them something cold to drink cause they stand outside all day long in the 100+ degree heat of Iraq. These are my dudes; the Peruvian Guards of Triple Canopy!

The Supply Guy

When I went to L.A. and joined the 222nd Broadcast Operations Detachment, which ultimately is now known as American Forces Network Iraq, I had no clue who I was going to be cool with anyone. All I knew was that I wanted my career to move to another level. When I arrived, however, I met this dude named Scotty Trento. He's actually one of the coolest dudes I've ever met. We kind of clicked as friends and he has helped me through the beginning of this deployment. I got to admit we've had some hard times in this last three months. Scotty is on my facebook if anyone wants to hit him up. He's our supply sergeant and he's pretty good at his job...

Gen. Odierno visits Marines

Most recently I ran into Gen. Raymond Odierno. He's Iraq's commanding general. It was weird taking pictures and getting video of him cause people were getting freaked out about how close I was getting to him. He was doing a battlefield exercise in Hit, Iraq, with the Marines. It was a very interesting trip. I got a lot of aerial shots.

82nd Field Artillery Soldiers Show me Combat Arms

I recently went out on multiple missions with 1st Cavalry Division's 82nd Field Artillery. The first night we were out we ran into an improvised explosive device. These Soldiers were too high speed in their reactions. Immediately after getting the word from the Iraqi Police about the spotting of the IED, they called Explosive Ordnance Disposal, dismounted and pulled security (fourth pic). They really surprised and impressed me. I'm just glad I was there to snap a few shots.

I spent about four days with these Soldiers at Combat Outpost Cashe South in Baghdad and they showed me the way of Combat Arms. I met a barber and ball player (first pic), a husband and wife who have been deployed together three different times to Iraq (third pic) and the coolest first sergeant and smoke sergeant that you'll ever meet(second pic). The life of these Soldiers can be hard but the comaraderie is so strong. These guys take care of their own and spend many years together in the same unit. They grow together and make lasting impressions on each other. I'm looking forward to possibly embedding myself with them once again.