Chris' Deployment Journal

Whether political, military, energy, or monetary, power in Iraq is currently a fickle and unsteady thing. But perhaps no power is more unreliable than the electric power on our base.

Our power is supplied by two, VW-sized generators (see pic above) that run day and night. The fuel for these suckers all comes from the KRAB, and picking up jerry cans of it is all part of our company's daily 'logistical package' (aka 'LOGPAK') runs to the airbase.

During the winter, these generators ran without a problem (especially since we don't have electric heat... actually we don't have any heat at all). But as summer started to approach, we started to add a few air conditioners, or try to. We originally had two AC units for over 30 guys in our four-squad bay area. By contrast, the Command Post, where the Commanding Officer (CO) and his support guys stay, had just about one AC unit per room, as did our squad leader's area. We started to ask for more AC units, only to be told that the KRAB wouldn't give us any, even though the KRAB is LOADED with AC units for the personnel that actually live there.

One day a general came to visit, came right into our bay and said hello. I greeted him and thanked him for his compliment on our homemade digs. I then added that our next step was adding AC, wink, wink, nudge, nudge (as in, 'Hello, help us out here'). He said that he was sure we would be able to get it done or something like that and strode off with our CO. I heard the CO say that our two AC units should be more than adequate, if we hadn't erected all these plywood walls. First of all, that's just not true as two window units would certainly not cool all 30 of us, particularly when it's hitting 115 outside. Second, I guess that he thinks that we should have to choose between privacy or AC. Funny though, he and the rest of the guys in the CP and our platoon's leadership doesn't. Huh. Go figure.

So we found another under-utilized unit (it was in the band room, where first platoon keeps all their electric guitars, amps, and electric drums - yes, it's true) and asked for that. We were told we'd have that unit installed within a day or two and then I went on leave. 20+ days later, I returned and there was still no AC in my squad bay.

We asked, and no one knew what was up. Suddenly two AC units showed up one day on a truck. No one told us that one was supposed to be for us and ours disappeared. Poof! Then another showed up. We installed it ourselves (the process of trying to cut the 1/2-inch think Iraqi glass was definitely NOT pretty) and it didn't work. So we installed another, which we had to wire into a power strip. That didn't work. One of our sergeants is an electrician, so he hardwired a plug onto the unit and an Iraqi electrician put in an outlet. We plugged it in and it worked, for a night. The next morning, as I sat at my desk typing away, it burst into flame (not a good thing when all your walls, shelves, roof, etc. are made of plywood). So then another Iraqi electrician wired it into a power source. That worked for a little while and then started tripping the breaker every 15 minutes or so. Trying to trip it back on would result in a shower of sparks from the breaker and somewhere above it as well (there is nothing QUITE like Iraqi wiring to keep you on your toes). So a day or two later the fuse was replaced. And that burnt out. Finally we all realized that the electrician had wired our power into the power of another squad's AC unit, just sliced open the cord, spliced the two thick copper wires together, and covered it all with a wad of electrical tape. A third, and finally apparently competent, Iraqi electrician showed up t he next day, rewired the unit to its own power, installed new breakers right in our bay, and then the thing finally freakin' worked, after about ten days and three different electricians. (Continued below.)