thedrifter
07-16-08, 04:01 PM
Contacting family eases war times
By Scott Hadly
shadly@ VenturaCountyStar.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
COMBAT OUTPOST TRIPOLI, Iraq — Cocooned in a metal shipping container outfitted with an air conditioner, Elizabeth Gonzalez doles out aspirin and Ace bandages to Seabees and Marines working on this hot and dusty base near the Syrian border.
The most serious thing she's seen so far was an Iraqi interpreter who limped into the station recently with a scorpion bite on his thigh.
"I showed him a bunch of pictures, trying to identify which kind it was, and he just pointed to all of them," said Gonzalez, a 29-year-old Seabee Hospital Corpsman 1st Class who is attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3, deployed here from Port Hueneme. "So I don't know how bad it's going to be. If it was one of those little clear ones, that's pretty bad."
Gonzalez knows what to do for venomous insect bites. And she knows how to keep Seabees and Marines hydrated to stave off heatstroke.
But being lovesick and homesick is a bit tougher.
"You stay focused and busy," said Gonzalez, a single mother of two girls, Isabel, 9, and Maria, 6. She noted that being able to call home and talk to her girls for the 25-minute limit makes all the difference.
She and other Seabees say that daily contact with loved ones is the one solace they have. The military makes every effort to establish connections for e-mail and phone service, even at remote locations.
The calls home are coordinated through military welfare and recreation units. Call centers and Internet cafes are set up for the troops, who buy calling cards and are charged about 5 cents a minute. There often are long lines at the phone centers.
E-mail is filtered and there's a size limit on the files that can be sent. To get around that, some families and friends create MySpace pages where pictures of kids or events are posted.
A number of Seabees have left behind newborns or pregnant wives. Pictures sent or posted on a Web site are sometimes the first glimpse they get of a new baby.
There also is the periodic drop of regular mail. Letters and packages, tangible connections to home, are quickly snapped up.
At the bigger bases, such as Balad, Ramadi and Taqaddum, the phone centers and Internet spots are in large recreation centers that feature wide-screen TVs, pool halls and pingpong tables. There are big signs that say "No spit cups" and "No dip."
The phones are in another room, where it's often as quiet as a church. Big signs warn that cursing is not tolerated. All you hear is the soft whispering of dozens of intimate conversations. At each phone station is a sign giving the troops a bit of advice for talking with loved ones:
"Love is a verb.
"Act as if you're calm.
"Don't get sucked into an argument.
"Just be there, don't offer advice.
"Some things you can't take back."
Back at Tripoli, one of the most remote bases in Anbar province, Gonzalez has put up pictures of her two girls. Her mother is caring for them while she's on deployment. It's become a bit routine for this Navy veteran.
"They're used to it by now," said Gonzalez.
There are tough moments, such as when she tries to correct their behavior from thousands of miles away.
Gonzalez has one other complication in her life: She's engaged to another Seabee in the battalion from Naval Base Ventura County, Petty Officer Jeff Davenport. He is stationed in Balad, more than 100 miles to the east. The two haven't seen each other since they deployed in April.
Last week, Davenport's brother, Builder 1st Class James Davenport, who works on a convoy security team, escorted a line of supply trucks and visited his future sister-in-law at Tripoli.
He's been conspiring with her and his brother on arranging their marriage in Iraq — a potential first for two Seabees.
"I'm taking it under consideration," said Cmdr. Tony Edmonds, who is in charge of the battalion.
There are strict rules barring sex, fraternization and alcohol while in Iraq. There are other issues to consider as well, said Edmonds.
Lt. Mark Conrad, the battalion chaplain, agreed to perform the ceremony if it is approved. Edmonds joked that the ceremony would have to end with: "Now you may kiss the bride and nothing else."
Ellie
By Scott Hadly
shadly@ VenturaCountyStar.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
COMBAT OUTPOST TRIPOLI, Iraq — Cocooned in a metal shipping container outfitted with an air conditioner, Elizabeth Gonzalez doles out aspirin and Ace bandages to Seabees and Marines working on this hot and dusty base near the Syrian border.
The most serious thing she's seen so far was an Iraqi interpreter who limped into the station recently with a scorpion bite on his thigh.
"I showed him a bunch of pictures, trying to identify which kind it was, and he just pointed to all of them," said Gonzalez, a 29-year-old Seabee Hospital Corpsman 1st Class who is attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3, deployed here from Port Hueneme. "So I don't know how bad it's going to be. If it was one of those little clear ones, that's pretty bad."
Gonzalez knows what to do for venomous insect bites. And she knows how to keep Seabees and Marines hydrated to stave off heatstroke.
But being lovesick and homesick is a bit tougher.
"You stay focused and busy," said Gonzalez, a single mother of two girls, Isabel, 9, and Maria, 6. She noted that being able to call home and talk to her girls for the 25-minute limit makes all the difference.
She and other Seabees say that daily contact with loved ones is the one solace they have. The military makes every effort to establish connections for e-mail and phone service, even at remote locations.
The calls home are coordinated through military welfare and recreation units. Call centers and Internet cafes are set up for the troops, who buy calling cards and are charged about 5 cents a minute. There often are long lines at the phone centers.
E-mail is filtered and there's a size limit on the files that can be sent. To get around that, some families and friends create MySpace pages where pictures of kids or events are posted.
A number of Seabees have left behind newborns or pregnant wives. Pictures sent or posted on a Web site are sometimes the first glimpse they get of a new baby.
There also is the periodic drop of regular mail. Letters and packages, tangible connections to home, are quickly snapped up.
At the bigger bases, such as Balad, Ramadi and Taqaddum, the phone centers and Internet spots are in large recreation centers that feature wide-screen TVs, pool halls and pingpong tables. There are big signs that say "No spit cups" and "No dip."
The phones are in another room, where it's often as quiet as a church. Big signs warn that cursing is not tolerated. All you hear is the soft whispering of dozens of intimate conversations. At each phone station is a sign giving the troops a bit of advice for talking with loved ones:
"Love is a verb.
"Act as if you're calm.
"Don't get sucked into an argument.
"Just be there, don't offer advice.
"Some things you can't take back."
Back at Tripoli, one of the most remote bases in Anbar province, Gonzalez has put up pictures of her two girls. Her mother is caring for them while she's on deployment. It's become a bit routine for this Navy veteran.
"They're used to it by now," said Gonzalez.
There are tough moments, such as when she tries to correct their behavior from thousands of miles away.
Gonzalez has one other complication in her life: She's engaged to another Seabee in the battalion from Naval Base Ventura County, Petty Officer Jeff Davenport. He is stationed in Balad, more than 100 miles to the east. The two haven't seen each other since they deployed in April.
Last week, Davenport's brother, Builder 1st Class James Davenport, who works on a convoy security team, escorted a line of supply trucks and visited his future sister-in-law at Tripoli.
He's been conspiring with her and his brother on arranging their marriage in Iraq — a potential first for two Seabees.
"I'm taking it under consideration," said Cmdr. Tony Edmonds, who is in charge of the battalion.
There are strict rules barring sex, fraternization and alcohol while in Iraq. There are other issues to consider as well, said Edmonds.
Lt. Mark Conrad, the battalion chaplain, agreed to perform the ceremony if it is approved. Edmonds joked that the ceremony would have to end with: "Now you may kiss the bride and nothing else."
Ellie