I'm the village idiot, I don't have anything to do with this pathetic little opera, I just felt like passing through!
Smittie Today I went to the Landmark Shopping Mall in Doha, Qatar. Yes, I like shopping. So, take away my man-card. I also like watching society happen. We started at McDonalds for dinner. No, it wasn’t the most interesting restaurant in the mall. I’ve never been much for culinary adventure. After eating FOB Hunter chow hall … Read more
Today, I went to Villagio Mall in Doha, Qatar. It was pretty interesting. The place is modeled after some casino of the same name. No idea what or where that is. We entered the mall at the expensive end. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Dolce Gabbana, and a number of others I’d never heard of. As … Read more
I ate way too much at Chili’s restaurant last night. It was good though. I also signed up for a trip to the mall today. I’m looking forward to that. On my last deployment we would often go to the mall at Kuwait Int’l Airport. I liked to sit at the Starbucks there and watch … Read more
Army personnel are allowed to take 14 days R&R leave while on deployment. They can go home or anywhere in the world. The Army will fly them to any destination they chose. I chose, however, to not take R&R leave because I did not want to go home only to have to go through the … Read more
Freedom is not free. The price is non-negotiable. Each generation pays for the freedom of the next generation in blood. Memorial Day is a day to celebrate that purchase while honoring those who paid for it. US Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael J. Pernaselli 27, of Monroe, N.Y KIA 24 April 2004, Northern Arabian … Read more
A friend of mine on Facebook asked how I felt about this story. “5 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq By Comrade” The United States military said Monday that five American soldiers had been shot at one of the main American bases in Baghdad. At least one news agency said the killer was an American soldier … Read more
If you send me anything, using this address from now on is imperative. SSG Mark Smith (0451) A/445 CA BN — Team RONIN FOB Hunter APO AE 09331 Iraq If this pertains to you, thank you very much for your support.
My wonderful wife of 21 years 18 years and 8 months ago gave me a beautiful daughter who has been My Little Girl ever since. 4 years, 3 months, 17 days later this lovely woman delivered a baby boy who by his very existence reminds me daily that he, his sister and their mother are … Read more
In my review of the Remington Shortcut, I mentioned that there’s a reason why they won’t ship it outside the United States. Well, it is because the power supple is 120 volt and does not work in most of the rest of the world which uses 220 volt electricity. In the room where I stay, … Read more
For a long time out here on FOB Hunter, we had no barber. That did not preclude us from adhering to military grooming standards. There are a number of barracks barbers on the FOB with varying degrees of skill. The most common approach is to simply get a “butch” haircut, one in which the hair … Read more