Life

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.

The Face Of Iraq First, I need to blow some life into this poor blog. I am doing some interesting stuff and I really do want to write about it. So, this is a first attempt. I’m trying to get as many photos as possible up on my Flickr page. I have been uploading all … Read more

I’ve been meaning to mention this for a while. I was talking to a friend of mine here on FOB Hunter. I tell pretty much everyone that I am a US Navy sailor serving in the Army under duress as a result of draconian Navy up or out policies. My friend, SPC Chin with 1-9 … Read more

An entertainment group finally made it out to FOB Hunter. Laura Lynn and Lucas Hoge came out with their band and played for a couple of hours. It was really nice. The group played country music, did covers of some old 70’s and 80’s songs, and made a couple of respectable attempts and some rock … Read more