Smittie's Ramblings

Growing up, my parents use to read the Love is… comics and when there something particularly relevant to their life, one or the other of them would cut it out and put it on the family Facebook of the day, the refrigerator door with a magnet. I got to thinking about that and wondered what … Read more

My four day pass ended with a 0300 briefing for the flight back to COB Adder. I didn’t find out about that until 2100. I still needed to do laundry, pack, turn in linen. I decided that trying to sleep would only make things worse. I got everything done and was ready for my departure … Read more

Continuing the shopping theme, I went on the Souqs tour. The tour first stops at the Gold Souqs and then at the Old Souqs. The first is the jewelry district. Primarily gold bracelets, necklaces, ear rings and the like. Neither my wife nor I wear jewelry so this first stop was of little interest. At … Read more

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.