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posted by Ray at 3:48 PM

Five years ago today we crossed the breach from Kuwait into Iraq. Five years.
posted by Ray at 8:52 AM

Sixth anniversary of 9/11 and my Miss Teen South Carolina moment (video to come... maybe...).


posted by Ray at 9:15 PM

Hey all!

I'm going to be a daddy! Go check out our other blog!!!
posted by Ray at 11:39 AM

So Blogger finally got its act together and put an internal comments feature, so comments are now back! YES! Now all 1 of you each day who accidentally navigates here will be able to leave comments! Please, no spam though!

Anyway, the big update for me right now is that I finally did get my dream emergency management job. I am now an emergency management coordinator for a county in Southern California. Sweet, huh? It only took me 5 years, a stint in DC, Iraq, and New Orleans, and 2 jobs (3 if you count the Marine Corps) to get there.

Speaking of Iraq, all I have to say about is to relate a story: A few days after the fall of Baghdad, I was somewhere in Nasiriyah talking to some Iraqis who spoke English. I asked them what they thought of us being there. They replied that they are glad that Saddam was gone, but that we (the Americans) should not stay that long. I asked how long we should stay, and one guy said, "Six months, maybe a year or two." I thought that was pretty generous, but here we are over four years later. Can you believe it?
posted by Ray at 8:01 PM

Due to some extreme spam vandalism on both my guestbook and blog comments, I've had to take both down. Unless I can find something to replace it that is not so vulnerable, you can still contact me by email.
posted by Ray at 12:40 PM

This post is for my friend, Kevin. I hope that you've found peace for yourself Kev. I still remember sitting near you in Mr. Feldhaus' computer class in junior high. That was a long time ago.. Thanks for all the great memories in the years since then... getting through AP Bio w/ Mr. Wilks, all those camping trips, being college roomies, talking stocks, jobs and girls, hiking up Half Dome, river-rafting... Those were great times which I'll remember and cherish for the rest of my life. We're all going to miss you a lot buddy.




posted by Ray at 7:56 PM

So, I'm heading to Louisiana. I'll be over there for a week or so with the Red Cross. I'm leaving tomorrow for Houston and from there, all points east.

See you all when I get back.
posted by Ray at 10:53 PM

It looks like New Orleans is going to take a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina which is a Category 5 storm now. This is the worst case scenario that emergency management planners have had nightmares about for decades. New Orleans is about 10 feet below sea level and the only thing keeping the Gulf of Mexico out of there is a system of levees which are only about 10 feet high. The storm surge from Katrina is expected to be up to 25 feet high. This would cause all the water from Lake Ponchartrain to the north to spill over and actually fill up the New Orleans basin with water up to 20-30 feet high. The pumps that usually keep the water out would likely fail due to overload and the likely loss of power. This would cause New Orleans to stay under water for months and that is IF they bother to attempt resurrecting it. The consequences are not pretty - massive homelessness, disease, famine... the list goes on. I've seen estimates of $100 billion in damage and tens of thousands of deaths. Let's hope and pray that it doesn't get that bad...

This is a urgent weather message from the National Weather Service warning of the potential destruction that may be New Orlean's fate:

WWUS74 KLIX 282139
NPWLIX

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005


EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA

DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN
AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS.

LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-290300-
ASSUMPTION-HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON-
LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE-
ORLEANS-ST. CHARLES-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST. TAMMANY-
TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON-UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-
UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005


INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
PERSIST FOR THE NEXT 26 TO 28 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL
ONSET AROUND MIDNIGHT NEAR THE COAST AND BY 3 AM CLOSER TO THE NEW
ORLEANS METRO AREA AND PERSIST FOR 9 TO 15 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS
AROUND 175 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA BY DAYBREAK MONDAY.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET!

posted by Ray at 6:30 PM

Ok, I've been back from Nashville now for a couple months. It was just a short term contract job doing the same kind of thing I was doing for the Postal Service. It was an ok time, got to go to the Grande Ole Opry a couple times and visit a friend in Kentucky (they make some great BBQ there by the way).

Anyway, now I'm working as an analyst for a company called NC4. Basically, I analyze various sources of information and then write and disseminate reports on various emergencies and disasters that may affect client businesses.

Oh, in case people don't know yet, Valerie and I are getting married on October 15th. We will have more information on www.valeray.com when we get around to actually building the website.
posted by Ray at 1:17 PM

I'm in Nashville on a temporary assignment.

More to follow...
posted by Ray at 8:50 PM

I saw this story on the internet. The attached picture looked really fake and also familiar to me so I did a little digging.

Here's the picture they have of the supposed hostage:



And here is what I found:







Go on this website and scroll down to the Cody Special Ops section. This hostage is just the African American version of the Cody Action Figure!

Wanna-be terrorists debunked by yours truly!!!


posted by Ray at 11:51 AM

Today the Iraqis finished voting and from reports it seems that it went relatively well. I'm happy for them. They have suffered for so many decades under tyranny and fear. The same people who subjected them to tyranny and fear tried to intimdate them into subjugation, but by voting they showed them that despite threats of violence, they were no longer afraid.

posted by Ray at 3:05 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/26/iraq.main/index.html

Yet another sad day... Rest in Peace, brothers.

posted by Ray at 7:51 PM

Yikes, 9 months since I last posted?! That is pretty long. I doubt anyone reads this anyway since it only seems that people link to my page when they use my pictures for various reasons. I wish people would tell me if they're going to use them though. I'd like to know what they think of them.

Anyway, the only major news I have to share is that I am once again unemployed. My family is also moving out of the home we've lived out for the past 20 years or so. We're probably going to move to northern Pasadena. It's just a few miles away. Anyone want to help us move?

posted by Ray at 9:01 PM

23-24 March 2003

The next two days would bring the heaviest fighting in An Nasiriyah. This is also when THE sandstorm hit the area, making life difficult for everybody. In order to understand what a sandstorm feels like, I offer this analogy: imagine putting a hair dryer on max air and max heat, angling it in your face and then throwing a handful of sand and pebbles in the stream. Hopefully that gives you an idea how miserable a sandstorm is.

However, despite how miserable we were in the sandstorm, we were still several miles south of the city of Nasiriyah proper and were lucky to avoid most of the fighting that was occuring up the road. We did have a few missions to contend with however. There was a highway nearby (Route 8 I think) with civilian traffic and we used our loudspeakers to ensure that they knew not to come too close to our positions. We also talked to a few people passing on the road to get some intelligence. One concern we had was why the Shia weren't restarting an uprising like they did in 1991. The military assumed that most of the Iraqi army would defect (they did) and the Shia would help (they didn't). The latter did not occur, we are told, because of how they were let down by us in 1991. They wanted to, but they did not want to take the chance we would leave them hanging again. Pretty sad really.

Although this period had the highest number casualties, the number belie their true nature. Unfortunately, a lot of them came from friendly fire. One extremely sad case was when an A-10 fighter jet mistook one of our AAVs (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) as enemy despite there being an air panel (a large florescent orange sheet, kind of like what hunters wear) indicating friendly forces on it. Many Marines died that day. I later saw the burned out AAV on the road before it was moved. It was hard to imagine my fellow Marines dying in there from our own forces. I was later involved in the recovery of some of these Marines remains because during the aftermath and fog of war, some of the Iraqis were kind enough to recover their remains and bury them nearby (Muslim tradition dictates burial in one day). They later came to tell us where they were buried and a team was sent to recover them. Until their remains were recovered, they were considered MIA.

One of our teams was also involved in another blue-on-blue (friendly forces are blue, enemy are red) incident where one of our Marines became wounded and MEDEVACed to the rear. This time it was a LAR (Light Armored Reconassance) company that fired upon their position. It was several horrifying minutes for all involved until the mistake was realized. Luckily and amazingly, there were no KIAs in that instance, but dozens of wounded, including our own Lance Corporal Jason Smedley. Fortunately for us, he'd be the only Marine in our unit to receive the Purple Heart.
posted by Ray at 9:46 PM

22 March 2003

We woke up before sunrise and prepared to cross the border. There was a convoy meeting discussing routes, emergency actions, and rules of engagement. I climbed in the back of the humvee and we started up and began to cross the border. It was definitely a strange feeling as our convoy crossed into Iraq. I thought of everybody back home and what they were doing and if they had any idea that I might be going over then. I tried to take a lot of pictures of the border too to show everyone back home.

There is really just one word to describe what it is like driving through the desert in the back of a humvee: dusty. Thousands of vehicles driving over the same path churns the hard desert sand into tiny particles of sand dust. This in turn is churned up by the wheels and creates a huge dust cloud behind each vehicle. Much of that dust is thrown back into the back of vehicle where I was sitting. I had to wear goggles and a cloth wrap around my nose and mouth just so I could avoid suffocating from all the dust. It was not a pleasant journey.

After a few hours in, we began seeing the bedouins (gypsies) who lived out in the desert boonies of Iraq. It's amazing how they could live way out in the desolation alone. But I guess their kind had been doing it since biblical times so I'm sure they've gotten pretty good at it. Well, we saw a bunch of kids on the side and we started tossing candy to them. They would run out and grab it and run back to their parents. We got the candy from our MREs and I threw this one package out and the wind buffetted it back towards the road. A kid ran out to get it and almost got run over doing so. I was a lot more careful when I tossed out candy after that.

We stopped once to refill our tanks and I ate my first meal of the day then. There were these long ridges running east-west where we stopped that seemed like it were buried lines. I guessed that they might be for oil, but going where? Eventually, we got everyone fueled up and got back on the road.

After a few more hours, it was started to get dark again so we stopped and set up for the night. As we did, I watched more convoys pass by us going north. I would later find out that one of these convoys was the 507th Maintenance Company supporting the 3rd Infantry Division. They were fated to become ambushed in An Nasiriyah in the early morning hours. Jessica Lynch would be taken POW and later rescued by Special Forces with members of TF Tarawa and spark an international debate over what exactly transpired in the next couple of weeks.
posted by Ray at 3:32 PM

21 March 2003

I woke up still wearing my MOPP suit. Now that there was light, I could see the thousands of vehicles that were staged there. There were just lines and lines of vehicles just sitting there waiting. I guess they only breeched a few holes at the border so there was a bottleneck effect. It's kind of like having to take a number and waiting for your turn to go. While we were waiting, some Army psyops (psychological operations) started playing some songs on their swivel-mounted loudspeakers on top of their humvees. Their loudspeakers were a lot nicer than ours - we had to use zip ties and particle board to mount ours.

We were supposed to cross the border today. However, no one really knew what was going on. I tried listening to reports on the radio to see what was going on, but information was pretty sketchy. After a few hours of waiting around, we got reports that the 3rd ID had gone through An Nasiriyah already and was making their way up to Baghdad. With everything going so fast, there were rumors that we may just bypass An Nasiriyah ourselves and go straight to Al Kut which is 2/3 the way to Baghdad. Unfortunately, we would later find out that 3rd ID was the one that bypassed Nasiriyah, leaving TF Tarawa to take it instead.

Eventually, it got to our turn and we mounted up in our vehicles and restarted our journey northward. It was a short trip, however, since the convoy commander did not want to drive when it was dark and it got dark soon after. We stopped right at the entrance to the border and parked our vehicles in two columns facing outward. We were literally just a few yards from the border. We could see the outline of the huge sand berm that marked it. Weeks earlier, Marines had bulldozed the earthen barrier along with a fence and filled in some ditches.

Since we were so close to the border, we all had to take turns standing watch throughout the night. When it was my turn, I wandered back and forth around our vehicles using night-vision binoculars occassionally to check out the horizon. Again, I saw the missile launches, but this time I could see things that looked like they were burning in the north. I guessed that these might be some oil wells that Saddam had ordered to be set on fire like the first war.

Despite it being night, convoys continued to pass through the border and past us. The vehicles never stopped coming. Sometimes they were regular humvees, sometimes APCs, and sometimes tanks. You could see that there were several breeches, and each one had a line of vehicles going through them continuously. Thousands passed us that night. I prayed for their safety, knowing full well that many would not cross back alive.
posted by Ray at 12:27 PM

20 March 2003

We got in our humvees and staged them to begin the convoy into Iraq. After staging our vehicles, we sat and waited to go. I was sitting in the back of the humvee when the the air raid siren began to sound, which indicated an incoming missile detection. I immediately donned and cleared my gas mask and ran to the nearby sand bunker. It was getting pretty warm so we all started to sweat pretty heavily. After the all clear signal I drained my gas mask of sweat and put it back in the carrier that we all had hanging from our hips. I also put my MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) suit in a small backpack so I would be able to grab it and go quickly. The air raid siren and scramble to the bunkers happened again a few more times. Finally, we were given the signal to get on the road.

Things didn't start out too well for us in humvee we were driving. Just a few miles out, the vehicle overheated and we had to pull over. It turned out that the water reservoir blew and we needed a new one. The motor transport mechanics who came to help us had to remove the reservoir from their own vehicle so that we could keep running. Eventually, we caught up with the convoy again. Unfortunately, our troubles did not end there. We drove north slowly for awhile and it started to get dark. All of a sudden, it started getting hot in the vehicle and I smelled something like burning rubber or plastic. Eventually, we figured out this was because the entire underside of the humvee was on fire when we looked over the back and saw flames coming from underneath. We quickly pulled over and evacuated the vehicle trying to grab all the weapons, ammo, and the radio. The fire eventually died out and we tried to get going again. A few miles later it happened again and we had to stop to get it fixed. When Motor T got there they disconnected the parking brake. Apparently it got lodged in the on position even though the handle was down.

We got going again, but now it was very late and we rolled into the staging area near the Iraqi border. We broke out our sleeping bags to get some shuteye before another long drive in the morning. As I began to fall asleep, I heard everyone start honking their horns. Eventually someone came running by saying to don our gas masks and MOPP suits. So we did. An all-clear signal came soon after. We would have to keep our MOPP suits on though. It would be several weeks before we would take them off. The honking came again several times throughout the night. Eventually, I just kept my gas mask on and fell asleep until someone nudged me to take it off.

During the night, we could see small points of light flash in the south and slowly streak overhead to the north. These were the cruise missiles coming from the ships seeking out targets in Iraq. Distant crashes and explosions could also be heard occassionally. Sometimes we would see flashes in the sky above us, which were the Patriot missiles intercepting inbound missiles from Iraq. The weather that night was cool and calm and belied the destruction that we all knew was happening.
posted by Ray at 9:12 PM

As the anniversary of the war arrives, I'm going to relate a few of the things I was doing one year ago.

19 March 2003

Our unit was at Camp Ryan in Kuwait making last minute preparations for "crossing the breech." Some teams were sent to infantry units to provide "tactical" civil affairs support. My team was to be with the main command element of Task Force Tarawa. I had been listening to shortwave radio reports from the BBC and Voice of America about the 48-hour ultimatum. Many people assumed that the war would be a lot like the last Gulf War, but we knew that this time it would be different. The air and ground war was to begin at the same time. Task Force Tarawa was to take a southern airfield and then the city of An Nasiriyah after the Army's 3rd Infantry Division cleared it out. An Nasiriyah was supposed to fall by the first night with TF Tarawa securing the two bridges within the city and ensuring that the Main Supply Route (MSR) along Route 7 was secure so the supply logistics train could continue to the units fighting their way to Baghdad. We packed our vehicles to the brim with our gear including loudspeakers to make announcements in Arabic and ensuring that our chemical protective suits were nearby in case of NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) attack.

During the preceeding few weeks, we prepared for our mission by practicing our Arabic and playing out different scenarios that could happen. We identified different types of infrastructure as critical for the civil population and forwarded it up the chain of command so they could be avoided during offensive operations. We prepared different plans in case large amounts of refugees attempted to feel the warzone. One interesting development was the assignment of Iraqi exiles to our unit to help in translating and understanding Iraqi culture and geography. At night, many times they would tell us stories of how they escaped Iraq after the first Gulf war and how Saddam and his henchmen would torture dissidents. He would pull out their fingernails, use electric shock, throw them in jail for years or simply killed them and their relatives. Horrifying stories to say the least.
posted by Ray at 5:49 PM

I have some very sad news to report.

I just found out that a Marine I served with in Iraq last year was killed by insurgents in Iraq last week. LtCol. Bob Zangas and I actually went on a mission to Baghdad together and had lunch at a restaurant there. He believed in the cause so much he returned to Iraq to work for the Coalition Provisional Authority as a civilian. Here is a recent CNN article about him and he was also keeping a blog as well. He was a good man and he will be missed.

This is a photo taken at the restaurant in Baghdad we ate at.



Rest in peace, Colonel Zangas.

Lt. Col. Robert J. Zangas
Level Green

Lt. Col. Robert J. Zangas, USMC Reserve, 44, of Level Green, died Tuesday, March 9, 2004, south of Baghdad, Iraq, while working for the Coalition Provisional Authority under the Department of Defense. He was born Jan. 3, 1960, in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of Lt. Col. Charles Zangas, of San Diego, Calif., and the late Nancy Zangas. Bob graduated from the University of Colorado and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, earning his naval aviation wings in 1984. Bob served in Operation Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom in the First Marine Expeditionary Force. Bob was a sales representative with several companies, most recently with Quest Software. After returning from Iraq in September 2003, he worked as a civilian public affairs officer with the CPA, helping to restore radio and television communications in Iraq. Bob was a gentle and affectionate man and father with his children and family, always trying to spend quality time with them. In addition to his father, Bob is survived by his wife, Brenda Huffman Zangas, formerly of Butler; his loving children, Shannon, age 10, Scott, age 5, and Jacob, age 3, all of Level Green; four siblings, Kathy Stovicek (Larry), of Gaithersburg, Md., Patti Black (Keith), of Woodbridge, Va., John Zangas, of Washington, D.C., and Cassandra Vallery (Colton), of Fayetteville, N.C.; and his father's wife, Anne, of San Diego. Friends and family will be received at the JOHN M. DOBRINICK FUNERAL HOME INC., 602 Seventh St. (Rt. 130), Trafford, 412-372-3111, Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. in the Level Green Presbyterian Church, Olive Drive, Level Green, with the Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Macaleer officiating. Full military honors and a private interment will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Robert Zangas Memorial Fund, C/O Navy Federal Credit Union, Willow Grove M.S.C., Building #2, NAS Willow Grove, PA 19090 or the National Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh-Department of Neurology, 3471 Fifth Ave., Suite 811, Kaufmann Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

The United States Marine

You can keep your Army khaki,
You can keep your Navy blue.
I have the world's best fighting man,
Uncle Sam ever knew.

His uniform is different,
The best you've ever seen.
The German's call him "Devil dog",
His real name is "Marine".

He was born in boot camp,
The place where God forgot.
D.I.'s breathing down his neck,
The sun so blazing hot.

He gets up every morning,
Before the rising sun.
He'll run his required miles and more,
Before the day is done.

He's deadly with a rifle,
A bayonet made of steel.
He takes the challenge given,
He's mastered how to kill.

And when he gets to Heaven,
St. Peter he will tell,
"One more Marine reporting sir,
I've served my time in Hell."

"I've fought so many battles,
And won them as you've seen.
There is no better fighting man,
The United States Marine!"
posted by Ray at 1:43 AM

Going up north to SF this weekend. Woohoo party time!
posted by Ray at 6:27 PM

I have a top ranked website!!! Ok, maybe not top ranked, but it is RANKED. Number 1,611,110 in fact. I just checked on Alexa.com and saw the ranking. Pretty neat huh?
posted by Ray at 9:33 PM

I found out that I won't be starting my new job until April so I guess I have another two months to just relax. I think I'll do a lot of reading and maybe work out too. I also found out that I'll be working in Santa Ana. It's a little further away than I was hoping for, but it's in the opposite direction that traffic is usually going so hopefully the commute won't be too bad.
posted by Ray at 8:59 PM

Here is a list of the places I've been. I've excluded places that I've had stopovers on flights since those don't really count. For what it's worth, I've probably doubled my states/countries visited in 2003 alone. Exciting eh?



create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide



create your own visited country map
posted by Ray at 9:26 PM

What is with people and posting spam on my guestbook and comments section? Do these guys not send enough junk email to my accounts? I just saw that someone posted some casino link on my guestbook. What is up with that? Are they really that desperate that they think it's going to send any traffic their way at all? I hate spammers. Oh well, just the random rant for the day.
posted by Ray at 1:05 AM

I got a job!!! The company that I've been talking with got the contract they were bidding for so that means I'm going to have a job starting in March! Woohoo! Finally, after six months, I'll be employed again. This is a great opportunity for me and a job that is right down my alley.

The job is with Earth Tech, Inc. and this is the job description:

We are seeking emergency response professionals to provide emergency management support for the United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPS has created the foundation for an All-Hazards Integrated Emergency Management Plan (IEMP), that considers risks and challenges posed by natural, technological, and man-made hazards, and is consistent with the intent of Homeland Security. The IEMP includes Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), Emergency Action Plan (EAP), Crisis Management Plan (CMP) and Contingency Plans. We are seeking full-time, on-site support staff to implement these plans at key facilities throughout the Western U.S. including Honolulu, Sacramento, San Francisco, Van Nuys, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach, Santa Ana, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix.

Critical responsibilities include:
� Assist District Emergency Manager to be the focal point for implementation of the IEMP
� Assist USPS staff with planning, developing, and implementing a facility IEMP program
� Coordinate with other Federal, State and local emergency management organizations
� Provide consultative services to USPS staff

I had just about given up on doing anything related to Emergency Management and now I'll be doing it and getting paid for it! Awesome huh? :)
posted by Ray at 11:06 AM

If anybody is interested in the daily going ons in Iraq you should check out the numerous Iraqi blogs out there. Here's one. This one links to a lot of other ones so you can check them all out. Their English isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good. There are actually a lot of Iraqis who speak English. I ran into this one guy once who was an English major and we started talking about literature and stuff. Turns out he was toting around my favorite Shakespeare play, The Merchant of Venice. Pretty impressive, it has the English on the right side of the page and the Arabic translation on the left. I was thinking about paying him for it to bring it back, but I thought it might've been insulting. It was still pretty neat though.

Anyway, I bring up these Iraqi bloggers so people can have an idea of what Iraqis really think about the occupation. You really can't get a good idea of the Iraqi sentiment from the American media. Reading through these blogs, I've found that they express a lot of the same types of views that I saw when I was over there too. Give it a look-see, you might learn a thing or two.
posted by Ray at 6:48 PM

So have you heard about Andrew Gilligan? He's the BBC reporter who reported that the British government 'sexed up' the Iraq WMD dossier for the war. Here's more on the story: WMD claim reporter quits BBC. So why am I posting this? Because this is the reporter who was embedded with Task Force Tarawa during the war. Here's a picture I took of him when we gave him a lift. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. I think he was pretty honest in his reporting when I listened to his reports on the BBC with my shortwave radio. Anyway, just mentioning another quick footnote in history. :)
posted by Ray at 3:02 AM

Happy New Year! Woohoo! 2004 baby!

Ok, yeah, I know I've been lagging on the updates. There just isn't much going on to write about though. Plus, I doubt anyone even reads this part of the website anyway, so what difference does it make right? People come here from search engines and see the Iraq pictures and just leave. Oh well.

Not much to report on the job front. I thought I might be getting a job somewhere, but something happened recently that is making that unlikely. I really wish I could talk about it, but until it is completely resolved, I don't think it would be prudent. All I can say is that I felt very insulted and am pretty upset over it right now. More to follow... maybe...

There is one other job prospect besides the one I mentioned, but even that one is uncertain. It is an emergency management type job, but it is contigent on the company getting a contract. So there are a lot of 'ifs' involved. I'm not holding my breath.

Anyone else have as hard of a time finding a job as me?
posted by Ray at 12:03 AM

I'm sure everyone has heard about the recent capture of Saddam. It's great to hear of course. Here's an article that pretty much sums up how I feel about it - Troops "Vindicated" by Arrest.
posted by Ray at 11:29 AM

I'm back again from DC. Whew, I'm so glad that I'll be done with long-distance travelling for awhile. It really takes a toll on you. I wonder how many tens of thousands of miles I've travelled in the last few months. Ugh, don't even want to think about it. Anyway, Katsu is coming down to LA for a few days this weekend. It should be some good times.

Just testing out this method called "google bombing" to make certain sites come up while searching for a set phrase...
Michael "Miserable Failure" Moore
posted by Ray at 6:32 PM

Hmm... ok, so I didn't post any pics yet. Maybe when I get around to it. No job yet, although, I did get a job "offer." I put it in quotes because this "offer" was given six months after I applied and without an interview. Very strange. Anyway, I'm not sure if this "offer" is actually going to go through or not and it may take awhile anyway, so I'm going to still continue with other prospects in the meantime. Well, for the next few days I'm going back to DC (yes, again) to transfer out of my unit. The best part is that there's supposed to be a snow storm this weekend over there. Lucky me. :-/
posted by Ray at 12:36 AM

Finally back home. I'll post pics when I get a chance.
posted by Ray at 9:02 PM

Well, technically I'm supposed to be home by now, but I'm not. We ran into some car trouble. That is probably the understatement of the year though. The car has broken down several times and I've had to take it to several different repair shops and gotten various things fixed. First it was the alternator that crapped out in Front Royal, Virginia. It took the shop two different tries and 4 days to fix that one. Then we started having massive oil leakage starting in Tennessee. We made it to Conway, Arkansas before we finally committed to taking it to a shop. Before then we had just been refilling the oil every couple hundred miles. Anyway, they tried to fix it once, but it didn't work so they are trying again tomorrow. So hopefully after tomorrow, it will be clear sailing from then on. But then again, that's what I thought after the alternator deal. Sigh. So the revised tentative schedule is now going to be back home sometime middle of next week. Hopefully... unless something else breaks...
posted by Ray at 3:45 PM

Well, in a few hours I will be flying to Rhode Island to pick up some things I left over there and drive it all back in the car my aunt gave me (thanks Aunt Susan!). So, that means a cross-country roadtrip! I'll probably be gone until around the 15th or so. I will try to get online to check email and other stuff, but it will probably be brief. The cities I'll be passing through include: Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and possibly Las Vegas. So if anybody wants any souvenirs from one of these cities or in between, let me know and I'll do my best to get it for you. Ok, time to go finish packing!
posted by Ray at 2:10 AM

Well, now it turns out that 16 soldiers died yesterday in the Chinook crash. There will probably be a lot of rhetoric in the next few days regarding the continuing aggression in Iraq so I thought I'd throw my opinions on the matter in.

Overall, the media does a pretty poor job of representing the situation in Iraq. Yes, attacks do and have been happening for some time and they probably are not going to go away for some time. The problem is quite complex and difficult to solve. I'm sure many of you have seen the recent reports about foreign fighters coming in from Iran and Syria. Although these reports are relatively new, these occurences are not. From the very beginning of the war, this has been happening. Islamic extremists, possibly with ties to Al-Qaeda, who are bent on destroying anything related to the United States now have their targets literally at their step. Basically, they weren't able to get to us, so now since we came to them, they are having a field day. How to stop this? Well, unfortunately, you can't. At least not totally.

What is important is that we leave Iraq in a better state than when we found it. There are a lot of people out there who would like nothing better than for us to totally pull out of Iraq. It would be a huge mistake to leave Iraq before it was able to sustain itself with a stable government representative of its people. A lot of progress has already been made - power generation is up, schools are open, hospitals have more supplies, and best of all the Iraqi people have freedoms previously restricted. There is still a lot of work yet to be done however, and it would be a disgrace to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this cause.

As to whether the cause was worthy intially or not, I don't know. The stated reasons for invasion was the threat of WMD in the hands of a reckless dictator, which led to the assumption of the pre-emptive strike doctrine. I think this point can be pretty well debated both ways. However, although WMD was the stated reasons for war, I believe that they were the only ones given because it was the most easily understood.

During the intervening years between the two gulf wars, Saddam terrorized and massacred the citizens of Iraq through a totalitarian regime that controlled everything from what was allowed on TV to who was worthy to get electricity to what was in school books to who got essential food and medical supplies. I could go on and on here not from what I see in the media, but what I have directly heard from Iraqis I have spoken to. I have heard stories of dissidents being imprisioned for years, parts of their body cut off, or killed for voicing an opposition to Saddam's rule. The Fedayeen Saddam were the most loyal to Saddam because they were hand-picked from the prisons of Iraq. They were the most violent criminals including murderers who were given a choice between jail or service to Saddam doing what they enjoy most - terrorizing, mutilating, and killing. Iraqis who wanted to succeed were forced to join the Ba'ath party and those who didn't were relegated lower income and menial jobs.

Unfortunately, this kind of environment causes the people to become highly dependent in thought and a society where rumors are indisputable. What evolved was a generation of people who could not fathom what independent thought and freedom entailed. This has made it difficult for Iraqis to assume leadership roles in the rebuilding and shaping of a new Iraq.

I think it would be difficult for a person to not empathesize with the plight of the Iraqi people under Saddam's rule. However, is this enough justification for war? We all know that diplomacy is pointless when members of the UN Security Council vote based on the fact that they would lose hundreds of millions from lost debt if the Saddam regime no longer existed. I think war should be the last resort, but it is difficult to see what alternative if any would have been viable.
posted by Ray at 1:22 AM

U.S. helicopter shot down in Iraq

14 US soldiers were killed today in Iraq when their chopper was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile. They were all headed to R&R too. Too sad to really comment on this right now...
posted by Ray at 3:43 AM

Well, I finally got around to updating my Iraq pictures page. Apparently it is pretty popular since if you do a search on Google.com for "Iraqi Freedom Pictures" my page comes up as second out of over 100,000 results. Pretty impressive eh? Anyway, I have over 50 pictures up now. Enjoy and please post here if you have any comments or questions about the pictures.
posted by Ray at 3:28 AM

The fires in SoCali are still out of control. Strangely, the mountains behind where we live are still ok (San Gabriel Mountains), but that is probably because there have been like 3 fires here over the last 10 years that cleared out most of the old dry brush. Pretty much every other mountain is on fire though, including the area around Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. Hopefully they are able to save homes because I think 1100 have been lost so far. What a mess. I guess Gov.-Elect Arnold will raise taxes after all since he said he would if there was an "emergency" and this probably qualifies as one since the talking heads are saying it is the worst disaster California has ever faced...
posted by Ray at 9:54 PM

Hey folks,

Sorry for the scant updates since I've been back. Ok ok, sorry for not updating *at all* since I've been back. I've just been relaxing so I haven't really wanted to spend too much time updating the website, but I'm going to get back into it now.

Well, it's been about two months since I've been back and there are a few things to update people on. First of all, I am now engaged to the beautiful Valerie Chu. Yay! :) Thank you thank you, I'll be signing autographs outside. No date in the near future for those who are wondering though.

As for school, I unfortunately am unable to return for Spring semester because I was in Kuwait/Iraq when the FAFSA was due and wasn't able to get the loans I needed to go back to school. So I guess I will have to go get all my things from the East coast and look for a job around here for now.

Let's see.. what else.. oh, I've noticed that I'm getting a lot more hits from other countries and many searches for my "Operation Iraqi Freedom Pictures" page. So to keep up with demand, I will try to put up some more pictures from the war and make it a little more navigatable and maybe put up some commentary on the war and the post-war events.

Ok, that's it for now. Thanks for all the support over the last year or so. It's definitely been a very interesting time and a year to remember.

p.s. I've fixed the comments section below, so y'all can start leaving comments again. :)
posted by Ray at 1:17 PM

UPDATE
Since Ray has not updated here - I suppose I should so that there is no confusion. Ray is back in the Los Angeles area now. I realized that he has not gone around to telling everyone yet and that many people are still under the impression that he is overseas. I will get him to post something here as soon as possible since it is not really necessary that I post for him anymore :)
posted by Ray at 1:36 PM

GREAT NEWS FROM RAY!!

Great news everybody! I have *finally* been given a return date. We, the Task Force Tarawa detachment, have been given a window in mid August to fly stateside. There will be several days of outprocessing at Camp LeJeune, NC (where I started this adventure) and the reserve center in Washington, DC. What does this mean? It means that I could be home in LA before the end of August! And what then? I have no idea really. But I anticipate a lot of trips to good restaurants and just general bummin' around for awhile. Western flushing toilet here I come! Yee-haw!
posted by Ray at 11:50 AM

Hey everyone,

I realize that the correct address for Ray is not up on the website. I had emailed it to everyone on the mailing list, but here it is for everyone else.

Sgt Cheung, Raymond K.
IMEF - CE
4th Civil Affairs Group
UIC 43601 Box 001
FPO AP 96613-001


Also, Ray is being optimistic as to when he may come home so don't send anything expensive in case it does not get to him before he leaves. (Mail takes about two weeks to get there.) If mail does not get to him before he leaves, it will be sent back to you eventually.
posted by Ray at 12:29 AM

Hi everyone!
Sorry I haven't written in so long. Ray is doing well in Kuwait - movies, working out, ping pong, etc. Hopefully they will let his unit come home soon. If you want to talk to him directly to ask how he is doing, I have an email address to write to him. I cannot post it however because it may be against military regulations. Just let me know if you would like it by writing a comment and putting your email address. Thanks!

posted by Ray at 12:02 AM

Hi everyone!!!
Well I talked to Ray recently (yay!) and he said not to send anything anymore because they are moving around a lot. So I guess you can ignore the last email about the address once again. Sorry. Check for updates at www.sgtcheung.com if you want to know how Ray is doing.

Val

P.S. Email me if you have any questions
posted by Ray at 9:11 PM

Hi everyone,
Ray was recently able to give me a little update about what he has been up to. He is currently in Kuwait right now and enjoying an R & R period right now. He says that it is pretty nice over there except that it is 125 degrees. They have a Burger King, Pizza Inn, Subway, PX, laundry service, showers, and even a Baskin Robbins. (Hmmm sounds like Westwood to me :) ) He also got to visit Baghdad when he was in Al Kut and saw one of Saddam's palaces. Ray said that it reminded him of Hearst's Castle here in California. I am sure that he will have lots of pictures to show everyone when he gets back. :)
posted by Ray at 5:23 PM

Sorry it took so long everyone but I wanted to make sure that the address was right before sending it.

Again removed per Ray's request
Please send him things as he will probably not be back in the states till July and in California in August. Pray and cross your toes & fingers and maybe he will come back sooner!

Write me if you have any concerns about him :)
Thanks!


posted by Ray at 4:31 PM

"Well folks, unfortunately this wondrous phenomemnon of internet access is going to disappear as the 15th MEU leaves Iraq and goes home. Ahh... home.. what a place to be. However, I will not be leaving with the 15th MEU to go home and I won't be leaving with Task Force Tarawa either. As Civil Affairs, we will be here for the long haul to contribute to rebuilding of Iraq. My best guess of when I will be back is around July/August. I have received several letters/packages in the last couple of days so thank you to those of you that sent some. My mailing address will probably change again and Valerie will post that here as soon as she gets it. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully, I will be home soon to share some of the things I have seen and done here. Ray, signing off..."


Also, Ray gave me the NEW address to write to:

I have removed the address because it may not be applicable...I will let you guys know when I get the information regarding Ray's address

Please do not send anything to the old one anymore because Ray may not get it. (The address is completely different.)

Thanks everyone!
posted by Ray at 6:14 PM

"Today I got to visit the Ur Ziggurat, which is an ancient Sumerian temple that is over 4,000 years old. It was a pretty amazing site to be at. Many people have visited the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, but very few have ever visited this Ziggurat. So HA to all you pyramid gurus! :) You can see some pictures of me at the Ziggurat along with some other ones at www.sgtcheung.com/Iraq.htm. Also, I will try and put pictures on that page whenever I can. Peace."
posted by Ray at 9:14 AM

Now heeeeeeere's Ray:

"Well, today I was assigned a mission to register the entire police force of An Nasiriyah. Just me. Quite an undertaking huh? Actually, I do have the aid of a translator, so I guess it isn't just me. Also, ABCNEWS was there filming some of what we were doing so you might see me in some of the shots if you catch the broadcast in the next day or so. We are basically getting the police force back on the streets so it's like some huge story I guess.

Also, I got to eat dinner and drink tea at the home of one of the translators tonight. It was a pretty good experience. It was very interesting to hear what they think about the war and the future of Iraq.
There were two things that stuck out in my mind from what I heard. One was
that the civilians put the blame of "collateral damage" on Saddam and the Iraqi military. They blame them because the tactics (firing from civlian areas and hiding in homes) they use cause them (the civilians) to become targets. Another thing was that they really don't know what freedom is. They have all these debates about what it is and what to do with it and how much there should be, etc. What an amazing thing to have to think about after so many decades of oppression. We are so lucky that never have to even think twice about such things. Ok, that's all for now. Ray, signing off in Iraq..."
posted by Ray at 8:48 AM

Even in Iraq Ray has found time to write to the Daily Bruin. Is my boyfriend amazing or what?

Soldiers deserve support

I am shocked and insulted by the Undergraduate Students Association Council's refusal to approve a resolution in support of the Operation Iraqi Freedom troops.
Here in Iraq there are tens of thousands of Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen who are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to liberate the Iraqi people.
In their plush offices in Kerckhoff Hall, USAC may not see the crowds of cheering Iraqis who are waving U.S. flags and giving a thumbs up, but I see them everyday.
They can pass a resolution supporting the Iraqi people; yet, they have the nerve to reject a proposal to support the U.S. troops? Fine, don't support the war, but take the few minutes to do what it takes to pass a resolution supporting the troops.
You can miss that movie preview for which you received tickets, the line will still be waiting for you at Panda Express, and Diddy Reese is not running out of cookies anytime soon. There are many of us here in Iraq who do not have the luxury to do any of these things. Take the time to support us.

We deserve that much.
Sgt. Raymond Cheung, USMC
Class of 2002
posted by Ray at 3:32 AM

Hey everybody!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Is this for real? Email in the middle
of a war? But yes, it is true. Hey, it is the 21st century after all!
Anyway, here I am in An Nasiriyah, Iraq with the 15th Marine Expeditionary
Unit and doing well. Hope everyone is good back home too. You may have
noticed that my www.rkcheung.com website has gone down (big thanks to Valerie
for keeping those blogger updates going by the way). Well, I am having
problems renewing that domain, so in the meantime I have www.sgtcheung.com
running the same site. Besides that, we are all working hard here to get the
city back to normal. I do miss home a lot and I can't wait to get back and
have an In-N-Out burger. Well, that's it for now. Feel free to email me or
comment on my website while I still have Internet access.


Yours truly,

Ray


posted by Ray at 1:48 AM

Yay!!!! I am so happy because I got a call from the man himself. There is a big smile plastered to my face. He was also able to email me and update me about what he is doing. I will pass on the information to you all. Oh but before I do that, there is an ADDRESS CHANGE so please send your mail to the following from now on.

SGT. CHEUNG, RAYMOND K.
4th CAG
Unit 76002
FPO AE 09511-6002

Don't worry if you sent it to the old address because they will forward it. There will be a little delay though. Also I would suggest not sending packages because Ray has not received any of the packages I sent since mid Feb. to March but he has received the letters that I sent him. I guess customs is strict now so just send letters if you want him to get them within a decent amount of time.
Ok I am sure you want the updates so I will get on with it. As suspected (because of accounts of him being seen in thebackground during MSNBC interviews), Ray and his unit are in An Nasiriyah right now, but they are going to be moving to another place soon. I will let him tell you in his own words some of the other stuff:

"I am in the city of An Nasiriyah in southern Iraq right now. The fighting is pretty much done here so everything is safe here. We have been working on humanitarian aid stuff lately. Today we went out to distribute water to the people in the city (the power and water is still out). Wherever we stopped, people came out to greet us. Hundreds of people would come out and start asking our names and giving us thumbs up signs and saying "Mister! Mister! Good!!" One kid came up to me and showed me his arm where he had wrote "U.S.A." on it in marker like a tattoo and gave a thumbs up. Another kid did the same thing with an Old Navy shirt with a U.S. Flag on it. This older guy came by and said "Saddam No, Bush Yes." It is kind of funny since the rest of the world including the U.S. is burning our flag while the Iraqis are waving it.
I also had some authentic Iraqi food today. It was kind of like what we had at Falafel King, but so much better. It was lamb in pita bread with tomato and parsley. Very yummy. Cost $3 each. We also got soda (7-Up and Mirinda orange soda) for 10 for $1. I was promoted to Sergeant on April 1st! What a good birthday present huh? Tell everyone I send greetings from Iraq. "

So in case you missed it in my address change, Ray mentions how he was promoted to Sergeant on his birthday. Go Ray!! Hope this brings light into your life like it has mine. :) I will update again if I get the pleasure of talking to him again.
posted by Ray at 10:47 AM

Happy Birthday Ray!!!!!!! Can't wait till you come home and we can celebrate :)
posted by Ray at 11:28 AM

Letter 3/15/03
The last few days were not so good because there was a bug going around and about half of the people at the camp got it in some way or shape. Ray got it pretty bad and had the stomach flu for like two days. He actually got an IV because he was so dehydrated. He is getting back to full strength though. He said that talking to me on yesterday helped lift his spirits ( I know, I know - everyone say "awwwwww"). Ray is glad that I have been getting his letters because he was afraid the whole free mail thing wouldn't work. He got some disks from his parents so he will put some pictures on it and send it to me. He says that it has been over two months since he has been activated and he has adjusted to active duty "ok." He is glad that everyday there is one day closer to coming home.

Letter 3/18/03
Ray was saying how he thought that the war would be over when I get this letter. (Guess he was being optimistic or thought that the mail would be super slow because this letter was one day before war broke out) He says that he is doing well that and he will probably be in Iraq somewhere by the time I get this letter. He says that he will have some interesting stories to share with all of us shortly. He is hoping that the humanitarian aid experience will help him find a good job when he gets back. They have told them that the mail they receive will be forwarded to where ever they are so please keep the letters coming. He will try to keep sending letters too. If he can't send them then he will write them and save them until he can send them. He may have email or a phone by then though so who knows?
posted by Ray at 10:10 PM

Letter 3/11/03
Things are pretty slow out there and they don't do much during the day anymore. Everything is set and they are just waiting around now. He says that one thing is for sure - it is not a glamorous life out there. He thinks about how little they are doing out there and on things he would rather be doing. However, he will not dwell on that because he is glad to be able to make whatever contribution he can. He thinks that they will be able to help the people of Iraq greatly. While he is writing this, there is thunder, lightening and lots of rain....then it is gone. He says it will pour all of a sudden and then stop.
posted by Ray at 4:16 PM

Hi again...Sorry I have not been writing updates lately. I had the stress of finals and then the whole war put me under the weather with the flu and general depression. Anyways - to the matters at hand. Here is information from letters Ray has been sending. I will update hopefully again if i get anymore letters this coming week.
Letter 2/22/03
Ray finally got my package with pictures and a book for him to read so that his mind does not turn to mush. (For those of you who are interested - the book is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by author and screenwriter Miachael Chabon). He says that he has been reading pulp fiction that is turning his mind to mush. They are having hot food trucked from local contractors which is good except that he thinks the meat is lamb. They have hot showers in these air-conditioned trailers, and he said taht it was nice to take a shower after being so dusty, but it is disturbing how dirty the water draining away is. He has been working out every day - something that he feels is not best since they don't get time to heal their muscles. He says that he knows what his unit's mission will be and that it will not entail being on the front lines. He asks to rest assure that he is safe.
2/24/03
Ray says how he is sore from a 5 mile hike yesterday. However, he points out that he is lucky because others have sprained ankles and blisters whereas he is relatively unscathed. The rest of his unit is being activated and will be flying over there. Ray says that it is unfair, but that it was kind of neat to be a ship. now he can sat that he has been on one and he gets a sea service ribbon probably....not that it matters because he just wants to get home. He still hadn't gotten the MP3 player at this point which is odd because I had sent the book after his mother sent the MP3 player.
2/26/03
The mail drop has not been regular so he hasn't been able to get much from anyone. They have ben practicing different scenarios for missions that they may get. They are mostly dealing with situations that involve people getting displaced by the war. Because Ray has some aptitude for Arabic, they have asked him to be a secondary translator. He says it doesn't mean much though since he will just be saying things like "stop" or "where are you from?" or "raise your hands." He can't erally carry a conversation with that. He then starts writing from the 27th when they are going to the seaport to pick up and drive some vehicles back to the camp.
3/2/03
Ray just got back from the port that he was talking about in his last letter. Unfortunately he thought that he was only going to be there a day and didn't bring a sleeping bag. He had to spend two cold nights on the floor of a tent :(. Besides that, he says that the base there was pretty neat. They had a really nice chow hall with soda, ice cream, and ice. There was also a rec room with ping pong, board games, and a movie room with a big screen TV. He didn't get to play poing pong though because no one else really knew how to play. He did manage to catch part of Star Wars : Episode 2 though. He says that the Army probably built the base - which figures :). There were lso British troops there who were running a little store and he bought a survival kit from them. They were watching a BBC program that Ray said looked really shody just because the lighting was off and the weather guy was holding a clicker. Then he asks me to go on his aim screenname to make sure it doesn't get deactivated - I explain this in case some of you are wondering why Ray's name is online sometimes.
3/6/03
They have been pretty busy lately because all the gear from the other ships have been arriving and so thay have been busy getting things ready. He says that today has been the worse day out there so far because it has been really windy and rainy. When it wasn't raining there was a sandstorm. They also had a gas drill tonight which was not pleasant. He is hoping tomorrow will be better. They started receiving mail now but he hasn't gotten any. He thinks it may be the delay from the west coast to the east coast. There is also a two week gap in February where no one has received mail from. He has been a little down lately and wishing he could be back at home. Ray writes this as he is doing "fire watch" guarding on teh vehicles to make sure that no one steals anything from them.
3/9/03
Ray finally got the MP3 player, the shortwave radio, and the CD I burned him. He says it is pretty cool because he can scroll through the different folders and it displays the infor about the song. He has been listening to it a lot so he hopes that he does not run out of batteries. The shortwave radio is pretty neat and he has it on BBC but they keep playing British sports news. There is a program called The Voice of America, but it doesn't go into depth and often replays the previous stuff. Last night they had a steak dinner that was not very good at all, but he says it was the thought that counts. Today is suppose to be a holiday schedule which means that they supposedly have the day off....then he says how he just went to do some work so he didn't get the whole day off. Then he resumes the letter after getting some mail and happily talks about what I wrote in my letters to him. He also says that he heard on the radio how PETA was starting a campaing at UCLA that compares eating meat to the Holocaust (which they did do on Bruinwalk a while back). Ray says that it is outlandish just so that they can get media exposure. He says that there have been some pretty interesting developments that have been occuring that he cannot talk about but that we will see.

This is the latest on Ray. Thanks for visiting the site!
posted by Ray at 6:00 PM

Hi everyone I got two more letters from Ray so I will give you the scoop on what he is up to and take out the personal stuff:
Letter 2/17/03
He said that the ride on the hover craft from the Ashland to the shore was cool. While they were waiting for the bus to pick them up, him and the guys ordered some Pizza Hut (talk about Americanizing the world!) and watched a movie on a laptop. The pizza was pretty gross and he thinks they used goat cheese or something. In any case he still ate three slices. They finally got to the camp around midnight and are staying in a tent that is 40' by 20'. Unfortunately dust gets kicked up when people walk by, but the worst thing is that it gets around 40 degrees at night. It is comfortable in the daytime though - around 75 degrees. He says that they are there early because there isn't anything besides tents and porta-potties.
Letter 2/19/03
Nothing is really going on and they have spent the last two days setting up some tents. They got some boards to lay on the sand so it doesn't get so dusty. There are also some lights so it is not so bad. The last couple of days he had been eatting MRE's but finally got some spaghetti and chicken today. Ray says that it is a surreal feeling - like he is in some movie he can't walk out of. There are all these helicopters just flying about.

That is the latest on Ray - if you want a picture of him with some guys in the desert just email me and I will forward it to you. Pray for peace everyone!

posted by Ray at 11:14 PM

Sorry I have not been updating. Unfortunately I have not had contact with Ray for a long time and so I have not had much to report. Today was a happy day since I got a letter from Ray dated the 15th of February (postmarked 18th meaning it took 13 days to get here). He confirmed that his unit is in fact in Kuwait (something that some of the Marine websites have posted as well) and that he was going to have a "pretty Spartan lifestyle for awhile." He wrote that there are rumors that they may be there as little as 3 months which would mean good news for all of us waiting for him to come home. I don't want to get my hopes too high, but at least positive rumors are being circulated through his unit.
I just want to thank everyone for supporting Ray and sending packages from home. I am positive he is very grateful and will thank everyone personally when he gets home. I know that he has already received some CD's and have been listening to country music :). Hopefully we will be able to hear from him on a more regular basis sometime in the near future.
If anyone has heard of any news from Ray and would like me to post it up on the web, feel free to email me the information and I will post it asap. Thanks again.

posted by Ray at 2:56 PM

Hi again everyone,

For anyone that would like to see a picture of Ray that I mentioned in the last blog - you can click on the comment link that is under that blog and a picture of Ray will come up. Thank you Bob for helping me with that :) You rock! I am sure that everyone will enjoy the picture.
posted by Ray at 12:51 AM

Hi everyone,
I am sorry I haven't updated in a while but I have been busy with school and work.
Ray is currently getting on the U.S.S. Ashland and going to a base where he will be working with the other Marines on Civil Affairs. He says that rumors have been indicating that they may be able to come back sooner than later. I know that he was concerned about going to many of our graduations and so I will let all the graduates know if he will be coming back in time. If all is good, he may come back right around June.
Ray was featured in a weekly newsletter his parents have been getting - here is what it had to say:

Team 3: Cpl Cheung

Corporal Raymond K. Cheung was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Literature and Culture. He continued his education at George Washington University where he is pursuing a masters degree in Crisis, Emergency, & Risk Management.
Corporal Cheung joined the Marine Corps in June 1998, and became a qualified field radio operator and HMMWV driver. He was promoted to the rank of corporal in October 2001 and joined the 4th CAG in September 2002. Over the past week Corporal Cheung has distinguished himself by maintaining his training, while being tasked with a number of collateral duties. He is an outstanding Marine and a valuable asset to Team 3.

I will try to get the picture of him up on the blog as soon as I figure out how to do it. :)
Unfortunately Ray has informed me that communication with him will be even more limited now that he is getting off the Ashland. Hopefully the newsletters will keep coming and I can let you know the important things that are on it. You will all be happy to know that he has been writing the main article on it :) We should be very proud of our Ray.

Here is the latest article he wrote:

4th CAG's fourth week at sea was a period of transitions. Again, training occupied most of the time for the Marines, but several instances of new experiences were interspersed throughout the week.
The transiting of the Suez Canal was yet another first for many Marines. As the USS Ashland made its way from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, one could see the deserts and villas of Egypt just a few yards away. On the top deck of the ship, Marines and Sailors gazed through binoculars at Egyptian soldiers manning shore side bunkers looking back at them through their own binoculars.
When it entered the Red Sea, the USS Ashland fell under the authority of the U.S. Central Command. As that happened the Marines shed their woodland camouflage utilities and donned desert camouflage. Although missing the usual nametapes indicating service and name, Marine emblems were ironed on to distinguish the Marines from other services. The desert utilities are almost identical to the woodlands with the exception of the collars, which are much wider and larger, supposedly to keep out the desert sand.
After so many weeks and days, some mail finally made it to 4th CAG.
Large postal bags were brought in via helicopter and distributed among the CAG. Although some Marines have not yet received the mail they were expecting, it is hoped that the rest will arrive soon. Rest assured, mail has arrived with various destination addresses, so any of the ones given out thus far will all work.
Of course, training occupied much the time aboard ship. This week, CAG concentrated on adjusting their sights on their M16A2, as well as helicopter operations, desert survival, and nuclear, biological, and chemical training. Again, review of previous material reinforced and built up the comprehensive knowledge base needed for the Marines to be successful in accomplishing their mission.
Secretary of State Colin Powell�s speech to the United Nations was watched closely. As the Marine Forces Reserve motto says, 4th CAG is �ready, willing, and able� to conduct civil-military operations and serve their country proudly if so called.


Hope that this was helpful to all of you who are interested in Ray's whereabouts.

- Val



posted by Ray at 4:02 PM

Our prayers are with the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds,--and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless falls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor eer eagle flew--
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high, untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.



- John G. Magee


posted by Ray at 5:36 PM

Below is the accurate address for the CAG Marines embarked aboard the USS
Ashland. Please let all the families know this. Also reassure them that
anything sent to the DET A address will arrive here. We apologize for the
inconvenience we have caused.

CPL Cheung, Raymond K.
2nd MEB, 4thCAG, DET B
Unit #76002
FPO AE 09511-6002

Thanks for sending this information out.

LtCol Grabowsky
posted by Ray at 10:51 AM

Hey all,

I am on the USS Ashland and I have some limited access to Internet. Unfortunately, it is extremely slow and it takes about 10 minutes to load a single webpage and sometimes it doesn't load at all. Email does work though, but I am sharing an account with an officer. Anyway, life is alright here. The daily routine basically consists of breakfast, lunch, and dinner and classes and working out in between. Relatively simple days. They have a really small store here that sells junk food, other basic things like soap and towels, and even CDs and PS2 games. On that note, I am trying to get my parents to send me one of those MP3 players that plays MP3s off of CDRs so if ya'll want to send me some I'd be much obliged. :)

The ship does rock about 10-30 degrees to each side depending on the sea swells. The first couple of days was pretty bad. Most of the Marines were stumbling around everywhere and puking. Luckily, I took some seasickness pills early on and avoided any extreme discomfort. Just about everyone has their "sea legs" now though. It is still pretty funny to watch people lean against the tilt as they walk. It reminds of that cereal commerical (Special K? Total?) with those people walking slanted because they didn't eat whatever was supposed to make them walk straight.

Anyway, there isn't much else going on. I can't say where we are or where we are going, but I'm sure CNN will let you know if we are anywhere important. Everyone should have my address by now. Big thanks to Valerie for helping me out with that too. :) There was a lot of confusion early on about our address here, but the last address should be good to go. Mail comes every week or two by helicopter so don't send any perishables... unless you can figure out some way to preserve some In-N-Out. ;-)

Ok, I have to go. Hope everything is going well with everybody. I look forward to hearing from ya'll.

Ray

posted by Ray at 8:11 PM

Ok so one more address update � nothing wrong with the other one, but this one is just more updated:



Cpl. Cheung, Raymond K.

4th CAG / DET A, 2nd MEB

Unit #76002

FPO AE 09511-6002



Let me know if you guys want to say anything to Ray.

Also, he is requesting CDR�s of MP3�s if you guys would like to make compilations for him. He is hoping to get an MP3 player sometime soon.

He says �hi� to everyone and the weather is beautiful and just like California except that he is in the middle of the ocean. He has mess hall duty which sort of sucks but otherwise things are ok but boring.



Will update more as I receive information.

posted by Ray at 5:56 PM

ADDRESS CORRECTION!
The correct address is as follows:


Cpl. Cheung, Raymond K.
4th CAG DET A
76001
FPO AE 09511-6001

Sorry about the confusion but I made a mistake on the address
If you have already sent him something, do not fret because as long as the zip code is correct, your mail will find its way to Ray.

posted by Ray at 12:04 PM

Hi Everyone - Ray promised to keep everyone updated and hopefully I will be of some assistance in that manner.
He is currently on the U.S.S. Ashland ( http://navysite.de/ships/lsd48.htm ) in somewhat close quarters. The food is "not that bad" and there is a T.V. that plays random movies (as of 3:30pm PT it was playing "The Tuxedo"). Unfortunately the phones on the ship do not work and the computers are very slow so he is not sure if he will be able to get internet access.
I will post more when I hear more from Ray. In the mean time - thanks for the notes of concern and for the support. :)

P.S. It's Val in case anyone was wondering who "I" is.
posted by Ray at 3:46 PM

Hello everyone,

I apologize for not being able to email everyone personally. I have been pretty busy the last couple of days. This will be the last email before I head out tomorrow morning. My orders say I am being activated for one year due to a Presidential recall in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Although I cannot discuss specifics, the following information may allow you to track where I may be in the news:

4th Civil Affairs Group, Detachment Bravo
http://www.mfr.usmc.mil/MFRUnits/CAG/4thcag.htm
4th Force Service Support Group
Marine Forces Reserve

Deployed with:
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/meb/

Aboard:
USS Ashland
http://www.ashland.navy.mil/ - May not be working
http://navysite.de/ships/lsd48.htm

You may have noticed a few articles on the news already about the 2nd MEB at Camp LeJeune, NC. Reports will probably increase next week as we deploy.

I will try to get a snail mail address as soon as possible. Valerie is helping me update the blogger as I send her updates. So keep an eye on www.rkcheung.com/blogger.php for further developments.

Well, that's it folks. I hope everyone's 2003 goes well. I will miss you all.

Ray
posted by Ray at 9:15 PM

Another article from Marine Corps Times, notice selections in bold italic:

January 10, 2003

II MEF, roughly 8,000 strong, deploys

By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. � About 8,000 active-duty and Reserve Marines attached to II Marine Expeditionary Force here were expected to deploy as early as Jan. 15, part of a massive buildup of Marine forces headed for a possible war with Iraq.
About 400 Marines from II MEF left Jan. 10, headed overseas as an Offload Preparation Party to ready gear and vehicles aboard Maritime Prepositioning Force ships in the Mediterranean Sea for offload and use.

Members of the unit would not say where they were headed, only that were told to prepare for a tour of six months to a year overseas.

�We only had five months left, and I thought we were going to say goodbye to the Marine Corps,� said Jamie Shoff, wife of Cpl. Jason Shoff, 22, a motor transport mechanic from 2nd Maintenance Battalion who expected to complete his enlistment this summer. �Now, who knows?�

Most of the Marines on the OPP had a week or less to get ready for the deployment, a process that for many included packing up barracks rooms, putting possessions into long-term storage, shipping automobiles to family for safekeeping and other logistical chores. Many Marines had to scramble to complete wills and file taxes, while others rushed to buy engagement rings or even get married.

�My mom, she�s probably crying right now,� said Lance Cpl. Ken Berven, 20, a motor-transport operator from Bravo Company, 2nd Transport Support Battalion, who was called back from leave for the deployment and only had four days to get ready. �She took it pretty bad.�

For more than a week, the Marines of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade prepared in anticipation of deployment orders, scrambling to buy gear and get name-tapes sewn on newly purchased desert-pattern cammies. Perishable necessities such as batteries were in great demand, and clerks at one local store said a Marine unit purchased $2,000 worth of batteries in all sizes before the shops ran out.

On Jan. 10, Marine officials finally acknowledged the brigade�s movements, saying that the group had been given an order to embark allowing it to load up on Navy ships.

Marine officials said the troops would load ships in Norfolk, Va., at the port in nearby Morehead City, N.C., and over the horizon from Onslow Beach on Camp Lejeune. The ships are expected to include the amphibious-assault ship Saipan, amphibious transport dock Ponce and dock landing ship Gunston Hall, which were not scheduled to deploy until the summer but received orders Jan. 10.

Atlantic Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Dave Werner would say only that the ships �are in receipt of deployment orders and they are getting under way in support of the global war on terrorism and to support any contingencies that may develop.�

The Saipan�s commanding officer, Navy Capt. Lee Hackney, told reporters just before leaving, �Our focus now is going south and picking up our Marines.�

But with 7,000 2nd MEB Marines set to deploy, more ships likely will be needed. The Saipan can take on more than 1,790 Marines, while the Ponce can carry 900. The Little Creek, Va.-based Gunston Hall, also a member of the Saipan Amphibious Ready Group, can carry 560 Marines. But Werner said no other Atlantic Fleet ships have yet been given deployment orders.

The ships of the Saipan ARG were expected to begin loading Marines the weekend of Jan. 10, Marine officials said.

Marine officials also anticipated that other Navy ships would receive orders the week of Jan. 12 to support the brigade.

The infantry arm of the 2nd MEB will come from the 2nd Marine Regiment, Marine officials said. Aviation elements will come from Marine Aircraft Group 29, headquartered at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River.

Other units could include various supporting elements and command staff. For instance, II Marine Expeditionary Force also is deploying its cadre of fire-support specialists. The entire Lejeune-based II Marine Liaison Element will ship out with the brigade.

The 38-man unit specializes in calling for close-air support, artillery and naval gunfire while attached to U.S. Army or coalition forces.

Nearly 300 reservists also are slated to accompany the brigade, reserve officials said. The units were to travel from their home bases across the United States to Camp Lejeune.

The Lejeune-bound units include: nearly 100 Marines from Charlie Company, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, based in San Antonio, Texas; about 130 Marines from the Fort Knox, Ky.-based Alpha Company, 8th Tank Battalion; 10 Marines from the Camp Pendleton, Ca-lif.-based Headquarters and Service Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion; and 35 Marines from the Washington, D.C.-based Detachment Bravo, 4th Civil Affairs Group.

The units were mobilized the week of Jan. 6 and were scheduled to head to Camp Lejeune early the following week, said Capt. Jeff Pool, spokesman for Marine Forces Reserve.

posted by Ray at 3:43 PM

A story from CNN.com:

Navy ships picking up Marines
7,000 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade troops to embark
From Mike Mount
CNN
Friday, January 10, 2003 Posted: 11:50 AM EST (1650 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three United States Navy ships began to deploy Friday from their home base in Norfolk, Virginia, to pick up several thousand Marines in North Carolina, Navy officials said.

The ships received deployment orders Friday morning to pick up 7,000 Marines, according to Pentagon officials.

The Marines have been given orders to embark, which puts them on board the ships, but officials note it may be a day or two before they also receive their actual orders to deploy.

The three ships are:

� The USS Saipan, which is an Amphibious Assault Ship.

� The USS Ponce, an Amphibious Transport Dock ship.

� The USS Gunston Hall, a Dock Landing Ship.

Together, the group comprises what the military calls an Amphibious Ready Group., or ARG.

Such groups deploy with a large weapons supply, helicopters and Marines for overseas assignments.

The deployment for the ARG was originally to occur during the late summer, but now has been moved earlier to support U.S. military forces already in the Persian Gulf region, according to a U.S. Navy official.

The Marines -- the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade are expected to receive their orders to deploy to the Gulf region within a day, according to a Marine official.


posted by Ray at 2:49 PM

This is a story from yesterday's Marine Corps Times that may relate to what may happen:

January 08, 2003

2nd MEB may deploy next week

By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Between 8,000 and 10,000 Marines and sailors attached to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade here could deploy as early as next week, Marine officials confirmed Wednesday, headed for staging for a possible war with Iraq.
�They�re packing up in anticipation of deployment orders,� said one Marine official familiar with the buildup, adding that those orders could come by the end of the week.

Officially, the Marine Corps does not confirm such preparations until deployment orders have been issued. But brigades are mammoth organizations, requiring plenty of advance notice in order to get things moving.

On Jan. 3, Marine officials here announced that more than 400 Marines were ordered to form Offload Preparation Parties, which ready military equipment embarked aboard Maritime Prepositioning Force ships for offload and assist in that offload.

Such parties were used earlier this year, when the 2nd MEB landed in Spain, conducting an MPF offload for Exercise Dynamic Mix. The biannual NATO exercise was held from late May to early June and involved more than 15,000 military people from 13 NATO nations.

One Marine official said some of the Marines could leave Camp Lejeune aboard the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge as early as next week.

For more than a week, Camp Lejeune and the surrounding communities have been bustling, as Marines scrambled to buy gear at military surplus stores and get name tapes sewn on to their utility uniforms. Clerks at one local store said a Marine unit purchased $2,000 worth of batteries of all sizes, in preparation for a deployment.

Even traffic to and from the base has been re-routed. The main gate has been closed to commercial trucks, a change base officials attributed to �an increase in deliveries.� Officials would not comment on the types of deliveries the base is receiving.

While 2nd MEB would deploy with less than 10,000 Marines, a typically configured MEB totals about 17,000 troops, with about 6,500 in the ground combat element, 6,300 in the air combat element and about 3,000 in the brigade service support element. The remainder typically is part of the brigade�s command element.

The infantry arm of the 2nd MEB would likely come from the 2nd Marine Regiment, Marine officials said. Aviation elements would likely come from Marine Aircraft Group 29, headquartered at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River.

The Kearsarge last deployed with Marines in late April 2001, shipping out for six months with the Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune. The ships of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group were in the Mediterranean Sea during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center towers, returning from deployment in mid-October 2001.
posted by Ray at 4:54 PM

Dear friends,

Some of you may have already heard this from me or somebody else, but I thought I may as well send an email to everybody anyway. Here is the news - I received notification tonight that my unit is being activated. I am to report in by Friday morning. This means I will probably be leaving the Los Angeles area in the next couple days to go back to Virginia and get things ready. I will be headed to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina intially and from there I don't know. I also don't know how long the activation will be. Looking at activations in the past year it could range from six months to two years. I will try to keep updates on my webpage - www.rkcheung.com - to tell everybody what is going on and on how to contact me, etc. I am sorry for those I have not kept in touch with as much as I would have liked and not for contacting everyone personally. Also, I do not have everyone's email so please forward this to people I may not have listed.

Thanks for your support,

Ray
posted by Ray at 8:33 PM

I must apologize again for not updating my website. I have just been lazy since I've gotten home. Not to worry, nothing terribly exciting has happened. I have been mostly just playing video games. Heheh. Anyway, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas/Hanakah/Kwanzaa/Alakazam and Happy New Year! I may do more updates before I go back to Virginia, but don't count on it. ;-)
posted by Ray at 7:37 PM

Sorry, I haven�t been updating too much recently. It�s not that I haven�t had the time, but I think it is because I have TOO much time. Everyone has gone home and it�s very lonely here so I�ve been getting homesick. I usually watch the Tonight Show every night to remind me of home. I have been craving In-N-Out and good Chinese and Japanese food. But I get to go home tomorrow! Spent today doing some last minute laundry and I still have a bunch of stuff to pack. Three weeks of sunny California here I come! (Unfortunately, I hear that there are a bunch of storms heading that way, but at least it isn�t 20 degrees!)
posted by Ray at 5:22 PM

Woohoo! I finished my final paper and presentation today! I think I did pretty well too. What a relief. I went out with some friends afterward and played some pool. Very nice and relaxing after some long days. Anyway, now I have to figure out something to do for the next few days until I go home on Saturday. I guess I will just play the video games that I have been neglecting lately.
posted by Ray at 8:24 PM

Been having some problem with Blogger lately, this post is from 12/15.

Didn�t have any food, so I had to go shopping. I�ve had cravings for pineapple ever since Hawaii this summer, so I broke down and bought one today. I was also baking some pork chops so after I cut the pineapple, I threw the unedible core in with the pork and marinade. It actually turned out really well. If anyone like pineapple, try this sometime.

posted by Ray at 8:24 PM

Al Gore hosted Saturday Night Live last night. I thought he did a pretty good job, although I would have liked to see him in more wacky roles. He mostly played himself, as Trent Lott, a college professor, and an accountant. I still liked the show, however. It�s been a long time since I�ve watched a show all the way through without falling asleep.

Sorry for the short entries � still working on my paper.

posted by Ray at 11:36 AM

I�ve been really getting into the research for my paper the last couple of days. It�s really tough because the issue is changing every single day, so I don�t know what area to concentrate on. Oh well, I have 4 days to finish, not worried about it yet.

The UCLA men�s soccer team beat Maryland today to advance to the championships! I watched highlights of it here and it�s amazing how much bias is shown in regional sports casting. The announcer was totally insinuating that UCLA unfairly beat Maryland because of a couple close penalty calls. I really should not be so surprised, but it is interesting to note.

posted by Ray at 8:41 PM

Pretty eventful day today. I got another interview for an internship. I also did a phone interview and an email interview with two top officials for my research paper. I didn�t really get too much usable information, but at least it�ll show that I did more than look up stuff on the internet.

The freezing rain was pretty interesting. What happens is that the rain falls like normal and it freezes when it hits the ground. Kind of cool because it left icicles on all the tree branches.

Did anyone see tonight�s episode of Law & Order? It made all Asians to be either a) oppressive, b) crazy, c) murders, or d) gambling addicts. What positive roles they are advancing these days.

posted by Ray at 8:20 PM

I signed up for next semester�s classes. Here�s what I�m taking:
Management of Technical Organizations
Information Technology in Crisis Management
Disaster Recovery and Organizational Continuity

Hmm� those are some big words aren�t they?

Guess what? There�s supposed to be another winter storm tomorrow. This time it�s supposed to be an ice storm. I guess what happens is that it isn�t cold enough for snow, but it�s cold enough for the rain to freeze. So the roads pretty much become covered in a layer of ice � not conducive to safe driving. Guess I will be stuck indoors for awhile.

Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service

...ANNE ARUNDEL MD-ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-CHARLES MD- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-HARFORD MD-KING GEORGE VA- NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PRINCE GEORGES MD- PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD- SPOTSYLVANIA VA-STAFFORD VA- 501 PM EST TUE DEC 10 2002
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR VERY LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

FREEZING RAIN WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BETWEEN 4 AM AND 7 AM. THE FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS. TEMPERATURES IN BALTIMORE CITY AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WILL STRUGGLE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK BY NOON WHICH WILL CAUSE THE FREEZING RAIN TO CHANGE TO RAIN. TEMPERATURES ELSEWHERE IN THE ADVISORY AREA SHOULD STRUGGLE ABOVE FREEZING MARK BY EARLY AFTERNOON WHICH WILL CHANGE THE FREEZING RAIN TO RAIN. AREA ROADS ARE COLD SO THE FREEZING RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE SOME ICE ACCUMULATION... ESPECIALLY ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. THE MORNING COMMUTE WILL BE TREACHEROUS.



posted by Ray at 7:16 PM

It finally happened. Bob Toledo got fired today. I think this is long overdue. He has been screwing up our football team royally and making very bad calls recently. Anyone will probably be better than Toledo. Now at least we have a chance of beating SC next year.

This is for Bob, the almond tofu came out just fine. I think it solidified in record time. Being totally immersed in snow is very effective. Of course most of the snow was melted around it by the time I went out to get it. Almond tofu is so yummy.. I think I�ll have some right now�

posted by Ray at 7:43 PM

Not much going on today. I have drill tomorrow so I got a haircut. I had been keeping my hair fairly long between drills since it is so cold, so now my head is freezing. I also got some passport photos done at Costco and free lunch. They had like 6 or 7 food stations. Luckily, I got there around shift change so I got multiple samples. J Well, anyway, since I have drill this weekend, don�t expect updates till Sunday or Monday.
posted by Ray at 7:44 PM

Snow Day!!! Woohoo!!! This is what I found on the GW website this morning:

Due to inclement weather, all classes at Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon are CANCELLED today, December 5. A LIBERAL LEAVE policy is in effect for all employees. However, designated employees must report to work. Visit this Web site or call 202-994-5050 for further updates.

We got about six inches of snow today and it is all powder. I tried to make a snowman, but the snow wouldn�t clump together � it was just became a big pile of snow. I also shoveled snow for the first time, clearing away the sidewalk area and path to the front door. It wasn�t really that bad. I thought it would be more difficult than it was, but the snow was pretty light and easily shoveled. It was tough to get the icy parts on the concrete though.

I made some almond tofu and put it outside in the snow to cool down. We�ll see how it turns out�

Snow Pictures
posted by Ray at 7:27 PM

Ok, I�m back. That was quick huh? What had happened was a lot of homes had their gas got down so they couldn�t use their heaters. Well, not too many people showed up at the shelter so they sent a lot of us volunteers home. It was still pretty interesting to see how a Red Cross shelter works and everything. The snow is supposed to be here pretty soon. In fact, DC is declaring a snow emergency at midnight. There�s a Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service too:

...ALBEMARLE VA-ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-CARROLL MD- CULPEPER VA-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-FAUQUIER VA-GREENE VA- HARFORD MD-HOWARD MD-MADISON VA-MONTGOMERY MD-NELSON VA- NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PRINCE GEORGES MD- PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-RAPPAHANNOCK VA- SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD-SPOTSYLVANIA VA-STAFFORD VA- 1040 PM EST WED DEC 4 2002
...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY...
SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH...REACHING WASHINGTON BY MIDNIGHT...AND BALTIMORE BY 2AM. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY...MIXING AT TIMES WITH SLEET. EXPECT 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW BY THE END OF THE DAY.

posted by Ray at 8:11 PM