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yesman065 · 11-12-2007, 07:46 AM

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:17:21 +0400
Subject: Working in Baghdad...".it is all good

Well the General Peteraus hearings were shown all night here in Baghdad. I watched it for a while but we all knew what he was going to say for after all we gathered up all the information for him. I knew what Senator Joe Biden was going to ask and what he was going to say,(and the Congress) for he told me that when I had dinner with him last week. Joe did what he said he was going to do! Senator Biden and Senator Blache Linclon, from Arkansas, were here last week and I got invited to have dinner with them. We all had dinner in a room in the embassy with about a dozen embassy staffers. Biden and Lincoln ,(mostly Biden) was asking a lot about the reconstruction of Iraq and the Central Government structure. Biden was not buying the embassy spin on what was going on. He keep asking more and more questions and getting a bit hostile to some. It was a nice show to watch! Joe doesn't "chew your ass" he just nibbles at you and lets you know he knows what's going on! Well watching the hearings with General Peteraus and Senator Biden and the Congress was like watching a chess game, but I knew all of the moves before they
happened.

Well I have been reassigned over to the Economic Development section. I will basically be pushing/running government projects and programs for the GOI, (Government of Iraq) through their ministries. I know I have the railroad, ports and airports to get going and I will get more. I have been working on the rail road, (Iraqi Rail Road, IRR) for the last 2 months. The major projects that are now underway, Improvement on the transponders tracking of locomotives, continuing the building of a microwave traffic control system for rail, ( got the bandwidth widened so that it can carry more information in the future and possible support to other commerce), removing the excess sea vans in the port of Umm Qasr and from Baghdad, ( at one time had monthly detention over $500,000 per month!), just signed a $5 million dollar contract to refit the locomotive overhaul repair shop in Baghdad to be done by march 08, getting equipment evaluation on @ 10 locomotives made in China and @ 15 Russian made locomotive,(I know I will have a part list to go and look for, I'm sure that since they were on the open world market @ 15-20 years ago some how I get the feeling AMTRAK has some parts for these
locomotives), modifying a couple bridges from double track to now handle road freight along with rail, starting the process for getting 1
facility for making cement ties, (called sleepers here in Iraq) to make
over 1 million ties per year. These are just a few of the Railroad
projects I am dealing with. I have not even mentioned the airports. Oh well "it is all good" for this is Iraqi. The average rail security
person here in Iraqi has spent 10.5 years on the railroad. Some of these people go out and walk the track looking for IED, (Improvised Explosive Devices) on the rail. Switcher locomotives are run in front of some of the freight trains to screen for IED and on some of these switchers guys ride on the outside of the locomotive to be look outs also!

I had lunch with the director general, (DG) of the IRR. This man has
been working for the IRR since 1970 and has held every job on the
tracks, repair shops and engines. He was attacked in 2003 by the
insurgents; they broke one of his legs and shot him in his other knee
cap for working with Coalition Forces. In Jan 2007 he was kidnapped
again for 20 days and held for ransom and than was released. This guys wants to get the rail road up and running for the Iraqi people. He was offered the job of Minister of Transportation but turned it down, he does not like politics. He has a lot of "creative" ways of running
trains and they work. They would never pass with the FRA or DOT, but than again "this is Iraq and it is all good!"

Hope things are going well for all.

CDR USN
"Moving Freight in Iraq"

11-12-2007, 07:46 AM	#50
yesman065 Banned - Self Imposed Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,847	Moving Freight in Iraq Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:17:21 +0400 Subject: Working in Baghdad...".it is all good Well the General Peteraus hearings were shown all night here in Baghdad. I watched it for a while but we all knew what he was going to say for after all we gathered up all the information for him. I knew what Senator Joe Biden was going to ask and what he was going to say,(and the Congress) for he told me that when I had dinner with him last week. Joe did what he said he was going to do! Senator Biden and Senator Blache Linclon, from Arkansas, were here last week and I got invited to have dinner with them. We all had dinner in a room in the embassy with about a dozen embassy staffers. Biden and Lincoln ,(mostly Biden) was asking a lot about the reconstruction of Iraq and the Central Government structure. Biden was not buying the embassy spin on what was going on. He keep asking more and more questions and getting a bit hostile to some. It was a nice show to watch! Joe doesn't "chew your ass" he just nibbles at you and lets you know he knows what's going on! Well watching the hearings with General Peteraus and Senator Biden and the Congress was like watching a chess game, but I knew all of the moves before they happened. Well I have been reassigned over to the Economic Development section. I will basically be pushing/running government projects and programs for the GOI, (Government of Iraq) through their ministries. I know I have the railroad, ports and airports to get going and I will get more. I have been working on the rail road, (Iraqi Rail Road, IRR) for the last 2 months. The major projects that are now underway, Improvement on the transponders tracking of locomotives, continuing the building of a microwave traffic control system for rail, ( got the bandwidth widened so that it can carry more information in the future and possible support to other commerce), removing the excess sea vans in the port of Umm Qasr and from Baghdad, ( at one time had monthly detention over $500,000 per month!), just signed a $5 million dollar contract to refit the locomotive overhaul repair shop in Baghdad to be done by march 08, getting equipment evaluation on @ 10 locomotives made in China and @ 15 Russian made locomotive,(I know I will have a part list to go and look for, I'm sure that since they were on the open world market @ 15-20 years ago some how I get the feeling AMTRAK has some parts for these locomotives), modifying a couple bridges from double track to now handle road freight along with rail, starting the process for getting 1 facility for making cement ties, (called sleepers here in Iraq) to make over 1 million ties per year. These are just a few of the Railroad projects I am dealing with. I have not even mentioned the airports. Oh well "it is all good" for this is Iraqi. The average rail security person here in Iraqi has spent 10.5 years on the railroad. Some of these people go out and walk the track looking for IED, (Improvised Explosive Devices) on the rail. Switcher locomotives are run in front of some of the freight trains to screen for IED and on some of these switchers guys ride on the outside of the locomotive to be look outs also! I had lunch with the director general, (DG) of the IRR. This man has been working for the IRR since 1970 and has held every job on the tracks, repair shops and engines. He was attacked in 2003 by the insurgents; they broke one of his legs and shot him in his other knee cap for working with Coalition Forces. In Jan 2007 he was kidnapped again for 20 days and held for ransom and than was released. This guys wants to get the rail road up and running for the Iraqi people. He was offered the job of Minister of Transportation but turned it down, he does not like politics. He has a lot of "creative" ways of running trains and they work. They would never pass with the FRA or DOT, but than again "this is Iraq and it is all good!" Hope things are going well for all. CDR USN "Moving Freight in Iraq"