After The 3rd Deployment

[fwduff]

I was in Basra Aug 2006 to Sept 2007 and it was beyond bad. I can't even think of a word to describe it. I left there completely f*cked up and have been every since. I didn't realize I was f*cked up until 2010 after years of bad PTSD symptoms. Went back in 2009 and after that tour I came back and realized I needed help bad.

what unit where you with?

 

[CAFTT0607]

Ah, here is where it gets a little complicated. So, I was part of a 6 man US team that was in Basra to train the fledgling Iraqi AF. There were about 100 of us in country and our team in Basra was the smallest by far. We worked with the IqAF 70th Sq. We were the first USAF trainers sent to Iraq in mass and it was done so quickly that we didn't even have a unit designation. The overall group was the Coallition Air Force Transition Team (CAFTT for short). They also called us Operating Location B or OL-B. We worked very closely with British intel and always attended the staff meetings for the British COB commander. He integrated us very nicely into the Brit forces. We were embedded with the IaAF forces in a small camp near the middle of the COB so we had two major stressors: IDF and wondering which one of the 50 or so IqAF troops was an insurgent. Hence the close work with British intel to help us ID the bad guys of which we found at least 3 in the unit. Of course we couldn't do anything about it, but at least we knew who to watch. That's the short version.

 

[fwduff]

Ah, here is where it gets a little complicated. So, I was part of a 6 man US team that was in Basra to train the fledgling Iraqi AF. There were about 100 of us in country and our team in Basra was the smallest by far. We worked with the IqAF 70th Sq. We were the first USAF trainers sent to Iraq in mass and it was done so quickly that we didn't even have a unit designation. The overall group was the Coallition Air Force Transition Team (CAFTT for short). They also called us Operating Location B or OL-B. We worked very closely with British intel and always attended the staff meetings for the British COB commander. He integrated us very nicely into the Brit forces. We were embedded with the IaAF forces in a small camp near the middle of the COB so we had two major stressors: IDF and wondering which one of the 50 or so IqAF troops was an insurgent. Hence the close work with British intel to help us ID the bad guys of which we found at least 3 in the unit. Of course we couldn't do anything about it, but at least we knew who to watch. That's the short version.

i was with 1st RHA AS90"S our part of the camp was just behind the EFFI / Subway i was the units photographer as well as other things.

 

[Spock]

MP,

Call them "unresolved" issues, or triggers or whatever, they can happen any time or place. ...So, KEEP TAKING THOSE BABY STEPS. They'll lead you to a better place.

SD

Bingo!

 

[Spock]

f*ck baby steps, do a combat roll!

and that!

 

[Spock]

MP ~ Could have started with your first tour or later, regardless you had "delayed onset" or didn't realize you had issues until it got bad enough it was obvious.

 

[CAFTT0607]

i was with 1st RHA AS90"S our part of the camp was just behind the EFFI / Subway i was the units photographer as well as other things.

I know exactly where you are talking about. So you were the guys that occasionally got to send out illumination rounds, right? I remember that.

 

[fwduff]

I know exactly where you are talking about. So you were the guys that occasionally got to send out illumination rounds, right? I remember that.

can't coment on that

 

[CAFTT0607]

;) I understand that completely. I can't comment on most of what I did for 23 years in the AF (n)