*Gallery of Training Environments

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Environments in which we have conducted training operations 

This is a gallery of photos, detailing the many austere environments in which we have been employed.

This is a Shamal (Sandstorm) moving into one of the FOB's where I was training, in Iraq. They usually come in from the Western desert areas, and blow to the East. These storms are deadly. Most people who have never been to the deserts of the Middle East, and especially Iraq, do not have any idea at all, how much destruction, the incredible speed with which these demons of the desert move, and the extreme danger these storms produce. They move with such rapidity, and with such force that they can strip a vehicle of its paint within minutes. They can knock over unsecured containers, and choke a person to death. The sand can actually scar a persons eyes and cornea, and will not only damage a person's vision, but kill a person. They are truly hazardous!Sandstorms can last for days to an entire week in duration! Sand will get into every human orifice, every opening , and I mean every opening, that a human uses. It has a consistancy of gritty talcom powder, and is four feet deep, in places. It will get into your food, your teeth, your underwear, socks, boots, and will imbed into the pours of your skin. This is one type of environment in which we have worked, training personnel. It is arduous.

Driving in a sandstorm is incredibly dangerous. You can only see for about three yards in front of your vehicle at any time. Your following distance has to be increased at least four fold, and your traveling speed must decrease to almost a crawl. The paint and finish on your vehicle becomes scarred after only a few minutes of exposure. Your eyes can be damaged due to sand getting into your eyes. The sand gets into everywhere, and into every opening and orifice. Every orifice! Makes me wonder what the Africa Korps and their British opponents went through in North Africa, during WW II. I took this photo while my vehicle was stopped, on a desert road, in Tikrit, Iraq, during a blinding sandstorm.

This is a morning photo I took after being dropped off by our chopper, in the Alaskan back country, during a personal protection detail. The country and the scenery was absolutely breath taking and beautiful. For the first time in my life, I was absolutely speechless, and in awe! But the environment is hazardous, from the cold, hypothermia, to the damp climate, and the high altitude. Also the presence of Grizzly and Kodiak bears, made this assignment extremely hazardous. And they were seen at close quarters. In the back country....PEOPLE ARE FOOD! When you travel to Alaska, you MUST understand that basic concept! People who live in the lower 48 states have no idea how hazardous working and living in the back country can become. Cotton clothing is not worn anywhere in this environment. Cottom clothing will kill you, in the back country. Your body strength will absolutely disappear. And your danger level will signifficantly increase, due to hypothermia, and the area's inhospitable climate. Broken ankles, torn ligaments, ripped knees, are also a present danger. You must work prepared for medical emergencies, hydrate yourself, travel with your own sustinence (meaning adequate food). And you must be prepare to spend the night in the back country. If the weather closes in around you, and choppers cannot fly to accomplish your extraction, before nightfall, you will be spending the night, in the back country. And you cannot walk out! The distances are just too great. You always prepare for the unexpected!

These are Iraqi Police recruits, preparing for their initial orientation, in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. The temperature on this day, was around 137 degrees farenheit. This was the average temperature during May. And you can see how our own personnel were clothed. The temperatures I experienced, ranged anywhere from 139 to 147 degrees farenheit. And the Iraqi's also dropped like flies, just like we did. I had a continual case of heat exhaustion, and finallly ended up with heat stroke, in June, of 2005. You cannot drink enough water, in this environment. I was drinking eight (8) two litre bottles of water per day, while there, and it wasn't enough hydration.........

The temperatures on the rifle range averaged from 130 to actually 149, almost every day, during the summer season, in Iraq. It was so inhospitable a climate, that the thermometer and the black bulb actually broke, due to the heat, and stopped working after 148 degrees. It is hard to imagine that temperatures on this earth can actually reach to this extreme limit. But in the deserts of the Middle East, they do! This is but another example of the high stress environment with which we had to cope.

This land is beautiful, mountainous, breathtaking, and awe inspiring. It's beauty is raw, and powerful. THis is Alaska, and this is just one of the valleys, surrounded by mountain ranges that we had to traverse on a daily basis.  The daily hiking was strenuous, and due to the danger posed by falls, quicksand, broken legs, torn ankles and knees, most dangerous. The alder and willow thickets, located next to salman streams, presented challenges to one's vigilence every day. As the salmon run was on, our friend, Mr. Grizzly was always in the neighborhood, and made his/her presence known. The danger from interrupting a bear feeding on a carcass, surprising a sow and her cubs, or a close quarter encounter was always present. Our job was to place ourselves between an encountered Grizzly, and our own researchpersonnel, acting as a deterrent, preventing a bear mauling. This was to be done without injury to our protected personnel......................and the bear. We not only served as a protective detail for personnel, but for bears also!
Sunset, in Tikrit, Iraq. The area was nothing but a huge sandbox. The sand has the consistancy of a fine, grit filled, talcom powder. The environment is continually dirty. And the temperatures can range anywhere from 129 to 149 degrees, farenheit. The sand is filled with fleas, which love to bite from your feet to your knees. And they can carry a disease which is named Lishomeniasis. This bacteria is fatal unless discovered in its early stages. Also the fabled Camel Spider, truly does exist. And it is one of the hazards that pose a danger to personnel. It is NOT an urban myth! This land is harsh, unviable, and for the individual unaccustomed to austere conditions, it can be deadly. Proper hydration is a must when working here!