Qa: I bet the locals say “No one ever pronounces it right…”

I think I ought to explain myself a little, to explain this excursion on my part, especially as most people have many of the same questions and I tend to get bitchy when repeating the same answer, or prone to making up stories.

Topic: 4-6 months in the Middle East (or in non-Eurocentric/UN & US military approved terminology) SouthWest Asia (SWA) for work.

1) Why?

Why not?

2) Why??

2) a) I need to get away for a little while, but not from the work I enjoy so much. A change of scenery perhaps, but with some of the same anchors still in place.

2) b) Even if I recognize that my past experience in the Middle East as a child was just that, as a child, I still know a fair bit more than most people in the US, and I’m not as       reflexively apt to reject it.

2) c) It’s something different. I have never lived on base before, besides a less than satisfying week at Ft. Benning. Why shouldn’t I want to learn how other people live?

2) d) I need a refresher of the real world beyond America, the mental Disneyland/Las Vegas experience eats away at me now and then.

3) It’s about the money isn’t it? I heard…

No. I pay tax on every dollar I make, the differential is a bare 10% on my basic pay (my locality pay is 23%, so 10% before that is applied is pretty small), and the basic math is pretty much the same. The money does become a factor if I get overtime while there. That’s how most civilians make their money, by working twelve hour days, six to seven days a week. I also reap some savings on food costs, dining out and that sort of thing, and the forced cost containment is an incentive.

Danger pay kicks in only in places it should kick in (the US govt doesn’t hand out cash it doesn’t have to), which will be on the itinerary (Iraq and Afghanistan), and it’s a decent chunk of change, but it’s also paid for a reason and the less I get, well it’s probably for the best.

4) What will you be doing?

Pretty much the same thing I do now, though in much warmer (and come winter) colder places, but I’ll be able to overcome some of the frustrations both the users experience and I do when dealing with their sometime support in theater. The 8 hour time difference makes it hard to get a hold of people and I’m the type of person who needs to get my hands on the problem sometimes, and nothing else will do.

5) What date will you be coming back?

Hon, I didn’t even have a departure date until I made one up and even then it’s changed, so I can’t say. As a civilian I’m in control of that date perhaps more than most people downrange, but the vagaries of the work can change that date. I have orders for a year, but I won’t stay that long; I have an understanding with my supervisor that in times past would have made me uncomfortable, but now I take a determination to the length to my assignment.

6) What will it like having a military boss?

Beats me, my boss is still sitting in his office. I mean he’s ex-military like almost everyone else I work with. Oh you mean on the ground? In actuality I’m my own boss, I have my own chain of command and apparently a reputation for not taking orders from outside it. Who knew? I’ve been granted a great deal of leeway in deciding how I use my time and as long as I get done what I need to get done, I have a modicum of control.

7) Won’t, well you know, I mean you’re not masc/musc/mil *cough* hint hint?

I harbor no illusions that things can be and may be rough, but I’m also a civilian. I follow the rules of the road as they fall under regulations and under the US Code, but my being gay isn’t as grave a danger for me as it might be for the native population. Sharia law outside the gates generally applies in the same way Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is applied, minus the flogging. Here my knowledge of the customs will come in handy, to maintain my own safety. On the plus side red hair is well regarded in Islamic custom, even appearing in the religious texts; conversely evil people are always rendered as blond/light haired in soap operas. Whether this means I’ll spend more time on base than other people I don’t now know. I’ll be extra careful, keep focused.

8)  Do you get to wear a uniform?

No. SOFAs (Status of Forces Agreement) prohibit civilians from wearing uniforms in most of the region. I will be wearing TDUs mostly, though I have also ordered some pure cotton ones as polyester plus high heat tends to strike me as occasionally uncomfortable and even dangerous if there’s a chance of them melting and bonding to skin. I was originally somewhat hesitant to undertake the mission if uniforms were part of the package as I object both to civilians wearing military attire (W and his Mission Accomplished moment are just one of many reasons) and to surrendering the fundamental delineation between civilians and military. The military is exceptional in many ways and I’m not certain they were thrilled about civilians wearing their attire either. That and many, many days of wearing a school uniform makes me reflexively less thrilled by the prospect than many people.

9) Do you have to shave?

Well I won’t be going for the ZZ Top look, but no I don’t have to shave any more than I already occasionally do. Which is to say twice a week, and then only the parts that bug me. Everything else in my general appearance, well I plan on them remaining intact.