Nightcrawler
Member
I'm in Qatar, and have been working for a week or so now.
This place is nuts. The people can't drive. They just don't look when changing lanes. Taking a taxi is like some kind of carnival ride, and frankly, the bus ride to work and back is probably more dangerous than my job itself.
Now, for opsec reasons I can't talk too much about my job. I carry a Beretta 92FS and a Bushmaster M16A2-wannabe with a SAFE-SEMI-AUTO trigger group. I shot expert during our Army-style 25m qualification (39/40) and got to shoot the fifty caliber.
I'd give a kidney to be able to carry my FAL and a .357 instead. Lord, I miss my FAL.
The Qatar military and police have a strange mix of weapons. I've seen them carrying FAL rifles, G3 rifles, and even a Steyr AUG once. I wonder if I could trade my M16 for one of the FALs....ah, better not, somebody might squak.
Things have been mostly quiet on the job, downright boring, actually. The people in Qatar are very friendly, especially the Nepalese that work with us. Great guys, very friendly and always smiling.
The heat is going to take some getting used to. I'm on the night shift, but it gets hot then, too, and muggier than all get-out. In the day it breaks 120* sometimes.
I won't be able to update often. I don't have access to a computer in my villa. Today is one of my infrequent days off and I spent 25 riyals (about eight bucks) taking a limousine (a nice big sedan, as opposed to a grimy little orange and white taxi) to this internet cafe.
Everything is going well so far, though. My biggest concern is that the Army is going to recall me from the IRR, send me back to the States for Mobilization training, then back over to the middle east, to Iraq for a year. That would just be too ironic, really, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
THank you, everyone, for your support. I'll check in again when I can.
This place is nuts. The people can't drive. They just don't look when changing lanes. Taking a taxi is like some kind of carnival ride, and frankly, the bus ride to work and back is probably more dangerous than my job itself.
Now, for opsec reasons I can't talk too much about my job. I carry a Beretta 92FS and a Bushmaster M16A2-wannabe with a SAFE-SEMI-AUTO trigger group. I shot expert during our Army-style 25m qualification (39/40) and got to shoot the fifty caliber.
I'd give a kidney to be able to carry my FAL and a .357 instead. Lord, I miss my FAL.
The Qatar military and police have a strange mix of weapons. I've seen them carrying FAL rifles, G3 rifles, and even a Steyr AUG once. I wonder if I could trade my M16 for one of the FALs....ah, better not, somebody might squak.
Things have been mostly quiet on the job, downright boring, actually. The people in Qatar are very friendly, especially the Nepalese that work with us. Great guys, very friendly and always smiling.
The heat is going to take some getting used to. I'm on the night shift, but it gets hot then, too, and muggier than all get-out. In the day it breaks 120* sometimes.
I won't be able to update often. I don't have access to a computer in my villa. Today is one of my infrequent days off and I spent 25 riyals (about eight bucks) taking a limousine (a nice big sedan, as opposed to a grimy little orange and white taxi) to this internet cafe.
Everything is going well so far, though. My biggest concern is that the Army is going to recall me from the IRR, send me back to the States for Mobilization training, then back over to the middle east, to Iraq for a year. That would just be too ironic, really, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
THank you, everyone, for your support. I'll check in again when I can.
I'm gonna go hold my 1911...
