Documentary Military Life During a 6 Month TDY

11GTCS

Regular
I've been posting some of these on my socials while I've been doing this TDY (Temporary DutY, what the military calls a business trip), but I figured people would enjoy seeing them in a more curated way, so I'll use this as a rolling thread on my time and what life is like at a rear echelon contingency operating location. It's a lot different than most imagine. Obviously I can't go into a ton of details, but hopefully it's a fun experience for those curious and helps me channel my shooting!

For context, I'm a Civil Engineer Officer for the USAF. In my current TDY I'm the commander of the flight in charge of all contracted construction, so I spend most of my time dealing with that. That also gives me a lot of freedom to basically go anywhere I want, so it gives me a lot of chances to capture some unique moments. our PA (public affairs, the USAF photojournalists) are severely undermanned here, so I also get asked to cover squadron events and other similar things that PA can't handle.

This first post I'll use to document my trip out. We all have to travel to a single port of embarkation and get on a rotator, a process which takes days to a week and is pretty painful, a blur of baggage terminals and early report times. This time it was compounded by needing to get COVID tested, so that added a day or two.

tripout.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


I used the opportunity caused by that extra delay to make the trip over to the Military Aviation Museum south of Virginia Beach. I was only traveling with my X100V, A7iii, and a pair of primes, so I tried to get creative and focus on some of the aspects of the planes and museum that were unique (you can actually walk right up to the aircraft there, which is fairly unique for a warbird museum).

aviationmusnorfolk_002177.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


aviationmusnorfolk_002182.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


After the brief time waiting to go, we boarded the rotator and spent the next ~20 hours winding our way over to our final destination. Once we got there, we waited a few hours to be transported and in processed, and then we were finally officially done traveling for six months. It was time to get settled and learn our new jobs!

tripout2.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


sunriseshots_002295.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
This will be a bit out of order, but we just had the opportunity to do a ruck march with the Danish armed forces, and I think the photos are particularly interesting. It could be that I'm also just a little delirious after the ruck, but I enjoyed them. I made the conscious choice to lean into the struggle my Fuji X100V (I was definitely not rucking with a FF camera and big lens) would have with the near absolute darkness and just embrace the moodiness and film look that would come from shooting at 12800 ISO and not being able to fully expose the scene.

The ruck was a 25km (15.5 mi) course that required a 10kg (22 lb) load in uniform. For most of us that was easily achieved by wearing our body armor, but some chose to go all the wear and carried a patrol pack or actual loadout. Almost 400 people from the surrounding bases flooded to our start line to participate. It began at 7:00 PM to avoid the heat, and we were allowed up to 6 hours to finish, which is a very generous time.

dancon_002623.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


While military had to be in uniform, there are a few civilians on the base, and they chose to dress up and make a show out of their ability to pick what they wore.

dancon_002628.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Once we started, the course took a while to clear, and it was a raucous cacophony of different speakers blasting all genres of music and lots of excited chatter. Some people had a variety of glow sticks stuck on, but most of us just utilized reflective belts.

dancon_002619.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


The course wound around the base on our very poorly paved roads, but it was fun to see some of the host nation static display aircraft as we walked by. Those sorts of small visual moments helped the miles roll by. I was rucking with a fellow flight commander, and we enjoyed catching up and swapping stories of prior athletic exploits.

dancon_002616.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


The first 10 miles or so felt pretty good, it seemed like the crowd was in good spirits. Once we were into the last third of the ruck though, people started to fall out from fatigue or lack of training. It was heartbreaking to see, since they were only 40-60 minutes from being done, but many people just gave up and went home.

dancon_002614.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


In the end, we finished at 4 hours 10 minutes, and it never felt so good to take a plate carrier off and jump in the shower. These sorts of events are some of the big highlights of being TDY, they really help bring the different country's forces together and build camaraderie as we all count down the days until the end of the assignment!

dancon_002613.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


dancon_002611.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Love these photos.

I'm surprised that you were allowed to bring a camera and take the shots you have. I would've thought that there might be issues when photographing the military from the inside (other than photographers who have been specifically hired for a specific purpose by the military).

Were your photos screened and permission given before you can post them?
 
Love these photos.

I'm surprised that you were allowed to bring a camera and take the shots you have. I would've thought that there might be issues when photographing the military from the inside (other than photographers who have been specifically hired for a specific purpose by the military).

Were your photos screened and permission given before you can post them?
There are specific rules and areas that we are and are not allowed to photograph in. There are some photos in areas that I am specially cleared to photograph in for work purposes that I’d have to get blessed before I put them anywhere online, but I’m being pretty vague here with my descriptions and not showing anything that could be an OPSEC issue. Normal photos of day to day life are otherwise pretty much always fine.
 
The ruck was a 25km (15.5 mi) course that required a 10kg (22 lb) load in uniform. For most of us that was easily achieved by wearing our body armor, but some chose to go all the wear and carried a patrol pack or actual loadout.

Body armour seems like the most efficient way (and least back-breaking way) to carry a load since the load is held close to the body and the weight reasonably spread evenly. That would've been my preferred choice. But then again, if we're supposed to be training to prepare for real conditions, the full loadout can be the only way to go, surely.
 
Body armour seems like the most efficient way (and least back-breaking way) to carry a load since the load is held close to the body and the weight reasonably spread evenly. That would've been my preferred choice. But then again, if we're supposed to be training to prepare for real conditions, the full loadout can be the only way to go, surely.
It was definitely a comfortable way to go. The real troopers wore armor and a rucksack, but the armor by itself is almost 9kg, so they were over by a considerably margin. Some just wore a rucksack, but yes that’s only half the real load. But if we were rucking combat weight, it’d be more like 30-40kg plus a weapon.
 
While there are a lot of things that make being TDY hard, some parts of it are very enjoyable. The community is incredibly tight knit, partially out of necessity, but partially just because we all genuinely enjoy each other's company.

Since this is a pretty central location, we do have most amenities you'd expect in a small community: a pool, some restaurants, several gyms, etc. The pool is an incredibly popular spot on weekends, especially as the temperatures climb into the low 100s for an average daytime high.

aprilweekend_002706.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


We hold 5k road races every month and have the classic bar staples (sans bar) like karaoke and bingo.

aprilweekend_002709.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Just like units and civilian companies back home, we will regularly have fires and grill out. These are some of my personal favorites, since it really helps hold my office together and helps to blow off steam on very hard days.

8CDD5FAC-4656-436E-9062-FEC92520577B.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


cgofire_002349-sharpen-motion.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Since there is a floor hockey rink as well, there is a solid community of people who regularly play hockey, soccer, and other arena sports!

20feb22_002246-sharpen-softness.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Considering the abundance of sand, it's no surprise that volleyball is also a common pastime.

volleyball_002321.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


We also occasionally have some goofy and odd events, like this adult Easter egg hunt a few weeks ago. It was wildly fun to see very serious adults run around and grasp at eggs hoping to win a protein bottle or some earbuds. Of course, I can't say too much, I was one of those people!

aprilweekend_002705.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


All in all, life here is like life anywhere, just in a much more constrained space. It's fun to see all these memories over the past few months and see the people who have come and gone from the location, the memories we made, and the fun times we have ahead!
 
With Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr now finished, I was able to finally get off base and poke around some of the older places near me! Souq al-Mubarakiya is a 200 year old market that was once a key trading post funneling goods from the Far East to western buyers. Trading was the major role of the Persian gulf for centuries prior to the discovery of oil, and seeing how many locals continue to use this market as a primary source of most of their goods is fun to witness. (and taste).

The soup is actually composed or 29 sub-souqs, which I'll refer to here as districts to avoid confusion (and large quantities of fighting with autocorrect). They're all generally stone buildings with stalls lining streets shaded with tall wooden roofs. In traditional pre-automobile fashion, there are innumerable tiny alleys, basement stores, and other strange places. It would be easily possible to get lost in Mubarakiya for days.

mayweekend_002981.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


mayweekend_002983.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


We initially got a drink of ground sugarcane at the edge of the garment district. Ground sugarcane is very popular here and is drank for both the expected sweetness as well as the strong amounts of antioxidants in the drink. It is believe to settle the stomach and is often drank by pregnant women to ease morning sickness.

mayweekend_002974.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


We quickly made our way to through the nut district and spice district to the fruit district. It was relatively early in the morning, so many of the purveyors and shopkeepers were either still getting set up, or were bored waiting for the market to come alive.

mayweekend_002978.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


mayweekend_002977.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Once we got to the fruit district, we stopped to linger at some of the fruit stands, but quickly made our way to the date and fig vendors. I had family back home running a marathon, and they had requested figs for energy before and after the event. Both dates and figs are incredibly affordable here, and varieties from across the Middle East are always available. Each country has their own way to producing and drying the product!

mayweekend_002976.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


mayweekend_002975.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Once we got our figs and dates, we wandered over to the perfume district. Much of this area burned recently in a massive fire that is estimated to have caused over 18 million dollars in damage. The locals are still a bit shocked, but work is beginning to get underway to restore everything to its original form.

mayweekend_002979.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


mayweekend_002972.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


There are a few neon signs left in this area, and one in particular was fun to watch, with the dancing red lines moving up and down the sign. It's always dim in the alleys of the souqs, so the sign cast a tinted glow over the entire area.

mayweekend_002971.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Despite the moody atmosphere in the inner parts of the market, the outskirts had many beautiful murals that were fun to document!

mayweekend_002982.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


mayweekend_002980.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


mayweekend_002973.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


There is a vibrant feral cat population as well!
mayweekend_002970.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)




I'll just mention the the E-M5 MkIII and the 12-45/4 were a perfect combo for this trip. Plenty of range on both ends, but the camera easily fit in a waist pack and just disappeared. The very quiet shutter and small size meant that I could operate without making people feel self conscious or having me stand out too much as I was taking photos.
 
Back
Top