View Full Version : Basra is beckoning...
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 16:16
I'm off to Basra for the first time on the 1st of Aug and i'm after any suggestions that you veterans can give me to make it a bit easier... anything in particular i should take? Blow up doll etc?
Cheers,
LM
SASless
24th Jul 2006, 16:27
Take a good sense of humour....keep yer noggin down....never be the first or last....try like heck to look unimportant and never volunteer for anything.
The most important thing to bring...is yourself home safe. To that end, I hope you have an extremely boring time.
airborne_artist
24th Jul 2006, 16:31
Marmite, marmalade and mucky magazines :E
StopStart
24th Jul 2006, 16:36
It rains metal death every now and then so I would recommend a stout, wide-brimmed hat of some sort. Or perhaps an umbrella.
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 16:46
Sense of humour - Check
Marmite - Check
Mucky mags - Check
Floppy hat - Check
Life insurance - Oh Bollo% :}
LM
Runaway Gun
24th Jul 2006, 16:47
A 'JPA capable' computer. Now there's a contradiction in terms...
Tombstone
24th Jul 2006, 16:48
Sense of humour - Check
Marmite - Check
Mucky mags - Check
Floppy hat - Check
Life insurance - Oh Bollo% :}
LM
Be careful with the life insurance matey, some companies (PAX included) expect you to hold a policy for 6 months before they will insure you OOA. :ugh:
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 16:49
A JPA Password would probably help too... :bored:
SID East
24th Jul 2006, 16:53
If you can manage to pack a desk fan it will help enormously if you find yourself trying to sleep off of night shift in the ridiculous heat, even in a supposedly Air Con tent....... The Police Dogs have the coolest sleeping quaters of the lot.
Word of warning, beware Paradigm PCs for mail order etc, I believe it was one of them that nabbed my credit card details (virus), I returned to UK to find someone had been cruising around Europe (literally) at my expense.
Luckily Barackaycard picked up the the tab - £5K +. Better off using the DII machines out there with an IGS.
Have a good one.
SID :ok:
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 16:56
Well i only found out i was going two weeks ago so it's been a bit of a rush try and sort everything... Life insurance is moot point i think. Anyway the RAF have been taking money off me since Halton to make sure all the "Expenses" are covered if the worst happens.
Which of course it won't. :)
LM
SID East
24th Jul 2006, 17:07
Had the same problem with Life Insurance, no one would touch me until I got back. However, NAAFI Financial can sort you out a very short notice Life Policy through PAX which is guaranteed to be accepted. It might be a little bit more than you would pay normally, but that is understandable I guess.
Check the web page at www.naafi-financial.com
Given them a ring, tell them your situation and they will help. Did a good job for me.
Stay safe.:ok: SID
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 17:44
I'll have a look at that life insurance. I've pretty much got house in order(basically which poor bugger is gonna be left with disposing of my porn). I think i've got everything covered. I've got the joys of IRT tomorrow...
Cheers for your suggestions guys.
LM
P.s Does anyone actually understand this LOA/LSSA stuff? I've got 141 days if that helps...
Windbag
24th Jul 2006, 17:53
It basically means that you have at some point in your career spent 141 nights away (possibly) as nothing on JPA can be either:
a. Explained
or
b. Logical.
I asked the SNCO in PSF or HR or where/what ever Handbrake House is now called what it was about and even he wasn't sure!!! He said that most people have been 'given' 100 days to make them feel wanted/better!! What a farce!! I'm just trying to do my assessment and apparently all of the necessary info is on JPA somewhere, just another burden on the already heavily burdened bloke to sort out the niff-naff & triv on the top of his/her assessment!!:ugh:
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 17:57
So if i've got 141 days/nights away(including the ones i've been "Given") what rate am i on?
Basically i'm money hungry and if i've been stiffed with Basra i want to know what i'm getting in return. :E
LM
A Time To Heal
24th Jul 2006, 18:17
You are on about 5 quid a day extra, when you get to 300 you go up a level, if i remember correctly?
You will defo need a fan of some variety, some kind of portable music player would be useful, some little yellow ear defenders (cos there are some hefty snorers in this world). I think thats about it.
Oh and try to enjoy yourself, i know did. But for the entire 4 months i was there wasn't a single mortar attack. Guess i put sh1ts up em.
bye:ok:
LynehamMuppet
24th Jul 2006, 18:33
I'll nick some ear plugs off Albert next time i'm in work, i've got my minidisc all sorted with a good mix of feel good music. Might be able to nick a fan out of the bagged room... :)
I'm sure i'll have fun as i'm gonna be out there with a load of good guys.
Cheers again.
LM
Windbag
24th Jul 2006, 19:10
Wetwipes are always handy as well, ideal for cooling down face/neck and cleaning hands when out&about, the "handy packs" fit neatly in most jacket/shirt-affair pockets and can also help your ring if you get the squits!! Little tin of vaseline can go a long way too, stops dust going too far up nose and helps stop chapped (oops) lips too!!;)
Beeayeate
24th Jul 2006, 19:30
Haven't been in the ME with the RAF for centuries but seem to remember that talcum powder was always a good thing to have in copious quantities.
Good luck that man.
:ok:
El Mirador
25th Jul 2006, 12:29
My darling hubby is out there now...echo 100% about the paradigm card as guess what....we had our credit cards tapped into....£500 H samuel...great I thought...lovely pressie for me! £750 Ryan air tickets....hmmmmmmm little suspicious where do you go on Ryan air that costs £750...maybe he chartered it...nice romantic gesture....£1000 on Cleaneze products!!!!!!O.k MAJOR ALARM BELLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I called him and said I hoped for his sake it was a hacker!!!! Nationwide brilliant as they caught all fraudulant transactions and we incurred no extra expense.
The fan is a must. It's 49 degrees out there...Hubbie likes his antiseptic toilet wipes as he is a real man, a portable cheapy DVD player and reading material....Mucky mags are not allowed.....(check your going away bumph) and talc......
That's all I can think of. Hubby tells me the neighbours regularly 'chuck things over the fence' and he has given up the idea of a flower border!
Good luck and be safe!
If you are taking your gadgets out lap top, portable DVD etc an extension lead so you can run them from your sleeping pod, I found is very handy. Since I left however I heard there is a lot of unimportant people with far to much time on their hands. Ironing of DCC etc. in 50 deg heat!!!:ugh:
Keep your head down!
Fly Friendly!
airborne_artist
25th Jul 2006, 12:48
How about taking a cheap camcorder so you can spend your less busy moments making the RAF's answer to Amarillo? :ok:
LynehamMuppet
25th Jul 2006, 16:46
Cheers again for your suggestions, my newly revised list...
Sense of humour - Check
Marmite - Check
Mucky mags(if i can find a way to smuggle them out:) ) - Check
Floppy hat - Check
Talc/Foot powder - Check
Digital camera/camcorder - Check
Vaseline - Check
Life insurance - Still Oh Bollo%
Wetwipes - On my shopping list
Minidisc player - Just compiling my playlists
They can bugger off if they think i'm taking an iron out with me, I won't be able to fit any cheap cigs in my suitcase at this rate... i won't be doing any online ordering as i want a wedge of cash in my bank account when i get back.
LM