There isn't a whole lot going on over here. We have been up and down the Arabian Gulf, doing a number of tasks and activities. We had some helicopters for a couple of days to support operations in the Nothern Arabian Gulf (NAG). Here's a picture of the helicopter flying by and dispensing chaff. They needed to validate that the system was functioning, so it provided a small, but interesting show for those of us aboard.
We've seen a lot of ships since we've been out here. The Coalition consists of a number of countries, including Australians, British, and Canadian, among others. We've seen Germans and French, along with Saudi Arabian, Iranian, Iraqi, Omani, Bahraini, and Emirati navies while we've been out and about. It's always exciting to see other nations on the water. It certainly adds a bit of color to the monotony of a vast blue palette.
I've had the chance to stop in Bahrain a couple of times now. The benefit of Bahrain lies in the restaurants. I've had the chance to eat Malaysian, Iranian, Thai, Japanese, and Indian food while in port. Another benefit is the opportunity to visit some of the sites. While most of the Middle East is pretty tightly sealed off to foreigners, Bahrain has a pretty open policy for Westerners. In fact, I had the chance to visit the Grand Mosque in Manama. It was quite an experience to see how Muslims worship. I've attached two pictures. One is of me in the open courtyard, and the other is an artsy shot of the massive chandelier. Of course, they do limit what you can take pictures of, just like some of the cathedrals in Europe.
Well, that's about it for now. There will be more news soon, so stay tuned. Take care.
~Joshua
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