Class IV

As promised, today I'll mention concrete. I was inspired by the Mike Blogger's post yesterday about construction of a boxing ring (P.S., see today's post of the actual fights!) to describe the latest concrete work being done in my area. It serves a much more utilitarian purpose. A few months ago, I mentioned that the army has ten classes of material supply. Class I is subsistence... food, water, etc. And the Army needs plenty of fuel (Class III) and ammunition (Class V). Sorely missing from any base in Iraq is the "Class Six" store for "personal demand" items. But I digress. Class IV is construction materials. In the case of military bases in Iraq, much of the Class IV is in the form of concrete barriers, like the ones near my office in the picture to the right. A few weeks ago, they started moving some of the smaller barriers from around our housing area and pouring slabs of what looked like sidewalks. But they went sideways, not the direction people were walking. Eventually I figured out they were supports for much larger concrete barriers. The big crane lifting them into position was a big clue. :) They have recently completed the "A Pod" (a group of CHUs) barriers, and are now beginning work on my "B Pod". Temporarily, there are no barriers around my trailer, but that will soon change and I will get the new, taller variety. The picture below shows the difference... the A pod is on the left with the new tall barriers. I guess I'll be safer from a mortar attack while in bed, but reviews from people I work with who live in the A pod say they block all the wind and it is hot and stuffy. Ah, well... hopefully the temperatures will start to drop soon.