Video #11 - Janney & Wroblewski depart BIAP for International Zone 1 Mar 2008

This clip of 2 Blackhawk helicopters was shot as Wroblewski and I began walking across the tarmac at the Baghdad International Airport to board one of them. Video or photographs at the airport are strictly against OPSEC (operational security.) However, my low quality video (posted over one year later) was hardly an OPSEC issue, then or now. Listen to the background audio, which is incredibly amusing in hindsight, as a female civilian (not wearing required body armor or Kevlar!) chastises me for shooting this short video. Seconds later, she was yelled at by our airfield escort for talking on her cellphone in a prohibited area! Booyah!

Video #10 - John Wroblewski gives Thumbs Up on C130 on 1 Mar 2008

This very brief (and dark) video shows John Wroblewski's "can do" attitude as he gives me a "thumbs up" after we have boarded a C130 aircraft prior to our departure from Kuwait to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport.)

Video #9 - John Wroblewski on C130 prior to departure for Baghdad 1 Mar 2008

Both John Wroblewski and I are exhausted after 30+ hours with little sleep, following our 18+ hour series of flights to get to Kuwait. This video shows John aboard the C130 in Kuwait prior to our departure for Baghdad International Airport.

Video #8 - Janney & Wroblewski 1 Mar 2008 Departure from Kuwait to Baghdad

Short clip of John aboard Air Force C-130 as we prepare to depart Kuwait for Baghdad International Airport at 0700 hours (after staying awake throughout 29 February in order to make roll call "wait list" for US Embassy flight.)

Video #7 - Janney and Wroblewski safe in Kuwait - Prepare to depart for Iraq

John Wroblewski and I have arrived safely in Kuwait on 28 February 2008, and quickly prepare to depart for Iraq. Very spartan quarters that all of our troops experience in Kuwait on their "layover" before they head to their next stop in Iraq. Constant roar of the diesel electric generators, along with 24/7 arrivals and departures of troops and contract employees make this desert stopover a personal "purgatory" for me. The canvas tents with minimal ventilation and temperature controls are set up on concrete slabs, surrounded by deep gravel to minimize dust during the heat of summer and ankle-deep mud holes during the rainy season. Negotiating your way across this huge camp is akin to walking in deep beach sand when dry or a swamp during the spring monsoons.

Video #6 - John Wroblewski during flight to Kuwait 28 Feb 2008

John Wroblewski makes his video debut during our KLM flight over Iraq as we head toward Kuwait City, Kuwait on 28 Feb 2008. I think that he is deep in thought about our journey (and the reason for it: We are returning to Iraq to visit the site where John's son, USMC 2Lt J.T. Wroblewski, was mortally wounded during an ambush in east Ramadi on 6 April 2004. Ten other Marines and a Navy Corpsman were also killed during this ambush. However, John pretends that he is interested in our flight path during this clip, and smiles for my camera.

Video #4 and #5 - Janney - Wroblewski 2008 Iraq embed - KLM flight to Kuwait

Here are short videos I shot during our flight from Amsterdam to Kuwait as we flew over eastern Turkey, and later, Iraq.

Videos of Janney-Wroblewski 2008 Iraq embed - The Journey Begins

I have finally recovered over 40 videos that I made during our embed assignment in Iraq last year from a damaged laptop.
As promised, I will begin posting these videos (40+) within this forum today.

This is raw unedited video. Please be kind with comments and critiques. I am a much better photographer than a videographer, but I did what I could to capture this aspect of our trip, and (finally) share it with you.

Note: Some adult language may be present in these videos! Realize that many of these videos were made while on patrol with the USMC in a combat zone in Iraq. Parents/caretakers should review before allowing children to view these videos.