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SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Hi, I'm Dani Dodge, a reporter for the Ventura County Star. I just spent two months with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 in Kuwait and Iraq. Are there any questions I can answer for you? Please send your questions to the moderator. The button is at the lower right hand portion of your screen.

CBROSE: Have you changed how you thought about the Seabees since spending time with them?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I really had no expectations before I went overseas with the Seabees, but I know now that they are a courageous, hardworking group who are dedicated to doing the best job possible.

MODERATOR:CBBJMOM ASKED: When will the Seabees will be out of Iraq?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: When I left, it was expected that the Seabees would be leaving Kuwait by mid-June for Guam.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I've heard that some of the members of NMCB4 Task Force Mike are already out of Iraq.

LILANGEL976: Do the soldiers have a way of reading the messages that we posted on the newspaper site?

TRAILORPARKPRINCESS: Did they get the messages we wrote to the troops?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Until very recently, the Seabees didn't have any internet access. But I got a lot of emails while I was with them and passed on that they were being thought of constantly by people here at home.

CBROSE: Why did you not stay until they were coming home?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I had wanted to stay and do stories about their humanitarian work, but my editors decided it was time for me to come home. I am grateful, though, that they allowed me to stay two months, which is longer than most embedded reporters.

MARARAENEL: Were they getting care packages from home when you left, or before that?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Mail and care packages were flooding in while Task Force Mike was in Baghdad. We were all enjoying candy and cookies and potato chips.

SHANASMITH22: Dani, how often did they receive mail?

VEN123: Do you know why it took so long for the mail to get through? Did they think we at home forgot about them?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The Seabees in camp in Kuwait got mail regularly. Those who were in Iraq got mail whenever a supply convoy made its way up to us. That occurred in spurts. Sometimes it was a week. Other times two days in a row.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No one thought they were forgotten. They all realized the problem with mail.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The problem with mail, apparently, stemmed from the Kuwaiti post office being overwhelmed.

WORRIED: Hi Dani. I have a boyfriend in the Marines, and I wonder what they do in the Kuwaiti dessert to keep sane?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: During the down time, Marines and others play cards a lot. They sit around and talk about how wonderful their wives and children are, and show each other photos of their families. They talk about home and the first restaurant they want to visit when they return.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Also, some of the Seabees had DVD players and were watching movies!

VEN123: What was the first restaurant you visited upon your return to Ventura County?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Andria's, a seafood restaurant at the harbor. I had Orange Roughy grilled. It was heaven.

GMCBRONCE: Dani, have you recovered health-wise since coming back? Have you found it difficult to adjust to being back here in any way?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes, I'm back to being healthy, except that regular food seems to have upset my stomach some. But it's so good to eat after months of MREs.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: One of the hard adjustments was getting back into a comfortable bed. I actually had back aches for the first three days. I guess my body got used to the ground.

VEN123: Are the Seabees remaining positive or is moral lacking?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The Seabees were happiest when they were working. When they were building bridges and pushing dirt and giving out food to the Iraqis.

VEN123: There are over 600 NMCB4 members. How did you decide which division to follow?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I always tried to stay with the forward most Seabees or the ones who would be facing the most danger.

VEN123: Were the Seabees ever in danger of gun fire or attack

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: We were constantly facing the threat of snipers and attack. Although some Seabees were frightened at first, by the end of the war, they were pros and handled it like any other job. With confidence and professionalism.

CBWIFE: What are your thoughts on the women serving with the seabees

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The women with the Seabees were fabulous. There was never any question about whether they could perform the job as well as a man.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Or better!

GUNNYSWIFE: Was the marine sent with the unit a benefit

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes, he helped the Seabees think more about protection. They were often very focused on building, and he was able to make sure they also considered safety and defense.

VEN123: What are your thoughts on the Seabees safety, now that some of the Marines have left?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I have full and complete confidence in the Seabees' ability to protect themselves as well as any other military unit. They are trained, and through the experience of the war have built confidence in their abilities. They will do well.

VEN123: Do you know of any other reporters following the Seabees?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No. All the other embedded reporters left three weeks to a month before I did.

VEN123: Your articles were easy to read - not filled with normal stuff we were reading - and exceptionally personalized. Thanks and welcome back!

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Well, thank you! I couldn't have done it without all the support I received from Seabee families and newspaper readers.

VEN123: What are your thoughts on camping now? Do you think you'll be spending vacations - camping?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Now that the Seabees have taught me the joys of camping, I can't imagine spending vacations any other way.

VEN123: What was the deciding factor for you to return home?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: My editor's insistence that I do so.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I loved my time with the Seabees and would have enjoyed prolonging it.

CBROSE: Do you miss being so close to the action?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: As an embedded reporter, my view of the war was limited to the battalion's experiences. And yet, it was amazing to be there in the middle of things, and I miss it very very much. But it is also nice to be home with my husband and children.

VEN123: Many are unfamiliar with Seabees and what they do. Thank you for focusing on these brave troops. Hoo Rah!

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: It was wonderful to be able to tell the Seabee story. I received many emails while over there from people who had never heard of the Seabees before I started my embed. They told me, though, that now they know their faces and had tied yellow ribbons around their trees.

VEN123: What are the living conditions like?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Living conditions? Sleeping on the ground in a tent. No bathrooms. No showers for two weeks at a time. Flies crawling on your face. MREs every meal. It was miserable and yet great at the same time.

VEN123: How many hot showers have you had since you got home?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I can't count that high.

CBBJMOM: Is there anything special we can send to them now? Was it easier for them to receive letters than larger packages?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: At this point, they are getting back to camp where they have showers and food from the galley. But they always appreciated some of their favorite junk foods. You can't get peanut brittle over there.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: And for some reason, packages seem to arrive before letters.

CBBJMOM: Were the men in good spirits when you left them? And thank you so much for being there and telling us what was happening.

VEN123: Thank you for what you did Dani. It made us feel much closer to our son!

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The men and women were in good spirits when I left. They had gotten word that they would be leaving the Middle East by mid June and were excited to be getting somewhere they could make phone calls and write emails after so long.

VEN123: Can you tell me how Charlie Company - Camp 93 is doing in Kuwait?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: They are doing great. Sometimes, though, they were bored, but the conditions there were good. They had showers and hot food and they even had a movie night.

VEN123: Will the conditions improve for the Seabees during the next month?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes, the Seabees are the masters at creating their own good conditions. When they are in camp they build up the camp to higher standards. When I returned to Camp 93 after a month of being in Iraq, I was amazed at how much improvement there had been.

VEN123: Were you still in contact with troops at Camp 93 while in Iraq

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No. My contact was limited to the group I was with.

VEN123: Dani, I am somewhat curious about your daily activities relative to your reporting. How did you get batteries for the computer re-charged? What did you hear from management about your expenses? Were you within the budget they prepared because they left you over there longer than most of the embedded?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Although I had taken a battery charger that could work off of a HUMVEE with me, I never had to use it. Usually, I would plug into the electricity generator the Seabees used to power their combat operations center.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I was never bothered by my editors about my expenses and don't have any idea how much it cost to use the satellite phone, except that it was expensive.

MARARAENEL: Did any of the Seabees come to you for mothering? And did you ever feel like you wanted to mother the more frightened or lonely ones?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No. the Seabees went to the Chaplain for that. They liked to talk to me about their wives and children.

VEN123: My boyfriend says there may have been a story you wrote about him helping to fix a generator for the marines in iraq. Does that sounds familiar?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: At one point, the Seabees helped get two Army soldiers back on the road by giving them a tire. I did write about that story.

RRAPOSE: How is Task Force Mike?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: When I left, they were doing well and starting on some humanitarian work. A small group of the Seabees was going to see what projects would be useful to some small towns south of Baghdad. Then, the rest of Task Force Mike was going to join them.

805ROB: Welcome Home Dani!!!

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Thank you for welcoming me. It's nice to be home even if I do miss reporting on the Seabees and the war.

VEN123: Do you know how many are in Task Force Mike? I thought they were not all together.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: About half of the battalion went forward with Task Force Mike, while the other half stayed back in Kuwait with Task Force Charlie. Task Force Mike often broke up into small groups that did different projects.

VEN123: When will Task Force Mike be back in Kuwait?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: It could be this week, but things change often out there, so I can't say for sure.

VEN123: Do you think they will be able to telephone home before next month?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Camp 93 still didn't have email or phones when I left, but other camps did. Sometimes the Seabees got to go to the other camps to get their calls and messages home. I would expect calls will start before the end of the month.

SCOOOBYDEWS: How did you hook up with the Seabees vs. another military branch?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The Ventura County Star wanted to have a reporter with our local battalion. I wanted to tell the story of the war through the eyes of the hometown boys and girls. So I embedded with NMCB4

VEN123: Do the Seabees in Kuwait have access to electrical outlets?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes. Some of the tents have electrical outlets.

VEN123: Do you know what type of work they will do in Guam

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No, when I left, they weren't sure. They expect to do maintenance of some kind, but that's all I know.

SHANASMITH22: Do you think when they reach Guam the mail will get to them much quicker?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Most definitely.

GMCBRONCE: Did you ever feel like you were in imminent danger?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes. Many times. Especially when rockets were going over the convoy or camp. But I was most fearful the night that the Seabees were preparing for an attack by 1,000 Iraqis that never happened.

CBWIFE: What was the most memorable thing about your time in iraq?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Just watching the growth of the Seabees through the experience. And coming across the border of Iraq and having the civilians on the other side wave and blow us kisses.

VEN123: Before you left, how was the relationship with the Iraqi civilians? Did they want us to leave or stay and help rebuild?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The interactions I had with Iraqi civilians were all positive. They were happy the Seabees were there rebuilding their bridges and roads. They worried about the military leaving. I don't know if it has changed since then, but the relationship then was wonderful.

805ROB:Do you feel we are improving life in iraq?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The Seabees were definitely improving life for the Iraqis by rebuilding roads and bridges.

VEN123: How long did each of the bridge projects take. I know of three that my boyfriend was working on. Were all the NMCB4 Seabees doing those bridges, or were there other projects?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: The bridges took four days to a week each, with the earth work taking much of the time. By the time I left, the Seabees had the actual bridge-building down to a science. Often while some Seabees did bridges, the road-building crew smoothed roads or other projects.

VEN123: Did you notice any difference in the activated reservists vs. the full activated military personnel?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Often the reservists had more experience on the equipment, but the full-time military had more military training. They all worked together extremely well.

VEN123: What are the paper's plans for you as a reporter now?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: They told me I had to take a vacation.

805ROB: Going to Disneyland? :)

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes. I'm going to Disneyland next week!!!

VEN123: I hope you have a good time in Disneyland. You deserve it!!!

805ROB: YEAH!!! Say Hi to Mickey for me!!!

VEN123: Will you continue writing articles about the Seabees?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No. not that I know of. Although I will write the story when the Seabees return. I can't wait to see them all again.



VEN123: Will you go back for a follow-up story?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No, I don't think my editors will be sending me back overseas.

VEN123: Did you bring back any war souvenirs you may have found?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No.

VEN123: They said money with S.H.'s picture on it is allowed as a souvenir - since it's worthless. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I don't know. Many Seabees did have some of it though. And one senior chief said that anything but military weapons were OK to bring home.

SCOOOBYDEWS: How many Seabees were you with in Bagdad?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: 200 to 300

WORRIED: On a scale of 1-10 at what level of danger do you think Kuwait possesses?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I think the level of danger in Kuwait is extremely low. The camps are well protected and there are no real threats I can think of. They have to be careful still, but I don't think you should worry too much.

VEN123: What can we do for the Seabees now? What should we be sending?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: If they smoke, send them their brand. If they eat, send them their favorite snacks.

DESIGNGIRL: Were you familiar with the Seabees and what they do before this experience?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I had done a few stories on the Seabees leading up to my embed. But before that, no.

RRAPOSE: There is talk of the guys coming home in August. Do you know anything about this?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I'm sorry. I don't.

VEN123: How long is active duty time? Clarification for the reservist.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Please restate your question.

VEN123: Regardless of the rumors, do the Seabees still have to finish their whole active-duty term, even though they were in a war?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: When I left, there was still confusion about that. I don't know.

VEN123: How was the camp in Baghdad, the soccer stadium?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: It was the best camp of all. After a few days there, we had makeshift showers. The grounds were comfortable. The Seabees were well protected by other military on the perimeter. It was amazing to look at how the Iraqis lived there.

LENA TOUCHE: What happened April 10th my Hubby isn't telling me about?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: I'm sorry. Time and dates are a blur for me. I often had to ask other people what day of the week it was before writing my stories. So I have no sense of what happened on April 10.

CBWIFE: did you get to drive any of the vehicles?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Actually, I drove a bulldozer. It was really really fun.

MODERATOR: We will end this chat at 1:30 p.m. We will try to get to all the questions that have already been submitted. Thank you for participating. Based on the participation of this chat we will consider hosting another at a later date.

805ROB: I could tell you were sad to leave, pneumonia and all, from your summary of events article the other day! It was awesome/

GunnysWife: Thank you for your coverage.

VEN123: God bless all our brave troops! And also, may God bless you all and bring our loved ones home safely and quickly!!

LENA TOUCHE: Ty Dani :o)

805ROB: I read about the children blowing you kisses, did you get any hateful actions, besides gunfire? Was there any resentment from civilians?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: While I was with the Seabees, there were no negative reactions to them, except the gunfire. Seabees on guard often joked with the children and the medics patched the civilians' wounds. It was beautiful.

805ROB: Did you witness any intense military action?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: It was all intense. But I didn't witness any hand-to-hand combat or close range firefights.

VEN123: Could they take tests to promote their rank while in Kuwait?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yes. They would throw their flak vests on the sand and start the tests. They are a resilient and resourceful bunch.

805ROB: Thank you for helping us here to feel the sand, and fatigue too!!! Your articles were great!

VEN123: What was the most moving story you followed while you were over there?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: They were all so amazing. I loved doing stories about how the military had changed people and about how the people changed Iraq. My favorite story was the one was the overview of how the first bridge was built.

CBROSE: How does it feel to be back, knowing everything you saw over there?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Often, it feels like I wish I was still there. Here, I realize how little I actually need to live. The Iraqis, and the Seabees, lived and thrived with so little.

CBROSE: Will you be attending the support group meeting since your return?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: If they invite me.

VEN123: Do you have any contact with the NMCB4 now that you are home?

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: No. Isn't that sad?

TOMGOINS: Dani - I am out here for other tasks. Again thanks. You have my e-mail. Should you need me to pick you up an MRE or two from the commissary let me know. I'll send them to you at the paper. Again, thanks. You did a GREAT JOB.

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Yum. I want a beef enchilada, please. That was my favorite!

SPEAKER_DANI DODGE: Thank you so much for participating in this chat. Thanks again for all the support while I was overseas.

MODERATOR: This chat has officially ended. Please feel free to remain and talk among yourselves. Thank you for participating. Check back with InsideVC.com for future sessions.