Several months ago, I posted in the GC forums, looking for active duty military geocachers who have had the opportunity to find caches in other parts of the world. I received an enthusiastic email from Teach2Learn, informing me of a cacher currently stationed in Iraq. They wrote,

"...Johann Panholtz, an army soldier currently stationed in Iraq, would be a great interview for Today's Cacher. His impact on caching in our area (Louisville, KY and southern IN) has been long lasting even though I never met him personally. His caches live on with others maintaining them and he likes to hear updates on them and even CITO events. He has over 700 finds and even logged a cache in Iraq that he is temporarily maintaining. His profile and gallery show that he obviously loves to cache with his family..."

After following up on Teach2Learn's lead, I made contact with this cacher, better known to his friends and family as John Panhorst. He seems flattered that his reputation has left a positive impression on other cachers. When informed of the email I received, he replied, "Wow, a fan? I don’t remember actually ever hearing of Teach2Learn, but nice to know I “impacted” something. I found out recently that one of the caches on my current home base in Iraq was placed by a friend that I met in the army in Germany back around ‘95-96. He heard about geocaching through my Christmas letter a year or two ago and tried it out. He says he’s hooked and placed the cache for others to maintain after he left...it was a treat to find and a bigger treat to find out it was originally placed by a friend and fellow engineer."

I initially sought military cachers as an avenue to detail experiences of geocaching on a global basis. Though my interview with John could easily fit into many of the sections in Today's Cacher, I've included it in the International section; geocaching in Iraq is not only a world away in geographical terms, but also in terms of caching procedure when compared to caching in the United States.

TC: When and where did you first hear about geocaching?

John: I was on a training rotation to Fort Polk, LA and read about it in Outside Magazine. I don’t know why I remember that. It sounded like a cool sport and better than most vices (drinking, carousing, gambling, etc.). I thought I might even be able to take the family along for some of the friendlier adventures. I bought my first (and only, to date) GPSr right before going on a training trip to Nicaragua. It was a good opportunity to get familiar with it (a Garmin eTrex Venture; bought it because it was green if you can believe the logic) and compare it with the military’s version. The strangest part was the datum on our maps was CONUS NAD 27 even though we were in Central America and other local datums were surveyed (and available). The army does some strange things sometimes; at least the maps here in Iraq are WGS 84.

TC: The majority of your first logged finds are caches located in Kentucky. When were you transferred to Iraq, and how long will you be stationed there?

John: I started geocaching after moving to Fort Knox (a suburb of Louisville, of sorts). My first two caches were by Show Me the Cache (a geocaching legend and hero of mine). He offered advice and encouragement in my early months. I was easily addicted, and now I think I have learned to balance geocaching with the rest of life a bit better than when I logged 50 caches in a single month (Apr 02, I think; 13 in one afternoon/evening...makes me tired just thinking about it). My wife may disagree, like when I delayed getting to my mother-in-law’s for a three hour layover at a train museum to go rooting around in one of the train barns/work shops to find Kentucky’s Merci Train Car, or the delay in Atlanta to find an old NY Stock Exchange trade booth (the old booths are definitely better than the current ones on the floor in New York City).

I deployed to Iraq in May 2004 and hope to be back in a relatively short six months in November, but it is a bit early for me to think too seriously about coming home; flexibility is sometimes defined as the ability to live with the unknown. Some call living with the unknown "stress". I am a US Army officer working for the Corps of Engineers both back home (or what I call home lately) in Savannah and here in Iraq. The job here in Iraq has been more fulfilling work wise because of the quantity of work going on and the ability to influence the many aspects of construction projects.

TC: How does caching in Iraq compare and/or contrast to caching in the states? Are there any limitations placed on where you can cache because of the theater of operations, and are you required to tell your superiors where you're going?

John: Comparison? Limited. You really have to use the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid...so newbies can find something. That said, the caches I have placed here would not be the “best” for someone just learning. Although one of the sergeants in a local unit creates “land navigation” challenges for his platoon and recently sent one to me; just like caching, but not posted to geocaching.com. Very well done and I need to go back because I didn’t find the actual container, but the in-between steps were creative, consistently themed, and required the use of UTM for coordinate format.

Limitations? Common sense rules. Off-sets and unimportant areas without revealing too much of what it is in the area is important because geocaching.com is what we call an “open source”, or accessible to anyone. Accountability is important too, so soldiers inform someone where they are going even if it’s just to eat, to go to bed or watch a movie. Luckily, the caches can be done enroute or are close-by. While on the installation, you are about as safe as you can be here. Unfortunately, I only know of one “true” Iraqi cache that is available to all: the Over the Tigris and through the woods... cache. Otherwise, you need to be a member of the coalition because 1) the rest of the caches are located on coalition bases (mostly US, but I know of at least one Dutch run area: Camp Smitty. Local Iraqis are not allowed to bring GPSr on our bases due to security concerns, so that would prevent them from participating.

TC: I would imagine that you may run into obstacles while caching there that we in the states wouldn't see.

John:I don’t travel much and I don’t know of anyone who travels around here just to travel; you go where you have to and stay. I have been fortunate enough to be at places where caches were (although the two in Mosul turned up gone even though I was at the right spot for both). The one near Kirkuk has coordinates that are about thirty-five miles off, but I was able to zero in on it with some help from the last finder.

The uniform standard (dress code) changes depending on the threat level. You don’t see many geocachers wearing flak vests in the states, but they're not uncommon here. Although, you can see from one photo for MIGs on Parade that sometimes we get to wear our physical training uniform (like when we do physical training), but with guns. I only know of one geocacher that consistently carries a weapon while caching, but he is a police officer. I’m a cop’s kid, myself, so this does not seem odd to me; my father used to carry a gun everywhere, just part of the job although I do remember trying to hug higher and not around the waist so I wouldn’t bump his revolver.

There have been several days where I might have tried to go look for or plant a cache while we were in an increased state of alertness and I was not able to. God has been good to me and I wouldn’t want to take extra chances. Nothing that you wouldn’t expect in a “war zone.”

TC: As we both know, ammo cans make great cache containers. However, are there any risks associated with hiding an ammo can there? Are there any other containers that you wouldn't recommend hiding because of your present location?

John: I have pondered this several times. My preferred container back in the states is an ammo can...just hard to beat for color, durability, size, water resistance (I weighted one with lead to keep it underwater in a lake once), and price. Over here, though, it’s just not worth the risk of increasing anyone’s paranoia. I have only placed clear Tupperware, Altoids, or 35mm containers here. I also started using a sticker on my caches (and have decorated a few others’caches also) to help muggles identify what it is and to help cachers know it’s the cache and not some pot user's stash. My sticker design was even approved by the powers that be at geocaching.com. Also, where containers are placed is highly important (but that goes for everywhere, doesn’t it?).

TC: I'm curious; are you, or other military personnel allowed to use government-issued GPS receivers when caching, or must you use your own personal equipment?
John:I don’t know. I use my Venture almost exclusively. I’m okay with the military version, and have found my familiarity with datums and coordinate formats to be very useful. One version of the military GPSr (a very common one) came out in the late 80’s or very early 90’s, and thus is not very user friendly (think about Windows 3.0 when it first came out since it is comparable technology). Lots of tricks to know. I have set up “land navigation” courses for units deploying to Afghanistan, Airport Security, and Iraq, using ideas from geocaching to turn unusual parts of military installations into training areas for practice use of GPSr. Of course, at the start of the training I make all the “know it alls” give me their personal, easy to use GPSr’s so they have to use the military equipment. Military GPSr usage is important for many reasons, but two common ones are jamming and spoofing. Jamming results in no satellite lock or positions. Spoofing results in error being introduced and inaccurate position results. Although selective availability is not currently in use, it could be switched back on (don’t start rumors on the forums, I have no specific information, I just know if it was needed, it could be used). Then, only the military GPSr would be as accurate as what we are used to now and soldiers would be unable to use their personal models, making knowledge of how to use the military version very important. GPSr technology is built into many of our newer systems and definitely helps in everything we do. Of course, just like new computers and cell phones back home, if you don’t take the time to learn how to use it, it’s just a paperweight.

TC: One of your caches is named "Beware, Be Wary, and Barry Manilow". How did you arrive at this unique name? Are you a Barry Manilow fan, or "fanilow"?

John: Part of my growing up, I suppose. I have somehow gotten into a rut on naming caches as “Beware (something)” or “(rank/title) (name) (something)” More rocket attacks were going on at the time I was working on this cache, so I was sweating it out in a bunker. I was thinking about a cache name starting with Beware, then I started jumbling the name to Be Wary, and somehow Barry Manilow slipped out. I liked the name so I used it, although the song “Mandy” has never been the same for me since I found out the “great nosed one” found his inspiration from a dog for that song. I like dogs, but it skewed the song for me. Perhaps I’ll do a cache named for the “Jewish Elvis” Neil Diamond in the near future (not sure if that’s politically correct, but I heard the title from someone else and it stuck in my head). I usually try to ensure three things in my stateside caches: difficult drive/parking or at least uncertainty, nice on the ground route (that’s why I use multiples a lot because I want people to go from point A to point B for the view and/or challenge), and a decent search.

Speaking of stuck in my head, perhaps I should mention locationless (or reverse locationless) caches. I’m handicapped in the way I think (I’m not trying to make light of your disability; do people always apologize when using the word handicap around you?), and by being an engineer. I analyze the world around me all the time and make connections so I get a lot of “a-ha!” moments. So, after scanning a Buxley list of locationless caches, I can’t help but recognize Yellow Jeeps, Mom & Pop Hotels, Flag Poles, and Wyland Art (although I’m still looking for a mural of my own). I try (most of the time) to play by the current rule set, so I don’t worry about whether locationless finds are real finds or not. If you can meet the criteria, then a find is a find. Some are real challenging, some require a lot of homework, and some are just stupid/easy. That goes for lots of other physical caches, too. I feel more satisfaction from finding ones I had to research, like Frank Lloyd Wright (found! after getting a loaner from the library), Statue of Liberty Replicas (Boy Scouts) (found on my tenth anniversary!), and Viquesney's Doughboy (still looking). I also have two books on Seymour Johnson (archived and I never found it) and one on Baltimore Fish [Fish Out of Water] (still looking).

TC: Have you been able to recruit new military cachers? Do you ever have the opportunity to cache with friends stationed with you?

John: I think. I’ve posted flyers where allowed. I made my own flyer (approved by the powers that be at geocaching.com) to carry back in Savannah to help explain to the casual muggle that wanted to know what I was doing in a bunch of public park bushes. But now, I like the one from Geocaching U best (much better than my drab black print on colored paper). Although I know of several cachers in the military, I haven’t ever been stationed close enough to really team up. I generally cache alone but have tried to get the family together more and more (when Saturday’s aren’t taken over by soccer, baseball, etc.). I am planning on holding a geocaching event here in Iraq because I think I can get 15+ people to show up and it would allow me to explain some of the nuances of caching here versus the states (the states or any non-war zone being soooooooooooooooooooo much better).

TC: Reading your logs, I keep seeing references to owls. What's the deal?

John: Depending on your source of information and location, we are in a desert, or steppe. The wildlife is not readily abundant after farm animals, but the birds seem plentiful. Pigeons are as big as osprey, magpies are as big as ducks, and there's a decent (and growing) population of owls. Barn owls, I believe. I had read the reports of hooting going on for Balad Micro Cache #1, so I stuck my camera into an opening and let the flash do the work and captured the photo I posted. Later, I returned to grab a picture of some travel bugs at this bunker and discovered the bunker entrance and how to get to the base of the ladder. I also brought a flashlight. I discovered not one owl, but three adults and three fledglings. Then, while waiting for the International Space Station on top of a different bunker (it’s a big airbase here), I was attacked off and on for about twenty minutes by a pair of owls. I assume they had youngsters nearby and just being near the entrance gave them reason to try and run me off. I’ve never seen owls in the wild until now. Generally, owls are considered a bad omen in Iraq. Iraqi farmers kill them if they find them. The owls have had a chance to repopulate here because they are relatively unmolested (except by geocachers like me).

TC: Of all the caches you've found, which is the most memorable, and why?

John: I’m sure a common answer is that’s “too tough.” I could name a most memorable, but a few memories that come to mind at the moment follow. I saw my first Eagle “in the wild” while geocaching in Wisconsin. I took a tumble, picked up a cool scar and experienced shock from blood loss descending from Rim of the City Cache. This was one of those mortality-educating caches where I started to become a believer in caching with others. My wife still can’t believe our children went to the top of the cliff where The Oolitic Limestone Cache is located. I saw my first alligator “in the wild” while geocaching in Mississippi, looking for Johnson SP. The three older kids still talk about “feather ridge” in Indiana when we took a shortcut to Precious (i.e. proving you can get lost even with a GPSr) and found lots and lots of turkey feathers (and sinkholes) while navigating our way back to the car...everybody earned a milkshake out of that one. I saw the International Space Station fly by Iraq one morning in September (NEVER would have discovered how to do that without geocaching). There are just too many memorable events; caching definitely improves my quality of life while wandering God’s creation. I've also realized how many memories my family and I have of geocaching that aren't even recorded in the logs, like Emilee’s first find (my third child) and the way my youngest mispronounces “geocaching.”

TC: They say that "Home is where the heart is". Where is home for you, and what do you miss the most?

John: Savannah, Georgia. The items listed on my geocaching.com page are pretty accurate: “WAAS, geocaching, tree (a nickname for my wife, Theresa), not wearing a helmet, kids, civilian clothes”. But not in that order.