Okay. I understand that I have written in 3 months. Last deployment, I didn't have internet access all the time so this way as way for me to reach out to my family. Now that I do have it in my room, I suppose I'm neglecting my journalistic duties. Any way, I've had a very long couple of days and some longer weeks coming up so I'll keep this brief but its a teaser if you will. I promise to write more. On the quick side, I started my online grad school two weeks ago. Its incredibly interesting and I have discovered that if I actually do all the readings, my grades are better. Who knew? I think it also helps that I'm not distracted by football, girls, and alcohol (not necessarily in that order) during this collegiate trip.
The school supply drive. I can't do it justice with just a few sentences so my next post will be about it. Needless to say, it is taking off like a bat out of hell (which once the weather starts to warm up here, its gonna feel like it). Thats all I have for now. Hopefully a quick trip will result in us getting some mail tomorrow. I would say I would cause great harm and mass destruction if we don't get any (its probably around 3 weeks now I would say) but unfortunately the rules of engagement prohibit me in such areas (sorry, intentional dig).
94, out.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Re: My thoughts on the surge
So it appears that I am published writer now, lol. Check out the link and read the comments on the side given by the troops. Top billing!!!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-12-02-afghanistan-hearing-senate_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-12-02-afghanistan-hearing-senate_N.htm
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Adventures of Flat Stanley
This blog post is for Sarah, a little girl from San Diego, whose mom is a business associate of my stepmom Louisa. Sarah, I apologize that this is a little late. First, the mail getting to Afghanistan isn't very fast sometimes and second, we've been pretty busy lately but I was finally able to get some time and teach Stanley a few things. Here is the account of our adventures.
It was finally the day that I got to sit down with Flat Stanley and teach him a few things. The first that Stanley and I did was make improvised tourniquets for a first aid class that we would be teaching the Afghan National Police. Let me do a little back story first. My job in the Army is a called a forward observer. That means that I call for and adjust artillery and mortars (think big cannons) and I also work with attack helicopters, fighter jets, and bombers. I also make sure that my platoons radios are all working properly. When I am back in the states, I also jump out of airplanes and helicopters. Our mission in Afghanistan is to help train the Afghan National Police to make sure that they provide security to the Afghan people.
One of the most important things about first aid is to make sure that if someone is wounded, you have some way of controlling and stopping the bleeding. A tourniquet is a great tool for that. We wanted to make to teach the ANP how to make very simple tourniquets, so Stanley and I worked on some. We first took about two feet of engineer tape (its about an inch wide and made out of very strong cloth) and then we tied a knot with a loop on one end. On the other end we tied a small piece of wood to it. After that we took two Gatorade cap rings and put them on the tape. The purpose behind this is that when someone is wounded, you wrap the tape around either the arm or the leg (depending on where you are injured). You then take the piece of wood (or whatever long, sturdy object you can find) and put it into loop on the other end. You then twist until the bleeding stops. Once it stops, you put both ends of the object into the Gatorade rings to hold it in place. Its not high tech, but it definitely works
So the day came for us to teach the class and let me tell you that Stanley and the ANP both did a g
reat job. You’ll see in the picture that Stanley was able to help out when the ANP practiced putting the tourniquets on. We first taught the ANP about how to control bleeding put putting pressure on a wound. We then moved on to the tourniquet portion. After that we took them all outside and had them work on doing what we call “buddy carries”. That basically means we showed them three different ways of carrying a wounded person to safety. After that we finished up and Stanley and I took a break for lunch.After lunch, I should Stanley how to use some of the tools that I have. The
first thing I did was show him the M4 rifle that I have. This is my primary weapon and I take it everywhere I go. I made sure that he understood that you always treat a weapon like its loaded and that safety is the most important thing. After making those points, I taught Stanley how to fire the weapon and load a magazine. As you can see, it was a little big for him and unfortunately it was raining outside so we couldn’t go to the range. Once we finished up with that, I showed him how to disassemble it, clean it, and put it back together. Stanley did a great job. Once we finished with the rifle, we moved on to my favorite part: showing S
tanley how to use a radio! Like I said, my job involves using a radio a lot, so naturally I am pretty good at it. I showed Stanley the radio that I keep on my body armor every time we go out on patrol. I taught him how to talk on it, get a radio check, input frequencies, change batteries, fill it with communications security, and what to do if it wasn’t working. He did a great job and I was very proud of him for catching on so quickly. We did several radio checks with other radios and each time he came in loud and clear!
tanley how to use a radio! Like I said, my job involves using a radio a lot, so naturally I am pretty good at it. I showed Stanley the radio that I keep on my body armor every time we go out on patrol. I taught him how to talk on it, get a radio check, input frequencies, change batteries, fill it with communications security, and what to do if it wasn’t working. He did a great job and I was very proud of him for catching on so quickly. We did several radio checks with other radios and each time he came in loud and clear!As we finished up with the equipment training, we found out that a
helicopter had come in with all sorts of mail for us. It was especially exciting because we don’t normally have mail fly into our fire base; we have to drive about 35 miles to pick it up. I received several care packages full of letters, beef jerky, candy, and other stuff. Stanley helped me open all of them and then made sure that I wrote everyone a thank you e-mail to everyone who sent me something. I made sure to share some of the contents with Stanley. As you can see, he really enjoyed the tuna, Nerds Candy, and some beef jerky.At the end of the day, Stanley was pretty tired and so was I! All in all, it was a really good day and Stanley decided to stick around for a bit longer! He said he has really enjoyed his time here and that he didn’t want to leave anytime soon! He did a great job on everything and he makes a very good soldier! (Sarah, I will do my best to try and get him back to you. We don’t have a post office here and I don’t know when I will get to one. I hope you enjoyed this!)
94, out.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
My thoughts on the surge
Before I deployed, I saw something about being a military panelist on a variety of topics for usatoday.com. Being the enterprising writer that I am, I decided to sign up. Here is the e-mail and subsequent response I sent. Enjoy.
Dear USA TODAY Panelist*,
Thank you very much for your participation on the Panel. In anticipation of the president's speech on Afghanistan tonight, we'd like to get your thoughts for our coverage tomorrow. Have you or do you know someone who has spent time in Afghanistan? If so, can you tell us a little bit about your experiences? How would you advise the president on troop levels there? Will you be watching his speech tonight? We look forward to hearing from you.
Have a nice day,
Desair Brown
USA TODAY
Ms. Brown,
I am currently serving in Afghanistan on my second deployment. I didn't watch the speech, but since we have been here (three months now) we have been hearing quite a bit about the proposed troop "surge". In all honesty, I think it is an excellent idea. I have never been to Iraq, but I know that Afghanistan is a much larger country with a much more spread out population base. The key to winning in Afghanistan is getting to those population bases. The reason that we were able to draw down in Iraq is because of the influx of troops and materials and the ability for the troops to get into the population centers and root out the insurgents.
This is not to say that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the same; there is a vast difference. Iraq at least had some sort of infrastructure to work with prior to the invasion. No such infrastructure exists here. We essentially have had to build a country and a government from scratch. We have had our successes but we have also had our failures. Both are to be expected when working with a diverse group. I say diverse because you have to factor in not only the ethnic groups (Pashtun, Tajik, etc.) but the divisions that exist between them. On the day of President Karzai's second inauguration, the town we are based right outside of was hit by a suicide bomber, killing 11. I cannot go into the details, but the main purpose behind the attack was a score to settle in a tribal blood feud.
This is what a majority of the American public doesn't understand. We are trying to root out the Taliban while trying to pacify tribal conflicts all with currently a 1/3 of the manpower as Iraq when the surge was at its peak (over a much larger and tougher to access area). This is why the 30,000 additional troops are the beginning of whats needed. The more forces we have, the more access and ability we will have to get into the hard to reach areas and flush out the Taliban.
The key, however, is making sure that these forces are properly emplaced. Without a shadow a doubt, the number one priority is locking down the border with Pakistan. Its no secret that the Taliban receives a majority of their supplies and training from the uncontrolled regions in Pakistan's Western Frontiers. Once we are able to lock down the border, we can begin to squeeze the Taliban. They'll have no where to run to and their logistical ability will be severely hindered.
The second priority is ensuring that the troops are properly emplaced. Send them to the areas under Taliban control and force them out. By no means will it be easy but it is necessary. The lack of Taliban influence will allow the local forces to operate and facilitate the growth of an GIROA backed infrastructure. My platoon is currently are part of President Obama's strategy of training and mentoring local police forces. We are lucky to have a good police chief who is anxious to work with us and ensure that his area is secure. We now have the winter months to further train and patrol with our ANP comrades. Once the spring comes, we shall see if our training has paid divedends. This is a war that will be won by the contributions of platoons and companies and the NCO's and junior officers within them. We are ultimately the ones out there everyday interacting with the locals, training the Afghan forces, and hunting down the Taliban. Whatever strategies President Obama and General McChrystal come up, it is up to us to ensure that they are implemented and followed.
I will comment briefly on two mistakes I believe that the policy makers have made. I believe that this strategy of putting more forces in the country has come about 8 years too late. No one can ever take away the successes and accomplishments of the Special Forces community during the early stages of the war. The lethality and precision in which they dismembered and destroyed the Taliban and Al Qaida forces has been unmatched in history. That wasn't enough, however. Forces needed to be sent there to root out the remaining pockets of enemy forces. Unfortunately, the leadership in place at the time became misguided and distracted with the opportunity to strike at Iraq and we are now seeing the effects of the negligence of Afghanistan from 2003-2007. Had we focused on Afghanistan, we would not be facing the dilemmas we have now.
Second, I think it was mistake to issue a time table. It sets a precedent for all the naysayers to go by and if the job isn't completely finished in 18 months, then we have failed. As I stated earlier, we wil have our successes and failures. If we continue to commit to rebuilding and securing Afghanistan, we must know that it will take time. Allow us to be creative and find solutions that work, instead of rushing to get something in place by a certain time. On the lighter side, however, President Obama was right in saying that forces will be coming back to the U.S. in 2011. It will be the forces that will have started their 12 month deployment in 2010.
So those are my thoughts.
94, out.
Dear USA TODAY Panelist*,
Thank you very much for your participation on the Panel. In anticipation of the president's speech on Afghanistan tonight, we'd like to get your thoughts for our coverage tomorrow. Have you or do you know someone who has spent time in Afghanistan? If so, can you tell us a little bit about your experiences? How would you advise the president on troop levels there? Will you be watching his speech tonight? We look forward to hearing from you.
Have a nice day,
Desair Brown
USA TODAY
Ms. Brown,
I am currently serving in Afghanistan on my second deployment. I didn't watch the speech, but since we have been here (three months now) we have been hearing quite a bit about the proposed troop "surge". In all honesty, I think it is an excellent idea. I have never been to Iraq, but I know that Afghanistan is a much larger country with a much more spread out population base. The key to winning in Afghanistan is getting to those population bases. The reason that we were able to draw down in Iraq is because of the influx of troops and materials and the ability for the troops to get into the population centers and root out the insurgents.
This is not to say that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the same; there is a vast difference. Iraq at least had some sort of infrastructure to work with prior to the invasion. No such infrastructure exists here. We essentially have had to build a country and a government from scratch. We have had our successes but we have also had our failures. Both are to be expected when working with a diverse group. I say diverse because you have to factor in not only the ethnic groups (Pashtun, Tajik, etc.) but the divisions that exist between them. On the day of President Karzai's second inauguration, the town we are based right outside of was hit by a suicide bomber, killing 11. I cannot go into the details, but the main purpose behind the attack was a score to settle in a tribal blood feud.
This is what a majority of the American public doesn't understand. We are trying to root out the Taliban while trying to pacify tribal conflicts all with currently a 1/3 of the manpower as Iraq when the surge was at its peak (over a much larger and tougher to access area). This is why the 30,000 additional troops are the beginning of whats needed. The more forces we have, the more access and ability we will have to get into the hard to reach areas and flush out the Taliban.
The key, however, is making sure that these forces are properly emplaced. Without a shadow a doubt, the number one priority is locking down the border with Pakistan. Its no secret that the Taliban receives a majority of their supplies and training from the uncontrolled regions in Pakistan's Western Frontiers. Once we are able to lock down the border, we can begin to squeeze the Taliban. They'll have no where to run to and their logistical ability will be severely hindered.
The second priority is ensuring that the troops are properly emplaced. Send them to the areas under Taliban control and force them out. By no means will it be easy but it is necessary. The lack of Taliban influence will allow the local forces to operate and facilitate the growth of an GIROA backed infrastructure. My platoon is currently are part of President Obama's strategy of training and mentoring local police forces. We are lucky to have a good police chief who is anxious to work with us and ensure that his area is secure. We now have the winter months to further train and patrol with our ANP comrades. Once the spring comes, we shall see if our training has paid divedends. This is a war that will be won by the contributions of platoons and companies and the NCO's and junior officers within them. We are ultimately the ones out there everyday interacting with the locals, training the Afghan forces, and hunting down the Taliban. Whatever strategies President Obama and General McChrystal come up, it is up to us to ensure that they are implemented and followed.
I will comment briefly on two mistakes I believe that the policy makers have made. I believe that this strategy of putting more forces in the country has come about 8 years too late. No one can ever take away the successes and accomplishments of the Special Forces community during the early stages of the war. The lethality and precision in which they dismembered and destroyed the Taliban and Al Qaida forces has been unmatched in history. That wasn't enough, however. Forces needed to be sent there to root out the remaining pockets of enemy forces. Unfortunately, the leadership in place at the time became misguided and distracted with the opportunity to strike at Iraq and we are now seeing the effects of the negligence of Afghanistan from 2003-2007. Had we focused on Afghanistan, we would not be facing the dilemmas we have now.
Second, I think it was mistake to issue a time table. It sets a precedent for all the naysayers to go by and if the job isn't completely finished in 18 months, then we have failed. As I stated earlier, we wil have our successes and failures. If we continue to commit to rebuilding and securing Afghanistan, we must know that it will take time. Allow us to be creative and find solutions that work, instead of rushing to get something in place by a certain time. On the lighter side, however, President Obama was right in saying that forces will be coming back to the U.S. in 2011. It will be the forces that will have started their 12 month deployment in 2010.
So those are my thoughts.
94, out.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A rollercoaster I never want to ride again and a bright idea
So, Halloween. I'm sure everyone had a good time. Its that fun time of year where you can dress up as the latest pop culture icons (I saw that Jon and Kate were popular this year) and go out and party and search for candy. I personally went as a paratrooper deployed to Afghanistan. Well anyways, my Halloween will now be forever memorable because I was involved in my very first (and hopefully last) vehicle rollover. Now you have to understand, Afghanistan doesn't have a very good infrastructure. One of the signs of the a good infrastructure is the development of road. We, however, were travelling on one of those "nondeveloped" roads. We were heading out to a checkpoint to train some of the Afghan National Police. This checkpoint is on top of a hill that overlooks a large portion of the Helmand River valley. Mind you, my truck is a 19 ton Mine Resistant Vehicle. The road we took was fairly narrow and up hill and our first two trucks made it up slowly. As we moved up, the road started to give way and we were stuck. We attempted to push forward a bit, but that was a no go. It was at this point that we got our gunner down and we moved a bit in reverse and then it just all went to hell. We were already carrying a heavier than normal load of equipment and call it momentum or whatever but the end result was the picture you see above.
I was seated in the corner nearest the ANP vehicle you see. Now, we didn't roll that much, just a 90 degree roll and I was strapped in real tight. I hardly moved. Hats off to our driver for tying everything extra that we had down. Could be a different story today if he hadn't. Myself, the medic, and the gunner all got out of the vehicle within a minute. The great thing is that the MRAP has doors that open outwards in back, so it was just a matter of getting enough strength to push them open (they are 500 pound doors). Yeah, with all the adrenaline I had at this point, it wasn't much of an issue. The rest of the platoon was on us within 10 seconds and we then worked on getting our driver and truck commander out. Since they had regular doors, it was a little bit more difficult to pull them open but we were able to manage. Once everyone was out, I immediately grabbed my radio and headed up the hill that you see the picture taken from in order to get comms and let our higher know what was going on. All told, it was a pretty long night. I was able to get a couple of helicopters to provide some overwatch for us during the recovery effort. Once we got our company headquarters there to help pull security as well as bring a wrecker, it was just a matter of time before we rolled out of there. 16 hours after we went over, we were able to refit and head back out to Charlie Mike (Continue Mission). I'll be the first to admit, however, I get a little nervous anytime we are driving and we start to go up a hill or incline.
As for my bright idea, I'm sure many of you who read this have heard from my parents about the idea that I came up with. As a back story, we went into the town of Deh Rawood and conducted a canvas about how people felt about the election being cancelled and other issues they might have. I made the mistake of making an off hand comment to my lieutenant that I had done something similiar when I was in college and spent the summer of 2004 registering people to vote. He looked at me and smiled and said "well, you'll get a chance to do it again today". One of the men I talked to told me that his biggest issue was the schools. He said that they didn't have enough educated teachers to properly prepare all the students in the school and that there was also a lack of materials. What really struck me, though, was that villagers with very little schooling were offering to be teachers even though they didn't have a formal education.
Apparently, my LT heard some of the same sentiments from the elders that he talked to. They said that they wished for their girls to be educated but that there were no female teachers available. The overarching issue was being able to provide security for all of this (something that we are handling) but the underlying issues were lack of supplies, teachers, and facilities. I'm not sure at what point it hit me; it could have been something I had been dwelling on for awhile or maybe when I was gathering up all these interviews and assessing them and prepping them for higher, but an idea hit me. Why couldn't we start some sort of campaign to help these kids out. If we can get them educated, they will be less likely to fall prey to the preachings of the Taliban.
All of this was inspired by the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, now head of the Central Asia Institute, which builds and develops school in the Northen Pakistan/Afghanistan border area. I listened to it as I was driving back to North Carolina from Iowa following my block leave this summer. If you haven't read it, I urge you to. While I am, self-admittedly, a large advocate for raining some serious hatred and discontent on those that attack us and target innocent civilians, I have also bought into the policy that we need to arm the younger generations of Afghans with knowledge from schools not sponsored by religious zealots.
There is a real opportunity in Deh Rawood. If we can get this district headed in the right direction, I have no doubt that outlying districts will get the picture. We are wrapping up the security here. The Taliban have already proved that they don't want to fight us here. Here is my pledge/idea/challenge, call it what you will: We need school supplies. Notebooks, papers, pens, pencils, backpacks, etc. I know that there are several student organizations at Central College (my alma mater) that are ready to start collecting and sending supplies. If they get a chance to read this, I say thank you and to contact me on Facebook so I can share some more ideas. I also ask that people begin a letter writing campaign to the Central Asia Institute, urging them to take a look at this district and possibly begin some sort of program to get educated teachers here. It might be a tad ambitious but it also could be the start of something special. Deh Rawood could begin to be a beacon for the rest of the country to follow.
Reaper 94, out.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Butterflies
I miss the glory days. Problem is, I never got to participate in them. I was standing around the truck today with five other NCOs from my platoon while we were observing the Afghan National Police and their Dutch mentors conduct a traffic control point and somehow we started discussing past wars. The topic of Normandy came up and we all agreed how mind blowing the casualties numbers from that operation were. Then it moved onto Vietnam and how the lifespan of a 2nd or 1st Lieutenant landing on a hot LZ was anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. Knowing my fondness for all things indirect fire and close air support and making it look like the right hand of God just made an appearance, one of the other NCO's looked at me and said, with a smile, "You would have a really good time there." Unlike Afghanistan now, the Rules of Engagement were a tad looser when it came to dropping artillery rounds and bombs.
I started to think about that statement and how I somewhat missed the boat on being able to bring all sorts of weaponary down from the heavens. I mean, its on my mind all the time. My answer to whenever we are posed the question "what would you do if you saw a vehicle coming your way at a high rate of speed?" is always and will forever be "hope that air is on station and put a 500 lb bomb right through the windshield." I thought about all the books I read during AIT and Airborne school about the early phases of the war in Afghanistan when Special Operations forces broke the back of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in several major engagements due to their ability to call in precision air support. I wish I could have done that, but alas, the time has passed. See, I'm not much of a close up engagement guy. I'll let the infantry guys have all that fun. Don't get me wrong; I'll stand and fight like a bunch of pissed off hornets but my preferred method of engagement is sitting on a mountain or rooftop with a map, a TACSAT radio, and a Vector laser rangefinder and watching things go BOOM.
While that may be my dream (and it may still happen), our mission is not one of watching millions of taxpayers dollars cause destruction. Instead it is working in our district to ensure that police are doing their job and getting the materials necessary to build themselves up. While it is the not ideal job for a platoon of skilled paratroopers, it is what we have been tasked with. We all may gripe about the ROE and how we have to present a kindler and friendlier image, deep down I think we all know that in the end, it will result in a higher chance of us coming back in one piece.
So far, things are going good. I've finally got all my "toys" that I have been asking for from my company command. Is it more stuff to back in the truck? You bet, but it also allows me to be a lot more accurate in my targeting (if and/or when the time calls for it) and make sure that the right people go away if they decide to come and fight us. Radios will still give me a fit of rage every now and then, but its nothing that 15 seconds of cursing won't fix. I've actually gotten pretty good at diagnosing what may or may not be the issue. I'm quite proud of myself on that one.
I've also noticed something here that gives me a nice moment of peace everytime I see them. Butterflies. When my sister Mallory died when I was 4, I was sitting next to my Mom when we buried her. According to my Dad and Aunt Lynne, I noticed several butterflies flying around and remarked to my Mom, "Look, there goes Mallory!". I heard that story for the first time this summer from Lynne while I was on leave, and upon returning to North Carolina, I found a celtic butterfly design and took it to my tattoo artist to have two butterflies(My Mom and Mallory) tattooed on my upper right arm (a design so intricate, he commented, that he will never do it again but he thanked me for the business, lol). Now, it seems, everytime we are out and are making a halt, I see a butterfly flying around, like my own little personal protection right behind the 35 lbs of body armor and the 19 tons of armor on the truck. I'm sure I haven't seen one everytime, but when I do, I know that I'm covered. Its a pretty nice feeling.
Oh yes, by the way, I am located right next door to the Dutch base where I spent three weeks at on my last deployment. We go over there every week to meet with them and observe the training of an ANP class. Needless to say that once they saw my name tape, I was an instant celebrity. Apparently the Dutch like seeing one of their own represented among the American forces. I always like going over there because it makes for good conversation and telling them about how Pella (my birthplace in Iowa) is more Dutch than the Dutch themselves. Plus, they have really really good coffee.
Reaper 94, out.
I started to think about that statement and how I somewhat missed the boat on being able to bring all sorts of weaponary down from the heavens. I mean, its on my mind all the time. My answer to whenever we are posed the question "what would you do if you saw a vehicle coming your way at a high rate of speed?" is always and will forever be "hope that air is on station and put a 500 lb bomb right through the windshield." I thought about all the books I read during AIT and Airborne school about the early phases of the war in Afghanistan when Special Operations forces broke the back of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in several major engagements due to their ability to call in precision air support. I wish I could have done that, but alas, the time has passed. See, I'm not much of a close up engagement guy. I'll let the infantry guys have all that fun. Don't get me wrong; I'll stand and fight like a bunch of pissed off hornets but my preferred method of engagement is sitting on a mountain or rooftop with a map, a TACSAT radio, and a Vector laser rangefinder and watching things go BOOM.
While that may be my dream (and it may still happen), our mission is not one of watching millions of taxpayers dollars cause destruction. Instead it is working in our district to ensure that police are doing their job and getting the materials necessary to build themselves up. While it is the not ideal job for a platoon of skilled paratroopers, it is what we have been tasked with. We all may gripe about the ROE and how we have to present a kindler and friendlier image, deep down I think we all know that in the end, it will result in a higher chance of us coming back in one piece.
So far, things are going good. I've finally got all my "toys" that I have been asking for from my company command. Is it more stuff to back in the truck? You bet, but it also allows me to be a lot more accurate in my targeting (if and/or when the time calls for it) and make sure that the right people go away if they decide to come and fight us. Radios will still give me a fit of rage every now and then, but its nothing that 15 seconds of cursing won't fix. I've actually gotten pretty good at diagnosing what may or may not be the issue. I'm quite proud of myself on that one.
I've also noticed something here that gives me a nice moment of peace everytime I see them. Butterflies. When my sister Mallory died when I was 4, I was sitting next to my Mom when we buried her. According to my Dad and Aunt Lynne, I noticed several butterflies flying around and remarked to my Mom, "Look, there goes Mallory!". I heard that story for the first time this summer from Lynne while I was on leave, and upon returning to North Carolina, I found a celtic butterfly design and took it to my tattoo artist to have two butterflies(My Mom and Mallory) tattooed on my upper right arm (a design so intricate, he commented, that he will never do it again but he thanked me for the business, lol). Now, it seems, everytime we are out and are making a halt, I see a butterfly flying around, like my own little personal protection right behind the 35 lbs of body armor and the 19 tons of armor on the truck. I'm sure I haven't seen one everytime, but when I do, I know that I'm covered. Its a pretty nice feeling.
Oh yes, by the way, I am located right next door to the Dutch base where I spent three weeks at on my last deployment. We go over there every week to meet with them and observe the training of an ANP class. Needless to say that once they saw my name tape, I was an instant celebrity. Apparently the Dutch like seeing one of their own represented among the American forces. I always like going over there because it makes for good conversation and telling them about how Pella (my birthplace in Iowa) is more Dutch than the Dutch themselves. Plus, they have really really good coffee.
Reaper 94, out.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Dining under Moonlight
So, we were out on patrol and did an overnight stay at one of our checkpoints. I was happy to stop because that ment grabbing some chow and a bedding down until I had to pull my guard shift in the morning. I just figured on munching on an MRE would be my dinner and after that, I would set up the medical stretcher and crash out on there. Not the case. I was called over to a small grassy area adorned with rugs that earlier I had seen being used as a meeting area for our platoon leadership, Afghan National Police leaders, and elders from a nearby village. I already had an idea what was coming but it was simply confirmed when a large plate of bread, rice, and chicken appeared before me. Good thing, too, because I was starving.
Now, the meal wasn't anything spectacular. I've had better, I've had worse. It was more the setting that gave me pause for a moment. Here I am, three years and some change removed from college sitting in a remote part of Afghanistan, eating a local meal under the moonlight, and learning a little bit of Pashto, all while being able to see millions of stars. It was just kind of surreal. Dr. Suess' book "Oh, The Places You'll Go" popped into my head. The places I have gone indeed.
The next morning we just did a presence patrol into the town. It was really just about getting to know some of the merchants in the town and getting their opinion on what they like and what could be done better. My job was just to monitor our platoon radio frequency and pass any info along to our LT and pull security to make sure nothing happened. Pulling security can be pretty boring because its hot and you are bored, but I just had to suck it up. Eventually, some of the boys that ran around in the village let their curiousity get the best of them and started to come up to me. Now, granted, there is a pretty significant language barrier between us but there is the universal language of making faces at each other. That game went on for about 20 minutes until we graduated to the high five game. It didn't last too long, but one of the boys started pointing to some of the gear I was carrying and signalled that he wanted to see it. Knowing that Afghani kids have sticky fingers, I didn't hand anything over but I just showed them what it was. They were all fascinated with my watch for some reason. It was cool to interact with the local kids, even though I couldn't understand what they were saying, I was able to pick up a few words. One down note, though, I did make one little kid cry. I looked, smiled, and waved, and he wasn't having it, although with all my gear on, I can understand how I would look scary to him.
Not much else has been going on. I'm doing my best to stay in shape but our schedule can throw that off a bit. I did a ruck march around the base last week (17 laps) with my NVGs on and that was pretty cool. The world just seems a bit different through that green glow. I'm fighting what I think is the flu right now. I was pretty much racked out from 1230 yesterday afternoon to 730 this morning, so I'm still a little groggy as I write this. Baseball season is over for me, but my football teams continue to sport an unblemished record. Ahh, waking up at 530 on sunday mornings over here to catch the scores is much nicer when they are victories.
94, out.
Now, the meal wasn't anything spectacular. I've had better, I've had worse. It was more the setting that gave me pause for a moment. Here I am, three years and some change removed from college sitting in a remote part of Afghanistan, eating a local meal under the moonlight, and learning a little bit of Pashto, all while being able to see millions of stars. It was just kind of surreal. Dr. Suess' book "Oh, The Places You'll Go" popped into my head. The places I have gone indeed.
The next morning we just did a presence patrol into the town. It was really just about getting to know some of the merchants in the town and getting their opinion on what they like and what could be done better. My job was just to monitor our platoon radio frequency and pass any info along to our LT and pull security to make sure nothing happened. Pulling security can be pretty boring because its hot and you are bored, but I just had to suck it up. Eventually, some of the boys that ran around in the village let their curiousity get the best of them and started to come up to me. Now, granted, there is a pretty significant language barrier between us but there is the universal language of making faces at each other. That game went on for about 20 minutes until we graduated to the high five game. It didn't last too long, but one of the boys started pointing to some of the gear I was carrying and signalled that he wanted to see it. Knowing that Afghani kids have sticky fingers, I didn't hand anything over but I just showed them what it was. They were all fascinated with my watch for some reason. It was cool to interact with the local kids, even though I couldn't understand what they were saying, I was able to pick up a few words. One down note, though, I did make one little kid cry. I looked, smiled, and waved, and he wasn't having it, although with all my gear on, I can understand how I would look scary to him.
Not much else has been going on. I'm doing my best to stay in shape but our schedule can throw that off a bit. I did a ruck march around the base last week (17 laps) with my NVGs on and that was pretty cool. The world just seems a bit different through that green glow. I'm fighting what I think is the flu right now. I was pretty much racked out from 1230 yesterday afternoon to 730 this morning, so I'm still a little groggy as I write this. Baseball season is over for me, but my football teams continue to sport an unblemished record. Ahh, waking up at 530 on sunday mornings over here to catch the scores is much nicer when they are victories.
94, out.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rejuvenated
If you followed my blog on my last deployment, you'll remember well that I somewhat bemoaned the fact that I didn't get a chance to really do the job I was trained for. Definitely not the case this time. I actually get to play forward observer. Its a great feeling. I'm excited once again to wake up and see what I have to do for my job.
This time around, the blog is gonna be pretty scarce on details and I'll try to share more experiences and feelings. Starting off with that, I can say that I'm in central Afghanistan. I'm living on a FOB with the basic amenities. A nice chow hall, a good gym, and internet access. The only thing I am waiting on in my Xbox and TV (hint hint Dad :) ) and the other care packages that are packed and ready to go (Thanx Tiffany). We are sharing the FOB with some other soldiers and they have been great hosts so far. They've helped me procure some items that I don't have and in return I am trying to help them get some stuff and I'm teaching some call for fire to them. Its nice to have people come up to you and say "hey, we're lacking in this skill and since you are the subject matter expert, can you help us out?"
I've been trying to follow the news lately and a few things caught my eye. I'm may be turning into my Dad here but some of the comments and actions coming out of Washington on the war are frustrating. Sen. Carl Levin says he doesn't support sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in what is being called a "surge" which was similar to the one in Iraq. He says we need a surge of Afghan forces. He is correct on that front, I will give him that. He is horribly wrong on the other account. Afghanistan is not like Iraq. There aren't the number of major population centers like there are in Iraq. This is about as rural of a country as it gets. There is one major highway running through the country. One. Thats it. 60,000 troops don't have the resources to get into all the communities and help train the forces. In some areas of the country, the only way equipment can get to soldiers is via air because A. the roads are either not capable of handling it or they have too many IEDs B. there are no roads. Even air is tricky proposition because there are too many flights to make and the weather can be crappy.
What frustrates me the most is a lot of these politicians are criticizing the war when they haven't been in the military or even been deployed. I'm not sure if Sen. Levin has ever been to Afghanistan and seen what it is like. I'm guessing that a lot of the talking points are being put together by aides who have read reports and just want to get the Senator relevant in the public light. The one thing that pisses everyone off in the military from the highest general to the lowest grunt, is having someone tell us how to do our job without actually having been in our shoes. If we say we need more troops and equipment to get the job done, there better be little hesitation. Everyone proclaims that we need to win the war on terror, but when the military offers suggestions on how to do, it seems like it is being second guessed. Let us do our job and stop interfering.
Also, if I made a smartass comment to my commander while he was giving a speech, I would have so much pain and discomfort inflicted on me that I would want to crawl in a hole and die. You may not like the man, but respect the position. Keep that in mind the next time the President makes a speech.
Finally, I applaud Rep. Duncan Hunter for proposing that Medal of Honor recepients make up a panel to review and recommend whether a servicemember be awarded the MOH. An excellent idea because, again, it gives people who have been in combat a say in how a soldier is recognized for gallantry.
Oh, my unit is NOT one of the 82nd units to be extended.....yet. We'll see.
94, out.
This time around, the blog is gonna be pretty scarce on details and I'll try to share more experiences and feelings. Starting off with that, I can say that I'm in central Afghanistan. I'm living on a FOB with the basic amenities. A nice chow hall, a good gym, and internet access. The only thing I am waiting on in my Xbox and TV (hint hint Dad :) ) and the other care packages that are packed and ready to go (Thanx Tiffany). We are sharing the FOB with some other soldiers and they have been great hosts so far. They've helped me procure some items that I don't have and in return I am trying to help them get some stuff and I'm teaching some call for fire to them. Its nice to have people come up to you and say "hey, we're lacking in this skill and since you are the subject matter expert, can you help us out?"
I've been trying to follow the news lately and a few things caught my eye. I'm may be turning into my Dad here but some of the comments and actions coming out of Washington on the war are frustrating. Sen. Carl Levin says he doesn't support sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in what is being called a "surge" which was similar to the one in Iraq. He says we need a surge of Afghan forces. He is correct on that front, I will give him that. He is horribly wrong on the other account. Afghanistan is not like Iraq. There aren't the number of major population centers like there are in Iraq. This is about as rural of a country as it gets. There is one major highway running through the country. One. Thats it. 60,000 troops don't have the resources to get into all the communities and help train the forces. In some areas of the country, the only way equipment can get to soldiers is via air because A. the roads are either not capable of handling it or they have too many IEDs B. there are no roads. Even air is tricky proposition because there are too many flights to make and the weather can be crappy.
What frustrates me the most is a lot of these politicians are criticizing the war when they haven't been in the military or even been deployed. I'm not sure if Sen. Levin has ever been to Afghanistan and seen what it is like. I'm guessing that a lot of the talking points are being put together by aides who have read reports and just want to get the Senator relevant in the public light. The one thing that pisses everyone off in the military from the highest general to the lowest grunt, is having someone tell us how to do our job without actually having been in our shoes. If we say we need more troops and equipment to get the job done, there better be little hesitation. Everyone proclaims that we need to win the war on terror, but when the military offers suggestions on how to do, it seems like it is being second guessed. Let us do our job and stop interfering.
Also, if I made a smartass comment to my commander while he was giving a speech, I would have so much pain and discomfort inflicted on me that I would want to crawl in a hole and die. You may not like the man, but respect the position. Keep that in mind the next time the President makes a speech.
Finally, I applaud Rep. Duncan Hunter for proposing that Medal of Honor recepients make up a panel to review and recommend whether a servicemember be awarded the MOH. An excellent idea because, again, it gives people who have been in combat a say in how a soldier is recognized for gallantry.
Oh, my unit is NOT one of the 82nd units to be extended.....yet. We'll see.
94, out.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Off we go....
So, a quick post. I'm off to Afghanistan. Not gonna go into the details of our travel plans, but it about a week and a half I will be at my final destination in country. A quick update I believe is in order. I was holdijng the position of an E-6 as an E-5 and because of some personnel moves, an E-6 was available and came and took over my position. I moved down to one of the platoons and am now serving as a platoon FO. I'm very excited about being able to FINALLY do the job I've been trained for. I learned alot as an FSNCO but I'm glad I don't have all the responsibilites. I can just focus and do my job and not as much paper work (Amen to that). Thats about all I have right now, but I'll write more when I get in country.
94, out.
94, out.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Its been awhile.
I realize that it has been 6 months since I last posted something and the mood struck me to write so I figure I would drop a short line. I'm headed back to Afghanistan shortly and I will do my best to update on my thoughts and experiences, as well as include some pictures this time of what life is like. It will be a bit more austere living than the last time, so internet and phone access could be a bit dodgy.
A little update on me. I am still at Ft.Bragg and I have my own Fire Support team. As per my usual jobs, its a rank above what I am currently at and I should be going to the promotion board at the end of the year for my E-6. I'm still trying to jump out of aircraft whenever I can although I've been sidelined for awhile with a slight fracture in my kneecap from flag football during All-American week in May. Yes, its the same leg that I destroyed my ankle playing football in college. Just no luck there. I am dating a very beautiful and amazing girl namedTiffany, who lives near Raleigh. I am very lucky to have met her and while she is not thrilled about me going to Afghanistan, we had a mini test of me being deployed when I went down to Louisiana in April for training and I had to battle mosquitos and crappy cell phone coverage just to talk to her. We made it through that so hopefully the year will go by quickly.
Other than that, I am anxious to deploy. I'll actually get to do my job this time (much to the dismay of.....well.....everyone that knows me) so I am excited about that. I can't say much, but we have an interesting mission that should allow us to make an impact into the area we are going. Anyway, I will try and blog more (I've said that before but I'll follow through this time) and keep ya updated on all the events going on with me. For security reasons, I am gonna hold back on posting my address but if you would like it, just leave a comment with your e-mail address and I can send it to ya or hit me up on Facebook.
95A, out.
A little update on me. I am still at Ft.Bragg and I have my own Fire Support team. As per my usual jobs, its a rank above what I am currently at and I should be going to the promotion board at the end of the year for my E-6. I'm still trying to jump out of aircraft whenever I can although I've been sidelined for awhile with a slight fracture in my kneecap from flag football during All-American week in May. Yes, its the same leg that I destroyed my ankle playing football in college. Just no luck there. I am dating a very beautiful and amazing girl namedTiffany, who lives near Raleigh. I am very lucky to have met her and while she is not thrilled about me going to Afghanistan, we had a mini test of me being deployed when I went down to Louisiana in April for training and I had to battle mosquitos and crappy cell phone coverage just to talk to her. We made it through that so hopefully the year will go by quickly.
Other than that, I am anxious to deploy. I'll actually get to do my job this time (much to the dismay of.....well.....everyone that knows me) so I am excited about that. I can't say much, but we have an interesting mission that should allow us to make an impact into the area we are going. Anyway, I will try and blog more (I've said that before but I'll follow through this time) and keep ya updated on all the events going on with me. For security reasons, I am gonna hold back on posting my address but if you would like it, just leave a comment with your e-mail address and I can send it to ya or hit me up on Facebook.
95A, out.
Monday, February 23, 2009
A small clarification....
Apparently, there is some minor misunderstanding on the nature of my job. Check out this link on wikipedia.org and it will explain to you exactly what I do. Its pretty sweet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery_observer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery_observer
Friday, February 20, 2009
Catch-22
This, by no means, is a slam against the Army. Far from it. It is merely an observation on how self improvement in the Army is strongly encouraged yet if you want to get ahead, you have to supply your own resources. Take my case, for example. Next week, I am slated to attend the 82nd's Pre-Ranger Course. This is a trial run, if you will, in order to see if a trooper has what it takes to attend and succeed in the U.S. Army's prestigious Ranger School. A little background about Ranger School first. It is designed as a leadership school that will test you when you are cold, tired, hungry, sore, and haven't slept in 4 or 5 days. Its a 9 week crucible designed to simulate combat conditions. In short order, its a real big ass kicker, but the pay off is worth the suck. When guys come away from Ranger School, they are authorized to wear a small black and gold (or subdued on our ACUs) tab that simply says "Ranger". Its simple but it says a lot about you.
Like I mentioned, I am trying to go. First, I have to get through Pre-Ranger (or PRC from here on out). Now, in order to succeed, the PRC cadre have designed a required packing list that is about 3 pages long. Now, will I need certain things on there...oh hell yes. Are there certain things on there that I might need, but may not use? Absolutely. There is also a highly likelihood that there are items that I will never touch. Now, the part that caught my attention was that Ranger School is highly encouraged (or damn near required in some units at Ft. Bragg) yet the supply system gives very little help in attempting to secure items on this packing list. The onus of responsibility falls on the individual to go out and purchase all these items. Now, I'm not complaining at all. I'm sure that somewhere during my Army career I will find a use for these items; I'm just remarking that this school is encouraged by the units yet when its comes to trying to secure items to ensure that you won't be dropped from the course for failure to have the right gear, the supply chain magically disappears.
Again, its not a criticism, just an acute observation. Pre-Ranger starts on Tuesday and assuming I make it through the two week course, I will hopefully start Ranger School on the 24th of March. Other than preparing for that, my life has been pretty calm. I need to find a way to exit an aircraft here shortly or else I'll be looking at the Army taking back some of my pay. I just finished with a very interesting class that I can't go into detail about but I had a very good experience and learned some valuable skills. The word on our deployment is sometime this fall but since this is the internet and I like having a security clearance I can only say that its Afghanistan once again.
You might be wondering (or maybe not) about the title change of my blog post. Well, seeing as I'm not in Afghanistan for the time being, I figured a change was needed. If you were curious (and again you may not be) Delta 95 is my call sign any time I am on the radio. Since I got promoted, I was put in charge of all fire support for Delta Company of 1/508. That means that I am the head enlisted soldier for all the fire supporters in Delta Company...........all 2 of them (myself not included obviously). Keeping with my Army tradition of being one rank and working in a slot a rank above, this is an E-6 position so me being an E-5 and given this responsibility says something. Its possible that right around the time we deploy or shortly after, I could be getting some looks for my 6 so we'll see. Other than that, I will try and write a bit more now and then. Obviously over the next few weeks I'll be busy but at least I got some more thoughts and musings on here.
All the Way.
Like I mentioned, I am trying to go. First, I have to get through Pre-Ranger (or PRC from here on out). Now, in order to succeed, the PRC cadre have designed a required packing list that is about 3 pages long. Now, will I need certain things on there...oh hell yes. Are there certain things on there that I might need, but may not use? Absolutely. There is also a highly likelihood that there are items that I will never touch. Now, the part that caught my attention was that Ranger School is highly encouraged (or damn near required in some units at Ft. Bragg) yet the supply system gives very little help in attempting to secure items on this packing list. The onus of responsibility falls on the individual to go out and purchase all these items. Now, I'm not complaining at all. I'm sure that somewhere during my Army career I will find a use for these items; I'm just remarking that this school is encouraged by the units yet when its comes to trying to secure items to ensure that you won't be dropped from the course for failure to have the right gear, the supply chain magically disappears.
Again, its not a criticism, just an acute observation. Pre-Ranger starts on Tuesday and assuming I make it through the two week course, I will hopefully start Ranger School on the 24th of March. Other than preparing for that, my life has been pretty calm. I need to find a way to exit an aircraft here shortly or else I'll be looking at the Army taking back some of my pay. I just finished with a very interesting class that I can't go into detail about but I had a very good experience and learned some valuable skills. The word on our deployment is sometime this fall but since this is the internet and I like having a security clearance I can only say that its Afghanistan once again.
You might be wondering (or maybe not) about the title change of my blog post. Well, seeing as I'm not in Afghanistan for the time being, I figured a change was needed. If you were curious (and again you may not be) Delta 95 is my call sign any time I am on the radio. Since I got promoted, I was put in charge of all fire support for Delta Company of 1/508. That means that I am the head enlisted soldier for all the fire supporters in Delta Company...........all 2 of them (myself not included obviously). Keeping with my Army tradition of being one rank and working in a slot a rank above, this is an E-6 position so me being an E-5 and given this responsibility says something. Its possible that right around the time we deploy or shortly after, I could be getting some looks for my 6 so we'll see. Other than that, I will try and write a bit more now and then. Obviously over the next few weeks I'll be busy but at least I got some more thoughts and musings on here.
All the Way.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Army reposes special trust and confidence in........
First off, I want to apologize for not posting for nearly 10 months. After the last blog post in Kandahar last year, we began to transition over to the 101st and we moved out of our building that had internet access and it became more difficult to get computer time to write. After we got back to the states in April, I had so much free time on my hands to be able to do some of the stuff that I didn't get a chance to do during deployment that the blogging kind of slipped by the wayside. So, in preparation for another deployment, I will do my best to keep you updated of all my goings on.
In case you are wondering (which I'm sure several of you are lol) the title of the blog is alluding to a promotion. Yes, thats right. After nearly two years as a Corporal, I was officially promoted to Sergeant yesterday. Its nice because people will finally stop asking me when I put on my E-5 or when I go to the board. See, as a Corporal, its really only supposed to be a temporary position while you are waiting to put on Sergeant. Since I got promoted to Corporal so soon, I don't think anybody really had any idea what to do so they just let me keep it for awhile. That is no more, however. I am full Sergeant now and we get paid tomorrow, so we will see how much of a pay increase it is. That is about all I have for now. Our schedule will be picking up a bit in the future and during February I will hopefully be attending the 82nd Pre-Ranger course with a class date for Ranger School starting at the beginning of March and running through the first week of May. In the next couple days, I will try and put another blog or two together to fill you in on the last few months.
All the Way.
In case you are wondering (which I'm sure several of you are lol) the title of the blog is alluding to a promotion. Yes, thats right. After nearly two years as a Corporal, I was officially promoted to Sergeant yesterday. Its nice because people will finally stop asking me when I put on my E-5 or when I go to the board. See, as a Corporal, its really only supposed to be a temporary position while you are waiting to put on Sergeant. Since I got promoted to Corporal so soon, I don't think anybody really had any idea what to do so they just let me keep it for awhile. That is no more, however. I am full Sergeant now and we get paid tomorrow, so we will see how much of a pay increase it is. That is about all I have for now. Our schedule will be picking up a bit in the future and during February I will hopefully be attending the 82nd Pre-Ranger course with a class date for Ranger School starting at the beginning of March and running through the first week of May. In the next couple days, I will try and put another blog or two together to fill you in on the last few months.
All the Way.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Just a thought.....
Since I am officially enjoying a DONSA (Day Of No Scheduled Activity....I love the Army and its acronyms) I figured I would write one or two thoughts that popped up in my head. Other than returning from the Dutch FOB, the biggest thing that happened this past week was the USO tour that came through on Thursday night. The trip featured CNNSI writer Peter King (you can read his account of the trip here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/03/04/uso-trip/index.html and here is a separate link to his notes about Kandahar: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/03/07/uso.trip.friday/index.html take note of the section where he talks about asking trivia questions in Kandahar and the question about Chargers defensive tackle Luis Castillo's college town and team nickname. Yeah, thats right, I got the question right and won a DVD player. How bout them apples?!), the aforementioned Luis Castillo of the San Diego Chargers, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears, and defensive end Mike Rucker of the Carolina Panthers. It wasn't much more than a meet and greet. Mr. King asked the players (who by the way, would scare the living shit out of any Taliban they would meet. Take note professional athletes, join the war effort and we could be outta here in about 3 years. These guys were massive.) about what they thought about playing against the recently retired Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. The best one came from Mike Rucker who told us about a Monday Night Football game in which Rucker set the Carolina franchise sack record by bringing down Favre. When he did, Rucker leaned into Favre and asked him if afterwards, he would sing his jersey. Favre smiled and obliged. Great stuff. He also asked the players where their favorites places to play were. As a proud Kansas City Chiefs fan, I perked up when two of the three said Arrowhead Stadium (Land of the Free, home of the CHIEFS!)
Instead of taking one of the mini footballs that the USO was handing out, I used my "green" book to secure the autographs of the players and Mr. King. Mr. King was intrigued by this because he saw everyone carrying one around and wanted to know what we used it for. Just notes and what not, but it seemed like he got a kick out of hearing about it. A very genuine and cool sportswriter. Inspiration, perhaps? As I was walking out of there, it got me thinking about how appreciative all the guests had been about what we are doing over there. I think they have an understanding on how difficult our jobs can be sometimes. I would go through and reiterate what some of them said, but thats what the links are for (hint, hint). My thoughts also drifted back to what the Dutch and British troops said when I was working with them. They don't get this type of support. Maybe it is because their countries didn't receive the initial blow in the War on Terror, but Great Britain certainly has been a target since.
Perhaps it is a cultural difference. Read the history books and you can understand why the British aren't exactly thrilled to be in this part of the world. Take a trip through Holland and you can see why the Dutch aren't overly enthusiastic supporters of the war. I told them about the reception I got in Dallas when I came home on leave. They weren't awestruck, but I got the sense that they missed be able to have that experience. It makes sense, though. You come over here for anywhere from 4 months (the Dutch) to 15 months (yours truly) and when you get back, you would appreciate a little gratitude. Not much, but a thanx is always nice to hear. Again, its just nice to have some well known people take time out of their life to come over here and see what we are doing. To us, we are just doing our jobs. We know what we signed up for and the risks that come with it. To hear other people say "We risk a knee when we go out on the playing field. You risk your life. You're the heroes" gives you that little reaffirmation that what we are doing the right thing. I also think that its interesting that the United States is the only country that organizes these little moral boosting trips. You don't see any other countries doing this. Just food for thought.
My take on some current and world events. Way to go, Prince Harry. Yes, you got pulled out of Afghanistan, but you still went. That says loads about your character. By the way, if the Taliban had tried to pull anything and attack the base he was at, it would have been the dumbest move they ever could have made. There would have been so many aircraft in the area it would have looked like O'Hare at Christmas. The U.S. election runups......I'm not even going to comment on it. Just get the damn thing sorted out. What is with the rash of shooting concerning colleges? I have only been out of college for a little under two years, but what is going on?! Whatever happened to the good ol' days of if you had a problem you went to the bar, had a few drinks, and then shake some light poles on campus until the plastic globe on top fell off and then wake up the next morning and go to class? Listen, if you have all that pent up energy, join the Army. Shoot the Taliban, not your fellow students and professors. Spring Training has started and the season is only a month away. I am very optimistic about the Cubs this year. Anybody can have a bad century. Now the next 100 years are going to be filled with Wrigley Field dominance. Finally, I turn 24 next month. That is two birthdays I have spent over here. I think it is time to go home.
All the Way.
Instead of taking one of the mini footballs that the USO was handing out, I used my "green" book to secure the autographs of the players and Mr. King. Mr. King was intrigued by this because he saw everyone carrying one around and wanted to know what we used it for. Just notes and what not, but it seemed like he got a kick out of hearing about it. A very genuine and cool sportswriter. Inspiration, perhaps? As I was walking out of there, it got me thinking about how appreciative all the guests had been about what we are doing over there. I think they have an understanding on how difficult our jobs can be sometimes. I would go through and reiterate what some of them said, but thats what the links are for (hint, hint). My thoughts also drifted back to what the Dutch and British troops said when I was working with them. They don't get this type of support. Maybe it is because their countries didn't receive the initial blow in the War on Terror, but Great Britain certainly has been a target since.
Perhaps it is a cultural difference. Read the history books and you can understand why the British aren't exactly thrilled to be in this part of the world. Take a trip through Holland and you can see why the Dutch aren't overly enthusiastic supporters of the war. I told them about the reception I got in Dallas when I came home on leave. They weren't awestruck, but I got the sense that they missed be able to have that experience. It makes sense, though. You come over here for anywhere from 4 months (the Dutch) to 15 months (yours truly) and when you get back, you would appreciate a little gratitude. Not much, but a thanx is always nice to hear. Again, its just nice to have some well known people take time out of their life to come over here and see what we are doing. To us, we are just doing our jobs. We know what we signed up for and the risks that come with it. To hear other people say "We risk a knee when we go out on the playing field. You risk your life. You're the heroes" gives you that little reaffirmation that what we are doing the right thing. I also think that its interesting that the United States is the only country that organizes these little moral boosting trips. You don't see any other countries doing this. Just food for thought.
My take on some current and world events. Way to go, Prince Harry. Yes, you got pulled out of Afghanistan, but you still went. That says loads about your character. By the way, if the Taliban had tried to pull anything and attack the base he was at, it would have been the dumbest move they ever could have made. There would have been so many aircraft in the area it would have looked like O'Hare at Christmas. The U.S. election runups......I'm not even going to comment on it. Just get the damn thing sorted out. What is with the rash of shooting concerning colleges? I have only been out of college for a little under two years, but what is going on?! Whatever happened to the good ol' days of if you had a problem you went to the bar, had a few drinks, and then shake some light poles on campus until the plastic globe on top fell off and then wake up the next morning and go to class? Listen, if you have all that pent up energy, join the Army. Shoot the Taliban, not your fellow students and professors. Spring Training has started and the season is only a month away. I am very optimistic about the Cubs this year. Anybody can have a bad century. Now the next 100 years are going to be filled with Wrigley Field dominance. Finally, I turn 24 next month. That is two birthdays I have spent over here. I think it is time to go home.
All the Way.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The End is Near
Okay, I broke my promise to write more. My only defense is that since I last wrote, I have been very very busy. I will try and bring you all up to speed on what has happened since then. Once I got back from leave, I found out I was moving to 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment down in Kandahar. I was very excited about the move because it got me out of Brigade and a chance to actually do my job instead of just being a desk jockey. It took me a couple days to get down there, but once I did, it was straight into training and getting used to the battle rhythm down here.
My time in Kandahar (or KAF, Kandahar Air Field) was short lived because in the middle of February I headed out to the Uruzgan Province and to FOB Hadrian to act as a liaison to the Dutch battle group that would be supporting a battalion mission near the Helmand River. I got there on Valentine’s Day and just got back last night. Hence the reason for the lack of blogs lately.
Okay, my time at Hadrian. It was definitely an excellent time working with the Dutch. Perhaps it was because I am Dutch (a fact that took the Dutch soldiers about 5 minutes to pick up) or that my job consisted of constantly being on the radio, something that made me feel like I was actually contributing to something. The hospitality at the FOB was amazing. We immediately had living quarters as soon as we arrived and at no time during my stay were there any frustrating cultural moments. The best thing about my time there was the fact that I got to hang out and work with a great group of guys. I think they had more fun teaching me Dutch phrases and then having me trying it out on some of the ladies on the FOB. I also learned some very good insults, but I promise I will not use them when I come home J.
It was interesting to have conversations with some of the Dutch people just because of some of those aforementioned cultural differences. They were absolutely astonished that we put up with 15 month deployments (not like we really have a choice). They usually do 4 months and then have a year or so at home. The 82nd used to do something like that. Maybe once we get a new president we can go back to that (wishful thinking). A lot of the conversations ended up discussing American politics and things of the sort. I am so incredibly relieved to have spent 6 months in Europe a few years ago because I feel like I was able to give a far more informed and wide view perspective when it came to answering those questions. I was able to understand where the Dutch where coming from when they gave their opinions. Talking with them also made me appreciate being in the U.S. Army because when they come home from a deployment there are no people greeting them at the airport. Its like they just returned from a vacation. Needless to say, the war is viewed a little differently over there.
I also worked with three gentlemen from the British Royal Air Force. I was thrilled when one of them said he was from Wales because I was finally able to have a proper rugby conversation again. All three were very good guys and I was able to go out to the range with a couple of them and do a “weapons exchange program” where I taught them how to fire my rifle and they did the same thing. I got some good pictures from that.
The end of this mission also signaled the last time that this battalion is going out for this deployment. Hearing all the stories made me wish that I had been assigned here when I first got to the 82nd. You would be hard pressed to find anybody here that wouldn’t say we are more than likely the most lethal Army unit in the world right now. The unit’s mission has been to be the Theater Tactical Force in Afghanistan, so wherever there was trouble, they were sent there. Needless to say, the Taliban have taken some major blows from this battalion. I am very proud to say I have been a part of it, even if it has only for a month so far.
I’m trying not to make this too long, but I feel like I owe some opinions. The end of my deployment is probably the biggest thing on my mind right now. As I am sure you have figured out, it has been somewhat of a frustrating experience for me. I’ll try not to get too wound up, but I have found myself waking up some days just been very bitter at the hand I have been dealt. I’ll start thinking that I didn’t enlist just to sit behind a desk and work on the computer. If I wanted that, I could have stayed home, with better hours and pay. I’ll do my best to not think about it that way and that I’ll get my chance to actually contribute some time, but anyone who knows me understands that I am not a very patient person and I get frustrated easily.
On a more interesting note, I have started drinking coffee. The Dutch talked me into it and now it is one cream, one sugar for me. I’ll be such a different person when I get home J. I’ve kinda sputtered out here, so I’ll wrap this up. I promise that I will try and give a little bit more insight in the coming days.
All the Way.
My time in Kandahar (or KAF, Kandahar Air Field) was short lived because in the middle of February I headed out to the Uruzgan Province and to FOB Hadrian to act as a liaison to the Dutch battle group that would be supporting a battalion mission near the Helmand River. I got there on Valentine’s Day and just got back last night. Hence the reason for the lack of blogs lately.
Okay, my time at Hadrian. It was definitely an excellent time working with the Dutch. Perhaps it was because I am Dutch (a fact that took the Dutch soldiers about 5 minutes to pick up) or that my job consisted of constantly being on the radio, something that made me feel like I was actually contributing to something. The hospitality at the FOB was amazing. We immediately had living quarters as soon as we arrived and at no time during my stay were there any frustrating cultural moments. The best thing about my time there was the fact that I got to hang out and work with a great group of guys. I think they had more fun teaching me Dutch phrases and then having me trying it out on some of the ladies on the FOB. I also learned some very good insults, but I promise I will not use them when I come home J.
It was interesting to have conversations with some of the Dutch people just because of some of those aforementioned cultural differences. They were absolutely astonished that we put up with 15 month deployments (not like we really have a choice). They usually do 4 months and then have a year or so at home. The 82nd used to do something like that. Maybe once we get a new president we can go back to that (wishful thinking). A lot of the conversations ended up discussing American politics and things of the sort. I am so incredibly relieved to have spent 6 months in Europe a few years ago because I feel like I was able to give a far more informed and wide view perspective when it came to answering those questions. I was able to understand where the Dutch where coming from when they gave their opinions. Talking with them also made me appreciate being in the U.S. Army because when they come home from a deployment there are no people greeting them at the airport. Its like they just returned from a vacation. Needless to say, the war is viewed a little differently over there.
I also worked with three gentlemen from the British Royal Air Force. I was thrilled when one of them said he was from Wales because I was finally able to have a proper rugby conversation again. All three were very good guys and I was able to go out to the range with a couple of them and do a “weapons exchange program” where I taught them how to fire my rifle and they did the same thing. I got some good pictures from that.
The end of this mission also signaled the last time that this battalion is going out for this deployment. Hearing all the stories made me wish that I had been assigned here when I first got to the 82nd. You would be hard pressed to find anybody here that wouldn’t say we are more than likely the most lethal Army unit in the world right now. The unit’s mission has been to be the Theater Tactical Force in Afghanistan, so wherever there was trouble, they were sent there. Needless to say, the Taliban have taken some major blows from this battalion. I am very proud to say I have been a part of it, even if it has only for a month so far.
I’m trying not to make this too long, but I feel like I owe some opinions. The end of my deployment is probably the biggest thing on my mind right now. As I am sure you have figured out, it has been somewhat of a frustrating experience for me. I’ll try not to get too wound up, but I have found myself waking up some days just been very bitter at the hand I have been dealt. I’ll start thinking that I didn’t enlist just to sit behind a desk and work on the computer. If I wanted that, I could have stayed home, with better hours and pay. I’ll do my best to not think about it that way and that I’ll get my chance to actually contribute some time, but anyone who knows me understands that I am not a very patient person and I get frustrated easily.
On a more interesting note, I have started drinking coffee. The Dutch talked me into it and now it is one cream, one sugar for me. I’ll be such a different person when I get home J. I’ve kinda sputtered out here, so I’ll wrap this up. I promise that I will try and give a little bit more insight in the coming days.
All the Way.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Stumbling out of the Gates
First off, I need to apologize to all of those who have regularly kept up with my blog over the past year. I haven’t posted much since August and I regret that. I just need to be inspired to write and I haven’t found much inspiration since then. The next few months will be full of so many transitions and interesting occurrences that I should be able to provide some interesting fodder for everyone.
So, 2008 has started off as kind of a mixed bag. On the glass half full side, I was able to spend the first week and a half at home and have some much needed relaxation time from Afghanistan. I discovered a new favorite drink (whiskey, preferably Jameson’s, and coke). I actually shouldn’t say that I discovered it. I knew what it was before. You could say I embraced it more than anything. That and I finally figured out that a night of drinking mass quantities of beer not only got me stumbling drunk (no, literally, stumbling) but left me with a wicked nasty hangover in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the brews, but if I am out and having a good time, a double shot o’ whiskey and coke is my drink of choice. I’m much more alert, so to speak, and I don’t slur my words as much.
All of my relatives are probably shaking their heads at that last paragraph, but at this point, you pretty much know that I enjoy drinking so just embrace and celebrate that fact. I already learned my lesson a few years ago about the consequences of drinking and driving so we don’t need to worry about that. Back to the good things about the new year. There are so many to list that I could write for another few pages, but the highlights were definitely getting a chance to reconnect with my family and go out and have a really good time with some friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. All of that on top of enjoying some truly excellent food (this is the official shout out to the Sunday Night Dinner Crew at the Links' house).
With the good, however, comes the bad. And in these past three weeks, I have already had my share of frustrating and depressing moments. First off, my aunt is getting treated for breast cancer. I knew about that before I came on leave, but sitting there and talking about it with her just made it hit home all that much. Get better, Kim. To go with that, I found out my grandpa Harry discovered a cancerous lump in his jaw and is getting it treated now. Get better, Grandpa. I know that death is an inevitability in all things, but it still is a kick to the gut to have two very close family members deal with this.
It only gets better. Right before I left, I found out that a guy that was two years behind me in college and who lived in my town house during my senior year committed suicide. Knowing this guy, he is the last person that I would have expected to do something like this, but I imagine that most people say that about the deceased who chose that path. It's incredibly sad because he was one of those people that everybody knew and liked and I can’t imagine how hard it is for the Central College community right now.
The last instance has hit home the most. A buddy of mine, Sgt. David Drakulich, was killed by an IED in Southern Afghanistan on January 9. Drak had been in my section back at Bragg and had been at Salerno until the end of March, when he moved to our Special Troops Battalion and later to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Kandahar. Drak was one of the first guys I met when I came to the 82nd and from the stories and my interactions with him, it was hard not to like the guy. It is hard to describe the guy, but his ambition (when we talked about it once or twice) after the Army was to go to school and eventually teach philosophy or anthropology or to come back to Afghanistan and work with some sort of Afghan outreach program. He actually would be one of the last people in the world you would expect to join the Army, but he went the whole way and was in Ranger Regiment before he came to the 82nd. His stories about his experiences were stuff of legend. Partly because he was such a good story teller (he didn’t over exaggerate but just gave a very vivid picture of the situation and told it from a perspective that you could really understand) but because of the sheer ridiculousness of the instances he told us about. A typical weekend for Drak, much to the chagrin of my NCOs, would be to try and hitchhike a ride to some remote spot in North Carolina and camp for the weekend, living off what he found in the woods and then make his way back. What made Drak great was that he always attempted to put humor into a situation (most of the time it was unintentionally; he would just make a random comment that would make everybody laugh).
I’ve dealt with death quite a bit before, but for some reason I’m still trying to get my head wrapped around all of this. Maybe it is because this is somebody who I could always count on to have an interesting conversation with or maybe because there is a story and personality behind the picture that hangs up on our wall of fallen paratroopers. Perhaps another reason is because it has forced me to come face to face with my own mortality. When you are 23 and in the Army and jump out of airplanes for a living, you always think about it but you don’t dwell on it. Dwelling on it makes it worse and can cause you to get sloppy and then you will get hurt. What the real twist on all this is that I am going to down to Kandahar to 1/508 to essentially fill the position that he left. Talk about a weird situation.
Sorry to put a macabre tone on the last few paragraphs. Just had to get it out there and put in it writing. On the bright side, I only have about two months left in country and then it is back to lovely Ft. Bragg, NC for who knows how long. I’m still working on trying to get reassigned to the Ranger Regiment, but that is kind of on hold right now with the impending move. Oh, my new years resolutions, get in really, really, super good, Ironman tri-athlete shape for the Rangers and post more of my musings.
All the Way.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Stir crazy.....
I apologize for not writing for awhile. Okay, awhile being two months. I could throw out all the usual excuses about not having very much time or not having much to write about, but that would all be malarkey. I have just been neglecting to write anything. So, here I go to try and redeem myself.
When I last wrote, I had about two months until I went on leave. Now, I have one week. I use the term stir crazy because thats about how I am. I'm so anxious to come home for awhile its driving me crazy. The great thing is that everything I do when I'm home will feel like its the first time I've done it. Whats nice is that I'm so anxious and in turn, my days seem to be going by very quickly. It might help that I have some different duties and responsibilities since I returned from FOB Lightning (more on that later) so I don't have to deal with as many things as I did before and my day ends a little bit earlier. Yes, I'm still working 10 hour days but those two hours makes a difference.
Onto my 3 weeks at FOB Lightning. Basically what I was doing was helping the Afghan National Army run an operation. I was responsible to brief to them about all the things that pertained to fires. Now, this turned out to be somewhat interesting because I don't speak Dari nor do they speak very good English. In fact, for the first week and a half, the ANA Colonel who I worked with would come up to me prior to shift change and start asking about what went on during the night. Did I fail to mention he would do this in Dari? I would have to grab an interpreter everytime. It got a little annoying but he eventually caught on. Other than that, nothing real exciting. I probably averaged about two movies and a good hour or two nap per night. Needless to say, it was a pretty different change from the setting of Salerno.
Thats about all I have for now. I'll try and get some more down before I come home.
All the Way.
When I last wrote, I had about two months until I went on leave. Now, I have one week. I use the term stir crazy because thats about how I am. I'm so anxious to come home for awhile its driving me crazy. The great thing is that everything I do when I'm home will feel like its the first time I've done it. Whats nice is that I'm so anxious and in turn, my days seem to be going by very quickly. It might help that I have some different duties and responsibilities since I returned from FOB Lightning (more on that later) so I don't have to deal with as many things as I did before and my day ends a little bit earlier. Yes, I'm still working 10 hour days but those two hours makes a difference.
Onto my 3 weeks at FOB Lightning. Basically what I was doing was helping the Afghan National Army run an operation. I was responsible to brief to them about all the things that pertained to fires. Now, this turned out to be somewhat interesting because I don't speak Dari nor do they speak very good English. In fact, for the first week and a half, the ANA Colonel who I worked with would come up to me prior to shift change and start asking about what went on during the night. Did I fail to mention he would do this in Dari? I would have to grab an interpreter everytime. It got a little annoying but he eventually caught on. Other than that, nothing real exciting. I probably averaged about two movies and a good hour or two nap per night. Needless to say, it was a pretty different change from the setting of Salerno.
Thats about all I have for now. I'll try and get some more down before I come home.
All the Way.
Friday, October 12, 2007
So that’s what Civilization looks like.
[From Kyle via email]
I got the rare opportunity to travel outside the wire this week. I had to pick up a couple of weapons that a couple of our soldiers had brought with them when they got assigned to a different battalion. It was a rather chilly 8 hour flight on a CH-47 around Eastern Afghanistan (You have no idea how badly I had to fight the urge to find a static line and jump). However, it was well worth it because I actually got to see what the rest of the country looked like. It reminded me a lot of Northern Colorado and parts of Montana. Very beautiful place. Too bad we have some hooligans screwing it up.
During my travels, I had a layover at the unofficial military capital of Afghanistan, Bagram Airfield or BAF or the place where all the bi-polar people live (that’s a different story for a different time). Now, coming in was pretty cool because of all the aircraft that are housed there. Getting off the bird and getting into the main part of the base was a culture shock to say the least. There were paved two lane roads and 4 ways stops, sidewalks, green trees, modern restaurants. It was ridiculous. It was like I wasn’t even in Afghanistan. I felt like I had just left Pope Air Force Base and gone back onto Bragg. I was stunned. I had heard about how nice BAF was, but this took me by surprise. Not surprisingly, however, I broke down and went to Pizza Hut. Not quite on par with Happy Joes, but after 10 months without it, I didn’t gripe.
It was amazing, though, the attitude I had while I was there and right after I left. Granted, I’m not living rough by any means (but that’s about to change) but I still felt kind of proud and disgusted at the same time. Proud that I was at FOB Salerno, which actually took rockets and is somewhat on the front lines. Disgusted at how the personnel up in BAF were living. It was nice and everything, but how many of them go outside the wire. Do they actually deserve to wear the combat patch on their right shoulder? I’m not really one to talk, but it's hard to say that you are deployed when you have all these niceties at your leisure.
Another weird instance and one that shows how small the Army is, is when I ran into a guy I went to Basic Training with. I was walking out to the bird and I happened to see this guy and chatted with him a bit. His National Guard unit was deployed here. It was just interesting to see someone who I knew the first day I joined the Army.
I’m still grieving over the Cubs' brief playoff appearance. Its okay, though. I would have been greatly frustrated had they made the World Series and I didn’t have the opportunity to blow my money on tickets. I’m not even going to comment on the state of Iowa Football. I think I forgot to mention that I received an Army Commendation Medal for my work during a few missions this summer. I didn’t really do much, but somebody thought I did a good job. I also will be going before the promotion board in December so I am justifiably terrified about that. I know I will do fine because my NCOs will square me away, but it's still a nerve racking experience to put yourself out there and show that you are deemed worthy to put on those chevrons. Just have to remember to be cool and confident.
All the Way.
I got the rare opportunity to travel outside the wire this week. I had to pick up a couple of weapons that a couple of our soldiers had brought with them when they got assigned to a different battalion. It was a rather chilly 8 hour flight on a CH-47 around Eastern Afghanistan (You have no idea how badly I had to fight the urge to find a static line and jump). However, it was well worth it because I actually got to see what the rest of the country looked like. It reminded me a lot of Northern Colorado and parts of Montana. Very beautiful place. Too bad we have some hooligans screwing it up.
During my travels, I had a layover at the unofficial military capital of Afghanistan, Bagram Airfield or BAF or the place where all the bi-polar people live (that’s a different story for a different time). Now, coming in was pretty cool because of all the aircraft that are housed there. Getting off the bird and getting into the main part of the base was a culture shock to say the least. There were paved two lane roads and 4 ways stops, sidewalks, green trees, modern restaurants. It was ridiculous. It was like I wasn’t even in Afghanistan. I felt like I had just left Pope Air Force Base and gone back onto Bragg. I was stunned. I had heard about how nice BAF was, but this took me by surprise. Not surprisingly, however, I broke down and went to Pizza Hut. Not quite on par with Happy Joes, but after 10 months without it, I didn’t gripe.
It was amazing, though, the attitude I had while I was there and right after I left. Granted, I’m not living rough by any means (but that’s about to change) but I still felt kind of proud and disgusted at the same time. Proud that I was at FOB Salerno, which actually took rockets and is somewhat on the front lines. Disgusted at how the personnel up in BAF were living. It was nice and everything, but how many of them go outside the wire. Do they actually deserve to wear the combat patch on their right shoulder? I’m not really one to talk, but it's hard to say that you are deployed when you have all these niceties at your leisure.
Another weird instance and one that shows how small the Army is, is when I ran into a guy I went to Basic Training with. I was walking out to the bird and I happened to see this guy and chatted with him a bit. His National Guard unit was deployed here. It was just interesting to see someone who I knew the first day I joined the Army.
I’m still grieving over the Cubs' brief playoff appearance. Its okay, though. I would have been greatly frustrated had they made the World Series and I didn’t have the opportunity to blow my money on tickets. I’m not even going to comment on the state of Iowa Football. I think I forgot to mention that I received an Army Commendation Medal for my work during a few missions this summer. I didn’t really do much, but somebody thought I did a good job. I also will be going before the promotion board in December so I am justifiably terrified about that. I know I will do fine because my NCOs will square me away, but it's still a nerve racking experience to put yourself out there and show that you are deemed worthy to put on those chevrons. Just have to remember to be cool and confident.
All the Way.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Updates in the news
Posted by Dave and Louisa:
(Edited 10/12/07)
So the only constant is change - the plans have changed again and he won't be going to a different location until after his mid-deployment leave. I'll still leave these stories up as general updates on the war in Afghanistan.
He would still find it interesting to go out on a mission like this.
And here's a general update on the overall situation in Afghanistan.
(Edited 10/12/07)
So the only constant is change - the plans have changed again and he won't be going to a different location until after his mid-deployment leave. I'll still leave these stories up as general updates on the war in Afghanistan.
He would still find it interesting to go out on a mission like this.
And here's a general update on the overall situation in Afghanistan.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
What a difference 2,190 days makes
[Still being posted via Dad and Louisa.]
I, like the 300 million other Americans, can recall the exact moment when I heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It was 6:44 (PST) and I was living in Spokane, WA. The phone rang and I just had that gut feeling like something was wrong. Fast forward 6 years and I am stationed at an Army base located 100km south of the where the attacks were planned and shaking hands with the Secretary of the Army.
If I hadn't explained it already, 9/11 played a major factor in my decision to join the Army. 60 years earlier, another generation had experienced an attack on a similiar scale and planning. Both were nefarious and deliberate attacks, but this time the enemy was different. During World War II, the military needed numbers. It required large amounts of people to fight another large amount of people. These soldiers needed to be intelligent, but most importantly, they needed to be able to fight. Now, the conflict calls for soldiers who need to be able to fight, but also need to be culturally and political intelligent and aware of the world politics that are involved.
The conflict we are engaged in now is one of the most broad spectrum campaigns in the history of the human race. In previous conflicts, the mentality was "kill the enemy dead". The logic was that if we kill enough of our enemies, eventually they would fold. Now, the fight requires so much more. PsyOps, Information Ops, Intelligence, Special Ops, Humanitarian Assistance. All of these are now necessary components of the fight. It's not a conventional war in the sense of tanks and guns. It's now hearts and minds.
I've gotten sidetracked a bit so let me rezero my sights. I joined in order to prevent another 9/11. I wanted to make sure that my brother and sister (and someday my children and their children) will be able to live in a world that is free of ideological thugs and terrorists. To clarify, the Taliban here are thugs and gangsters. The methods that they have used here are far from ideological. They attempt to push their influence through kidnapping, murder, theft, coercion, racketeering, drug running, and general intimidation. The Taliban that was initially destroyed was a religious movement. The Taliban that we are fighting now is a crime syndicate. They want chaos in this country so they can continue their operations here. The encouraging thing is that now, the people are not allowing it to stand. They are beginning to take efforts into their own hands and rid their areas of these criminals. There is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel.
Al-Qaida utilizes those same methods but on a grander scale with a different overall ideological purpose. Their goal is to create chaos and unrest in hopes of implementing a hyper-conservative 15th century interpretation of Islam. That interpretation includes opposition to any manner of modern development, banning education of women, and using brutal tactics against those who have different ideas. As an American of sound mind and able body, I cannot let that stand. I know my friends and family have wondered why I decided to join the military, when I share a different set of political ideas and opinions from that of my commander-in-chief. All I can say is that despite the differences, the job needs someone to fill it. I am able and interested. Plus, 50 years from now when my grandkids asked me about what I did in response to the attacks, I want to be able to say that I took the fight to the enemy. I tell them I stood up and did something.
As most of you know, I don’t really do much in the grand scheme of things over here. It sucks, but is a necessary evil. My next step, hopefully, will allow me to actually have some say in the manner that my enemy is defeated. The draw of that career field is so strong, I wish my deployment was over now and I could get started on it. They are able to fight the enemy on their own ground and inflict damage and confusion on an incredible scale all the while engaging and training the local populace to defend themselves once we leave. I’m not there yet, I have to start somewhere and this deployment at least gives me an insight into the bigger picture of things before I move onto something more specialized.
All grand things aside, the 9/11 attacks played a huge role in my decision, I think I have established that already. I felt the need to serve my country and the Army offered me the best opportunity to do that. Plus, they are paying off my college loans and telling me that they will pay for a Master’s Degree. And besides, what other job do you know of that allows you to jump out of aircraft at high altitudes, blow stuff up, and look so sharp and professional in a uniform that random people will thank you and pay for your dinner?
Stepping down from my soapbox, the days are getting cooler, shorter, and closer to my leave date. September 11 was indeed an interesting day for me. It gave me reason to ponder what had gone on in my life in the past 6 years and why we are here. It also gave me the opportunity to run a 5k. When religion says that God creates man in His own image, it is apparent that God is not a distance runner. Sprinter, yes. Distance runner, no. I had actually had a decent pace going and would have finished with a semi-respectable time had myself and running partner not stopped after the first lap because we thought we were done. Five minutes later we realized we were not done and started again and subsequently started to cramp up.
I imagine there were several factors at work that contributed to my less-than-stellar time. Perhaps it was the elevation. Perhaps it was the fact that I hadn’t run that much since I have been here (that’s my fault). Perhaps it was the early morning (it was 0530 local when the run started). Or perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve got legs like a throughbred Clydesdale that are designed for short sprints not extended periods.
I mentioned earlier that the Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, came to Salerno. He came to the TOC where he had an impromptu picture (yeah, right, he’s the SecArmy, nothing about this guy is impromptu). I was pulling guard shift as he left so I got to shake his hand, so that was kind of cool. It's weird. People like that travel with such large entourages and it's nothing to see a one-star general and full bird colonel with them. Also, congratulations to my aunt Patty Link for winning a seat on the Des Moines School Board. Please save the celebration until I get home so my Army induced vow of sobriety can end with a bang.
All the Way.
I, like the 300 million other Americans, can recall the exact moment when I heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It was 6:44 (PST) and I was living in Spokane, WA. The phone rang and I just had that gut feeling like something was wrong. Fast forward 6 years and I am stationed at an Army base located 100km south of the where the attacks were planned and shaking hands with the Secretary of the Army.
If I hadn't explained it already, 9/11 played a major factor in my decision to join the Army. 60 years earlier, another generation had experienced an attack on a similiar scale and planning. Both were nefarious and deliberate attacks, but this time the enemy was different. During World War II, the military needed numbers. It required large amounts of people to fight another large amount of people. These soldiers needed to be intelligent, but most importantly, they needed to be able to fight. Now, the conflict calls for soldiers who need to be able to fight, but also need to be culturally and political intelligent and aware of the world politics that are involved.
The conflict we are engaged in now is one of the most broad spectrum campaigns in the history of the human race. In previous conflicts, the mentality was "kill the enemy dead". The logic was that if we kill enough of our enemies, eventually they would fold. Now, the fight requires so much more. PsyOps, Information Ops, Intelligence, Special Ops, Humanitarian Assistance. All of these are now necessary components of the fight. It's not a conventional war in the sense of tanks and guns. It's now hearts and minds.
I've gotten sidetracked a bit so let me rezero my sights. I joined in order to prevent another 9/11. I wanted to make sure that my brother and sister (and someday my children and their children) will be able to live in a world that is free of ideological thugs and terrorists. To clarify, the Taliban here are thugs and gangsters. The methods that they have used here are far from ideological. They attempt to push their influence through kidnapping, murder, theft, coercion, racketeering, drug running, and general intimidation. The Taliban that was initially destroyed was a religious movement. The Taliban that we are fighting now is a crime syndicate. They want chaos in this country so they can continue their operations here. The encouraging thing is that now, the people are not allowing it to stand. They are beginning to take efforts into their own hands and rid their areas of these criminals. There is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel.
Al-Qaida utilizes those same methods but on a grander scale with a different overall ideological purpose. Their goal is to create chaos and unrest in hopes of implementing a hyper-conservative 15th century interpretation of Islam. That interpretation includes opposition to any manner of modern development, banning education of women, and using brutal tactics against those who have different ideas. As an American of sound mind and able body, I cannot let that stand. I know my friends and family have wondered why I decided to join the military, when I share a different set of political ideas and opinions from that of my commander-in-chief. All I can say is that despite the differences, the job needs someone to fill it. I am able and interested. Plus, 50 years from now when my grandkids asked me about what I did in response to the attacks, I want to be able to say that I took the fight to the enemy. I tell them I stood up and did something.
As most of you know, I don’t really do much in the grand scheme of things over here. It sucks, but is a necessary evil. My next step, hopefully, will allow me to actually have some say in the manner that my enemy is defeated. The draw of that career field is so strong, I wish my deployment was over now and I could get started on it. They are able to fight the enemy on their own ground and inflict damage and confusion on an incredible scale all the while engaging and training the local populace to defend themselves once we leave. I’m not there yet, I have to start somewhere and this deployment at least gives me an insight into the bigger picture of things before I move onto something more specialized.
All grand things aside, the 9/11 attacks played a huge role in my decision, I think I have established that already. I felt the need to serve my country and the Army offered me the best opportunity to do that. Plus, they are paying off my college loans and telling me that they will pay for a Master’s Degree. And besides, what other job do you know of that allows you to jump out of aircraft at high altitudes, blow stuff up, and look so sharp and professional in a uniform that random people will thank you and pay for your dinner?
Stepping down from my soapbox, the days are getting cooler, shorter, and closer to my leave date. September 11 was indeed an interesting day for me. It gave me reason to ponder what had gone on in my life in the past 6 years and why we are here. It also gave me the opportunity to run a 5k. When religion says that God creates man in His own image, it is apparent that God is not a distance runner. Sprinter, yes. Distance runner, no. I had actually had a decent pace going and would have finished with a semi-respectable time had myself and running partner not stopped after the first lap because we thought we were done. Five minutes later we realized we were not done and started again and subsequently started to cramp up.
I imagine there were several factors at work that contributed to my less-than-stellar time. Perhaps it was the elevation. Perhaps it was the fact that I hadn’t run that much since I have been here (that’s my fault). Perhaps it was the early morning (it was 0530 local when the run started). Or perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve got legs like a throughbred Clydesdale that are designed for short sprints not extended periods.
I mentioned earlier that the Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, came to Salerno. He came to the TOC where he had an impromptu picture (yeah, right, he’s the SecArmy, nothing about this guy is impromptu). I was pulling guard shift as he left so I got to shake his hand, so that was kind of cool. It's weird. People like that travel with such large entourages and it's nothing to see a one-star general and full bird colonel with them. Also, congratulations to my aunt Patty Link for winning a seat on the Des Moines School Board. Please save the celebration until I get home so my Army induced vow of sobriety can end with a bang.
All the Way.
Friday, August 31, 2007
A reminder of war
[Posted by Louisa as Kyle still doesn't have access restored.]
I had an interesting week. All the Command Sergeant Majors were on Salerno for a conference, including the Division CSM. I had to drive down to the flightline to pick some of them up, and also the day before. I got to sit in on some of the briefings and it was good to hear what they had to say. You get a bigger picture view of things. I got to hear the Army Material Command CSM talk about some of the new equipment that we are going to be getting, especially the new body armor and combat shirt. The combat shirt is really nice. It is like an Under Armour shirt, but just a little bit looser. This way, we don't have to wear our blouses when we go out on missions. Plus, it's more breathable. The body armor is nicer because it covers more and is a tad bit lighter. It also goes on easier.
I drove the Division CSM down to the flightline so he could leave and I received a Division Coin, as well as a Coin from the AMC CSM. I went back to work and got tasked to drive the BDE CSM down to the flightline so he could catch a flight out. Turns out, though, the flight that was taking him to Bagram was also accompanying the remains of a 173rd soldier who was killed earlier that day. I stood outside for the ceremony to put him on the helo. It was a pretty sobering reminder that I am still in a warzone, however different my experience is right now. If something ever were to happen to me, I know that the highest respects would be paid to my remains. People in the military certainly do not treat the death of their own lightly. It's something I will never forget, and it certainly won't be the last time I see something like that.
It wasn't a profound moment in my life, but like I said, I won't forget it anytime soon. You try not to dwell on stuff like that. I've had my fair shares of deaths in my family and seeing this just makes me appreciate what I have even more. I think holidays will be a little bit more different from here on out. I'll try not to get too caught up about this but it certainly struck a chord.
Other than that, things are pretty stable. I am starting to get my stuff together to go before the board. Basically, I am just making sure my records are straight and I am studying up for potential questions that I'm going to be asked. I may not come home on leave as an E-5, but I should be pinning it on sometime after that. I've transitioned to days for the time being, so my schedule is a little funky but it's nice because I am able to work with some of my closer friends. We started to talk the other day about life in general (girlfriends, getting drunk, how many speeding tickets we have gotten and how fast we were going, the last weekend at Ft. Bragg) and one of the things that came up is how different our section is. The three of us that are working days are 21, 23, and 28. All of us have lived on our own, paid our own rent, etc. The other guys in our section are either 19 or 20 (needless to say, they are the designated drivers :) None have lived on their own outside of being in the Army. We were just discussing how there is so much growing up to do between those ages. If we are asked to do something, we just suck it up and do it. We'll take the initiative on stuff if it needs to get done. Sometimes, it is like pulling teeth with the younger guys to get them do something or be responsible for stuff. Like getting up on time. CPL Dykstra's #1 pet peeve. Be at work on time. Don't let me come in and find you asleep.
We're on the back half of our deployment now and I start to see my leave dates. I can't wait. I just need a few weeks away from the TOC and I'll be happy. Plus, once I get back from leave, I'll only have about 11-12 weeks left in country and then I get to go back to Bragg, jump out of an airplane again, and then begin a new aspect of my Army career (hopefully). Oh yeah. And the Cubs are leading the NL Central. Best season they've had in 5 years and I am missing it.
All the Way.
I had an interesting week. All the Command Sergeant Majors were on Salerno for a conference, including the Division CSM. I had to drive down to the flightline to pick some of them up, and also the day before. I got to sit in on some of the briefings and it was good to hear what they had to say. You get a bigger picture view of things. I got to hear the Army Material Command CSM talk about some of the new equipment that we are going to be getting, especially the new body armor and combat shirt. The combat shirt is really nice. It is like an Under Armour shirt, but just a little bit looser. This way, we don't have to wear our blouses when we go out on missions. Plus, it's more breathable. The body armor is nicer because it covers more and is a tad bit lighter. It also goes on easier.
I drove the Division CSM down to the flightline so he could leave and I received a Division Coin, as well as a Coin from the AMC CSM. I went back to work and got tasked to drive the BDE CSM down to the flightline so he could catch a flight out. Turns out, though, the flight that was taking him to Bagram was also accompanying the remains of a 173rd soldier who was killed earlier that day. I stood outside for the ceremony to put him on the helo. It was a pretty sobering reminder that I am still in a warzone, however different my experience is right now. If something ever were to happen to me, I know that the highest respects would be paid to my remains. People in the military certainly do not treat the death of their own lightly. It's something I will never forget, and it certainly won't be the last time I see something like that.
It wasn't a profound moment in my life, but like I said, I won't forget it anytime soon. You try not to dwell on stuff like that. I've had my fair shares of deaths in my family and seeing this just makes me appreciate what I have even more. I think holidays will be a little bit more different from here on out. I'll try not to get too caught up about this but it certainly struck a chord.
Other than that, things are pretty stable. I am starting to get my stuff together to go before the board. Basically, I am just making sure my records are straight and I am studying up for potential questions that I'm going to be asked. I may not come home on leave as an E-5, but I should be pinning it on sometime after that. I've transitioned to days for the time being, so my schedule is a little funky but it's nice because I am able to work with some of my closer friends. We started to talk the other day about life in general (girlfriends, getting drunk, how many speeding tickets we have gotten and how fast we were going, the last weekend at Ft. Bragg) and one of the things that came up is how different our section is. The three of us that are working days are 21, 23, and 28. All of us have lived on our own, paid our own rent, etc. The other guys in our section are either 19 or 20 (needless to say, they are the designated drivers :) None have lived on their own outside of being in the Army. We were just discussing how there is so much growing up to do between those ages. If we are asked to do something, we just suck it up and do it. We'll take the initiative on stuff if it needs to get done. Sometimes, it is like pulling teeth with the younger guys to get them do something or be responsible for stuff. Like getting up on time. CPL Dykstra's #1 pet peeve. Be at work on time. Don't let me come in and find you asleep.
We're on the back half of our deployment now and I start to see my leave dates. I can't wait. I just need a few weeks away from the TOC and I'll be happy. Plus, once I get back from leave, I'll only have about 11-12 weeks left in country and then I get to go back to Bragg, jump out of an airplane again, and then begin a new aspect of my Army career (hopefully). Oh yeah. And the Cubs are leading the NL Central. Best season they've had in 5 years and I am missing it.
All the Way.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Peak
I apologize for not posting anything for awhile. Its due to a combination of nothing going on and limited internet access. Our tech people, in their infinite wisdom, decided to put a block on certain sites, my blog page included, so I'm having to backdoor this and write an e-mail to Dad and Louisa and have them post it.
I've heard that a lot of people have seen my pictures and if you haven't, here you go.
That's about the extent of excitement that has occured in the last month.
Right now, I think I am about at the halfway point of my deployment. Now, it kind of depends because I really have no idea when my tour will be done, but with 8 months in on a supposedly 15 month rotation, you kind of have to figure that I have reached the pinnacle and I am now looking down. A lot of the time right now is spent talking about your plans for when you get back. What you are gonna do? What car are you gonna buy? What's the first shot you are gonna take at the bar? In some ways, its detrimental because you start to become slightly homesick and you are counting the days. You can lose focus on the mission at hand. On the other side, it just makes the prospect of going home that much more inviting. Right now, I am more focused on getting home for leave. And while it is still 4 months away, I know that it will come sooner than I realize.
It's not so much that you are so desperate to go home, but it's that a lot of times things are so slow that your mind inevitably wanders to the prospect of a normal Army schedule. Doing PT, training for the day, jumping out of an airplane once a week, and having the weekends off for the most part. It just a part of life. If you don't think about your life after deployment, then it's hard to look forward to going home. I'll admit that it will take some getting used to. Readjusting to life in the states always does, but I know for sure that I will have a greater appreciation for things.
Besides the thoughts of going home, not too much has changed. My work schedule got flipped so I am working during the days here while some people are on leave. It's a change of pace, but I'll be back on nights sometime next month. I'm also on a list to go up to Bagram for two weeks to knock out the Warriors Leader Course, a prerequisite before getting promoted to E-6. Its a two week course on basic Army leadership that if I can knock it out over here, that much better. It won't really do that much for me now, but if I get it done before I go to the board, it will bode well for a promotion to E-5. Thats all I got for now. I'll try to write more.
All the Way.
I've heard that a lot of people have seen my pictures and if you haven't, here you go.
That's about the extent of excitement that has occured in the last month.
Right now, I think I am about at the halfway point of my deployment. Now, it kind of depends because I really have no idea when my tour will be done, but with 8 months in on a supposedly 15 month rotation, you kind of have to figure that I have reached the pinnacle and I am now looking down. A lot of the time right now is spent talking about your plans for when you get back. What you are gonna do? What car are you gonna buy? What's the first shot you are gonna take at the bar? In some ways, its detrimental because you start to become slightly homesick and you are counting the days. You can lose focus on the mission at hand. On the other side, it just makes the prospect of going home that much more inviting. Right now, I am more focused on getting home for leave. And while it is still 4 months away, I know that it will come sooner than I realize.
It's not so much that you are so desperate to go home, but it's that a lot of times things are so slow that your mind inevitably wanders to the prospect of a normal Army schedule. Doing PT, training for the day, jumping out of an airplane once a week, and having the weekends off for the most part. It just a part of life. If you don't think about your life after deployment, then it's hard to look forward to going home. I'll admit that it will take some getting used to. Readjusting to life in the states always does, but I know for sure that I will have a greater appreciation for things.
Besides the thoughts of going home, not too much has changed. My work schedule got flipped so I am working during the days here while some people are on leave. It's a change of pace, but I'll be back on nights sometime next month. I'm also on a list to go up to Bagram for two weeks to knock out the Warriors Leader Course, a prerequisite before getting promoted to E-6. Its a two week course on basic Army leadership that if I can knock it out over here, that much better. It won't really do that much for me now, but if I get it done before I go to the board, it will bode well for a promotion to E-5. Thats all I got for now. I'll try to write more.
All the Way.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
I stand corrected
In a post earlier this year, I stated that night vision goggles were overrated. I was wrong and I apologize to anyone who has strong feeling for NVGs. It turns out, I just had the older version and I hadn't experienced the newer models. They are, needless to say, much cooler and better.
If you haven't talked to me for awhile, not too much has been going on in my life. I did get to have a small break in my routine. Sensing that we needed to add to our overall kickassness, our Section Sergeants arranged for sometime on the the range for us. This, however, was no ordinary go-to-the-small-arms-range trip. This was a trip to the range to control some AH-64 Apaches (now would be the time to google it). I was going to wait until I got my picture loaded from my camera but due to a USB cord malfunction y'all will have to wait. There is a really awesome picture of the chopper silhouted against the mountains and sunset. Oh well. Good things come to those who wait. But anyways, it was awesome. I was a little shaky on the radio at first, but I recovered quickly. There are few things more satisfying than saying "You're cleared hot" (Army terms for go ahead and start attacking the target).
That was a good time despite the fact that it interrupted my sleep schedule, but it was well worth it. Other than that, less than 5 months until I go on leave. Everyday that goes by I get more and more excited to come home for a few weeks. Work is going good. Nothing major to report. It was kind of a rough week in terms of guys getting hurt. We have a battalion that is attached to our Task Force from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 4 of their guys were killed by an IED. Of the 15 paratroopers from our TF that have died, 8 have been killed as a result of IEDs. Its a frustrating thing when that happens. We are able to prevent a lot, but the ones that we can't have some devastating outcomes.
On a better note, the Cubs are within a half game of the Brewers and getting hot at the right time. Here's hoping they stay until the end of October, in which case I am going to need people to tape every Cubs postseason game so I can watch it when I get home. Less than 5 months now.
All the Way.
If you haven't talked to me for awhile, not too much has been going on in my life. I did get to have a small break in my routine. Sensing that we needed to add to our overall kickassness, our Section Sergeants arranged for sometime on the the range for us. This, however, was no ordinary go-to-the-small-arms-range trip. This was a trip to the range to control some AH-64 Apaches (now would be the time to google it). I was going to wait until I got my picture loaded from my camera but due to a USB cord malfunction y'all will have to wait. There is a really awesome picture of the chopper silhouted against the mountains and sunset. Oh well. Good things come to those who wait. But anyways, it was awesome. I was a little shaky on the radio at first, but I recovered quickly. There are few things more satisfying than saying "You're cleared hot" (Army terms for go ahead and start attacking the target).
That was a good time despite the fact that it interrupted my sleep schedule, but it was well worth it. Other than that, less than 5 months until I go on leave. Everyday that goes by I get more and more excited to come home for a few weeks. Work is going good. Nothing major to report. It was kind of a rough week in terms of guys getting hurt. We have a battalion that is attached to our Task Force from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 4 of their guys were killed by an IED. Of the 15 paratroopers from our TF that have died, 8 have been killed as a result of IEDs. Its a frustrating thing when that happens. We are able to prevent a lot, but the ones that we can't have some devastating outcomes.
On a better note, the Cubs are within a half game of the Brewers and getting hot at the right time. Here's hoping they stay until the end of October, in which case I am going to need people to tape every Cubs postseason game so I can watch it when I get home. Less than 5 months now.
All the Way.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Time
Since I've been deployed, I have found myself (and others) becoming increasingly obsessed about time. What time to be a certain place, what time things need to get done, what time is it back home, how much time do we have left here? I have never been so concerned about the timing of things as I have been here. The kicker, however, is that you need to be slightly neurotic about time if you are going to have a properly functioning military.
In terms of needing to be a certain place at a certain time, time is not adjusted for any one person below the rank of Lt.Col. If you miss your flight, catch the next one. And learn to be there early. If you miss a link up point or are delayed in some way, it can cause operations to be FUBAR. If you don't leave by this time, the weather is going to prevent you from going anywhere. With zulu and local time over here, the time difference can really screw you up. Any instance in which a time is given, you always have to differentiate between zulu or local. If you don't, you might end up being 4.5 hour early or 4.5 hours late.
Its amazing how hard times for information can affect things in the big picture. If I don't have this report to a certain person by a certain time, then a certain task will not get done, and a certain person will not have the important information. Seeing the big picture is essential to getting things done. In some instances, things are forced to be flexible because of communication issues or more important matters have come up. But, if you are told that you have to do everything in your power, short of an act of God, to get things, you suck it up and do it. Again, you have to look at the big picture. As neurotic as it causes you to be, however, these hard times make life manageable. Each "checkpoint" that passes means you are closer to going off shift, which means one more day done and one day closer to going home.
Which goes into how much time you have left until leave or R&R. Currently, I have 289 more days left on my OEF VIII deployment. I have done 182, exactly half a year. And now, I have litte more than 5 months until I come home on leave. When I finish leave and come back into country, I will have a little more than 3.5 months until I'm finished here. Its stupid little benchmarks here and there that get you through the year. For me, I like to use sports dates. Like now, the release of NCAA Football 2008 marked my 6 month timemark. I know that start of the college football season will be my halfway point. The end of the baseball season will mark 2 months until I go home. The end of the college football season will be less than one month until R&R. The Super Bowl will be 3 months left and the start of next years baseball season will be one month left in country. Stupid little stuff like that makes life tolerable. You also start daydreaming about how much time in service you have left once you get back. A lot of people I know are either getting out or looking for something to keep them from getting stoplossed on their next deployment.
By thinking about going home, you also wonder what your friends and family are doing at that very same time. Luckily for me, I work nights, which means my schedule is pretty much on par with everyone back home because there is such a huge time difference. Hopefully, when I come home on R&R, my body won't be thrown too out of whack. You do occasionally catch yourself wondering what time is it back home. Several times early on in my deployment, I called at times that I thought were appropriate, only to discover it was the middle of the night back home. While nobody minded, I still felt kind of bad for waking everybody up.
I guess the main thing about all this is how much more aware of things I actually am now. I used to wonder how I was going to fill my free time in college (other than studying and partying, the order of which switched occasionally). Now, I value every minute of off time that I get. It will be interesting to see if life slows down or speeds by for me when I go home. Personally, I hope it does nothing but drag on.
All the Way.
In terms of needing to be a certain place at a certain time, time is not adjusted for any one person below the rank of Lt.Col. If you miss your flight, catch the next one. And learn to be there early. If you miss a link up point or are delayed in some way, it can cause operations to be FUBAR. If you don't leave by this time, the weather is going to prevent you from going anywhere. With zulu and local time over here, the time difference can really screw you up. Any instance in which a time is given, you always have to differentiate between zulu or local. If you don't, you might end up being 4.5 hour early or 4.5 hours late.
Its amazing how hard times for information can affect things in the big picture. If I don't have this report to a certain person by a certain time, then a certain task will not get done, and a certain person will not have the important information. Seeing the big picture is essential to getting things done. In some instances, things are forced to be flexible because of communication issues or more important matters have come up. But, if you are told that you have to do everything in your power, short of an act of God, to get things, you suck it up and do it. Again, you have to look at the big picture. As neurotic as it causes you to be, however, these hard times make life manageable. Each "checkpoint" that passes means you are closer to going off shift, which means one more day done and one day closer to going home.
Which goes into how much time you have left until leave or R&R. Currently, I have 289 more days left on my OEF VIII deployment. I have done 182, exactly half a year. And now, I have litte more than 5 months until I come home on leave. When I finish leave and come back into country, I will have a little more than 3.5 months until I'm finished here. Its stupid little benchmarks here and there that get you through the year. For me, I like to use sports dates. Like now, the release of NCAA Football 2008 marked my 6 month timemark. I know that start of the college football season will be my halfway point. The end of the baseball season will mark 2 months until I go home. The end of the college football season will be less than one month until R&R. The Super Bowl will be 3 months left and the start of next years baseball season will be one month left in country. Stupid little stuff like that makes life tolerable. You also start daydreaming about how much time in service you have left once you get back. A lot of people I know are either getting out or looking for something to keep them from getting stoplossed on their next deployment.
By thinking about going home, you also wonder what your friends and family are doing at that very same time. Luckily for me, I work nights, which means my schedule is pretty much on par with everyone back home because there is such a huge time difference. Hopefully, when I come home on R&R, my body won't be thrown too out of whack. You do occasionally catch yourself wondering what time is it back home. Several times early on in my deployment, I called at times that I thought were appropriate, only to discover it was the middle of the night back home. While nobody minded, I still felt kind of bad for waking everybody up.
I guess the main thing about all this is how much more aware of things I actually am now. I used to wonder how I was going to fill my free time in college (other than studying and partying, the order of which switched occasionally). Now, I value every minute of off time that I get. It will be interesting to see if life slows down or speeds by for me when I go home. Personally, I hope it does nothing but drag on.
All the Way.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Illumination and Attack Helicopters
Well, we didn't have any rockets red glare or bombs bursting in air (i.e. we didn't take any rockets), but FOB Salerno celebrated the 4th of July in its own matter. For me, there was really no change in my day to day activities. The only holidays I get excited about the opening day for baseball, my birthday (which sometime coincides with the opening day for baseball), the start of the college football season, the start of the NFL season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the College Bowl season. For the rest of the FOB, however, all sorts of activities were planned. This morning there was a 5/10k run. I am so glad that I work nights and don't get ordered to do those. Then there was a grillout at the new DFAC, but it was past my bedtime so I bypassed that. What I did participate in though was watching the Apaches do rocket runs on the large arms range. If you have never seen an Apache fire its rockets, its pretty cool. There is a small flash from each rocket, followed by a whoosh sound from the launch, and then the boom from the impact. The Apaches did several runs on the range (which is the best wakeup one can have and I say that in all seriousness). I wish I had my camera. Then, one of the firebases that is located on the other side of Khowst fired some illumination rounds to simulate fireworks. So, we didn't have the booze or a really nice grill, but we still celebrated the anniversary of us telling the British to take a hike in a unique way. Plus, now, the college football season is less than two months away.
All the Way.
All the Way.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Temporary Duty
For the record, I am no longer deployed (this is where you all pause and wonder what I just said). I have come to the realization that I am simply on Temporary Duty status (and now is where you realize that I was being very cynical). I came to this realization this morning as I entered the new chow hall on Salerno. The minute I stepped in, I realized that this really wasn't a deployment, but 17 months at an American Army base that just happens to be in a country where a war is going on. The chow hall used to be a series of tents with a crowded line and folding chairs and hastily constructed tables. Now, it is a brick and mortar building with tile floors, high ceilings, and well constructed tables and chairs. Its the best dining facility I have eaten in since I have been in the Army (well, I didn't sit down and eat. I go a to go plate, but you get the picture).
Not that my family is complaining, but I am pretty spoiled for being deployed. There is a huge gym here, an MWR facility that shows movies that just got out of theaters, a computer lab, a barber shop, a fairly well stocked PX, and now a hard shell dining facility. It used to be (and this happened to me once) that if you started to take rockets, you drop your chow and beat feet to the nearest bunker or rally point. Now, if that happens, you just stay where you are and go back for seconds. Hell, the chow hall would be the best place to be in if we got attacked.
Its just a little surreal to be in Afghanistan and I still have most of the comforts of home. Granted, I don't have a social life or a weekend, but I still have a working TV and an XBOX 360 in my tent, which I share with only two other soldiers. I have a wall locker and shelf where I can put everything. If this where the states, this would be considered a mediocre, but still nice base. In Afghanistan, Salerno is at the top for comfort level. I feel slightly ashamed to be wearing a combat patch when I haven't seen combat. Granted, you are allowed to wear it after you have been in country for 30 days, but in reality what have I really done? I'm not roughing it by any means. I don't mind the comfort, but needless to say, this is not what I expected.
All the Way.
Not that my family is complaining, but I am pretty spoiled for being deployed. There is a huge gym here, an MWR facility that shows movies that just got out of theaters, a computer lab, a barber shop, a fairly well stocked PX, and now a hard shell dining facility. It used to be (and this happened to me once) that if you started to take rockets, you drop your chow and beat feet to the nearest bunker or rally point. Now, if that happens, you just stay where you are and go back for seconds. Hell, the chow hall would be the best place to be in if we got attacked.
Its just a little surreal to be in Afghanistan and I still have most of the comforts of home. Granted, I don't have a social life or a weekend, but I still have a working TV and an XBOX 360 in my tent, which I share with only two other soldiers. I have a wall locker and shelf where I can put everything. If this where the states, this would be considered a mediocre, but still nice base. In Afghanistan, Salerno is at the top for comfort level. I feel slightly ashamed to be wearing a combat patch when I haven't seen combat. Granted, you are allowed to wear it after you have been in country for 30 days, but in reality what have I really done? I'm not roughing it by any means. I don't mind the comfort, but needless to say, this is not what I expected.
All the Way.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Random thoughts and musings..
This is how it works. I don't write for almost three weeks and then I put two blogs up in two days. Anyways, hats off to New York Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini. Stars and Stripes (the Armed Forces Newspaper over here) ran a quick blurb about the Jets hosting some soldiers from Ft. Bragg (my one time home for 6 weeks. I spent more time in Basic Training than I did at my permanent duty station. Sad.) Mangini welcomed the players, had them address the teams, and then put them in on some 7-on-7 drills. Afterwards, he was stated that it was the team's pleasure and honor to host these soldiers and that they were the reason that they were able to continue to play football and live freely. Now, I know the definition of living freely has been used to excess in the NFL, but Coach Mangini still hit the nail on the head. For those of you that know me really well, I'm not all God and country and patriotic. I just want to do some cool Army stuff and blow up somethings in the process, but it is still nice to have someone of Eric Mangini's stature and notierity recognize those who are making huge sacrifices. I've never been a Jets fan, but I have a great deal of respect for their organization now.
On the other hand, a roundhouse kick to the face for the staff of Walter Reed. Stars and Stripes ran another article about how over 4,000 pieces of mail were found undelivered to patients of the hospital. The Army has outlined five factors that affect morale. They are Mail, Justice, Meals, Supplies, and Billets. Now, Walter Reed has already dropped the ball on the billets, but now mail. I am deployed and my day certainly starts off right if I get a package or letter. It makes the days go faster and just gives me a boost. Now, imagine being thousands of miles away from your unit and family and being injured and going through rehab. Maybe you have limited access to the Internet or phone. In that situation, the more support you get the faster you will heal. It could be a small note or care package, who knows, but some sort of thing that lets you know that people still care always helps. Now it comes out that the soldiers who need the most support aren't getting their mail?! C'mon. We owe it to these soldiers to perform a simple task as delivering them their mail. Instead of bickering about immigration and party politics, lets start fixing things on the homefront. Leaders are wondering why enlistment numbers are falling. Take a look at how soldiers are being treated. We make a lot of sacrifices and ask for a little support from the decision makers in return. I invite any politician to do a 15-18 month deployment and then get ready to do another less then a year after they return.
I'm starting to get a hang of this management thing. I realized why I didn't start off as an officer in the Army. You are immediately in charge of a platoon. Thats 30-40 guys. Too much to start off for me. I am good right now with 5 guys. I'll start small and work my way up. Right now its still trial and error. Sometimes yelling and getting all sorts of excited (too the point where the battle Captain sends someone outside to find out what all the commotion is about) is effective. Other times, its just talking calmly to the troopers and the point gets across. Of course, this is while they are in the front leaning rest. On a sidenote, my bed is almost too comfortable. It is tough to get out of bed at night (everyone else's time)/morning (my time). I just sink into it when I go to sleep. Somedays I just want to lock all the doors and not come out for awhile. Of course, all they would have to do is shut off the A/C and I'll be out in a heartbeat. By the way, when I come home on leave, first meal I want is a Happy Joes Chicago style pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and sausage and breadsticks. That request kind of goes without writing, but I figured I would throw it in there just so nobody would forget.
All the Way.
On the other hand, a roundhouse kick to the face for the staff of Walter Reed. Stars and Stripes ran another article about how over 4,000 pieces of mail were found undelivered to patients of the hospital. The Army has outlined five factors that affect morale. They are Mail, Justice, Meals, Supplies, and Billets. Now, Walter Reed has already dropped the ball on the billets, but now mail. I am deployed and my day certainly starts off right if I get a package or letter. It makes the days go faster and just gives me a boost. Now, imagine being thousands of miles away from your unit and family and being injured and going through rehab. Maybe you have limited access to the Internet or phone. In that situation, the more support you get the faster you will heal. It could be a small note or care package, who knows, but some sort of thing that lets you know that people still care always helps. Now it comes out that the soldiers who need the most support aren't getting their mail?! C'mon. We owe it to these soldiers to perform a simple task as delivering them their mail. Instead of bickering about immigration and party politics, lets start fixing things on the homefront. Leaders are wondering why enlistment numbers are falling. Take a look at how soldiers are being treated. We make a lot of sacrifices and ask for a little support from the decision makers in return. I invite any politician to do a 15-18 month deployment and then get ready to do another less then a year after they return.
I'm starting to get a hang of this management thing. I realized why I didn't start off as an officer in the Army. You are immediately in charge of a platoon. Thats 30-40 guys. Too much to start off for me. I am good right now with 5 guys. I'll start small and work my way up. Right now its still trial and error. Sometimes yelling and getting all sorts of excited (too the point where the battle Captain sends someone outside to find out what all the commotion is about) is effective. Other times, its just talking calmly to the troopers and the point gets across. Of course, this is while they are in the front leaning rest. On a sidenote, my bed is almost too comfortable. It is tough to get out of bed at night (everyone else's time)/morning (my time). I just sink into it when I go to sleep. Somedays I just want to lock all the doors and not come out for awhile. Of course, all they would have to do is shut off the A/C and I'll be out in a heartbeat. By the way, when I come home on leave, first meal I want is a Happy Joes Chicago style pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and sausage and breadsticks. That request kind of goes without writing, but I figured I would throw it in there just so nobody would forget.
All the Way.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Corporal Mafia
I'll apologize for not writing for a few weeks. Nothing has happened to me. In fact, nothing has really happened at all. Aside from a pretty wicked thunderstorm, more than likely a system that found its way from the cyclone that hit Oman, I've just been plugging away. I've been learning over the past few weeks what being an NCO is like. Hence, the Corporal Mafia. See, it is an exclusive club that not too many troopers are in anymore. It has been described as the best rank in the Army because you are an NCO, and therefore accountable, but you are given a little bit more slack because you are an NCO in training. While you don't get paid anymore, you are able to learn and make small mistakes without minor consequences. The real major decisions are still made by the senior NCO's, but being a corporal allows you a chance to flex your muscles a little bit and gain some respect in the eyes of your superiors.
As a further testament to the significance to the rank is that you have to be selected and approved, you can't just have earned enough points and then pin it on. A senior NCO has to fill out the paperwork in order to promote you. So, obviously someone sees potential in you to put you in such a rank. I find it no coincidence that all of the NCO's that I have regarded as excellent leaders were once corporals. While you are still the same rank as an E-4 Specialist, the minute you put on the stripes, you have vastly more responsibility.
It is, however, a lonely rank. There aren't too many corporals in my unit. In fact, I think I am the only corporal 13F in the entire brigade. While before I was just a regular trooper, just one of the section. Now, granted, I was the senior one and was subject to any of the other troopers screwups. I was expected to be a role model, but not enforce the standards. Now, I am in the NCOIC in the absence of the other NCOs. And since the other NCOs are out and about, its just me. Now, that leaves me in an interesting situation. I am buddies with most of the guys in my section, yet now I have to make sure they are doing everything right. That means tearing into them if they fall out of line. Now, being a cocky 19 year old paratrooper being told what to do by a corporal who has less time in service than you can be a bit frustrating. However, I have NCO's expecting me to enforce the standards and I have to do it. Its also a rank that while you are an NCO, you still are only a junior NCO, meaning you still have to stand a parade rest for higher ranking NCO's. Needless to say, management at this level can be interesting.
Happy Father's Day to my dad. Don't worry. The only dangerous thing I will be doing all day is walking back to the hooch. Nice to see that the Cubs are winning again. Ironic that they have to fight each other (and opposing pitching staffs) to do it, but I will take it. I am certainly glad that I don't work during the day. Way too hot for me. Grandpa and Grandma, I got your package a week after you sent it so thank you. Sorry I don't have too much to say. Not too much deviance or excitement in my day to day routine.
All the Way.
As a further testament to the significance to the rank is that you have to be selected and approved, you can't just have earned enough points and then pin it on. A senior NCO has to fill out the paperwork in order to promote you. So, obviously someone sees potential in you to put you in such a rank. I find it no coincidence that all of the NCO's that I have regarded as excellent leaders were once corporals. While you are still the same rank as an E-4 Specialist, the minute you put on the stripes, you have vastly more responsibility.
It is, however, a lonely rank. There aren't too many corporals in my unit. In fact, I think I am the only corporal 13F in the entire brigade. While before I was just a regular trooper, just one of the section. Now, granted, I was the senior one and was subject to any of the other troopers screwups. I was expected to be a role model, but not enforce the standards. Now, I am in the NCOIC in the absence of the other NCOs. And since the other NCOs are out and about, its just me. Now, that leaves me in an interesting situation. I am buddies with most of the guys in my section, yet now I have to make sure they are doing everything right. That means tearing into them if they fall out of line. Now, being a cocky 19 year old paratrooper being told what to do by a corporal who has less time in service than you can be a bit frustrating. However, I have NCO's expecting me to enforce the standards and I have to do it. Its also a rank that while you are an NCO, you still are only a junior NCO, meaning you still have to stand a parade rest for higher ranking NCO's. Needless to say, management at this level can be interesting.
Happy Father's Day to my dad. Don't worry. The only dangerous thing I will be doing all day is walking back to the hooch. Nice to see that the Cubs are winning again. Ironic that they have to fight each other (and opposing pitching staffs) to do it, but I will take it. I am certainly glad that I don't work during the day. Way too hot for me. Grandpa and Grandma, I got your package a week after you sent it so thank you. Sorry I don't have too much to say. Not too much deviance or excitement in my day to day routine.
All the Way.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The nomad...
Well, this shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but I got moved.....again. I believe that it is the Commander's intent to have me experience every sort of living experience that FOB Salerno has to offer. It was pretty rapid notice too. I was informed out of the blue on Monday that I would be packing up once again, but that it wouldn't be for another two weeks. Lo and behold, Tuesday at 0630z rolled around and I was packing my bags and waiting for the go signal to start moving. Now, I can't complain too much because I now live in a tent with wall lockers and .....wait for it...... A BED!!!!! Damn the cots, I have a twin size bed. Oh its nice. The AC is a little suspect, as it went out almost 24 hours after I moved in, but I got it fixed and things could be worse. I'm 10 feet from the shower, so I am pretty sure I can roll out in basketball shorts and not get caught.
To Mary Whisenand, hell yeah share my comments. I am always looking to make people laugh or brighten their day. I can start telling jokes if it helps too. Like, a guy walks into a bar, what does he get? A second degree concussion! Ah, hell. My air force compatriot and I are currently telling bar jokes back and forth to pass the time, hence the hilarity. Not too much else going on since I last wrote. Everybody got all nostalgic about my mom being proud. That threw me for a loop. I imagine she knew I was going to be a soldier, better yet a paratrooper, but she is probably cursing it the same way my Aunts and stepmom are. You all can take solace in the fact that I am completely bored and not doing anything remotely dangerous. Probably the most exciting thing that I do is go to gym. At least I think it is exciting, I am starting to see some significant gains.
One thing that blows my mind right now is the Cubs. C'mon, will somebody light a fire under their ass and telling them that thousands of troops depend on them for a morale boost and they are failing miserably. I have already got my work schedule planned out for the World Series if they make it. The NL Central is not that tough. Draw some walks, play smart baseball. PLEASE!!! Now that I got that off my chest, I am good to go for now. You'd be amazed at how many people have offered to send me alcohol while I am over here. I am flattered, but those requests will have to wait until I get home. I like having Corporal stripes and the sense of responsibility that goes with it. I also liking having the power to threaten privates with a smoke session that will bring them with an inch of their life if they don't get something done :). That tactic is effective.
I really want to jump some time soon. Just once. My morale would be boosted for, like, 15 minutes.
All the Way.
To Mary Whisenand, hell yeah share my comments. I am always looking to make people laugh or brighten their day. I can start telling jokes if it helps too. Like, a guy walks into a bar, what does he get? A second degree concussion! Ah, hell. My air force compatriot and I are currently telling bar jokes back and forth to pass the time, hence the hilarity. Not too much else going on since I last wrote. Everybody got all nostalgic about my mom being proud. That threw me for a loop. I imagine she knew I was going to be a soldier, better yet a paratrooper, but she is probably cursing it the same way my Aunts and stepmom are. You all can take solace in the fact that I am completely bored and not doing anything remotely dangerous. Probably the most exciting thing that I do is go to gym. At least I think it is exciting, I am starting to see some significant gains.
One thing that blows my mind right now is the Cubs. C'mon, will somebody light a fire under their ass and telling them that thousands of troops depend on them for a morale boost and they are failing miserably. I have already got my work schedule planned out for the World Series if they make it. The NL Central is not that tough. Draw some walks, play smart baseball. PLEASE!!! Now that I got that off my chest, I am good to go for now. You'd be amazed at how many people have offered to send me alcohol while I am over here. I am flattered, but those requests will have to wait until I get home. I like having Corporal stripes and the sense of responsibility that goes with it. I also liking having the power to threaten privates with a smoke session that will bring them with an inch of their life if they don't get something done :). That tactic is effective.
I really want to jump some time soon. Just once. My morale would be boosted for, like, 15 minutes.
All the Way.
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