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.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
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.
Monday, May 28, 2007
An insight into Army lingo...
Hooah(who-ah) adj. verb. (Slang term used by U.S. Army soldiers: refers to or means anything and everything except "no". Not to be confused with the Marine "Hoorah".) (Word is said in near grunting/barking manner). 1. What to say when at a loss for words: "Corporal, what do you think of this idea?" "Hooah". 2. Excellent: "We are engaging the enemy with 25 rounds 155mm HE." "(Emphatically) Hooah!" 3. Roger, message received, understood: "Do you #@$^&%* understand me soldier?!" "Hooah." 4. Glad to meet you, hello: "I am Major Payne, nice to meet you." "Hooah, good morning, sir". 5. Digging deep: "I was dog ass tired. I really had to hooah myself through that course." 6. To be very hardcore, i.e. all about the Army; see Bad ass: "That guy made it through Ranger school in one cycle with a broken leg. He is real hooah, hooah." 7. To be about the Army a little bit too much; see certain former AIT classmates of CPL. Kyle Dykstra: "That kid is way too hooah." 8. A verbal sign of acknowledgement: "Airborne, are you ready to jump?" "HOOAH!!". 9. A general sense of relief: "All units are return to base, safe and sound." "Hooah."
So, if you ever hear a soldier say that word, they are probably using it in one of those contexts. There are probably more but everybody has their own interpretation. When I got to Basic Training, my Drill Sergeant forbade my platoon from saying it. I was confused at first as to why we weren't allowed to say a word that showed we were enthusiastic for something. Drill Sergeant Starks, however, explained to us that we hadn't earned the right to say it. To him, it was an offense to all the soldiers past and present for brand new recruits to be using a word that we hadn't worked for, we hadn't sweated for, we hadn't bled for. Only when we graduated Basic were we allowed to say that word. Sure enough, we kept the word from our lips at all times except for when we recited the Soldiers Creed : I am an American Soldier, HOOAH! (When I went to Ft. Sill, they did not say hooah at the end. Perhaps that is why I liked Ft. Benning so much more.)
Seeing as it is Memorial Day, that small lesson (one of many) seems more pertinent. I have earned the right to say that word, as well as wear this uniform and represent this country because of those that came before me. While I haven't had it too hard, I have still had to make sacrifices along with everyone else in my unit. I'm not going to complain though (and even if I did, what good would it do?). I still make pretty good money, I am getting my education paid for, and I am learning some valuable life lessons ( I used to say that I get to blow stuff up, but that has come to a screeeeeeching halt, but my time will come later :) ). Just remember, you don't have to love the war, but try to love the warrior. I don't know how many times people thanked me when I was flying home. I even had a dinner paid for me by an anonymous patron in Dallas, TX. I am sure that the response is going to be even more overwhelming when I come home on leave or back from deployment. Just try to remember that this is not an easy life. I will be the first to admit that I have taken a lot of things for granted and I will have a whole new outlook on life when I get back. That being said though, I wouldn't trade what I have learned for anything and I couldn't see myself doing anything else at this point.
As far as packages go, I've had no problem getting them. Of course, I wouldn't really know if there was a problem en route if I didn't know they were coming. I still appreciate it everytime I come into work and see a letter or box with my name on it. Uncle Bob, someday you and I can sit down and discuss the lethality of and general pain-in-the-ass that 107mm and 122mm rockets are. We are still getting some nasty thunderstorms here. We had a thunder burst that sounded like a bomb exploded right above my tent. I thought it was cool, but my counterpart at night said it jolted him out of bed. Also, a lot of people have commented on my sign off "All the Way". That is the standard phrase of the 82nd Airborne. Everytime we salute an officer, we address them with the greeting "All the Way" and they respond "Airborne". It is pretty self explanatory, but it pretty much means that we will always accomplish our mission, no matter how long it takes or how many times we get extended. We will go to the end, despite what obstacles are thrown at us. Again, thanx for the letters and packages.
All the Way.
So, if you ever hear a soldier say that word, they are probably using it in one of those contexts. There are probably more but everybody has their own interpretation. When I got to Basic Training, my Drill Sergeant forbade my platoon from saying it. I was confused at first as to why we weren't allowed to say a word that showed we were enthusiastic for something. Drill Sergeant Starks, however, explained to us that we hadn't earned the right to say it. To him, it was an offense to all the soldiers past and present for brand new recruits to be using a word that we hadn't worked for, we hadn't sweated for, we hadn't bled for. Only when we graduated Basic were we allowed to say that word. Sure enough, we kept the word from our lips at all times except for when we recited the Soldiers Creed : I am an American Soldier, HOOAH! (When I went to Ft. Sill, they did not say hooah at the end. Perhaps that is why I liked Ft. Benning so much more.)
Seeing as it is Memorial Day, that small lesson (one of many) seems more pertinent. I have earned the right to say that word, as well as wear this uniform and represent this country because of those that came before me. While I haven't had it too hard, I have still had to make sacrifices along with everyone else in my unit. I'm not going to complain though (and even if I did, what good would it do?). I still make pretty good money, I am getting my education paid for, and I am learning some valuable life lessons ( I used to say that I get to blow stuff up, but that has come to a screeeeeeching halt, but my time will come later :) ). Just remember, you don't have to love the war, but try to love the warrior. I don't know how many times people thanked me when I was flying home. I even had a dinner paid for me by an anonymous patron in Dallas, TX. I am sure that the response is going to be even more overwhelming when I come home on leave or back from deployment. Just try to remember that this is not an easy life. I will be the first to admit that I have taken a lot of things for granted and I will have a whole new outlook on life when I get back. That being said though, I wouldn't trade what I have learned for anything and I couldn't see myself doing anything else at this point.
As far as packages go, I've had no problem getting them. Of course, I wouldn't really know if there was a problem en route if I didn't know they were coming. I still appreciate it everytime I come into work and see a letter or box with my name on it. Uncle Bob, someday you and I can sit down and discuss the lethality of and general pain-in-the-ass that 107mm and 122mm rockets are. We are still getting some nasty thunderstorms here. We had a thunder burst that sounded like a bomb exploded right above my tent. I thought it was cool, but my counterpart at night said it jolted him out of bed. Also, a lot of people have commented on my sign off "All the Way". That is the standard phrase of the 82nd Airborne. Everytime we salute an officer, we address them with the greeting "All the Way" and they respond "Airborne". It is pretty self explanatory, but it pretty much means that we will always accomplish our mission, no matter how long it takes or how many times we get extended. We will go to the end, despite what obstacles are thrown at us. Again, thanx for the letters and packages.
All the Way.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Day 127
I'm having one of those "Aww, hell, I'll write something" moments. Actually, I need to clarify something about my last post. I wasn't trying to come off as depressed and melancholy. I was stating that I have realized that I am happier being in the field and sleeping on the ground than I am with doing a desk job. I do realize that what I do is important and will probably serve me well in the future but right now I am just young and dumb and want to experience all the fun (i.e. crazy, stupid, dangerous) stuff. Thats why I am constantly looking for ways to challenge myself. Thats why I tucked away a list of schools and things I want to accomplish. These aren't just the physical Army hooah hooah schools, but other things like learning two languages, completing the list of correspondence courses I have looked into, and getting my Master's when I get back. The way I look at it is the more things I do, the more I will learn and experience and then my dream of being Jack Bauer of 24 will be realized (HA! Caught Y'all! I had you thinking that this was a deep soul-searching and defining moment and I threw the curveball! But seriously, I do have lists and goals like that.
And thats what makes coming into work a little more tolerable. You see, I have a purpose now. Yes, I had things that needed to get done during the night. However, once I got those things accomplished I had all this down time that I didn't know what to do with. You can only watch so many movies before you become guilty that you aren't doing something to better yourself (at least thats how I feel). The same applies to working out. I've gotten into a routine of getting off work and going directly to the gym. I try to follow a strict plan and try to avoid the vice of eating all the nice food that people send us (Chicken and Tuna packets are always welcome). I guess you could say I have become more disciplined in my routine. It took me awhile to snap of that procrastination mode I sunk into in college (Take note, this is someone who wrote a 44-page senior thesis in three days and finished it 12 hours before it was due when they had all semester to write it).
Now, much to everyone's pleasure, that is the most excitement I have going on in my life. I can't really say what is going on over here. Just pay attention to the news. I am still in line to go on leave in December, which means that it should stick because this is the longest I have gone without my leave date changing. I can't gurantee that I will be home by Christmas because it all depends on the weather. I could spend a couple of days where I am going or a week, who knows. I do know that the Cubs took 2 of 3 from the White Sox and I am happy for that. They are starting to get warm.
All the Way.
And thats what makes coming into work a little more tolerable. You see, I have a purpose now. Yes, I had things that needed to get done during the night. However, once I got those things accomplished I had all this down time that I didn't know what to do with. You can only watch so many movies before you become guilty that you aren't doing something to better yourself (at least thats how I feel). The same applies to working out. I've gotten into a routine of getting off work and going directly to the gym. I try to follow a strict plan and try to avoid the vice of eating all the nice food that people send us (Chicken and Tuna packets are always welcome). I guess you could say I have become more disciplined in my routine. It took me awhile to snap of that procrastination mode I sunk into in college (Take note, this is someone who wrote a 44-page senior thesis in three days and finished it 12 hours before it was due when they had all semester to write it).
Now, much to everyone's pleasure, that is the most excitement I have going on in my life. I can't really say what is going on over here. Just pay attention to the news. I am still in line to go on leave in December, which means that it should stick because this is the longest I have gone without my leave date changing. I can't gurantee that I will be home by Christmas because it all depends on the weather. I could spend a couple of days where I am going or a week, who knows. I do know that the Cubs took 2 of 3 from the White Sox and I am happy for that. They are starting to get warm.
All the Way.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
What have you done with your college education?
So, I graduated from college almost a year ago. As I sit here and ponder (because I really don't have anything better to do....I probably do, I just don't want to do it right now) I think about everything I have done with my college education. To be honest, I really haven't applied my Political Science degree to much in the Army. However, I like to think that I have experienced quite a bit compared to my fellow graduates. How many have had to low crawl 110 meters after a two day FTX in 100 degree Georgia swamps while having to keep their head down because of a M240B firing 10 feet above them? Or what about the over 100 miles marched w/ and w/o a ruck in a 60 day period? Or getting smoked for 2.5 hours in full battle rattle? How about getting to call in Artillery fire for a week straight? Or jump out of a moving aircraft 8 times in two months? Or spending nearly half of your time in the military being deployed to a country that is still trying to work out the kinks?
Now, I am not saying that my fellow graduates have led dull lives. I am sure that they haven't. It will just be an interesting class reunion in a few years when people ask "So, what have you been doing?" Granted, I am not overly estatic to be sitting at a computer for my deployment. I expected something quite different (You see, this is the point where all my relatives shake their heads and think to themselves that they are estatic I am sitting at a computer and doing nothing). I think my restlessness of sitting behind a computer and seeing no end to it comes from my need to be doing something. I see it as kind of ironic that I joined the Army to not sit behind a desk all day and look at where I am at now. Now, I don't have some sort of death wish or this insatiable craving for action but I also want to say that I took on our enemy head on. I don't want to be talking with other members of the 82nd or any unit and hang my head and say that I was simply a FOBbit for my entire deployment. I do not possess the type of personality to be content with just sitting around doing nothing. Ask my dad, he will tell you that better than anyone based on past experiences with sports.
Don't worry, I'm not going to go off the deep end and do something crazy. I will finish my time here without complaint (sometimes it is better just to shut up and take it than it is to rattle the cages), but I know that I am still craving more. I like to be challenged. One thing I have learned in the past year is that I don't like to quit. There were times that things really sucked. Somehow, though, I dug deep and found that extra gear. From what I have heard about some of the things I want to do in the Army, that extra gear is all you need to succeed. Believe me, there were times where I did not want to step out of that airplane. But once I did, it was a rush.
I guess the point that I am trying to make is that I have learned that I cannot be complacent and happy at the same time. I like the training, I like having to push myself, I like being sleeping in the field, I like having the weather suck to an extent. Speaking of the weather, we had another sand storm. It quickly becoming a weekly thing. Again, I thought the tent was going down. Nothing too exciting to report. I apologize if I do send thank yous for all the packages and mail I receive. I am stuck in such a routine over here that I just forget. I do appreciate everything that I get. Only 7 months till I come home.
All the Way.
Now, I am not saying that my fellow graduates have led dull lives. I am sure that they haven't. It will just be an interesting class reunion in a few years when people ask "So, what have you been doing?" Granted, I am not overly estatic to be sitting at a computer for my deployment. I expected something quite different (You see, this is the point where all my relatives shake their heads and think to themselves that they are estatic I am sitting at a computer and doing nothing). I think my restlessness of sitting behind a computer and seeing no end to it comes from my need to be doing something. I see it as kind of ironic that I joined the Army to not sit behind a desk all day and look at where I am at now. Now, I don't have some sort of death wish or this insatiable craving for action but I also want to say that I took on our enemy head on. I don't want to be talking with other members of the 82nd or any unit and hang my head and say that I was simply a FOBbit for my entire deployment. I do not possess the type of personality to be content with just sitting around doing nothing. Ask my dad, he will tell you that better than anyone based on past experiences with sports.
Don't worry, I'm not going to go off the deep end and do something crazy. I will finish my time here without complaint (sometimes it is better just to shut up and take it than it is to rattle the cages), but I know that I am still craving more. I like to be challenged. One thing I have learned in the past year is that I don't like to quit. There were times that things really sucked. Somehow, though, I dug deep and found that extra gear. From what I have heard about some of the things I want to do in the Army, that extra gear is all you need to succeed. Believe me, there were times where I did not want to step out of that airplane. But once I did, it was a rush.
I guess the point that I am trying to make is that I have learned that I cannot be complacent and happy at the same time. I like the training, I like having to push myself, I like being sleeping in the field, I like having the weather suck to an extent. Speaking of the weather, we had another sand storm. It quickly becoming a weekly thing. Again, I thought the tent was going down. Nothing too exciting to report. I apologize if I do send thank yous for all the packages and mail I receive. I am stuck in such a routine over here that I just forget. I do appreciate everything that I get. Only 7 months till I come home.
All the Way.
Monday, May 7, 2007
The finance system strikes again....
As if not receiving jump pay for the past 7 months wasn’t enough, the finance section decided to screw me out of some more money. Originally, I was told that I would be receiving my yearly bonus on the anniversary of my Basic Active Service Date, which happens to be in week. This occurrence has somewhat crept up and I didn’t think much of it until some of my soldiers, who actually have about two weeks on me as far time in the Army, began to put the paperwork together to secure this nice little chunk of tax-free cash. As this process began to unravel, a disturbing rumor came to light. Not only would we not be receiving our tax-free bonus on our anniversary date, we would not get it for another 6 months. We would be receiving on the anniversary of when we got to our unit. This is not the first time I have had to haggle with this. I was told that my originally bonus would hit my bank account when I completed basic training. Enh, wrong. Received at the end of AIT, wrong again. Jump pay taking effect as soon as finish Airborne school, nope. Now, I can understand the Army not wanting to pay me my initial bonus until I get to my first unit. They want to guarantee payment to a soldier who has completed his initial entry training and therefore deserves the money. No bones with that at all. But when I have our personnel department telling us that we should get the money on our BASD anniversary and then finance telling us to go away and come back in six months, its slightly irritating. Coupled with that finding out that our “no-charged” Christmas leave was actually charged to our built-up leave days, you start to wonder what is going on.
I realize that I signed my life away for 4 years and 17 weeks. I knew what I was getting myself into. So, therefore, I am not surprised. Getting extended is not a problem with me, but when your financial support system begins to fail you, it becomes more than a minor inconvenience. My gripe about my jump pay could be a moot point pending my next Leave and Earnings Statement. And the nice backpay check that I will be getting for 7 months of non-paid jump status will somewhat ease the frustration of not collecting on my bonus, but I am not holding my breath at this point. The irony is that we are constantly encouraged to re-enlist, with the promise of a nice-sized bonus if we take a certain offer. In reality, how much of that will I really see? With our current military situation, soldiers are beginning to take a look at options elsewhere. I can’t blame them. While the proposed situation of being deployed 15 months out of 27 months, but a guaranteed 12 at home seems enticing, lets break it down. More than likely, those 12 months include several weeks of 16-18 hour days of refitting, cleaning, and inventorying equipment. There will also probably be numerous FTX’s to deal with lessons learned from previous deployments. Don’t forget to include a month long stay at Ft. Polk or the National Training Center to prepare for an upcoming deployment. In reality, the new deployment system doesn’t really change anything. It just guarantees us more time overseas.
Enough of my rants for the time being. Without giving away any secrets, I am going to attempt to break down to y’all how things work where I am at. Lets say that I work for a large and well respected pork producing company, which just happens to be stationed in Afghanistan (anyone else see the irony and lack of cultural respect in this?). There are the local plants (the battalions), the regional headquarters (that’s me), and the corporate headquarters(division). I have to monitor everything that goes on with the local plants and make sure that any needs they have are met and passed along to the corporate HQ. Every night I need to check with my local plants and make sure that everything is going smoothly. Usually it is, but if something is not right, if a piece of equipment is broken or has moved to another plant, I need to include it in my nightly report.
Well, corporate HQ is in infinite wisdom and glory has deemed it necessary to know every little detail about what goes on at the local plant level:
Local Plant (LP): “Hey, we have a broken handle on a pump for this pork grinding machine thingy.”
Me: “Okay, can it still do the job?”
LP: “I think so, but I’m not exactly sure what it exactly does or is. Its not really my job area.”
Me: “I’ll pass the word along.”
Time elapses…report sent up…30 minutes later:
Corporate HQ (CH): “Hey, whats the deal with the pork grinding machine thingy at that one place?”
Me: “The handle is broken.”
CH: “What handle?”
Me: “The handle. I have no idea what it is, they just told me the handle was broken.”
CH: “My supervisor wants to talk to you.”
Me: (Groaning) “Okay”.
CH: “Hey, I have worked on the pork machine grinding thingy before. Its still able to get the job done. I don’t know what they are talking about down there, but it should be alright.”
Me: “So, do you want me to tell the local plant that they need to change its status or what?”.
CH: “Find out what exactly is wrong with the handle and how it relates to the overall pork grinding machine thingy and get back to us”.
Me: “Roger.”
Time elapses…I call the local plant, the local plant still doesn’t know what is going. Call another local plant and ask an expert in the pork machine grinding thingy about the pump handle and he tells me that since the handle is broken for the pump that it cannot do its job. Ask my supervisor about the pump handle on the thingy and he tells me it can’t do the job. Report that back to CH and all is well with the world.
Another aspect involves when the local plants want to increase operations or undertake a project to eliminate competition in their area. Well, in order to do that, they need to get clearance from the CH. Sometimes the CH is very picky about where they want to allocate their assets and efforts. So, if the local plants would like to use a Corporate asset, they need to submit a request. Now sometimes the request is good, sometimes its not. Most of the time, however, the point is made, but not in the proper format. Anyone who has seen “Office Space” can relate to the issue of the TPS reports not being filled out properly. If one tiny little thing is wrong, it gets kicked back down to the regional headquarters (Me). Then I have to go through the painstaking process of getting ahold of the local plant to tell them what was wrong and how to fix. Sometimes the local plants don’t like to be bothered with such mundane tasks and question whether we know what is going on or what type of competition they are going up against. Behold the joys of middle management.
Carrie Jo, just so you know, I say my first camel spider this week. It wasn’t very big, about the size of my palm, but one ugly SOB to say the least. If you really want one, I’ll try and get one for you, but that’s on you. It has been pretty quiet lately. Only 7 months till leave. Thank God I am coming home when I am because there is a 26.2 mile marathon being run around the FOB somewhere IVO Christmas. It is highly encouraged in my section to do it. Listen, no offense to marathon runners, I have all the respect in the world for you, I do. That is an achievement you should be proud of. However, my max is like 8 miles. My idea of a 26 mile marathon is going to a bar, saying “Hey, there’s another bar about a mile down the road! Lets run there!” and repeating that about 26 times or until I fall down in the street. I’ll do PT and everything and do the cadence runs, I enjoy those, but running, for like three hours straight, I’ll pass thank you.
All The Way.
I realize that I signed my life away for 4 years and 17 weeks. I knew what I was getting myself into. So, therefore, I am not surprised. Getting extended is not a problem with me, but when your financial support system begins to fail you, it becomes more than a minor inconvenience. My gripe about my jump pay could be a moot point pending my next Leave and Earnings Statement. And the nice backpay check that I will be getting for 7 months of non-paid jump status will somewhat ease the frustration of not collecting on my bonus, but I am not holding my breath at this point. The irony is that we are constantly encouraged to re-enlist, with the promise of a nice-sized bonus if we take a certain offer. In reality, how much of that will I really see? With our current military situation, soldiers are beginning to take a look at options elsewhere. I can’t blame them. While the proposed situation of being deployed 15 months out of 27 months, but a guaranteed 12 at home seems enticing, lets break it down. More than likely, those 12 months include several weeks of 16-18 hour days of refitting, cleaning, and inventorying equipment. There will also probably be numerous FTX’s to deal with lessons learned from previous deployments. Don’t forget to include a month long stay at Ft. Polk or the National Training Center to prepare for an upcoming deployment. In reality, the new deployment system doesn’t really change anything. It just guarantees us more time overseas.
Enough of my rants for the time being. Without giving away any secrets, I am going to attempt to break down to y’all how things work where I am at. Lets say that I work for a large and well respected pork producing company, which just happens to be stationed in Afghanistan (anyone else see the irony and lack of cultural respect in this?). There are the local plants (the battalions), the regional headquarters (that’s me), and the corporate headquarters(division). I have to monitor everything that goes on with the local plants and make sure that any needs they have are met and passed along to the corporate HQ. Every night I need to check with my local plants and make sure that everything is going smoothly. Usually it is, but if something is not right, if a piece of equipment is broken or has moved to another plant, I need to include it in my nightly report.
Well, corporate HQ is in infinite wisdom and glory has deemed it necessary to know every little detail about what goes on at the local plant level:
Local Plant (LP): “Hey, we have a broken handle on a pump for this pork grinding machine thingy.”
Me: “Okay, can it still do the job?”
LP: “I think so, but I’m not exactly sure what it exactly does or is. Its not really my job area.”
Me: “I’ll pass the word along.”
Time elapses…report sent up…30 minutes later:
Corporate HQ (CH): “Hey, whats the deal with the pork grinding machine thingy at that one place?”
Me: “The handle is broken.”
CH: “What handle?”
Me: “The handle. I have no idea what it is, they just told me the handle was broken.”
CH: “My supervisor wants to talk to you.”
Me: (Groaning) “Okay”.
CH: “Hey, I have worked on the pork machine grinding thingy before. Its still able to get the job done. I don’t know what they are talking about down there, but it should be alright.”
Me: “So, do you want me to tell the local plant that they need to change its status or what?”.
CH: “Find out what exactly is wrong with the handle and how it relates to the overall pork grinding machine thingy and get back to us”.
Me: “Roger.”
Time elapses…I call the local plant, the local plant still doesn’t know what is going. Call another local plant and ask an expert in the pork machine grinding thingy about the pump handle and he tells me that since the handle is broken for the pump that it cannot do its job. Ask my supervisor about the pump handle on the thingy and he tells me it can’t do the job. Report that back to CH and all is well with the world.
Another aspect involves when the local plants want to increase operations or undertake a project to eliminate competition in their area. Well, in order to do that, they need to get clearance from the CH. Sometimes the CH is very picky about where they want to allocate their assets and efforts. So, if the local plants would like to use a Corporate asset, they need to submit a request. Now sometimes the request is good, sometimes its not. Most of the time, however, the point is made, but not in the proper format. Anyone who has seen “Office Space” can relate to the issue of the TPS reports not being filled out properly. If one tiny little thing is wrong, it gets kicked back down to the regional headquarters (Me). Then I have to go through the painstaking process of getting ahold of the local plant to tell them what was wrong and how to fix. Sometimes the local plants don’t like to be bothered with such mundane tasks and question whether we know what is going on or what type of competition they are going up against. Behold the joys of middle management.
Carrie Jo, just so you know, I say my first camel spider this week. It wasn’t very big, about the size of my palm, but one ugly SOB to say the least. If you really want one, I’ll try and get one for you, but that’s on you. It has been pretty quiet lately. Only 7 months till leave. Thank God I am coming home when I am because there is a 26.2 mile marathon being run around the FOB somewhere IVO Christmas. It is highly encouraged in my section to do it. Listen, no offense to marathon runners, I have all the respect in the world for you, I do. That is an achievement you should be proud of. However, my max is like 8 miles. My idea of a 26 mile marathon is going to a bar, saying “Hey, there’s another bar about a mile down the road! Lets run there!” and repeating that about 26 times or until I fall down in the street. I’ll do PT and everything and do the cadence runs, I enjoy those, but running, for like three hours straight, I’ll pass thank you.
All The Way.
Friday, May 4, 2007
If you can understand this....
FYSA. I’m GTG ATT. Currently, I’m IVO the TOC on the FOB. I went W/U on 15012007 and was W/D NLT 1000z 20012007. WILCO w/ GO#1 and its NP with that. THX for the mail. Luckily on the FOB, we receive no SAF, just RKTs. Well, TAFN. Try not to LOL too hard.
Yes, this message does not follow a proper sentence structure, but I just thought I would give you an insight into how some conversations can go. And you sometimes wonder why people look at the things the military does and go “Huh?”. We can’t even understand each other. I could throw more acronyms in there, but enough for one post.
ATW.
Yes, this message does not follow a proper sentence structure, but I just thought I would give you an insight into how some conversations can go. And you sometimes wonder why people look at the things the military does and go “Huh?”. We can’t even understand each other. I could throw more acronyms in there, but enough for one post.
ATW.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Little Groups of Paratroopers...
I have to say that Paratroopers are some tough hombres. Here is the rule of little groups of Paratroopers: After the demise of the best Airborne plan, a most terrifying effect occurs on the battlefield. This effect is known as the rule of the LGOPs. This is, in its purest form, small groups of pissed of 19 year old American paratroopers. They are well-trained, armed to the teeth and lack serious adult supervision. They collectively remember the Commander's intent as "March to the sound of the guns and and kill anyone who is not dressed like you..." or something like that. Happily they go about the days work......"
Envitably in conflicts, especially two against a determined enemy, there are going to be bumps in the road. That has rung especially true for the 5th Battalion, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3 Brigade Combat Team. Since they went to Iraq in August of 2006, 37 soldiers have been killed. 20 of those have come from that battalion. 9 were killed in a single attack last week. I have never met anyone from 3rd Brigade or the 5-73, but I do share a common bond with them: the patch on my shoulder, the wings on my chest, and the maroon beret I wear. To the families back at Bragg and across the U.S., I am deeply saddened for your loss. Then unique thing about the 82nd is our resolve, however. We grieve, we remember, and we drive on and take care of those who orchestrated these attacks. Paratroopers are only strengthened by our losses. It is not that we are reckless or careless. We are sharper and more determined. Do remember that a coup d'etat in Haiti was thwarted when the perpetrators heard the 82nd was en route to jump in and secure the situation. Thats saying something there.
The point I am making is that paratroopers are a slightly different breed. We don't necessarily walk around with an air of arrogance. We just know we can get the job done and that we will never quit. Sorry, I am feeling a bit hooah this morning. I just read an article about the 5-73 soldiers and how the community of Ft. Bragg will rally and how the 82nd won't fail in their mission.
Nothing significant to report here. Only thing really exciting are the thunderstorms we are getting lately. They tend to rival Iowa's in their intensity and longevity (or lack thereof). Apparently it is getting hot here. I wouldn't really know. I am usually passed out during the day. 12 hour shifts will do that to you.
All the Way.
Envitably in conflicts, especially two against a determined enemy, there are going to be bumps in the road. That has rung especially true for the 5th Battalion, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3 Brigade Combat Team. Since they went to Iraq in August of 2006, 37 soldiers have been killed. 20 of those have come from that battalion. 9 were killed in a single attack last week. I have never met anyone from 3rd Brigade or the 5-73, but I do share a common bond with them: the patch on my shoulder, the wings on my chest, and the maroon beret I wear. To the families back at Bragg and across the U.S., I am deeply saddened for your loss. Then unique thing about the 82nd is our resolve, however. We grieve, we remember, and we drive on and take care of those who orchestrated these attacks. Paratroopers are only strengthened by our losses. It is not that we are reckless or careless. We are sharper and more determined. Do remember that a coup d'etat in Haiti was thwarted when the perpetrators heard the 82nd was en route to jump in and secure the situation. Thats saying something there.
The point I am making is that paratroopers are a slightly different breed. We don't necessarily walk around with an air of arrogance. We just know we can get the job done and that we will never quit. Sorry, I am feeling a bit hooah this morning. I just read an article about the 5-73 soldiers and how the community of Ft. Bragg will rally and how the 82nd won't fail in their mission.
Nothing significant to report here. Only thing really exciting are the thunderstorms we are getting lately. They tend to rival Iowa's in their intensity and longevity (or lack thereof). Apparently it is getting hot here. I wouldn't really know. I am usually passed out during the day. 12 hour shifts will do that to you.
All the Way.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Allow me to mount my soapbox....
Seeing as how things in my day to day life don't change very much (or at all it seems like), I may as well get right up and provide my own social commentary on things that are going on. Where I work, we always have the news on or access to news and needless to say, we have become innundated with the Virginia Tech shooting story. I first want to say how profoundly sorry I am for the families of those that were killed. It is a terrible tragedy for so many people who had literally just started their lives to have it end so quickly. We also must not forget about the students at VA Tech who witnessed this firsthand and now must live with it for the rest of their lives. They and their familites must now dealing with trying to move on and use this experience for a positive purpose.
What really gets me about this, though, is the over analysis being done on this. Call it media explotation, call it searching for a deeper meaning, call it whatever. I understand that in this country when have a burning desire to dissect every bit of something. Sports, for example. Every aspect of every sport has become a science. I love playing and watching sports, but when I hear about how a guy's draft stock is falling because he didn't meet the "standard" time in a forty yard sprint or this guy should never be allowed to play baseball because he is struggling in the first month of the season, I just want to turn off the volume. I am getting this sense from the VA Tech shootings. Do I want to know why this young man did this? Absolutely. Everyone does. I think, however, we have gotten the answer. He was a very disturbed individual who saw no other outlet than this. What caused it? We may not know. And even if we did, how would we stop it in the future?
The answer is we can't. Hindsight is 20/20. Were there warning signs? Maybe. But should we go on and blame the gun store owner, campus security, video games, Marilyn Manson, or anything else for that matter. If Cho wanted to accomplish this, then he would have found a way. If not now, then sometime. We can't do a societal audit of what went wrong. Bad things happen in the world. We learn from them and move on. Don't allow this wound to fester by filing lawsuits against outside parties that Cho used to facilitate his means. If that is the case, are we going to file a lawsuit against Starbucks because Cho may have gotten a cappucino that increased his caffeine intake for the day, allowing him to have more energy to do the terrible things he did? In the Army, if you do something wrong, you take your punishment, lick your wounds, and regroup and drive on. There isn't enough time in the world to pore over past mistakes. We may spend so much time looking backwards that we forget whats ahead of us.
Call this my tirade hearing about pundits looking for flaws and follies in every day life. Hell, I think most of the people in the world are depressed because the media paints such a depressing picture of life. All you hear about is negativity. If you are constantly bombarded with things like that, pretty soon you will believe it about everything. I am guilty of negativity myself, but I am trying to stop. Another thing I have learned. How can I expect my soldiers to want to do great things and be better, when I am constantly bring them down? Yes, I have to keep them in line because a soldier who is disciplined will be the soldier who stays alive when things get hairy. However, I also have to balance that with putting their needs ahead of my own and stimulating them to accomplish the things that I know they are capable of. Of course, there are some people in the world who just need to be crushed. But that doesn't mean I won't leave clues on how to rebuild themselves. In the Army, I have heard the phrase "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. And if they don't drink, shove their head in the water. If they still don't drink, they drown."
I'm done venting now. Things are going alright here. Kind of like purgatory. Not great, but not bad. Just here. I have this strong desire for time to move up one year so I can move on to other things. I am still considering some job options that seem to keep popping up in my life. I have started to get a sense of what I like in a job and what I don't like. I have found out that I work a lot better and stay a lot more disciplined if I have a distinct purpose. If I am left to standby, I slack. Plain and simple.
Still enjoy getting letters and whatnot. That'll never change. If you can find a way to ship a Chicago style pizza over with pepperoni and mushrooms, Good God, I will thank you for life (just keep the beer on standby, thats a no go over here).
All the Way.
What really gets me about this, though, is the over analysis being done on this. Call it media explotation, call it searching for a deeper meaning, call it whatever. I understand that in this country when have a burning desire to dissect every bit of something. Sports, for example. Every aspect of every sport has become a science. I love playing and watching sports, but when I hear about how a guy's draft stock is falling because he didn't meet the "standard" time in a forty yard sprint or this guy should never be allowed to play baseball because he is struggling in the first month of the season, I just want to turn off the volume. I am getting this sense from the VA Tech shootings. Do I want to know why this young man did this? Absolutely. Everyone does. I think, however, we have gotten the answer. He was a very disturbed individual who saw no other outlet than this. What caused it? We may not know. And even if we did, how would we stop it in the future?
The answer is we can't. Hindsight is 20/20. Were there warning signs? Maybe. But should we go on and blame the gun store owner, campus security, video games, Marilyn Manson, or anything else for that matter. If Cho wanted to accomplish this, then he would have found a way. If not now, then sometime. We can't do a societal audit of what went wrong. Bad things happen in the world. We learn from them and move on. Don't allow this wound to fester by filing lawsuits against outside parties that Cho used to facilitate his means. If that is the case, are we going to file a lawsuit against Starbucks because Cho may have gotten a cappucino that increased his caffeine intake for the day, allowing him to have more energy to do the terrible things he did? In the Army, if you do something wrong, you take your punishment, lick your wounds, and regroup and drive on. There isn't enough time in the world to pore over past mistakes. We may spend so much time looking backwards that we forget whats ahead of us.
Call this my tirade hearing about pundits looking for flaws and follies in every day life. Hell, I think most of the people in the world are depressed because the media paints such a depressing picture of life. All you hear about is negativity. If you are constantly bombarded with things like that, pretty soon you will believe it about everything. I am guilty of negativity myself, but I am trying to stop. Another thing I have learned. How can I expect my soldiers to want to do great things and be better, when I am constantly bring them down? Yes, I have to keep them in line because a soldier who is disciplined will be the soldier who stays alive when things get hairy. However, I also have to balance that with putting their needs ahead of my own and stimulating them to accomplish the things that I know they are capable of. Of course, there are some people in the world who just need to be crushed. But that doesn't mean I won't leave clues on how to rebuild themselves. In the Army, I have heard the phrase "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. And if they don't drink, shove their head in the water. If they still don't drink, they drown."
I'm done venting now. Things are going alright here. Kind of like purgatory. Not great, but not bad. Just here. I have this strong desire for time to move up one year so I can move on to other things. I am still considering some job options that seem to keep popping up in my life. I have started to get a sense of what I like in a job and what I don't like. I have found out that I work a lot better and stay a lot more disciplined if I have a distinct purpose. If I am left to standby, I slack. Plain and simple.
Still enjoy getting letters and whatnot. That'll never change. If you can find a way to ship a Chicago style pizza over with pepperoni and mushrooms, Good God, I will thank you for life (just keep the beer on standby, thats a no go over here).
All the Way.
Friday, April 20, 2007
A few things I've learned...
I have learned a few things since I have been over here. Many are just common day occurances that took a few instances for me to understand. First, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. I have found out that when it comes to stuff getting done on my shift. I like to do it. Its not that I don't trust my soldiers, I do. However, if my name is attached to it, I like to be responsible for it and if any heat is going to come down, I don't want to pawn it off on my guys. Plus, I have a certain way I like things to be done and I get a little anxious when they aren't done that way. I guess I inherited that from my mother. But of course, I am also of the school of thought that if something gets done, don't second guess me or nitpick about the smallest and obvious things. You've got the information. What more do you want?
I have also learned that certainity in life is elusive (even more so over here). You think you have day-to-day things straightened out and settled into a routine and something changes. Thats okay, I'm used to dealing with that. Case in point, my leave dates. I am now on my sixth and hopefully final leave date change. Originally I was going to leave somewhere near the beginning of June. Well, that has been CNX'd and pushed to the right a wee bit. Well, not necessarily a wee bit, but more like 6 1/2 months. So, uh, yeah, be looking for me home around Christmas time. Of course that could change again, because when I woke up last night, this morning, whenever the hell it was, I had no idea that things were changing again. To be honest though, I offered to change my leave time because I would rather be going on leave near the end of my deployment (of course, we could get extended again) as opposed to the first half of it. And besides, now everyone will have a semi-legitmate reason to come to Iowa for the holidays. Plus, this gives me more time to hit the gym and look like I am actually a soldier as opposed to someone who just sits behind a desk 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sticking with the routine thing, I woke up and said to myself "Groundhogs Day". It is somewhat true because I am can pinpoint almost exatly when things are going to happen. I know what time information will come in and what time it needs to go out. I can even tell you what time I will get back from the latrine after I wake up. 1729 zulu. I have a daily routine and as boring as it sounds, it works. It seems that with night shift things go a little bit faster. I am not bothered so much because their aren't as many people working and I have developed a good system for things which in turns equals me not getting woken up in the middle of the day like I was at first.
I have also figured out that I inherited another quirky trait from my mother. I am big fan of crossword puzzles. I'll do like 4 or 5 of them a night. Don't know why I started. Sheer boredom maybe. I do notice that some of the answers are reappearing in other puzzles I do.
Nothing too exciting going on. I try and prolong my midnight chow as long as possible so as to catch the Cubs when they are on. Of course the last two times I have watched they have blown the lead so maybe not such a hot idea. I am sorry that I won't be home in a month, but I think it will work a little bit better this way.
All the Way.
I have also learned that certainity in life is elusive (even more so over here). You think you have day-to-day things straightened out and settled into a routine and something changes. Thats okay, I'm used to dealing with that. Case in point, my leave dates. I am now on my sixth and hopefully final leave date change. Originally I was going to leave somewhere near the beginning of June. Well, that has been CNX'd and pushed to the right a wee bit. Well, not necessarily a wee bit, but more like 6 1/2 months. So, uh, yeah, be looking for me home around Christmas time. Of course that could change again, because when I woke up last night, this morning, whenever the hell it was, I had no idea that things were changing again. To be honest though, I offered to change my leave time because I would rather be going on leave near the end of my deployment (of course, we could get extended again) as opposed to the first half of it. And besides, now everyone will have a semi-legitmate reason to come to Iowa for the holidays. Plus, this gives me more time to hit the gym and look like I am actually a soldier as opposed to someone who just sits behind a desk 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sticking with the routine thing, I woke up and said to myself "Groundhogs Day". It is somewhat true because I am can pinpoint almost exatly when things are going to happen. I know what time information will come in and what time it needs to go out. I can even tell you what time I will get back from the latrine after I wake up. 1729 zulu. I have a daily routine and as boring as it sounds, it works. It seems that with night shift things go a little bit faster. I am not bothered so much because their aren't as many people working and I have developed a good system for things which in turns equals me not getting woken up in the middle of the day like I was at first.
I have also figured out that I inherited another quirky trait from my mother. I am big fan of crossword puzzles. I'll do like 4 or 5 of them a night. Don't know why I started. Sheer boredom maybe. I do notice that some of the answers are reappearing in other puzzles I do.
Nothing too exciting going on. I try and prolong my midnight chow as long as possible so as to catch the Cubs when they are on. Of course the last two times I have watched they have blown the lead so maybe not such a hot idea. I am sorry that I won't be home in a month, but I think it will work a little bit better this way.
All the Way.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
So I'll be sticking around...
As I am writing this, I am watching SECDEF Robert Gates explain that we will probably be getting extended to 15 months. Sweet. Actually, its not too bad. I'll now have more money to buy that Toyota Tacoma I've been looking at or hold off for the new Challenger (I can see the wheels turning in my Dad's head right now, INVEST, INVEST, INVEST). I've finally gotten used to this night shift thing. It only took a two weeks. I'm not dozing off at 3 or 4 in the morning anymore. I've actually got a pretty good system down of when and how things need to get done. It is still a pain in the ass to try and sleep during the day. Some people just don't understand that I work on a different schedule than them and I have been woken up for stupid stuff several times.
We got rocketed again the other day. I couldn't tell you where the rounds landed, but they were close. Nobody was hurt, but it was a nice little hour and half of sitting in the bunker. I have figured out that since there is nothing else to do, I'll just pull my goggles over my eyes and try and take a nap.
I am currently at an interesting dilemma. What to do for leave? Since my leave date got changed (thats 5 times now, for those of you keeping track), my plans have been somewhat disrupted. I was originally going to meet a friend in Spain, but by the time I get there, they may be gone. And I really don't feel like bumming around Spain for two weeks by myself. It certainly would be more enjoyable if I had some companions. Now, this is not a cry for someone to come to Spain and drink sangria with me. I'm just saying that I am leaning towards coming home for R&R. That way I can get some time away (and save money for that Tacoma/Challenger) and possibly go to a Cubs game (hint, hint). I'm fielding thoughts on the idea.
I would like to say that I have some really good family and friends. You came up big for my birthday. Granted, I didn't get a handle of Captain Morgan (which is what I really wanted/needed) but it certainly made my day when I came into work to see all sorts of cards and packages. CJ, Brooke, Ali, and Robin, I got your package and wow. Thanx. I owe you guys a boot at Hessen Haus. Thats about all I got for now. Nothing too exciting in my life at this time.
All the Way.
We got rocketed again the other day. I couldn't tell you where the rounds landed, but they were close. Nobody was hurt, but it was a nice little hour and half of sitting in the bunker. I have figured out that since there is nothing else to do, I'll just pull my goggles over my eyes and try and take a nap.
I am currently at an interesting dilemma. What to do for leave? Since my leave date got changed (thats 5 times now, for those of you keeping track), my plans have been somewhat disrupted. I was originally going to meet a friend in Spain, but by the time I get there, they may be gone. And I really don't feel like bumming around Spain for two weeks by myself. It certainly would be more enjoyable if I had some companions. Now, this is not a cry for someone to come to Spain and drink sangria with me. I'm just saying that I am leaning towards coming home for R&R. That way I can get some time away (and save money for that Tacoma/Challenger) and possibly go to a Cubs game (hint, hint). I'm fielding thoughts on the idea.
I would like to say that I have some really good family and friends. You came up big for my birthday. Granted, I didn't get a handle of Captain Morgan (which is what I really wanted/needed) but it certainly made my day when I came into work to see all sorts of cards and packages. CJ, Brooke, Ali, and Robin, I got your package and wow. Thanx. I owe you guys a boot at Hessen Haus. Thats about all I got for now. Nothing too exciting in my life at this time.
All the Way.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Happy Birthday
See, it is convient to have a birthday close to mine. I won't forget, too much. So, Happy Birthday to my stepmom and partner in political ideology, Louisa. I think she is like 27 or something :). Anyway, nothing else exciting going on. I'm starting to get into a decent sleep pattern, which is quite nice. I had a few 4 hour days which sucked. Also, I like having a birthday while being deployed because with spotty mail service, you get presents for like a week straight after you actually day. It rocks my socks off. Anyways, thats all I got for now.
All the Way.
Happy Birthday
See, it is convient to have a birthday close to mine. I won't forget, too much. So, Happy Birthday to my stepmom and partner in political ideology, Louisa. I think she is like 27 or something :). Anyway, nothing else exciting going on. I'm starting to get into a decent sleep pattern, which is quite nice. I had a few 4 hour days which sucked. Also, I like having a birthday while being deployed because with spotty mail service, you get presents for like a week straight after you actually day. It rocks my socks off. Anyways, thats all I got for now.
All the Way.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
A Case of Mistaken Identity...
Dear Mrs. Pam Sullivan, You may have me confused with someone else. I'm not married nor do I even have a girlfriend. But I appreciate the sentiment just the same! I will do my best to make sure I come home whenever the Army sees fit and maybe get married, lol. First, I'll have to find a good women who is willing to put up with me and my penchant for athletics, snowboarding, parachuting, and drinking. Second, she'll have to be cool with me being in a easily deployable unit. In all seriousness, if you husband is deployed, I hope he comes home safe and is able to stick around for awhile. I'm getting a feeling for what it is like to be away from your spouse for so long. All of my NCO's are married, so I watch what they go through and I am beginning to understand how hard it is. Maybe, someday, I will be able to meet you and thank you for you kind thoughts.
To my aunt Carol, the bunkers are just concrete barriers put together. You can usually fit about 20-30 people in one. I usually like to sit on the end because once we are given the sweep signal (check for injuries, damage, etc.) I have to go out and check. The wire really is wire. Miles and Miles of constantine and razor wire. There are these big Hesco barriers also that are made up of dirt and what not and it acts as just make shift walls to protect us from rockets. To Mr. Austin Brickley, as a forward observer, the "guns" we use are actually artillery cannons. There is the 155mm and 105 mm. Both have a pretty big range. My personal weapon is an M4 with a Close Combat Optic. It is pretty light and I like the way it fires. Once I get pictures uploaded, you will be able to get a better picture of some of the equipment I use. Please, feel free, to ask any questions. I will do my best to answer them. I may be limited by security clearance but I'll do what I can.
All the Way.
To my aunt Carol, the bunkers are just concrete barriers put together. You can usually fit about 20-30 people in one. I usually like to sit on the end because once we are given the sweep signal (check for injuries, damage, etc.) I have to go out and check. The wire really is wire. Miles and Miles of constantine and razor wire. There are these big Hesco barriers also that are made up of dirt and what not and it acts as just make shift walls to protect us from rockets. To Mr. Austin Brickley, as a forward observer, the "guns" we use are actually artillery cannons. There is the 155mm and 105 mm. Both have a pretty big range. My personal weapon is an M4 with a Close Combat Optic. It is pretty light and I like the way it fires. Once I get pictures uploaded, you will be able to get a better picture of some of the equipment I use. Please, feel free, to ask any questions. I will do my best to answer them. I may be limited by security clearance but I'll do what I can.
All the Way.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Where's my flashlight?
Nights at Salerno are hit and miss. I'm not just talking about the rockets. I'm talking about the illumination. SOmetimes the moon is so bright it hurts. Other nights, its like walking around with a blind fold on in a room full of desks. Just a few weeks ago, I forgot my flashlight and walked straight into a jersey barrier. My knuckles were nice and cut up from that one. And we also had a sandstorm. I walked outside and looked and poked my head in and said that it was gonna be mighty nasty in about 30 mins. Sure enough, the hail started and our tent nearly blew away. Supposedly it damaged a bunch of stuff around the FOB. The weather here is a lot like Iowa; if you don't like it, wait 15 minutes. Oh yes, sidenote, I now work nights so that means 1930-0730. My sleep pattern has been slightly altered. As I write this, I am nearly falling asleep. If you want some pure comedy, you should see me when I come out of my tent in the afternoon after being in a 9 hour coma. First, its bright and second, I just woke up so I am kind of disoriented. I kind of look like I have had a few too many to drink (which would be a welcome problem right now). Its kind of funny, I am a world away, but I am now on the same sleep pattern as everyone back home.
So, it was my birthday today (or yesterday, whatever the hell day it is). Woo. I didn't really do anything exciting (not much to do in southern Afghanistan). I know what I am doing to today (tomorrow or whenever, this shift change is screwing with my head). Pass out. I'm talking about sleeping from when I get off work to 30 mins before I go to work. But anyway, yup, I'm 23. To all my aunts, I bet you feel old now, lmao.
Not too much going on. I got to outside the wire for the first time in two months last week. A few of us went out to shoot some rounds at a firebase near the Pakistani border. It was just a two day trip and we got to have some good food with some of the local police. The base that we were at was just a few kilometers from some former Al-Qaida training camps that had been taken out during Clinton's presidency. We supposedly picked up some radio transmissions from Taliban fighters who were warning each other about not moving around in the area because we were firing. I got some satisfaction in that.
Baseball started today. Cubs lost, but hey, I've been a fan for awhile so I'm used to it. It will be a good season, even though I won't be able to watch any of the games. Like I said, nothing exciting so I'm kind of out of stuff to write about but I still enjoy getting letters and whatnot.
All the Way.
So, it was my birthday today (or yesterday, whatever the hell day it is). Woo. I didn't really do anything exciting (not much to do in southern Afghanistan). I know what I am doing to today (tomorrow or whenever, this shift change is screwing with my head). Pass out. I'm talking about sleeping from when I get off work to 30 mins before I go to work. But anyway, yup, I'm 23. To all my aunts, I bet you feel old now, lmao.
Not too much going on. I got to outside the wire for the first time in two months last week. A few of us went out to shoot some rounds at a firebase near the Pakistani border. It was just a two day trip and we got to have some good food with some of the local police. The base that we were at was just a few kilometers from some former Al-Qaida training camps that had been taken out during Clinton's presidency. We supposedly picked up some radio transmissions from Taliban fighters who were warning each other about not moving around in the area because we were firing. I got some satisfaction in that.
Baseball started today. Cubs lost, but hey, I've been a fan for awhile so I'm used to it. It will be a good season, even though I won't be able to watch any of the games. Like I said, nothing exciting so I'm kind of out of stuff to write about but I still enjoy getting letters and whatnot.
All the Way.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Its Official...
About an hour after I finished writing my first post today, I was officially pinned Corporal. My NCOIC said that he felt I was ready to be a junior NCO and they expect good things from me. So you can address those letters and packages to CPL Kyle Dykstra now. Biff America, if you are reading this, I got your columns and they are awesome. I appreciate your style, political leanings, and yearly prayer for the Red Sox (Mine is for the Cubs). Dr. Heather, thank your package. I made sure to share it with the rest of my office. Aunt Kim, the beef jerky was a hit and so were the DVD's. Aunt Lynne, I love reading the magazines. Grandma Judy, the pictures of Blake and JoJo were a very welcome addition to my room. Dad and Louisa, thanx for keeping me updated with the Newsweeks. I know I forgot some people. I look forward to mail everyday and its a huge boost when I get some.
Rock Steady.
All the Way.
Rock Steady.
All the Way.
Friday, March 23, 2007
You remember that one time...
Sorry it has been awhile. I haven't had much to write about. So, we took 4 rockets within 12 hours the other day. The first attack occurred on Thursday night and the jokers are getting better now. They are starting to get the rounds to land inside the wire. Nobody was hurt but they had me thinking for awhile. I didn't have much to worry about though. The attack on Friday morning (two minutes before my alarm went off) hit nowhere close to inside the FOB .
The standard operating procedure for when a rocket attack occurs is to drop what you are doing, don your body armor, and head to the designated bunker in order to gain accountability. All told, it take about 3-5 minutes for all this to happen. depending on where you are at on the FOB. Now, what goes on inside the bunker is a whole different story. For once, there is no standard Army protocol on what to do during a rocket attack. Some bring their Ipods, PSP's, a book, something to stay entertained. I don't usually think to grab any of these things during the initial moments so while we are in the bunker we resort to telling stories of our time at Bragg.
Now, I was only at Ft. Bragg for two months before I deployed. All of the joes in my unit graduated from AIT and Airborne school within 6 weeks of each other. All told, nobody had been at Ft. Bragg for more than 3-4 months tops. Let us also consider that there was a 3 week period in which we had off for Christmas. Yet, somehow during this time, we managed to rack up an impressive amount of material to keep us entertained. Now, depending on the who is in the bunker with us, the stories are edited for content or expanded for content. One of the favorites is the time we decided to go to Fat Daddy's Bar and Grill in Fayetteville. We just wanted to watch some football, play some pool, and get to know the new specialist who had just come to the unit 3 days before (that would be me). We'll one of our buddies had just gotten his bonus and had a small penchant for drinking (small being a slight understatement). Spottedhorse (yes, that is his real last name) decided to buy everyone drinks. Tally by the end of the night, 4 Jager Bombs, 1 shot of Crown Royale, 3 Malibu rum and pineapples for all of us. There were 8 of us that went to the bar (only 6 were drinking, 2 were DD'ing). This on top of the beers we had ordered ourselves. That story and the hijinks that ensued are always crowd pleasers.
You then have the time where we were kicked out of a bar on Thanksgiving night for reasons still unknown to this day and how we didn't know the whereabouts of our NCO who had gone out with us because he left the bar after us (Turns out, he just decided to walk home, thinking he would be able to catch a cab. 12 miles and 3 hours later we walked in his front door and his cellphone was dead for the next day and a half). And the time where two of my buddies supposedly saw wolves during our night land navigation (the validity of this story is still questioned to an extent). Any story of a jump gone awry is always a winner. You then have PFC Charles Lee who is from way down in Tennessee but I'll be damned if he isn't the smartest one out of all of us. He is also the oldest so he takes a lot of grief for that. His story of a trip to DisneyWorld with his fiance's family a few years ago entertained the bunker the other night. The short version topped out at 28 minutes and needless to say, ended with the breaking off of the engagement.
The eerie part of the other night was the lull in the stories and hearing the call to prayer. If you have ever seen "Black Hawk Down" it was very similar to the scene about halfway through the film where the soldiers are hunkered down as night fell. The next time I watch it, I'm sure it will send shivers up my spine. All told, things are going well here. I am taking some NCO classes and learning a lot. I am just observing how my NCO's work and learning some valuable lessons there. Let me just say that our Command Sergeant Major is a helluva guy. I also got my first commander's coin yesterday. A one-star Air Force came into our compound, on which I was Entrance Control Point guard. Apparently I impressed him and as he left, he shook my hand and slipped a coin in there. It was a pretty neat experience. Thanx for all the goodies.
Rock Hard.
All the Way.
The standard operating procedure for when a rocket attack occurs is to drop what you are doing, don your body armor, and head to the designated bunker in order to gain accountability. All told, it take about 3-5 minutes for all this to happen. depending on where you are at on the FOB. Now, what goes on inside the bunker is a whole different story. For once, there is no standard Army protocol on what to do during a rocket attack. Some bring their Ipods, PSP's, a book, something to stay entertained. I don't usually think to grab any of these things during the initial moments so while we are in the bunker we resort to telling stories of our time at Bragg.
Now, I was only at Ft. Bragg for two months before I deployed. All of the joes in my unit graduated from AIT and Airborne school within 6 weeks of each other. All told, nobody had been at Ft. Bragg for more than 3-4 months tops. Let us also consider that there was a 3 week period in which we had off for Christmas. Yet, somehow during this time, we managed to rack up an impressive amount of material to keep us entertained. Now, depending on the who is in the bunker with us, the stories are edited for content or expanded for content. One of the favorites is the time we decided to go to Fat Daddy's Bar and Grill in Fayetteville. We just wanted to watch some football, play some pool, and get to know the new specialist who had just come to the unit 3 days before (that would be me). We'll one of our buddies had just gotten his bonus and had a small penchant for drinking (small being a slight understatement). Spottedhorse (yes, that is his real last name) decided to buy everyone drinks. Tally by the end of the night, 4 Jager Bombs, 1 shot of Crown Royale, 3 Malibu rum and pineapples for all of us. There were 8 of us that went to the bar (only 6 were drinking, 2 were DD'ing). This on top of the beers we had ordered ourselves. That story and the hijinks that ensued are always crowd pleasers.
You then have the time where we were kicked out of a bar on Thanksgiving night for reasons still unknown to this day and how we didn't know the whereabouts of our NCO who had gone out with us because he left the bar after us (Turns out, he just decided to walk home, thinking he would be able to catch a cab. 12 miles and 3 hours later we walked in his front door and his cellphone was dead for the next day and a half). And the time where two of my buddies supposedly saw wolves during our night land navigation (the validity of this story is still questioned to an extent). Any story of a jump gone awry is always a winner. You then have PFC Charles Lee who is from way down in Tennessee but I'll be damned if he isn't the smartest one out of all of us. He is also the oldest so he takes a lot of grief for that. His story of a trip to DisneyWorld with his fiance's family a few years ago entertained the bunker the other night. The short version topped out at 28 minutes and needless to say, ended with the breaking off of the engagement.
The eerie part of the other night was the lull in the stories and hearing the call to prayer. If you have ever seen "Black Hawk Down" it was very similar to the scene about halfway through the film where the soldiers are hunkered down as night fell. The next time I watch it, I'm sure it will send shivers up my spine. All told, things are going well here. I am taking some NCO classes and learning a lot. I am just observing how my NCO's work and learning some valuable lessons there. Let me just say that our Command Sergeant Major is a helluva guy. I also got my first commander's coin yesterday. A one-star Air Force came into our compound, on which I was Entrance Control Point guard. Apparently I impressed him and as he left, he shook my hand and slipped a coin in there. It was a pretty neat experience. Thanx for all the goodies.
Rock Hard.
All the Way.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
I will never leave a fallen comrade...
As a soldier, you hear that phrase all the time. It is one of the first things you learn when you join. It is plastered everywhere. It is part of our "Warrior Ethos" and soldiers creed. If fact, a few weeks ago, former Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey uttered those same words. Why did he do that? Because things have failed on his watch. If by now you haven't figured out what I am talking about, it is the situation at Walter Reed. I began to hear things trickle out here and there from the overseas newspaper that we get here. Then the firestorm hit national news and it was exposed. I can honestly say as a soldier, I'm infuriated. God willing, I will never have to use the facilities at Walter Reed or even deal with any combat related injuries (non-combat, its possible. I do jump out of airplanes and helicopters on occassion).
Whether I would need the services is not the issue. The issue is that the U.S. has asked millions of servicemembers to go and fight in two countries thousands of miles away, for an undisclosed amount of time. The war we are fighting is not a traditional one in the sense that it is a uniformed enemy using conventional weapons. Our enemies are using subversive means to try and kill us. The manner in which they maim and kill is mind-boggling. If you would ask a medic, I'm sure that they would say that some of the injuries that soldiers have sustained in this war are unlike anything they have seen before. So why haven't we adapted our medical system to deal with it? Why are soldiers being forgotten when they come home? This isn't a black and white conflict. There are many, many gray areas here. The psychological impact of that alone can be damning to a soldier.
Why are soldiers not receiving the proper medical care? What about them living squalid conditions? Is this the reception that wounded soldiers are supposed to expect when they come home? Its time to do a serious reevalution of our priorities in this country. With the little news I catch over here, CNN and FoxNews are more worried about the latest Anna Nicole Smith news than they are about the soldiers. Who cares? Okay, she was a whore and she died. Get over it. There are more pressing issues at hand here. Why is there not a larger national outrage. This should be issue number one in the country. You are asking your sons and daughters to go and fight so you can sustain your freedoms but then you treat them as a burden when they returned maimed, disfigured, and unstable. Want to support the troops? Make some noise. Do not let this stand. Call whoever you have to say that this is unacceptable. You may not know anybody know who has been afflicted, but that could change with a rocket attack.
I'm not the only one to say that the country has failed our soldiers and it is not just in the sense of the wounded. Many soldiers are going to combat without proper equipment or with outdated equipment. I was lucky enough to get all my stuff, but I got that a week before deployment. And that was in a fully fledged Army Division. What about National Guard and Reserve units? Are they getting everything?
I apologize in the change of tones in this message. It is just that I read a Newsweek article concerning the issues of the Veterans and I got pissed. I haven't had enough time in to know anybody who has been affected, but that will change. One of my NCO's has already had a kid from his AIT class die in Iraq. He graduated 13Fox AIT in October. It is not too late to change things, but there are some monumental shifts that need to happen.
Any way, I've started to hear the Afghani calls to prayer at night and in the morning. It is really eery and beautiful to hear them. Not much else is going on. Remember a few weeks back when I wrote that there was a job opportunity that I was looking into and it would be a good boost to my career? Well, I had a good talk with an NCO in that unit and it is something I am going to explore further. What have I got to lose? Currently, there is somewhere around 40,000 pounds of mail sitting up in Bagram waiting to get shipped out. The weather here hasn't helped but they are getting it out as fast as possible. I am beginning to be able to tell the difference between a civilian plane that comes in and a C-130. If a civilian comes in, I know we are getting mail. Happy St. Patrick's Day (and Blake's b-day) one day early. Have a pint for me. I'll make up for it when I get back.
All the Way.
Whether I would need the services is not the issue. The issue is that the U.S. has asked millions of servicemembers to go and fight in two countries thousands of miles away, for an undisclosed amount of time. The war we are fighting is not a traditional one in the sense that it is a uniformed enemy using conventional weapons. Our enemies are using subversive means to try and kill us. The manner in which they maim and kill is mind-boggling. If you would ask a medic, I'm sure that they would say that some of the injuries that soldiers have sustained in this war are unlike anything they have seen before. So why haven't we adapted our medical system to deal with it? Why are soldiers being forgotten when they come home? This isn't a black and white conflict. There are many, many gray areas here. The psychological impact of that alone can be damning to a soldier.
Why are soldiers not receiving the proper medical care? What about them living squalid conditions? Is this the reception that wounded soldiers are supposed to expect when they come home? Its time to do a serious reevalution of our priorities in this country. With the little news I catch over here, CNN and FoxNews are more worried about the latest Anna Nicole Smith news than they are about the soldiers. Who cares? Okay, she was a whore and she died. Get over it. There are more pressing issues at hand here. Why is there not a larger national outrage. This should be issue number one in the country. You are asking your sons and daughters to go and fight so you can sustain your freedoms but then you treat them as a burden when they returned maimed, disfigured, and unstable. Want to support the troops? Make some noise. Do not let this stand. Call whoever you have to say that this is unacceptable. You may not know anybody know who has been afflicted, but that could change with a rocket attack.
I'm not the only one to say that the country has failed our soldiers and it is not just in the sense of the wounded. Many soldiers are going to combat without proper equipment or with outdated equipment. I was lucky enough to get all my stuff, but I got that a week before deployment. And that was in a fully fledged Army Division. What about National Guard and Reserve units? Are they getting everything?
I apologize in the change of tones in this message. It is just that I read a Newsweek article concerning the issues of the Veterans and I got pissed. I haven't had enough time in to know anybody who has been affected, but that will change. One of my NCO's has already had a kid from his AIT class die in Iraq. He graduated 13Fox AIT in October. It is not too late to change things, but there are some monumental shifts that need to happen.
Any way, I've started to hear the Afghani calls to prayer at night and in the morning. It is really eery and beautiful to hear them. Not much else is going on. Remember a few weeks back when I wrote that there was a job opportunity that I was looking into and it would be a good boost to my career? Well, I had a good talk with an NCO in that unit and it is something I am going to explore further. What have I got to lose? Currently, there is somewhere around 40,000 pounds of mail sitting up in Bagram waiting to get shipped out. The weather here hasn't helped but they are getting it out as fast as possible. I am beginning to be able to tell the difference between a civilian plane that comes in and a C-130. If a civilian comes in, I know we are getting mail. Happy St. Patrick's Day (and Blake's b-day) one day early. Have a pint for me. I'll make up for it when I get back.
All the Way.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Attention on the FOB.....
Those four little words command an audience. Most of the time it is just to let people know that the small and large arms ranges are going out. Imagine people's surprise if they didn't announce it and the Apaches starting doing their live fire. People would be in full battle rattle ready to fight. Imagine my surprise when I heard it this morning at 0100 Dublin Pub time and a few minutes later the concussion of the 2.75 rockets went through the tent. By the way, I live in a tent that is about 400 meters from the flightline and about 700 meters from the large arms range. Thats danger close for the flight line and damn near danger close for the large arms range. If it flies or flies and fires on Salerno, I hear it. I don't mind it though. Not at all. I would love to be woken up every morning by a 30mm cannon and 2.75 inch rockets. It is much morning entertaining than the alarm on my watch.
Pretty boring week so far. Some frustrating things here and there but that will happen when you haven't had a beer in two months. Still shaking my head that I have been gone for 2 months now. Some days it feels like yesterday I was at Bragg; others, last year. Only (fill-in-the-blank here, nobody knows) to go. Happy B-day to my little bro Blake. Sorry I can't be there buddy. I'll make it up to you when you are 21 (you are an older brothers dream for being born on St. Patrick's Day). As far as care packages go. Wow. Thank you to all. Nothing brightens up a day like getting a package in the mail (and burned copies of all your CD's because you were a moron and erased all the music on your Ipod. Sarah Reid, you are a lifesaver). Now, I don't necessarily need food or anything like that right now, but it is still nice to get a letter. Lets see. Salerno continues to do its best Seattle impression and rain for 3 days and be sunny for two. That can be slightly irritating. As long as it doesn't flood our tent, I'll live. Not much else to say. Things are pretty routine here. Hopefully the weather has decided it has been winter for long enough and it is nice and sunny in Iowa.
All the Way.
Pretty boring week so far. Some frustrating things here and there but that will happen when you haven't had a beer in two months. Still shaking my head that I have been gone for 2 months now. Some days it feels like yesterday I was at Bragg; others, last year. Only (fill-in-the-blank here, nobody knows) to go. Happy B-day to my little bro Blake. Sorry I can't be there buddy. I'll make it up to you when you are 21 (you are an older brothers dream for being born on St. Patrick's Day). As far as care packages go. Wow. Thank you to all. Nothing brightens up a day like getting a package in the mail (and burned copies of all your CD's because you were a moron and erased all the music on your Ipod. Sarah Reid, you are a lifesaver). Now, I don't necessarily need food or anything like that right now, but it is still nice to get a letter. Lets see. Salerno continues to do its best Seattle impression and rain for 3 days and be sunny for two. That can be slightly irritating. As long as it doesn't flood our tent, I'll live. Not much else to say. Things are pretty routine here. Hopefully the weather has decided it has been winter for long enough and it is nice and sunny in Iowa.
All the Way.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Same old, Same old
Nothing significant to report here. The weather is getting nicer here and we have gone 3 days without rain. Pretty sure thats a record so far since I have been here. With all the nice weather, its time for me to start getting my lazy ass outta bed in the morning and start running. At least I am hitting the gym on a consistent basis. Gotta start looking good for when I go on R&R to some exotic, foreign country (this is the fourth time my R&R has been changed since I got over here). I'm guessing for security reasons I shouldn't say when or where I am going, but when I was in Wales, I went to this country on spring break where I saw a soccer game and I was nearly arrested there for yelling at a bus driver because he wouldn't let us on the bus. There, that will leave you scrambling through e-mails to figure out my destination. I also have a good friend studying abroad there who I am going to kick it with for a few days.
Yeah, not too much going on here. Our tent has become a hotbed of hockey as the Xbox 360 (don't worry, I didn't buy it) is on all the time because we are constantly playing each other and keeping tally of the wins and losses on the door. I have yet to find a solid team that I can win with on a consistent basis. Its just little things you have to do to occupy the time. A couple of warrant officers brought a baseball glove and ball so when they go out to throw it around, I usually jump in. My arm strength is there, just not my accuracy, which anybody who has ever played catch with me can tell you that the accuracy has never been there.
To all my friends on facebook: I am having a difficult time posting on your walls, so I am not ignoring you, I am just experiencing technical difficulties.
Thats about all I got. I know it is not the novel you are expecting but hopefully this was just a little update to let you know I am doing fine.
All the Way.
Yeah, not too much going on here. Our tent has become a hotbed of hockey as the Xbox 360 (don't worry, I didn't buy it) is on all the time because we are constantly playing each other and keeping tally of the wins and losses on the door. I have yet to find a solid team that I can win with on a consistent basis. Its just little things you have to do to occupy the time. A couple of warrant officers brought a baseball glove and ball so when they go out to throw it around, I usually jump in. My arm strength is there, just not my accuracy, which anybody who has ever played catch with me can tell you that the accuracy has never been there.
To all my friends on facebook: I am having a difficult time posting on your walls, so I am not ignoring you, I am just experiencing technical difficulties.
Thats about all I got. I know it is not the novel you are expecting but hopefully this was just a little update to let you know I am doing fine.
All the Way.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Apparently, it LATHER, Rinse, Repeat...
Well, I have been guilt tripped into writing every day (I am being sarcastic, I enjoy writing these) seeing as it is now an integral part of everybody’s day (thanx for the ego boost Dad and Louisa). Don’t worry, if I don’t write for a few days, its more because I have nothing interesting to talk about. It’s not exactly like when I was in Wales, where something was happening everyday. Here, its just the same old same old.
Mail update: yes, I did get the external hard drive. Chuck, I also got your package, but it was kind of…..well….soaked. It probably was sitting out in the snow for a while, so the letter you sent. No go, but I did manage to dry out the gloves and the cards. The spices and seasoning is awesome. We don’t have a grill over here, but I will make do. The Cookies seasoning will be a welcome addition to my meals.
I guess I do have a valid point today. I’ve noticed that I came over here with WAY too much stuff. Honestly, who really needs 18 tan t-shirts when you do laundry every week? Actually, I don’t really do my own laundry; I just turn it in to Hajji…wait, the local nationals. I guess we can’t call them that anymore, at least the ones that work on the FOB. Fair enough. Back to the point. I brought something like 7 pairs of boots when in reality, I need 4. Extra helmet. Just taking up space. Socks, hell, you can never have too many of those. At least I will be covered in the ACU department, where I will have 12 pairs by the time I leave here. You can never have too many of those. However, with the right amount of planning and stuffing, I figure I can fit everything into two duffel bags and my MOLLE rucksack.
Now, this is coming from someone who doesn’t go too many places in a normal day. If I go out to the field for a few days/ weeks, things might be different, but for now, I am doing a serious inventory of my stuff and there might be a duffel bag being sent out of here in the direction of Des Moines, IA.
Promotion check: still working on some paperwork issues. I could get pinned right now, but if I went to another unit, they could just take it right off me if I don’t have the correct paperwork, so I am working on that.
I’ve decided to be proactive about my days and I am now going to be badgering my NCO’s with questions on whether there are professional Army classes available during the days here. Being Combat Life Saver certified or taking a Humvee driving class might be some interesting things to do. If anything, it just adds more promotion points to my tally. At least I can kill time wandering around the base looking for class. At least lifting weights at lunch seems to be working out. I think I am getting a little bit bigger. Now if I can get myself up in the morning to start running.
I am just sort of rambling right now, but its funny how things have changed in a year for me. I’ve mentioned it before, but a year ago I was balancing my time between classes, the bar, and my internship (Not necessarily in that order, however). Fast forward and I have spent 9 months living out of a bag at 4 different Army posts (Benning twice, Sill, Bragg, and Salerno), I have jumped out of an airplane 7 times and a helicopter once. I am now spending what will be a majority of my Army career deployed in a country that looks strangely like southeastern Wyoming. As much as my days do sort of suck, it sure as hell beats being in the “corporate” world, like many of my college colleagues are doing now. Instead of wearing a different suit and tie everyday, I can throw on the same uniform for a week (On the downside, my college colleagues can go to the bar on the weekend and kick back. A pint here and there would be nice). Plus, if I ever get out to do my job, I’ll get to blow some stuff up. And, I get hazard pay. Still working on trying to get my jump pay in order.
Oh yeah, I have a little sister now too. And my little brother can carry on full conversations with me. It feels like such a long time ago when I had to make faces at him to get him to interact with me. Mr. Eric Dekowski, I just wanted to let you know that I have your eagle pendent and I keep it on my body armor because I know it will keep me safe.
I suppose I should wrap this up. I’m trying to keep on the Cubs as best as possible. I am excited about this upcoming year. A surplus of pitching and some power in the lineup, mmm, a recipe for success. Plus, I see this as the year. A new manager in Sweet Lou. Look at the last time we had a new manager. 2003, anybody? Five outs from the World Series. Besides the fans have a precedent now that if we are that close to the Series and there is a foul ball hit near the stands at any point during a game, everybody clears out of the way. Bartman, I’ll forgive you when we win. Also, look at this logic. Ever since the Marlins won it in 2003, we have been intimately connected with the World Series winner since. 2003-Marlins-we put them there. 2004-The Red Sox; we both had the air of ineptitude for so long. 2005- The White Sox- cross-town rivals. 2006- the Cardinals- Division rivals. The cosmos are being aligned. It is going to happen. Now, if they could quietly remove the endorsements from the outfield, all will be well.
All the Way.
Mail update: yes, I did get the external hard drive. Chuck, I also got your package, but it was kind of…..well….soaked. It probably was sitting out in the snow for a while, so the letter you sent. No go, but I did manage to dry out the gloves and the cards. The spices and seasoning is awesome. We don’t have a grill over here, but I will make do. The Cookies seasoning will be a welcome addition to my meals.
I guess I do have a valid point today. I’ve noticed that I came over here with WAY too much stuff. Honestly, who really needs 18 tan t-shirts when you do laundry every week? Actually, I don’t really do my own laundry; I just turn it in to Hajji…wait, the local nationals. I guess we can’t call them that anymore, at least the ones that work on the FOB. Fair enough. Back to the point. I brought something like 7 pairs of boots when in reality, I need 4. Extra helmet. Just taking up space. Socks, hell, you can never have too many of those. At least I will be covered in the ACU department, where I will have 12 pairs by the time I leave here. You can never have too many of those. However, with the right amount of planning and stuffing, I figure I can fit everything into two duffel bags and my MOLLE rucksack.
Now, this is coming from someone who doesn’t go too many places in a normal day. If I go out to the field for a few days/ weeks, things might be different, but for now, I am doing a serious inventory of my stuff and there might be a duffel bag being sent out of here in the direction of Des Moines, IA.
Promotion check: still working on some paperwork issues. I could get pinned right now, but if I went to another unit, they could just take it right off me if I don’t have the correct paperwork, so I am working on that.
I’ve decided to be proactive about my days and I am now going to be badgering my NCO’s with questions on whether there are professional Army classes available during the days here. Being Combat Life Saver certified or taking a Humvee driving class might be some interesting things to do. If anything, it just adds more promotion points to my tally. At least I can kill time wandering around the base looking for class. At least lifting weights at lunch seems to be working out. I think I am getting a little bit bigger. Now if I can get myself up in the morning to start running.
I am just sort of rambling right now, but its funny how things have changed in a year for me. I’ve mentioned it before, but a year ago I was balancing my time between classes, the bar, and my internship (Not necessarily in that order, however). Fast forward and I have spent 9 months living out of a bag at 4 different Army posts (Benning twice, Sill, Bragg, and Salerno), I have jumped out of an airplane 7 times and a helicopter once. I am now spending what will be a majority of my Army career deployed in a country that looks strangely like southeastern Wyoming. As much as my days do sort of suck, it sure as hell beats being in the “corporate” world, like many of my college colleagues are doing now. Instead of wearing a different suit and tie everyday, I can throw on the same uniform for a week (On the downside, my college colleagues can go to the bar on the weekend and kick back. A pint here and there would be nice). Plus, if I ever get out to do my job, I’ll get to blow some stuff up. And, I get hazard pay. Still working on trying to get my jump pay in order.
Oh yeah, I have a little sister now too. And my little brother can carry on full conversations with me. It feels like such a long time ago when I had to make faces at him to get him to interact with me. Mr. Eric Dekowski, I just wanted to let you know that I have your eagle pendent and I keep it on my body armor because I know it will keep me safe.
I suppose I should wrap this up. I’m trying to keep on the Cubs as best as possible. I am excited about this upcoming year. A surplus of pitching and some power in the lineup, mmm, a recipe for success. Plus, I see this as the year. A new manager in Sweet Lou. Look at the last time we had a new manager. 2003, anybody? Five outs from the World Series. Besides the fans have a precedent now that if we are that close to the Series and there is a foul ball hit near the stands at any point during a game, everybody clears out of the way. Bartman, I’ll forgive you when we win. Also, look at this logic. Ever since the Marlins won it in 2003, we have been intimately connected with the World Series winner since. 2003-Marlins-we put them there. 2004-The Red Sox; we both had the air of ineptitude for so long. 2005- The White Sox- cross-town rivals. 2006- the Cardinals- Division rivals. The cosmos are being aligned. It is going to happen. Now, if they could quietly remove the endorsements from the outfield, all will be well.
All the Way.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Rinse, Lather, Repeat
I’m pretty sure everyone has seen the movie, “Groundhog Day”, with Bill Murray. You know the story. A reporter wakes up day after day, only to have the exact same experience every day. That was just a movie; I’m living it. I wake up at 0200 Dublin Pub time (so, 0630 local), grab my personal hygiene kit and head to the shower. I’ll usually get back to my tent at 0230 DPT, throw on my uniform and be at work around 0300 DPT, where I pretty wait for something to do. After that, I will get off around 1300 DPT, grab a bite to eat, go back to my tent, watch a movie, and go to bed. And repeat. Again and again. 7 days a week.
One of the things they tell you to adapt quickly to being deployed is to establish a routine. Oh yeah, I’ve got that covered. Its gotten to the point that I will see the same people outside when I am walking to the latrine or when I am shaving. I go to the exact same shower and sink. I could honestly tell you that without a watch, I wouldn’t be able to disseminate what day it is. When I go to the gym during lunch, I’ll see the same people doing the same lifts. Now, I don’t see the same people during meals, but I usually just grab a to go box and eat in my tent. I can watch a movie and forget about the monotony of my days. So, maybe the same people are in there when I go to grab something, but I just don’t stick around to notice.
You also begin to notice the little things more and more. I can tell you, with pretty good confidence, the difference in the helicopter motors around here. Just this morning, I walked outside and could hear a helicopter and I could tell you what type it was by just hearing it. I can tell you on what days we are and aren’t getting mail. Has it rained recently? Has a C-130 come in the past few days? What is the weather like in Bagram? Its funny. You can answer a question by just observing your surroundings. Hell, at this point, I want a rocket attack just to stir things up.
What sucks is that you really don’t have any privacy or time to yourself to just recharge your batteries and collect your thoughts. Everybody just needs that time alone. You also don’t really have any outlet. You are constantly surrounded by everything Army. Back at Ft. Bragg, if you had a bad day, you could just go out and get a few drinks and unwind. You could sleep in the next day. Here, no booze. I would kill and pillage for a bottle of Captain Morgan and some Diet Coke. (As a disclaimer, I would like to say that some of the finest plans of WWII were supposedly made over a bottle of wine; just food for thought).
Birthday tracker: Happy Birthday Carrie Jo. I would just like to reminisce about this time last year. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that BKE pledging and your b-day fell on the same day. I may not remember much, but I know it was fun. I know I am going to forget people’s birthdays here and there. If I had daily accessibility to the Internet, I would be able to keep up better. I apologize and promise I will make it up when I get back.
Aunt Lynne, thank you for the huge box of Girl Scout cookies. I made it a point that everyone in the office take a box. I hoarded the thin mints; must have inherited that from my mother. Sarah, I still haven’t gotten my DVD’s yet. Like I said, the mail service to Salerno has been spotty the past few weeks. Supposedly, there is 3,000 lbs of mail sitting up in Bagram just waiting to be delivered. I imagine there are some letters and packages with my name on it in that pile. Grandpa and Grandma, I got your letter that was dated 2 February on March 1. Loved the article about 10th Mountain being extended.
Oh, I got moved again. Two tents down. Sometime, when I rule the world or when I am knee deep in Guinness, I will understand the logic of moving soldiers from one tent to one that is 10 yards away. It is a little bit nicer because we only have 6 guys as opposed to 13. You have a little bit more room to stretch out.
I nearly forgot that the some cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins came to Salerno this week. I guess that was a good break for an hour or so. That’s how boring my life is; I nearly forgot the Redskins cheerleaders were here. I need to blow something up.
All the Way.
One of the things they tell you to adapt quickly to being deployed is to establish a routine. Oh yeah, I’ve got that covered. Its gotten to the point that I will see the same people outside when I am walking to the latrine or when I am shaving. I go to the exact same shower and sink. I could honestly tell you that without a watch, I wouldn’t be able to disseminate what day it is. When I go to the gym during lunch, I’ll see the same people doing the same lifts. Now, I don’t see the same people during meals, but I usually just grab a to go box and eat in my tent. I can watch a movie and forget about the monotony of my days. So, maybe the same people are in there when I go to grab something, but I just don’t stick around to notice.
You also begin to notice the little things more and more. I can tell you, with pretty good confidence, the difference in the helicopter motors around here. Just this morning, I walked outside and could hear a helicopter and I could tell you what type it was by just hearing it. I can tell you on what days we are and aren’t getting mail. Has it rained recently? Has a C-130 come in the past few days? What is the weather like in Bagram? Its funny. You can answer a question by just observing your surroundings. Hell, at this point, I want a rocket attack just to stir things up.
What sucks is that you really don’t have any privacy or time to yourself to just recharge your batteries and collect your thoughts. Everybody just needs that time alone. You also don’t really have any outlet. You are constantly surrounded by everything Army. Back at Ft. Bragg, if you had a bad day, you could just go out and get a few drinks and unwind. You could sleep in the next day. Here, no booze. I would kill and pillage for a bottle of Captain Morgan and some Diet Coke. (As a disclaimer, I would like to say that some of the finest plans of WWII were supposedly made over a bottle of wine; just food for thought).
Birthday tracker: Happy Birthday Carrie Jo. I would just like to reminisce about this time last year. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that BKE pledging and your b-day fell on the same day. I may not remember much, but I know it was fun. I know I am going to forget people’s birthdays here and there. If I had daily accessibility to the Internet, I would be able to keep up better. I apologize and promise I will make it up when I get back.
Aunt Lynne, thank you for the huge box of Girl Scout cookies. I made it a point that everyone in the office take a box. I hoarded the thin mints; must have inherited that from my mother. Sarah, I still haven’t gotten my DVD’s yet. Like I said, the mail service to Salerno has been spotty the past few weeks. Supposedly, there is 3,000 lbs of mail sitting up in Bagram just waiting to be delivered. I imagine there are some letters and packages with my name on it in that pile. Grandpa and Grandma, I got your letter that was dated 2 February on March 1. Loved the article about 10th Mountain being extended.
Oh, I got moved again. Two tents down. Sometime, when I rule the world or when I am knee deep in Guinness, I will understand the logic of moving soldiers from one tent to one that is 10 yards away. It is a little bit nicer because we only have 6 guys as opposed to 13. You have a little bit more room to stretch out.
I nearly forgot that the some cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins came to Salerno this week. I guess that was a good break for an hour or so. That’s how boring my life is; I nearly forgot the Redskins cheerleaders were here. I need to blow something up.
All the Way.
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