Night Vision Goggles are overrated

Well, hell yeah, Hallelujah, and pass the ammunition! I made it to FOB Salerno, which, depending on who you ask, is the best military base in Afghanistan. As any member of the Coalition Forces and they will tell you it is great. As the 150 members of Al Qaida who tried to cross in from Pakistan two weeks ago and were met with a barrage of 155mm rounds and an AC-130 Spectre gunship, and they might tell you a different story. That is, if they were still alive.

Any way, Salerno is a welcome home after travelling from Ft. Bragg to NewFoundland to Budapest to Kuwait (2 days of well deserved rest there) to Bagram Air Force Base (3 hours of well earned sleep on a floor in front of a Sgt. Major) and then here. By the way, that is 5 days worth of travelling right there. My body is still trying to figure out what year I am in.

So, Salerno is a pretty big base. Well, big for in theatre operations. This place has nothing on Ft. Bragg, but it is a pretty good size. It has everything I need: a PX, gym, showers, Subway, computer center. I have already made the gym my second home. 0400 in the morning, 5 days a week. The food is really good here. Actually, it is better than any post I have been on. The view is awesome. Dark as hell at night, but thats just operational security. Keeps the Hajjis from dropping rockets and mortars on all the mean little paratroopers and wimpy legs while they sleep. And they could drop mortars and rockets on us all night long and I would be able to sleep through it because I don't live in a tent. I can enjoy a shelling from the comfort of my own bed. I live in a reinforced brick building so I am good to go. I can everyone a better picture once I get my camera.

A few observations, if I may. First, I feel naked if I go anywhere without my M4 carbine. I feel awkward if I run to the latrine without it. It has become second nature to have it with me at all times. Will I fire a round while I am here? More than likely not, but it is still that little sense of security just in case some of the locals get a little loco. Second, combat landings are sweet. Instead of slowing down, C-17s and C-130s speed up. And I do mean speed. It feels like to are strapped to a rocket. When we were flying into Bagram, they made the announcement that we were in a combat zone and they turned the lights off, so all you have were the red emergency lights. Everyone started to put on their helmets and gear up and it was a cool sense of "yes, I am a bad mamma jamma from the 82nd Airborne. Don't screw with us." Of course, I slept through the one into Salerno, but hey, I had 3 hours of sleep the night before. Third, (and I am sure there are other observations, but I can't remember them), Night vision goggles suck. No depth perception, no clear picture. Everything thing you see in the movies is a lie. I thought I was all high speed when I was issued them, but no. Just one more piece of equipment for the Army to overcharge me if I lose them.

I need to go shower up for the day. We have a Humvee rollover class (woo hoo) that we are required to take which is kind of redundent since I will never be leaving the FOB. If there are any politicians reading this, you have money to spend on a rollover simulator but not on all the proper gear soldiers need? I need a lesson in the logic of that. I enjoy hearing from anyone and everyone.

All the way.

The clock is a tickin....

Leave is finished and I am back at Ft. Bragg. Knowing that we are deploying in a short amount of time, I expect to be busier than St. Peter on Judgment Day. This, however, is not the case. Far from it actually. Instead, I spent two days sitting and standing around. The first day, I stood in line to confirm that my dad and Louisa were in fact the beneficiaries on my Servicemembers Group Life Insurance. A fact that has not changed since I have joined the Army. Time spent in line: 6 hours, 31 mins. Time spent verifying SGLI info: 6 mins.

Friday, I was given a little gift known as a Chinook helicopter jump. Or at least, I thought I was going to get it. The hazy fog that decided to hang over Ft. Bragg on this otherwise nice day never lifted above 2,000 feet, the required ceiling for a Chinook helicopter. Jump: No go.

There are entities in this world that just don't make sense. The managerial practices of the Chicago Cubs, most of the Republican party, the popularity of the movie Titanic, and the Central Issuing Facility at Ft. Bragg, NC. Prior to this week, I still had not received body armor. Or a ACH (Advanced Combat Helmet). Or a MOLLE pack. Or an assault pack. With my ship out date about a week a way, I was sweating a little. Monday, no gear. Tuesday, no gear. Wednesday, progress. I now had body armor. However, I was still missing an ACH, MOLLE, and assault pack. Thursday morning, my deployment date gets moved up by 3 days. The pressure is on now. Thursday afternoon, MOLLE and assault pack are secured, but now for that pesky helmet. Close of business Thursday, 15:00. No helmet, but a lead has emerged. AH HA, finally at 18:00 I have an ACH....that is a size too small. Thanx to a generous 1st Sergeant though, I was given pads that actually make the helmet fit. I'm ready for deployment, right? Besides, taking everything out of my ruck sack and make shift assault pack and packing it into my MOLLE and actual assault pack and taking things that need to get name and rank sewn on them (which is around 15 things), I'm good to go.

In all honesty, its not that bad. Yes, it can be frustrating, but what job is sheer tranquility? Besides, I look at what some people my age are doing (i.e. sitting behind a desk or struggling to make ends meet) and I say to myself, "I have absolute job security, few bills to pay, low cost room and board, bosses who care about my success, job training that will serve me for the rest of my life, and a guranteed free meal anytime I walk through an airport with my uniform on". Hopefully I'll have some interesting stories of me sleeping for 12 hours or working in front of a computer screen or telling Lieutenants and Captains that they are wrong during my grand ol' adventure.

All the way.

Things not to say Pt. 1

When you are having the last family dinner before you head back to North Carolina and before you deploy for a year, it is best to not refer to it as "The Last Supper". A few images of death and the last time being on Earth is not the lasting impression you want to leave.

We're trying this out

Welcome to the first entry of chronicles of my first deployment. Now, obviously, I'm not over there yet, but I am sitting at home and Louisa said I should set up a blog so here we go. For those of you playing at home and who haven't seen me since I've left, let me bring you up to speed. I graduated from Basic Training at Ft. Benning, GA on July 28, 2006. From there, I went on to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Ft. Sill, OK. My official MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) is a 13 Fox, Fire Support Specialist or Forward Observer. I graduated from AIT on Sept. 11, 2006. It was a surreal moment for me because I remember the moments from 5 years ago and if you would have told me that 5 years from that date, I would be in Army, I might have been slightly surprised. During AIT, I opted to volunteer for Airborne School and I headed there on Oct. 6. I graduated Airborne on Oct. 27 and headed back to Des Moines for leave until Nov. 6. From there, I headed to Ft. Bragg, NC for my permanent attachment to the 82nd Airborne Division. I don't know how much I am allowed to say, so I will keep it mum on my unit and the dates I am rolling out. Anyway, thats about all I have for now but I will give some more insights and experiences later on.

All the way.