Shoes on Ground - It's About Time, Part II

I haven't posted here since May, so I guess it's about time.

I'm back. That's the long and the short of it. Getting back home, however, was not the simple process it should have been. Talk about jumping through hoops. I felt like a circus lion.

Normally each leg of the trip would have been planned out by a professional and they'd just tell me when to get on the plane. This time it didn't work out exactly that way. I wound up having to make a lot of my own arrangements. There are two ways to fly over in theater: Space Blocked and Space-A (space available.) Space Blocked means you have a spot set aside on the flight and Space-A means you can ride if someone doesn't show up. Most of my trip I got to travel Space-A. Yay!

When I was finally set to fly back to the US, I had my seat Space Blocked for the October 18th. I would have arrived back in the US on the 18th and caught a plane from Baltimore to Norfolk (via Philly.) Unfortunately, my flight got pushed back almost 20 hours. That means a couple of tings. One, I decided to stay in the terminal instead of going through the hassle of traveling back to tent city. Not the most comfortable thing. Second, and most important, I missed my connection in Baltimore. Once I actually arrived in Baltimore, I was told that there were no flights to Norfolk on that particular airline until the next day. Right behind me was a departures list showing a flight on a different airline going direct to Norfolk in just an hour.

Long story short, I spoke to the wife, who told me to go ahead and put it on the card. We'd soak up the cost if the military decides not to pay for it.

I made it back into town, needing a shave and a shower, and still in my uniform. Susan picked me up and we headed up to a high school football game, just in time to see Katherine's marching band perform for half time. To top it off, our school won the game.

Anyway, I'm still getting settled back in.

It's About Time

I can't tell you how difficult it has been to get over here, get logged on, and post an update to my blog. The Big Brothers who control our computer access at work seem to have a vendetta against me keeping in touch with the outside world. First they turn off my access to my blog, then they make it difficult (but not impossible) to get to Amazon, and one of the systems seems to be restricting access to Hotmail. It would make me want to pull my hair out... if I had any left.

Oh well, here I am now. Finally getting to blog about things. All that build up just for me to say that things are status quo over here. I work every day, though I get a couple of afternoons off. Mondays is still Bingo night (haven't won in a while, though). I've been playing some Spades on Tuesdays. Wednesdays is Karaoke, if I can get to the rec center. If I can't, I can sing a few songs on Thursdays during Jam at the Clam. That's the Club 56 night where they raffle off prizes. Every other night I've been watching some DVDs on my computer. Not very exciting from my standpoint, but the time is passing faster than I thought it might.

I just wanted to send out a few belated notices. Happy birthday to my mother (13 April) and to my sister (13 May). Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, my wife, and all the other mothers I know. Apparently I also missed out wishing my wife a happy Military Spouse's Day, which I think was 11 May. Here's also a thanks to my kids. Thanks for the letters in my most recent packages. Be good.

Hope everyone is doig well and keeping safe.


Eric

Ohnothimagain!

Last time I said I was slacking off with my blogging. Before then, I had just been lazy with my posting. However, a day or so after my last blog, they blocked my blog site. I can't bring it up anymore from my work computer. So, in order to post to my blog (or even to read the responses) I have to haul my backside to this little crowded computer room, which is the only place where I can access my blog.

I'd better make the best of it, since I may only have half an hour...

Believe it or not, it's beginning to warm up over here. I guess that's all relative, since it was warm to begin with. It's just beginning to get warmer. They tell me that the weather here is equivalent to North Carolina weather. I'm not sure what the high temps will be, but I don't think they will be too bad.

I told you that my activities are limited to bingo, karaoke, and watching movies and TV shows on my computer. So far, I've watched a 1970s Robert Altman film called "Nashville," the first four "American Pie" movies, several episodes of "Frazier," "Cheers," and "St. Elsewhere." I've also been working my way through some Clint Eastwood Movies. Since copyright laws don't really exist here, they have a lot of knock off movies for sale... cheap. I was able to get 35 Clint Eastwood movies for the low price of $25. I figure less than a doller per movie isn't a bad price. The quality of the films doesn't look great on my computer (and definitely not as good as a commercially available DVD), but they're watchable.

I've also won twice at bingo. It only takes about 45 minutes to go through the five games they play. The final two games are always worth some money, so it's pays to play. Plus, it's something to do.

One of the other things I was doing before I came over here was listening to podiobooks. Those are books presented as a podcast, which is like a radio show on the internet. Many people may not remember listening to radio shows like "The Lone Ranger," "X Minus One," and "The Great Gildersleeve." Currently, my favorite podcast author is Scott Sigler. He has just finished his latest podcast, The Rookie. I have a few more episodes to catch up to the end.

This coming Sunday we're taking a little time off from work to run a 5k race. I haven't been doing anything to really prepare. So, I'm not expecting to do very well. At this point I'll consider completing the race as a success.

I've also found a few books that I read from time to time. There really is no shortage of books over here. Every little recreation center or office that you walk into seems to have a bookshelf full. I've heard about a website called "books for soldiers." I haven't been able to check it out, yet, but it might be worth looking into. I think they have it set up where people donate books that are sent to soldiers over here.

Well, I guess that'll wrap it up for now. (I'm missing karaoke tonight to come over here and post my blog.)

Hope everyone stays safe back home.


Eric

So I'm Slacking Off a Little

I realize it's been over two weeks since I last posted here. Sorry. I just don't have as much access to the Internet as I thought I might. At least to a system that let's me post to a blog. But, things are going well. I feel pretty comfortable with my job.

Except for the thunderstorms, things stay pretty quiet here. I've been occupying my time with bingo, karaoke, and watching tv shows and movies on my computer.

It really seems odd, the coincidences that happen sometimes. I don't know if I mentioned that after I arrived here I discovered one of squadron members from back home is also here. That surprised me a little, since I've known her about seven years now. But to top that off, I was sitting in the chow hall one day and saw a guy walking to his table and I immediately recognized him. He lived across from me in Virginia for 1 1/2 to 2 years. His daughters were really good friends with my kids and we went to Busch Gardens together quite a few times. Odd.

I had intended to put a few pictures in here, but I can't seem to access them at the moment. So, I'll finish for now.


Later,
Eric

Settling In

I finally flew in to my final destination on 29 March. I hit (what I consider) the trifecta that night as I flew in on a C-130. I had the chance to fly on a C-5 back in 1997 and a C-17 when I first flew in country on 25 March.

Anyway, now I sit here in my quiet little office, learning the job that will occupy my time for the next 6 months. Hopefully, it remains quiet.

I'll let you know how it goes.


Eric

Boots on Ground

I haven't been able to post for awhile, since I flew out of the states. And I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again. We'll see.

We flew into Qatar for a few days (actually longer than I thought we would.) We stayed in a tent (don't get the wrong idea, it was a huge sturdy tent that holds about 50 people.) I kind of equated the area with Club Med (I used the swimming pool, the media center, won money at the rec center, at nice at the dining facility.)

We finally flew out again yesterday (25 Mar). Now I'm on the ground in country. I still haven't made it to my final destination, yet. But it should only be a few days now.

I'll touch base again when I can,
Eric

Bring Down the Lights

For the last year or so my wife, Susan, and I have been going to this bar for karaoke. Susan doesn't sing (or at least she hasn't yet.) I do a lot of singing. Some of it, probably a lot of it, isn't too bad. Some of it, I probably should've left alone. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

A few days from now, I fly out of here. The Karaoke Jockey (KJ) at our local likes to say I'm going to be pouring sand out of my boots. He's probably right.

This past Saturday night was the last time I'll visit my little karaoke place for quite a while. It is sad. It's only been a day and I'm already missing it.

It remains to be seen if karaoke exists in the land of sand. If it does, I'll find it. I'll record it. And my local KJ says if we can put it in DVD format, he'll even 'put me in the rotation.' That's my goal.

Ah, the hopes and dreams of the excentric (or hopelessly insane.)

So, for my next number...

Here I Sit

It's been awhile since I posted to this blog. I got back from training, had relatives in town, took some leave, and goofed-off a little. So, the blog got left behind for a time. Now it's back, and I promise that it will come back strong in a week or so.

Keep checking back from time-to-time.


Eric

Headin' Out

I head out tomorrow to return home. Susan, check your cox.net email for details.


Outta here,
Eric

It's the Final Countdown

It's kind of late here and I'm writing this blog. The rest of the guys in the open bay barracks have hit the sack and it's pretty dark. I thought about not posting, but I think I should.

Today was our last day of training. Technically, tomorrow could have been another training day, but we finished up everything early. Now, I have to see if I can change my plane tickets to an earlier date. I hope so.



It would be nice to spend a little more time with family. My mother-in-law is supposed to be in town then and my parents are coming up during that time, too. Maybe fate will be with me on this one.


That's it for this evening. Over and out,
Eric

On the Road Again

It's been a few days since I last posted comments here. But I'm back and ready to update you on my latest adventures. Those adventures would include some urban ops, as well as some convoy stuff. Again, I'll remind you that I don't expect my job to involve any of the above-mentioned items, but who knows.

While most of my group have been hoofing it around little fake villages, I've been in my HMMWV. As they went through this little town, building by building, I sat there with my engine idling. Whenever they needed us, they'd call us in.

Yesterday and today, however, we did some convoy stuff. Yesterday was a lot of instruction (under a tent, no seats, so it was stand, kneel, or sit on the ground). That was fun. Today, they ran us through a bunch of scenarios, in which I also drove my HMMWV, a lot. It really was pretty fun.

Now I'm down to two more days of training. I'm not sure what outbriefings we'll have to attend after that, but my return home date is still the 1st.


See you peeps later,
Eric

Urban Cowboy

So, for the last three days we've been learning about clearing rooms and marching in formations into cities, etc. Today would've probably been okay, but it was so looooong. We had the old death by powerpoint in the morning for a few hours and then we went into the "field." We had to march around, dive onto the ground, jump up, run around some more, yell a little bit, run around a little more, avoid running in front of any weapons (which were not loaded), and then stand around out of breath while we rehashed everything we did wrong. Fun, fun, fun.

It's the final countdown here, now. Just over a week to go and I'll be headed back to home-sweet-home. Can't wait.


Eric

Fire on the Mountain

More firing practice today. Not only that, but they liked us so much, we get to go back tonight and fire some more. I guess it really doesn't hurt to have as much firing practice as possible: day time, night time, anytime. I'll take it.

Additionally, they taught us how to clear a house, room by room. Now, a lot of this training really has nothing to do with the job that I'm going to do. It's still better to have some basic knowledge of these jobs and never need it.

Less than two weeks before I get back to the family. FYI, I still haven't received the package that was mailed to me earlier this week. It might not hurt to check on its progress.


Eric

Crawling, Walking, Running

Today was another fun day. We learned how to move... Army style. We low crawled, we high crawled, we walked and we ran. And after running a little bit we'd throw ourselves back on the rocky/sandy ground. To top it all off, while we were running and hiding behind mounds of dirt and old vehicles, we had a couple of guys shooting paint balls at us.

At any rate, one phase of our training has ended and we are entering another one. For the next ten days (or so) we'll be putting into practice all the things we've been learning so far. It should prove to be interesting.


Gotta run,
Eric

Ground Control to Major Tom

We had a little more radio and navigation training today. Again, it was pretty fun. We used a couple of different electronic items to navigate both on foot and in a vehicle. Move around, find the specified points, write down the number, Bob's your uncle, you're back.

I guess the big thing right now is all the tension. I think the constant training and separation from family is getting to many people. We are way past the polite stage now, so there are a lot of things getting to people. Small segments of our group do act as a team, but we haven't quite formed ourselves up as a complete team, yet. I think the fact that we know we're not going to be stationed together may be a barrier to the whole team concept. We'll have to see what happens over the next two weeks.

Speaking of the hard work we've been doing and the stress we're all under, we went bowling yesterday. We had to go over to the Ft. to return some items, so we stopped in. It really was a pretty good stress relief, for the most part. I was pretty proud of my first game (158). My second game was pretty good, too (122). Anyway, it made me a little homesick to get back and watch my kids doing their bowling thing.


Guess that's all for now. Miss everyone and looking forward to getting back home,
Eric

Day 17

Two weeks to go in this training and it'll be all over. Don't get me wrong, I think having the training is nice. When you're going to a place like Iraq, it's better to have as much training and familiarization as possible. So, I appreciate all the things we're getting and I'm trying hard to pay attention to it all.

In saying that, today was a relatively short day. We learned about a specific type of radio that the military often uses in Iraq. I found the course pretty interesting and fun. There were several pieces of equipment associated with it that we also learned to use. Anything that has logical steps and processes to it, like a puzzle is always a little fun for me. Once I got it in my head, it was a snap to go back through it. It also seems like something that I won't brain dump right away. A little refresher training down the road and I'll be good to go.

We headed back over to the Ft. this afternoon and evening. We had to return the weapons of the guy who had appendicitis. He won't be coming back to train, and I think someone else will be selected to fill his billet. It's too bad, all the stuff he had to go through.

Finally, I hear that there are more Air Force folks coming in, who are going to be doing the same job as us. Their training will just be starting this weekend, though. I'm not sure when they will be headed out to theater. For the time being, I'm sure some of them will be staying in the same barracks as us.


Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day. See you soon,
Eric

Les Miserables

Today was pretty miserable. I had to make up a training course without the rest of my team. First we were inside having "death by powerpoint." That was no worse than usual. Then we went out to this trail outside. You're supposed to march it and identify different items. We were placed in this group with some Canadians. It was pretty cool, except they often communicate in French. So, I didn't understand half of what they were saying. While we were out there, it began to rain/drizzle. I had not brought my gloves and the rain was cold. Less than half way through the trail, my hands were red and numb. Luckily, it warmed up a little in the afternoon and I wasn't so miserable.

Now I'm back, just waiting on dinner time to roll around. One of our guys is trying to convince me to head over to our Rec Center tonight and watch some American Idol. That's around my bedtime, so I'm not sure if I'm going or not.


Just another day in paradise,
Eric

Day 15

Today was more classroom time, looking at bigger weapons. The rest of the gang get to practice shooting them tomorrow. I, on the other hand, get to make up the day I missed when I was on quarters. It shouldn't be too bad.



I forgot to mention that yesterday was my miliversary (Feb 11, 2007 = 16 years). That's a self pat on the back. So, as of today I officially have less than 4 years left to retirement.

It's late, so I'll be hitting the sack.


Later,
Eric

Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Fire Away

I thought today was going to be just a rehash of old stuff, but it turned out to be pretty good. We went out to fire the M-16 and M-9 again. Since I recently qualified on those weapons, I wasn't too excited. I assumed we would be getting "Army" qualified, since they don't recognize the Air Force quals.

As it turned out, it was the Air Force giving our evals. So, this one counts for everything. It is even more cool because I qualified as marksman on my M-16 today. You have to hit 43 out of 50 shots on the targets to make marksman. I hit the targets 45 times out of 50. I'm excited. Now, I get to wear the marksman ribbon. Whoo hoo!

Lastly, I want to send out a Happy Valentines to all my friends and family, expecially to my wife. I know I didn't send anything out of here, but I promise to take her out for a belated Valentine dinner when I get back home.


TTFN,
Eric

Welcome to My Blah-g

Today was kind of boring. More weapons training. Went to visit our sick friend in the hospital. Waiting to watch "Talladega Nights."


Blah,
Eric

TGIF (Day 12)

The phrase TGIF used to mean a whole lot: end of the week, some days off coming to me, hanging out with friends, a lot of stuff. It means even more right now, because there is no day off, no end of the week. Tomorrow we get to go train on using our weapons. Now, we've all trained on them before, but we get to do it again. At least all 12 of us, 13 since we added another officer to the group, will be in class together again.

The HMMWV training went well and we had our tests today. All I have to say is "100%, Baby."

One last update before I go... the enlisted guy who got rolled back in training. They finally sent him to the real hospital the other day. While he was there, his appendix burst. They had to do some major surgery to clean him up. He was still in ICU the last I heard. It really sucks because we were getting ready to welcome him to the group and this happened. I really hope he completely recovers soon.


I'm outta here... for now,
Eric

Day 11

We continued with the HMMWV driving today, took it on some dirt roads in the desert. We got out a little early, but had to be back to do some night-time driving... with blackout lights. It was hard to see where we were supposed to go. The road was nothing more than a slightly lighter shade of black. All in all, it was pretty good.

We were supposed to have several hours between the day driving and the night driving. Then, as fate would have it, we had to go back to the Ft. to get even more stuff issued to us. There's some pretty cool things among what we got today, like a nicer helmet, some cold-weather boots, and other stuff.

This marks about the 1/3 done with training day, it won't be long now.


Eric

I'm Driving My Life Away

The past two days... HMMWV (that's HUM-VEE, to you and me) training. Yesterday was mostly classroom and doing the PMCS (that's a long, drawn out inspection). Today, however, was another story.

Today was all driving. The first half of the day was driving through cones in four different stations. There was the serpentine (zig-zagging in and out of cones, then reversing through the same course), back-up (between cones that were not much wider than the vehicle), diminished curve (which starts out wide and gets more narrow as you curve to the left), and the stop (in which you have to get the vehicle up to 30 mph and then slam on the brakes and stop in an expected space). They were all pretty fun.



The last half of the day was just plain driving... way out these dusty desert roads. It was pretty relaxing.

Then went to the gym and topped it off with burning 300 calories. (Obviously, I'm much better than I was a few days ago.)


Talk at you later,
Eric

Another Day, Another $60

Today, as promised, we continued our first aid training, all 10 hours of it. I had no idea people could talk so much about checking for breathing, pulse, and responsiveness; placing bandages and splints; stopping bleeding; treating shock; and any number of other things that escape my mind right now. Every-so-often we would get up, go outside, put on the gear, and do a practical demonstration for the instructors. At least that got us out of our seats.



There's a thing in the military that we call "death by powerpoint." Powerpoint is a program developed by Microsoft that allows you to put together a "slideshow" presentation. Usually, in a military briefing, someone puts together a bunch of slides with writing on them and clicks them off one by one as they elaborate on whatever subject they're teaching. I think this is so they don't have to tell you everything. They can just tell you some of the things and you're supposed to read the rest off the slides. It makes for a pretty boring time. That's why we call it "death by powerpoint." That's almost what we had today.

There were two things that saved the day: the practical exercises, I mentioned above, and a field exercise we did at the end of class. It was a simulated "under fire" exercise where I got to play someone who's injured in a vehicle. My two buddies ran over, while under fire, and dragged me out of the vehicle (literally) and had to "take me to safety and assess my condition and wounds." It was pretty fun. More than being fun, it's the kind of thing that's important to know.

I complain some, but all-in-all I'm glad to have this kind of training for when I finally deploy.


I'm about toast right now,
Eric

Calgon, Take Me Away (Day 8)

Today was a long, long day. I woke up (without an alarm) at 4:30 am. I had gone to sleep about 9:00 pm, so it wasn't too bad. Went to breakfast, had French Toast, water, and orange juice, then went to the clinic for BP check. This morning it was 126/98 or something like that. That was a big improvement over yesterday, when it was 148/103 (but I was sick, with a temp of 101).

Anyway, the first part of today's training was pretty fun. We learned about reading maps and using compasses, changing from grid north to magnetic north, and some other cool things. Then we split into four groups of three and each group had to land navigate to three points and then return to the starting point. Our team did pretty well. We only had trouble with our first point, which was about 800 meters from the starting point. The next one was only 200 meters from the first point, and the third was 600 meters from the second. Remember, during all this we're wearing about 25 lbs of gear. That might not seem like much, but go grab a 25 lb. weight and start walking around with it. The weight might be even more, but I'm not sure how much the M-16 and M-9 weigh, plus a full canteen, and a gas mask and carrier, and don't forget the boots and kevlar helmet. It was tough, but fun.

The worst part of the day started after lunch. We had to sit through over four hours of first aid slideshows and then demonstrate what we had learned. We are also looking forward to continuing that first aid training for maybe 15 hours tomorrow. Woo hoo! Not!



An update, of sorts, on the new guy I mentioned had joined us late. The day after he arrived, we had to go back to the Ft. for more gear. While we were there, he got sick, cramping and upset stomach. Yesterday, while I was on quarters lying here on my bunk, he came back from training... still sick. Apparently he was terribly uncomfortable even trying to sit down. He lay down on his bunk at about 9:30 am and didn't get up until after 7:00 pm, then went right back to bed. This morning... still sick. He got quarters again and, as far as I know, has been sleeping all day long again. Since tomorrow's training is a continuation of today's training, he won't be able to go to that either. He has so much mandatory training to make up. I feel bad for him when he recovers. He might even have to extend his training here.

The Calgon reference in the title is kind of a double joke. One, I remember the old commercials, where women just wished themselves away into a bubble bath. That would be nice right now. Two, this barracks is not even equipped with a bathtub (not that I would sit in it, if there was one,) showers only.


Day 8 means 1/4 done, by the way,
Eric

Lost in Training (Day 7)

At least, I'd like to think this is Training Day 7. I was put on quarters today (had a temperature and blood pressure was really high). So, I didn't get to do all the cool stuff the rest of the guys did. Unfortunately, it's one of the mandatory things, so I'll have to make it up at some point.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be feeling better. Whether I do or not, I intend to push through and get it done. I can't afford to miss another mandatory training session.

So, that's about all there is to tell. I spent most of the day in my barracks.


Ho hum,
Eric

Running Around (Day 6)

We were actually pretty busy most of today. This morning (I was having flashbacks to Basic Training) we had to put on the body armor and strap our gas mask to our belts before marching to our first class. The air was so cold, that in conjunction with my cold/flu/allergy/whatever, my lungs were burning.

Then we headed over to the Ft. again. Several days ago we were supposed to get a lot of stuff issued from Office 'A.' But that office wouldn't give it to us, something about paperwork not being in order. So, today we went back to Office 'B' (that we had already been to) and picked up a bunch of stuff that we hadn't gotten before. To top it all off, we may have to return what we got today at Office 'B' and pick stuff up later at Office 'A.' Aaaagggghhhh!

We came back to Radiator Springs and I tried to get back over to the clinic this afternoon, but we got back too late. I thouight they'd be open later, but 4:00 pm is their closing time. I'll have to see if I can get in there at 6:00 am.

Our officers wanted us all to get suited up for a quick inspection/briefing. So we put on the gear and took everything over. They looked us over and sent us on our way.

It's so late that I'm not even going over to the Rec Center. I think I'll just stay in and study for promotion.


Already missing everybody, can't wait for March to roll around,
Eric

Greetings from Radiator Springs (Day 5)

I don't think I've spent a more boring day in my entire life. I'm still trying to get over this cold. I'm doing better, I think.

We didn't have any training at all today. I still got up at 0600 to hit the chow hall for breakfast, came back, laid down for a little more sleep, got up, washed some clothes, went to the gym, watched some of our guys play basketball, got on the elliptical machine, went to the chow hall for lunch, got a hair cut, and watched a couple of movies.

On the other hand, I was able to get through to my wife on my cell phone. That was pretty exciting. It's a first out here in the middle of nowhere. Some of the group have dubbed this little camp, "Radiator Springs." So, we talked for a little while.

We only have about an hour of training tomorrow, but we have to wear the big vest and a pouch strapped to our leg. In addition, we get to march to the location of training. I knew it would start to get fun eventually.

On another positive note, I have been using this machine at the gym. It looks kind of like an elliptical machine, but you can set it for Cross Country, Cross Training, Fat Burner, Total Body, and other things. Today I got on it and felt pretty bad, so I only burned about 260 calories. Over the past few days, however, I've burned at least 350 calories per day on it. I've been told not to get on it tomorrow because I'm sick. So, I'll start back in a couple days.

Looks like we just got a new TSgt here, too. Haven't really met him, yet.


Gotta run,
Eric

I Got Class... Lots and Lots of Class

A good portion of the day today was spent in a classroom. Got to go over, yet again, LOAC (Law of Armed Conflict - the Army calls it the Law of War), (ROE) Rules of Engagement, and about a dozen other things I've had to sit through for years. It wasn't much more interesting now than it was the first time.

I ate at the DFAC (that's a dining facility) over at the Ft. The food was really nice over there. Then, this evening, I find out that for about two weeks we'll be eating MREs (the stuff I mentioned yesterday.)

I'm coming down with a little cold. I think it's probably the change in weather and atmosphere around here compared to where I was. It's really not hot down here, but it's dry as a bone. The nurse at the clinic gave me some decongestant and we'll see how that does.

I actually have a day off tomorrow. It's quite possibly the only day off while I'm here. I'll try to enjoy it.

Finally, a couple reminders for myself to make a list for the next person to get this training:

1. Bring a pair of boots (no matter what the paperwork says)
2. Bring t-shirts (see above)
3. Bring towels and washclothes or be prepared to buy them at the troop store
4. Atropine, etc. are not needed if you are returning to your homebase before deploying
5. Bring your computer, ipod, mp3 player, radio, whatever (you'll have time in the evening to use them
6. You will fall under General Order No. 1 while you're here. Familiarize yourself with it
7. There is a troop store (like a small shoppette). You can buy dvd players and some other electronics there
8. There's a Rec Center with a massive screen television that plays movies or tv every night. (If American Idol is still running when you're here, it will be on.)
9. There's a gym with limited cardio machines, a fair amount of bodybuilding equipment, and a basketball court
10. Everything... I mean everything... you are issued here will be going with you on deployment. Be prepared to fly with it. Don't worry, you'll get to return it all to its home when you're done with it. Fun.
11. Be prepared to sleep in an open-bay barracks
12. Don't worry about detergent or dryer sheets the barracks are stocked with them
13. You may want to bring some cash or credit cards along for those trips to the Ft.
14. Verizon connection here is awful. Don't count on it being available. (Apparently Nextel works okay.)
15. You get issued one pillow, one pillow case, two non-fitted sheets, and one wool blanket that doesn't really cover your bed. If this is an issue for you, bring your own or be prepared to buy some at the troop store

That's it for now. I'll add more as time goes by,
Eric

Another Day, Another MRE

For those of you who don't know what an MRE is, it's a "Meal Ready to Eat." It comes in a little plastic bag, and you're supposed to be able to open it up and eat it right away. Sounds good on the surface, but in reality, they're not the best thing you've ever eaten. I hear that they're better these days than they were in the past, but still not so good.

Truthfully, I haven't had to eat any... yet. We are supposed to get some field training later on and will probably have to eat some at that time. I have been eating at the chow hall... an honest to goodness chow hall. I've kind of enjoyed it. It's free, and it's filling. So, I can't complain.

For the last couple of days, we've had to go to briefings up at the main part of Ft. Bliss. The people in my group have taken advantage of that and yesterday, we ate at Manchu Wok. Today, we got to eat at Chili's. I'll admit, it was pretty good.

The best thing about Day 3 (there will be 32 days of training) is that we're all starting to gel as a team. Everyone has his or her role, since we're a mixture of officers and enlisted, but everyone seems to be opening up and building as a team. We've spent some time at the Recreation Center playing cards and pool, and watching movies. Some of the team have even started giving out call signs. So far, we have a "Clark Kent," "Janitor" (from Scrubs), "Lex Luthor," "Zach Morris" (from Saved By the Bell), and "Crash." "Crash" wanted to be called "Affirmative Action," but it didn't stick.

Still more briefings tomorrow over at Bliss.


Later,
Eric

Hello... Hello... Hello, Is Anybody Out There?

I thought for a couple days I might never see signs of civilization again. One of our crew got set up here with internet access and now, at least, I'll be able to send some emails and post to my crazy little blog here. So, let me be quick.

Flew out here to El Paso and instead of being at Ft. Bliss, like I thought, I'm at a little place called Camp MacGregor. It's still technically Ft. Bliss, but... NOT! I think it's supposed to simulate when we actually deploy... lots of sand, uniform all the time, no cell phone service. Did you hear what I said, "NO CELL PHONE SERVICE!" It's not that I'm not allowed to use my cell phone, it's just that Verizon doesn't get the service that it should.

So, my internet access will be limited and my phone contact will be almost non-existent. I'll try to post some pictures and stuff when I can.


Going to pour some sand out of my socks,
Eric

Happy Mittenwoch, Chums

I'm just kind of hanging out, and have been without a computer for several days. El Paso, without a computer for a month, might just do me in. Anyway, I have one for the moment, so I might as well post something.

I've met quite a few people who will be deploying with me. I'm not sure if any of us will actually be working directly together or not, but it seems so. We're each about as clueless to the job we'll be doing as the next person. So, we sit and listen and try to take it all in.

All in all, it doesn't seem like we'll be doing anything really difficult or demanding. It does sound like it keeps out of harms way, too. Yay!

Many of these same folks will be joining me for more training in El Paso. By the end of February, we should know each other pretty well. If it follows the same path as romantic relationships, that's when the illusion ends and reality sets in. The wonderment of the initial meeting and getting to know each other phase will wear off, each others' habits will begin to get annoying, and people will feel like they know each other well enough to speak their minds. It should be loads of fun, especially with the added stress of the training we'll be receiving.


Later, Ya'll
Eric

Ah... Saturday

It's been a bit of a lazy Saturday, though I'm supposed to be prepping to drive out of town tomorrow. I had a chance to go watch the kids bowl this morning. They did very well. They're supposed to begin a program tomorrow that used to be called "Bowl-by-Mail." They bowl and their scores are sent in and compared against other kids' scores. I hate to miss it, since it was a lot of fun for them last year. I'm sure I'll get to hear about it in emails, etc.

I had the privilege yesterday of getting my smallpox vaccination... again. I had one as a child and was told that it was supposed to last a lifetime. I found out that, in fact, it only lasts about 10 years. Joy! On top of that, if you've never had the injection before, you get three jabs with the needle. You might think that those of us who have had it before would get less. But noooooo! I had to get 15 jabs with the needle. I asked her if it wouldn't be easier just to give me a tattoo. So, now the upper arm is beginning to throb a little. Great.



Well, I'll try to post something as often as I can.
Eric

The Pay Off

All the rushing around has paid off, and I'm ready to go get me some training. I've got to take a week up in DC and then fly off to beautiful sunny El Paso, Texas. I'll be done before I know what hit me.

What's even better is that I'm so caught up on everything that I'll be able to take leave when my mother, father, sister, sister's fiance, and possibly my mother-in-law come to visit in early March. Where we're going to stash everyone is still a little bit of a mystery, but we'll work something out.




I'm looking forward to it,
Eric

Hurry Up And Wait... Then Really Hurry Up

"Hurry up and wait," is a phrase that we military types use or have heard many times. It means, "You'd better get there early (about 15 minutes early) and then just wait until your name is called or the meeting begins or whatever. That's the way it's been for my pre-deployment activities. I got word less than two weeks ago that I was deploying and started getting my military business taken care of. I have to leave this weekend to begin training. Luckily, I ran around like mad the last two weeks because just today I got the list of stuff I need to take with me for training. That gives me a total of two days to get the rest of the stuff on the list. Aaaaggggghhhh!

As it turned out, it was really not a big deal and I got all the things I needed for training. It's odd, though, that no organization had two heavy duty locks on hand. It was one of those things on my training items checklist that made me go, "Eh?" So, I had to pick those up at the store and just wait to get reimbursed.

On another subject, I wanted to drop a little geography lesson in here. So, see the images below. If you are having trouble seeing it, you can click on it and bring up a bigger view.




Later,
Eric

Fire Away

I got to do M-16 firing again today. This time, however, I had the privilege of donning my 80 lbs of body armor while I was doing it. And occasionally, I had to put on my gas mask.

Now, I've fired the M-16 several times since I joined the military. Let's see... once in Basic, once at Andrews AFB before I went to England, once at Shaw AFB while I was at Ft. Gordon, and twice at Langley AFB. That adds up to about every 3 years, and I've grown accustomed to the process: resting your cheek against the butt of the gun, taking aim, steadying the weapon, focusing on the front site, holding your breath, and squeezing the trigger. But once that gas mask goes on, it's next to impossible to get a good aim. I couldn't really get my eye on the site and the target was blurry and my gas mask got a little foggy, which it shouldn't have done. Oh well, it was a loaner, and a little small.



M-16

As usual, the process took all day long. I had my hopes up that it would only be half a day, since qualifying on the M-9, last week, only took until lunch. No such luck, this time around. Three to four hours of that body armor starts to get a little painful. Susan suggested while I'm in training in El Paso, next month, I take up weight lifting as a hobby. I reminded her that I intended to spend my free time studying for my promotion test. She has to make her choice: an in-shape husband or more money per pay check. She can't have both... or can she?



M-9


So long for now. It's been a long day,
Eric

Now I Dun It

Many of you know I'm in the Air Force, but I was recently surprised to discover that I'm in the military. I have got to find that recruiter and kick his butt.



(That picture might be a couple years old.)

Two Fridays ago (5 Jan 2007), I got notice that I would be deploying to Iraq. It was a short notice thing, one of those deployments that needs to get filled right away. The best things about it are that it's only 6 mos long and I should be back in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I don't like to put too much detail into these blogs, but I saw one recently that a military guy had started to keep in touch with family and friends while he was deployed. Since this miracle of technology exists these days, I thought I would start one, myself. It may not always contain a lot of detail, but I hope to be able to update it regularly with some of the fun and interesting things that happen to me along the way.

Of all the things I've done in the last week (and that's a lot in preparation to deploy) tomorrow should be interesting. I have to qualify on the M-16. For most military, including myself, this is no big deal. Most of us have done it before. This time, however, there's a twist. I have to get kitted up in the gear (body armor, gas mask, the works). I have no idea how that's going to affect my shooting, but it doesn't sound like it's going to be comfortable. We'll have to see how it goes.

Ta ta for now!
Eric