From Blue To Baghdad

Line #121

2010-03-31T15:03:00.002-04:00

Yep, the Captain makes Major! Hope to pin on this summer pending how many get promoted each month. Sorry for the lack of updates but Facebook has won out!

Long time, no post

2010-01-27T09:14:00.002-05:00

Well I guess if you know me and keep in touch that I made it back safely from Iraq last month. The last 2 months were just crazy as I was tasked with coordinating the trip home. We were released about a month early and as luck would have it flew out of Kuwait on December 1st. We returned to Ft Riley, Kansas on 2 December after 24 hours of traveling from Kuwait to Ireland and Bangor, Maine before landing in Topeka. After a 2 hour bus ride to Ft Riley, they processed us in briefly and then off to the Welcoming Ceremony. Only 3 wives were there to welcome back the 32 people that we came back with, luckily my wife was one of them.

We have now moved to Fort Gordon, Georgia where I will attend school from May to December. For now I have a temp job and start school in May. Thanks to all who followed this blog and apologies for not updating the past 4 months.

Rain

2009-09-19T15:41:00.002-04:00

It rained today, full out pouring down rain. The locals say it is unusual for rain this time of year, maybe it will start cooling down now. And ironically, we have no water in the building now. Due to construction, it was cut off.

Also, today marks the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid al Fatr, the three day feast which is like Christmas, Easter, and New Year's rolled into one.

Photo of our compound

2009-09-15T11:17:00.003-04:00

Just realized I could post photos (duh). Here's a shot from the roof of our building overlooking some construction we're having done. Not a typical day but during the summer there were many of these brown outs. The wall you see in the background is the edge of our compound, the HMMWVs in the middle are ours. The buildings are now finished and there is more construction going on, but as of now there is no one living in them besides the engineers building them. Will post some more photos as I take them.

Orders

2009-09-13T08:42:00.002-04:00

I received my orders moving me to Fort Gordon, Georgia. Looks like with our early departure (now somewhat confirmed but not 100% sure) we'll be getting back to Fort Riley, Kansas around the first week of December. I plan to take about a week of leave and then head down to Georgia to report in. Plan is to report in 19 December then hopefully be told to come back after the new year (should be winter break time). The plan is to move out of the Hampton, Virginia house in early January then go down to Georgia assuming our house on base is available at that time. This way we have one final Christmas at our home in Hampton.

As for leaving here, we are getting to that point of turning in stuff and sending stuff home to lighten the load coming back. I carried a backpack, 3 duffels and a ruck sack on the way over so anything we can get rid of will make the trip back easier. Plus I'll have to haul all this stuff with me to Georgia (via Virginia).

Well, been a boring past couple of weeks, nothing more to update.

Baghdad Summer

2009-09-04T07:43:00.003-04:00

Well it has been somewhat confirmed we might be leaving early. I am skeptical, but we'll know for sure soon. Looks like they want us out of here before 1 December so they don't have to give us tax free and benefits for December. Anyway, thought I would write a little bit about the missions here (unclassified of course). Typical mission to get mail, Class I (food, drinks), and laundry goes a little like this. A Patrol Leader (PL) is named, they figure out which trucks and crews are going. We are assigned by truck crews so we nearly always travel with the same gunner, truck commander (TC) and driver. I have been driving mostly, but early on I was a gunner. Once the PL is assigned and truck crews are named, we have a patrol brief. About 15 minutes long, it details threats along the route, assigns missions to crews once on the FOB (Forward Operating Base), and just details the route and anything we need to know. We prep trucks about 30-45 minutes prior to leaving, then gear up and get in and head out. Once out the gate, we turn our counter IED devices on and load our guns (red status). We stay together and keep a good space between us but do not let vehicles get in between vehicles. Most places here can be reached in about 30-45 minutes. We follow our designated route making calls to battlespace owners informing them or our travel through their space and what our mission is (ie going to FOB Falcon). They let us know if anything is going on that we need to avoid, closed roads, incidents, etc. Once we reach our destination, we unload and turn off our crew devices. Once inside the FOB, we go to clearing barrels and clear our personal weapons (M9 and M4). Some de-gear at this point also. After our mission is complete, we turn around and do it again.

Also don't forget a couple things, it's 120 degrees, your are in a vehicle with crappy AC and a big hole in the roof (where the gunner is), you are wearing boots, pants, long sleeve shirt and oh yeah, about 45 pounds of gear. The IOTV (Improved Outer Tactical Vest) is lighter, easier to put on (goes over top of your head), and doesn't weigh on the shoulders as much. But with 6 loaded M4 magazines (30 rounds of 5.56 ammo each), and 3 M9 (15 rounds of 9mm each), bullet proof plates (1 front, 1 back, and 2 smaller side plates) it weighs you down. Sitting in the truck not so bad, but it doesn't breathe and you sweat really bad underneath (at least I do). Also note the UAH (up armored HMMWV) wasn't designed for people over 6 feet (I'm 6'4") nor is it designed for comfort. You are crammed in there on cheap foam seats that after about 30 minutes really don't do any good and you are pressing on the metal seat frame. Side to side the HMMWV is really wide but the seats are about as roomy as a Kia Rio. Oh, and somehow you have to squeeze your M4 in somewhere next to you along with your M9 that is strapped to your leg.

Well, they always say war is hell, and just driving around is a challenge. They drive the wrong way all the time (we call it counter-flow), don't really pay attention and generally are horrible drivers. There is no requirement to drive here except you have enough to buy a car.

Hope this enlightens you a little, I shall write more later.

Rumors

2009-08-26T05:33:00.004-04:00

The other day we received another indicator that we were slated to leave early, but it was just a memo so no real word yet. It also dawned on me that I really hadn't explained what it is like to be here. So here goes. Typical day at Al Rasheed is get up around 9am, eat breakfast, shave, brush teeth. I then walk across the hall to do team work, as the S-1 (Admin) guy I take care of leaves, awards, performance reports and administrative stuff (I send a daily report to higher). At 1200, lunch is ready so I head down to our dining facility (DFAC) for lunch. Today was rice, chicken breast and beans. Our meals are mainly what they call UGR-A, or Unit Group Rations A. It's mostly boil in bag stuff but we also get fresh fruits and lettuce. After lunch, I usually go back to my room and surf internet for a bit or read. On Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays we have a team meeting at 3pm. On those days we lift weights and do cardio afterward, most days we work out at 4pm. After working out, shower, get into uniform and get ready for advising. At 6pm, dinner is served in the DFAC, usually a meat of some sort (steak/chicken/bbq brisket), veggie and rice most days. Occasionally we get crab legs or lobster tails, but without butter they don't taste so good. After dinner, we surf, chat with the family back home (it's 7 hours ahead of eastern time here), or watch TV. About 8pm, we head over to meet our counterparts; mine is a Staff Colonel who is the division's G-1 (admin/personnel). Sometimes I am there for an hour or more, and after that we come back, write up reports or just watch TV or read until time to go to bed. Most nights I am up past midnight. That's a typical day for me here.

Now, what is Iraq like? First thing is the smell. It doesn't stink everywhere, just around here because there is a sewage treatment plant. Second, there are dense neighborhoods everywhere, and the strangest thing is the mud huts that have satellite dishes on them. Third thing is in many respects, this is a beautiful country, palm trees, green fields (at least here in Baghdad). Worst thing about the beauty is it is overshadowed by the fact they think the world is a trash can and the streets are littered. They have cleaned up a bit since we've been here, but it is no where like the USA. Another aspect is the heat, yes it gets hot here and has been over a 100 since early June, but the highest I have seen it was about 120. Now it is starting to cool down, and temps are about 105 for high, in the 80s at night. Soon it will be very moderate and by the time we leave here it will get down in the 30s at night. The worst part about that is there is no heat in our building only AC, so when we got here in January, my room was usually around 60 at night. Hopefully we will be gone before it gets that cold again.

I live in an Iraqi built building, we live in large rooms subdivided into smaller rooms with plywood walls. Most of us have a door for privacy. Some use bed sheets to cover their door. Our bathrooms are mostly eastern style toilets (you have to squat to use them as they are flush to the ground) but the showers are just like home. In the summer, because our water tanks are on the roof, there is no cold water, but the water heaters here are super hot (about 73 degrees Celsius or 163 Fahrenheit) so you have to be careful when turning on the hot water. A couple guys have been burned by it. We have no laundry facilities and weekly we make runs to FOB Falcon to drop off laundry (usually pick up same day). We also pick up food on those weekly runs but recently they started pushing our food to us, though it usually isn't what we want.

All in all, life isn't bad here, except for the they try to kill us part. So far we've been lucky to not get into any trouble, and we hope to continue that trend. Also since the 30 June agreement went into effect, we can't travel during the daytime without Iraqi escorts so we mainly move at night.

Well, I hope this give you a better idea what it is like here. We are due to rotate back about mid December, and hope to be home for Christmas.

Back In Baghdad

2009-08-10T11:53:00.003-04:00

Seems there was some controversy stirred up while I was gone. A Colonel we trained with at Ft Riley and traveled with to Iraq wrote a memo blasting the advising effort, saying we've done all we can and we need to pull out by August 2010. Google search for Timothy Reese Iraq and I am sure you will see it if you haven't already. Well, the good news is I am back in Iraq safely. The bad news is I am back in Iraq safely. We have about 4 months left, with outprocessing stuff means we leave Al Rasheed in about 3.5 months. Rumors are flying that we might leave early but they are self generated in some respects. I would love to leave early but it will hit me financially as I haven't sold my house in Hampton yet and we need to get moved by the end of the year. Problems are the housing market sucks right now and the house barely worth what we paid for it, meaning we will take about a $30,000 loss if we sell for anything less than what we paid for it. That's factoring in the $15,000 we've put into the house, realtor fees and closing costs. Yes, it hurts. Anyway, we'll hope for the best and get it sold and move on, don't really have a choice and we don't want to rent unless we absolutely have to. Well, I am going to make a conscious effort to post more regularly as we get ready to leave, but I say that every time and a month later I get to it.

Going home

2009-07-13T10:22:00.002-04:00

No, not going home for good just mid tour leave. I fly out hopefully in a few days. I will be home for about 15 days then back to the furnace of Baghdad. It really is getting hot here, highs reaching 120 and lows only in the upper 80's. I've packed and passed responsibility for my job on so now I just wait until we leave to drop me off. Anyway, this blog hasn't been going like I thought and I apologize for that, but the distractions are too many to deal with and I let myself get involved in other distractions, ie internet, UFC, Scrubs, etc. Anyway, will blog some more when I get back if I can.

Sheep's Liver

2009-06-11T07:15:00.002-04:00

I have to say that nothing surprises me anymore. The other night I walked in to see my counterpart and they were eating. Of course as is custom here, they offer you eat. So I did. After eating a few cubes of the meat, which was very good, and a couple sa'amone (Iraqi bread), it was relayed to me that it was sheep's stomach. Ok, it tasted good, so what? After a few minutes my interpreter relayed it wasn't stomach but the liver. Yuk. I don't eat liver due to the taste (it was quite good) I don't eat liver because it is an organ meat, and one that filters bile in the body. Yuk. Anyway, I filled up (had already eaten dinner anyway) on 2 sa'amone and some liver and then chatted with my counterpart. Lesson learned, don't be afraid to get the type of meat before eating it. Now I am afraid to go see him again lest I eat some other meat that could be an organ or worse (they like to eat brains also). God I love this country!

6 days of missions

2009-05-18T04:41:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we don't go anywhere for days, other times it is a non stop parade of missions. This was one of those weeks. Tuesday humanitarian mission, Wednesday supply mission, Thursday escorted counterpart to IZ then followed on to FOB Hammer, about an hour's drive northeast of here, Friday no mission, Saturday no mission, Sunday 3 missions in one day. Today is rest day, but our A/C is out and it's 83 degrees in the room. I have a fan which is louder than most aircraft so a nap probably won't happen. The best part, the AC went out about 3:45 this morning, woke us all up making a lot of noise, then shut down. Sweated out the night and now it's going to hit 100+ today so the room might get toasty before they can fix it. Anyway, can't talk about future missions but there are always a mission for food (Class I) and mail each week. We just vary the day/time. More to come.

Humanitarian Aide

2009-05-12T15:10:00.003-04:00

We went on a humanitarian mission today with the IA, very symbolic but I guess that has to happen sometimes. Anyway, it was way out in the middle of nowhere and it appears the problem lies in that Iran is damming up rivers that flow into Iraq to screw with their ecosystem. How nice. Anyway, the IA (IA is Iraqi Army)brought water and some other stuff, turned into a propaganda event for them. I actually ate an MRE today for the first time in a while. Also drank 4 liters of water and didn't have to pee all day. Anyway, it's getting hotter and soon it will be breaking 100. I can't wait. More missions coming and the team that is here is being replaced in two weeks. Anyway, need to get to bed up early tomorrow too.

Grenades

2009-04-19T12:41:00.002-04:00

I know, two posts in two days, how exciting! I learned a lesson about grenades today. We were leaving FOB Loyalty when I asked about how arming a grenade happens. Since I didn't come in the Army originally, I was making sure I knew what was safe. After figuring out that just pulling the pin was safe as long as you hold onto the handle, we left the gate to the FOB. We hit a big bump and one of the smoke grenades we hang on our door fell, but it was just the body, the pin assembly separated from the body and it fell. I was worried it had armed at first, but we figured that it was safe for now, it was only a 10 minute ride to our base. So for 10-15 minutes, I rode with this at my feet paranoid it was going to go off. But it didn't because the pin assembly is designed to screw in, only when the pin is pulled and the handle release does it ignite. This led to a discussion about me possibly throwing one (a smoke grenade) for practice. I'll update if that happens. Anyway, thought I would share that tidbit and actually keep this thing updated better than once a month.

Moshgool

2009-04-18T12:52:00.003-04:00

Moshgool in Arabic means busy, and the past month has just flown by on me. Today I was reminded that I hadn't updated in a while, and I apologize for that. Not sure how many are still reading since I post so infrequently but I will post more often. The key has been getting a USB keyboard to make it easier to type with. Anyway, over the past month, I have been over and around most of the Baghdad area. From Taji down to Mahmudiyah and from the Mada'ain to Victory Base. I have been so busy my advisor duties have suffered. But the time is flying by and each day I am one more closer to home. The only incident we have had happen is a VBIED (vehicle based IED) went off near were we were at on FOB Falcon, I heard it when I was in the PX and thought it was a controlled detonation (what we do to caches we find) but found out later it wasn't. Anyway, it was that day that 6 went off and one was close. Danger is imminent, coalition forces are still being targeted, let's hope we keep sneaking through.

Keeping busy

2009-03-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

Well it seems the internet in the room isn't working out like I thought, and I have failed to update properly. We had to give up our extra PSD personnel so we're now internally pulling PSD for the boss. Spent a crazy 24 hours in the IZ, got to ride in a blackhawk and they fired the guns for testing while we rode to BIAP. It was cool, but I was sitting next to the gunner and he told me, the people in back probably freaked for a second. The trip back was much shorter and didn't include any fun besides a few flares going off. We landed at our top secret airfield (not really but it's small and hard to find) which was neat to see our area by air, though at night. Well, I've been working on Rosetta Stone, getting good with the help of my mutarjems (interpreters). Doing good and over two months down so far, only 10 to go.

Internet at last

2009-02-12T07:42:00.002-05:00

We finally got hooked up in our rooms so I should be able to update more often. The past couple of weeks I have been busy each day, and the community computers are constantly busy. We just had a major change in the 1st Cav Div has taken over for 4ID so we fall under them for support. Not much of a change but we can wear the 1st Cav Patch instead of the Big Red 1. The weather here is still cool, but soon to warm up. Then it will be miserably hot until October, and we leave in December. Hoping to be back for Christmas but you never know.

I've been managing the interpreters and they are an interesting bunch. They make about 3 times what an Iraqi makes but all they want is more leave, more pay. We feed them, house them and they want more. They do put their lives and their families lives in danger, so I sympathize with their plight. Well, not much to update but I will try to get on more, if anyone is reading.

Iraqi Elections

2009-02-01T07:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day, we went south to another post to pick up some news reporters and escort them around. We visited two polling sites and they filmed, but according to my wife the story did not make the big network news (It was ABC). Not that you would know me if you saw me, I was sitting in the gunner's seat in a HMMWV painted like an Iraqi HMMWV. It went very well, no incidents and the Iraqis really clamped down. We joked that they are more like us now because by 1400 they were arguing about who was winning. They even lifted the curfew and vehicle ban. We ended not heading back until the elections were over, at about 1800 local, getting back in settled about 1930. I met my counterpart and we discussed my family, hard to explain that I had no cousins, they are all about family and couldn't believe I didn't have cousins. He invited me to come to his village, but I think I have to pass on that. He wants a picture, though, so should be able to do that for him, but he wants me to wear a headdress and traditional garb (dish-dasha). Maybe it is for propaganda, who know but I will do it. Well, that is the update for now, hope to update again soon.

Baklava in Baghdad

2009-01-26T13:35:00.002-05:00

I had a great meeting with my counterpart, he gave me some baklava that was outstanding, I couldn't relate through the interpreter just how good it was. I felt like a pig eating it, but I couldn't help myself. We had a great talk, spent some quality time with him. I think I will have a good time this year, he seemed impressed with my limited Arabic skills and when I said I could read and write, he seemed amazed. Hopefully by the time I leave here I can visit with him sans interpreter. That is my goal, but not sure if I will make it. Anyway, I have been sick the past 2 days and still feel bad, but in a few days I will actually get off the FOB. Yes, I've been a FOBBIT of late, but I have no desire to go anywhere for anything. Too much hassle just to go to a PX for crap I don't need.

Anyway, not much else to update, just hanging out and trying to learn my job in a few days. Will try to update soon if something exciting actually happens.

Settling in

2009-01-23T01:51:00.003-05:00

We made it through Baghdad from Taji to our base here in Southeast Baghdad. It's a small compound within an Iraqi compound. Yes, we're completely surrounded, but this time the Iraqis are our friends. There seems to be a lot of dogs here, the guys here say they have killed over a hundred of them, have to because they may be rabid. On the way in, we saw a bunch of them chasing a poor little donkey. The ride over was about an hour and a half, through the heart of Baghdad. I wanted to video but was told not to, though it wouldn't have been very good anyway. It was interesting to see the progress in the country, I was happy to see many checkpoints and police along the route. Though there is still danger from IEDs, it has been relatively quiet here of late.
Our rooms are actually sub-rooms of larger rooms partitioned off with plywood for privacy. I have one of the rooms with a door so I can lock it, others have to put up blankets but people respect privacy. We probably will move once the other guys leave, depends on if the rooms are bigger, I like mine because it is dark, no windows and the walls are high. But I only have one outlet and the light on one side doesn't work well. So I will see what is available and don't mind staying where I am if the other places aren't better.
A few of you may wonder why I don't talk about what I do, well for one I haven't started my job yet, and for another, we aren't allowed to talk about specifics so I thought it best to give my impressions of Iraq in general, and relay funny things or really what I think is interesting. I will update as often as I can, but no guarantees it will be updated daily or even weekly. I plan to include stories of our interactions with the Iraqis but I will not include names or actual places. As for where I am, well southeast Baghdad is good enough, I hope you understand. We are near two Coalition FOBs on an Iraqi base. It's fairly safe, but again you should never get complacent. Well, that is all for now, will update as soon as I can.

From Baghdad..

2009-01-14T02:12:00.003-05:00

Well, finally made it here to Camp Taji, north of Baghdad. The accommodations are apparently old Iraqi barracks, but western style bunk beds with mattresses. Getting here was rough, took all day. Started out at 0200 wake up at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, then on to Ali Al Salim AB, Kuwait, at 0330. Get there at 0445, then waited around until about 0700 when we boarded buses to the plane, a C-17. The plane took off at 0822, landed at BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) at 0925. We then de-planed, processed in, then took buses to Camp Striker where we had cots to crash on. We had lunch there (I Had Burger King, Chow hall was not open yet), went to the PX and local vendor shops, then back to the tent for a 1600 bus ride back to BIAP. Once there, we found out our helicopter, CH-47 Chinook, would be in about 1915. We went to eat at the Chow Hall which was quite nice, then back to the waiting area for the helos. They came a little early, and we were on the second chock, so about 1900 we loaded up. Packed in like sardines, the flight was only about 10 minutes, but was my first helicopter ride. Kind of cool, different than a plane definitely. We get to Taji about 1935, grab our gear and head to the barracks. We are off today and start tomorrow. When we get to our final location, we don't know yet, depends on our team and transportation to there, may be another helo because it's quite a drive but we don't know for sure. Anyway, not sure if I will have a chance to blog for a while, so until next time, take care!

Kuwait today, Iraq sometime soon

2009-01-07T07:48:00.002-05:00

We are still in Kuwait, enjoying the weather. Just had 3 days of MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle training. A very rough ride in the back, bounced around like a rag doll at times. Hard on the backside as the seats are not very soft, plus you have an extra 40lbs of gear on and you bounce up and down constantly. We are almost through with training here, and should be in Iraq sometime in the next 2 weeks, can't say for sure as you all hopefully understand. It's nice to have internet access and all, but it doesn't always work so you can't rely on it. Last night I fell asleep waiting for it and missed a chance to chat with my wife. Anyway, I've acclimated to the time change and actually slept through the night for the first time. No 0300 wake up call to pee for once. There are a lot of things here that we'll miss when we head to Iraq, here they have Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, Panda Express, Starbucks, Nathan's Hot Dogs, and a few others I can't recall. Spoiled you might say, plus we have free laundry service, though not the best it saves us the time having to do it. Lots of souvenir shops and things to buy and send home, not sure if I will be able to get anything as I am now tight on space as it is. Have to send things home I guess. Well that is all for now, hope to update soon but you never know.

In country

2008-12-30T14:52:00.005-05:00

Well it has been about 24 hours that I have been here and finally had a chance to update my blog. I can't get too specific on things but I am in Kuwait and will be here a while before heading to Iraq. I can say we have been re-assigned to Baghdad, but not sure if that is even correct. The weather here isn't as hot as I remember, though 64 in late December isn't cold either. It was a little chilly last night but tonight it is nice. The internet access is spotty and slow, so not sure if I will update or not until I get to Iraq. Our trip here from Kansas was long and tiring, and took us through 4 cities and 3 countries before arriving here. We flew from Topeka, Kansas to Rockford, IL; then to Gander, Newfoundland, Canada; then to Keflavik, Iceland; Leipzig, Germany; and finally on to Kuwait City, Kuwait. They fed us quite well on the flight, and I eventually couldn't eat anymore. The last meal I didn't finish and the flight attendant asked me if I didn't like it and if I wanted the other meal and I said "I'm just full!" I still have some of the snacks from the plane as emergency. Tomorrow we start training (it's 8 hours ahead of EST here) so back to work finally. Well, keep an eye on the blog and I will try to update as I can.

The time is near

2008-12-19T22:30:00.002-05:00

Well it's about a week and I will be back in Kansas. I hope we can get out of Kansas on the earliest date, 28 December. Would be nice to land in Kuwait before 1 Jan, that way December is tax free, and all the bennies associated with being there. Some good news is that we are supposed to return 15 December next year meaning I could conceivably not miss a Christmas, yet. I also talked to my branch manager and it looks like I will not meet the board in the zone this year, but oh well, I will not pin on Major for another year. Another penalty for switching, but then again I did get a $35,000 bonus for being a transportation officer, if only for about 2 months, plus I still get a $10,000 bonus for switching which can't be collected until I get to Iraq (that means it will be tax free). Anyway, this next year will be a chance to get bills paid off, and without me here spending it all we just might come out of Iraq debt free. I am not sure if I will have a chance to update before I go to Iraq, so you may not get another posting until late January or later, but I will try to update as I can.

Changes

2008-12-05T19:32:00.003-05:00

Well we finally know what days we are leaving for Iraq, from 28-30 December. That means we have to return 26 December. Our biggest news is that our boss was relieved of duty due to pissing off the wrong person. We hope they will let him come back and join us, but that probably won't happen. We are still going as a 10 man team, with our senior Captain taking charge (technically that is me, but I don't feel comfortable since I have 10 months in the Army). A bit of turmoil, but we were told not to make waves or they would break up the rest of the team and put us all on different MTTs. Anyway, haven't updated for a while but there really hasn't been much to say until now. Will be updating more when I return home next week.

Training or lack thereof

2008-11-19T21:42:00.000-05:00

It's become apparent that we are here not to train but to get used to being away from home, since today our training in whole consisted of about an hour and 15 minutes. Worthwhile, but still a whole day wasted for 75 minutes of training. We even missed lunch and had to eat MREs. If they had done two things, one, stagger start (or as they say in golf shotgun start) 4 teams (there were four stations) at 0830, then have the other 4 teams come an hour and a half later at 1000 and again stagger start, all could have been done by 1130, and we all could have made it back for lunch. And we could have done another half day of training this afternoon, as it was we did nothing. Tomorrow, we have half day plus and hour in the afternoon. So far in about 5 weeks, we have wasted 9-11 days according to the boss' tracker.

This weekend I will be headed to Oklahoma City again to see my son again, and hopefully spend some quality time with him. Next week, I am going to my mom's house in Illinois for Thanksgiving, which will be nice because she just moved so I get to see the new house. After Thanksgiving, it's only two weeks until we are done here. We still don't know when we'll be back, but we're thinking due to our downrange guys return date we won't fly out until after the first of the year. Well, that is all for now, will update when something exciting happens.

Relaxed Grooming Standards

2008-11-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today we got called out by a 1 star General (who turned out to be the division commander) about our haircuts. My SF boss says "relaxed grooming standards" and the CG says "not in the 1st ID!" Interesting. Didn't ask how the training was, nor anything important, just that we needed haircuts. Long time since last update, the only thing I have to say is I saw my son Casey last weekend, great time as usual. I plan to see him in 2 weeks, between going home for Veteran's day weekend and going to my mom's for Thanksgiving. Could be my last chance to see him for a long while.

Today we picked up our vehicles and weapons, what we will use for training while we are here. We won't take any of it with us, just use it for training. The only thing we take is our small arms (M4 and M9).

This weekend I get to go home for the first time since 26 September, and that will be very nice. Other than that, not much else to talk about. Will probably not update until next week after I get back.

Combat Life Saver

2008-10-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

The term is used in reference to how we all become certified to help save lives by knowing a bit more than just basic CPR. We learned to put in a Nasalpharyngeal tube (goes in the nose), apply tourniquets & bandages, cover a sucking chest wound, relieve an over inflating lung (pneumothorax something or other) by plunking a needle in their chest, and the finale of giving and receiving an IV. I thought I wouldn't be able to put a needle in, but did well, the CW2 (chief warrant officer) who I stuck said it was painless. Anyway, it was an interesting day and though tomorrow is Saturday, we have to train one more half day. Good news is we are going to test before lunch and be done, so I can get going to Oklahoma city to see my son. I can't wait to see him, this will be the 5th time this year I will see him, and I hope to get a few more visits in before I leave Kansas. Well, that's about all I have for now, will update maybe next week after our specialized training.

Settling In

2008-10-19T19:57:00.000-04:00

Well a week's gone by and we've survived the worst part, classroom training. It's always amazing how they can cram 3 days worth of information into 5 and a half days. We did get Saturday off since we covered everything by 2pm Friday, even after taking hour and fifteen to hour and a half lunches everyday (including Friday), and leaving before 3:45 everyday (class is supposed to be 8am to 5pm). Needless to say it was mostly worthless information especially since our boss is an expert in the subject. This week is driver's training and combat life saver, and advanced Arabic in the evenings (optional but we opted for the advanced training). The instructor for Arabic is funny and quotes Team America all the time, referring to Arabic as the "Derka Derka" language. Not sure what we are tracking to do next week, our schedule got a little screwed up with something that didn't happen, so I will have to wait until probably Saturday before we find out about next week. All for now.

Camp Funston

2008-10-11T22:36:00.000-04:00

The best way to describe the Funston experience is to say it's trailer living. The temporary like buildings are big trailers, with 6 rooms each sleeping 6 people, two latrines with 2 stalls, one urinal, 6 sinks, and three showers each. So far not so bad but I think when training gets going, it's going to be a little hectic. The rooms are about 12' X 20', 3 bunk beds and 6 wall lockers. No privacy really but we don't spend much time in here to worry about that. We start full up training on Monday and it's culture all week and language. I'm a little up on the language and trying to help the guys out on the team. I'm the only one (I think) that can read and write it. Anyway, we are all getting along good so far, eat together, work out together, but know when it's time to have alone time. Our team is marching to a different beat, our team leader is a guy who doesn't like the formal BS that they throw at you, and even pissed off the Sergeant Major in record time (he rolls his cuffs and wears his sunglasses on his head). The good thing is our boss knows what he is doing, it's been his job as SF for the past 10 years. Well, that's all for know, hope to update this week as training starts.

Going Back to Signals

2008-10-07T22:47:00.000-04:00

I found out this morning that I was selected for FA 24, Telecom Systems Engineer, so after my tour in Iraq, I won't be a Transportation/Logistics officer anymore. Exciting news, but this may affect my tour to Europe post Iraq, not sure yet hope to have an answer by Friday. I have to go to Ft Gordon for 8 months of FA school (FA is Functional Area), then airborne or air assault school is encouraged. At 40 (or 43), that may not happen. This was very good news, FA 24 only has about 200 officers, so it is a small fraternity of officers. I get to go back to being a geek! We move out to Camp Funston Thursday and I can hardly wait for all the fun to begin.

Blue invasion

2008-10-05T21:02:00.000-04:00

Today, the USAF invaded Ft Riley, KS. The DFAC (chow hall, dining facility) was overflowing with AF people. After 20 years of being one of them, I know now how annoying they are. Nonetheless, we all have to get along, so be it. Tomorrow we get our RFI, and that appears to be it. We'll probably have a team meeting tomorrow night, and hopefully I'll have something interesting to post. Anyway, didn't do much today except have a nice video chat with my wife and daughter, hope to keep that up while in Iraq. I also assembled the IBA (Body armor) and it's very uncomfortable but I guess if you don't wear it, then you are a walking target. The only problem I have is the crotch cover is a little short, so my boys are exposed. I was joking with my roomate that I will have to crouch down the whole time to protect myself. Well, that's about all I have, just finished watching Fringe, and I am sort of hooked, so I hope it gets canceled so I won't miss it this year I'll be gone.

Team Forming

2008-10-04T20:13:00.000-04:00

There are dynamics to a team, and last night we went out on the town (called Aggieville here in Kansas State Country). It was interesting for me since I hadn't hit the college bar scene in 13 years. I didn't drink but one good beer at the restaurant we ate in, the Little Apple Brewing Company (get it, Manhattan, KS is the "little apple"). After my sinus drainage this week, I just didn't feel like drinking and glad I didn't. I've been cooped up in my room most the day watching shows online, as I did get the high speed hook up yesterday. I thought I watched a lot, but without a TV you really miss things. Don't think I'm going anywhere tonight, just too sick to want to go anywhere. May get out tomorrow, but not sure now. We don't have anything until about 9am Monday, so should be an easy day. Though there are apparently 250 or so Air Force and Navy people coming in tomorrow, should make it interesting around here. I hate being a dorm rat, but beyond the strip clubs there isn't much to do in Junction City, and Manhattan is about a 15 minute ride that I just don't feel like making right now. I will update hopefully Monday and let you know what happened when the AF guys showed up.

Arrival at Riley

2008-09-29T21:36:00.000-04:00

Well I checked into Ft Riley yesterday and had our first day of briefings. Our team met tonight and we talked about where we are going and what we are going to do. Our team chief is a Jim Carey (sp?) look-a-like, but seems pretty cool so far. We're supposed to be in the nice barracks for the next week or so, then move down to Funston next Thursday. I had to find a Panera to get logged in, so we only have a few minutes to surf. Anyway, we are apparently going to finish training in early December, then have about 3-4 weeks off before deploying, subject to change of course. I will update as I can, but it's a bit of a drive to Panera from base so if I can't get internet in my room, I may not update again until the weekend. More to come later.

Countdown to Riley

2008-09-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

Well in one week I will go to Ft Riley. We just had a kitchen remodel done, and it looks great. I have so much more to do and time is slim, I have 4 more doors to put inside my home (replacements), a fence to fix, and some painting to do. Hopefully I have time to get it all done, the kitchen being done was a huge relief.

I of course, have to rant a bit on Obama/McCain. Obama is saying the current financial crisis is caused by the current administration, but reality is one of his closest cronies, er advisors, was the head of Fanny Mae and is partly responsible for cooking the books and causing the collapse. McCain isn't innocent in all of this, he voted in some regulations which started this whole fiasco, but Obama is taking financial advise from this guy who headed a collapsed financial institution. I just hope people wake up and realize how bad Obama's buddies are (Resko, et al). McCain may not be the best choice, but between Obama and McCain, McCain looks like a Godsend.

Riding the storm out

2008-09-06T13:53:00.000-04:00

With apologies to REO Speedwagon, just sitting here in Virginia getting hit by Hanna. Got so much to do and so little time to do it. I get to Riley 3 weeks from tomorrow, and we have a buttload of home stuff to do. I have 6 doors to replace, cabinets to remove (we're re-doing the kitchen), and get my stuff ready since I won't be back before I go to Iraq, and my wife will sell when I am there. Today is a good day to get things done, so I thought I would post something I heard on Glenn Beck yesterday. He went over the radical group's mission, and ended with this statement "they have their tentacles into an organization that does good things but also teaches that heterosexism is a byproduct of capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male dominated privilege." And he wants to use this group as a national program (costing an estimated $500 Billion) for youth to join, like a military organization (or in lieu of the military). It is admirable, but why don't they just join the military? We already fund it, and I think the skills you get in the military are just as good and may be radical also, but not any worse than Public Allies. Just one more little thing that I think will cost Obama the election. The media is trying its hardest to get him elected, but he has no substance, no experience, and no clue how to run a country.

Sitting Around

2008-09-04T17:12:00.000-04:00

I am now awaiting my trip to Ft Riley and thought I would comment on last night's speech by Sarah Palin. Wow. If you didn't fall in love with this woman already, last night she hammered Obama and that just made me love her all the more. I just got the Newsweek she and McCain are featured in and didn't really read it but now I would like to see what they bashed her about. Newsweek also said she wasn't qualified for the job. And Obama is? What city was he a mayor of? Oh, that's right, Nowhere, USA. And what state was he a governor in? Hawaii? Illinois? What do you mean he's never been a governor? Certainly he has some leadership job? Community event organizer you say? WTF is that? So someone who was block captain thinks he can run the country. Great. Dear God, if you have any sense of justice Obama will not win.

Graduation

2008-08-23T18:14:00.001-04:00

Well, I finally finished my school, CLC3. I am now officially a Logistics Officer in the Army. We are off to Orlando this week for vacation, then back to Ft Lee for a couple weeks until I leave for Ft Riley. Well, have to pack so this is short.

Passed!

2008-08-19T07:37:00.000-04:00

I did pass my final PFT here at the schoolhouse so I am good to go for now. I need a lot of improvement but that comes with losing weight, which I will do over the course of the next few months. Hopefully they keep me away from KBR in Iraq and I can whittle myself back to my Marine candidate weight of 197 (weighed 233 last Wednesday).

Special Forces

2008-08-18T20:10:00.001-04:00

Looks like my team leader will be a Special Forces Major who specializes in counterinsurgency ops. This could be an interesting year while we help an Iraqi Battalion. I am not looking forward to the 15 months away from the family but it looks to be a great learning opportunity. We're getting ready to run another PFT tomorrow and Friday we graduate. Next week I'm taking my family to Florida so my daughter can experience DisneyWorld before we head off to Europe after I get back. Yes, there is EuroDisney but it isn't the same, plus we'd have to go to France. Anyway, just sitting in the hotel outside the base and thought I'd post an update.

Almost Done

2008-08-13T21:15:00.000-04:00

Well I am nearly finished with my training here in Virginia which means I will soon be leaving my family for 15 months. I have yet to get my MTT assignment but know I am leaving early January for Kuwait. Glad to get going but not so glad I will be gone for so long, while I will be in Kansas and probably will be able to come home for Christmas, for the most part I am gone for 15 months. Anyway, not sure if anyone reads this but if so, thanks, I hope to have more frequent updates when I am at Riley and in Iraq, but you never know.

Pres. Barack Hussein Obama

2008-07-25T09:21:00.001-04:00

I guess since the media has fallen in love with Hussein there's no need to have an election. Why don't people realize the only reason he's even a senator is because it was bought and paid for by the Chicago democrat machine? People should know how dangerous this man is. But with the media fawning all over his world tour, people are seeing a side of a man that didn't really exist a year ago and won't be the man we elect. Anyway, I'm still in training and live at home for the next couple of weeks. Nice to sleep in my own bed every night. I've heard from the people in my class that I may not have internet in Iraq, so if that's the case this blog will get no updates for a while. Well, I just don't have much interesting things to write now, but I thought I would drop a link to one of my favorite sites, Platewire. You can write up someone who pisses you off on the road. Keep checking back for updates.

Politics

2008-07-08T16:23:00.000-04:00

I can't comment on politics in uniform, so pretend I am a civilian now. Something I heard today really irked me. Sen Obama (my senator as I am an Illinois resident) has said repeatedly that he would pull us out of Iraq, so I volunteered to go on the hope that once he's inaugurated he'd pull us right out, making my tour last about a month. Now, he says that he's going to "win this war and finish it, and then pull our troops out while I am President." What? That's just a way to weasel out of his promise he knew he couldn't keep. Does anyone realize we are still in Japan, Korea, Germany, Bosnia, etc, and have been for years and will be for years? I'll be an old man if we ever leave Iraq, or for that matter Germany and Japan. Sen. Obama knows Iraq is long term and regardless of who you vote for, we'll be in Iraq for many years to come.

2008-07-05T11:37:00.001-04:00

Sorry no updates for a while but I really haven't been doing much. Just surviving the last week of classes at Ft Lee before I head to Ft Eustis. While at Eustis I get to live at home since I live only 20 miles away. Anyway, nice to see some fellow Lost bashers on the posts, thanks for stopping by.

I'm still waiting to hear from my team leader for Iraq, some others have heard what they'll be doing. I expect to hear before too long, especially before I depart for Ft Riley in September.

Another issue is I have apparently lost internet access at my Petersburg apartment so I won't be able to update during the week, but I only have one more week there anyway. I may just suck it up and head to Panera Bread to get online. Since there are no more tests this week my nights are fairly free.

I've been thinking maybe I'll start writing about current events, but I don't keep up with much except Baseball. This weekend the Cubs play my beloved Cardinals in St Louis, and I miss my hometown and the rivalry that is Cubs-Cardinals. I am a tad concerned about the flooding, 15 years ago I was an Air National Guardsman on duty in South St Louis due to the flooding so it brings back some bad memories of that. Anwyay, not much more to write about, will update when I can.

Basic Training photo

2008-06-25T22:20:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to put a link in here, though not sure if it's legal. It's a picture of me in basic training back in December, 1987, though the photo says 29 Jan 88, that was our graduation day and the photo was taken right before Christmas 1987. Anwyway, I have a test tomorrow so I don't have time to add much more. I am the one in the back row, middle (5th from left or right). Enjoy!

Airman Preevyet

Going to Iraq

2008-06-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

Hello, I am new to the "blog" so forgive me if I buck convention and protocol. I created this spot to detail my upcoming year in Iraq as a member of the US Army. I am an Army Captain in the Transportation Corps soon to be departing for Fort Riley to train for my assignment as a Military Transition Team member. I've read many Blogs detailing soldier's time in Iraq, so I thought I would bring my perspective. I am excited at the opportunity and can't wait to get there. Yes, our mission is dangerous and we are near the top of the list of wanted US personnel. But that is the challenge and I look forward to completing my mission successfully. A little background on me, I spent just over 20 years in the Air Force before being forced (actually force shaped) to join the Army. I started out a bomb loader on F-16 and F-4G aircraft and spent 4 1/2 months in Bahrain during Desert Shield/Storm. I got off active duty in 1991, joined the Air National Guard as a communications specialist, then switched to the AF Reserves, all the while I attended college, and finally in May 2000 I graduated with a degree in Mathematics and was commissioned into the Air Force as a communications officer. Last year, the AF thought it would be a great idea in the middle of a war to get rid of about 1,800 officers, and I was one of 306 that was involuntarily let go. Yes, I was fired. So I transferred into the Army and have quickly embraced my new Army brethren. I have been stationed in Las Vegas (Nellis AFB), South Korea (Kunsan AB), Southern California (George AFB), Clearfield, Utah (Hill AFB), San Antonio, Texas (Lackland AFB), Quantico, Virginia (Marine Base Quantico), Norfolk, Virginia (Norfolk NSA), and now in Petersburg, Virginia (Ft Lee). Well, I hope you enjoy reading this, I am certainly no English Major and my thought process isn't the best, but it will be a raw, unfiltered (or as best I can allow) look at Iraq.