28 October 2007

Training and Working and Working Out

The last few days have been hectic as I can imagine. I was moved to another platoon, so I had to move all my stuff, then get to know all my new NCOs and platoon mates and stuff, and then got right to working.

We're busy up-armoring all of our tracks and the motor pool is several miles from where we stay. We have no vehicles so we have to walk in the heat to and from the motor pool a few times a day. Good news is we're almost done getting all that done. Tomorrow we're doing some more training, MOUT stuff (urban operations for all you civilians!).

Tonight we had fun though, we ran around outside with our night vision on just to get used to wearing it and working with it. Let me tell you. Run really fast with that stuff on, and you will probably fall.

PERSONAL NOTE:

Mom and Dad, I miss you guys, sorry I haven't called. We've been slammed the last few days. I'll call as soon as I can though, promise. Oh and the only time I can call might be at like 2 or 3 AM your time...sooo sorry for waking you guys up :)

Cali, I love you sweetheart.

27 October 2007

Officially Part of OIF

Hey everyone, thanks so much for the comments and emails! I would love to respond to all of them individually, but I just don't have the time. And our internet connection is sketchy at best. So I have to do the essentials before I can reply to you all (essentials being check my email, post an update and email my wonderful fiance)

So...last time I checked in I was in Shannon, Ireland, which by the way is FREEZING. We were laid over there for about 4 hours or so. Then we got on the flight to Kuwait. It was a thoroughly long and unadventurous flight. About the only excitement was before we took off the pilot got on the intercom and warned us to make sure everything was stowed carefully because we were forecasted for some "severe turbulence" as he called it. Let's just say that was probably the smoothest flight I've ever been on.

So we flew all night, saw the sunrise over Iraq from 30,000 feet and landed in Kuwait pretty early in the morning. Let me backtrack a little bit here. While I was in Georgia I was volun-told that I was going to be on the baggage detail. Meaning me and about 15 other guys get to load approximately 500 bags, all weighing in the 100 pound range, under the plane. So upon landing in Kuwait me and my baggage detail buddies were off loaded first so we could download the plane. After the downloading, during which I suffered (undiagnosed - but I'm pretty sure that my exagerated assumptions should be correct) a mildly shattered shin and a shredded bicep, we got onto a bus to drive to our staging point for the move into Iraq. I can't list all the places and times for OPSEC reasons but I'm in the middle of the desert somewhere in Kuwait. Some point in the next few weeks I'll move North to Iraq.

Anyway, once we got here we went to some briefings on how were getting paid, what the camp rules are, where the phones are and the like.

All in all, here's my rundown of Kuwait. Don't visit. There's no grass, no trees, no clouds, no wind, no water, and nothing to do. I haven't even seen a camel. I'm going to try to get some pictures up soon...having trouble with them for some reason.

I'll try and work up the energy to fix it later. We got alot of classes to go to this afternoon.

26 October 2007

Shannon, Ireland

So for the last forty something hours, I've been awake. We boarded the plane for Kuwait and right now we're refueling in Ireland. I am missing you all terribly. I will post a much longer update when we get to Kuwait. My battery is about to die.

Here's to the heroes.

Oh yeah, and when we got off the plane here, there was a group of guys from 10th Mountain on their way home from Iraq. It was weird, they looked at us like we were getting ready to be hating life, and we all just envied them. It was fantastically awkward. Soon enough, I'll be one of those guys on the big bird home.

24 October 2007

The Wire is Running Down

I'm out of here in a little bit. My next post is going to be from Kuwait.

Keep the prayer strong, I'm going to need it. So will Carlisle.

Let's Roll.

22 October 2007

Packing for Iraq

So this is basically my last night in the U.S. Tomorrow night I'll be super busy getting all my last minute stuff done. Figured I'd knock out one more picture for you all. The last time I'll wear civilian clothes for the next couple months.

T-Minus 51 Hours

So my deployment is coming a little earlier than expected. It was kind of a shock to say the least, but all in all at least it's starting. The sooner I get there, the sooner I come home.

Just for clarification: I will often refer to hurrying home and wanting to leave Iraq. DO NOT take this as me being afraid to go, or unwilling. I volunteered to go, knowing the dangers involved. I chose one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army for a reason. I support the war in Iraq and I am very proud to go. However, leaving my fiance behind is almost torture. Nothing on earth scares me or bothers me like leaving her here. When I speak of hurrying home and getting out of Iraq, it is solely so I can come home to that girl.
In the next 100 hours or so I am leaving the United States to go to Iraq.

I'm going to be gone for about 15 months. It's going to be hot and stressful. But I'll be ok.