4 July 2010
What a month. I want to apologize to anyone who’s been waiting for the next chapter in my blog. It’s been a whirlwind and there is no stop in work flow.
Well, time to catch you up in what has been going on.
Where “I” Is
As you probably figured by now, I have made it to Afghanistan. I am currently station in Maz E Sharif. It located in northern Afghanistan. Most people who are familiar with Afghanistan call this place ‘RC-North’. The name of the camp is Camp Marmal. Rumor has it that this piece of land was bought by the Germans and have since built a thriving base that supports about 500 soldiers. Not bad! The roads are paved in black tar and if you’re on the right street, you even get a chance to walk on a sidewalk. To those of you that just read that and said “a sidewalk?”, let me tell you, a sidewalk is a luxury in a combat zone. Everything here is pretty much German. Even have to use Euros to shop at the local stores. (Euro) Makes the dollar look like crap. Oh well! One day America... one day.
Along with being German, they also have German street rules. If you haven’t been to Germany (such as myself), you will quickly learn that the vehicle has the right-of-way. I kid-you-not, I almost got run-over. Lucky someone alerted me and I quickly moved out of the way. The Germans also built a market-square type of building. The people here call it “The Atrium”. It’s a patio area surrounded by several buildings in a rectangular shape. They have a gym, a lounge, a bar, a restaurant, and a recreational room. It’s quite amazing to see such a structure in the middle of nowhere.
Oink, Oink... Here Piggy, Piggy
Being that we (my unit) arrived into country with nothing but a dumb look on our faces, we had to use the German Dinning Facility while our kitchen equipment made it’s way into country. German dinning, what can I say... it’s different.
For breakfast:
Pancakes
Potatoes
Bacon
Sausage
Pork Chop
Bland Oatmeal
Lunch:
Pork Chop
Pasta
Bread
Cucumber Salad
Dinner:
Pork... again
Pasta
Soup d’jour (Soup of the day)
Rice
Potatoes
This is daily. I can’t believe the amount of pork these Germans eat. Way more than I could ever imagine. Don’t get me wrong. It does taste pretty good.
4th of July... A Day of Celebration
Well, today is July 4th. Happy Independence day, y'all! Speaking of food. Today is the official first day of the American dinning facility, in full operation. Breakfast, to me, was a hit. Some of the guys complained. It was greasy... Hey! That’s the way I like it. Rumor on the street says that we are having steak tonight. I guess we’ll see.
First Flight
Speaking of ‘first’, today was my first flight in Afghanistan. I was looking forward to it. It was getting too hot on the ground and flying up in elevation is so much cooler. The highest we flew today was about 7,500 feet. It was quite interesting. Since the ground, from the altitude where we live, is scorched and dry, the local Afghani people harvest crops at the top of the mountains where the land is much cooler. Flying around I kept asking myself “How in the world do they make the journey all the way up here?”. Looking around, I figure donkey or mule. Still, quite amazing.
Infrastructure? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Infrastructure!
This place is a mess. Wow! We are 2 months too early. When we arrived, there was very limited rooms available... and still is. For my first night, they stuck a couple of us (about 10) in an area named “RSOI”. What a dump! Green Army tent with a wooden floor. Inside the tent there was 10 tightly packed bunk-beds. Barely enough space for our bags to wedge in between them. The mattress on these beds were still in plastic. I thought “Cool. New beds.” Not the case. I believe that the sole reason these beds were not unwrapped was because the plastic helped with the strengthening of the mattress. This matters was a mess. It must of had at most 20 mattress coils for support. Good enough for the working man in China but not the American working man. So, before going to bed someone catches wind to “Hey! Don’t get too comfortable. More people are coming and they will be bunking with you.” What!?
So, morning came, and no sign of the extra people showing up. Oh... one thing about morning, it starts at 4:00 a.m. here. What do I mean by “starts at 4:00 a.m.”? Full sunshine, my friend. The sun is in full bloom, armed and ready to lay a beat-down on your skin. After tossing and turning in bed from all the sweat and trying to convince myself that “It’s not that hot”, I finally gave in around 7:00 a.m. It was too hot. Well, now that I was up, I decided to take a shower in order to freshen up. Once I got dress, guess what?... It was still too hot! That same morning, we were taken on a tour of the camp. Yep! Still hot. Once we got done, we went back to our tents and a hung out in order to avoid the scorching rays of the sun. Not that great of an idea. The tent came equipped with two A/C units which only provide enough ‘cool’ for whomever sleeps right next to it. Needless to say, I made my way over to the one bunk closest to the A/C and hung out there while the owner of that bunk was gone. Ahhh! relief. Not for long. I got really thirsty and went in search of water. There was two pallets of water by the bathroom I saw earlier. I went over and got me a bottle. CRAP!!! That water was boiling-hot. How is anyone supposed to drink this stuff. I grabbed a stack and took it back to my tent. Hopefully there, the bottles will get cooler. I place the stack next to my bed and went back to my job at monitoring the coolness of the A/C unit. It’s about 9:30 a.m. by now. I’m fat dumb and happy. I’ve got water, I’ve got shade and I’ve got A/C. What more could I ask for? BAMM! The A/C unit goes dead. Why? The power gets cut off anytime the demand for electricity gets too high. Let me see... hmmm... daily? Now I am stuck in a tent with no A/C, some ‘too hot to drink’ water, and a tent who was once providing shade, will now eventually begin to cook me due to the lack of ventilation. This is the best the Army’s got?
Long-story-short... I managed to escape that Hell-hole within 24-hours. Some of did not get so lucky. Some ended up living in those conditions for at least 2-weeks. I, myself, got hooked-up with a spot in the new living area. Total opposite living conditions. I went from a tent where being ‘naked’ was the only option to stay cool, to a tent where you HAVE TOO wear a jacket or you’ll catch a cold. Brrr! But I love it.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
09 June 2010
09 June 2010
My experience at Manas
We got off the plane and they rushed us straight over to get in-processed. They gathered up everyone’s ID cards and scanned them in. Even though we are not there yet, this makes it official. At this point, the count-down out of Afghanistan begins. Only 364 days remaining at this point. Ahh!
During the in-processing brief, one of the Airmen came in and welcomed everyone to Krygystan. In the same breath, she announced “There is a place here that serves alcohol. It’s called “Pete’s Bar”. Everyone here has been allowed to drink!”. You should’ve seen all of the puzzled and some delighted face in the crowd. “Alcohol? What?” muttered several people in the group. Once she realized what she said, she immediately retracted her statement by saying “Wait... Sorry. Not you guys. Wrong group. If you guys want to drink, whoever is in charge has to make the call.” Before she could even finish the sentence, one of the First Sergeants yelled “NO! No alcohol for any of us.” “Aww.” the group sighed : ( Personally, I thought it was a good call. I’d like to drink too but for the sake of the group, it’s just better this way. We have too many young and inexperienced soldiers. Add alcohol to the mix... Not good.
In-processing took a few hours. Everything from moving/carrying/dragging our bags (several times) to picking up linen for our beds and finally getting situated in our tent, it was an evening that was finally coming to a rest - or maybe not.
Time To Rock-Out!
Curious about the sound of live music coming from the Chapel on my way to pick up linen earlier, I decided to stop by and pay a visit. I walked in and saw that a group of church musicians who were just wrapping up practice. There were several instruments there. More than I’ve ever seen in any chapel I’ve visited. I walked up to the keyboardist and asked if he’d mind I play the bass. He said “No, sir. Help yourself.” I asked “Does any of this belong to you?”. He said “No. It all belongs to the church.” Nice.
I played the bass for a little while. The chapel cleared out (not because I was terrible, mind you). I finally got bored and decided to play the drums. There was a sign posted on the wall. “Use electric drums from 2200 - 1000”. That’s 10:00 p.m. - 10:00 a.m. The local time was about 10:20 p.m. I saw the electric drum set but I thought to myself “Man! That electric drum set might be too loud if I run it through the ‘house PA’ (Chapel’s audio system). I’ll just use the acoustic (regular type - same as the one we have in the garage) drum set. I tell you what... I was rockin’ out! BANG! BANG! DUHM! DUHM! DUHM! Nice! 5-minutes later, someone emerges from an office in the back of the chapel. “Can you read the sign? ‘Electric drums only’!” Said the bed-head-wearing, sleepy-eyed, groggy-looking chaplain. Crap! I woke up the chaplain. “Sir... I am SO SORRY! I apologize, sir” I said as I looked over at the electric drum set and realized it had a pair of headphones attached to them. Oops! He said “It’s okay. Just use the electric from now on.” I was so embarrassed I wanted to run away. As soon as he left, I was gone.
My experience at Manas
We got off the plane and they rushed us straight over to get in-processed. They gathered up everyone’s ID cards and scanned them in. Even though we are not there yet, this makes it official. At this point, the count-down out of Afghanistan begins. Only 364 days remaining at this point. Ahh!
During the in-processing brief, one of the Airmen came in and welcomed everyone to Krygystan. In the same breath, she announced “There is a place here that serves alcohol. It’s called “Pete’s Bar”. Everyone here has been allowed to drink!”. You should’ve seen all of the puzzled and some delighted face in the crowd. “Alcohol? What?” muttered several people in the group. Once she realized what she said, she immediately retracted her statement by saying “Wait... Sorry. Not you guys. Wrong group. If you guys want to drink, whoever is in charge has to make the call.” Before she could even finish the sentence, one of the First Sergeants yelled “NO! No alcohol for any of us.” “Aww.” the group sighed : ( Personally, I thought it was a good call. I’d like to drink too but for the sake of the group, it’s just better this way. We have too many young and inexperienced soldiers. Add alcohol to the mix... Not good.
In-processing took a few hours. Everything from moving/carrying/dragging our bags (several times) to picking up linen for our beds and finally getting situated in our tent, it was an evening that was finally coming to a rest - or maybe not.
Time To Rock-Out!
Curious about the sound of live music coming from the Chapel on my way to pick up linen earlier, I decided to stop by and pay a visit. I walked in and saw that a group of church musicians who were just wrapping up practice. There were several instruments there. More than I’ve ever seen in any chapel I’ve visited. I walked up to the keyboardist and asked if he’d mind I play the bass. He said “No, sir. Help yourself.” I asked “Does any of this belong to you?”. He said “No. It all belongs to the church.” Nice.
I played the bass for a little while. The chapel cleared out (not because I was terrible, mind you). I finally got bored and decided to play the drums. There was a sign posted on the wall. “Use electric drums from 2200 - 1000”. That’s 10:00 p.m. - 10:00 a.m. The local time was about 10:20 p.m. I saw the electric drum set but I thought to myself “Man! That electric drum set might be too loud if I run it through the ‘house PA’ (Chapel’s audio system). I’ll just use the acoustic (regular type - same as the one we have in the garage) drum set. I tell you what... I was rockin’ out! BANG! BANG! DUHM! DUHM! DUHM! Nice! 5-minutes later, someone emerges from an office in the back of the chapel. “Can you read the sign? ‘Electric drums only’!” Said the bed-head-wearing, sleepy-eyed, groggy-looking chaplain. Crap! I woke up the chaplain. “Sir... I am SO SORRY! I apologize, sir” I said as I looked over at the electric drum set and realized it had a pair of headphones attached to them. Oops! He said “It’s okay. Just use the electric from now on.” I was so embarrassed I wanted to run away. As soon as he left, I was gone.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Longest Flight... ever!
Preface:
First off, I wanted to create a blog with my family in mind. I miss you guys very much. This is my third deployment and I figured that making entries on a blog would allow me to keep a closer connection to those who care to know what goes on, on my deployment to Afghanistan. Anyways, I hope that I will be able to maintain this blog with current info. I know I won't be able to capture everything but it's a start, right?
First Blog:
Wow! What a long flight! (Still, to be continued)
I'm going to start from the morning of June the 8th. This is the first day of the actual deployment phase.
I had to show up to work at 0700 (that's 7:00 a.m., for most of you folks). We showed up to formation. The leadership took accountability and shortly after we weighed our bags and stored them in a CONEX (military term for a "shipping container. See image below.)
Several of us were told to show back up at 2130 (9:30 p.m.) so that we could unlock our flight gear boxes so the shipping inspectors can go through them. Cool. No problem. I weighed my 2 duffel bags and 1 flight gear box. I placed a pad lock on each and placed them inside of the CONEX and we were released for the rest of the day. I left around 9:10 a.m. or so and headed over to the Boys and Girl's Club to meet up with the family.
Swimming Lessons:
All of the kids (Jonas, Olivia and Owen) are currently enrolled in swimming lessons. Very cool! I jokingly tell Janet that having the kids take swim lessons will help them survive the great floods that will consume the earth in 2012. If you've seen the movie "2012", you'll understand what I mean. (Hahaha!) I have to say, the children have really shown good progress, even though it's only their second lesson. I am confident to say that they will end up being great swimmers by the end of the 2-week course.
Last minute Errands: Post Office and iPad
Once they got done, we headed home and allowed time for them to shower. Lunch time was right around the corner. In the process of deciding what and where to eat, we decided to run a few errands. One was to drop off a box with something I sold on eBay (Rainbow Aquamate) and the other was to buy Janet a cover for her new toy... the iPad (64GB). After scouring all of Killeen for a protective cover for her iPad. Guess what? There is very limited choices. She settled on a Mylar covering. Not exactly what we had in mind for a cover but it was a good start. The lady at Best Buy said "...it's what the Army uses to protect the windshield of Army helicopters"... I laughed. Ok... We "use to" use this product but it was $400 a sheet and it was more of a hassle to install and remove that it became worthless to our unit.
Once done with that, I decided on Ryan's for an 'all-you-can-eat' buffet.
Ryan's:
Terrible cashier. Like most buffet restaurants, you usually have to pay before you eat. The girl at the register was terrible. She rung up the bill the first time and in her haste, she charged my credit card ¢.01!... What! She apologized and said that she had made an error. Ok... I can understand. It happens, right? The total came out to $40+. Kind of high ($) but, whatever. As we sat at the table, Janet carefully reviewed the bill and noticed that we got over charged 1-adult meal. I confronted the cashier and we had the manager show up at the register to receive my refund. Waiting at the register was another man who had a similar complaint... but worse. He was overcharged $100!!! WHAT! You've got to be kidding. The man was given $100 in cash and went about his business. Next, was my turn. The adult-meal was about $5.25 + tax. She began digging in the drawer to give me exactly $5.25. I said to her "No. It's more than $5.25. You still owe me the tax." She then turns to me and the manager and says "No. It's $5.25. You don't pay tax unless you buy a drink?" WHAT? Even the manager was puzzled. He said "No. You owe him the money for the tax too." This girl was nuts! She even argued with the manager about it. She told him that he was wrong. Whatever! I took my money (+ tax) and headed back to the table and told Janet. She couldn't even believe it herself.
Last Hours at Home:
After the restaurant we headed home. Tempted from a full belly, I laid down in bed for a few minutes but I convinced myself to get up and finish a few things around the house. I made a list of a few things to buy before I left but it never materialized because I ran out of time. I had to be at work by 1930 (7:30 p.m.) to draw (receive and sign) my personal weapons (9mm and M-4). Also, I had to be there for the inspectors that were coming to inspect one of my shipping containers at 2130. I wouldn't want to miss that... yay! :|
Final Goodbye:
We gathered everyone in the (Toyota) Sequoia and made our way to the drop-off site. On the drive there, I have to say, if you would've been staring at my face, you would've seen several tears forming at the eyes. I was terribly sad. The stress from any deployment has never been greater and it was overwhelming me with a great feeling of loss. But I had to be strong. I didn't want anyone in the car to see me breakdown in tears while I was driving.
We parked and walked over to the Arms Room (Weapon Armory). Signed for my weapons and headed back to the parking lot where all the families were gathered. We were informed that 2100 was the cut-off for families. It was 2000 so we had an hour remaining. I asked Janet to run to the store and get me some lotion and gum. Lotion? For those of you that don't know, I got a fairly large tattoo of Janet's name on my left forearm. It's not just her name but an 'ambigram' . I'll post pictures later, but if you MUST see it, ask Janet to send you a picture. It's still in it's infancy but it's a 'work-in-progress'.
Shortly, she came back and it was time for me to go. DAMN IT! It was so hard to say goodbye but I had to do it. Lot's of tears later, they were gone.
Long night... Long flight
Ok... The following is what I can remember from the flight. Let me say upfront, I am not done traveling yet. I've got one more leg to go.
The Bag in Question:
After the family took-off, they lined us up inside of our Battalion's Headquarters (BN HQ). They made us check the size of our carry-on bags in this ridiculously small box made of wood. This was not my first time doing this. I am very familiar with the infamous 'wooden box'. I was sure that my bag was going to fit. My biggest concern was the color of my bag. It's black. It's the same bag I've used in my previous 2 deployments but for some odd reason, on this deployment, the leadership said that all bags were to be ACU (Army Combat Uniform) pattern ONLY. What?! I said "No way!" Long-story-short, I got away with bringing my black Swiss Army bag. Apparently there was a mis-communication from the top leadership that caused a stir in the overzealous-oversight of the lower leadership. Phew! In the end, I was very happy. I love my Swiss Army bag. I tell everyone, I remember when I bought. At that time, I thought it was expensive but in the long-run, it was so well worth it.
Shipping Inspectors - WTF?:
It was about 2135 (9:35 p.m) by the time they marched us to the Eagle's Landing DFAC (Dining Facility). Once we arrived, we stood in line for a few minutes - standing in line, a common practice in the Army. The leadership called out for the group (me) that needed to meet with the shipping inspectors so they can review the items in our boxes. That's right! We're supposed to meet with them at 2130. Here it is, 2145. I'm sure they'll understand.
We marched over to the parking lot area where we stored our baggage earlier. From a distance, there were several people there. Some were Army personnel and several more were inspectors. As we got closer I noticed that there was some Army dude with 'bolt-cutters' (over-sized cutting pliers that are usually used in cutting locks) in-hand. At his feet and scatters throughout the area I also noticed that there were several locks that had been cut. WHAT!!! Everyone who had a box there, were astonished. Several people began yelling "WTF! Why are the locks being cut?!"...
"We were told to cut them." answered the Sergeant with the bolt-cutters. "Who?!" we asked. "Major Jones." Major Jones, who caught wind of the situation, stepped in and said "I did. I told him to cut the locks. Everyone was told 2130. You're late!"...
WTF!!! Really?
Here's what you need to understand. Once we are told to form up as a group who is deploying, it's over. The 'heard' mentality kicks in. One guy is in charge and he calls the shots. "Go here"... "Go there"... No more free-movement as individuals.
Wow! Very disappointing. We could not believe what had just happened. Several of us were screwed. Well, I can tell you this. Major Jones has made several enemies in such a short time. Who knows what lies in his future in Afghanistan. I can tell you with certainty, it's not going to be a good year for the man.
Eagle's Landing DFAC - Is this Hell or is it just me?:
After the debacle at the container, we headed back to the DFAC. Once we go inside the DFAC, it's 'game over'. You're officially locked down. I stood in line and waited to get in. What awaited us was a sauna. The air conditioning in the whole building was broken. Solution?... They installed several 'make-shift' blowers that could pump air into the building. Problem was... it was hot ambient air. Yuck! We sat in there till 2330... yay!
Get on the Bus, Gus!
2330 and we're all loaded in the buses and we're headed to the Robert Gray Army Airfield. There, we manifest (turn-in ID Cards) and get weighted. Oh, something weird. Ever since I deployed from Fort Hood, there has always been a lady who hugs all the soldiers before we board the plane. Click on the link to watch the video to see what I am talking about. Very friendly.
Hugging Lady - Fort Hood.
A few prayers later, we board the plane 0120 (1:20 a.m.) We're headed to Bangor, Maine
NOTE: From here on out, I will be using Fort Hood time when I refer to time.
We arrived in Bangor, Maine around 0600 (6:00 a.m.).
We depart around 0800 (8:00 a.m.) for Rota, Spain. We arrive 1520 (3:20 p.m.)
Even though it was a very short layover, we dropped off several people from our unit who were there for a support mission.
We departed Rota, Spain around 1700 (5:00 p.m.) and flew to Bucharest, Romania
We arrived in Bucharest, Romania around 2130 (9:30 p.m.)
Did you know, Romania is the home to the world's famous Count Dracula and the city of Transylvania? Pretty cool. I never would've thought I'd fly there. Our stay there (in the terminal) was a bit too long. Almost 4 hours! I couldn't wait to get on the plane. I was getting thirsty and there in no such thing as 'free water'. You had to buy everything. What made the stay worse was the currency exchange booth was selling Euro (European currency) at a criminal rate. Here's the current rate, click here. Catch this... $3.85 for € 1!!! CRIMINAL!
We departed Bucharest, Romania around 0130 (1:30 a.m)... Yep! More than 24-hours of travel and still going.
Next stop...Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan
We arrived at Manas AB around 0600 (6:00 a.m.) 29-hours of travel so far but yet so far from Afghanistan. And now that we've arrived, we have to wait about 72-hours for another ride Afghanistan. This sucks!
Wow! Look a the time! I've been working on this Blog for the past 4-hours. I'm running on fumes... Now, THAT sucks! More to follow tomorrow.
-Rich-
First off, I wanted to create a blog with my family in mind. I miss you guys very much. This is my third deployment and I figured that making entries on a blog would allow me to keep a closer connection to those who care to know what goes on, on my deployment to Afghanistan. Anyways, I hope that I will be able to maintain this blog with current info. I know I won't be able to capture everything but it's a start, right?
First Blog:
Wow! What a long flight! (Still, to be continued)
I'm going to start from the morning of June the 8th. This is the first day of the actual deployment phase.
I had to show up to work at 0700 (that's 7:00 a.m., for most of you folks). We showed up to formation. The leadership took accountability and shortly after we weighed our bags and stored them in a CONEX (military term for a "shipping container. See image below.)
Several of us were told to show back up at 2130 (9:30 p.m.) so that we could unlock our flight gear boxes so the shipping inspectors can go through them. Cool. No problem. I weighed my 2 duffel bags and 1 flight gear box. I placed a pad lock on each and placed them inside of the CONEX and we were released for the rest of the day. I left around 9:10 a.m. or so and headed over to the Boys and Girl's Club to meet up with the family.
Swimming Lessons:
All of the kids (Jonas, Olivia and Owen) are currently enrolled in swimming lessons. Very cool! I jokingly tell Janet that having the kids take swim lessons will help them survive the great floods that will consume the earth in 2012. If you've seen the movie "2012", you'll understand what I mean. (Hahaha!) I have to say, the children have really shown good progress, even though it's only their second lesson. I am confident to say that they will end up being great swimmers by the end of the 2-week course.
Last minute Errands: Post Office and iPad
Once they got done, we headed home and allowed time for them to shower. Lunch time was right around the corner. In the process of deciding what and where to eat, we decided to run a few errands. One was to drop off a box with something I sold on eBay (Rainbow Aquamate) and the other was to buy Janet a cover for her new toy... the iPad (64GB). After scouring all of Killeen for a protective cover for her iPad. Guess what? There is very limited choices. She settled on a Mylar covering. Not exactly what we had in mind for a cover but it was a good start. The lady at Best Buy said "...it's what the Army uses to protect the windshield of Army helicopters"... I laughed. Ok... We "use to" use this product but it was $400 a sheet and it was more of a hassle to install and remove that it became worthless to our unit.
Once done with that, I decided on Ryan's for an 'all-you-can-eat' buffet.
Ryan's:
Terrible cashier. Like most buffet restaurants, you usually have to pay before you eat. The girl at the register was terrible. She rung up the bill the first time and in her haste, she charged my credit card ¢.01!... What! She apologized and said that she had made an error. Ok... I can understand. It happens, right? The total came out to $40+. Kind of high ($) but, whatever. As we sat at the table, Janet carefully reviewed the bill and noticed that we got over charged 1-adult meal. I confronted the cashier and we had the manager show up at the register to receive my refund. Waiting at the register was another man who had a similar complaint... but worse. He was overcharged $100!!! WHAT! You've got to be kidding. The man was given $100 in cash and went about his business. Next, was my turn. The adult-meal was about $5.25 + tax. She began digging in the drawer to give me exactly $5.25. I said to her "No. It's more than $5.25. You still owe me the tax." She then turns to me and the manager and says "No. It's $5.25. You don't pay tax unless you buy a drink?" WHAT? Even the manager was puzzled. He said "No. You owe him the money for the tax too." This girl was nuts! She even argued with the manager about it. She told him that he was wrong. Whatever! I took my money (+ tax) and headed back to the table and told Janet. She couldn't even believe it herself.
Last Hours at Home:
After the restaurant we headed home. Tempted from a full belly, I laid down in bed for a few minutes but I convinced myself to get up and finish a few things around the house. I made a list of a few things to buy before I left but it never materialized because I ran out of time. I had to be at work by 1930 (7:30 p.m.) to draw (receive and sign) my personal weapons (9mm and M-4). Also, I had to be there for the inspectors that were coming to inspect one of my shipping containers at 2130. I wouldn't want to miss that... yay! :|
Final Goodbye:
We gathered everyone in the (Toyota) Sequoia and made our way to the drop-off site. On the drive there, I have to say, if you would've been staring at my face, you would've seen several tears forming at the eyes. I was terribly sad. The stress from any deployment has never been greater and it was overwhelming me with a great feeling of loss. But I had to be strong. I didn't want anyone in the car to see me breakdown in tears while I was driving.
We parked and walked over to the Arms Room (Weapon Armory). Signed for my weapons and headed back to the parking lot where all the families were gathered. We were informed that 2100 was the cut-off for families. It was 2000 so we had an hour remaining. I asked Janet to run to the store and get me some lotion and gum. Lotion? For those of you that don't know, I got a fairly large tattoo of Janet's name on my left forearm. It's not just her name but an 'ambigram' . I'll post pictures later, but if you MUST see it, ask Janet to send you a picture. It's still in it's infancy but it's a 'work-in-progress'.
Shortly, she came back and it was time for me to go. DAMN IT! It was so hard to say goodbye but I had to do it. Lot's of tears later, they were gone.
Long night... Long flight
Ok... The following is what I can remember from the flight. Let me say upfront, I am not done traveling yet. I've got one more leg to go.
The Bag in Question:
After the family took-off, they lined us up inside of our Battalion's Headquarters (BN HQ). They made us check the size of our carry-on bags in this ridiculously small box made of wood. This was not my first time doing this. I am very familiar with the infamous 'wooden box'. I was sure that my bag was going to fit. My biggest concern was the color of my bag. It's black. It's the same bag I've used in my previous 2 deployments but for some odd reason, on this deployment, the leadership said that all bags were to be ACU (Army Combat Uniform) pattern ONLY. What?! I said "No way!" Long-story-short, I got away with bringing my black Swiss Army bag. Apparently there was a mis-communication from the top leadership that caused a stir in the overzealous-oversight of the lower leadership. Phew! In the end, I was very happy. I love my Swiss Army bag. I tell everyone, I remember when I bought. At that time, I thought it was expensive but in the long-run, it was so well worth it.
Shipping Inspectors - WTF?:
It was about 2135 (9:35 p.m) by the time they marched us to the Eagle's Landing DFAC (Dining Facility). Once we arrived, we stood in line for a few minutes - standing in line, a common practice in the Army. The leadership called out for the group (me) that needed to meet with the shipping inspectors so they can review the items in our boxes. That's right! We're supposed to meet with them at 2130. Here it is, 2145. I'm sure they'll understand.
We marched over to the parking lot area where we stored our baggage earlier. From a distance, there were several people there. Some were Army personnel and several more were inspectors. As we got closer I noticed that there was some Army dude with 'bolt-cutters' (over-sized cutting pliers that are usually used in cutting locks) in-hand. At his feet and scatters throughout the area I also noticed that there were several locks that had been cut. WHAT!!! Everyone who had a box there, were astonished. Several people began yelling "WTF! Why are the locks being cut?!"...
"We were told to cut them." answered the Sergeant with the bolt-cutters. "Who?!" we asked. "Major Jones." Major Jones, who caught wind of the situation, stepped in and said "I did. I told him to cut the locks. Everyone was told 2130. You're late!"...
WTF!!! Really?
Here's what you need to understand. Once we are told to form up as a group who is deploying, it's over. The 'heard' mentality kicks in. One guy is in charge and he calls the shots. "Go here"... "Go there"... No more free-movement as individuals.
Wow! Very disappointing. We could not believe what had just happened. Several of us were screwed. Well, I can tell you this. Major Jones has made several enemies in such a short time. Who knows what lies in his future in Afghanistan. I can tell you with certainty, it's not going to be a good year for the man.
Eagle's Landing DFAC - Is this Hell or is it just me?:
After the debacle at the container, we headed back to the DFAC. Once we go inside the DFAC, it's 'game over'. You're officially locked down. I stood in line and waited to get in. What awaited us was a sauna. The air conditioning in the whole building was broken. Solution?... They installed several 'make-shift' blowers that could pump air into the building. Problem was... it was hot ambient air. Yuck! We sat in there till 2330... yay!
Get on the Bus, Gus!
2330 and we're all loaded in the buses and we're headed to the Robert Gray Army Airfield. There, we manifest (turn-in ID Cards) and get weighted. Oh, something weird. Ever since I deployed from Fort Hood, there has always been a lady who hugs all the soldiers before we board the plane. Click on the link to watch the video to see what I am talking about. Very friendly.
Hugging Lady - Fort Hood.
A few prayers later, we board the plane 0120 (1:20 a.m.) We're headed to Bangor, Maine
NOTE: From here on out, I will be using Fort Hood time when I refer to time.
We arrived in Bangor, Maine around 0600 (6:00 a.m.).
We depart around 0800 (8:00 a.m.) for Rota, Spain. We arrive 1520 (3:20 p.m.)
Even though it was a very short layover, we dropped off several people from our unit who were there for a support mission.
We departed Rota, Spain around 1700 (5:00 p.m.) and flew to Bucharest, Romania
We arrived in Bucharest, Romania around 2130 (9:30 p.m.)
Did you know, Romania is the home to the world's famous Count Dracula and the city of Transylvania? Pretty cool. I never would've thought I'd fly there. Our stay there (in the terminal) was a bit too long. Almost 4 hours! I couldn't wait to get on the plane. I was getting thirsty and there in no such thing as 'free water'. You had to buy everything. What made the stay worse was the currency exchange booth was selling Euro (European currency) at a criminal rate. Here's the current rate, click here. Catch this... $3.85 for € 1!!! CRIMINAL!
We departed Bucharest, Romania around 0130 (1:30 a.m)... Yep! More than 24-hours of travel and still going.
Next stop...Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan
We arrived at Manas AB around 0600 (6:00 a.m.) 29-hours of travel so far but yet so far from Afghanistan. And now that we've arrived, we have to wait about 72-hours for another ride Afghanistan. This sucks!
Wow! Look a the time! I've been working on this Blog for the past 4-hours. I'm running on fumes... Now, THAT sucks! More to follow tomorrow.
-Rich-
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)