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-