Pictures from the Ice Storm

These pictures are from the first day of icing. The evening after they were taken, the freezing fog rolled in and just about doubled the ice on everything.

Me, my spiffy new duds, and my new car

Me, my spiffy new duds, and my new car
Originally uploaded by Slonishku

I finally figured out a way to get the photos off Steph's camera, so I'm back to posting my own. I'll start off with this one- it's me all geared up with body armor, weapons, and all my other crap standing next to my new vehicle- an up-armored 7 ton Humvee. At least I wish this one was mine, just because it's brand new. It's got new car smell- an extreme rarity around military vehicles of any kind. My position in the truck? It turns out that I shoot rather well, so I'm the turret gunner up top.
As you can see, this thing is a beast. Each door weighs in at about 300 pounds and the glass is between 3 and 6 inches thick, depending on where it is. It's a tight squeeze insode, but hopefully manageable.

Freezin' for a Reason

It's winter alright. Over the last week, I've seen water freeze in a lot of different ways. They say the Eskimos have 50 or more names for various and distinct forms of snow, and I must have seen a dozen or more of them here. Dry snow with big fluffy flakes, icy snow in tiny grains, freexing rain, and even freezing fog. As you may have guessed, this has been wreaking havoc on our training schedule. The entire midwest experienced the worst ice storm seen here in a decade resulting in all kinds of power outages, property damage, and fallen trees. At its worst here at Ft. Riley, ice coated everything- EVERYTHING- and inch thick or more. The weight of the ice split century-old oak trees and pulled them down along with power lines and radio towers.

Despite the weather, we got some training going. Class 37 has settled into out new living quarters, where we are living in 40 man squad bays on bunk beds. The conditions are crowded, but we're all getting along great. My group of 10 is berthed along with a New York Army National Guard group of about 20, all of whom seen to have at least some combat experience in Iraq. Many are Purple Heart recipients, some have been there 2, 3, or more times. They are a great learning resource for us Navy folks who will soon be doing a very Army-like mission in the mountaind of the Hindu-Kush.

So far, I have qualified on two firearms- the Beretta M-9 9mm pistol and the Colt M-4 carbine. I got a "Sharpshooter" designation on the M-4 and "Expert" on the M-9. I also have begun driving a Humvee. THe big adjustment has been the body armor and associated gear. All loaded up with rifle, pistol, body armor, trauma plates, knee pads, elbow pads, helmet, magazines, et cetera, I think I gain about 70-80 pounds. In Afganistan, we will wear "upgraded" trauma plates which are even heavier, and will be carrying about 300+ rounds of ammo to boot. Oh joy! My back loves me already!

Tonight, we had a "cultural immersion dinner", which was a delicious meal prepared by an Iraqi gentleman who is here a a consultant. I rice dish with chicken, peas, raisins, and na'an bread and a brownish gravy. A great meal.

My team, which includes a former Navy SEAL who is now a Navy Physician Assistant, a civil engineer, and other subject matter experts, has choosen the name of Team Tatanka, after the Sioux (?) name for a male bison. We live just off Buffalo Soldier Drive, partly the inspiration for the name. My friend Brian (back home) came up with the slogan "Freezin' for a Reason". Quite fitting.

I haven't been able to download photos from Stephanie's camera, which I'm borrowing, so I've had to rely on photos found online for this post. When I am able to get them downloaded, I'll post a few.

For now, it's late, and I have exercice (PT) scheduled for 5:20am. I'm off to bed!

The Devil's Brigade

I have finally arrived at Fort Riley in northern Kansas. We'll be staying in dorms for a few days before moving out to our training area, Camp Funston. The dorms look like hospital wings with narrow hallways. The smallish rooms have big closets, but no trashcans, hangars, TVs, or phones. Most of us didn't get hot water until the afternoon of the second day here. The rest still have no hot water. Internet access is available at the base exchange, about a third of a mile from our dorms for $4 an hour. But we are allowed beer there.

The temperature has changed a bit from San Diego- 19 degrees F last night, highs in the low to mid 40s. Unfortunately, it will be another day or two until we're issued out cold weather gear. The weatherman gives fair odds for snow late in the week.

We arrived Saturday morning via a US Navy Boeing 737 and were free until today. The arrival was like so many others when you got shipped around on orders. You occupy yourself getting to know your new comrades and trying to figure out what the hell is going on and where the hell the exchange is.

This morning, we hopped on buses and headed for an auditorium for a welcome aboard brief. We were told what our schedule will be, when we'll be flying home, et cetera. Nothing all that informative, really. We should be moving over to our operational training area on Friday, and will then get the weekend off. We did find out that our class will be referred to as "The Devil's Brigade". Scary, huh?

I met the members of my team today as well. All seem very capable and personable, and I look forward to working with them. It's odd to think that these strangers will essentially be my family for the next year. Stranger to realize that I'll probably experience some degree of separation anxiety as we prepare to disband and go home next year.

The day after my last post, I went through medical processing and got the vaccination double-whammy: anthrax in one arm, smallpox in the other. The anthrax injection is the fourth such shot I've received. Normally, the reaction is quite pronounced, leaving an extremely sensitive and hot-to-the-touch, golf-ball sized hard knot in the back of your arm that lingers for a couple of weeks. Nothing different this time except that the reaction spread down my arm a bit, causing some of the nurses to think I might have picked up a staff infection. The redness and pain have since subsided, leaving only the knot. On the other hand, the smallpox site on the other arm is starting to itch rather intensely, as it apparently will for the next few weeks as the infection turns increasingly nasty and eventually closes up and heals, leaving a nice scar a little smaller than a dime. So that's nice.

Spirits here are neutral to high, as most of us are looking forward to the upcoming training. All realize that it will be uncomfortable and tiring, but it will also be rewarding. For myself, I am anxious to get this training behind me and move on to Afghanistan. I'm glad to finally be getting into this fight rather than constantly watching from the sidelines. I am grateful to have been chosen for this task. I truly hope that by doing this job, I will be helping to get the people of Afghanistan on their feet. On their feet so that the current children of Afghanistan need not stand beside my nieces, nephews, and children on the field of battle.

Why the hell is it always the really good guys?

I am in San Diego now, wearing the uniform and going through all kinds of pre-deployment processing. The day started at 5:00 am when 260 of us descended on an auditorium to be fitted for out deseret camoflauge uniforms. At 8:30, we began a 7 hour series of tedious Power Point presentations covering a wide range of topics- some complete crap, some quite helpful. And then out of the blue, a saw a Power Point slide I'll never forget as long as I live. I am having difficulty now just writing this.

We were being briefed on the seriousness of the threat in Aghanistan and Iraq. The presenter showed a couple videos of IED explosions from YouTube. Then they flashed up the slide- no graphics, just a copy of a casualty report from this April sent by Central Command detailing the loss of a sailor in Baghdad. The slide was meant to show that anyone, even a Supply Corps officer can be killed. Most of the sailors in the room seemed to get the point. All I saw was the name of an old friend, Phillip Anthony Murphy Sweet.

I met Phil when I was a crewmember onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was senior to me by a paygrade, and an incredible Supply officer. A guy who was dedicated to his job as few ever are. He was a good friend, although he and I found ourselves screaming, yelling, and cursing at each other as loud and visciously as we could on a few occasions. No matter though, it was always about the job, and it seemed to strengthen our friendship over time. I hadn't seen Phil since August of 2000 when our ship came home from the Persian Gulf and he was transferred to a new command. I'll not forget the going away party we had in Lisbon, Portugal. I still have a ceramic tray I bought for him at the Maritime Museum there, but forgot to give to him.

Phil was an extremely gifted Naval Officer, but he was also a dedicated family man and a very loving father. That's a tough balance to maintain in the sea service, but it seemed to come naturally to him.

Fair winds, following seas, and Godspeed to you, Phil. I am a better man for having known you, and the world is dimmer without you.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/pamurphy-sweet.htm

Drifting far from home...

Originally uploaded by fetching

Some of the places and faces I'll miss.

T Minus Four Days....

The final few days at home are upon me. It's Wednesday. I report for duty on Monday morning after hopping a flight from Bakersfield to San Francisco. Five more nights in my own bed. That's it for the next 400+ days. Then begins the long journey to Afghanistan.

Steph and I got back from out quick little vacation late last night. Two days in Vegas where we we had a suite at the MGM Grand. My brother-in-law Don hooked us up on that one. Brian and I met Steph in Vegas on Saturday night after he and I attended a great, but short, 2 day M-16 rifle course at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute in Pahrump, NV. Sunday, the three of us saw Cirque de Solei's "O" at the Bellagio- a breathtaking show.

Monday, Steph and I stayed at the lodge in Zion National Park, then spent Tuesday exploring Zion and Bryce National Parks, with a brief stop at Cedar Breaks National Monument on the way home. We left Bryce mid-afternoon, and drove all the way back to Bakersfield. We could have gotten a hotel, but I wanted one more night in my own bed, at home with my wife, even if we would be exhausted.

And now, it's down to last minute details- documents, reservations, phone calls. E-mails to the guy in Afghanistan who I will be replacing. Mostly me asking him the key questions: Where will I be? What will I be doing? What's it like out there? And I get the inevitable response: I'm really busy right now, but I'll get back to you in a few days. Aargh. Understandable, I suppose.

Right now my thoughts are mainly with my new wife. Will she be OK while I'm away? Am I forgetting to make any arrangements before I go? She assures me she's going to be fine. But it's hard not to worry.