Happy Halloween

Today was good; not as fun as yesterday, but a bit more relaxed than yesterday. I turned in my laundry so the contractors could take it out, lose all my socks, and beat the rest of it on a rock. I allegedly get it back on Sunday; we;ll see how that goes. We did some culture and language stuff, and then we had some more first aid stuff. All of it was a review. The nice part is that this was the first day of training that didn't start at 4AM. Not that it would have mattered, for we are still a bit jet lagged, and some bonehead still had his alarm set for 3:15AM from the previous day for his 4:00 non-training event. I have also discovered a chronic condition of snoring amongst MTTs. Apparently one of the elite selection criteria (other than a pulse and no deployment time) is the ability to snore at length at unhealthy decibel levels.

On a more serious note, today would have been Mimi's 84th (I think) birthday. I'm not certain of her exact age; she claimed she was 29, and her personality and cultural awareness showed it. She was my wife's Grandmother. Her real name was Frances, but she hated it and changed it to Jane, but everyone knew her as Mimi. Literally, I think everyone knew her, particularly department store salespeople, as she was always fasionably attired. She was the only grandmother I really knew, and she was a total class act. She claimed she was a witch, and she came alive on holidays, particularly Halloween. She taught me a lot about how to treat people, and about how to truly live life. She defied the odds in her life; at the age of 18 she was one of the first people to have open heart surgery. The doctors said she wouldn't live for five years. Despite health concerns and the increasing care requirements for her ailing husband who she was married to for over 50 years, she always had a positive attitude about life. The woman never ran out of energy, and she was an excellent role model, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.

Mimi died suddenly in June. We miss her a lot.

Life in the Desert: Getting on With Getting On

Me and CPT Steven Hancock, my Operations guy.

We had a pretty good day of training. We got up early and headed to the range. Not sure why we need to drive an hour to a place that has a bunch of sand berms and targets; seems like Kuwait is so wide open we could just drive out the back gate and start blasting. But we loaded the buses and hit the road.

Today we conducted advanced close quarters marksmanship and it was taught by an ex-Special Forces guy who had a big watch and a bigger ego. I bet he drives a Corvette. It was some good stuff, and anytime ammo is free, I like it. I could have done it all day. The fellas got a lot out of it, mostly because we were able to shoot in manners (and in some cases, directions) that you can't do on normal Army posts due to oppressive Death Star Imperial Range Control. About the only bad thing we could have done today was shoot each other or shoot a camel. While it wasn't anywhere close to training at DARC (http://www.darc1.com/) it was still good to get some range time in.

The team leaders and NCOICs had dinner last night with Brigadier General (BG) Walker, who is the Iraqi Assistance Group (IAG) Commander. Steak and seafood; not bad (it was steak night on Buering, so all the troops had it, not just us, which is fantastic). He gave us a good rundown on where all of the advisory teams are in Iraq and where the focus is shifting. It sort of painted the bigger pitcure and put our upcoming mission into perspective.

This week we also got new body armor. The new stuff rides much better and is more comfortable than the older model. The neck and collar are also better, as you can turn your head without strangling yourself like with the old stuff. Unfortunatel the weight is still about the same, at 40-50 pounds. Here's a picture of the new stuff.

We actually had a thunderstorm last night, too! It poured for about 10 minutes or so, and it was complete with thunder and lightning. Pretty cool to see. Deserts are amazing. Not necessarily nice or pleasant, just amazing.

Tomorrow we have some language and some more medical stuff, and then some of us get three days of MRAP training. The MRAP is the Army's new truck. It's basically a big 5-ton truck with a buttload of armor on it. These trucks have been very successful in mitigating damage done by IEDs. Since they are still under contract and warranty, we just can't hop in and cut loose... We have to be trained... By the contractor, of course... No telling what that costs. What a boondoggle.

Hope you have a good Halloween. I'm going to go as a consultant...

Take care,

Ron

LAND HO

We made it to Kuwait. The flight wasn’t too bad, but the bus ride north made up for it.


I am at Camp Buering, which is in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert. Buering is one of the staging camps for units moving north. While it’s a camp and therefore supposedly fairly primitive, we live pretty good. It is a lot better than when I was here in the summer of 1997. We have some shower trailers, a huge gym with lots of stuff to throw around, three big chow halls, bottled water like there’s no tomorrow, internet cafes, and lots of other amenities one wouldn’t think would be in the middle of the desert. It is in fact a small city, out in the middle of nowhere. In fact, I am typing this from my cot in my tent, on a wireless internet connection available from a local vendor. It ain’t exactly fast, but it’s working. Everything is available, for a price. Good to see Capitalism still has a corruptive viewpoint and competitive impact on the Arab world…


I live in a tent with 70 or so guys. It does have AC, though, which is nice, but it still is a bit ‘gamey’ and odoriferous. I think they try to make it uncomfortable in order to make us want to go north. Truth be told, it’s not too bad. It could be a lot worse.


Weather isn’t bad; Highs in the 90s, lows in the 60s and 70s. It is actually somewhat pleasant. If you are planning on a vacation to the Middle East, apparently now would be a splendid time.
We will be here for a short period of time, long enough for us to complete some more training and get acclimated, and get issued some new equipment.


Tomorrow we start our training bright and early. I’d write more, but the jet lag is kicking in. Check back later in the week and I’ll have some comments and maybe some pics of the training.


Hope all is well with you and your families. Take care.


Ron

Back to work.....

Sorry I’ve been off the blog lately. I was on leave prior to our deployment. I left Austin Wednesday morning, where it was sunny and 80 or so. I finally got to Fort Riley about 6:00pm where it was 45 degrees, raining, and windy. The team is trickling in, and we will be on our way soon.

I miss home already.


I had a great leave. It was super to spend time with the family and I very much enjoyed getting back into the routine of figuring out what to wear and what to eat. I got to eat lunch with Hailey at school, I got to go to a parent-teacher conference (a good one), and I got to sleep in my own bed. I was even home for our 12th wedding anniversary. Shannon and I went to see Neil Diamond in San Antonio—it was a hoot. I finished my chores list, we carved a pumpkin, and we even got a bunch of Halloween decorations up in the yard.


I also got to go vote. Good luck to whoever pulls it off. I hope they can get past the bickering and the partisanship and decide to get some work done. I don’t think I would want the job. While I was standing in line to vote (It took us about an hour and a half) I overheard some people complaining about the wait time “in the hot sun.” One guy complained how he doesn’t do the early voting anymore, “because all they do is throw away the ballots.” I put all of that into perspective when I recall reading stories about the January 2005 elections in Iraq: The first truly free elections since the pre-Saddam era. During the 2005 elections, all vehicle movement was banned, a precautionary measure against the vehicle-borne IED attack. Folks there walked to the polls, where they were then searched. They negotiated their way through barricades and T-walls, all emplaced to minimize the effects of gunfire or explosions. Voting took the entire day. Security was everywhere, all in an effort to make sure people were afforded the opportunity. And they came out in droves, excited about the opportunity to have their voice heard.


But Wednesday hung on the family like a heavy burden. I mentioned before about what I imagine it would be like to be on death row. Now, I’ve never obviously been on death row, and I have no desire to replicate the experience, but I would imagine it is a lot like the last days prior to leaving for a deployment: You figure out what you want for your last meal, as well as your other ‘lasts’ of clothes and visited places, and activities, and you stay up as late as possible, playing games and enjoying every last waking minute with the family. I thought leaving wasn’t going to be as hard on me as it was for Shannon and Hailey. I thought it would be easier because I had the euphoria of deploying, which is what the Army is supposed to do: Here is my chance to finally get off the bench and get in the game. But it turns out it was just as hard. It is not a pleasurable experience, but it is one that helps you appreciate certain things in life more.


I purposely had Shannon and Hailey drop me off at the curb at the airport because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stomach it. We said our goodbyes, we shed a lot of tears, and then it was done. I turned and waved, and walked inside the airport and ducked into a corner and cried for about 2-3 minutes. It was a little embarrassing, as grown men aren’t supposed to do that. But I did it. It was an important part of the experience. After a bit, I composed myself and checked in, and took the first step of a long journey towards Iraq.

Something nice did happen in Kansas City as we landed, though. There were four guys from my class on the same plane, and one of them mentioned to the flight attendant through casual conversation during the flight that he was headed to Iraq. When we landed, the flight attendant announced our presence on the plane and our “ultimate travel destination” and asked everyone to remain seated as we were allowed off the plane first. I am sure it irritated some on the relatively full flight, but it was a humbling gesture to see appreciation like that. It made leaving a bit easier, knowing at least that our sacrifice of separation was acknowledged.

In all, it was one of the harder days of my life. Any day you make an 11-year old girl cry is never a good day. But I accept that this is another event of my life, brought about by the choices that I have made. And there is the line of thinking that says the sooner we get there, the sooner we get to come home. Life is full of ups and downs, and this is a down. Downs make you appreciate the ups and all of the good things you have.


Hope you and your family are well. Take some time to enjoy them and take care.

Ron

Around a Fake Iraq in Eight Hours

Our "final exam" went well, except for one pretty big mistake, which we'll get to later.

The day started off early; we linked up with our "Iraqi Army Commander" named Colonel (COL) Halim and our interpreter, Hend at 6:30 in the morning, on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Army Strong (FOB AS is where we have been living and working out of for all of our training at Fort Riley). There we discussed the day's events, which started with paying a visit to the Coalition Forces Commander on FOB Jawad.

The commander wanted us to visit three towns: Sarhad, Muqasem, and al Hawej, all of which were on either a physical or cultural border, and all were full for various forms of unrest. How convenient. We had been in Hawej before, and things were kind of warm there last time. Overall, there was an uneasy peace in all three towns.

After our visit with the commander, I had to pay a visit to a local sheik who lost a member of his village at the hands of a Special Forces A Team raid gone bad. Typically, US forces make such payments in an effort to make amends. The amount is insignificant, but it shows an effort to make reconciliation. Never done anything like that before, but apparently I was told I was too cold. Oops. It seems my natural disposition is bland and monotone. I'd call this a tie.

I was also interviewed by an Arab reporter for a newspaper. That went much better, as I was able to get my message out without offending him or falling prey to his biased journalism. He seemed genuinely interested in getting the story right (at least from my vantage point). That's one for the good guys.

After I made the payment, we went into planning. I purposely stepped back and let the team plan this one. The team's Operations Officer, Captain (CPT) Steven Hancock, is growing into his role and he handled it well. After some brief rehearsals, we left FOB Jawad and headed for Sarhad.

Our Iraqis led, which was important, as it is another small gesture that shows the Iraqis taking responsibility for their own security. The move was uneventful, and once at Sarhad, we headed into town and my Iraqi counterpart and I met with the mayor and the police chief. We discussed security issues, which were plentiful. Imagine that. In the midst of understanding the problems, the town received some mortar fire. Three local civilians were injured, and we assisted in treating them, and I was able to convince the Iraqi commander that it was to his benefit to transport the injured to a local hospital. It set a dangerous precedent, but it showcased the Iraqis as a compassionate and engaged force. We agreed to meet with the mayor and town officials again next week.

Off we went to Muqasem, where we were to meet with the local leadership and again discuss security issues. Muqasem was apparently not a nice place. The meeting with my IA Commander, the assistant mayor, the police chief, and the local militia ad hoc security force went well. We were also able to recommend some improvements to their checkpoint, and in the course of advising them, we observed a truck that we were told to be on the lookout for. Inside the truck was a woman who told us about a bad guy who did bad things in town. Col Halim quickly assembled a team to go and search the house where he was allegedly hiding, and his force discovered weapons and information. In the attack on the house, though, two of his soldiers were lightly injured, so we treated them as the rest of COL Halim's men arrested the bad guy, which the town was growing increasingly angry at. I recommended to COL Halim we take the weapons and get out of there before the town lynched his prisoner.

Another one for the good guys. It seemed everything was going well.

As we were loading up, one of the guys on my team radioed me to let me know there was a guy running away towards a walled in series of buildings, and that he looked to be a threat. I gave the order to shoot.

At the time it made sense; a guy running away from a house that had just been raided were weapons and an insurgent were found. Turns out he was scared, and he was running to the local mosque (the walled in series of buildings) to pray. This apparently was the wrong decision, and we would feel the repercussions of it very soon.

We loaded up and headed to al Hawej as the town grew more and more restless towards COL Halim's prisoner.

At Hawej we were again to meet with local leaders, this time with the mayor, sheik, and police chief of Hawej, and also included were the sheik, police chief, and mayor of Surdash. My favorite angry Arab agenda driven journalism reporter guy was there too, and he was as obnoxious as ever. The folks of Hawej were downright hostile, and and they were disrupting the meeting. It took me a while to figure out why-- They had got word of the shooting in Muqasem, and were reacting accordingly.

Oops. One for the bad guys.

Nothing got done in the meeting, and due to the deteriorating security, we had to leave, and we had to do it in a hurry. The people were understandably irate. We scheduled another meeting for next week after things died down, and off we went, back to FOB Jawad.

It was a nice day; sunny and pleasant, and not overly hot. The drive back was almost pleasant.

Then the road blew up. We ran into a complex IED and small arms ambush. My truck was rendered immobile, and amazingly, despite being in an armored truck and wearing body armor with plates in it, I sustained a sucking chest wound.

I realized at that point I was wounded to see how the fellas would do without a leader. Not missing a beat, Doc went to work treating me, the lead truck backed up and hooked up our tow straps, and the rear truck suppressed the remaining enemy like clockwork, as we had rehearsed. Reports went up, and off we went. The whole engagement took less than three minutes, and off we raced again to FOB Jawad.

I'd call this one for us. The precombat checks, rehearsals, battle drills and prep work all paid off.

Overall it was a good training event. I know you can't be ready for everything, but I think we are to a level of training to where we can function and to where we can provide value. We will continue to get better, and we have some more training in Kuwait and also in Iraq before we get to our unit.

On Tuesday we 'graduate.' It's much more impressive than it sounds, as nobody really fails; you are still going to Iraq. But from there it is up to the team to get the rest up to speed. Fortunately we don't have that issue. I will leave 'FOB Army Strong' confident in our abilities as a team.

Hope all is well with you. And don't shoot the guy running to the mosque....

Take care.

Ron

Virtual Reality Warfare, Hillbilly Redneck Style

Above: The Warrior Skills Trainer

Another couple of pretty good days of training... Yesterday we visited the Warrior Skills Trainer, which is basically a big video game some guys in the Army came up with. It is made up of seven different computer systems and languages, and it is designed to train soldiers on mounted combat patrols. They threw the whole thing together on the cheap, but it works pretty good. Inside a big warehouse there are four plywood and computer screen mock-ups of Humvees, and they are outfitted with weapons that shoot laser beams at screens that take up each wall. Inside each mock up instead of there being a window, there is a computer monitor with a view of the virtual world from that perspective: If you drive straight, you will see the virtual reality truck in front of you. If you look in the rear view mirror, you will see a virtual reality representation of the dudes who are in the truck right behind you. the world passes by as you look out the window, and there are virtual reality arab-looking people all over the place. You navigate using a representation of the Army's Blue Force Tracker system which in reality uses GPS and satellite technology to enhance situational awareness (figure out where everyone is on the battlefield). It's a pretty good system and they can pretty much simulate everything there is on a mounted combat patrol. We used it as a chance to exercise our SOPs and work out some bugs.

In a nutshell, we got paid today to play a huge interlinked video game. Thanks for paying your taxes.

The Hillbilly Redneck Virtual Reality Warfare machine was a precursor to today's training of a mounted combat patrol live fire. It involved shooting, maneuvering and communicating with three gun trucks and 11 soldiers on a range with a bunch of targets to shoot at and a bunch of weapons systems and ammunition to shoot targets with. It went well, and the fellas were able to apply a lot of the lessons learned from previous training. We were able to work out a lot of kinks. I enjoyed it a lot for two reasons:

1. We got to shoot stuff. Advising intrigues me, but it's not the reason why I came in the Army.

2. It reminded me of being a tank platoon leader and our semi-annual (or semi whenever we got the resources to do it) Tank Table XII Platoon Qualification. I used to have a blast doing those, and this event brought me back to the days when life as an Army Leader was about grass roots muddy boots leadership, as opposed to office cubes, email, doing slides and nugging your way through staff work.

Friday is our Capstone Exercise, where we are supposed to apply all of the lessons we have learned here in our seven weeks of pre-deployment training. I'm looking forward to it, mostly because we are close to being able to get to go home for two weeks prior to our big airplane trip.

Tune in on Sunday to see how it went.

Hope all is well with you. Take care.

Ron