Hurry up and wait

Sitting here at an airbase in Kuwait… After getting up at 3 am on Friday morning and spending all of it on a range running amok, we got back and turned in vehicles and cleaned weapons. At 1900 we got our travel orders. My team flies tonight. Other teams have been going out throughout the day, even though we are all going to the same place in Iraq for some more training. My team manifests around 6PM, then we fly significantly later in the evening. The deputy IAG commander, a Navy LTCDR (Lieutenant Commander, which is the same rank as a Major in the Army) stands up and tries to tell us how he hoped our time here was beneficial, but it came off more like he was complaining about how hard they have been working “in the war zone of Kuwait” in the past couple of weeks during the surge of MTTs. Apparently our class and the class before us were too much for them. It sounded more like they were ready to get rid of us.


Everyone went back and started packing; we ended up turning off the lights at 2330. IAG then decided to make it easier for themself by moving all 240+ of us to the airfield in one move “so they could control the movement.” So we all got up (regardless of flight times) at 2AM on Saturday morning to finish packing. Wee loaded the baggage truck at 3:30AM, and left Camp Buering at 4AM. We got to the airfield at 0530, unloaded the baggage truck, and commenced to do what the Army does best: Wait. I unloaded on the IAG staff about how we were all moved at the convenience of them, not the individual teams of senior NCOs and officers that are going to live in austere places. As I predicted, it got me nowhere. Not impressed with IAG.


But I’m still getting paid. At least I hope... I got an email from Finance that said I hadn't been 'arrived' into country yet by IAG and that I was still in an in-transit status (no kidding...) and if I didn't go see my local finance office, my pay could potentially stop.



Great.....



I went to see Finance; they told me they 'fixed' it. Not sure what 'fixed' means. Guess I'll find out on the 15th.


The bigger irony is that we started off in a 40-man barracks at Fort Riley. Then we got to Camp Buering and moved into a big tent with 70+ guys. Then we got here to the airfield, and we had NO tent… Going in the wrong direction here… What’s next, a hole in the ground?
It gets better… We will arrive at in Iraq and then “someone from IAG” will come and pick us up and drive us to a FOB (Forward Operating Base) a couple of miles away from the airfield. We will spend Saturday night there, all of Sunday, Sunday night there, and then hopefully hitch a ride up to our next destination sometime on Monday. I feel like a homeless Bedouin.


More interesting news: There was a fire on our future home which burned down the dining tent and some CHUs (containerized housing units, basically 20 foot shipping containers that house 2-3 soldiers, with some furniture, electricity and AC). Luckily no one was injured, and there was not a great deal of damage. Apparently it could have been worse. It seems now there is a bit of a temporary housing shortage on Patrol Base Deason. Fire extinguishers just moved up on our priority list of things to rapidly procure.


The good news: They think they will have the housing crisis on Deason fixed by the time we get there and we should be able to move right in. Not sure how I’ll deal with not having 39 roommates.


On a good note, the weather is nice. Cool in the mornings, highs around 75 during the day. A good time to travel to the Middle East.



We are very much looking forward to getting to work. One more series of schooling to go.



Hope you are well. Take care.

Ron