Forgot to mention, it seems our Squadron made another TV show.
As our main flights were leaving, Gene Simmons and his TV show descended upon our motor pool and he filmed part of an episode for his reality show there, visiting with departing Soldiers and their families.
Not sure when it will air, but it was a bit of a lift for the Troopers and their families on a less than optimal day.
Hope all's well. Take care
Ron
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Giddyup
Kuwait progresses. Sleep schedule is still dorked up, I remain magically awake from about 2 to 4 am. Accomodations are fine; we have about 30 guys in our tent but it is a big tent. Food is great, they still have fountain diet coke. the fellas continue to arrive, and the training isn't bad.
A couple of small glitches so far. One, one of our planes has been significantly delayed in Maine. We have renamed this flight Oceanic 815 (shot out out "Lost") as we have not heard from them in some time. Should get another update later today.
Another tick on the adventure meter: The mission we were going to do changed, and now we have to regroup. We had planned to send all of our stuff to one particular place and assume a certain mission, now it has to quickly be redirected to another place and a much more ambiguous mission (no not Egypt or Afghanistan-- still Iraq). It will involve heading to a completely different area of Iraq far and away from the rest of the Brigade but we have to start from scratch- find a place to live, rally equipment, figure out who we work for, get linked in with new headquarters. There are not words to describe the calamity of this switch in our travel plans, but at least it is making the time go by fast.
Tomorrow is a range! Nothing like shooting for free, but the weather looks kinda scuzzy. Should be fun though.
Going north in a couple of days before everyone else. More to follow. Stay tuned!
Ron
A couple of small glitches so far. One, one of our planes has been significantly delayed in Maine. We have renamed this flight Oceanic 815 (shot out out "Lost") as we have not heard from them in some time. Should get another update later today.
Another tick on the adventure meter: The mission we were going to do changed, and now we have to regroup. We had planned to send all of our stuff to one particular place and assume a certain mission, now it has to quickly be redirected to another place and a much more ambiguous mission (no not Egypt or Afghanistan-- still Iraq). It will involve heading to a completely different area of Iraq far and away from the rest of the Brigade
Tomorrow is a range! Nothing like shooting for free, but the weather looks kinda scuzzy. Should be fun though.
Going north in a couple of days before everyone else. More to follow. Stay tuned!
Ron
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Made it
22 Hours in a plane. Good times. It seems our excessive weight in the plane necessitated several additional stops. We arrived at Camp Buering after a four hour bus ride in the fog, found our home for 10 days and then were promptly hailed on. I took a shower, then bought some internet that works occasionally.
The coming days include preparation for the rest of the Squadron getting here, then some training, then a move north. To where, we don't know yet. The Brigade knows where it is going, but our Squadron mission is up in the air.
Much more to follow. Only 364 more to go...
The coming days include preparation for the rest of the Squadron getting here, then some training, then a move north. To where, we don't know yet. The Brigade knows where it is going, but our Squadron mission is up in the air.
Much more to follow. Only 364 more to go...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fast Forward 15 Months
A lot has happened in the 15 months since the last post. I thought about doing a final wrap up, making some predictions about the future of Iraq and what I thought would happen, and also what it was like readjusting. I was having such a good time I never got around to it. Sure there were challenges- readjusting to home after prolonged separation, moving to a new house, new friends, catching up with old friends, changes with family, and starting a new job. In summary-A bunch of life happened.
All of that is water under the bridge now, as fifteen months after coming home, the unit I am assigned to is redeploying.
A bit about the unit and my job: I am now the executive officer for the 6th Squadron 9th US Cavalry, a reconnaissance squadron assigned to the 3d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood. My duties will change once I get to theater-- not sure what I will be doing yet, or where we will be going, but I know three things: 1) It will be in Iraq. 2) It will be for a year. 3) It will be something.
I wasn't going to do a blog again, as I wasn't sure if what we were going to do was going to be blog-worthy or not. The security situation in Iraq has changed, and US forces can't and don't do the things they used to do. Missions and tasks aren't as dynamic or exciting, and are mundane compared to actions in Sadr City in 2004, or in Diyala in 2007. While it doesn't make for good blogs, it does make good for security, progress, and healing. Our unit will get to be a part of the drawdown process, and we will get to see closure up close and personal, which will be neat to see.
It sucks to leave again. You go through the week of "finals" --My wife asked me "what do you want for your last meal/want to do for your last weekend, etc..." While I am not going to jail, and I have no previous experience with incarceration, I imagine it feels a bit like this. (I referenced this topic in last tour's blog too). The subject of leaving is the 1000 pound elephant in the room- you can smell it, and sense a presence that suffocates. I am not wild or excited about leaving, and not crazy about putting my family through another year of absentee fatherhood and husbandhood. But this is the path I have chosen, and there are consequences to all choices. So be it. There is a bit of a sense of urgency though, with this deployment: The faster we get there the faster we can get home, and the faster we can bring eight years of sustained conflict to a conclusion. All preparations are complete, all contingencies discussed with the family, all administrative requirements completed, all bags are packed, and goodbyes are in the process of being said.
Stay tuned. And thanks for reading.
All of that is water under the bridge now, as fifteen months after coming home, the unit I am assigned to is redeploying.
A bit about the unit and my job: I am now the executive officer for the 6th Squadron 9th US Cavalry, a reconnaissance squadron assigned to the 3d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood. My duties will change once I get to theater-- not sure what I will be doing yet, or where we will be going, but I know three things: 1) It will be in Iraq. 2) It will be for a year. 3) It will be something.
I wasn't going to do a blog again, as I wasn't sure if what we were going to do was going to be blog-worthy or not. The security situation in Iraq has changed, and US forces can't and don't do the things they used to do. Missions and tasks aren't as dynamic or exciting, and are mundane compared to actions in Sadr City in 2004, or in Diyala in 2007. While it doesn't make for good blogs, it does make good for security, progress, and healing. Our unit will get to be a part of the drawdown process, and we will get to see closure up close and personal, which will be neat to see.
It sucks to leave again. You go through the week of "finals" --My wife asked me "what do you want for your last meal/want to do for your last weekend, etc..." While I am not going to jail, and I have no previous experience with incarceration, I imagine it feels a bit like this. (I referenced this topic in last tour's blog too). The subject of leaving is the 1000 pound elephant in the room- you can smell it, and sense a presence that suffocates. I am not wild or excited about leaving, and not crazy about putting my family through another year of absentee fatherhood and husbandhood. But this is the path I have chosen, and there are consequences to all choices. So be it. There is a bit of a sense of urgency though, with this deployment: The faster we get there the faster we can get home, and the faster we can bring eight years of sustained conflict to a conclusion. All preparations are complete, all contingencies discussed with the family, all administrative requirements completed, all bags are packed, and goodbyes are in the process of being said.
Stay tuned. And thanks for reading.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
By Popular Demand
I have been back in the states for two weeks. For the most part I have adjusted well. Sleep schedule is normal (I never had much of a problem sleeping), I think I may finally be over the intestinal stomach death (following another trip to the doctor which was indicative of what I think Government run health care will be like), and things seem to be going well, although my fantasy football team sucks. I went to the UT football game on Saturday. Last weekend we went to a softball tournament in Temple and took the new RV trailer. I have enjoyed living a normal life, and it has been great catching up with friends and family.
We are in the process of buying a new house. If you know anyone who needs a house in Austin, let me know, I happen to know of one for sale.
I was at Fort Hood on the 5th when the shooting incident took place. I left post at 1:15 and found out about it when I got home. It was surreal to think I just missed it. It was also uncomfortable to know that if I was involved with something like that, I could not defend myself. If I was in Iraq, I would be able to, but even if you have a CHL, you can't carry on post. My thoughts and prayers go to the families and the units involved.
I will post some thoughts on Veterans Day later. Hope you are well, thanks for the many welcome homes and good wishes.
Ron
We are in the process of buying a new house. If you know anyone who needs a house in Austin, let me know, I happen to know of one for sale.
I was at Fort Hood on the 5th when the shooting incident took place. I left post at 1:15 and found out about it when I got home. It was surreal to think I just missed it. It was also uncomfortable to know that if I was involved with something like that, I could not defend myself. If I was in Iraq, I would be able to, but even if you have a CHL, you can't carry on post. My thoughts and prayers go to the families and the units involved.
I will post some thoughts on Veterans Day later. Hope you are well, thanks for the many welcome homes and good wishes.
Ron
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Made it to Riley
We finally made it to Riley. Traveling with the Army usually involves a lot of waiting. For us, it entailed leaving Baghdad on a Thursday and arriving at Riley on a Sunday night. Along the way were two plane rides (one of which was around 20 hours, counting fuel stops), no less than four bus trips, a very invasive Customs search in Kuwait, and lots and lots of waiting. For the next couple of days we will do some outprocessing stuff: Turn in some equipment, get a bunch of briefings, go through some medical screenings, talk to some counselors, and be told lots of things not to do. We are back in the same barracks we were before we deployed. The redeployment people have assured us they do this a lot and will get us home as soon as possible. Last night's stuff actually went pretty smooth, I was surprised. We should be done and on our way home by Wednesday.
It is a bit of culture shock to be home. For one, the weather is cold for us. When we left, it was still into the 100s during the day, and here it is cloudy, overcast and in the low 60s. There are also trees here, and there is also rain. Another wierd part: We turned in our weapons last night, and today is the first day that we are unarmed in a year.
Some guys did the inevitable last night and drank for the sake of drinking. The Big Army thinks that if they can make it difficult for Soldiers to get alcohol, then we won't drink it. Foolish thinking, and it makes some guys want to get it more, just to spite the system. Our team was subdued compared to others.
It was good to catch up with some of the other teams and hear their experiences. Some teams did well, some teams made a lot of progress, and some didn't. We all have similar stories, and we are all coming to similar conclusions about the future of Iraq. I read in the news this morning about two big car bombs in Baghdad, and also of the failed attempts to reach agreement on Iraq's new election laws. I chalk this up to growing pains. Most of our conclusions were similar: The Iraqi Government will come to grips with itself over time, and things have to happen on their schedule. It won't be pretty, and it certainly won't be Western, but it will have to be by their way if it is to be lasting. That's not overly optimistic, and it won't be pretty, but it does have potential.
Off to mandatory briefings and Powerpoint death. You would have thought that since we all spent 20 hours on a plane together, we could have knocked out some of the mandatory post-deployment stuff, but no. Oh well.
It is still good to be home. Take care.
Ron
It is a bit of culture shock to be home. For one, the weather is cold for us. When we left, it was still into the 100s during the day, and here it is cloudy, overcast and in the low 60s. There are also trees here, and there is also rain. Another wierd part: We turned in our weapons last night, and today is the first day that we are unarmed in a year.
Some guys did the inevitable last night and drank for the sake of drinking. The Big Army thinks that if they can make it difficult for Soldiers to get alcohol, then we won't drink it. Foolish thinking, and it makes some guys want to get it more, just to spite the system. Our team was subdued compared to others.
It was good to catch up with some of the other teams and hear their experiences. Some teams did well, some teams made a lot of progress, and some didn't. We all have similar stories, and we are all coming to similar conclusions about the future of Iraq. I read in the news this morning about two big car bombs in Baghdad, and also of the failed attempts to reach agreement on Iraq's new election laws. I chalk this up to growing pains. Most of our conclusions were similar: The Iraqi Government will come to grips with itself over time, and things have to happen on their schedule. It won't be pretty, and it certainly won't be Western, but it will have to be by their way if it is to be lasting. That's not overly optimistic, and it won't be pretty, but it does have potential.
Off to mandatory briefings and Powerpoint death. You would have thought that since we all spent 20 hours on a plane together, we could have knocked out some of the mandatory post-deployment stuff, but no. Oh well.
It is still good to be home. Take care.
Ron
Monday, October 19, 2009
Still waiting
Not home yet. It seems a guy fat fingered his keyboard when he was ordering our plane to go home and he screwed up the order, so we continue to wait.
I bet HIS plane leaves on time.
The whole team is back together in a tent, but amazingly, you can buy wireless internet access...
Should find out something tomorrow on when we fly.
Ron
I bet HIS plane leaves on time.
The whole team is back together in a tent, but amazingly, you can buy wireless internet access...
Should find out something tomorrow on when we fly.
Ron
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