I arrived in Kuwait a few days ago. It is a transition point for all Navy personnel going into and out of theatre. We get our Warrior Transition overview here. It's also a good way to decompress here without a lot of responsibilities. We can wear our PT gear everywhere, including the dining hall. Compared to Iraq, that is a nice change. Unfortunately, as with everything military, there are other quirky rules. For example, you cannot have any prescription glasses or sunglasses around your neck or on top of your head in the dining hall. Why? Don't ask me. It's a small price to pay for being able to wear gym clothes to the dining hall but we never get off scott free.
I saw a U Tube video of flooding in our sub-division and it was pretty dramatic. Thankfully we're situated fine but some neighbors have had considerable damage. We have a nicely sloping backyard that can take a lot of water before it would ever get near our house.
I just finished my work out for the day, will have lunch, and then off to the outdoor pool for a few hours. Somehow, sitting by the outdoor pool (or boating) is what summer is about and I missed that this year. This will help to make up for it. We just have a 2 hour "warrior transition" class tonight and one on medical tomorrow and that's about it. So lots of free time to relax. It's hotter here than in Iraq but at least it's not peak hot season.
I've finished all the classes, easy day. There are things to be aware of when returning home, i.e. look for signs of stress, medically or psychologically but I don't think I'll have too much to worry about. I will not go back to work for several weeks, to have time to spend with the family and to reintegrate into society, so to speak.
I just booked a trip for Loretta and I to Hearst Castle. I was there many years ago and enjoyed it. It should also be a nice coastal highway drive.
I've got to run to muster now (we still do that each morning).
Just a little while now until we see the good 'ol USA.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
OUT OF HERE
The time has finally arrived when I am about to leave for home. For Operational Security reasons I can't say the exact date but it is soon. I will be making an interim stop in Kuwait to go through Warrior Transition (not that I need to transition from being a warrior), which should take about a week. As I look at it, I just moved my desk, chair, and computer to another very dusty part of the world. Of course I deprived myself of family, friends, and creature comforts, but I was not a warfighter. I feel the transition should be fairly easy but I will go slow and take some time to reintegrate at home and work.
We actually had the mother of all sand storms (that I've experienced) just a few days ago. That orange hue with strong winds is something I won't easily forget. And then we had lots of rain yesterday morning, the most I've ever seen since being here. When that happens, all the sand (really dirt) gets muddy so you don't want to step in it. I guess this is Iraq's way of saying goodbye.
I'll probably feel like a transient in Kuwait but at least I can walk around in gym shorts and enjoy their outdoor pool. I'll try to get some sun on my white body. I've been getting some excellent training (workout) guidance from an HM (Medic) who is also a fitness consultant back home. He has completely rearranged my workout routine in the attempt to help me stave off old age. I want to improve my endurance and strength for hockey and biking and if this doesn't do it, nothing will. He was really pushing me and I felt it for a few days. Thankfully, I've had two days off but want to get it going again. I'm really taking advantage of his free advice!! We'll do some more workouts in Kuwait.
I'm looking forward to seeing Loretta in California and then to being with the kids shortly thereafter. It's the longest we've been apart. While I do have a new Reserve billet, this will be my last deployment. I hope to bring my military career to a close with 25 years service (I have 22 now), which should be in advance of any potential future deployment.
Thank you all who have supported me throughout the deployment. I may send one more blog from Kuwait and that should do it!
We actually had the mother of all sand storms (that I've experienced) just a few days ago. That orange hue with strong winds is something I won't easily forget. And then we had lots of rain yesterday morning, the most I've ever seen since being here. When that happens, all the sand (really dirt) gets muddy so you don't want to step in it. I guess this is Iraq's way of saying goodbye.
I'll probably feel like a transient in Kuwait but at least I can walk around in gym shorts and enjoy their outdoor pool. I'll try to get some sun on my white body. I've been getting some excellent training (workout) guidance from an HM (Medic) who is also a fitness consultant back home. He has completely rearranged my workout routine in the attempt to help me stave off old age. I want to improve my endurance and strength for hockey and biking and if this doesn't do it, nothing will. He was really pushing me and I felt it for a few days. Thankfully, I've had two days off but want to get it going again. I'm really taking advantage of his free advice!! We'll do some more workouts in Kuwait.
I'm looking forward to seeing Loretta in California and then to being with the kids shortly thereafter. It's the longest we've been apart. While I do have a new Reserve billet, this will be my last deployment. I hope to bring my military career to a close with 25 years service (I have 22 now), which should be in advance of any potential future deployment.
Thank you all who have supported me throughout the deployment. I may send one more blog from Kuwait and that should do it!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
GETTING CLOSE NOW
Hello again. It's been several weeks since I last wrote but I've been honestly busy, as you will read. I wrote parts of this blog earlier in the week so it refers to some events in the present.
Our advance party has just left for Kuwait and I’ve just taken a big step in completing my SCWs (Seabee Combat Warfare) qualifications. It seems like the Battalion and I have crossed a threshold. Everything is coming to an end. By the way, we are the last Seabee Battalion likely ever to be in Iraq again.
The SCWs qualification preparation was the most rigorous academic process I have ever been through. This process included:
- Attending evening classes four nights a week for two month.
- Completing four large correspondence manuals with tests after each chapter.
- Taking a final exam on all subjects.
- Studying and memorizing the entire curriculum in preparation for the Board.
- Taking the Board in front of 6 experts, including the CO
and XO of the Battalion for over two hours.
I have to know every weapon in a Seabee Battalion’s TOA (table of allowance), how it operates, what its purpose is, and how far it can shoot (point, area, and max. range). I have to know every radio they have, and all the specs about it. I have know First Aid, CBRD (Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense), Naval and Seabee heritage (history), military organizations within the Navy and outside. If you’ve ever watched the Seabee movie with John Wayne starring as ‘Wedge Donovan, they know everything about it from the Seabee song to the name of the tractor Wedge drove to his death. When I finish my board, I will have to sing the Seabee song, loud and clear (I did).
We had a cook out tonight, sponsored by three officers being promoted shortly. Normally they have to buy the food and alcohol but since you can’t drink liquor here, they got off ‘cheap’. Although they were Buba burgers (which you can get at home anytime), they were the best tasting burgers I have had since being here. It almost felt like a home made BBQ. Wow, do I miss good food!
I’m trying to get over a cold that everyone at the camp seemed to catch almost at once. There were a bunch of Chief Selects (future Navy Chiefs) that had been cloistered together all week for training and it must have spread from there. My Chief Select brought it back to the Supply Department and sure enough it’s been working its way through the Department.
My buddy, the dentist, is leaving shortly for home. We’ve had some good times together and I will be sorry to see him go. He is a good friend and he has made the time go a little bit faster.
I met with the Board, presented my brief and camp layout. They grilled me for 2 hours and 20 minutes last Monday, then asked me to come back later in the week. I had to clean up a few construction jobs, add a few slides to my brief and continue answering more questions. That's normally been the case for Officers. Tonight, they grilled me for another 2 hours. I pretty much knew by the end of the 2 hours that I had answered their questions well enough, especially considering I'm not a CEC (Civil Engineering Officer) and I don't do this for a living. They deliberated about five minutes and had me come back in. The CO then pronounced my briefing good but said there were a few areas I needed to re-do. At that point my heart was starting to sink, dreading the thought of coming back for more questions. The Skipper is quite the joker so after a long pause he smiled and admitted he was just pulling my leg (the Comms chief put him up to it). So I shook everyone's hand and walked out of there dazed, thirsty, and hungry. After all the months of classes, studying, tests, and preparation for the Board, I feel numb and unsure of what to do next, especially since we are finished our work here. I will definitely start packing myself, and work out as much as I can.
One funny moment occurred during the Board interview. Somewhere about an hour into the first board, one of the officers asked if Supply provides some blousing straps (used to tuck you pant bottom around your boot). I responded innocently that we do and asked if he needed some. He commented back, “No, but you do.” I guess in my nervousness in preparing for the Board, I had, for the first time ever, forgotten to blouse my pant legs. It provided a moment of comic relief and for a few days afterwards various officers kept checking my pant legs.
Now that it’s all over, I definitely have time to relax. Yesterday I began working out again and packing things up. I am also starting to think beyond Iraq and to life at home, which I very much look forward to. This has been an interesting and positive experience overall. In some ways, it puts the final piece of military “TO DO” list in place. I’ve been in the military, in one form or another, since 1978 (including time in Canada). All that time I have trained for the possibility of going to war. I wasn’t eager for it but accepted it as a possibility. In some way I wanted to put that training to use, to do my share for my country and fellow soldiers/sailors, and to be a part of something bigger. I may not have agreed with the war in Iraq but we’re here and need to finish the job. I’m proud of the work we have done and the huge sacrifices American servicemen and women are making. I think the real unsung heroes of these wars are the wives, husbands, and children of serviceman that have to keep a fairly normal life at home. I could not have done what I did here without Loretta believing in me, supporting what I am doing, and stepping into larger boots as a single parent. Trust me when I say that the single most pressing thought on each sailor’s mind, especially the older ones, was how the family is managing at home. Many were distracted by problems at home and eventually had to leave Iraq to take care of their issues. I know Loretta had many trying moments but she carried the extra burden, many times quietly, in a way that allowed me to keep focus here. I thank her and the kids for bearing the pressure and making the sacrifices they did. I am ready to come home and assume my role as father and husband again.
I'll continue my military service another few years but without worry of being recalled again. I have been given a new (reserve) billet starting January that will have me working out of Williamsburg, VA. Not a bad place to be located. I will be a "Senior Evaluator" of the ELSG (Expeditionary Logistics Support Group). I spent some time in that Group as a Training Officer of a Cargo Handling Battalion and OIC of an Air Cargo Unit. It should be an interesting (part time) job. The SCWs qualification will definitely be an asset in this job and I'll still be in camouflage uniform.
Loretta will be coming out to CA to meet me just before I demobilize and we will have a nice 4 day vacation together. We'll be headed to Santa Barbara area. I am looking forward to our time together and then to seeing the kids again.
Well, I plan to go swimming in a bit, then back to the office to do more packing. We shred and burn most documents for OPSEC purposes. If we throw away uniforms we have to shred them first. You don't want to leave anything behind that the enemy could use against us. The Army is taking over our camp and we're seeing more of their presence each day.
I'll probably do one or two more blog entries and then call it a day. We leave in a few weeks for Kuwait, briefly, and then home. See you all soon!! Thank you all for your support, both personally, and to Loretta and the kids. It shows you care and that makes a difference.
Our advance party has just left for Kuwait and I’ve just taken a big step in completing my SCWs (Seabee Combat Warfare) qualifications. It seems like the Battalion and I have crossed a threshold. Everything is coming to an end. By the way, we are the last Seabee Battalion likely ever to be in Iraq again.
The SCWs qualification preparation was the most rigorous academic process I have ever been through. This process included:
- Attending evening classes four nights a week for two month.
- Completing four large correspondence manuals with tests after each chapter.
- Taking a final exam on all subjects.
- Studying and memorizing the entire curriculum in preparation for the Board.
- Taking the Board in front of 6 experts, including the CO
and XO of the Battalion for over two hours.
I have to know every weapon in a Seabee Battalion’s TOA (table of allowance), how it operates, what its purpose is, and how far it can shoot (point, area, and max. range). I have to know every radio they have, and all the specs about it. I have know First Aid, CBRD (Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense), Naval and Seabee heritage (history), military organizations within the Navy and outside. If you’ve ever watched the Seabee movie with John Wayne starring as ‘Wedge Donovan, they know everything about it from the Seabee song to the name of the tractor Wedge drove to his death. When I finish my board, I will have to sing the Seabee song, loud and clear (I did).
We had a cook out tonight, sponsored by three officers being promoted shortly. Normally they have to buy the food and alcohol but since you can’t drink liquor here, they got off ‘cheap’. Although they were Buba burgers (which you can get at home anytime), they were the best tasting burgers I have had since being here. It almost felt like a home made BBQ. Wow, do I miss good food!
I’m trying to get over a cold that everyone at the camp seemed to catch almost at once. There were a bunch of Chief Selects (future Navy Chiefs) that had been cloistered together all week for training and it must have spread from there. My Chief Select brought it back to the Supply Department and sure enough it’s been working its way through the Department.
My buddy, the dentist, is leaving shortly for home. We’ve had some good times together and I will be sorry to see him go. He is a good friend and he has made the time go a little bit faster.
I met with the Board, presented my brief and camp layout. They grilled me for 2 hours and 20 minutes last Monday, then asked me to come back later in the week. I had to clean up a few construction jobs, add a few slides to my brief and continue answering more questions. That's normally been the case for Officers. Tonight, they grilled me for another 2 hours. I pretty much knew by the end of the 2 hours that I had answered their questions well enough, especially considering I'm not a CEC (Civil Engineering Officer) and I don't do this for a living. They deliberated about five minutes and had me come back in. The CO then pronounced my briefing good but said there were a few areas I needed to re-do. At that point my heart was starting to sink, dreading the thought of coming back for more questions. The Skipper is quite the joker so after a long pause he smiled and admitted he was just pulling my leg (the Comms chief put him up to it). So I shook everyone's hand and walked out of there dazed, thirsty, and hungry. After all the months of classes, studying, tests, and preparation for the Board, I feel numb and unsure of what to do next, especially since we are finished our work here. I will definitely start packing myself, and work out as much as I can.
One funny moment occurred during the Board interview. Somewhere about an hour into the first board, one of the officers asked if Supply provides some blousing straps (used to tuck you pant bottom around your boot). I responded innocently that we do and asked if he needed some. He commented back, “No, but you do.” I guess in my nervousness in preparing for the Board, I had, for the first time ever, forgotten to blouse my pant legs. It provided a moment of comic relief and for a few days afterwards various officers kept checking my pant legs.
Now that it’s all over, I definitely have time to relax. Yesterday I began working out again and packing things up. I am also starting to think beyond Iraq and to life at home, which I very much look forward to. This has been an interesting and positive experience overall. In some ways, it puts the final piece of military “TO DO” list in place. I’ve been in the military, in one form or another, since 1978 (including time in Canada). All that time I have trained for the possibility of going to war. I wasn’t eager for it but accepted it as a possibility. In some way I wanted to put that training to use, to do my share for my country and fellow soldiers/sailors, and to be a part of something bigger. I may not have agreed with the war in Iraq but we’re here and need to finish the job. I’m proud of the work we have done and the huge sacrifices American servicemen and women are making. I think the real unsung heroes of these wars are the wives, husbands, and children of serviceman that have to keep a fairly normal life at home. I could not have done what I did here without Loretta believing in me, supporting what I am doing, and stepping into larger boots as a single parent. Trust me when I say that the single most pressing thought on each sailor’s mind, especially the older ones, was how the family is managing at home. Many were distracted by problems at home and eventually had to leave Iraq to take care of their issues. I know Loretta had many trying moments but she carried the extra burden, many times quietly, in a way that allowed me to keep focus here. I thank her and the kids for bearing the pressure and making the sacrifices they did. I am ready to come home and assume my role as father and husband again.
I'll continue my military service another few years but without worry of being recalled again. I have been given a new (reserve) billet starting January that will have me working out of Williamsburg, VA. Not a bad place to be located. I will be a "Senior Evaluator" of the ELSG (Expeditionary Logistics Support Group). I spent some time in that Group as a Training Officer of a Cargo Handling Battalion and OIC of an Air Cargo Unit. It should be an interesting (part time) job. The SCWs qualification will definitely be an asset in this job and I'll still be in camouflage uniform.
Loretta will be coming out to CA to meet me just before I demobilize and we will have a nice 4 day vacation together. We'll be headed to Santa Barbara area. I am looking forward to our time together and then to seeing the kids again.
Well, I plan to go swimming in a bit, then back to the office to do more packing. We shred and burn most documents for OPSEC purposes. If we throw away uniforms we have to shred them first. You don't want to leave anything behind that the enemy could use against us. The Army is taking over our camp and we're seeing more of their presence each day.
I'll probably do one or two more blog entries and then call it a day. We leave in a few weeks for Kuwait, briefly, and then home. See you all soon!! Thank you all for your support, both personally, and to Loretta and the kids. It shows you care and that makes a difference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)