I am usually not one to wrapped up in things like counting the days until something happens. For one thing, I am usually too absent minded to remember that that something is about to happen. Just ask my brothers and sisters how often I wish them a Happy Birthday. Sorry. But I am counting the days until I go home for the last time before heading into theater. It isn't that I am planning on doing anything exciting. Chances are, without someone pushing me to do something, I will mostly stay at home and maybe do a little work on my house. It isn't even that I wont see my family again for a while. That has happened before. Refer to my previous statement about birthdays.
I think that right now it probably has more to do with the general incompetence that seems to pervade too many government bureaucracies. I need a few days away from the Army, and the people who are arranging my travel can't get a simple thing a return flight right. Someone didn't think I would notice or mind that they had me scheduled to come back three days early. I am pretty sure that they would mind if their vacation was cut short by three days without their knowledge. One way or another, this will be fixed. I could live with one day, if there was no other way to get back in time, but there is no excuse for three days.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Every Silver Lining...
Has a touch of gray, but I will get by.
We finished all of our required FOB training and managed to get out of there and back into baracks early. All along, we were expecting someone to come along and stop it and insist that we stay one more night without anything to do. It would not at all have been unexpected. Sleeping in the standard Army issued bed in baracks was surprisingly good last night.
Sunday was looking like it would go the same way. We had a thoroughly relaxing morning, and then karma caught up with us. We got a phone call that summoned us to training that we had not received any notification for. The initial call would have had us in class over lunch, but that was turned off. Still, it was the most useless three hours of training ever, and that is saying a lot.
Tomorrow will at least be somewhat interesting. We are going to shoot one more time. Hopefully, the weather holds out and stays a little bit cool, but not wet.
We finished all of our required FOB training and managed to get out of there and back into baracks early. All along, we were expecting someone to come along and stop it and insist that we stay one more night without anything to do. It would not at all have been unexpected. Sleeping in the standard Army issued bed in baracks was surprisingly good last night.
Sunday was looking like it would go the same way. We had a thoroughly relaxing morning, and then karma caught up with us. We got a phone call that summoned us to training that we had not received any notification for. The initial call would have had us in class over lunch, but that was turned off. Still, it was the most useless three hours of training ever, and that is saying a lot.
Tomorrow will at least be somewhat interesting. We are going to shoot one more time. Hopefully, the weather holds out and stays a little bit cool, but not wet.
Friday, May 16, 2008
We Hurried. Now We Wait
Today, we really had nothing to do. 353 CACOM Det 5 is finished with all substantive training requirements. We have a small number of classroom power point drills left, but nothing that would keep us from deploying if they were not finished. At worst, they would only delay and shorten our leave period. We are on a FOB again, just like at Fort Bragg, but not quite as bad. We have hot water for showers here and two hot meals each day. There is also wireless internet that is actually faster out here than back at the baracks on post.
The actual training we did is still giving some of us fits. The schedule was changed several times on the fly. We did what was arguably classroom training outside in the hot sun, which required full battle dress, even though it was only lectures. The weather eventually did us a favor and cooled off, clouded over and rained, but not before two uniforms were soaked with sweat. I still dont know the real purpose of being here other than to check a box on a list somewhere that says we spent a few days on a FOB. It is only five days though. It could have been thirty or more days with fewer amenities.
I can survive even this for five days. Two more weeks and I can have a break for a week or so. I will be in theater in less than a month. I have been on active duty now for almost four months. I have less than a year now (more or less) to go.
The actual training we did is still giving some of us fits. The schedule was changed several times on the fly. We did what was arguably classroom training outside in the hot sun, which required full battle dress, even though it was only lectures. The weather eventually did us a favor and cooled off, clouded over and rained, but not before two uniforms were soaked with sweat. I still dont know the real purpose of being here other than to check a box on a list somewhere that says we spent a few days on a FOB. It is only five days though. It could have been thirty or more days with fewer amenities.
I can survive even this for five days. Two more weeks and I can have a break for a week or so. I will be in theater in less than a month. I have been on active duty now for almost four months. I have less than a year now (more or less) to go.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
All Up
Mobilization has finally happened. 353rd CACOM Det 5 officially exists now. Best of all, it means that we are now at least somewhat in control of our own destiny. We have already taken over our training and movement preps, and as near as we can tell, we are miles ahead of any other group. The Navy, and even some of the Army, in the other groups are envious of our progress. In typical Navy fashion, we are pushing through the requirements in order to maximize liberty and personal time. We have managed to give ourselves almost an entire weekend off. At least it is much more relaxed than weekends have been up to now. It is somewhat easier because we are so few in number, but it is also easier because we are motivated to do the work. No one seems to be stepping up in the other groups.
I am the only LDS in the MOB group. I still haven't been able to go to church and wont again tomorrow. The others are complaining about other things. Mobilization puts us under General Order One, which among other things restricts us to the base and forbids the consumption of alcohol. The first weekend we have significant downtime, and they cant leave the base or have a drink. This is really hard on some of my roommates.
We got a new guy today as well. He is our token Army officer and was mobilized out of the IRR from Germany. He is going to fit right in with our group.
I am the only LDS in the MOB group. I still haven't been able to go to church and wont again tomorrow. The others are complaining about other things. Mobilization puts us under General Order One, which among other things restricts us to the base and forbids the consumption of alcohol. The first weekend we have significant downtime, and they cant leave the base or have a drink. This is really hard on some of my roommates.
We got a new guy today as well. He is our token Army officer and was mobilized out of the IRR from Germany. He is going to fit right in with our group.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A Slow Sunday
I haven't yet had a chance to go to church, since this phase of my training started. The local service starts after training commences. Since the group is trying to finish all of the 1st Army required training before Memorial Day, there isn't time to take a half day off anywhere. I miss going to church, but I would miss going home one more time, if we didn't finish the training. Today was a pleasant break from the usual sunday training. We finished in time for dinner, and my group didn't have anything else scheduled, because a couple of weeks ago, we used some waiting time do take care of some simple power point training. The other group didn't, so they are still training.
Yesterday, we completed some training called Combat Life Saver. It isn't first aid, because the main focus of the Life Saver isn't to help the wounded. Helping the wounded comes after the combat is over and the threat is eliminated. Statistics on combat deaths show that only a small percentage could be saved if they survive long enough to reach a surgeon. A big chunk of the first lesson was dont even try to save them if... Combat Life Saver is to keep a small class of the seriously wounded alive, because an it can be done by a marginally trained amateur with a couple pounds of gear and a few minutes of relative quiet. The whole thing culminated with the requirement to start an IV on a classmate. Sticking someone is easier than I thought it would be, but a few people had some difficulties. Mostly it was because their partner had very small veins. A few people had to endure multiple sticks, sometimes into muscle. I set the record for blood loss, because my partner didn't properly block the vein when he pulled out the needle with the catheter in place. It wasn't a lot, but it is an intersting sight to see your blood running out of a whole in your arm at that rate. I did a pretty good job myself.
I am going to try to go to sleep early tonight. I haven't been sleeping as well as I ought to, but there are eleven guys in my barracks room, and even though we are all in our thirties, we might as well be in college again.
Yesterday, we completed some training called Combat Life Saver. It isn't first aid, because the main focus of the Life Saver isn't to help the wounded. Helping the wounded comes after the combat is over and the threat is eliminated. Statistics on combat deaths show that only a small percentage could be saved if they survive long enough to reach a surgeon. A big chunk of the first lesson was dont even try to save them if... Combat Life Saver is to keep a small class of the seriously wounded alive, because an it can be done by a marginally trained amateur with a couple pounds of gear and a few minutes of relative quiet. The whole thing culminated with the requirement to start an IV on a classmate. Sticking someone is easier than I thought it would be, but a few people had some difficulties. Mostly it was because their partner had very small veins. A few people had to endure multiple sticks, sometimes into muscle. I set the record for blood loss, because my partner didn't properly block the vein when he pulled out the needle with the catheter in place. It wasn't a lot, but it is an intersting sight to see your blood running out of a whole in your arm at that rate. I did a pretty good job myself.
I am going to try to go to sleep early tonight. I haven't been sleeping as well as I ought to, but there are eleven guys in my barracks room, and even though we are all in our thirties, we might as well be in college again.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
A Very Fun Week
This week has been really fun for the most part. We worked on driving and weapons qualifications. A Humvee is a fun ride. It can go almost anywhere. Two drivers discovered that there are some limitations, but unless you are trying to get stuck, the only limit is how much bouncing your kidneys can take. There are no shocks, so you feel every bump. I have a license to drive unarmored Humvees now. When I get to Kuwait, I will learn to drive armored Humvees.
We also spent nearly every day on one range or another working on weapons qualifications. Since we will never go outside the wire without armor, that meant wearing my armor for every shoot. I am almost 50 pounds heavier in full battle rattle and that is without any ammunition. The Army says that I am ok to shoot the 9mm pistol now. I have to go back tomorrow to try again on the M16. I am pretty good shooting at black circles on white paper, but pop-up target are another thing entirely, and shooting at night with no illumination is next to useless. But I have to at least figure out how to fake it long enough to finish the qual. We also got to shoot a few M203 grenade rounds.
The only downside to this week is that yesterday I caught some kind of crud that has been going around my baracks room. I am the fifth one to catch it. It isn't too bad, but it is annnoying. Fortunately, we have a really good Corpsman to take care of us.
For anyone who is interested in sending any mail or care packages (hint) my current address is:
LCDR James McElwee
c/o ECRC 10759
Building 6038
Doughboy Loop
Ft. Dix, New Jersey 08640
This address will be good for anything that will arrive before about 12 June 2008. Nothing will be forwarded if it misses me, so don't try sending anything if it wont arrive by then. I dont know what my APO address will be yet.
I nneed to turn in now. I have another early day tomorrow, and I need all of the sleep that I can get. I hope I can kick this crud soon.
We also spent nearly every day on one range or another working on weapons qualifications. Since we will never go outside the wire without armor, that meant wearing my armor for every shoot. I am almost 50 pounds heavier in full battle rattle and that is without any ammunition. The Army says that I am ok to shoot the 9mm pistol now. I have to go back tomorrow to try again on the M16. I am pretty good shooting at black circles on white paper, but pop-up target are another thing entirely, and shooting at night with no illumination is next to useless. But I have to at least figure out how to fake it long enough to finish the qual. We also got to shoot a few M203 grenade rounds.
The only downside to this week is that yesterday I caught some kind of crud that has been going around my baracks room. I am the fifth one to catch it. It isn't too bad, but it is annnoying. Fortunately, we have a really good Corpsman to take care of us.
For anyone who is interested in sending any mail or care packages (hint) my current address is:
LCDR James McElwee
c/o ECRC 10759
Building 6038
Doughboy Loop
Ft. Dix, New Jersey 08640
This address will be good for anything that will arrive before about 12 June 2008. Nothing will be forwarded if it misses me, so don't try sending anything if it wont arrive by then. I dont know what my APO address will be yet.
I nneed to turn in now. I have another early day tomorrow, and I need all of the sleep that I can get. I hope I can kick this crud soon.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Another Long Jump Into the Future
My week off passed pretty uneventfully. Charles was busy with school, it was still cold outside, and I really wasn't interested in doing a lot. Just relaxing for a week without having to think about the Army was a good time. I did spend one day at work. I went to lunch with a couple of friends and caught up with happenings there. I spent close to three hours in a brainstorming session with one of them. I think we could go into business together some day. Between us, we have solved every problem we have run across with the hardware we use at work.
My last day at home, I got a call from ECRC who pointed out that my travel itinerary had me going back to Ft Bragg instead of Ft Dix. It got fixed, but it meant arriving at the Philidelphia airport close to midnight. I didn't actually get to Dix until after one AM. That was an appropriate start to this part of my training. Some of it has been interesting. Over the last two days, we have been doing driver training. I now have a military license to drive Hummvees. Tomorrow, we are drawing weapons and going to the range for the first time. I think that all this week will be in weapons qualifications. I will qualify with the M4 (M16 carbine) and M9 Baretta pistol. I will get to shoot the squad automatic weapon, the M240 machinegun, and the M203 grenade laucher too, although I wont get to qualify on them.
Most of my time here has been spent waiting. I live in a twelve man barracks room with nine Navy officers from my last course and two Army officers, who by now have been mostly converted into to the Navy. We have a lot of fun, but mostly we complain about the Army. We get up early every morning and then wait for transportation to wherever we are having our training. Then we wait for everyone to arrive, then for the training to start, then for transportation to our next stop. Today, we finished the training evolution in about an hour, then waited for almost three more hours to find out what we were doing next.
All of us Navy types have a hard time believing that it is even possible to be so unorganized. The Navy mentality would not allow this kind of time wasting to occur. Long days aren't so bad if you are actually doing something. If there isn't anything to do, let your people take care of their own business. Nothing will change, so all we can do is complain among ourselves.
Internet is very slow here, but I will try to post a little more about my current training.
My last day at home, I got a call from ECRC who pointed out that my travel itinerary had me going back to Ft Bragg instead of Ft Dix. It got fixed, but it meant arriving at the Philidelphia airport close to midnight. I didn't actually get to Dix until after one AM. That was an appropriate start to this part of my training. Some of it has been interesting. Over the last two days, we have been doing driver training. I now have a military license to drive Hummvees. Tomorrow, we are drawing weapons and going to the range for the first time. I think that all this week will be in weapons qualifications. I will qualify with the M4 (M16 carbine) and M9 Baretta pistol. I will get to shoot the squad automatic weapon, the M240 machinegun, and the M203 grenade laucher too, although I wont get to qualify on them.
Most of my time here has been spent waiting. I live in a twelve man barracks room with nine Navy officers from my last course and two Army officers, who by now have been mostly converted into to the Navy. We have a lot of fun, but mostly we complain about the Army. We get up early every morning and then wait for transportation to wherever we are having our training. Then we wait for everyone to arrive, then for the training to start, then for transportation to our next stop. Today, we finished the training evolution in about an hour, then waited for almost three more hours to find out what we were doing next.
All of us Navy types have a hard time believing that it is even possible to be so unorganized. The Navy mentality would not allow this kind of time wasting to occur. Long days aren't so bad if you are actually doing something. If there isn't anything to do, let your people take care of their own business. Nothing will change, so all we can do is complain among ourselves.
Internet is very slow here, but I will try to post a little more about my current training.
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