Everyone goes through changes, especially at work. But you don't expect it after only 2 months (not even actually).
This week, my OIC got pulled to do a different slot within the CMRE mission, leaving me as the only CMRE subject matter on Materiel Redistribution. The last few nights have been spent dealing with the changes and really revamping some of the processes I already did. My previous OIC and myself worked on a lot of things together, but some of things the previous unit left behind weren't the easiest or best ways to do things. I took what they started, and made something of my own (with help and ideas from other sections).
I should add though, that it will not be last time I work with my former OIC. I'll still be helping with the shipment of HAZMAT out of his new workspace.
But enough about work (even though that's one of the only things I have to talk about here).
The rains picked up again this week. And we've had quite a few storms. This place is a wreck. Worse than before. I didn't think that was possible. Pretty sure if we get anymore rain I'll have to use a boat to get to work. Yes, it's that bad. First time I haven't been able to get back home without getting feet wet.
Can't wait for the rainy season to end!
I do also have to say, I've been talking to a lot of Australians lately. Talk about some of the nicest people I've had to deal with in my mission. Always so happy and polite over the phone. Proud to have one as a brother-in-law!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
On Wisconsin!
My first tour to Afghanistan in 2005, I had an extremely bare section of a plywood hut that I shared with about 6 other people. I needed to decorate and decided nothing would be more fitting than University of Wisconsin Badgers flag.
This flag has been with me ever since. All over the US as I changed station and to every deployment I've been on since I bought it. It's currently on it's third tour of duty.
And it's even better now than ever.
The USO does many tours, from bands and comedy acts, to celebrities and athletes. It's a great organization and does great things to build troop morale to Soldiers separated from their families and loved ones.
Today, a group of NFL players came to our base to do a meet and greet and sign autographs for fans. Among those that stopped by were Champ Bailey and Von Miller from the Denver Broncos and J.J. Watt from the Houston Texans.
Enter my Badgers flag.
Unfortunately, I was unable to make the meet and greet time do to my work hours, but a friend from another shop took it with him (he's a die hard Broncos fan born and raised in Colorado), and he took my flag with for J.J. Watt to sign. He told me J.J. was quite surprised when he pulled out a UW flag to sign.
For those of you that don't know, J.J. is a Wisconsin native and played for the Badgers in 2009 and 2010 before entering the NFL draft before his senior year and going in the first round to the Houston Texans.
Needless to say, I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to go and have it signed myself, but still ecstatic that I'm lucky enough to have his John Hancock on my Badgers banner.
On Wisconsin!
And it's even better now than ever.
The USO does many tours, from bands and comedy acts, to celebrities and athletes. It's a great organization and does great things to build troop morale to Soldiers separated from their families and loved ones.
Today, a group of NFL players came to our base to do a meet and greet and sign autographs for fans. Among those that stopped by were Champ Bailey and Von Miller from the Denver Broncos and J.J. Watt from the Houston Texans.
Enter my Badgers flag.
Unfortunately, I was unable to make the meet and greet time do to my work hours, but a friend from another shop took it with him (he's a die hard Broncos fan born and raised in Colorado), and he took my flag with for J.J. Watt to sign. He told me J.J. was quite surprised when he pulled out a UW flag to sign.
For those of you that don't know, J.J. is a Wisconsin native and played for the Badgers in 2009 and 2010 before entering the NFL draft before his senior year and going in the first round to the Houston Texans.
Needless to say, I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to go and have it signed myself, but still ecstatic that I'm lucky enough to have his John Hancock on my Badgers banner.
On Wisconsin!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
It Could Be Worse
It seems when I'm deployed I do a lot more reading. I enjoying reading, and I'm not sure why I don't do it as much stateside, but I don't. Lately, I've caught up on a few Michael Crichton books that I've never read, including his final book in which he passed away while writing, 'Micro.'
A good book indeed, but I really like reading non-fiction. In a way, that's why I like Crichton's books. They all seem to be based in some sort of scientific fact, or what could actually be possible (think Jurassic Park).
By far my favorite reads are those that involve World War II. These stories are all so inspirational. Normal men rising up to meet to fight for not only our nation, but other countries halfway around the world. Let me share a few of my favorites with you:
Fighter Pilot - Robin Olds
An ace in World War II, and continued to fly through Vietnam, choosing to NOT becoming a double ace during the Vietnam War so he could continue to fly. Also, a former commandant of the United States Air Force Academy.
In With the Old Breed - E.B. Sledge
For those of you that have seen the miniseries The Pacific, you will know what this pertains too. Eugene 'Sledgehammer' Sledge and his memoirs as a Marine on Peleliu and Okinawa. Probably the most intimate of all the books I have read. It's not all about the battlefield, but about his personal emotions about everything around him.
Flyboys - James Bradley
This book really brings to light the mentally of the Japanese in the Pacific. It's very unbiased, as Bradley doesn't just talk to the U.S. airmen, but to surviving Japanese as well. Most of this book revolves around Navy airmen captured and taken hostage on Chichi Jima after being shot down (two of which ejected from former President George H. W. Bush's plane).
And finally, what I'm reading now...
We Who Are Alive and Remain - Marcus Brotherton
It's a collection of stories, told by surviving members of E Company, 2d Battalion, 506th PIR, or as many of you will be familiar with the 'Band of Brothers.' Not your normal book, as it's not in a story format. It's stories, told by those who were there, of where they were December 7th, how they enlisted, what the training was like, and stories throughout the European theatre as elite Airborne troopers. An incredible book, and a great read for anybody that wants to know more after watching 'Band of Brothers'.
Reading these books is an absolute eye opener. Our current war on terrorism has nothing on what it was like then. These men spent years away from their families, lived in brutal conditions on the front lines, against a determined enemy. All too often we have young Soldiers complaining about being deployed, being away from their families for 9-12 months. I only wish I could force them to read any of these books and realize how good they actually have it now. I wish they could understand that it could be so much worse.
A good book indeed, but I really like reading non-fiction. In a way, that's why I like Crichton's books. They all seem to be based in some sort of scientific fact, or what could actually be possible (think Jurassic Park).
By far my favorite reads are those that involve World War II. These stories are all so inspirational. Normal men rising up to meet to fight for not only our nation, but other countries halfway around the world. Let me share a few of my favorites with you:
Fighter Pilot - Robin Olds
An ace in World War II, and continued to fly through Vietnam, choosing to NOT becoming a double ace during the Vietnam War so he could continue to fly. Also, a former commandant of the United States Air Force Academy.
In With the Old Breed - E.B. Sledge
For those of you that have seen the miniseries The Pacific, you will know what this pertains too. Eugene 'Sledgehammer' Sledge and his memoirs as a Marine on Peleliu and Okinawa. Probably the most intimate of all the books I have read. It's not all about the battlefield, but about his personal emotions about everything around him.
Flyboys - James Bradley
This book really brings to light the mentally of the Japanese in the Pacific. It's very unbiased, as Bradley doesn't just talk to the U.S. airmen, but to surviving Japanese as well. Most of this book revolves around Navy airmen captured and taken hostage on Chichi Jima after being shot down (two of which ejected from former President George H. W. Bush's plane).
And finally, what I'm reading now...We Who Are Alive and Remain - Marcus Brotherton
It's a collection of stories, told by surviving members of E Company, 2d Battalion, 506th PIR, or as many of you will be familiar with the 'Band of Brothers.' Not your normal book, as it's not in a story format. It's stories, told by those who were there, of where they were December 7th, how they enlisted, what the training was like, and stories throughout the European theatre as elite Airborne troopers. An incredible book, and a great read for anybody that wants to know more after watching 'Band of Brothers'.
Reading these books is an absolute eye opener. Our current war on terrorism has nothing on what it was like then. These men spent years away from their families, lived in brutal conditions on the front lines, against a determined enemy. All too often we have young Soldiers complaining about being deployed, being away from their families for 9-12 months. I only wish I could force them to read any of these books and realize how good they actually have it now. I wish they could understand that it could be so much worse.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Feeling the Effects
Sequestration.
I don't know a damn thing about it. However, I do know they sent the Army into a frenzy when they decided to give less than 48 hours notice before suspending all tuition assistance until further notice.
Personally, I haven't done so well with taking online classes. In fact, I don't like them at all. But since my job isn't too demanding, I had decided about a week ago to start taking some classes again. And then all this with TA popped up.
The education site was down due to all the activity with people trying to register for classes before the suspension went into effect. After a half day of hitting the refresh button, I finally got the site to load, and registered for my first class since 2009 (told you I was slacking). Mathematics for Aviation.
Hopefully by the time this class finishes, everyone will have their TA back, and I'll be able to take another class before returning home. And keep taking classes, with some proper motivation.
I don't know a damn thing about it. However, I do know they sent the Army into a frenzy when they decided to give less than 48 hours notice before suspending all tuition assistance until further notice.
Personally, I haven't done so well with taking online classes. In fact, I don't like them at all. But since my job isn't too demanding, I had decided about a week ago to start taking some classes again. And then all this with TA popped up.
The education site was down due to all the activity with people trying to register for classes before the suspension went into effect. After a half day of hitting the refresh button, I finally got the site to load, and registered for my first class since 2009 (told you I was slacking). Mathematics for Aviation.
Hopefully by the time this class finishes, everyone will have their TA back, and I'll be able to take another class before returning home. And keep taking classes, with some proper motivation.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
One of the best things that can happen when you're deployed is getting a package. Nothing brightens your day like being told you have mail. Luckily, I have a wonderful wife and family that sends me lots of goodies. I've been really excited for mail call lately, especially since our office (known as the ROC, Retrograde Operations Center), pitched in for a Keurig coffee machine. Unfortunately, that didn't arrive today, but my K-cups I ordered and a box from JP arrived.
It's always good to get some sweets in the mail. There was a bag of Reese's peanut butter eggs in there, but I passed those around the office (after I froze them to get them back to a solid state). If I keep a whole bag of those, I WILL eat them all.
And yes. That's a pink ped-egg for my feet. My feet get pretty rough on the bottom from walking around all the time!
Most importantly, I'm ecstatic to have a new par of shoes. I already have 2 pairs here, but due to the mud, they are not in the greatest shape. This pair won't see the light of day until it dries up out there. I don't want to step in a mud hole again at night. Don't need my new shoes to look like this guy:
Last but not least, JP sent me a digital camera. I use to have to take them with my phone and pull them off that via Bluetooth. What a pain. Much easier with a real camera!
Thank you JP for all the wonderful surprises! I love you!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Crossfit
So now that we have taken over, sent the last unit on their way, and settled into our schedule, it's time to try and accomplish a couple goals.
First and foremost, it's time to actually put some effort into getting in shape. Sure, I can pass the standard Army physical fitness test, and I do a lot better than some people, but there's always room for improvement right?
Every guy comes to a contingency environment with the thought of 'I want to get big' in the gym. That's not me. I don't want to take additional supplements and just sit in the gym lifting weights to the point where it becomes a monotonous routine. Boring. I tried it my last tour in Iraq, and it just didn't do it for me. So it's time to try something new...
Enter Crossfit.
In Iraq, the mechanics in my unit did Crossfit daily, but I worked too hard in the yard to actually feel the need to engage in such a challenging workout, or have my work performance lifting heavy crates suffer. Oh, but how the tables have turned. I now sit behind a desk.
Here we have a gym that dedicates itself explicitly to Crossfit. Kandahar Crossfit. It's staffed completely by volunteers that are ready and willing to teach you the basics and the proper techniques of the exercises. These volunteers are from all branches of services, several different countries, and include civilians as well. They teach you the right way, what it puts emphasis on, and take the time to help you out individually (at least in the intro classes they teach at night).
My first impression: I hate it.
Go ahead. Take a look at the link and look at the Workout of the Day (WOD). It's no joke. It's strenuous. It pushes you to your limits. But I sure as hell bet it's going to get me into shape.
I'm a firm believer in training to standard and not time (Irv has probably heard that several times in his career but it tends to happen the other way around). And that, to me, is the appeal of Crossfit. You either get a set amount of time, or a set amount of rounds. If given a set amount of time, you do the round of exercises as many times as possible. If given a set amount of rounds, you try to complete it in the least amount of time possible. And you record your times so you can reference them later when this same WOD turns up again.
And you should see improvement.
Hopefully I will and I'll keep you updated!
First and foremost, it's time to actually put some effort into getting in shape. Sure, I can pass the standard Army physical fitness test, and I do a lot better than some people, but there's always room for improvement right?
Every guy comes to a contingency environment with the thought of 'I want to get big' in the gym. That's not me. I don't want to take additional supplements and just sit in the gym lifting weights to the point where it becomes a monotonous routine. Boring. I tried it my last tour in Iraq, and it just didn't do it for me. So it's time to try something new...
Enter Crossfit.
In Iraq, the mechanics in my unit did Crossfit daily, but I worked too hard in the yard to actually feel the need to engage in such a challenging workout, or have my work performance lifting heavy crates suffer. Oh, but how the tables have turned. I now sit behind a desk.
Here we have a gym that dedicates itself explicitly to Crossfit. Kandahar Crossfit. It's staffed completely by volunteers that are ready and willing to teach you the basics and the proper techniques of the exercises. These volunteers are from all branches of services, several different countries, and include civilians as well. They teach you the right way, what it puts emphasis on, and take the time to help you out individually (at least in the intro classes they teach at night).
My first impression: I hate it.
Go ahead. Take a look at the link and look at the Workout of the Day (WOD). It's no joke. It's strenuous. It pushes you to your limits. But I sure as hell bet it's going to get me into shape.
I'm a firm believer in training to standard and not time (Irv has probably heard that several times in his career but it tends to happen the other way around). And that, to me, is the appeal of Crossfit. You either get a set amount of time, or a set amount of rounds. If given a set amount of time, you do the round of exercises as many times as possible. If given a set amount of rounds, you try to complete it in the least amount of time possible. And you record your times so you can reference them later when this same WOD turns up again.
And you should see improvement.
Hopefully I will and I'll keep you updated!
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