Getting Settled In

To all of you following my blog (which by now I'm sure the numbers have dwindled), I am sorry for not writing more often.

The past few weeks have been hectic. Getting settled in and set up in my living quarters has been the least of my worries. The stress all lays with my ground job: ADP Officer (Automated Data Processing). In other words, I am in charge of getting the command set up and running properly with all forms of communication such as phones and computers. Going to a new base has proven most difficult as it seems they weren't ready to receive us yet. So I've had to handle the pains of starting from scratch and have basically tumbled through the brier patch to get things running. What's worse is that even with all the work hours I've put in (sometimes even pulling all-nighters just to get something done), the output is usually so small that it makes almost no difference to the command as a whole.

Enough whining and on to the good stuff... I've almost got everything up and running. A few loose ends here and there as well as an ongoing project are still keeping me busy but I am happy to report that I am finding more time to sleep than before, which has been helping me fight off being too sick to fly.

Ahh, the flying! When I first arrived, the few of us that came over early started flying with the Marines to familiarize ourselves with the area and missions flown. It's interesting to see from a different perspective and pick up on different ways of doing things and I enjoyed those flights but it was good to get back to normal once OUR jets arrived. Flying with different crews is good to keep things from getting too monotonous but I like the stability of flying with the same crew here so I can pick up on the little things that can make everything easier. It also helps that we rotate positions from within the crew too.

I've been on the night page for a while now (and my body is still playing catch-up) so the world I get to experience is seen mostly in a green hue due to the night vision goggles. The weather (until today) has been pretty clear and from high up where we fly, you can usually pick out our home base from a little over a hundred miles. Watching the cars down below is a little surreal because apart from the partial blackouts that occur frequently and the explosions sometimes witnessed, these cities could almost be any other city in the US.

Well that's all for now. I left work at 0530 this morning so I could come back and get some rest but now its time to head back in and keep working. Life is rarely dull here.

Remember Lala, I love you!

P.S. Almost forgot to pass along the new callsign: "PUFF" ...  Maybe someday I'll explain it.

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And So It Continues

If it wasn't for my watch and iPod telling me what day it was I'd never keep track of them passing by so quickly.

My sleep schedule is still all sorts of weird, with me waking up around 0330 and going to bed around 2030 lately. I don't know if it's the sound of jets that wakes me up (because once I'm awake i don't hear the noise anymore) or if it is my circadium rythum all out of sorts and just playing catchup very slowly. All I know is it has been going on since I got settled here.

We started flying last week with the Marines of VMAQ-3 while we wait for our jets to arrive with the rest of the aircrew. It's been pretty cool to see how they handle things but I think it is messing with my habit patterns in the jet. I've been flying mostly late afternoons that stretch into the early evening and after dinner (which totally stinks that sometimes I'll miss dinner because if it. I still trying to figure out what would be best to bring with me to eat while flying.

Life in the camp has gotten better with the arrival of our cargo shipment. The boxes arrived at camp while I was flying so they were placed inside my door and stacked neatly there so when I opened my door I just saw a big wall of mine and my roommate's black footlockers. It took me a while to get them moved out of the way so I could walk inside. I gave the guy a little friendly ribbing after finding out who had done it.

The weather continues to hold up, with temps staying in the same range as I posted earlier... 65 for a high (with the desert sun and dry air helping it to feel like 75) during the day and getting down to the lower 40s at night (just cold enough to instigate us wearing pants instead of shorts outside as we make the constant trek from our cans to the bathroom).

We are just about done getting settled in to our new workspaces as well. The last of the necessary equipment is being sent over to our temporary spaces while we constantly are forced to clean them as the dust and dirt just keep creeping in. (Today I swept the floor clean and then not five minutes later has to sweep it again as new layers of dirt seem to magically appear.

I've been very blessed to have so much time to myself (both before and after work) to be able to talk to my girl, Lala, back home via many different methods of communication. E-mails are generally short (from me, and wonderfully lengthy from her) and constant. I've also found a way for me to text her cell phone and have it be cheap (as in free other than a one-time fee) for the application in my iPod Touch. This has been the best way for me to let her know little bits of info at a time, such as when I'm back in my room and available to chat online via text or video it just voice. The app is only able to do this when I have a WiFi signal and that generally only happens when I am in my can (little metal home... not head, or bathroom for all non-Navy types).

Seeing as how my day is just beginning, I better get going so I can get to it.

Remember, Lala, I love you!

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Just a few pictures

I've mentioned in the past couple posts that I would try to get some pictures out to you all so you could see where it is I am (or was... in the case of these pictures).

These were taken from the steps of my hut during my stay at Ali Al Salem. This is right before the storm I mentioned in an earlier post.

Enjoy!

**EDIT**

Some people have also been asking about the weather and my sidearm. I'll do my best to answer on both issues.

Most days have felt to be around 65 with the hot desert sun bearing down... at night it gets into the low 40s/upper 30s.

My sidearm is a Sig Sauer P228 (M11 9mm) and the clearing stations are still the big drums but with the 228 you don't pull the trigger... just uncock the hammer.

TGIF... as if

Today I awoke at 0515 to my iPod buzzin at me. Still way too early since I went to bed late after sleeping most of yesterday afternoon. But let's not get too far ahead of myself.

I got to video chat with Lala again last night. It was fun since I was then able to talk to her and see her using the computer and I was missing that. So Annie (our dog) is freaked out by the idea of me being on Lala's laptop screen and refuses to look at it. I don't know what to make of it or if that's normal.

Today we were issued our sidearms. We have to carry them almost everywhere and clear them when we enter most buildings. I can forsee this becoming a pain in the behind soon enough.

We are still awaiting the Main Body personnel, who should be arriving tonight. I will be flying tomorrow with the Marines so we can get a good handle on more of the proper procedures as well as figuring out the general missions we'll be flying around here. I'm pretty excited about that.

Anyways, that's all for today. Next time I want to try to include some pictures.

P.S. Remember, Lala: I love you!

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Still Attempting To Get There - Official Day #2 cont.

I left off in my last blog with the nap midafternoon. I failed to go further because th app I use to blog with starts crashing with long posts.... so this will be shorter and cover a couple days since not much has changed.

Halfway through the afternoon I awoke to the loud rumbling of thunder outside. Almost everyone slept through it but I did manage to take some pictures before the rain started coming down. I will upload them here later when I have the ability to.

Later that night I was able to call my girl Lala on her cell phone since we changed her number to a local one and the call quality was amazing. I love the DSN switchboard we have in place for us to call and be forwarded to other local numbers. She sounded as if she was in the next room. We were able to talk for a little over 20 minutes and it made me realize just how much I miss the sound of her voice.

After the call I had to go back and pack since we were slated to muster at 0230 so we could leave a few hours after that. We boarded the plane at 0715ish and left Ali Al Salem for Balad, Iraq (nope, still not Al Asad). The transit plane was packed like sardines with troops from all different branches as the plane took to the air and was shaken about throughout the. We deplaned and made our way through the sunny weather to the terminal to find out when we would be leaving Balad for Al Asad but after picking up the baggage and then lugging it around from place to place before finally settling in the outbound transit area we found ourselves extremely exhausted. After checking to see if anyone else wanted to come with, a few of us decided to go get a room, some sleep and a shower. We walked outside and found that the sky was starting to cloud over and smelled like wet sand (but not quite mud). This further motivated us to find some shelter so we hopped on a bus and headed over to the transit housing (which is basically a building of the same size as the huts from Ali Al Salem but lower to the ground with cement flooring and a roof that leaks and is about to cave in on us... it also had twice the number of beds which meant a lot less space to to place our stuff and move around in).

My eyes closed somewhere around 1000 and I didn't wake up until 1800ish. The building may have been standard issue crap but the mattresses had been worn down over the years of use and softened up like a comfortable pillow (at least that's how I viewed it compared to the hard metal bar braced mattresses of Ali Al Salem). DFAC and I had had enough of the grime that covered us from a couple days of travelling in the sweat and sand of the desert so we decided to huff it over to the showers. After opening the door, our eyes adjusted to the darkness at the same time the pitter-patter noises outside started making sense... rain had found it's way to us and caused all the smaller puddles on the base to turn into mini, muddy lakes that just barely didn't make it up to the level of the floors in the surrounding buildings.
We swamped our way over to the showers and enjoyed the feeling of clean water washing away the dirt and then the softness of clean clothes.

After showering and changing, we made our way back outside and over to the transit housing once more finding that it was raining harder than it was previously. It would vary from the heavy light rain to the hard sloppy rain that "plops" on you and makes you think someone is throwing pebbles at you. What little gear we brought with us got soaked as we walked the 25 meters (listen to me conforming to metric) back to check out and then board a bus to take us back to the air terminal. The ride back was filled with swerving to avoid the even-larger mini lakes forming everywhere from the rain to avoid getting stuck. At least they have paved roads here in Balad; back in Ali Al Salem it was all either hard-edged rocks or really fine sand, which made walking around a dirtifying (I know it's not a word, I just invented it and am going to get full use of it here before Webster comes along and steals it) experience.

The air terminal was just as packed (if not, more) as we walked through the door and we had to find everyone else. The latest news on us leaving was that there were two flights, each with limited room, to take us and we would be flying space-A (or space available) which meant that other troops higher on a priority list got to go first. We made ourselves as comfortable as we could and waited for each flight to be called.

I say it like that because the first flight (with a 2200 muster for a 0200 launch) was canceled due to a lightning strike to the aircraft and the second one (with a 0245 muster with a 0530 launch) was too full to accommodate all 11 of us still waiting to get there... meaning, since they read off the list in alphabetical order, myself and one other in our group were left behind to catch the next one.

A few highlights through this whole ordeal were that I was able to call Lala via a DSN switchboard again (twice actually, but the first went to her voicemail since she was at Body Flow with a squadron-mate's wife... so I called back later) and the wifi connection at the terminal was fast enought to support an iChat connection (which, for those of you without a Mac, is basically a Skype video chat) with her as well. It was AWESOME to be able to see her. It feels a lot longer since I've left but I attribute that to the many sleepless nights and messed up sleep schedule that I've tried to get out of but keep getting sucked back into.

At 0800 another muster was taken to the next flight out to Al Asad and myself and PR3 White gathered up our stuff and ensures we were on the list. Our bags were paletized and we donned our Kevlar and made our way out to the plane around 1000. The plane ended up not taking off until almost 1100 and I slept for some of it, although sleeping in body armor is not always the easiest thing in the world to do when you are bouncing around in the back of an Air Force cargo plane.

The plane touched down a little after 1215 and we made our way off after all the cargo had been unloaded. With our carry-on bags in tow, we walked to our transport bus to wait 15 minutes for us to travel less than a click away... not at all a good use of resources in my opinion, but no one asked me. As we got off the bus with the other troops, we could see the XO and DASH standing off in the distance next to the check-in building. The air was dry yet the ground showed some of the same signs of rain as Balad had except there was no standing water save for a few murky puddles. The XO and DASH helped us carry our gear to the truck and we drove off to get some food at the DFAC close to our cans. They explained to us where things were as we drove by them and where we would be working from while we were there as well as where we would move to once the FA-18s had left.

We finally arrived at the DFAC and a hearty meal was gathered up and I sat in a satisfied stupor as I wolfed down a cheeseburger, onion rings, fries, and (just to be a little healthy) a salad. After we had all had our fill, we drove over to the cans where I dropped my stuff off at and made my bed and proceeded to take a much-needed nap.

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Official Day # 2

I begin writing this from my bunk while my other cohorts sleep off a heavy-sitting lunch and as a strong, steady wind blows across the dry, dusty sand causing a layer of haze to form up all around the camp while unlucky people walking about outside are treated to the constant reminder of why they should walk around with their mouths closed lest they want to taste the grit of fine sand amongst their teeth, tongue, and gums.

I awoke this morning, after a not-so sleep-filled night, to the rustle of sleeping bags and the creaks of metal bed frames of my fellow bunkmates as they began to pile out of bed to make the trek to the head and shower hut located 30 to 40 yards away. Since my body was still on the Seattle time zone time and not yet ready for the major change it had undergone, I was wide awake at 0430 local time and in serious need of a shower and shave. As a handful of us got up to get ready for the day, a few of the others decide to stay in the 30' x 15' wooden huts that are lined with 8 bunk beds each and play catch-up with the ever-so-crafty sleep fairy eluding us.

After showering, shaving, and changing, we head over to the DFAC (our chow hall) to grab our breakfast and nourish our bodies with such goodies as (not-so-well cooked) bacon, (runny) scrambled eggs, (hardly-) hard-boiled eggs, (over-cooked) hashbrowns, and some other interestingly prepared food that even in it's well-intended edible form was still amazingly awesome tasting to the little buds on our tongues reaching out for the familiar tastes of food prepared on the other side if the world. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, as this is hardly further from the truth. I just want to give an accurate description to those of you able to sit in your little breakfast nooks and enjoy a delicious All-American breakfast.

After breakfast we head back toward the huts for morning muster and news of the day. Nothing new has developed except that we are still trying to get out of Ali Al Salem and will be unable to do so for the next 12 to 18 hours.

I head back to the hut and then off to the MWR building to try to call home but all the computers are full and the phone are all in use as well with lines to use both of them looking like they will take all day to get through. Instead of sitting around waiting there, I went back to the hut to watch a movie on my computer with the guys and to strategize a better plan for talking to my girl. After a few minutes into the movie I realized that the best time to try to get on the computer would be when everyone is isn't there and that is usually during chow! I had my plan, now to just time it right and all would work out.

The movie ended and I sat around for a few minutes before making my way over to the MWR building again and, low and behold, I was right... a lone computer with no line. I hopped on the chance and got online to my e-mail to read and reply. I only had a limited time to talk so I tried typing as fast as I could, then a box popped up in the corner if my gmail window and Lala started chatting with me! Wow! I couldn't believe my luck... 1155 in Ali Al Salem meant it was almost 1 AM in WA! What was she doing awake? She had to work the next morning... but that became a mute point as I just wanted to talk to her. We chatted it up for the next 15 minutes or so and then it was my time to get off. :-(

I was still riding the awesome high that follows being able to talk to your loved one from across the world as I walked to chow. I probably had the biggest stupid grin on my face as I walked in to the chow hall and the guys saw me.

After lunch we started the trek back to the hut and were engulfed in the swarm of dust getting kicked up from the wind. The wind had decided our skin needed a good scrub-down and we were excited to walk through the door to our bunkhouse and no longer feel that sting.

Upon entering the hut, there was an unspoken unanymous decision that an afternoon nap was needed amongst the crew.

More to follow...

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And So It Begins

Today is the first day of my first deployment. We are flying COMAIR from Seattle to Kuwait City, Kuwait and then taking a bus to Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait and then from there catching a cargo plane to reach our final base of Al Asad, Iraq.

The trip over was a long one and pretty interesting. The first leg started on a sunny Sunday afternoon from Seattle to DC and was only a little under five hours but we still managed to find our moments. I was seated in seat 14B in a three three across seating jet which meant I was squished between two other people and had no view. The guy sitting directly to my right (aisle seat) also had no view so he decides he would play games on his phone the whole flight... much to my dismay as I tried to sleep and he blared the sound through headphones sitting not fifteen inches from my own ears. So, needless to say, it was a long flight. Four and a half hours into the flight, as we began to descend into DC, the intercom comes on with the announcement that "all electronic devices should now be stowed" and we all begin to shut off our equipment for the "safety" of the flight. All of us except the guy sitting next to me who continues to play his games on the loudest setting he could muster. I must add at this point that he must have had an excellent battery to have kept up his gaming for that long and with the music that loud. The plane started josting about as we encountered the first real bit of turbulence for the flight. The flight attendants all started scurrying back to their stations as they didn't want to get thrown around the cabin (yes, Lala, this is the kind of turbulence that would have made even you start cursing and yelling "Why couldn't we have just DRIVEN!?!"). The intercom ces on again and states "we will now be going on the honor system to ensure all seat belts are fastened and electronic devices are off" which, of course, the guy sitting to my right CAN'T HEAR because the music was still blaring. I wasn't about to raise Cain with him as nothing was actually going to happen to us as he continued with his game but the older gentleman sitting across the aisle felt differently. "Hey you," he had to yell as he rapped the guy on the shoulder, "I think it is time you turned off your game." Which, of course, the young punk to my right didn't take too kindly to. "Why do you care what I do and who made it your business?" he retorts back. The two of them begin to argue back and forth getting louder and more animated. I was sure the air marshall would step in (which he dud not... probably because of the motion of the plane) as the entire flight was silent listening and watching these two battle it out with words. The actual words aren't suitable in the context and phrases they were given in so I won't replay them here but it actually turned out better than expected as the kid agreed to turn off his phone if the other guy would stop talking to him. We then landed and I got off the plane as fast as possible before any more could develop for me to get caught up in.

The DC airport is laid out in an excellent fashion (IMHO) as we had no trouble with the switch-over to our next plane. This flight would be a lot longer... seven hours longer to be more precise... that's right math geniuses of the world, 12 hours. This time we flew in a bigger jet... a 777 seating two five two across, and with my previous upgrade for the whole trip to economy plus for the extra 6 1/2 inches of extra leg room (which was TOTALLY worth the $160 spent for it), I was feeling pretty good in my window seat in 18A with a quiet older man in a khaki outfit and desert boots sitting next to me. He didn't want to talk much except to tell me not to be like the last "kid" that sat next to him and got wasted on beer during his last flight. After reassuring him that wouldn't happen I took a Flight-Doc authorized sleeping pill and promptly fell asleep immediately following our first of two meals. This suited me just fine as I was already worn out and eager to be on a better sleep schedule for the timezone I would be calling my own for the next six or so months.

We arrived in Kuwait City, Kuwait at 6PM local the FOLLOWING day having travelled through 9 or so time zones during our 12 hour flight plus the original 5 hour flight across 3 time zones for a grand total of 29 hours difference from when I first stepped on board back in Seattle. UGH!
We made it through Kuwaiti customs and baggage claim and began our wait to find out "What next" while standing around the terminal. We finally met up with a bus that drive us to the base I am typing this all from. The drive to the base was horrendous as we were constantly cut off by the local drivers. I can see why so many people from this side of the world make it fir so long as cab drivers in the states... they just don't care about the other drivers on the road and treat it like they will be given the right of way no matter the circumstance. At one point our driver stated, "we better get out of this lane before we get killed." and not two seconds later another bus cuts us off from originally two lanes over and behind us. Crazy...

Not much else to talk about except our temporary housing but I will attempt to share that in a later post.

Until then, Lala, remember: I love you.

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