The Only Constant in Life

Is change. . .

I've just returned from leave, and I found out that my deployment is getting turned upside down with a new job. Before I took my leave, I was a lead vehicle commander for my combat logistics patrol. Now, I found out that I'm going to be a shift NCOIC at one of the convoy support centers (CSC) in Iraq. Basically, I'll be in charge of making sure convoys are taken care of once they arrive on my post. That means arranging maintenance, coordinating loading and unloading of trucks, and supervising dozens of Third Country Nationals while they're parked in the CSC staging yard.

I'm pretty excited about this change, even if it is only for just shy of four months. I will be working 12 hours a day, and likely 6 days a week. That should keep me pretty busy, but during my time off, I will have my own 20'x8' room all to my self! I look forward to arriving, and I'll be sure to post pictures when I get there.

Until next time. . .

Short Timer's Syndrome

It is a well known fact that the amount of work you accomplish is directly proportional to the number of days you have left before you go home. Seeing how I have less than 6 days until I am on a bus leaving Camp Arifjan to catch a big bird home, my work ethic has definitely taken a vacation already.

Tonight, I have guard duty, which is an excellent place for me to be. It will allow me to watch a couple movies, read some magazines, and generally get my mind off of leaving so I might be more productive when I return to work in two days for what will be my second to last day of work before going home. That was really all I have for this post! I'll be sure to put up pictures of me leaving this place as soon as I can!!!

So long

It's been nearly a month since my last post. I can't believe time has been flying by this quickly. I've been out on three missions since my last post, so I'm sure you can imagine I've been very busy. Luckily for me, I'm done with missions until 2009! That's right, in 16 days I'll be leaving on a big bird out of this place for my 15 days of leave in the states! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time.

Anyway, I figured I ought to post a few new pictures.



Comfy living conditions out on the road . . .very uhmm. . ."cozy"



It rains here!



Me cheesing it up for the camera



Here's my lead truck. . .it rocks out at a whopping 45 MPH



Ducks in a row. This is our CLP, Knight 2-2

Pictures from BIAP

Well, I promised pictures, and here they are! These pictures were taken at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) the day after a thunderstorm passed through.


Below: A picture of the palace at BIAP


Below: Another view showing all of the palace


Below: Whoopsie, I think we blew up that bridge


Below: It kind of rained just a little bit


Below: All the "comfort foods" of home


Below: Mmmm


Below: Vegetation! In Iraq!

Mud Pit

Last night, I saw my first true rain storm in almost four months. I swore to myself after Camp Atterbury, I didn't want to see another drop of rain, and for awhile, I had my wish. Back to last night . . . Driving North to Baghdad, it was quite a sight to see! Lightning lit up the northern sky, and it had already rained a few inches farther south. Anywhere there was but a speck of mud turned into a mud pit. It's definitely going to take at least an hour to wash all of it off of my truck! (Pictures to follow!)

The rain marks a changing of the seasons. Fall, and to a greater extent, Winter has arrived. Winter is the real rainy season here in Iraq, and for the next few months, this country will be a giant mud pit. By the end of March, I'm sure everything I own will be, to some extent, covered in mud. Well, that's all I really have for now. I'll definitely update more when I get back to Kuwait!

By the way, for those who are interested, only 45 more days until leave! That means I only have a few more missions before I get to go home! :-)

Time to Relax

As of late, I've been running at a ridiculously busy pace, only having a chance to sleep in my own bed 5 nights out of a month. Well, since returning from my last mission, I've learned that I'm going to have a significant amount of down time before I head out again. This means I'll have the chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. I can't remember the last time I slept for longer than 6 hours, much less 8. I'm aiming for 8 tonight, so, that being said. I have to keep this short. I'll write again soon!

Living the Dream

Lately, I've had very few chances to post, and I want to apologize for that. The Army has a way of keeping you busy sometimes, and it's well outside my power to change that. Luckily for me, this time I'm actually running with the Air Force, which makes for a different change of pace. Luckily, with the pace that we've been running at, time has been flying by. I am officially under the two month mark for coming back on leave! At this point, I really only have a few more missions left before I come home to visit! Disney World, here I come! :-D

Well, that's all I really have time for right now. Hopefully I'll have more to report soon!

Familiar . . . Different

As I type this, I find myself in a location all too familiar to me. The base we traveled to last night, and where I'm currently located, is one of the bases I frequented on my last deployment, nearly 4 years ago. There have been a lot of changes in my life, changes to this post, and changes around this country. Despite all of these changes, everything about my being here has a very familiar feel to it.

I found it to be quite eerie that I could remember where the dining facility and PX were on a post that I hadn't visited in 4 years, and even then, only a handful of times. I knew right where to drive my truck to get fuel, to stage and go to sleep. . .yet, everything about this post has changed. No longer do we sleep on cots in a tent without air conditioning. Gone is the old dining facility which was essentially a large air conditioned tent. It seems as if everything has been replaced by something newer . . . something better. I suppose that's just one of those facts of life, but it shows progress all around.

This time around, I'm a Non-Commissioned Officer, violence in this country has diminished to where people are nearly able to lead a normal lifestyle, and all of the improvements on post . . .this all leads me to believe that progress, however insignificant, is still occurring here, which gives me a reason to be believe that things really can get better over here. At least I've been able to see progress in the four years I've been gone.

Anyway, that's enough reminiscing and wandering thoughts for one post. I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather that fall brings, I know I am! Until next time. . .

Live From Kuwait

Well, as this year goes on, and I count down the days, weeks, and months until I step on that big bird home, I can't help but wonder what I should do when I get home. To be more specific, I definitely think a vacation or a road trip is in order. That being said, I think I'm going to post some sort of an informal poll on the page to see what everyone else thinks about where I should go to relax. I have a few ideas in mind, but maybe I'll get a more creative suggestion about where to go.

For my two weeks leave, I'm going to be spending a week of it in Disney World, so . . .that one will be off limits. I'll brainstorm a little, and put up the poll :-) Happy voting.

Staying Busy

It's been awhile since my last post, but very little has changed. Things are starting to pick up for us, and in my mind, that's a good thing. Life here can be quite miserable when we're not on the road. You would be surprised with how many small tasks pop up for us to do around this place. From guard duty, to cleaning up our motor pool, to just basic maintenance on our trucks. Yes, life on the road is more preferable.

This last mission saw a few changes in the role I play on our convoys. Before, I was responsible for overseeing and supervising the TCN's (Third Country Nationals) that we escort to the bases in Iraq. Now, I am the LVC (Lead Vehicle Commander), responsible for leading the entire convoy to the different bases we go to. It's quite a different job, but one that I thoroughly enjoy. Well, that's all I have for now. I wish everyone the best, and I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather that fall brings. It's barely started to cool off here in Kuwait, we're finally starting to see low 100's as highs, so that's a positive.

~Wildcat~ <----- New job, new callsign

Pictures and Updates

Before I get into the pictures, I just want to let everyone know that I made it back safely from a 9 day mission. We left on the 5th, and we got back on the 14th. It was a long and tiring run, but the time seems to fade away much faster when we're on the road. Before I left for this mission, I purchased a new computer online. I purchased this computer for the specific purpose of using it on the road. I's the Acer Aspire One ( A google search will reveal more info about it) It's a tiny (8") screen that allows me to have an ultra mobile pc instead of lugging around my EXPENSIVE MacBook Pro everywhere. At $399, I think it will be a worthwhile investment. In fact, I'm typing this blog from the little PC right now.

Now, on to the good stuff. I promised pictures, and I won't disappoint. Rowdy was VERY busy this mission. I don't know if I could have done it without her :-)



Rowdy wanted to help pack, how can I say no?



Just waiting around to go to our trucks the first day



Rowdy, sitting atop her perch.



For some reason, Rowdy wanted to drive the bus to the motor pool



I told her "NO!" and instead, I let her drive my HET



The first truck is the one I had this mission.



Rowdy was too busy driving all day, she got tired quickly.



Most of CLP Knight 2-2 in front of our truck



Okay, it wasn't MY idea, but my driver's a HUGE KU fan, so we had to take the picture. If anyone has a K-State flag. . .feel free to send that my way!



Rowdy and I were both tired after a long mission. She says it's time to go to sleep.

Road Warrior

You may or may not know, but I have been on the road for the past six days. I've had the chance to travel through much of the country of Iraq, and I am on my way back south again. (there will be pictures, I promise) It seems to me like life on the road is significantly better than living life back at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. While I'm on the road, things seem to go by more than twice as fast than when I'm stuck working on my truck in the motor pool EVERY day.

Something that's really started to get to me lately is the fact that I'm not in school. With the weather starting to cool off, and the calendar starting to get top heavy, I just feel like I should be sitting in a classroom, flying a plane, or working in Salina. I'm really starting to miss school :-x I can't believe I actually said it, but I did. Oh well, I suppose there's always next fall!

Ciao

If you want to call. . .

First, I would like to thank everyone for your support, your comments have been great, and it's nice knowing that people back home like to read the blog and see the pictures.

Now, on to the best news ever. If anyone wants to call and say hello, you can get ahold of me on Skype (Username: EScvn54) or, you can call me at 785-227-9085. I purchased a local number on Skype so that anyone can call and leave me a voicemail, or chat with me. I hope to hear from some of you soon!

~Babysitter~

Boredom

According to my deployment calendar, we're quickly nearing 2 months in theater. That means, we're already 1/5 of the way to being on that big bird home. Okay, so maybe I'm looking too far into the future there, that's not something I'm ready to dwell on. However, it is only three short months before I get to take my leave, and head back to the good ol' U.S. of A. Putting aside all of the thoughts of going home . . .

I'm ready to get the heck off of Arifjan, and go on a mission North, into Iraq. There's only so many times that I can go out to the motor pool, and complete the same six tasks I did the day before. Luckily, we had the better part of today, and all of tomorrow off! It's like we almost have a real weekend. Tomorrow, I believe we're going to go to the pool for some semi-organized PT, and that's all we have on the agenda.

I suppose I've rambled on long enough about my weekend. I hope everyone back home is finding time to enjoy their extended weekend! Happy Labor Day. . .I think.

~Babysitter~

Sweat

Before I get too into this, let me first state that I DO sweat just as much as the average person. That being said, I don't think I've ever sweat this much in my LIFE. Today, the temperature was only around 110 degrees, but it felt like it was nearly 130 degrees outside. The humidity today at 2:45 is only 40 percent, but when you couple that with the 110 degree heat, the sweat doesn't stop rolling off of you in sheets. By the end of the work day, everyone looked like they had taken a shower in their own sweat. There wasn't a dry part on my body, and as I sit here, I'm still waiting for parts of my body to dry so I can clean up a little before I go to the gym, and possibly the pool this evening.

Suicidal Thoughts

Something about the mention of the "motor pool" makes suicidal thoughts flow through the platoon. NO, nobody is actually going to commit suicide instead of going to the motor pool, but needless to say, not a single soul wants to climb all over trucks when it's 120 degrees outside. That being said, we still have a little bit of fun. Here are a few pictures from the motor pool today!



Here's me at the fuel point



PV2 Paul "Nemo" Pool, my driver.



Mitchell "Snowball" Onnen



The HET is really thirsty! More power steering fluid please!



SPC Brandy Smith , Queen of the Trucks

Pictures as Promised

Here are a few pictures from the mission that was just completed. I hope you enjoy!



This is the view from my truck. A good view of all the trucks we just picked up to escort north.



This is what it looks like at the front of the convoy.



Our GPS was definitely having a few problems. It says we're going 418mph. We are not an F16.



Looking out over the desert at sunset, it can actually be quite gorgeous.



Someone's trailer broke down so we attempted to load it onto our trailer. It . . .well. . .lets just say an hour and a half later, our trailer was still empty.



This is my workstation. Complete with personal computer, machine gun, and a hat rack :-)



Unpaved roads can be fun! It would really stink if the wind were blowing straight down the road.

Apologies and Updates

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for not posting sooner. Life has been quite hectic in the Iraq and Kuwait area of operations for 2nd CLP (Combat Logistics Patrol, pronounced "clip"), 2nd Platoon. Most recently, our mission has been working long hours in the motor pool, ensuring all of our equipment is up to standard. Some nights, this means 12 hours in the motor pool; working on our trucks; taking inventory of our chains, binders, and tools on the truck; and ensuring that every piece of equipment we have is in good working order. The equipment left to us by the previous unit was in horrible condition, so this has meant a lot of work on our part, with more work to come.

Taking a break from the motor pool, 2nd CLP just returned back from a mission into Iraq. This was a short stint in Iraq, only two days spent there, and two days spent in Kuwait. Really, this is about the shortest mission that a unit like ours will do. I've taken quite a few pictures on this trip, and even another video. Nothing too exciting, but I'll be sure and post the pictures and video as soon as I get back to Arifjan.

So, until next time....... (which opefully won't be as long)
~Babysitter~

So,that's what 8 hours of sleep feels like. . .

Back from mission, and eight hours of sleep later, here I am! I must say, that's quite possibly the best eight hours of sleep that I've had in recent memory. I sincerely regret setting my alarm for eight hours. Had I not set that alarm, I'm quite certain that I could have slept for 12 hours straight. I think I'll stay up for another eight hours before I try and sleep again. Anyway, as promised, here are some photos from the trip this time. And even some video!

~Babysitter~



At a camp in Kuwait getting our trucks ready to go north



At Khabari Crossing, almost time to cross over into Iraq



That's a lot of 5 ton trucks!



You know it's been a long day when you're still driving and the sun's coming up



That's me! I'm at Camp Adder (Tallil AFB), Iraq. . . exhausted



My driver, PVT Pool! He's probably listening to a musical right here. . .



This is Southern Iraq




This is a video of us driving in Southern Iraq




All of our stuff laid out on the trailer. . .we don't pack light



Care package! Thank you!



Me with Moses, one of the Third Country Nationals (TCN's) These are the guys that drive the trucks with us on convoys.



Doing our After Action Review (AAR), we were all exhausted and couldn't wait to get into our beds.

Frustration

The Army has taught me many things in the nearly six years that I've been in. . .wow, I can't really believe it's been that long. Probably the most important thing I've learned with the Army is to accept that the things that are outside of my control, ARE in fact, outside of my control. This means I've learned to be patient sometimes, but most of the time it just means I have to accept the things I cannot change. Lately, my ability to dismiss these happenings from my list of things to worry about has been put to the test.

As I type this update, I'm sitting in my truck, sweat rolling down my face. This is because the air conditioner in our tent is not working, nor is the air conditioner in any of the tents we have available to us. The generator powering the air conditioners and lights in the tent city we were sleeping in went down. Because of this, we were force to find somewhere else to sleep for the day. Since the air conditioner in our truck works. . .rather poorly, that is why I'm sitting here in a pool of my own sweat.

If this were a single, isolated incident, I would not have an issue. However, this mission has been riddled with hiccups from the start. One of our trucks broke down no less than 500M outside of the gate the day we left, and our maintenance issues continued throughout the mission. We've been sorely lacking in sleep for the past week. . . I think I've personally slept on average 3-5 hours per night, if I was lucky. Yesterday, I was up for a 27 hour period. It is my sincerest wish that as we gain more experience, and time on our trucks, that things will begin running a little smoother for us.

I suppose that's enough venting for now. I hope to post a few pictures from our mission once I get back to the barracks at Arifjan.

~Babysitter~ <----- My callsign

That time again

Well, it's time to head out onto the road again. It's been awhile since we had our first mission, but we definitely haven't had the opportunity to rest like we would have liked. We've been busting our butts to get our trucks ready to go. I probably shouldn't say how many trucks we have that are broken and can't go out on a mission, but lets just say that we had to beg and borrow from other squads to scrape together enough trucks to go on this mission.

This is our first convoy as a squad, and it's our first convoy without another unit training/supervising us. Thankfully, we've got a really well trained and intelligent group of people running and going on this convoy. We also have Rowdy (little rowdy) here to protect us. I'll post pictures of little rowdy in action when I get back from the mission. She's already helped me get packed, and tried driving the HET. . . Who know's what she'll try next. . .

Until next time . . .

One mission down. . .

And who knows how many left to go. Yesterday, we returned from our first mission into Iraq. For myself, and the other soldiers of the 129th that went with us, it was meant to be a learning experience. We're learning from the unit that we're replacing, 2nd Trans, and they've been here for almost 15 months. Needless to say, they have no shortage of knowledge to share with us. The one trip North that we got with them taught us quite a bit about what's in store for us in the coming months. Here are just a few pictures from the trip





A picture from just outside of my truck, looking north. This picture was taken at the border crossing into Iraq, known as "K- Crossing."



The trucks all staged in a line at our first stop, Camp Cedar II, located near Tallil, Iraq.



Welcome to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP)



This is what our living quarters are like at BIAP



Just another picture of beautiful Camp Stryker at BIAP.



Getting ready to leave BIAP



Sometimes you just need to catch a cat nap before you leave.