Ok, so I did some PT (physical training) last night. My buddy Oxner invited me on a short 1 mile run. I didn't stop to walk so I counted it as a success. She just started a workout program called P90X. It is a terribly wonderful workout. My job involves a lot of sitting. Needless to say I am so sore today. I have tried streching on and off all day, I think that if my job involved a little more activity, I might not be so sore. Sigh...
So today is my birthday. There are 2 DQs on base here so I treated myself to a Snickers Blizzard at lunch. I didn't tell any one about my birthday until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it, mostly to avoid some crazy Army tradition involving pushups. Speaking of tradition, I just got a messsage on MySpace from Cogan, a buddy from 1ID. He asked if I had any near-beer this birthday. While I was with 1ID we deployed to Iraq and I had my 21st Birthday there. It sucked! This video prooves it! But then the cake was thoughtfull. It is a lemon poppyseed MRE cake with a chem-light stuck into it.
It is dreadfully borring here on BAF and I hope it stays that way. I have a count down on my Desktop at work that is currently counting down the time untill I leave for good, and until I leave on R&R. I have about 4,200 waking hours left untill I go home for good. That is give or take a week or so. We don't realy know the exat date/time we will be leaving. Something about a horse pushing a cart. Oh well.
Thanks for all of the well wishing and prayers.
Untill I feel like typing again!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Getting Settled in
So I am now settled in to a room, by myself this time. I bought a TV from one of the guys who was leaving, and I bought an Xbox from the PX. The package I bought usually comes with Kung Foo Panda and Lego Indiana Jones, but since the PX is “the best place to buy anything while being a soldier” or something like that, it came with another game for free! I have never heard of it though, I think it is called Blue Dragon… Oh well. My new room has a book shelf and a TV shelf. I am going to put in a 2 x4 clothes rack to hang up my uniforms and jackets. I am also thinking about getting another set of plastic drawers for my cold weather gear as most of it is still in my duffel bag. Although in a month or so I shouldn’t need any cold weather gear.
I had tower guard for the first time on the 1st of March. My shift was from 2100 to 0500. But we wound up getting relieved at around 0600. Usually tower guard is pulled by one American soldier and One Afghanistan soldier. But since there are only male Afghanistan soldiers, the female American Soldiers pull the tower guard with another female, so that was good. The night shift is the hardest, I was given the afternoon of the first off to sleep, but it was as if there was a conspiracy against me getting sleep. It seemed like if anyone wanted to have a conversation, they did it right outside my b-hut, and then someone barged into the hooch and yelled for one of my roommates, sheesh, at least he could have knocked like a civilized person. So I got up a little earlier than I expected so I went and got some chow, then reported to my tower. It was OK at first. Then we started getting tired so we started singing, just little silly songs. I did the Princess Pat, and then we went into other Girl Scout songs. From there we started into Disney songs. Then we got tired again. I walked outside around the catwalk in the cold morning air to try to wake up, it worked, but then I went back inside. It was definitely the longest 8 hours ever. The next times I have tower guard are all second shift that starts at around 1300, thank goodness.
I have given up TV for lent, so I have been reading. I am on my second book so far. Now that I have internet in my room, I will have something else to do so my books should last a little longer. I am currently about halfway through the third Twilight book, Eclipse. Oh my, those books are good! I heard that the movie was fairly close to the book, so I am going to pre-order it on Amazon.com. I was looking at some books at work and noticed that sometimes the Barnes and Noble price is lower than the Amazon price, and sometimes it’s the other way around. So I’ll be comparing now. Speaking of online shopping, the PX, both the big PX and the smaller North PX Shopette, does not have any gel or hairspray! So I went online to find some. I did and I am thinking that I might should have ordered sooner as I am almost out of gel. Well If I do run out, I’ll think of something.
Every person who comes into Afghanistan has to go through the Day 2 briefings. The Mine Action Center (MAC) is responsible for the Explosive Hazards Awareness Training. Since I work in the MAC I have to be able to give the briefing. Usually the other two guys, Loughran and Stoeger, give the briefs. But today Loughran had guard duty, and we were expecting 300 people, so I got to give it for the first time today. The other instructor said that I did ok for the first time. He said that I started out ok but then I got nervous. I didn’t remember being nervous. But maybe I just forgot to breathe. When we were practicing at the office that was my only problem, I try to talk so fast that I forget to breathe. So I need to work on that a bit more. But Loughran has guard duty again in a day or so and then R&R will come around sooner or later so I will get plenty of practice.
I had tower guard for the first time on the 1st of March. My shift was from 2100 to 0500. But we wound up getting relieved at around 0600. Usually tower guard is pulled by one American soldier and One Afghanistan soldier. But since there are only male Afghanistan soldiers, the female American Soldiers pull the tower guard with another female, so that was good. The night shift is the hardest, I was given the afternoon of the first off to sleep, but it was as if there was a conspiracy against me getting sleep. It seemed like if anyone wanted to have a conversation, they did it right outside my b-hut, and then someone barged into the hooch and yelled for one of my roommates, sheesh, at least he could have knocked like a civilized person. So I got up a little earlier than I expected so I went and got some chow, then reported to my tower. It was OK at first. Then we started getting tired so we started singing, just little silly songs. I did the Princess Pat, and then we went into other Girl Scout songs. From there we started into Disney songs. Then we got tired again. I walked outside around the catwalk in the cold morning air to try to wake up, it worked, but then I went back inside. It was definitely the longest 8 hours ever. The next times I have tower guard are all second shift that starts at around 1300, thank goodness.
I have given up TV for lent, so I have been reading. I am on my second book so far. Now that I have internet in my room, I will have something else to do so my books should last a little longer. I am currently about halfway through the third Twilight book, Eclipse. Oh my, those books are good! I heard that the movie was fairly close to the book, so I am going to pre-order it on Amazon.com. I was looking at some books at work and noticed that sometimes the Barnes and Noble price is lower than the Amazon price, and sometimes it’s the other way around. So I’ll be comparing now. Speaking of online shopping, the PX, both the big PX and the smaller North PX Shopette, does not have any gel or hairspray! So I went online to find some. I did and I am thinking that I might should have ordered sooner as I am almost out of gel. Well If I do run out, I’ll think of something.
Every person who comes into Afghanistan has to go through the Day 2 briefings. The Mine Action Center (MAC) is responsible for the Explosive Hazards Awareness Training. Since I work in the MAC I have to be able to give the briefing. Usually the other two guys, Loughran and Stoeger, give the briefs. But today Loughran had guard duty, and we were expecting 300 people, so I got to give it for the first time today. The other instructor said that I did ok for the first time. He said that I started out ok but then I got nervous. I didn’t remember being nervous. But maybe I just forgot to breathe. When we were practicing at the office that was my only problem, I try to talk so fast that I forget to breathe. So I need to work on that a bit more. But Loughran has guard duty again in a day or so and then R&R will come around sooner or later so I will get plenty of practice.
Finaly In Afghanistan
12 February 2009
Since I haven’t had internet access I have been saving what little has happened as word documents on my computer. Now I have internet – YEAH!! I have told some people that I would be at FOB Sharonna. Things have changed, as they often do in the Army. When we arrived at Bagram Airfield (BAF) we found that there was a need for a topo guy (or gal as the case may be) at the Mine Action Center (MAC) on BAF. As of now it’s me. I will be working with an Australian Major, a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, and another SPC and a PFC. The hours are easy for being deployed, 0800 ‘till we are done, tonight it was 1900, but it could also be 1700 or 2200. BAF used to be a Russian base, so it is mined like crazy so there is plenty of work to do at the MAC, also the database has passed through many hands, and it shows, so I will also work on that so it will make some kind of sense for whoever replaces me.
BAF is one of the larger bases in Afghanistan, as airfields tend to be. The main drag, Disney, is about 4 miles long. The base, excluding the runway and flight line, is not that wide. Most everything is on or just off of Disney.
BAF is an airfield, so there are all sorts of planes taking off and landing at all hours. It is funny how the largest ones, C17s, make hardly any noise, and the smaller ones, some sort of fighter, are so loud! Today was overcast and drizzly all day. This morning as I was on my way to work I saw 2 of the fighters taking off and I could see the glow of the exhaust –COOL!! :)
Since I haven’t had internet access I have been saving what little has happened as word documents on my computer. Now I have internet – YEAH!! I have told some people that I would be at FOB Sharonna. Things have changed, as they often do in the Army. When we arrived at Bagram Airfield (BAF) we found that there was a need for a topo guy (or gal as the case may be) at the Mine Action Center (MAC) on BAF. As of now it’s me. I will be working with an Australian Major, a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, and another SPC and a PFC. The hours are easy for being deployed, 0800 ‘till we are done, tonight it was 1900, but it could also be 1700 or 2200. BAF used to be a Russian base, so it is mined like crazy so there is plenty of work to do at the MAC, also the database has passed through many hands, and it shows, so I will also work on that so it will make some kind of sense for whoever replaces me.
BAF is one of the larger bases in Afghanistan, as airfields tend to be. The main drag, Disney, is about 4 miles long. The base, excluding the runway and flight line, is not that wide. Most everything is on or just off of Disney.
BAF is an airfield, so there are all sorts of planes taking off and landing at all hours. It is funny how the largest ones, C17s, make hardly any noise, and the smaller ones, some sort of fighter, are so loud! Today was overcast and drizzly all day. This morning as I was on my way to work I saw 2 of the fighters taking off and I could see the glow of the exhaust –COOL!! :)
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