"Army training, sir!"

As the title (stolen from a line in the movie "Stripes") says, I'm getting Army training now. So far, not too bad, I have to admit.

There are quite a few of us here and so there is necessarily a lot of waiting for your turn, but considering that the Army is trying to pack "Boot Camp" equivalent training into two weeks, I think they are doing a remarkable job. The Drill Sergeants are all very dedicated to this mission and they really do have our best interests at heart. Fortunately (at least so far) they understand they are not training recruit privates but that many of us here are relatively senior officers and enlisted. Their mantra is "We respect you, and expect the same in return." Like I said, so far so good.

Now, that's not to say this is all summer camp! We are out in formation wayyyyy too early (before 5:30AM most mornings) and we march where ever we need to go most of the time. The first day was all gear issue where we managed to pack the proverbial 10 pounds of "stuff" into a 5 pound bag. Seriously, I received a complete seabag at my first stop and here I got three more! The range of equipment I've received is truly boggling, everything from silk long-johns, to complete ballistic armor, to boots and socks, and of course, weapons. I am one of the "lucky" ones who have two weapons, an M-16 and a pistol. I say "lucky" because having an extra weapon means extra gear, and more importantly for someone who now walks everywhere like the infantry, more weight! I have a new appreciation for the average soldier who goes on patrol day in and day out - and I've only been at this for a couple of days.

All in all, I have to say, this is pretty good training. Sure getting used to the Army has been a little challenging (things as simple as commands can be different - in the Navy "Secure" means "put away" - in the Army "Secure" means "go get" - stuff like that) but all in all, they've kept us busy and the only wasted time has more to do with getting so many of us through than anything on their part. Tomorrow we begin weapon qualifications and it will be our first day in complete battle gear (helmets, armor, elbow and knee pads, weapons, the works) so I'll let you know how it goes. I have to say, today we wore all of the above over gym clothes (some folks uniforms weren't ready until this evening) and it was uncomfortable. With a normal uniform, I can hardly wait.

I wonder if the Army knows that South Carolina gets HOT in the summer? But then again, Iraq isn't exactly known for its moderate summers either! There has been one casualty of Army training though: my hair! It is too dang hot here for a normal haricut so I got the barber to give me the fuzz-ball look. It's short on style but long on comfort!

Cheers, Pearl

PS - I'm going to see if I can figure out posting pictures as well. Hopefully soon you'll be able to see a little of what I'm experiencing as well as hear my witty narrative.

Phase 2 complete

My second round of training is complete and tomorrow I'll be headed to Army boot camp - joy.

This week has been very interesting (for the most part) and now I have a much better idea of what I'll be doing in Iraq in working to counter the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) threat to our forces. Please don't confuse this with EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal); those are the brave (crazy?) troops who go out and disarm explosives once they are found. I will NOT be doing any of that nonsense! I will be working on ways to counter the IED threat so the EOD guys stay employed by defusing IEDs before they explode and hopefully putting the MEDEVAC guys out of a job.

But first things first, my next stop will be basic infantry training. Those of us Navy folks who are sent to Iraq and Afghanistan have to spend a few weeks getting familiar with basic infantry tools and employment. We have to qualify on our personal weapons and get some sort of training with other Army small arms and tactics. I say "Army boot camp" because our training is at a base where the Army conducts their normal boot camp for recruits, however, we get a much abbreviated version. Also, since many of us are senior officers and enlisted, the atmosphere is a little different than that of normal boot camp with a bunch of sergeants yelling at a bunch of recruits (at least I'm told that's how things are - we'll see). The up side of this training is at least I'll get some practical idea of ground operations. The down side is that I will be out of contact on my blog and e-mail until I get to Iraq and get established. Apparently, the Army doesn't see the need to provide internet connectivity to its barracks rooms while it has troops in a training status - how very 20th century! So, this will be the last entry for a few weeks as I get trained, transported, trained again, more travel, and finally imbedded with my new Army unit in theater.

I want to thank those of you who have been keeping up with this early phase of my IA assignment. I hope to have things running again just as soon as I can, however, once in theater I'm not sure what kind of availability and official restrictions I will have. But, I have every intention of keeping this forum open so folks back home can have a window into the day-to-day life of a deployed Sailor. I'm sure you understand I won't be able to talk about my job in any specific way, but I do want to be able to share the normal parts of everyday life while deployed. Keep checking in - I might be able to surprise with a quick update along the way.

Cheers, Pearl

Something useful

Yea! Today was a 100% completely useful day of training! It did border a bit on 'death by PowePoint' but still, the information I learned today was interesting, relevant, and useful for my upcoming deployment. I now have a better idea of what I'll be doing while deployed and I think I will have the ability to make some sort of difference to the Army troops I'll be supporting. It is also apparent that this is just a taste of what's in store; most of how I'll be working will come once I'm in theater and get more specific training and turn over with whomever I am relieving.

Like most jobs, it seems like some tasks will be routine and otherwise, the job can be what I make of it. One of the briefers, a guy who'd returned from a similar assignment just a few months ago, said once he got his piece up and running, he spent quite a lot of time branching out, trying to fill voids that still supported his mission. He has many years in the Navy (more by far than I) and he said it was one of his most rewarding tours he's ever done. That's very encouraging to hear!

Certainly after the awful waste of time last week, this week should be very productive and I'm looking forward to the rest of this training.

Reading

One really nice benefit of this deployment (at least so far) is I have been able to devote time to reading. I used to read just about every day, often at night before I went to bed. Ironically, my reading declined when I was in graduate school. The problem I had was there was so much school work to be read, that I felt guilty if I wasn't working on an assignment. Consequently, reading for pleasure evaporated for me. Even though I completed my degree years ago, I never really got back into the discipline of reading just for me; something else was always there to take up my time.

But this week, that has all changed. I'm now five chapters into my third book of this deployment. To be sure, neither of the first two books were voluminous, but still, I have been thoroughly enjoying getting lost in my books again.

The first book I read was one that caught my eye browsing in the book area of the local Navy Exchange, "Grace Under Fire: Letters of Faith in Times of War." It is a collection of real letters from the Revolution to today from men and women, in service and at home, and their views of faith and God in the most horrific of times. Some are the last words anyone back home ever heard from their soldier. Some are advice filled, others more mundane. I found it quite interesting to read how different people dealt with their often conflicting emotions regarding faith and war, but the common thread was, they all believed there was something beyond the ugliness of the here-and-now.

The other book I've completed is one of my all time favorites, "Starship Troopers." I've lost track of how many times I've read my tattered paperback copy of Heinlein's classic science fiction masterpiece. Not only is it a compelling story simply as a good yarn, but the political and social issues presented truly give one pause. I suppose as both a military officer and a student of political science it is natural that I would hold this book as one of the top books one should have in one's library. The central political premise (meshed with following the career of Juan Rico as he progresses through the ranks of the Mobile Infantry) is that citizenship is not a right, but is earned through voluntary federal service. If you've never even read any other science fiction, I highly recommend this book.

And now, I'm five chapters into Herman Wouk's "Caine Mutiny." Since I am so familiar with the movie of the same name, I wasn't sure if I might be wasting my time reading this story. However, after just a few chapters, there are enough differences that I know this read will be enjoyable as well. The character development an author can devote in a book is so much richer and well-rounded than in even the best movie and is certainly true in this work. It is a real read (over 500 pages while the other two books didn't even crack 200) but I'm already looking forward to the further adventures of Ensign Keith and the crew of the USS Caine.

Cheers, Pearl

Supply and Demand

I seem to have set a higher bar than I can achieve with the frequency of my blog posts with two consecutive days worth of posts. Many of my avid readers (well, my mom) have written wanting to know where's the latest news. The problem I have run into is, there isn't any news so there's no blog entry for you to read. The CWT fears of my previous post have come true.

Tuesday I got to sit around most of the morning to end up spending five minutes chatting with a doctor who looked younger than my 12 year old son and tell him exactly the same information I told a doctor two weeks ago back home about my health (fortunately, or unfortunately, there's nothing wrong with me). "No, I don't have any physical fitness issues, I ran a half marathon three months ago. Yes, my blood pressure is perfectly normal now. No, I don't have any other health issues." Then, I got to go get two more immunizations and that was my day. You have just spent the amount of time reading what my day should have taken, when in fact, I spent 2 1/2 hours to get all of the above done.

Yesterday was even better. I waited for an hour and a half to get my orders back in the morning (we had to turn them in the first day to get them stamped that we were actually here) and then had to come back in the afternoon to receive a mandatory lecture about stress and family separation. Sure, the information was not all bad ("You might want to think on sending a 'hot topic' e-mail you wrote in the heat of anger." Duh) but was really geared more to a Sailor who'd never deployed before and hasn't had to address issues like communication delays (number snail mail so you know if you missed a letter; be prepared for phone calls to abruptly end; etc). Anyway, it wasn't bad information and the speaker did a good job, it was just old news for those of us (most of the room) who've been around the block a few times.

Speaking of immunizations from the 2nd paragraph, for those of you keeping score, I have received eight immunizations since June 25th (some were follow-up shots of the same immunization but still, something went into my body nonetheless). Well, as of last night, my body finally said, "Enough." Actually, my body used harsher language but that's not really printable in a public forum. So, I now have a cold, nothing dramatic mind you, just the run-of-the-mill, everyday sinus congestion and mild sore throat, with a little cough every now and then. But, we had nothing at all scheduled for today so I slept in and have been medicating myself.

And now you are up to date. Tomorrow afternoon (another chance to sleep in - yea!) we get issued our uniforms and get our itinerary for travel to our next phase of training. The good news is, I wil actually begin training finally. The bad news is, I think it is all classified (at least we have to submit our security clearances before we show up) and I doubt I will be able to discuss it. So, you can all look forward to hearing about the books I'm reading/have read and other musing that are probably only interesting to me. Careful what you ask for!

Cheers, Pearl

CWT

I'm not sure when the Navy adopted the CWT; it has been a part of Navy culture the whole time I've been in uniform. I speculate it dates from the age of sail and the British empire, perhaps even from ancient navies. I'm sure the Army, based on stories I've heard, has also adopted the CWT. Businesses large and small, impressed by what the military has done, also seem to have adapted the CWT for civilian use.

For the uninitiated, CWT stands for "Colossal Waste of Time."

I need to be clear; the week ahead has some very valuable agenda items. Uniform fitting (today) and issue (Friday) are quite important. I don't think it would look right for me to be forward deployed in flip flops, shorts, and my pink and black Elvis shirt (as comfortable as I might be dressed as such). I actually think I'll enjoy having good boots and the latest Army camouflage uniform working in the harsh desert environment of Iraq. The brief about pay was informative (every service member in Iraq and Afghanistan gets additional pay and benefits) as was the brief from legal (although most of it I'd heard before, it was a good refresher). But, I think the Navy has managed to pack about a day and a half worth of good stuff into a full week. It is apparent that the current system is designed for someone who hasn't done any of the "required" preparation before reporting to this mandatory first stop. I suppose, like all good bureaucracies, we've decided to subject everyone to the same system so we don't have anyone fall through the cracks and show up to the Army unprepared. Oh well, it's not the first time I've been subjected to such a system and I know it won't be the last.

On the plus side, it was nice meeting my fellow IAs. Quite a few of us are going to do what I'm going to be doing - which still isn't clear to me but I know we are all going to the same place because we got fitted for Army uniforms instead of the Navy desert uniforms like the rest of the group - so we'll be together for the rest of our training. Others are doing quite a variety of other jobs going lots of other places. One officer sitting next to me has five MONTHS of training before she departs. Shoot, by the time she heads over, I'll be about half way through my tour! So, while I was a little melancholy writing yesterday, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps what I'm doing won't be so bad.

But then again, immunizations are tomorrow...

Cheers, Pearl

And so it begins...

Exactly 364 days ago, I boarded an airplane to return home from a one-year, unaccompanied assignment on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean (www.dg.navy.mil if you are interested). While I always thought getting assigned as an IA could happen, I certainly didn't expect to be saying good-bye to my family for another extended separation quite so soon. But, as we were saying to each other this morning, at least now, instead of counting down until I have to leave, we are now counting down until I am home again. As painful as our good-byes were, we are one step closer to being a whole family again.

As I walked down the terminal toward my plane to Norfolk, I felt "dual emotions" stronger than I've had before. On the one hand, it was very hard walking away from my family, knowing I'm going to miss another Christmas, another anniversary, miss my son turn into a teenager, and miss my daughter turn 16. Separations are always hard, but today's was the most difficult we've ever had. But, on the other hand, I'm going to go do something completely different than I ever imagined I'd do. I'm a professional naval officer and I've been in this profession for 18 years, but always as a trained aviator. Now, I'm going to be operating on the ground, and the Army no less! Of course as an aviator I have a natural dislike for being on the ground, and the Navy has spent over a million dollars teaching me how to never be on the ground, but still, it is exciting right now to be heading off to do something new.

I know most days are going to be very routine, even boring. The one thing I hope as I begin this deployment is that I can make a difference. Not that I think I'll make a difference in the overall war; I'm not nearly that naive. But perhaps I can make a difference in the lives of a few young Soldiers and Sailors operating in a harsh environment, doing a difficult job, day in and day out. If I can do that, then my time in Iraq will be worth it.

Cheers, Mike

PS - I really didn't stay up all night just to write this post. My blog's time is set on Iraq time for simplicity's sake - it's really Sunday afternoon for me right now.