This will probably be the last entry in this blog as I am, as of today, once again and officially out of the military. I "ETS"ed, which is Army-speak for allowing your contract to expire. No IRR or anything like that. I'm out. I'm going to start up with Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue to fill the void, but I know it's not the same. No more wondering if "the phone call" is going to happen. It's not my problem anymore.
So how do I feel? Well I'm not as glad to be out as I was when I left the Navy. Granted, in retrospect I missed the workload of VP-64...well let me rephrase that: I missed the sense of purpose and feeling of accomplishment. The Guard was full of great people and one of the best COs it's been my pleasure to serve under, but we weren't exactly brimming with work to do. Overall it was fun: I got to work with helos, learn some land navigation, learned to operate and strip down an assortment of manly toys like the .50 cal, put a few practice rounds through the Mk19, put a couple hundred rounds through the SAW, qualified with the M16 (though I never want to clean another one of those things again unless it's mine), learned to drive a 5-ton truck, and got to hang out with some fun folks (including more germans, who can still drink us all under the table).
Regrets? A few. I would have liked to drive a Humvee, fire the M203 and gone for a ride in a Hawk. Oh and actually getting real experience on T700s would have been nice, too. On a grander scale I still wonder what would have happened if I had gotten into the Med company. Even beyond the fact that I would most likely be headed for the big sand box, I wonder if I would have enjoyed my drills more. Too late for that now. I guess I'll always have that "what if" swimming around in my head.
We'll see in a few years what I decide. After nursing school and when Gabe's old enough to better deal with me being away maybe I'll end up back in the service. I don't know if the Guard will be my first choice. Hell I might have to join the Air Force Reserve aeromedical unit out of Macguire just so I can say I've been in 3 of the 4 branches (yah I'm not that shallow: the job they do is a great opportunity for nursing and is much more stable when you deploy since besides their other more hazardous missions they also ferry patients back to the states, so you get built in family QT). My other choice would be a V-22 unit, but I think they'll still be Marines-only in my career lifetime and I'm too old for that (literally: they won't take me). Who knows, maybe HCS-4 will get some.
Though I will miss "Sergeant Dave". I had an 18 year old kid stop me in the hallway, asking me where the recruiter's office was. I told him and he said "thank you Sergeant" as he headed off. I have to admit that I've grown to like the sound of it.
One more drill. I was super tired on Friday after getting little sleep on Wednesday night and working an overnight EMT shift Thursday. The bus ride to Ft. Dix was crowded and those school bus seats don't get any more comfortable as you get older. The barracks were nice enough though the food could have been better.
I shot a 37 out of 40, which was very good but one short of expert, which was my goal. Argh. It was a hell of a lot better than some others (loooong story). The usual hurry-up-and-wait routine, cleaning m-16s (Aviation Cleans the Way!), too much drinking and not enough sleeping. Not a bad weekend actually.
I bought Gabe a couple of UH-60 postcards. He says "hawk" now. He's so cute. I really do miss him when I'm gone.
Which leads me to the big decision of the week: extend my enlistment or get the eff out of dodge. I told our retention NCO that unless they can get me a medic slot with the Med I won't even consider it. That got an interesting response because rumor is that the Med is deploying to the big sandbox in the next year. Even other soldiers seem to share my family's incredulousness that anyone would want to deploy. Maybe it is just me, but I think that's such a sad commentary on patriotism (and not the knee-jerk kind that you buy in Wal-Mart). I would feel empty about sending anyone else to take my place. I supported the war and still think it was te right thing to do, even if I do have serious questions about how we've handled things. It seems pretty hollow and cowardly to walk away now that I have a chance to be a part of it.
Don't get me wrong, there are obvious downsides. Being away from Gabe would be torture, and he'd spend 18 months without a dad. I could deal with the never-ending pain in the ass that living in Iraq would be, but it wouldn't be fun by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who knows me knows how I hate the heat. I've seen a little as an EMT. I don't think anything can prepare me for the carnage I'd see over there, and I know that would change me somehow. I've read enough to know that it won't be for the better. I would miss other things, too: my new job, nursing school, friends, family...yeah and other things. And there's the little issue of Kate (justifyably) divorcing my GI Ass if I (for all intents and purposes) voluntered for deployment. So yeah, I have concerns. Aside from the personal issues, I couldn't help but notice that 3 more blackhawks went down this weekend. I'm the last person to pull out the "flying is dangerous" card, but I have to confide in you that flying in blackhawks isn't the safest thing to do even when people aren't shooting at you. The med still flies the hell out of their few remaining hueys and there's a good reason they prefer them over maintenance hogs like the hawk. When you add in a few hundred thousand militants with RPGs, SAMs, rifles, bombs, rocks and kitchen sinks it becomes a rather suicidal prospect to be a medevac crew in Iraq for 12 months. Perhaps it's a radically pessimistic estimate but I'd give myself a 50/50 chance of getting back home without at least being wounded. Those aren't good odds. And while one part of me says that shouldn't prevent me from doing what I think is right, the other part says I would be an utter lunatic not to when I have a kid to worry about.
It's a lot to think about, and I'm way to tired to be doing that right now.
The first drill as A Company, 226th. Saturday morning unpacking the tools for the Spams (those portable boxes we use as shops), Saturday afternoon in NBC training (that's Nuclear Biological Chemical, not the tv network).
I'm dragging because I was up at 4am yesterday for my PT test (and no, the extra hour didn't really help). I ended up getting stuck on 95 South for over an hour because of an accident. Not only missed APFT but was late for formation too. Like I need that. On the plus side, we actually had some engine work to do.
Trying to decide if I want to stay in for another year. The fam is already giving me a guilt trip about it, because everyone assumes that if I can weasel out of getting deployed, which is only a matter of time, then why wouldn't I? Ugh. I'd be more willing if I didn't have this new job (I hope) where I already will be working every other weekend. It's not even a possibility unless I can transfer to the Med. I have to make some calls today.
Shooting and camping next month. Fun.
Been a few months, huh? I missed the drill in July and August was the typical. Spoke to SGT Hitch upstairs in the Med and he now has
3 medics in overage. How is that possible, you ask? Why just 2 months ago they were down to 1. Yes well apparently the recruiters (note not MY perpetually worthless recruiter) can transfer people into the unit even if there's no billet. However (you knew there was one) he can't transfer me into the unit without a billet because I'm already in F Co. So we're trying an end-around by getting me in with the HQ Medics and then over to the Med. We'll see. I'd be happy to spend a few months finally being a medic, but to be honest if December rolls around and I'm not in the Med I doubt I'll be re-enlisting.
So the big news is that F Company, 224th Aviation is no more. We retired the colors last weekend at our monster, three-day drill in Bethany Beach, Delaware. It was a long time spent in a bus, but this time I was smart enough not to pack my pillow and got some sleep. It was a good weekend, well except for my PT test. This respiratory infection, which is probably bronchitis by now, is still kicking my ass and I went weezing around the track in record slow time. Actually it was about the same as my first 2 mile attempt a few months ago, which I suppose is an improvement. I have 5 weeks before the next drill, which should be plenty of time to ace it.
Got to study for my EMT registry exam so I can get that 91W MOS.
DAY 15Man I'm tired. We had a surprise "wizz quiz" today which was handled in the hurry up and wait style that typifies the military. After that it was yet more weapons cleaning, this time the crew-served stuff. I didn't draw the 249 that I had already cleaned at the Hill, so it took me a good 2 hours to get the thing up to my standards. It frightens me how some people define the word clean. After a quick Hazmat class we're finally cut loose. Wheeeeee!
DAY 14
Back at the Armory, back to the same old bs routine. This morning we cleaned the convoy vehicles and then unpacked our conex, which was pretty much done by 11. I spent the afternoon cleaning 4 16s and now we're just sitting around on our asses waiting to be released. I'm sure they'll wait until right before rush hour. I'm so damn tired I just want to go home.
Released at 4:30, just in time to hit the worst traffic in history. It's been monoosing outside all day and that, combined with the usual nightmare Friday rush, has turned the entire state of Delaware into a parking lot. I've always hated Delaware. I pulled into Ambler at 8pm.
DAY 13
Convoy home today. I was sleeping nicely when the bus driver slammed on the breaks and I heard the word "accident." I looked up to see one of our 5-tons flipped over on the side of the road. My platoon sergeant and I ran over and helped the crew out. The truck snapped a telephone pole like a stick but luckily the lines held while they climbed out. As usual, with a little help from my karma, they were fine. Ahhh drama.
We were dismissed at 4:30 so I drove home. Kate and Gabe are in the mountains tonight, but it's still nice to sleep in a real bed. Besides, I need to do laundry.
DAY 12
Company run! It's harder to run when you unwisely decide to bring along your video camera. I hope I at least got some good footage.
Nope, my luck with the camera continues. I have no idea why it didn't tape, but it didn't. We've all been packed and ready to go since 10am so the day is dragging. There's a bus going to Pizza Hut tonight. I think I'll go if for no other reason than to get a change of scenery. I don't plan to drink a whole lot tonight, though I'm sure we'll all hang out until the wee hours. I kept my pillow out so I can bring it on the bus.
The DVD player on this thing is still flaky so I can't even watch the movies now that I have time. Argh. Looks like another night with the Germans instead.
DAY 11
0500 wakeup. I did very well on pushups, but Army situps kicked my ass. I'm used to Navy style (hands across your chest) which are more like ubercrunches. Army style is hands behind the head to a full 90 degrees, which works a whole different set of muscles. Dang. I was a little slower on the run than I wanted to be.
Pyro training after that: smoke generators, smoke grenades, star/illumination flares, artillery sims. One of our Pfcs bounced a flare off a tree. DUCK! After that it was just getting the shop ready to move out. Radio training in the afternoon. Most of the company had it yesterday and was whining about how much it sucked. Maybe it was the smaller class size, but we loved it.
Last night, however, was the last big hoorah (at least here). We started with Jack Daniels and ended up drinking with a half dozen German Infantry guys. That's the recipe for a good night.
DAY 10
0530 for PT again. My finger is still sore but not as bad as yesterday. 0800 for weapons cleaning, yet another down side to having fun at the range. The SAWs were absolutely crusty and we melted a few heat guards on the spare barrels. I was so hungry that I actually ate my MRE today (beef enchilada). It was okay, but I wasn't in the mood to complain. We finally finshed up at 1330, which was fortuitously just long enough to miss the radio class next door. I went and did the practical test for my 5-ton truck license. Those things rattle and bounce like you can't believe and the gearing is all goofy, but I passed. Unfortunately I missed the Humvee class so I probably won't get a chance to get licensed here.
I'm totally wiped again, due in large part to my 30 minute drive in the 5-ton. My arms are sore as hell. On the plus side I have 50% of the motion in my finger. Dinner and early bed for me tonight. I have my AFPT test at 0530 tomorrow morning.
DAY 9
No PT today, but the First Sergeant felt the need to stick his head in the door at 0645 and wake everyone up. I was already up, but it's still a shitty thing to do. Happy Father's Day, right? Breakfast was eggs, grits and cinnamon scones. I wisely took my advice and skipped the sausage. The scones, despite what you might expect from Army food, were quite good. Throw in a bannana and orange and I'm pretty much set for the day.
Leader Reaction Course today. Think Fear Factor stunts or Adventure Racing and you have a pretty good idea of what it's about. 10 stations with different obstacles. Our team did very well (second place overall), mostly because we had the best soldier in the unit (my SAW partner) and another guy who is a pain in the ass but knowns hit shit when it comes to this stuff. I was a "casualty" twice and jammed the middle finger on my right hand halfway through, which made it so much more fun for the rest of the course. If it doesn't get much worse then it is now I should be okay for the rest of det.
So what did I learn today? 1) I'm a shitty soldier. 2) I'm not much better as an NCO. 3) having a sprained finger makes everything a pain in the ass.
Maybe I'm just grumpy. I need a nap.
Ahhh I feel much better now. Slept from 1300 to 1700. Read some more "Team Yankee" and did laundry. The scouts are here now so there are Humvees with TOW launchers all over the place. Taking on tanks in a glorified car seems a tad loony to me but hey, different strokes. Ended up hanging out on the porch and drinking till midnight.
DAY 8
My bad luck with batteries continues. I have 15 minutes of video footage of our crew dicking around with the Mk19. Turns out that the TP rounds are actually M203 40mm grenades, which are not the same size as Mk19 40mm grenades (further proof that Americans are confused by the metric system). You have to load them a specific way, a way which our first crew didn't know. There's orange TP paint all over the weapon now. I did get some footage of the .50cal, but then the battery on the camcorder went from 15 minutes to zero in 5 seconds. So sadly there will be no video of dave. I do have a few pictures, but I came to a dissapointing realization: I tend to look like a dork. I thought that perhaps all gussied up with an M249 I could not help but appear more manly, however in reality I just look like a dork with a machine gun. Grrr. In the end I put 400 live rounds (tracers are cool) and 600 more blanks through the SAW, plus a half dozen TP rounds through the Mk19.
The company picnic was nice. Free beer for the weapons crew courtesy of Mister R and some awesome smoked beef sandwiches courtesy of the motor pool. I stayed longer than I normally would and watched a horeshoe tournament. We had the rest of the day free and just lounged around. I read my book instead of taking a nap (dumb), made some phone calls to people who weren't home and ended up watching the first hour of "Windtalkers" which sucked every bit as much as I would have expected from a John Woo war movie.
DAY 7
PT 0530. We played a "game" where you go through a deck of cards, one by one, and do x number of y exercise. So a Queen of Spades equals 10 crunches, 8 of Hearts is 8 squats, Diamonds were push-ups and Clubs meant running in place. It sucked, but the up side is that we didn't run. My legs are so tight and sore they really need a day to relax.
Steak and eggs for breakfast. Pretty sweet. Generic training all day: heat casualties, 5-ton truck (the replacement for the venerable "deuce and a half") driver training, how to deal with the media, etc. I stopped by the barber again but he's still not there. I stopped by the exchange and picked up a hair clipper. Be afraid, be very afraid. I also grabbed a power bar so I can save my MRE. Skipping lunch seems like a good plan to lose a few pounds (or at least not gain a bunch of weight).
We're headed to the range tomorrow and apparently the rest of the company is coming along to watch. Yeah, no pressure . On the plus side, my platoon SGT will be there to take lots of pictures and video. We also have 50 rounds of HE 40mm so it should be quite a show. I need to study.
DAY 6
Up at 0530 for more PT. Yippee. We had formation this morning, which we all thought would include the wrath of the Major, but apparently she's as cool as we all thought she was (as long as we don't wake her up again, that is). The storm knocked out the power last night and apparently the mess hall didn't quite recover. That meant a quick breakfast of easily heatable items like eggs, grits, hash browns and sausage. Mental note: stay away from the sausage.
So we drew weapons and headed down to the range. The General showed up and was talking everyone. Hah, no pressure. We ended up qualifying on the Alternate course, which means instead of pop-up targets we just shoot a funny looking paper target. I didn't get my rifle zeroed quite right and I'm still not happy with the sling tension, but I ended up shooting a 32 out of 40. Not the expert rating I was hoping for but plenty respectable for a first-time Navy boy. I reshot, more for the practice than anything else. I also adjusted my sights but not enough. My unsupported score was abysmal. I had these beautiful groups of two shots, each one neatly 1 - 1 1/2 inches directly below the target. The Cav had some ammo to burn so after everyone qualed we shot at pop-up targets. 10 clips each of mixed tracers and gp (~200 rounds). Much fun, though it did little to alleive my disdain for the M-16's reliability. I gave one of the guys in my company in the next lane a couple of my clips because he burned all his ammo, which it turns out I couldn't have used anyway. Up near 140 rounds my weapon started going wonky and giving me all kinds of interesting malfunctions. After the fourth I just cleared it, put the thing down and gave the same guy my last half mag.
The only downside of firing all that ammo is that you have to police up all the brass (that's "pick up your empty shell casings" for those of you who don't shoot or aren't in the military). I'm totally wiped. Plus spending 5 hours in the sun without sunblock (I'm a dope) got me a little burned on my nose and the tops of my hands. We got back to the barracks about 1500 and had to hump over to the field camp for CTT (training). Damn it's hot out. At least the shops have a/c. We finished up about 1600, back to the barracks to get a long-overdue shower, out to chow at 1700 (chicken fajitas) and now writing this. I need to do laundry tonight but I'm so beat. Guess I'd better go now before the rack starts calling to me.
Managed to do some laundry. The commander stopped by to do some as well and a few of us had a nice chat. She's okay in my book.
DAY 5
Up at 0530 again for PT and a few more miles on the sneakers. It's getting hotter but still nice in the mornings. Breakfast was southern: biscuits and gravy, grits and eggs. Grits are pretty good (with sugar) and the rest was very nice. The rest of the morning was spent in the gloriously air conditioned comfort of the shop. We updated publications (replacing old pages with changed ones...over and over and over). I skipped the MRE today (somebody will get Beef Stew) and just snacked on a few oranges. I didn't miss the calories. I'll probably try to do that again tomorrow or maybe every other day.
1300 was Land Navigation. Interesting stuff. I know a bit about navigation, but as usual I don't know the Army Way (proper noun) so I learned a few things. This course was plotting and dead reconing (no landmarks to do location) so it was pretty straightforward. We were the only team to find all three points, plus we did the mile hike through the woods in 60 minutes flat. One of the other team members was dizzy and overheated so they called back for some help. The Commander asked where our combat lifesaver was (we only have one right now) and I thought "Oh right, I'm an EMT. DUH." So I booked off through the woods. I got there and started checking her out and 4 (count 'em, 4) vehicles pulled up. She was fine, just some minor heat exhaustion.
Dinner was excellent: roast pork w/ gravy and scalloped potatos. Mmmmmm. I took a shower, checked for ticks and other creepy crawlies and now (1820) I'm just chilling. I'll probably head over to our "rec center", hang out and have a few beers.
Whoops, turns out about 10 of us are qualifying with the M-16 tomorrow, so we had last minute PMI (Primary Marksmanship Instruction: I looked it up) at 1930. Very good stuff, plus a few tips from the old timers who know better.
So I only had one beer tonight but hung out with the rest of the usual bunch of miscreants. A huge thunderstorm rolled through right after dinner which put a damper on the outdoor plans. We just sat on the porch instead. About 2230 the commander walked over, reminded us that quiet hours start at 2200 and told us to please be quiet (I translated that from pissed off Army Officer to something a bit more repeatable).
DAY 4
Up at 0545 for PT. The Army has a peculiar way of doing everything and this is no exception. Count this way, stretch that way, etc. The weather here is also peculiar: hot during the day and cold at night. I prefer the cold, though I should have packed my own sleeping bag instead of this Korean era GI monstrosity.
Now I'm just waiting for a shower to open up. We only have 2 working showers for ~50 guys. Not that I'm in a hurry. It's 0641 and breakfast is until 0800. Not sure what we're doing after that, but I need to hit the barber and exchange today before lunch. This afternoon is PMI again, so that's something to look forward to.
Thai Style Chicken MRE today, emphasis on "style". It was passable, but the rest of the meal was unsat: rice pilaf (here's a hint, when guys are surrounded by bugs and muck the last thing they want to see in their meal pouch is wild rice that bears an uncanny resemblance to bugs), trail mix, french vanilla cappuchino mix (ha ha, very funny), cheese spread (ick), the ubiquitous veg crackers and an accessory pack with chicklets (all 2 of them). Lame. I decided to start saving my unused and unwanted items to share with friends and coworkers back home. I'll probably save a few complete meals because a) I'll get tired of them and b) they're 3,000+ calories each, which is way the hell more than my Ong Tao gut needs. I'm hoping to come back from this in better shape, not worse.
PMI was better today since it was just us and we could focus more. We had a crew from the Public Affairs det tag along with cameras, so maybe we'll get some photos and video. Bad news is that the cav cancelled their range time tomorrow so we're not shooting. They're trying to schedule time later in the week. We'll see what happens. I'd be happy to spend a few more hours field-stipping and calibrating the .50 and Mk19.
Dinner was excellent (can you tell we don't have much to worry about except sleeping, working and eating). The barber quest was futile. I guess he was sick today. They're only open tuesday and friday, so I'll have to wait even though I could really use a cut. I'll probably head to bed early again unless I catch a nap. I was dragging again today.
DAY 3
Tossed and turned all night. About 3am we had a monster thunderstorm roll through. I could use a nap. Breakfast was supposed to be at 0700 but they ran late. It was the usual military fare (eggs, french toast, sausage): okay but neither good nor awful.
Tried to not sleep through some god-awful NBC training, then spent the rest of the morning setting up our workcenter at the field site. Okay we actually spent most of the time sitting around waiting for people to make decisions. Headed back for Crew Served Weapons (CSW) training and stopped in the barracks for lunch. MREs, which a) I don't mind for short periods and b) have changed since I last had them. The expanding rib patty is no more. Today is meal #24: Meatloaf. They have these amazing chem heat packs now (think ice pack, only reverse). They have many, many warning labels and we were told that unused packs are considered Hazardous Waste, so I'm just a tad concerned about putting my food in close proximity to them. They work great though, and it's better than boiling water. The meatloaf was pretty good, the mashed potatoes were. It came with a "toaster pastry" which was not a pop-tart, but still pretty tasty, especially since it gave me something to eat while I heated the food. I forgot to take a picture, but I’ll get one tomorrow.
All afternoon was weapons familiarization (aka PMI. Don't ask me what it stands for cause I don't know either). It was tedious (limited hands on-time) but very informative. I needed a chair. I can now correctly disassemble and (probably nine times out of ten) reassemble the SAW and Mk19. The .50 cal is more complicated, but I could probably manage if I had to. We'll finish tomorrow and go shooting on Wednesday.
Dinner was Chicken Teryaki, or at least that’s the rumor. I’d rather have had another MRE. At least the bannana bread was excellent. I’ll be heading to bed early.
DAY 2
Up at 5 to drive down to Edgewood. Finally ended up packing my seabag with most of my gear and packing my kevlar, lbe, pillow and personal gear in a duffel bag. After all that deliberation I just put both bags on the humvee and pulled my laptop case out for the ride. Aht the ride...4 hours on a school bus. In case you were wondering, they are not any more comfortable than you remember. I did manage to take a few naps so I feel much better.
So I'm officially arrived at [censored: loose lips sink ships]. It's about what I expected. Boot camp style barracks, hot and lots of bugs. Everyone is pretty laid back so we're just chilling out. We're not doing PT today or tomorrow so I went out by myself for a 2-mile run. Then I followed that up with a beer (I'm breaking even, right ;). Now I'm studying up for our crew-served weapons class tomorrow and getting some sleep. Up at 0600 tomorrow.
