Warrior 9/08/09

I rose today at 0500 for Physical Training. Our company Chief was in a foul mood at the muster because a few members in our platoon were late. Really these folks were not even late, but in the Chiefs mind they were. It rankled me to see her get so worked up over nothing. Ironically tonight at the 1815 muster it was the Chief who was late. Just as old Bob Dylan sang the first one was later last. Enough about the Chief though.

So where does the word muster come from?

Today's joy involved getting our 9mm Beretta and our M16 rifle. The Berreta offers great performance on the range. This is a man's pistol. A true warrior that replaced the 45 ACP 1911 service pistol. The Beretta M9-A1 (or 92FS) is the most tested pistol since the M1911-A1. Used by the U.S. Military's finest. Now I can truly be called a "warrior" as the Army First Sergeant keeps calling the trainees. I sense a touch of sarcasm in his voice when he calls us "warriors", but I don't mind as I know I am not a true warrior and really pray, hope, and expect that I will not see any action in Iraq. After receiving these fine pieces of modern day machinery, we also received about four hours of training on how to fire and safely use these weapons. Safety is paramount as it should be.

It is ironic that the folks who are training us on how to fire the weapons are retired Army personnel who are now civilians. You would think that the warriors who are currently serving actively in the Army would be up to the task, but I guess it is not in the cards. I will say they did a good job training us. I had no problem dismantling my M16 rifle, and the Army staff certainly are a lot more pleasant than the Navy folks who trained me at Newport, Rhode Island.

On a bad note, I drew watch duty from 0200 to 0400 tonight which means that my sleep deprivation will most likely continue. Courty you're so far away from home...

Too Easy

I woke up today at 5:00am today after a lousy night of sleep thanks to the snorer above me. Our platoon named bravo 3 reveled at 0520 on the grinder. The grinder is merely a parking lot in the middle of the base, and so I have no earthly idea why the military calls a parking lot the grinder except for perhaps that is where the troops use to get grinded to the ground.

First Sergeant Conklin the head hauncho was in chipper mood after that he told the group that he just gargled bong water. First Sergeant Taylor is the head enlisted trainer for our group. He is a healthy 6'4 230 lbs with a lively personality and a filthy tongue. Every other word out of his mouth starts with the letter "f". He gives the Sailors instructions such as chow is going to be at 1200 and follows it up with a question, "too easy?" Yes Sgt is is just too easy.

We got some instruction on stress in a combat zone, and how to deal with it. I also ate my first MRE An MRE is short for meal ready to eat. There are 28 different kinds of MRE's you can eat ranging from Omelets to Steaks. In 1992, a Flameless Ration Heater (FRH), a water-activated exothermic reaction product that emits heat, allowed a servicemember in the field to enjoy a hot meal. Basically you pour water into the box and your food is miraculously heated. Today I stuck to the crackers and fig bar. I will fiddle with the hot meal provided by the FRH at a later date.

The ultimate highlight of the day was the issuing of the gear. I received three bags worth of equipment. We got our Kevlar vests. After trying this on, my friend Bryan asked me how I liked carrying a midget around with me. Walking around with Kevlar on is pretty much like lugging a midget around. It is that heavy. Thank the lord it is not too hot in Columbia. I got a helmet, a gerber knife, sleeping bags, mosquito net, cold weather gear (ski pants, pullovers, heavy winter jackets), a shovel, a first aide kit. All this costs approximately $6,200 per person. Of course probably three-fourths of the stuff the military issued to us will never be used by me or any of the other Navy folks with me, but someone is getting rich off this endeavor.

Love you all!

9/06/2009- I am going to get drunk and ride my motorcycle

And so it begins, my journey to Iraq. Before I get there I must go through training at Fort McCrady training site located near Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. The Command is located on a National Guard Training site and is manned by Army personnel. Any Navy Sailor who wants to go on what is called an IA must go through this training process. Basically, you learn how to fire weapons, drive in a convoy, and navigate over land if you are lost. The name of the Command is the Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center (ECRC).

Thus far things have been good. We arrived on Friday night from LA after a delayed filled travel day. United is lame. We got issued our "birthing" and bedding. Our birthing consists of bunk beds and there are approximately 40 men in one open room. It smells wonderful. There is a nervous anticipation about the room. Some guys are fiddling with their uniform, other guys are listening to their IPODS. On Friday night I went and had a few beers with some of my shipmates at the bar on base called the Impact Zone. It is about five buildings down from our barracks. LCDR Bryan Cook was one of my drinking mates for the evening. At first glance he looks like one mean bastard with his mustache and high and tight haircut, but once you get to know him you realize that he is as soft as orange custard. He has been in the Navy for 27 years-starting out as an E-1 and has climbed all the way to an 04. He is now a supply officer. Impressive indeed. He peppered us young Sailors in the group with war stories about the Navy as all lifers tend to do, but I found it interesting. Of course as more beer was consumed the jokes came out, and I told a few of my favorites which elicited a couple of chuckles...

Tomorrow, we rise at 0500 to begin our first day of training with our drill Sergeant Gainey from North Carolina. The last words Drill Sergeant Gainey left with us as he left us on Sunday night is I am going to get drunk and ride my motorcycle. Hopefully not in that order .