Friday, February 13, 2009
Air Travel or Not
It is approching 3 weeks since I left and I am yet to reach my destination. The effieciency or really the lack there of of military planned travel. But dare not deviate from the plan because someone might spin out of control because they are not programed to think on their own or show any initiative. So even theough you can get down range within a few days just stick with the plan and mark off your first month to travel. Oh and when you get to AFB X in the middle of Europe or Central Asia and you find yourself stuck there for days or weeks don't have any delusions that you are going to go off base because apparently the world might end as we know it. So stick to the tiny trailers that are overstuffed with Joe and the crappy WiFi, pop corn and coffee. I am yet to see the upside of this deployment. I know it will come but the trying part for me every time is this purgatory where I am stuck with the walking brain dead of the conventional force support elements. I can only dream that sometime very soon I will be on my own fire base in AFG far far away from this sad depressing process. But then again I will have to endure the ame stupidity on my way home. I wonder how we can beat our opponents sometimes when it takes us nearly a month to get someone down range, while on the opposing side they can get someone from the tribal areas in Pakistan to the U.S. in about 2 days max.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Groundhog Day
Well so much for all the shots I received in WV and the paperwork I filled out. The process in Indiana was identical. It was the perfect example of government bureaucrats in action. Had a hearing test in WV but the official paperwork I received in WV was not good enough in Indiana, because I wasn't in the computer system - so I had to take the same test over. At the end of it the doctor said "here is a signed copy of the results in case someone needs to verify you took the test." It was the same paperwork I had brought from WV and shown him 20 minutes earlier, only this copy was just signed by him - I guess he did not see the irony in the situation.
The other medical stations were similar. I kept hearing "your shot records are not in the system" so you need a whole new series of Anthrax, Typhoid, Hepatitis, Small Pox, and so on. The whole purpose of carrying your shot records is to insure there is a back up if the system goes down or isn't updated. Finally some common sense won the day when the doctor pulled up my sleeves to see all the recent shot scars.
The most unbelievable moment came when the medical personnel tried to tell me I needed prescription inserts for my gas mask before I could deploy to a combat zone. First, this will be my 5th trip to the Middle East and I have never even taken a gas mask out of the packaging it comes in. Second, there is basically a 0.1% chance that any chemical threat will be experienced in the area I will be going. Even if there is, there is a 0.1% chance that it will be airborne - making a gas mask useful. So lets say I find myself in that 0.1% of 0.1% situation - I would be dead because my gas mask would be packed away at the bottom of a storage box. Even if I did have it with me any type attack would be a very limited and random duration - not the type of attack we once feared from the Russians where we would be conducting prolonged combat on a contaminated battlefield. Ok so lets say I was right at the point of the attack, had my gas mask with me and was able to get it on my head in time to save my life - my inserts are going to be the last thing on my mind and in case you have never done it firing your weapon wearing a gas mask - just imagine trying to get your gas mask on while under attack with your heart beating at about 200 beats per minute and once on your gas mask fogging up because of your hyperventilating due to the fact that you are freaked out about being in a chemical attack - slow, smooth precision fire aided by inserts does not come to mind in this scenario
Did I mention that my inserts were already shipped to the Middle East and are sitting there waiting for me with the rest of my gear? Apparently, the medical staff could care less. They have to actually see them for themselves or somehow they don't actually exist. Instead they want to have new ones made - an efficient use of tax payer funds. Well you can see I am just a bit bitter about the fact that the U.S. military establishes and condones these types of bureaucratic systems. As I mentioned this is my 5th trip overseas and I have never had to go through a full mobilization process - like I am undergoing now. I can't tell you how happy I am that I have been able to avoid this in the past. Oh and apparently I survived all those other times without going through this circus.
The other medical stations were similar. I kept hearing "your shot records are not in the system" so you need a whole new series of Anthrax, Typhoid, Hepatitis, Small Pox, and so on. The whole purpose of carrying your shot records is to insure there is a back up if the system goes down or isn't updated. Finally some common sense won the day when the doctor pulled up my sleeves to see all the recent shot scars.
The most unbelievable moment came when the medical personnel tried to tell me I needed prescription inserts for my gas mask before I could deploy to a combat zone. First, this will be my 5th trip to the Middle East and I have never even taken a gas mask out of the packaging it comes in. Second, there is basically a 0.1% chance that any chemical threat will be experienced in the area I will be going. Even if there is, there is a 0.1% chance that it will be airborne - making a gas mask useful. So lets say I find myself in that 0.1% of 0.1% situation - I would be dead because my gas mask would be packed away at the bottom of a storage box. Even if I did have it with me any type attack would be a very limited and random duration - not the type of attack we once feared from the Russians where we would be conducting prolonged combat on a contaminated battlefield. Ok so lets say I was right at the point of the attack, had my gas mask with me and was able to get it on my head in time to save my life - my inserts are going to be the last thing on my mind and in case you have never done it firing your weapon wearing a gas mask - just imagine trying to get your gas mask on while under attack with your heart beating at about 200 beats per minute and once on your gas mask fogging up because of your hyperventilating due to the fact that you are freaked out about being in a chemical attack - slow, smooth precision fire aided by inserts does not come to mind in this scenario
Did I mention that my inserts were already shipped to the Middle East and are sitting there waiting for me with the rest of my gear? Apparently, the medical staff could care less. They have to actually see them for themselves or somehow they don't actually exist. Instead they want to have new ones made - an efficient use of tax payer funds. Well you can see I am just a bit bitter about the fact that the U.S. military establishes and condones these types of bureaucratic systems. As I mentioned this is my 5th trip overseas and I have never had to go through a full mobilization process - like I am undergoing now. I can't tell you how happy I am that I have been able to avoid this in the past. Oh and apparently I survived all those other times without going through this circus.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Beginning of my journey
The first few days have been filled with air travel and bad weather. Charleston, SC to Cincinatti to Charleston, WV plus 9 inches of snow and freezing rain. State SRP went suprisingly smooth thanks to the guys at State HQ. As usual lots of shots before leaving the country - arms are a little sore today. Unfortunately, no z-packs or other antibiotics for my upper chest infection.
Was able to just make it out of Charleston, WV for Indianapolis (by way of Atlanta). All the other flights were being cancelled due to the ice, snow and lack of visibility, but we were able to get out - an hour late so I missed my connection in Atlanta and didn't get into Indy until midnight. If you have ever flown into the airport in Charleston, WV you know how sketchy that mountain top runway is in good weather - now imagine it in the middle of a snowstorm fog bank and ice overtaking everything in sight. You can understand why I was vigorously praying before take-off.
Greeted by another major snow storm once I landed and enjoyed an eventful ride to the hotel - some of it sideways on the road, kind of reminded me of a scene from "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." About a foot of snow on the road so I am stuck in the hotel for two days until my guys can get up to the hotel to pick me up. I already miss the 60 degrees I left in Charleston, SC - not to mention my girls and little man.
Was able to just make it out of Charleston, WV for Indianapolis (by way of Atlanta). All the other flights were being cancelled due to the ice, snow and lack of visibility, but we were able to get out - an hour late so I missed my connection in Atlanta and didn't get into Indy until midnight. If you have ever flown into the airport in Charleston, WV you know how sketchy that mountain top runway is in good weather - now imagine it in the middle of a snowstorm fog bank and ice overtaking everything in sight. You can understand why I was vigorously praying before take-off.
Greeted by another major snow storm once I landed and enjoyed an eventful ride to the hotel - some of it sideways on the road, kind of reminded me of a scene from "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." About a foot of snow on the road so I am stuck in the hotel for two days until my guys can get up to the hotel to pick me up. I already miss the 60 degrees I left in Charleston, SC - not to mention my girls and little man.
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