DAY 5 / DEC 03

DAY 5 DEC 03
Yesterday I missed writing due to being tired and lazy. I can’t say that I DIDN’T have the time, but I didn’t have the time in a convenient manner. I woke up around 0800 and had to do some actual work – I know, it’s uncommon, but it does happen. I was finally able to get into the shower today. I found just the right time and there was no one in there with me, so I took a decent shower, washed my hair and all that and felt good again for a minute. I didn’t change BDUs yet, I want to wait until I get up into Iraq and can get a routine going there.
After that, I went to the DFAC for lunch, had something that I don’t rightly recall now, but it wasn’t bad. They do seem to have an issue keeping the cola stocked, I am finding that I have to drink the orange FANTA instead of my usual Coke or Pepsi.
Earlier I mentioned that I had an IED brief I needed to go to and in order to go to it, I had to get in line immediately after lunch, which I did. We sat outside the building we were told to be at for about an hour and half, on some half filled sandbags. I took a little nap, sitting up against the wall, in a small bit of shade. When I woke up, there was about 100 people standing around waiting to get it. Finally, the Sergeant opened the door and we nearly rushed the door to get in. He stopped the stampede and asked if we were with the Aviation Brigade. Well, we should have said yes and come on in, but I was told that we were to say we were with the BCT, and that’s what I did. Well, my mistake. As it turns out the 3 BCT was supposed to be at the OTHER building, half a klick away. So, the entire group rapidly walked, because running would have looked desperate, and managed to find the other building – just to discover that there was roughly a battalions worth of people standing there already. We moseyed on up to the front, not having a formation to be in and were told that we would have to let the other people in first because they had been waiting for an hour.
As the door opened, the groups filed in single file and as I approached the door, we were stopped by another group going in. It was a time of confusion as people were let in, others were kicked out, and eventually we managed to get inside the air conditioned tent and get seated on the wooden benches (unfinished plywood benches). The first two hours were about current trends in IED placement, types of IEDs, who is setting them, and how best to handle them when you come across one. The second half consisted of a semi-funny Irish Soldier in the British Army who told us about friendly fire, how to recognize friendly vehicles from other countries and after mentioning that 9 out of 10 friendly fire incidents involved US attacking British troops, joked that they had given us our freedom, what else did we want? And to stop trying to kick their asses. It was pretty funny, but I guess you had to their to appreciate the accent involved. The briefing ended just in time as I was beginning to have trouble staying awake and keeping up with the multitude of civilian vehicles that are being used by other armies for moving people around.
Small world. At the briefing, there was a SFC from a Fort Hood Brigade telling everyone in his section to sign in. I turned around to look at him because his voice sounded familiar. As it turns out, we were in the same company together back in the 90’s at Fort Drum. So, back then he outranked me, and now it’s the other way around. We talked for a bit before the briefing started, but its always funny to find someone you knew so long ago that’s now in the same place you are.
After the briefing, I went and signed up for the phone center, thinking that I could get in line early and after dinner, have my name almost up. I then went back to the barracks and was feelings very sleepy and tired. I read a little bit of Stephen King’s, “Colorado Kid,” and subsequently couldn’t stay awake. At about 1600, I set a timer to wake me up in 45 minutes.
When I woke up at 1930, I had missed dinner and my phone time and was a bit disgruntled by that, but because there was nothing I could do about it, I made the best of it. It actually worked out for the best, because I discovered that if I waited until midnight to use the phone, I could go to the Brigade TOC and use the DSN phone there with little to no wait, but I haven’t been able to get on the internet yet – but it’s coming.
Stayed up late reading, couldn’t sleep and eventually got to sleep around 0400.