Day 90 / Feb 27

Day 90 / Feb 27

 

            Ahh the big 90.  Only ten days til the real big 100.   Triple digits… has it been that long already?  It seems like only yesterday (90 times).

            Today started like any other, went to a meeting where most of what was said was blah blah blah blahdblah blah.   But, during that meeting, we discovered that this tester for some of our convoy equipment wasn't working.  No biggie, there was another tester on the FOB.   I sent the guy over there.

            So anyway this next story goes back a day or two to Saturday night when the BN CSM came down to our CP and asked us to pick up a .50 cal machine gun from the FOB we were going to the next day.   He gave us the paperwork and everything – should have really been no big deal.  So, I hand off the paperwork to the driver of the first truck with explicit instructions to pick it up and then I go to bed (because its about midnight – BN never feels the need for prior planning when it comes to them, but WE have to plan out 48 hours).

            The patrol left on time on Saturday (in the morning) and I was still sleeping… no big deal.   It wasn't my patrol.  It came back – without the machine gun.  Oh well, miscommunication strikes again.   The driver thought someone else was picking up the paperwork AND the gun.

            Fast forward to Monday when BN calls up on the radio (after I was just down there for my meeting) and asks if we got the machine gun.   I tell them – "no, we didn't get it, sorry."  Seconds later the CSM calls up (from the same place) and asks the same question!   Clearly, he was RIGHT THERE when I told them the first time, but being very patient, I tell him the same thing – "nope, we [still] didn't pick it up [since you called five seconds ago!], sorry."   [Leave out the part in the parenthesis to see what I really said]  Then he goes and asks, why?  Well, I didn't have a good answer yet, so I told him I'd find out when my patrol got back – just to buy some time.   The patrol really wasn't gone yet… but it also wasn't right there either.  The CSM made sure to tell me that he expected to be informed of why we didn't get his machine gun as soon as the patrol got back.

            Not long after that my OPS NCO comes storming (Yes, STORMING) into the CP red faced and jabbering about how is so pissed!, hate that guy!, hope he gets blown up! – and on and on.   After we calm him down (a little) he tells us about his run in with the CSM just a few minutes ago.  He said that he went down to BN very prepared for the CSM and his tendency to be nit picky.   He wore his eye protection and his gloves and even wore his seatbelt for the 5mph drive.  Well, too bad for him, the CSM was apparently not happy with my response on the radio – even though it was professional and polite and measured.   The CSM proceeded to grill him about the machine gun (which he knew absolutely nothing about) and when he told him so, that just made the CSM MORE angry.   So, my OPS NCO waited around inside when the CSM went outside, hoping he would go away and giving him plenty of time to do so.  No such luck.

            Once my guy went outside and went to his truck (the same truck I had taken down there just minutes before he took it), the CSM stopped him and told him he had to walk back to the CP (about ½ mile) because his windshield was dirty!   Well, lucky for my SSG he had water and some wipes on him to clean it with (thinking ahead).  So, he drove back fuming about the CSM yelling at him for something he knew nothing about.

            The CSM went out on a patrol and we debated what to tell him when he got back.   It came down to making something up that MIGHT have been true (not being able to pick the gun up without a signature card), and just telling the truth.  The Commander said to blame it on him – because the CSM couldn't do anything to him.  

            Finally my SSG called the CSM and told him it was a miscommunication as to who was to pick up the gun, and that was it.   There was no yelling, or arguing or anything really.  It was kind of a let down after expecting some big explosion.   My OPS NCO has determined that the CSM is bipolar.

 

            At lunch the CO, my SSG and I played a one dart throw at the dart board to see who was going to get lunch.   I lost - I got lunch for everyone.  I'll need to practice more before lunch tomorrow.

 

            Other than the CSM sparks this morning, it was quiet… which is good.  No booms, no bangs, no bombs.  But there WAS a tiny bit of rain.