The process of going away

So - now that I've got a little time on my hands I purchased a wireless card from what appears to be a reputable tin hut here on base and I'm now sitting in Starbucks (yes, that Starbucks. Pretty surreal) with decent internet. I did have to buy yet another power adapter to add to my collection from Europe. I kind of assumed we'd use our technology in our base that we built, but apparently I'm the idiot in this equation.

I digress. Left FT Jackson on Saturday after a few hard hours of goodbyes and other assorted life maintenace. Took a bus to the same small airport at which we arrived to find that the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post had set up a farewell for us (as they do for every NIACT class apparently). It was awesome. I'd guess around a hundred veterans and volunteers showed up to give us tons of free food, drinks, and assorted goodies, and otherwise just wish us well. From WWII vets to soldiers who've been deployed longer than they've been home in the last six years, we got to hang out with a ton of awesome people who showed up just to send us off. Pretty cool.

One thing you should know about me if you don't already is that I'm a bit of a gear-head. I love machines and gadgets of all types and I'm very easily amused/impressed by them. The plane waiting for us was a wide-body DC10 - something I'd never encountered before. It's not all that long an aircraft but it's REALLY stocky looking and it's got a massive engine on the tail that looks like it was strapped on as an afterthought when the builders realized the thing couldn't strip the paint off the houses it flew over and they really wanted to leave no doubt. My kind of vehicle.

We get in this thing and thankfully about every other seat was empty and we had a ton of room - a good start, but I didn't realize what I was dealing with until we started moving. I tend to fly a lot these days and it's usually always on something like a 727 or A320 or some other dinky little short hopper being pressed into service for 6 hour flights. Not the worst thing in the world but it seems like it's about equivalent to riding the bus. On the contrary, the wide-body DC10 does not play such games. It is an incredibly solid plane and feels insanely powerful. It looked ridiculous on the runway because it's WAY too big for the airport we took off from, but as soon as the pilot throttled up it felt like we just jumped up and left. The only shorter take-off I've experienced was from the deck of the USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, and that took a little help. Amazing. No turbulence, beautiful landing. All the way to Kuwait, kicking the ass of every other airborne object along the way. I want one.

Rant off. Actually got some sleep on the flight. Didn't get a window seat. We flew over Iraq on the way in apparently but I didn't get to see any of it... not that I won't be getting more than my fair share soon enough, but I don't know how many opportunities I'll have to see it from a safe altitude. Landed in Kuwait about 6PM local time - a full 1.5 days on the calendar after we left FT Jackson. I truly feel cheated out of that time. Pretty surreal.

What I didn't know is that Kuwait is actually on the moon. This place is nuts. Can't see the sky because of all the sand in the air, and it isn't even sand stormy. And speaking of the sand, it's closer to brown flour than something you might find at the beach. The same stuff has been blowing around and getting trampled for thousands of years here and it's turned it into a fine powder that lifts off the ground in the slightest breeze and makes a beeline straight for my eyes. Sweet. Not so hot yet, but you can tell it wants to be.

We're now at an undisclosed location in the middle of the desert for a few days doing admin stuff and relaxing (purposefully, which is nice) before heading even farther out into the desert for some more exensive weapons and convoy training, after which we will short-hop into Iraq and start the party. Should have decent internet access for the remainder of the time we're on this base, won't have any during training, and can't tell when I'll be back up in Iraq. Stay tuned.

For those of you who know me, I now have a Skype account which is the easiest and best way to communicate because you get to stare at my beautiful face and I won't think it's weird. Communicate with me by the normal channels with which we communicate and I'll give you my contact info. I believe I'm 7 hours ahead of eastern standard time, 10 ahead of pacific. Could be wrong. I don't even know what day it is.

Thanks for reading - it is quite meaningful to me that you take the time to stop by and ramble along with me, and I imagine over the next indefinite number of months it will become more so. Let me know you're out there - I miss you all!

VFW greeting at the Columbia, SC airport.

Girl Scout cookies. No Samoas. Boo.

This old sailor has been kicking ass since WWII, kept it going through Korea, and spent his Saturday letting me know he appreciates me. To say that our conversation was humbling does not begin to do it justice.

The Beast.

VFW, NIACT, and Task Force Marshall staff shaking our hands on the way out.

I carried on justice.

Staging area at the airport in Kuwait.

Dominoes with perverts. Actually, those are just their cruise 'staches. Long story - Navy tradition. I am contemplating growing one of my own - stand by for developments.


Water and I speak different languages.

Tent City - living large.

So large.

My life in 4 sea bags, a back pack, a pistol belt, and a cot or less. Carried all but the cot at once last night.

In case of mortar or rocket attack, here's a C. Thanks.

Not a lot of note around here.