Mississippi?

Looks like we are going to Camp Shelby, MS. It's supposedly the largest Army Reserve training site in the country. All of us except the two guys who needed to take the NREMT-B test were supposed to get orders, but there was some sort of snafu. One of the guys who was supposed to stay and test in Texas got orders instead of one of the guys who was supposed to leave with us. This concerns me a bit because the same thing happened to the same guy last time in South Carolina. The person responsible for cutting orders forgot about him. Oh well, hopefully the matter will be resolved soon. Oh, one last thing. According to the orders, assuming that we interpreted the information correctly, we are going to be waiting for a reserve unit to show up to the training site. We may be sitting around for a couple of weeks, just waiting to get picked up. Hopefully, that won't be the case. Only one way to find out =/

Orders

We've got orders. Our POC is going to drop them off at our barracks later today. We fly out Monday. Will update once I have them in hand.

Done! At least, I think...

So we finished our NREMT-B refresher training today. Now, we have no idea what we are up to. We've been hearing conflicting stories about getting our reports on either Friday or Sunday. All I know for sure is that we are meeting one of our training NCOs tomorrow morning. Hopefully, we will receive some concrete intel and guidance. On a side note, I went bowling with two of the other guys about an hour or two after we finished training today. I actually bowled a 159 (well over my previous record high)! After that, we played a game of Texas Hold 'em with a 20 dollar buy-in (I lost spectacularly) and then watched the last episode of Generation Kill. By the way, we've been watching Generation Kill every night for the past week right before we went to bed. I guess that it's starting to hit home for some of us. We're on standby to deploy and it is so fucking surreal. I still sometimes feel as if I am back in AIT for the first time and don't have a care in the world other than getting to my first unit. I guess I can't really describe the feeling. I know that I'm going to deploy soon, but I somehow try not to care or even think about it. I guess it's some sort of defense mechanism or something. Oh well, the shit's gotta to hit the fan sometime. I just hope that I'm prepared.

VTT Sucks!

Video telecommunication training sucks. Fort Same Houston operates as the central hub, with numerous other hubs calling in to join our data stream (we have hubs from Iraq, Aberdeen, Fort Irwin, etc.). Anyhoo, we lose connectivity as least once or twice every hour. That sets our training back at least 5 minutes because our instructor has to pause and wait for everyone to re-establish communications and then do audio/visual checks with all of the other hubs. In theory, VTT is a great approach to long-distance learning/training, but we have so many glitches to contend with that it becomes a nuisance. One cool thing is that we all have one microphone stand on our desks and when we switch on that mic, the camera focuses in on us and the mic goes hot. Then, all the other hubs are able to see and hear us. This allows for truly interactive distance learning/training. Regardless, I am glad that we only have 2 more days of crappy VTT to go through. We'll get our orders Friday. At least, that's what I've been hearing from the others. I think I'll knock out some more CEU's for my NREMT refresher packet and then hit the hay.

I finally like something about my phone

I didn't update for a couple days because I didn't really have reliable wifi on Fort Sam Houston, that is, until now. I finally figured out how to use my phone as a broadband modem through bluetooth. Now, I can use my laptop and phone to surf the net again. Anyhoo, we went through a few days of CMAST this past week (Combat Medic Advanced Skills Training) and now we are ready to do the NREMT-B refresher now. Word is that we will get our orders sometime soon. A request for our next set of orders has been put in, so all we have to do now is navigate the MOS refresher and, of course, hurry up and wait. It's kind of strange, being back in a training environment, surrounded by privates. It's sad to see how relaxed and undisciplined privates are nowadays. So much has changed in the past few years. For example, they moved out all of the drill sergeants and replaced them with regular NCO cadre. Also, the training environment is definitely more low-stress than when I went through. I just hope that they get adequate training for the field. I think that I'm going to go on a beer run or something soon. Getting a little bored. Half of the guys here flew their wives/family/girlfriends into town for the weekend. I'm pretty much stuck here with 2-3 other guys who don't have anything else to do. I'm gonna see if they want to go downtown or something later. Maybe I'll watch a movie now.

*Edit*

I totally forgot to mention a really cool training room. There's a room called the blood lab, and they call it that because it is full of interactive dummies that are part of a simulated mass casualty scenario. These dummies can talk, scream, simulate breathing, actively bleed, and they gather data (such as interventions performed, time of treatment, etc). Also, there are operators who record everything on camera, and I do mean EVERYTHING. The blood lab hasn't changed much since the first time I went through it in 2005, but I remember it being more intense the first time through. For example, in '05, it was a lot darker, more gory, and hectic (instructors yelled at you and there was simulated chaos complete with gunfire, ambient battlefield noise, and music from Blackhawk Down on loop). It was very good hands on training, to say the least. I also feel compelled to mention how far battlefield trauma medicine has come along. In a few short years, such innovations as the CAT (Combat Application Tourniquet) surfaced and made our jobs as medics all that much easier and made our inventions and treatments much more effective. We are able to treat combat casualties much more quickly and effectively than before. This makes me happy and confident in my skills, as well as the Army's ability to supply us with what we need (when it truly matters, I guess).

Ugh

No wifi in the barracks. At Fort Sam for about two more weeks. Then, we either go to Kuwait or link up with our units stateside before shipping out.

Riverwalk

Went to Coyote Ugly last night. Needless to say, we all came back to the hotel drunk. Good times. We're still on pass until Tuesday, so we'll be out and about again tonight.

Update

Did more classroom training today. Also formulated a plan of action for our cumulative convoy training tomorrow. It's supposed to be really interactive and intense. I'm talking about pressure plate ieds and opfor ambushes. Sounds like good, fun training. Going to take more pictures. After that, we are all flying out to our respective mos refresher sites. That means about three weeks of fun in San Antonio, TX. Looking forward to my old stomping grounds!

Range and Rollover

Had a pretty good day today. First, we went to one range to group/zero. Naturally, I couldn't group/zero to standard. I always have issues with breathing whenever I shoot at paper targets. After that, we went to an actual range to fire at pop up targets. I did pretty well with 35/40 targets. Only one person in our group scored higher than me, with someone else tieing my score in the next firing group. We surprisingly finished early (before noon) and then we were off to roll over training. There was this really neat HMMWV simulator that rotated along its long axis. We got to experience what it felt like to be in a roll over and we also learned survival/escape techniques. After all that, a few guys and I went to the gym to work out a bit. We actually have PT at 0600 tomorrow morning, so I think I'm going to turn in a bit early tonight.

BRM

We went over BRM fundamentals and got some M16 familiarization today at the EST range. We get to group, battle-sight zero, and qualify on our weapons tomorrow at the proper range. Also drew M16s and some gear like body armor, kevlar, and canteens. Was a pretty interesting day. I expect that we'll spend all day at the range tomorrow. Some of us haven't fired in years, plus we have some officers who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a Mark 19. A couple of buddies and I went to the gym after training today. Did cardio and abs. Super tired now and waiting for our hit-time at the DFAC. A buddy and I made a deal to take pictures tomorrow at the range. I'll take pics of him and he'll take pics of me when we get to fire, respectively. I think I'll watch some Boondocks.

Hungover

Columbia was interesting to say to least. There are two "hotspots" downtown: The Vista and Five Points. We ended up going to Five Points and staying at The Clarion. Lots of decent pubs and bars around, but the ratio was really bad. I think it was something like 3 to 4 guys for every girl out. Supposedly, it gets better once the semester starts. Then all the USC students come out to play. Anyway, one of our buddies got really drunk and belligerent, so we had to babysit him and literally drag/carry him back. We tried to get him to crash in our hotel room but he kept refusing, so we ended up getting a cab and taking him all the way back to McCrady. Cost us 90 bucks to make sure he made it back safely. He almost went to jail a few times too. If it weren't for the 3 of us supporting him down the street and trying to keep him calm, the cops said that they would have taken him in. Needless to say, I'm glad we made it back and there weren't any major issues. Well, I'm gonna nurse my headache and just chill out on my bunk.

*Edit*

Oh, I remembered an incident that I definitely don't want to forget, so I figured I'd stick it in here. I think around midnight-ish, we went to a place called Sharkey's (or maybe it was next door). A group of us ran into two Marine officers (0302s to boot) and I remember there being much revelry and rounds of shots being purchased. Later, a buddy of ours, named Wes (who happened to be drunk out of his mind), was suckered into playing of game of pool by some punk-ass college kids. Wes, who happened to be an overly friendly drunk, agreed to play against these kids, with the terms stating that the loser had to buy the winner drinks. The punk college kid quickly got up to break but scratched on the break, which resulted in an immediate and somewhat ironic victory for our beloved drunk friend. The college kid quickly started to reason that it was unfair and unlucky for him to lose in such a fashion and proceeded to restart the game. Our other friend, James, who happened to be Wes' partner stated that Wes won the game fair and square and the college punk owed him a round. The college kid failed to produce said round and I believe that he was prepared to engage in fisticuffs to resolve this matter. However, James started to get up in his face and started yelling obscenities rather loudly and obnoxiously. The college kid put up a front, but as James stated, "I've never seen such a tough guy talk so much shit and back up at the same time." Then the Marine officers jumped in and pulled James off the college punk bitch and calmed him down. James later told me that the college kids gathered a bunch of their faggot ass friends and waited outside the bar so that they could jump us. Luckily, we stayed for a fairly long time and only had to deal with our belligerent, drunk colleague (I guess the college kids got a bit cold waiting outside in 10 degree weather). To the Marine officers: I don't remember your names nor where you were stationed, but thanks for having our backs.

The world is spinning

Drank a lot yesterday night. Blogging from the phone right now so no long posts until Sunday when I get back to the barracks.

Just some advice

The following is a response to a question that someone asked and I figured I'd post it here, in case others had similar questions or wanted some extra information.

Most of us are out of shape but nobody has been refrad'ed (released from active duty) for height/weight standards yet. According to some cadre, we are entitled to 6 months of time to get back into shape once activated for active duty. Essentially, no APFTs until we are 6 months into our mobilization. However, there is one IRR guy who is here for the second time (unlucky I guess) and he said he never took a PT last time he got mobilized for Iraq. I did see one really fat SSG though. He was easily 6' 300 (at least) and as far as I know, he wasn't going home anytime soon. Yes, I did bring a laptop and there is wifi. It is spotty and really slow at times, but its enough to get by on. Also, there is a computer lab that can be utilized for those soldiers who didn't bring or own laptops. The DS here are really good. They take care of ya and they know what the deal is. They treat you like adults and there is no hand holding here. There's a lot of hurry up and wait but overall, it's not that bad here.

Oh, also, there was one female PA who was really good about working with people. Essentially, if you have some sort of legitimate medical/psychological condition and don't want to deploy, she will work with you to try to send you home. I almost had to beg her to clear me to deploy. Instead, she just referred me to a bunch of specialists/physicians to make sure that I was good to go. She actually wanted to REFRAD me on the spot, but I had to convince her not to. Instead, she dug around through my medical history and found really small problems here and there to bust me. I appreciate it though because it shows how much she is concerned about my health and well being. Make sure it is a legitimate issue that can be confirmed with medical tests or consultations though (ie. either have documentation of it in your medical chart, collect disability benefits from the VA along with the award letter and other documentation, or have a valid doctors note with supporting documents).

Oh, if you have a VA disability of 30% or more (for one particular issue though, not total percentage. For example 30% for a back injury is 30%, while 10% for A, 10% for B, and 10% for C don't add up to 30%) you will probably need a waiver or some sort of medical followup to get the PA or Physician to clear you for SRP. Basically, if you have a VA disability rating of 30% or more for one specific condition, you have a really good chance of going home if you really ask and make a deal about it. On the flip side, if you have a rating of 30% or more and want to deploy, you have to jump through hoops to prove to the PAs that you are really clear to deploy and won't be in any immediate medical danger. If you have questions, feel free to ask. I've got some free time in the evenings here at McCrady.

Day 5

Went through CIIF/CIF today. Got a whole new issue of high speed PTs and 4 sets of ACUs as well as 2 new pairs of boots, one hot and one cold weather. We also handed in our passes to the cadre for this weekend. I'm really looking forward to having the weekend off (no alcohol here =/). The cadre were saying that we are supposed to start land nav training tomorrow morning. Not really looking forward to getting lost in the cold, but I'm really stoked to start training again. Most of the guys finished SRP and everything else yesterday and today, but a handful of us got screwed by the PA/clinics and late appointment/consultation scheduling. I don't blame them because they try the best that they can do speed us along, but I don't think that they are prepared to deal with the volume of soldiers that pass through their stations. Oh, there are a couple of REFRADs now (released from active duty). Some are going to be medboarded out, while others are just being released back into the IRR. I think the policy was to have them out by the end of the 25 day mobilization, but the story is that some people wrote/called their congressmen/women and complained about the slow process. Now, the cadre try to process them and have them back home within 5-10 days. Hopefully the physician will write me my second waiver tomorrow. I'm sort of looking forward to this deployment and I'd be pissed if I dropped everything at home to fly all the way out here to just go back a week later. Anyhoo, it's getting a little late so I think I'm going to smoke, check the football game scores, then turn in for the night. Got a long day tomorrow.

P.S.

For the IRR guys who are reading this blog, please show up with some sort of lease agreement that is NOTARIZED. The finance office is really anal retentive about that notarization. Also, you do not have to bring all of your uniforms/gear. You will be provided with the basics that you need to complete training and deploy. You are definitely welcome to bring your old gear and uniforms, but that just means that you will be flying out of SC with extra duffles. Bring your patches and stuff and an IRR SSI patch if you really want to (I did because I didn't want to be confused with those basic recruit bastards). I wish I just brought a weeks worth of civies and my patches only though. I've got like 8 sets of ACUs and 2 complete sets of APFUs complete with high speeds and whatnot. Oh, bring an iPOD/books/laptop/portable entertainment because you WILL be sitting around for hours for the first 3-5 days. Um, if I remember anything else, I will definitely post it on this blog. I'll try to keep you guys filled in. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to get some pictures uploaded sometime soon. I took a bunch but never did get around to actually uploading it and linking it (wifi is really slow at night).

Day 4

Nothing exceptional happened yesterday. Just more paperwork and crap. Well, we didn't have to report for formation until 0730. Its nice to sleep in, haha. I was supposed to get new uniforms issued but had to catch up on paperwork. Oh, went to finance today. Turns out that I'll be making a little more money that I had thought (just another hundred or so). It may not be much but it all adds up. Anyway, we may get a pass for the weekend. It'll be awesome to have Saturday and Sunday off to check out Columbia and see what SC has to offer. Almost done with SRP and paper processing. We'll be starting PT and REAL Army training this upcoming Monday. Looking forward to getting dirty and popping off rounds. I'll try to take some pictures and stuff. Until then.

No sleep tonight

Oh my god, there are 3 people right next to my bunk that snore LOUDLY. Its like goddamn clockwork. Snore, snore, snore. I guess I'm pulling an all-nighter tonight. Time to watch cartoons for the next 3 hours.

Day 2

We had more guys show up late last night. Now we're up to a couple dozen guys. Woke up at 0430 today. Damn o'dark thirty and cold as hell. I found out that most of the recalls here are either commo/signal series or medics like myself. Oh, I actually met someone that I went through medic school with. Same platoon too. Turns out that he got recalled just like me. One of the female medics told me that she was told that we would be going back to San Antonio for 25 more days after we finish our two weeks here. Unfortunately, we'll be spending some time at Camp Bullis. Not really looking forward to sleeping in tents and marching around in the cold. I am looking forward to weekends off and alcohol though. We aren't authorized to drink here at McCrady. Supposedly, a few months ago, someone got drunk and jacked it up for the rest of us. Anyhoo, we did more SRP today. Went through medical, dental, vision screening, etc. Had to wait about an hour for every 5 minutes of actually processing/paperwork. Talk about boring. After dinner, a couple of guys and I checked out the day room, The Impact Zone. Its a medium sized room with a flat screen tv (no dvd player though =/) and 2 broke ass pool tables. Even the foozeball table is jacked up. We gave up pool after about 10 minutes (the tables have ripped fabric and step-offs/slants). Got a piss test in the morning and more processing tomorrow. There is talk about getting uniforms issued either tomorrow or Wednesday. Looking forward to getting some sniffle gear. It is friggin cold here. Like 15 degrees in the daytime. Well, got to piss at 0430 so I'll be up extra early tomorrow. I guess I'll turn in early today.

Day 1 cont.

Finally arrived at Camp McCrady after waiting for two hours at the airport for shuttle service. I've gotta say that the barracks here are shit. They have open bays with a shared latrine. At least there are separate shower stalls here. The staff sergeant who received us seemed to be pretty relaxed and cool so far. I wonder how the rest of the cadre are going to be. We have another hour or so until our first official formation. The others seem pretty cool so far. Most are pretty upset about being involuntarily recalled. There is actually one guy who volunteered to be here, and another is glad to be back since he was unemployed as a civilian. Haha, one guy said that there are supposed to be 600 of us IRR recalls reporting today, but there are only about a dozen or so of us right now. Makes me wonder if showing up was the right decision. Oh well, what can I do now? Just gotta jump through the hoops and make it back home.

Day 1

So, today's the day. I am due to report to Camp McCrady/Fort Jackson for in-processing and mobilization in support of OEF. Flying out at 0600 so that I can get there nice and early just to sit around for hours on end. Isn't that the Army's unofficial motto? Hurry up and wait? Anyhoo, I can't believe that this is really happening. I mean, I just got released from active duty a few months ago in August. I even started to attend university, only to find out that I had to report back for duty soon after. At least the semester is over with and I got decent grades (all B's). Now I can focus on this deployment and do my bit for God and country. I'll try to update whenever possible and keep you guys posted about my heroics. Here's to a new year full of sand, haji, and ied's.