In the Sky

The transition to Iraq from the states was quite eventful. I went home on my four day pass to try to indulge in all the things I would miss in Iraq. I ate some great Mediterranean and Mexican food, really good Hunan cuisine, and some decent Korean BBQ. I received a nice two hour Thai massage, bought and packed up some necessary things for my tour, and spent the rest of the time with family and friends. The pass went by way too fast. In hindsight, the trip home, although nice, was a bit of a waste of money since my tour in Iraq was to be cut short.

Before I know it I'm back at Shelby with a day to pack the rest of my things in preparation for the trip. The flight over wasn't too bad. Since we were a small group of about 50 from the 'Replacement Company' assigned to the 278th ACR we were pretty comfortable on the 747. I had a whole 4 seat center row to myself =) It was pretty cool how we open carried our weapons on the flight too with current strict TSA security regulations in mind. After a 9 hour flight on top of an 8 hour wait we stopped over at a small military terminal in Germany for an hour. I grabbed a hot dog and German juice drink to dabble in the cultural delicacies of Germany; too bad we were on orders not to drink alcohol or I'd have grabbed a beer. We got back on the plane for another 5 hours and finally arrived in Kuwait. After an hour long bus ride we arrived at Camp Buehring and settled into our cot-filled tents. Living out of a duffel bag, showering in converted cargo containers, and doing our private duties in port-a-johns, we were glad to hear we would only be staying a few days.

Our first meal at Buehring was great though. Once we dropped our bags off on our cots, a few of us headed to the DFAC at 1-2 in the morning for midnight chow. After eating at the hole in the wall DFAC at Shelby for a month, Buehring's DFAC made me feel like a kid at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. About the size of a standard supermarket, the DFAC had 2-3 entrees and 6-7 sides to choose from in the main line, an assortment of fried foods and made to order burgers in the short order line, a salad bar selection comparable to a Fresh Choice/Souplantation, a taco bar and a dessert bar with cakes, pies, and 6 tubs of Baskin Robbins with toppings. With it being midnight chow there was also a breakfast line with eggs, a selection of meats and potatoes, and made to order omelets and scrambles. On top of that, you could ask for however much you wanted and even seconds! We were all so giddy from the deliriousness after the long trip and buffet that people around us were watching and laughing asking us if we had just arrived. After gorging on half of the foods available I was quite certain that I would return home fat as a cow being pumped full of hormones. I believe the reason why the army stocked the DFACs in country so extensively was to fight the weight loss trend of service members occurring in the early years of the war in Iraq. Now, with stress levels declining and combat operations being put to a halt, many service members are putting on a lot of fat if they aren't disciplined with their diet or don't do enough exercise.

I had an interesting epiphany on the way to the shower one day in Kuwait. Walking in the fine sand in 85 degree heat wearing flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt, it felt like I was on a beach. I realized that, if I didn't have all the duties and regulations in the back of my mind, the middle east could be a nice winter vacation destination. Strictly winter though since there isn't much water here and it was the beginning of March when I passed through Kuwait.

Leaving fantasy land behind, we went through a few more briefings, another MET session, and a useless rifle range session where we basically hip fired 10 rounds to ensure proper function of our rifles. The day before our departure from Camp Buehring we were given our unit assignments and told where they were posted. I'm not sure if I wrote about it previously but the 278th ACR deployed to theater about a month before we would. It is quite illogical to me how HRC(Human Resources Command) doesn't time our report dates and training better so we can train with our unit during the mobilization process or at least deploy with them. Some soldiers ended up getting to Iraq two months after the unit. If this happened and I was going to Afghanistan, those days of learning SOPs and getting into battle rhythm could easily cost lives if the unit was already immersed in full spectrum ops. Nevertheless, I was happy that I was assigned to a scout troop in a cavalry squadron: K Troop 3rd Squadron. I wouldn't be on a base packing up equipment for the withdrawal like I was worried I might; I would be doing something at least somewhat related to the MOS that I chose.

After four full days in Kuwait we packed our duffel bags and rucksacks onto pallets and boarded the C-130 that was taking us to our assigned bases. Our group was getting split up to four different bases in the northern half of Iraq and us guys in 3rd squadron were lucky to be the first soldiers to get off the plane. After a 2 hour flight the C-130 initiated a combat landing , a series of evasive maneuvers, to decrease the chance of being hit by a SAM(Surface-Air Missile) or large caliber guns even though that chance was already slim to nil. It was fun though; like a small roller coaster. I never thought I'd be able to look through a side window straight at the ground from the inside of a plane that size.

Once we touched down it was almost surreal. I finally arrived at my duty station; where I would spend most of my time for up to the next 9 months; where I would perform my duties that I recently traveled to three states and spent two months training for; where I might go through the most significant and life-changing period of my entire life: COB Speicher, Iraq.

Catch me next time! on the FANG show!! ;D

**I have a good clip of the landing into Kuwait but it was too large to post. I'll try to get it split and posted ASAP**

Camp Shelby

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of updates X| After the transition into Iraq I got caught up trying to stay on my personal planned schedule while going on missions, usually conducted at night, that take 2-3 days for preparation, operation, and recovery. I’ll give a brief overview of what has happened up till now and try to publish updates every few weeks or whenever anything interesting happens.

Camp Shelby was a pretty dreadful place to mobilize from. We were quartered in 50 man World War I barracks, ate MRE’s(Meal Ready to Eat) for lunch, breakfast and dinner in a DFAC(Dining FACility) the size of an average Chinese restaurant, and couldn’t leave post except for weekend MWR(Morale, Welfare, Recreation) runs. The barracks were single story cinder block walled buildings with concrete floors and mattresses that sunk two feet in the middle when laid upon. The latrine, which was 40 meters away, was of the same type of building and had two 4 foot long sheet metal urinal troughs, a beige tiled 12 man shower room and, luckily, porcelain sinks and toilets with full stalls.

The best thing in the DFAC was the toast for breakfast and salad for dinner even though the vegetable toppings often weren’t thoroughly thawed. Some MRE’s aren’t bad but, with only 24 entrees to choose from on top of the fact that they’re designed to prevent bowel movements, I don’t think it’s hard to imagine why soldiers avoid them whenever possible. Luckily there were about five decent but overpriced food trucks next to the PX(Post Exchange) that we could eat lunch at if we didn’t have training. When we had time off on weekends we could take 4 hour MWR runs in large groups to the nearby small town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi to visit the mall, Walmart, or eat at a decent restaurant. One night I decided to go on an MWR run to a rodeo that was thrown by the University of Mississippi as a fundraiser. It was quite an interesting event inhaling millions of manure particles and seeing all the people dressed up in cowboy boots and hats along with the numerous guys dressed to go deer hunting. While hearing the southern country accents I realized it was possible to get culture shock in one’s own country.

Training at Shelby was quite redundant and only marginally useful. We repeated all the processing and training from Camp Mcgrady, albeit a bit more thoroughly, along with a few additional tasks. Going through SRP again I received three more shots: a FOB dot smallpox vaccine and another anthrax and Hep-B shot. We also did a 'Brainscan' which is a sequence of simple tests on a computer to form a basis for diagnosing levels of TBI(Traumatic Brain Injury): a common result of the concussive forces of IEDs and the vehicle rollovers that often follow.

Over the course of 4-5 days we were issued all the things we needed for the tour; along with duffel bags full of stuff we would never use. I will include a list at the end of this post. We will only use about 30% of our issue and our unit's mission has us leaving and spending nights away from our assigned base. Most other soldiers who will stay on a FOB(Fobbits) won't use 10% of their gear issue. However, all soldiers still have to bring all the gear to their AOs(Area of Operation). Got to love army efficiency!

We did HEAT training over again with MET training added on this time. The acronym MET(MRAP Egress Trainer) was used since MEAT was deemed inappropriate. On the topic of acronyms, the Armor Training Brigades are being moved from Fort Knox to Fort Benning where the Infantry Training Brigades are currently stationed. The Infantry ANCOC(Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course) title must now be altered to encompass the Armor ANCOC students and has been changed to Maneuver ANCOC. I think the army missed that acronym.

We qualified with our M4s and CCOs(Close Combat Optics) at a pop up range the standard way, with our Pro Masks on, and at night. I scored 31/40 but should have received higher since my 100M target wouldn't go down. Still, an improvement over my previous qualification. The NBC and night fire were basically pointless since they were so easy; more like a familiarization qualification. The rest of our training was mostly classroom or death by powerpoint briefings. I'll include a list since the details aren't very interesting. After going through SRC(Soldier Readiness Checklist), to ensure our SRP was done properly, we got a 4 day pass, flew to and stayed in Kuwait for a few days, and then flew on to our assigned bases and units in Iraq.

More on that next time!..on the Fang show! ;)

Gear List:

• M4 Carbine Assault Rifle, CCO(I got an Aimpoint CompM2), 30 Round magazines
• JSLIST(Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology): Chemical Protective Mask, overboots, gloves, outerwear, decontamination pads, and a nerve agent antidote autoinjector.
• Body Armor and accessories: small arms plates(front rear and sides), DAPS(Deltoid Axillary Protection System), groin and neck protector, ACH(Army Combat Helmet).
• TA-50: assault pack, pouches for all types of stuff, canteens, LBV(Load Bearing Vest), 5 pc sleeping bag system, Rucksack.
• Clothing: FRACU's(Fire Retardant ACUs), thermal underwear, Extreme Cold Weather bear suit; think 'A Christmas Story', nomex balaclavas, wet weather gear, work and nomex gloves.
  

Briefings:

• React to sniper
• Crater Analysis(Mortar craters)
  
• Culteral Awareness
• Sniper Awareness
• Health Awareness
• Convoy Ops
• Personnel Recovery
• Detainee SOPs(standard operating procedures)
• ROE(Rules of Engagement)
  
• LOW(Laws of War)
  
• COC(Code of Conduct)
  
• Suicide Prevention

Classroom/Hands On:

• UXO(UneXploded ordnance)
• EOF(Escalation of Force)
• IED
• Basic First Aid
• PMI(Preliminary marksmanship instruction)
• EST2000 M2 240B
• FOB(Forward Operating Base) Defense
• MOUT(Military Operations in Urban Terrain)
• Language (essential Arabic)
• Land Navigation

OSUT All Over Again

**Sorry for the delay on updates! Training became very high speed all of a sudden and my procrastination bit me in the butt ^_^ We have a few days off so I will try and get back on track this coming week. Media added to the previous post too.**

When we first arrived at B Troop we received an initial briefing from the drill sergeant on duty stating that we couldn’t eat or use chewing tobacco in our barracks, couldn’t carry pocket knives, weren’t to leave Disneyland(the small basic training area bordered by Disney street) and had to sign out on a roster every time we left to go to one of the three facilities available in the area: a shoppette with a ridiculously expensive(15 cents per minute) internet café, a small gym, and a running track. He said that the troop would try to treat us like permanent party and this was supposedly just an initial directive until the first sergeant was be able to come down and give us a briefing. That gave us hope for the coming week but we knew that, since the forty plus soldiers from Camp Mcgrady were getting in on Sunday, we wouldn’t get the briefing until Monday and our weekend plans of visiting Louisville were shot. We therefore basically sat around and did nothing for two and a half days in our eight man rooms. Gotta love the Army!

Things didn’t get any better after the briefing. As a matter of fact, they got worse. We were marched to chow every meal even if we wanted to order pizza instead, we had a Red Line for accountability where we had to recite the Soldier’s Creed every night at 2100, and towards the end of the week a drill even told us we couldn’t nap when we had free time nor lay on our racks to rest. We were basically held to basic training standards and protocols aside from having more free time, being allowed to eat whatever we wanted, and being allowed to use tobacco products.

Two new drills out of the troop’s twelve were rotated in to oversee us everyday so rules changed all the time. One drill even made us do CQ(Charge of Quarters) and fireguard duty and after complaining we still ended up rotating on CQ every night. There was one drill that stood out. He called us “faggots” and teased people about being overweight, said soldier’s combat patches were meaningless since they didn’t have discipline, and made us grab our balls at times when we didn’t sound off loud enough. Some of the soldiers got so fed up that they reported him to IG(Inspector General) and someone’s wife even called their congressman. These things didn’t bother me much since I knew he was just teasing most of the time but, mixing his serious disciplinary statements with the playful ones on top of the fact that most of us didn’t want to be there in the first place, a bunch of the soldiers were offended and took it personally.

Being on a TRADOC(Training Doctrine) post, arguably the worst one, was really irritating to us IRR guys; especially since we were heading to the exact opposite type of duty station: a FOB in a combat zone. TRADOC posts are always demoralizing because the training environment requires everything to be done by the book and is almost a crime if not. I can understand how they need to follow regulations and instill discipline to train soldiers but it can be taken too far very easily since there are no other missions at hand. Compared with a line unit where, as long as work gets done and the missions are accomplished, rules can be bent, TRADOC protocol is often very trivial. For example, a lieutenant colonel had nothing to do for 20 minutes one morning but stand on a walkway outside our barracks waiting for soldiers to pass by without saluting him so he could chew them out. A lot of the drill sergeants, who are almost all staff sergeants, even expected a handful of IRR sergeants, only one rank lower, to stand at parade rest when speaking with them even though that would never happen in any normal unit. With too many ridiculous things to describe, it’s not surprising why Fort Knox has one of the highest suicide rates out of all the posts in the Army.

On Monday the new group started their training and we joined them since we couldn’t be left idle in a TRADOC environment. They did a pretest on all the subjects we covered plus POMing the 240B 7.62mm machine gun, the M203 rifle mounted 40mm grenade launcher, the SINCGARS/ASIP(new smaller version) radio system, and dismounted hand signals.

Tuesday, instead of riding our trusty air conditioned cattle truck from the previous week, we marched out to the motor pool in a foot of snow to finish the pretest with all the BFV skills tests, topographical maps and the M4 Carbine. That night we convinced the training cadre that we didn’t need to go out and do the BFV and HMMWV day and night driving again so on Wednesday after our daily 0530 PT and breakfast we were able to hang out at the troop supply room. We did the same on Thursday but ended up organizing a shed full of OSUT dropouts’ gear in 10 degree weather. I would have preferred the 240B and M203 EST training that the other soldiers went through.

I finally got my orders that day sending me to my mobilization site but I was getting sent to Camp Shelby, MS; a mob site for Iraq. I had to delay my initial report date because of a dental issue so I knew my orders would change since the unit I was originally assigned to would be almost done with their tour by the time I was ready to deploy. Nonetheless I was almost certain that I would be headed to Afghanistan since my job wouldn’t be of much use in Iraq where it is quite stable. I was initially quite irritated since, if I am to go to war, I would like to see some combat and would prefer to be in the mountains of Afghanistan where fighting is more similar to conventional war in that civilians are not mixed in with the enemy as much. After further reflection I felt more at ease with this change since living standards will be exponentially better at the built up FOBs in Iraq and since it might be God preventing me from getting hurt or dying in Afghanistan. One sergeant I met at Fort Knox put it best stating, “Easy money!” since I get all the same benefits as I would in Afghanistan but will have to go through much less hardship.

One wake up and I was on my way to Louisville at 0500 on to Camp Shelby, MS. I couldn’t wait to get out of Knox but Shelby wasn’t all that much better either!

More to come soon ;D

Fort Knox

Going back to Fort Knox, the OSUT(One Station Unit Training) squadron 5/15 Cav in particular, brought back many memories; mostly good and some stressful. Luckily I was in a different position this time as a graduate instead of a new trainee. The IRR recalled scouts were inserted into an OSUT troop for housing but were treated like permanent party. After training we were able to go off post and, although we trained on Saturdays, we had passes so we could leave as long as we came back in time for PT(Physical Training) on Monday.

It was quite interesting to see how OSUT has changed at Knox. Instead of having to rush to the hallway in ten seconds after “Red Line” is called, the “Warriors”, not “Privates” anymore, are given most announcements over the emergency intercom system. Although we were housed at the ends of the barracks we would still experience the flashing strobe lights and drill sergeant sounding off over the intercom like a deity; sometimes in the middle of the night. Now the drills couldn’t smoke(forced PT to muscle failure) trainees inside the barracks and couldn’t even call it a smoking for some reason. Drill sergeants also play a counseling role now with trainees claiming PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from training or even life before their enlistment. With the Army getting so soft, medical clinics are ordered to take these claims seriously and often even prescribe antidepressants for them. One drill told me that the scout trainees were falling out of their troops for serious medical reasons or for going to sick call and missing too much training at a rate of around 50%. Although when I went through OSUT it was much less harsh than it was in the past, mainly due to mandates preventing physically disciplining trainees, we only had a 20% fallout rate and going to sick call was still frowned upon if the issue was not critical. This makes me wonder what our next generation of soldiers will be like. Hopefully we’ll have mostly unmanned vehicles and robots so we won’t have to rely on combat soldiers as much.

It’s funny how people stereotype Asians. I can see how it happens though since I have not seen any at Camp Mcgrady nor at Fort Knox. As we all know, stereotypes are based on truths and, although I don’t fit into the scrawny and nerdy Asian archetype, I do actually fit into many of the other guidelines. I played instruments when I was younger, I am pretty good at math, pretty decent with computers, and my parents both had technical careers that required higher education. The main stereotype that I don’t fit into is that I’ve never really trained in any martial art. EVERYONE thinks I know kung fu. I tell them it’s genetic. At Knox, on a driving course, people started calling me a ninja after I wore a balaclava to fight the cold.

Everybody thinks I have the coolest last name too. You’d be surprised by the interesting last names out there. The guy I’ve been traveling with is Ball. There’s another guy named Box. One of the guys at Knox was White which, with me, made White Fang. The best I’ve heard of is a guy with the last name of Nutsandwich. Since everyone is referred to by their last name, nicknames are easily made and are very popular.

On our first day at Fort Knox we went through a vehicle identification slideshow in the morning and did a UCOFT(Unit Conduct Of Fire Trainer) exercise in the evening. The UCOFT was a BFV(Bradley Fighting Vehicle) gunnery simulator. With early 90’s graphics on the screens and view ports we would identify all types of targets and destroy them with the Bradley’s weapon arsenal. The BFV has two TOW(Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided) missile launchers, a 25mm chain gun that fires HE(High Explosive), AP(Armor Piercing), or DU(Depleted Uranium) rounds, and the 240C coaxial 7.62mm Machine Gun. UCOFT training is quite fun, just like a video game, but was pointless since there are no Bradleys in Afghanistan. That night I went to the post bowling alley with a few guys, had a few brews, and disco bowled for two hours. I hit 190 that night and started trying to curve the ball but can’t get it to curve much.

Sunday was pretty relaxed. I slept in, got my gear squared away, and slept early to wake up at 0500 for PT.

On Monday we did BFV training and a bit of HMMWV training as well. We PMCSed(Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services) the HMMWV and did the same on the Bradley plus fire and NBC contingency training, loading and unloading the TOW and 25mm ready box, and we also POMed(Perform Operator’s Maintenance) the M242 25mm chain-fed autocannon. PMCSing vehicles is pretty straight forward. You just go through a service manual to note any issues and ensure the vehicle doesn’t have any serious problems or missing items that would make it inoperable according to the standard. In case of a fire on a Bradley we evacuate the vehicle and pull the halon fire extinguisher system handle that correlates with the compartment on fire. If unable to evacuate the vehicle before the halon system is initiated, we must first wear our NBC pro masks since the halon agent removes all oxygen from the vehicle. In an NBC situation we basically need to hook up air tubes and communications to our masks and turn the system on. To Load the TOW we just slide the missile into the launcher tube through the rear hatch after doing some checks on the missile and launcher. The 25mm ready box is a bit more complicated. We need to align the turret for loading, take the ammo out of its storage cans, link the 15 round belts into a minimum 45 round belt, and load the belt into the ready box; hanging specified rounds off the rack to ensure a smooth ammo feed. To POM the 25mm we need to break it down, reassemble it, and perform a functions check.

The next day we turned in our orders and helped the OSUT troop we were living with move things to a new barracks.

On Wednesday we moved stuff in the morning, drove the BFV in the afternoon, and drove HMMWVs at night with NODs(Night Observation Device).

On Thursday we did some more practical training. We did a MOUT review, which consisted of a drill sergeant asking if we remembered how to do it, and POMed the MK19 40mm automatic grenade launcher and M2 .50 caliber machine gun. I haven’t touched these weapons for years now and, with these being our main weapons aside from our rifles, it was nice to get some practice. The M2 is pretty simple to disassemble and reassemble but I completely forgot how to set the headspace and timing. Setting the headspace and timing on the M2 after switching barrels is necessary to prevent the weapon from exploding. The MK19 is a bit more difficult to break down but is easy once you get the hang of it. We also had to clear, react to malfunctions, and perform function checks on the weapons to POM them.

On Friday we did our SST(Scout Skills Test) to see if we had all the basic skills necessary for our job. It was really worthless though since, if we got no go’s on some of the tests, it wouldn’t prevent us from leaving Knox nor deploying. When we first arrived at Knox we were inserted into training with a bunch of IRR recalled scouts who had been there for a week already. They only had about two days of training and with the small group, a total of nineteen, it wasn’t very efficient to start a new training schedule for the five new guys. Hence, we tested out on training after the first week of the two we were supposed to be there. The only training we missed was SINCGARS, call for fire, and POMing the 240B 7.62mm machine gun. I did well and got go’s on all the tasks which wasn’t very hard since most of the instructors were very forgiving and giving guidance while we were being tested. We moved some more stuff for Hotel troop that day and ended up moving as well. We, however, moved to a separate building that happened to be the same building that I spent four months living in while going through OSUT; at Bravo troop 5/15 Cav.

Bravo troop was on an OSUT cycle break so we had the whole barracks to ourselves. This was to accommodate the forty plus scouts that were reporting on Sunday from Camp Mcgrady, SC. With this many people Bravo decided to come down hard with the rules and, for some reason, while quartering us like trainees the drill sergeants decided to treat us like them too. Needless to say the coming week would be the most dreadful week of my mob process so far.

Until next time! ;D

Week 2

Our training was very relaxed this past week with our small group but our conditions in the barracks became drastically worse. We usually needed to wake up at around 0630 and were released at 1500. This would have been ideal if it wasn’t for the 100 plus junior enlisted that reported for duty on Sunday. On Saturday we had five soldiers on our 50 bunk side of the barracks. On Sunday the barracks was filled to capacity with stinky soldiers who, with all the testosterone in the air, grunted away into the wee hours of the night. When they finally fell asleep their grunts were replaced with the echoing sound of their tongues slapping the backs of their throats. On top of that, the soldier above me tossed and turned enough to shake a few months worth of dust and debris onto me through the chicken wire-like grate supporting the top mattress as I tried to sleep. With a different training schedule, the class 15 soldiers woke up at 0400 and often shook me while I had my headphones on and blanket over my head to “wake me up” for their 0500 formation. The highlight of the week was when a soldier defecated in bed one night and left turtle heads in the shower. I almost took a shower with my NBC protective mask on. Please note that complaining isn’t usually part of my agenda but is Army Standard Operating Procedure.

This week was more eventful since we were all done with SRP. On Monday we did a classroom land navigation review, a standard first aid class and a M16 EST(Engagement Skills Trainer) session. Land Nav consists of using a compass, map, protractor and terrain knowledge to plot routes and navigate to waypoints. During the first aid session we covered basic field and pressure dressings, sucking chest wounds, tourniquets, emergency tracheotomies and hemostatic agents.

I learned that day that all rifle and light machine gun rounds used in theater by the US, and most of the enemy, are “tumbler” rounds. Instead of spinning and going straight through the target, the bullet tumbles after impact. This is a great round for us since it reduces collateral damage in CQB(Close Quarters Battle) situations, as it won’t penetrate walls easily, and does significantly more damage when we get rounds on target. If the bullet hits center mass it will bounce around inside the body before it exits from some random spot. Since the enemy also has these rounds I will just have to hope that, in the small chance that I do get shot, they hit my ballistic plates which stop 7.62mm(AK-47) rounds. Another interesting fact I learned is that we are not supposed to, with a few exceptions, perform CPR in theater. Army regulations state once CPR has been initiated it cannot be stopped until the casualty is MEDEVAC’d(Medical Evacuation). The reasoning behind this directive is if the one medic on a MEDEVAC transport must perform CPR on a soldier that has a small chance of surviving, the medic will not be able to treat other critical casualties who need care. Although I understand this is to ensure efficient allocation of our limited medical assets it’s hard to overlook the fact that we are declaring some soldiers dead when there are still chances of reviving them. On a lighter note, EST is a weapon simulator with a big projection screen, a laser system for targeting, and a pneumatic compressor for simulating weapon actions(recoil). We grouped, zeroed and qualified with M16s on the simulator and called it a day. The next day we did the same thing with real weapons.

I didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped on the qualification but the HEAT(HMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer) session we went through was useful. We fired eighteen rounds in three round groups at a 25 meter target while adjusting our sights with the goal of getting a 4cm diameter shot group which represents center mass on a human target at 300 meters. The barrel on an M16/M4 is angled so bullet trajectory is at the same height at 25 and 300 meters. I had tight groups but couldn’t get a solid zero because I kept shifting my cheek weld when checking the target after each group. I’m going to go back to putting my nose on the charging handle when I get an M4 so this won’t be a problem again. The qualification consisted of eight pop up targets ranging from 50 to 300 meters that randomly popped up forty times. We shot 30 rounds in the prone unsupported(laying down with no support for the weapon) and 10 kneeling. I ended up achieving a measly 26 which, while still barely qualifying, is far from the 35 minimum I used to get. Excuses aside, I hope I get a decent amount of trigger time on the M16 platform before we deploy.

The HEAT system is a HMMWV body on hydraulics that simulates rollovers. Since HMMWV rollovers are quite common the HEAT allows us to get a feel for a rollover so we don’t panic; which could be deadly if underwater or in a combat situation. We were tilted to the rollover limit angles for the two main types of HMMWVs and were then flipped upside down screaming “Rollover, rollover, rollover!” Hanging by the seatbelts we unbuckled and fell onto the roof which was more disorienting than I’d imagined. It was a bit hard to get right side up in the cramped space with all our gear on but we eventually all evacuated the HMMWV. Although the training was very short I feel it will be very beneficial in the event of a rollover.

On Wednesday we went over MOUT(Military Operations on Urban Terrain), SINCGARS(Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System), the 9-line MEDEVAC and calling for indirect fire. We mainly covered room clearing for MOUT but I probably won’t be doing much of that since Afghanistan is mostly rural. We assembled the SINCGARS radio, went over basic setup, and covered standard radio etiquette and protocol. The 9-line MEDEVAC is just a standard format for providing information to medical teams when a MEDEVAC is needed. “Call for fire” is the method we use to call in artillery and mortar support. In short, we give grid coordinates and our direction; adjusting after each round until we acquire a 50 meter target bracket where the barrage will be lain. In Afghanistan, instead of large artillery batteries, there are single 155 mm Howitzers placed all over the mountains to cover more ground with overlapping fields of fire. I’m guessing that this is more effective since there is no front line and, with the rugged terrain in the north and east, it will take too long to move guns into position when contact with the enemy is made. We will likely use indirect fire often but calling for fire is usually performed by the radio man.

Thursday we had an IED(Improvised Explosive Device) class and preparation for our convoy training on Friday. IEDs are constructed from a wide range of devices and explosives from grenades wrapped with rubber bands set in cans of gas to multiple charge molten copper setups armed by cell phone and triggered by infrared sensor. They are hidden in anything from a coke can to a dead body to a live suicide bomber in a vehicle. Afghanistan is on the primitive side since it is a third world country but it still has effective IEDs. The most common there are pressure plate triggered IEDs since they are effective and easy to hide on all the dirt roads. The explosives are often munitions left over from the cold war. IEDs are the biggest threat since the Taliban will not fight us toe to toe. I heard that over 85% of US casualties in the Middle East are caused by IEDs. IEDs in Afghanistan usually initiate ambushes that follow the IED with small arms and RPG(Rocket Propelled Grenade) fire. After we locate them and start returning fire they will usually retreat.

Convoy training is focused on the detection of and reaction to IEDs. We were going to run on a nice course with buildings, OPFOR(Opposing Forces) and pyrotechnics set up. After being given a scenario we assigned duties and planned out our procedure for the convoy. It was a bit unorganized since we were just a bunch of soldiers thrown together with different jobs and no SOP for things like security and ambush reaction but we did what we could. On Friday we did a pretty good job. We spotted 3 IEDs before we hit them: one buried in the dirt, one in a rock pile, and one vehicle borne IED. When we made a stop at an Iraqi Police station we had some trouble though. While I was watching the front a few suspicious Iraqi nationals approached from the rear. At the same time, a vehicle we were warned about approached from the rear and got close enough to detonate his explosives. Immediately after, one of the Iraqi nationals detonated the explosives strapped to his waist and pyrotechnics started going off all around us. Unfortunately I didn’t see much of it since I was on the far end of our convoy and my security sector was towards the front, away from the action. Nevertheless I think it was a good learning experience for everyone.

Friday was also the day I left South Carolina. After getting our orders and packing up we headed to the airport at around 1300. I had another cav scout to accompany me on my journey to Fort Knox. Our flight wasn’t until 1955 but another soldier had a flight at 1430 and our drill sergeant wasn’t about to make the half hour drive a bunch of times for us. After transferring through Charlotte, NC we arrived in Louisville at around 0030. Some soldier accidentally took my duffel and after the soldier came back we found out the Army liaison office was closed already. We waited until 0200 for our ride and got to Knox at around 0300. We then basically washed up, ate breakfast, and waited to get picked up by our training troop until around 1000. Our troop ended up being in the Cavalry Scout Basic Training squadron. After we got there we dropped our stuff off at the barracks and immediately headed out to start training. On Saturday! Boy was I worried what the next two weeks would be like. You all will have to wait until my next post to find out ;D

Thanks for tuning in!

Week 1

The first week was pretty relaxed. Every week a new class of IRR(individual ready reserve) recalls reports for mobilization processing and my class only had about 25 people. The week before us had about 80 and this Sunday there will be about 180. With our small group we were able to process through very quickly and efficiently; giving us much more free time. Next week there will only be 11 people attending CTT. Needless to say, I am quite lucky.

In our group there were only 11 enlisted, including a first sergeant and a command sergeant major, while the rest were officers. There were three full colonels, a bunch of lieutenant colonels and even a one star general. Of the junior enlisted I've been mostly hangin out with there is another cav scout, an infantryman, and a mechanic. There is also a welder but he's getting sent home due to medical issues. Everyone is friendly, surprisingly even the drill sergeants, and they haven't pulled rank on the junior enlisted which has led to a very relaxed environment.

Until Wednesday I was processing to ensure that I was deployable. The picture on the left shows the checklist we had to go through before we were given the army mobilization stamp of approval. The highlights were the eight vaccines and new uniform issue I received. Of the eight vaccines I can only recall the anthrax, h1n1, hep a, hep b, and flu. Needles don't bother me but my arms were quite sore for a few days. I received a new complete uniform issue. Since I kept most of my old uniform issue I will likely be selling the new gear on ebay.

While the rest of the soldiers were completing processing on Thursday the three other junior enlisted soldiers and I just went to the PX(post exchange) for a couple hours and hung out for the rest of the time. Friday we received our TA-50 issue consisting of kevlar helmet, body armor, wet weather gear, a canteen and a gas mask. We also received a classroom land navigation and cultural awareness review. I did some chores and ran some errands for the rest of the day; getting in a 3 mile run before bed.

I planned to check out Columbia on saturday and get a hotel for a night but junked that idea after it started raining Saturday afternoon. I ended up just going downtown for a few hours with a few other soldiers. I'm not sure how I feel about the rain here. It makes everything dirty but it brought the temperature up a good 10 degrees from the 20 or so degree lows I encountered when I first got here. I think I've pretty much acclimated to the weather here though so all is well.

We're set to start our BRM(basic rifle marksmanship) training on Monday which should be fun.

Until then!

** My address in South Carolina is:
PFC Fang Philip
Echo Company, Class 14. TFM
5395 Leesburg Road, Building 3903
Eastover, SC 29044

I will only be here for another week so unless urgent I'd recommend waiting to mail anything. If necessary ensure it will arrive by Friday.

The Blog

Hey all! Thanks for checking out my blog. I created this to keep everyone updated without having to repeat myself a hundred times to share my situation on my tour of duty =) I will have my cell phone and should have access to internet until I head overseas but may be really busy training at times so feel free to leave me voice messages or e-mails and I'll get back to you as soon as I get the chance.

So you all can have an idea of my mind state through this deployment I would like to express that I'm looking forward to doing my duty and putting my training to use. I have been trained as a cavalry scout. No, we do not ride horses; we ride vehicles =) Traditionally I am trained to perform reconnaissance for my armor unit and call for indirect fire. Although I am trained in the use of and equipped with many weapons I should only fight as a last resort since we perform missions in relatively small teams. However, fighting the unconventional war in the middle east, I will likely be playing more of a mounted infantry role since there is no actual frontline in this war. All that said, the main factor affecting my role in theater is the mission of the unit I am assigned to.

Until I receive my mission assignment I can only speculate about what exactly I will be doing overseas. Until then, I can only do my best in every aspect of training to prepare myself for what comes ahead. I will be in South Carolina for two weeks of SRP(soldier readiness processing) and basic CTT(common task training). I will then continue on to Kentucky for my two week job refresher training. After that, I am technically able to hook up with a unit in theater after five more days of CTT but instead I may meet up with my assigned unit at their mobilization site and train with them for up to two months before we all deploy together. The latter is definitely preferred.

In my next post I'll give a brief summary of this past week's events in SC.

Thanks for tuning in.
Until next time!