HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I just want to Wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home, and everyone who has so generously offered all of us so much suport. It means the world!
A very special thanks must go to all of my good friends at Defending the Truth, and to the good people at SandStorming who have also offered me so much support. Thank you All. Godspeed!
Pictures
During the Field Training Exercise on an operation known as "Operation Pincer" my team & I captured the Opposing Force & Their Gun emplacement. This was our Victory Photo.
HOOYAH PINCER!
Later on the same day as 'Operation Pincer' the base camp was taking harassment fire from an enemy technical, so again my team & I snapped into action, this time we managed to kill the Driver & the Gunner. The Gun I am holding over my head is a British SKS taken from the slain driver.
Remember, only YOU can prevent forrest fires...
When we saw this sign during a convoy, we had to stop and get a picture with it.
The After Party...
After our graduation from the Civil Affairs course we had a graduation party at the local chapter of the American Legion. The good people there were more than happy to host us and allow us to celebrate our success.
The party was good and a fun time was had by all, in some ways it struck me as being a bit bitter sweet because I realized that I may not have the privilege of ever getting to work with many of these people again. I already know I will see many of them down range, some will be a part of my unit, but others I may never see again. We did all exchange e-mail addresses, I can only hope that we actually manage to keep in touch. If nothing else I have realized that this tour in the Army, especially in the Civil Affairs / PsyOps Special Operations community, will be a great opportunity to do some networking.
Field Training Excercise
Our first Field Training Excercise (FTX) ended yesterday. It was a great experience and helped remind me why I joined the Navy to begin with… To avoid sleeping out doors in the cold, on the dirt and in the rain.
I was fortunate enough to be able to train with a group of the finest human beings I have ever known. I would very proudly serve in combat with any of them, I was continually impressed by their dedication, professionalism and their unique skills and abilities. My hat is off to each and every member of class 2 of the 38B10 MOS Course.
Our school focused primarly on Civil Affairs & Psychological operations, and that is also what we practiced during the FTX. However the FTX also served as an opportunity to get in some decent ‘hip pocket’ training in basic infantry skills, patrolling and squad movements, just to help bring us Navy folks up to speed.
Over all I think the hardest part of the entire exercise was sleeping outdoors. It got down to 26 degrees at night, and although I was toasty warm in my U.S. Army issue sleeping bag, getting out of the bag was exceedingly difficult in such cold weather. The simulated combat was fun, and gave us plenty of opportunities to fire our weapons. Although our actual weapons, the ones we will take with us down range, will not be issued to us until we get back to Fort Bragg.
The FTX was held at Camp Brindle. Camp Brindle is next to beautiful Brindle Lake and is a former Boy Scout Camp, it is suposedly the camp on which the Movie ‘Friday the 13th’ was based. From what they told us 19 Boy Scouts were masacred there in the late 1950’s, afterwards the Boy Scouts of America handed the camp over to the U.S. Army, and it has been a training facility ever since. Whatever the truth may be, the camp site was beautiful.
In any case, I have got to run, I will post more tales and photos soon.
Comments & Feedback, are welcome as always.
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My First Training Day Off...
Our class passed our inspection today, and we are actually well ahead of ourselves in training, so we have been granted a day off tomorrow. A day for some much needed, and well deserved downtime and R&R.
Members of the 42nd Infantry Division have just arrived here at Fort Dix from a long tour in Iraq, they are in the process of demobilizing. A lot of those boys look tired and worn, but their morale seems to be high, and they are definately glad to be home, although this is the time that is harder than their final days down-range, because now they are home, but they have to wait before they can see their families. As much as that seems like a raw deal, it is probably the best thing for both them and their families, the fact that they will get a period to re-adjust.
So far training is flying by. We have already taken 2 of 3 tests, and I am currently ranked #2 in my class academically, and I am the front runner from my class for the title of 'Military Honor Graduate'. I have also been made the class leader. I have been doing my best to stay motivated and put out 110%, and so far it would seem I am succeeding. I am trying my best to do myself, my family, the NAVICP, and the Navy as whole proud.
The PT has become an accepted routine, and though it often hurts, it seems to pass quickly. I have already noticed much improvement in myself. In the course of a training day I find my self easily cranking out 250 push-ups, in sets of 25, throughout the academic training cycle just to keep the blood flowing and stay awake. Before I know it I will be down-range jumping into hot zones.
The more I learn about our mission the more I learn that it is dirty, and disturbing in a lot of ways, but it is a job that must be done. One of the coolest parts is the fact that I will be doing a lot of direct interaction with the Iraqi people, which is also scary, because that is also exceptionally dangerous. My mission is rapidly developing into so much more than the supply convoy security operation I had orginally thought it to be.
So far I have learned one prevailing lesson through out all of my training, Trust No One. Not ever. That has been the most disturbing part of what I have learned so far. I am hearing the stories from the boys coming back from overthere and I am both eager and nervous to head over. I think that is the prevailing feeling among those with whom I am training. The feeling is almost palpable.