Round 4

Ok training has started. Lets see what this mission has to offer.

SAND STORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So imagine this its just a normal day in Iraq the sun is out and you decide to go into the MWR (Moral Welfare and Recreation) to check your email. It takes about 20 minutes to check your email and then its time for lunch. You decided to walk to the DFAC. As you are walking outside the sky is dark as all hell and you notice that a sand storm is coming. Which normally is not a big deal. So as you are walking to the DFAC you notice that there is a big orange and brown clown moving toward you. Out of nowhere like a ninja come a 2nd Lt running, as he passes he says "i would start running if i were you" . Like a Hollywood movie you all look to your left at the same time and see this big ass cloud of dust and dirty coming toward you. Needless to say you started to run, and like a Hollywood movie you didn't make it. Now you have been in allot of sand storms and seen allot, but this one just sucked. When you got to the DFAC all three of you were covered from head to toe in dust and it felt like someone poured a vacum bag over your head and in your mouth. Also just like a Hollywood movie after lunch the sky is clear and no sign of the storm.

EMBRACE THE SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

St Patricks Day

No green beer for me :( But happy St Patrick's day to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Letter and Packages

Ok this is a note to anyone that has sent me something or is planning to send me something. IF YOU HAVE NOT SENT IT YET THEN THERE IS NO NEED TO. Most of the mail gets here in a weeks time, but sometimes it takes longer. I have already send a good amount of stuff home. At this point it is point less to send anything this close to the end.

I would like to say thanks for all of the wonderful emails, forwards and letters that i have been getting. see you soon!!!

FIRE FIRE!!!!!!!!!!

So the other day i had a problem with the windshield wiper motor in my truck. The mechanics sent me down to our sister company shop to pickup a new one. It normally wouldn't be a problem here but its been raining like mad these last few days. So i went and got what i thought at the time was the right motor and headed back to the company area.
Once i got back the mechanics started to work on the truck . After about 2 hours of cursing, the wiper motor was in place but not working. The motor was spinning but the wipers were not moving (later on we found out it was for the wrong vehicle). Since we could not get it to work we decided to take it out of the vehicle and go with out it. The mechanic started to take it out then about 30 minutes into it he was just ready to throw it. I decided to get in the truck and take it out myself. While doing this something (a switch that i found later) was grounding out on the wiper motor causing it to spark. You would think after this happen once i would have disconnected the batteries.......nope. I tried to get it to work for about 30 minutes ( Did i also mention we had a mission that day and this truck was needed)then i gave up. The mechanic got back into the truck and tried to get it to work again. Five minutes later there were sparks flying like the fourth of July. I walked around to the side door and the mechanic yelled fire fire. So then I grabbed the fire extinguisher and put the fire out. All of the wiring for the lights and other electronic tools was melted or burned. Needless to say my truck did not go on the mission. It would take me 5 hours and about 20 feet of wire to rewire all of the lights. Then i spent another 2 hours cleaning out that purple dry chemical from the extinguisher. Which made it a fun but messy process.

The snake effect

So since things are starting to come to an end there are a series of task that have to be completed before we can get out of here. The army physical fitness test is one of these tasks. The APFT is use to measure the fitness of a soldier in a series of events (push-ups, sit ups. and two mile run). This test is given twice a year to help evaluate the physical fitness of soldiers. All of the NCO's (Sergent's) had to take the test a week prior to everyone else. While administering the test to our soldiers we found this little guy chillin by the side of the road. At first no one noticed him and we kept on walking, then one of the guys said hey look there. After a few seconds of looking at the little guy we figured that he was a baby sand viper......kinds like the one that chased me a few months earlier but a hell of allot smaller. We spent a few minutes looking at the little guy and then finished administering the test. After the test we walked back over and he was gone.

Packing

So my days in Iraq are starting to come to an end and now its time to pack all of the stuff . At first i did not think i had that much stuff until i started packing everything. It looks like by the time i leave here i will have 3 tough boxes (which are large plastic containers), 3 boxes and 2 duffel bags of stuff going back with me....crazy.!!!!In a few weeks we will be moving out of our housing area and back to the temporary housing. It seems we just got here...... not so much! It is good to know that we will be coming home soon, but things are still dangerous until we are in the states.