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The Army Game

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:20:04 +0000

Fort Dix is boring. We’ve been outprocessing since we got here, which is just a game of hurry up and wait. We’re going through the demob center with a few other units, so there are lots of people backed up at one station which makes for good reading time (my current choice is Chronicles of Narnia). I finished all my paperwork, so now the hold up is reading my TB results which is tomorrow afternoon (takes 48 hours). After that, they’ll book me a flight home. Can’t wait!

Ain't Nothing but a Thing

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:47:41 +0000

At least that’s what Marty Martin (former Sergeant Major and Public Affairs guru) told us last week during training. He came with Mr. Scott Ferguson from United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) Public Affairs, and together they spent three days telling us everything we’d need to know for a successful year in Iraq… or at least everything they could fit into three days.

I felt like I was back in kindergarten for the better part of day 1. We went through our kits and looked at our equipment and computers, going over the very basics of each item. In the afternoon, we got into some camera settings we didn’t know about so it ended up being a productive day. Day 2 was a long day of briefings given from a binder, with some practical experience thrown in. We went over writing techniques, shot composition and were told if broadcast journalism were easy, everyone would do it. The final day of training was a cumulative exercise where we had to put everything we went over into practice in the form of a news story. Here’s the catch: we were told we could make up something interesting about our partner to spice up the story. Just so you know, if you tell a group of military journalists they can make up the news, be prepared for anything.

My partner was Sully and he was absolutely thrilled to cover up my boring life with a fascinating tale. I was a blind soldier with the highest scores in marksmanship (shooting a gun) and PT (physical training). I was soldier of the year, broadcaster of the year.. you name it, I got it and I was totally full of myself. It really was a fun story. We had a good time running into signs and falling into ditches. I feel like I need to tell everyone that we didn’t mean any harm or disrespect to the blind. I have known people who are blind and have the utmost respect for what they deal with. We were just two soldiers bored out of our minds and needed a reason to run into things. I made Sully a recovering crack addict who transferred his addiction to coffee. He did a great Dave Chapelle imitation and drank about 5 cups of coffee in a 30 minute period. My story was about a crack addict soldier who was helping other soldiers by getting them hooked on coffee; his program was called crack to coffee and he could be reached online or by phone.

We had a great time with the stories. Stone was an e-4 with about 15 years of service who loved paperwork and couldn’t get promoted because he beat up officers. SSG Raley was a soldier deprived of chocolate as a kid with lots of resentment towards his mother. SSG Patterson was an immigrant with hopes of being a wrestler so he could bring his family to America. Barney’s was the closest thing to fact – he was a meathead who loves himself and the gym. Needless to say, Mr. Martin wasn’t a big fan of our fanatical, sensationalized stories. In fact, he told us we didn’t do what we were asked and this was not news. Now, we know it wasn’t news, but hey.. we were told we could make it up and so we did. I think Sully had the best story of all, because his camera angles and creativity were awesome.

Friday, we were told to do another story and this time I chose PFC Maulding as my subject. He’s from Seattle and he loves photography. He’s traveled to 15 countries and when he was just 16, he went to Sri Lanka to document a relief agency after the tsunami. He’s a pretty interesting kid. We’re showing our videos tomorrow morning and I’m hoping everyone will have some good stuff.

I’m heading back to Shreveport Friday and I’m psyched. I can’t believe how much I miss my dog. I miss everyone else too, but it’s not like I can explain this situation to Chevy and talk to him. I can’t wait to see him and get lots of kisses. I’m so excited to see my family and Craig and Amanda. Just three more days…

My Heart Went Back to Shreveport

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:25:04 +0000

I never thought I’d be happy to hit the tarmac in Little Rock, AR but on Friday I was ecstatic. I knew Craig was waiting for me inside and I couldn’t get off that plane fast enough. After a quick look at my reflection in a passing window, I rushed through security to see my amazing boyfriend. I spotted him as soon as I descended the escalator; He was looking too cool leaning against a wall and “throwing out the vibe.” We hung around the airport chatting with Angie (the 1SG’s wife) and her kids, Adam and Leslie, Brian and Sarah and the rest of the crew. An hour later we grabbed some Sonic and headed to the hotel. For $80 bucks a night, it was super nice. The rest of the weekend was great; I fall more in love with that man every moment I spend with him. Saturday night we had a get together at the Flying Saucer, a hip little spot in downtown Little Rock. Most of the unit was there and we spent the night laughing, shooting pool, and dogging Top’s choice of music (a.k.a. 303). I think their lyrics go like this: Hey girl, shut your lips; Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips.

Yesterday we had brunch with Adam and Leslie, Brian and Sarah, and Larry (1SG) and Angie. We went to a place that Craig and I ventured the last time he came to see me: Loca Luna. It’s a great little atmosphere in what Adam and Leslie say is the stuck-up part of Little Rock. According to the Stone Family, good food is hiding in the snooty neighborhoods. I concur, minus the occasional hole in the wall like Gomez (better than Trejo’s; Regency Inn Shreveport). Craig had to get on the road after lunch, so he brought me to the barracks and 30 minutes later he was on the road. I missed him as soon as he left.

Today we met with the commander of the unit we’re replacing, and he showed us where we’d be staying and told us what to expect. We’ll be stationed at a huge base in Baghdad, but he said we could expect to move further south at some point… of course, his unit was supposed to move in August, so I’m not holding my breath. I’m hoping we stay put, because the place we’re going is cake compared to most parts of southwest Asia. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Army, it’s this: Take everything with a grain of salt. The mission is constantly changing and nothing is ever as it seems….

PAY UPDATE: I told you all that we got paid last week, which caught us up for the time we’ve been working. I just saw another LES (Leave and Earnings Statement) and we’re getting more money to make up for the BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) we didn’t get while on these orders. We were given a type of BAH that doesn’t pay as much as the type we should get on Active Duty. I was told my our admin at headquarters that after my blog traveled the chains ofbureaucracy, it was determined we should have the full BAH and now we’re getting a check for the difference. So, Thank You Army Folks! We feel like we’ve been taken care of in the pay department.

Back to Ar-Kansas

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:29:00 +0000

I started this blog for family and friends, but it seems Big Brother is an avid reader as well. After the post about our unit not getting paid, my blog fell in the laps of people at my headquarters, the 90^th, and then traveled up to USARC (US Army Reserve Command). The Big Dogs checked into the situation and wanted to know why they had a unit not getting paid and why SGT King was blogging about it. This SGT King could be trouble. Apparently they weren’t too angry, because I said good things about my command and stressed it was out of their control. To give you worried readers an update, I got paid yesterday and will get another check tomorrow. We’re so psyched to be caught up on pay that we went to eat at TGI Fridays last night and you’d have thought it was the last supper. Almost everyone at the table ordered an appetizer and a meal. We were miserably stuffed, and very happy.

Our feast was also to celebrate the end of training at RTC-East. The last three weeks has been the best training I’ve ever received from the Army. Our instructors are so passionate about their jobs and they realize the importance of giving us thorough training.. it’s all about saving lives and preparing us for every situation we’ll face in Iraq. We spent two nights in the field, which is basically set up to look like a Forward Operating Base in the desert. It’s lined with tents, Bobs (porta-potties), and shower trailers. There’s an MWR room with workout equipment and TVs, two chow halls lined with tables and more TVs, a Post Exchange set up in an 18-wheeler and a barber shop and laundry drop. We conducted two missions in the field, focusing on convoy operations. The first day we worked on searching vehicles, providing security in a village and reacting to ambushes. When we pulled into the village, I immediately spotted the woman who ended up killing me. I kept my eye on her the whole time, but when a fight broke out between two villagers some of us got distracted and she took the opportunity to detonate herself. I kept running the scenario through my mind, thinking of when I could have shot her according to the rules of engagement. I wanted so badly to do it all over, but I won’t get that chance in Iraq so we don’t get it here.

Our second mission was focused on a meeting with a police chief and we convoyed through a more urban area. I got to be the TC, which basically means I was in the front passenger seat telling the driver where to go and communicating on the radio. It was so much better than being a driver. Everything went smoothly until we started to leave and then all hell broke loose. But, our trainers said we did an awesome job, even better than the military police unit who had come through before us.

We leave for Little Rock tomorrow and I’m so excited. We’re going to have a pretty open weekend, so Craig is coming to visit. It’s been about a month since I saw him and he’s all I can think about here. I never realized how hard it was to leave someone you’re completely in love with… Last time I left I wasn’t in a relationship, and I didn’t know the difference between leaving your family and leaving a significant other. I thought saying bye to my Mom was hard enough, but this is so much harder. It doesn’t help that we’re in that phase where we want to spend every single day together. I can’t wait to see him! I got a little homesick yesterday, missing Craig, Mom and the family, Amanda, my dog… I’m already looking forward to getting this year behind me and coming home. For now, I am Tawanda.

Hurry Up and Wait

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:28:00 +0000

I caught a flight on Wednesday up to Minneapolis St. Paul, Minnesota to meet the new unit and complete our pre-mobilization paper work. As I walked outside to wait on the 15-passenger van that would pick me up, I ran into SSG Rivera complete with earrings in each ear and very stylish glasses. The van pulled up in a matter of minutes as we chatted, and we loaded up our bags and jumped in with our new family. Adam Stone, a soldier who was in my unit in Texas, was already in the van sitting beside Daniel Sullivan, the guy who I replaced my last deployment. SSG Raley was also there, and I recognized him from years ago when him and Marty Collins traveled to my New Orleans unit to set up our editing system. Public Affairs really is a small world. In the van, I met the First Sergeant, a short muscle man who loves to laugh and seems very cool, two guys from Pennsylvania who curse like sailors and love the alcohol, a bald 30-something who just became a new daddy and is oh so proud just as he should be, and Alvarado who introduced herself as Avacado and is a spitting image of Rizzo on Grease. She reminds me a lot of Crystal Cook from my last deployment. She switches gears really fast, so one minute you can be talking about journalism and the next thing you know you’re hearing about being naked in the woods… she’ll keep it interesting.
I woke up at 5 AM on Thursday to get ready and be at the van at 5:45. From there, we headed to the SRP site. They had about 11 stations spread out over 3 floors. It was a game of musical chairs as we sat at each station, moving up a chair each time a person was beckoned forward. At the personnel station, I discovered just how screwed up my files were and realized I was missing a lot that I now have to take care of with my new unit. I also gave all my life insurance money to my mom, along with my remains should anything happen to me. If something happens to mom, it all goes to Aunt Tracy. At the finance desk, I updated my address and at the legal office I discovered the Lieutenant Colonel wasn’t really there to help us make wills or draw up power of attorneys. He obviously didn’t want to do any work, because he just told me how I could take care of it on my own (with a smile, of course).. Thanks for your help, Sir. I guess I’ll be drawing up my own will, specifically telling my mom to use that money to start college funds for Cade, Cole, and Landon. To give some to my dad and then keep the rest for her and Ransom to put towards their new house. Hmm… maybe now that this is out in cyberspace, it will suffice as my will, but maybe not. At the family readiness desk, I explained that the email address nancyanddavidk@hotmail.com was the combination of my dad and step-mom’s names, not the names of my children and at the ID card office, I was told I had a pretty picture, thanks! In medical, I found out that I’m not pregnant, am blessed to have a great lasik surgeon who gave me 20/20 vision (thanks Dr. Lusk), and had to get two shots.. anthrax and typhoid. The anthrax shot burns like crazy for about 3 minutes, but the typhoid sneaks up on you like a thief in the night. About an hour after it entered my left arm, I felt like I had been punched Laila Ali. It still hurts! In the Medical Review, after explaining I had knee and back problems, but my doctors couldn’t find anything, I was told to just “keep doing what you’re doing.” Okay… bring on the pain! At the deployment desk I found out that I’m totally deployable (as if I didn’t know that) and I was given a packet with all my paperwork. Send me on Uncle Sam!
We started at 6 and I finished around 2. I got to the airport with time to shop around for things I don’t need and catch my flight. I’ll meet up with my unit again in October to start 28 days of annual training, then we’ll be put on mobilization orders and have a great time in the great outdoors in cold New Jersey! I’m optimistic… really.

I read a great bible verse today, Proverbs 19:21 – We keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails.
I can make all the plans I want, try to avoid Iraq as much as possible, but if God wants me there, then that’s where I’m going to be. So, I’m going to have a positive attitude and make my soul enjoy good in my labor (Ecclesiastes 2:24.. thanks Ichabod) I’m picking up my cross, going outside of my comfort zone and enlisting in God’s Army. I’m praying for him to reveal how I can be a light for Him in Iraq and how I can make a difference.