Well, folks, it turns out that this will in all likelihood be my last post from the warzone for a while. Do to circumstances beyond anyone's control, the squadron (or more specifically the commanding officer) has decided to send me home early. So tomorow I will be hopping on a plane (I'm not sure what plane or to where) with my ultimate destination being back to Guam.
I know that this comes as quite a shock to many people, myself certainly included. I really can't go into the details here, but I can assure you that I am not in any trouble and that this is in no way going to adversely affect my standing in the squadron or my career. In fact, it may very well turn out to be quite the blessing. I'm not sure how long I'll be in Guam, or where they'll send me next (it's possible that I may end up out here again), but I do know that up until now I've always seemed to end up where I've needed to be. I have greatly appreciated all the love and support that I've received here. It has really helped to keep me going. I think that I may continue this blog back in Guam and wherever I end up next, though that would most likely mean re-naming it.
Please do not overwhelm Tricia with phone calls about this. She doesn't know any more than I do when exactly I'm flying out or when I'll arrive in Guam. In fact, more than likely she'll find out when I land in Guam, because I probably won't know much sooner than that. I will be sure to let everyone know when I'm home.
My time in the desert has really been short, all things considered. However, I truly feel that I can hold my head up high and say that I have participated in great things. I have seen and experienced things here that I will hold on to for the rest of my life. I have done things that I will always remember. I was going to summarize what all I've participated in since I got here, but my log book is already packed and I can't remember everything right now. I promise that that will come later. I truly feel blessed to have been given this opportunity and anxiously await whatever other adventures await on the other side.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Busy Week
It has certainly been a busy week for me. Yesterday I was on the 4th UP alert crew. We flew into Iraq into the morning on a planned trip so that our squadron could observe some sort of excersise that the Brittish were having. That was a pretty exciting flight into a part of Iraq that I had not been to yet. The area wasn't really that different than Kuwait. It was all desert and power lines, but there was point where we passed three oil wells that were billowing black smoke from their sludge burn-offs. There was something really dramatic about having a bunch of black smoke on the horizon and knowing that I was flying through a warzone. Of course I knew that the smoke had nothing to do with any kind of threatening acts but it was almost like flying through some scene in an old war movie. On the way back I actually flew under one of the smoke plumes. Probably about the closest I'll ever get to flying under a bridge.
We got back in the afternoon and were looking forward to a barbecue that the squadron was having. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to go because there were a couple of routine patients that needed to be transported from a camp up north to the hospital down south. So a little more than an hour after we got back we were throwing on the body armor again and heading out to the helicopters. We flew through sunset so part of that flight ended up being on night-vision goggles, which is actually quite a bit more tireing than normal flying for some reason. So I was pretty exhausted after all was said and done last night, but it was a good week. Between Tuesday and Friday I flew:
3 Medevacs including one Point of Injury (where we picked him up out in the desert instead of at another hospital) and two where we had to be off deck within 15 minutes of receiving our initial call.
2 flights into Iraq (one of the medevacs is also included here)
2 training flights
1 maintenance test flight day where we actually flew 3 times but only for a total of 2 hours.
Thankfully today I am off (knock on wood) so I should be able to recuperate a bit.
We got back in the afternoon and were looking forward to a barbecue that the squadron was having. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to go because there were a couple of routine patients that needed to be transported from a camp up north to the hospital down south. So a little more than an hour after we got back we were throwing on the body armor again and heading out to the helicopters. We flew through sunset so part of that flight ended up being on night-vision goggles, which is actually quite a bit more tireing than normal flying for some reason. So I was pretty exhausted after all was said and done last night, but it was a good week. Between Tuesday and Friday I flew:
3 Medevacs including one Point of Injury (where we picked him up out in the desert instead of at another hospital) and two where we had to be off deck within 15 minutes of receiving our initial call.
2 flights into Iraq (one of the medevacs is also included here)
2 training flights
1 maintenance test flight day where we actually flew 3 times but only for a total of 2 hours.
Thankfully today I am off (knock on wood) so I should be able to recuperate a bit.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Another Medevac
Well, it wasn't even noon today before our first call came in. There was a soldier with a "heart condition" who needed to be moved to the hospital down south. This time I was falling asleep while trying to watch "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorow" (by the way, the movie is a pretty interesting concept, but judging by the first part that I saw, it fell flat on its face trying to pull it off) when the call came in. So once again I threw on my helmet and my pistol and ran out the door. It's a pretty cool rush. When I sprint out to the helicopter and start her up, I have no idea where we're going or who we're picking up. My job is just to get her ready to fly as soon as possible. All things considered, it was a pretty tame medevac. Nothing really exciting happened enroute and we got him where he needed to be in good time and in good shape.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Why I Do What I Do.
Whoa! I didn't realize that a week has gone by since I wrote last. Honestly it was a pretty dull week until the last couple of days when it turned eventful (and very cool) out here.
Sunday I was on the AM watch so I was stuck behind the desk in the squadron for twelve hours again. This time it wasn't at night, but the same general idea still applies. Around 10 in the morning we had a visitor to the squadron. He was an Australian firefighter who works for the fire department out here on base. One of our crews had flown him down to the hospital several weeks back when he had a kidney stone. He came back to personally thank the squadron for the help we gave him. He gave T-Shirts to the crew of the bird that flew him and wrote a very nice letter to everyone involved in his medevac. The letter also said that he planned to present a plague to the medical clinic here, but I sincerely hope that that was a typo and he meant plaque.
Then yesterday I was on the 2nd up crew. It was an uneventful day so I went to bed early. I'm glad I did because at 0630 I was woken up by the radio blaring "Medevac, Medevac, Medevac". Luckily it was just for the 1st up crew so I rolled over and began to go back to sleep. About 5 minutes later our enlisted watch-stander came into the room to announce that we needed both birds for this one. A Humvee had rolled over injuring all three soldiers inside. Since head and neck injuries were involved they wanted to split the three patients between two helos. Within 30 seconds of him walking into the room I was lacing up my boots and sprinting for the squadron spaces to grab my helmet. 2 minutes later I was running down the flight line to my awaiting chariot. I beat the aircraft commander out there so it was up to me to throw on my gear and get the helicopter spinning up. Then the aircraft commander came out and we took off for the site of the accident. Since there are no landing pads out there we landed in the dirt about 150 feet from the vehicles. On takeoff our crewchief had noticed oil pouring down the side of our helicopter. The gauges read normal so we decided that trouble-shooting could wait until we had the patient safely to the hospital. 45 minutes later they carried him out to the helo and to the waiting doctors. We then repositioned off the hospital pad and shut down to have a look at the bird. It was absolutely amazing. Her entire left side was coated in oil. It looked like we had been painting with it. I've never seen anything like it. The crewchief climbed on top and checked the engines and transmission, but the source of the bleeding was not immediately apparent. Since our gauges were still showing normal we decided as a crew to take her home for some TLC. It turns out once we got home that a rubber gasket in the transmission was destroyed and that she was spewing transmission fluid out the whole time we were flying. They estimate that we left approximately 2 to 2.5 gallons in various places around Kuwait. She's been fixed now, but she got us home just fine. The tank holds 7.5 gallons and the manufacturer claims that the transmission can run dry for 60 minutes. I don't want to test it.
Tonight I flew a training flight and it was great. We flew day into night and there is nothing that compares to flying in the evening. Gorgeous!
Sunday I was on the AM watch so I was stuck behind the desk in the squadron for twelve hours again. This time it wasn't at night, but the same general idea still applies. Around 10 in the morning we had a visitor to the squadron. He was an Australian firefighter who works for the fire department out here on base. One of our crews had flown him down to the hospital several weeks back when he had a kidney stone. He came back to personally thank the squadron for the help we gave him. He gave T-Shirts to the crew of the bird that flew him and wrote a very nice letter to everyone involved in his medevac. The letter also said that he planned to present a plague to the medical clinic here, but I sincerely hope that that was a typo and he meant plaque.
Then yesterday I was on the 2nd up crew. It was an uneventful day so I went to bed early. I'm glad I did because at 0630 I was woken up by the radio blaring "Medevac, Medevac, Medevac". Luckily it was just for the 1st up crew so I rolled over and began to go back to sleep. About 5 minutes later our enlisted watch-stander came into the room to announce that we needed both birds for this one. A Humvee had rolled over injuring all three soldiers inside. Since head and neck injuries were involved they wanted to split the three patients between two helos. Within 30 seconds of him walking into the room I was lacing up my boots and sprinting for the squadron spaces to grab my helmet. 2 minutes later I was running down the flight line to my awaiting chariot. I beat the aircraft commander out there so it was up to me to throw on my gear and get the helicopter spinning up. Then the aircraft commander came out and we took off for the site of the accident. Since there are no landing pads out there we landed in the dirt about 150 feet from the vehicles. On takeoff our crewchief had noticed oil pouring down the side of our helicopter. The gauges read normal so we decided that trouble-shooting could wait until we had the patient safely to the hospital. 45 minutes later they carried him out to the helo and to the waiting doctors. We then repositioned off the hospital pad and shut down to have a look at the bird. It was absolutely amazing. Her entire left side was coated in oil. It looked like we had been painting with it. I've never seen anything like it. The crewchief climbed on top and checked the engines and transmission, but the source of the bleeding was not immediately apparent. Since our gauges were still showing normal we decided as a crew to take her home for some TLC. It turns out once we got home that a rubber gasket in the transmission was destroyed and that she was spewing transmission fluid out the whole time we were flying. They estimate that we left approximately 2 to 2.5 gallons in various places around Kuwait. She's been fixed now, but she got us home just fine. The tank holds 7.5 gallons and the manufacturer claims that the transmission can run dry for 60 minutes. I don't want to test it.
Tonight I flew a training flight and it was great. We flew day into night and there is nothing that compares to flying in the evening. Gorgeous!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
6 Years Ago
Well, yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I couldn't help but think about it as I walked around the base and flew a training flight yesterday. I was getting ready for school in Texas when my dad called me to announce that we were under attack. I turned on the TV just in time to watch the second tower fall. I thought that they were replaying the collapse of the first tower. I think my emotion at the time could best be described as shock. It was unreal.
My application for flight school had already been submitted to the Navy and was being processed so I can't claim that the attacks had any effect on my desire to join. It did make me anxious to get into a position where I could take an active part in the fight.
So here I am six years later. I have green entries in my logbook which signify that I have flown my helicopter into combat zones. I've achieved the previously mentioned goal to take part in the fight.
This war has meant that the 3 to 4 month deployments that used to be the norm for the HSC community are now 8 months or more. It means more time away from my family. In just the few months that I've been here Michenna has learned to swim and started first grade and I missed the opportunity to go to a formal command dinner with Tricia back on Guam. That's just what it has meant to me personally. To the families of the 3700+ that have been killed in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom it has cost much, much more.
I saw an article comparing the deaths from the war to the deaths on September 11 (2,752). I think that it does a disservice to both groups to compare them. Everyday I stand in line at the chow hall with soldiers and marines who are getting ready to go into harms way. They have no illusions about where they're going or what they may be called upon to do while they are there. The servicemen who lost their lives here knew that they were risking their lives. They did it anyway.
Earlier this year, I read this article: http://michellemalkin.com/2007/01/19/the-immortal-words-of-2lt-mark-daily/ I think that 2lt Daily summed up my feelings about this war and the sacrifices being made for it better than I ever could.
The people who lost their lives on 9/11 didn't have the opportunity to make that choice. They had no idea when they went into work that day or boarded the plane that they would become casuaties in what I believe is quite literally a fight between good and evil. They were not offered a chance to defend themselves.
I'm not saying that the war is perfect. We're fighting an enemy unlike any that we have ever faced and mistakes have been made. However, this is a war we must win. The forces of evil (melodramatic, sure but I can't think of a better way to summarize the miriad of groups that we are facing) have chosen to make Iraq their great stand. They are putting everything they can into beating us here. We shouldn't accept the "rainbows and sugar" illusion that we can end the war by pulling out of Iraq. They don't want Iraq. This isn't a war about land or government. They oppose our ideals. They are opposed to everything we represent. Before I left Guam, I got to see the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff speak. I think he summed it up better than I can. http://www.arcent.army.mil/news/archive/2007_news/may/may28_01.asp
Well, that's enough of a soapbox for now. I guess I can sum it up by saying that I believe in what we're doing here and I'm proud to be a part of it. To put everyone's mind at ease I really should point out that our mission here is not really that dangerous. I know, I talk about combat time and all that but we fly into safe areas.
My application for flight school had already been submitted to the Navy and was being processed so I can't claim that the attacks had any effect on my desire to join. It did make me anxious to get into a position where I could take an active part in the fight.
So here I am six years later. I have green entries in my logbook which signify that I have flown my helicopter into combat zones. I've achieved the previously mentioned goal to take part in the fight.
This war has meant that the 3 to 4 month deployments that used to be the norm for the HSC community are now 8 months or more. It means more time away from my family. In just the few months that I've been here Michenna has learned to swim and started first grade and I missed the opportunity to go to a formal command dinner with Tricia back on Guam. That's just what it has meant to me personally. To the families of the 3700+ that have been killed in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom it has cost much, much more.
I saw an article comparing the deaths from the war to the deaths on September 11 (2,752). I think that it does a disservice to both groups to compare them. Everyday I stand in line at the chow hall with soldiers and marines who are getting ready to go into harms way. They have no illusions about where they're going or what they may be called upon to do while they are there. The servicemen who lost their lives here knew that they were risking their lives. They did it anyway.
Earlier this year, I read this article: http://michellemalkin.com/2007/01/19/the-immortal-words-of-2lt-mark-daily/ I think that 2lt Daily summed up my feelings about this war and the sacrifices being made for it better than I ever could.
The people who lost their lives on 9/11 didn't have the opportunity to make that choice. They had no idea when they went into work that day or boarded the plane that they would become casuaties in what I believe is quite literally a fight between good and evil. They were not offered a chance to defend themselves.
I'm not saying that the war is perfect. We're fighting an enemy unlike any that we have ever faced and mistakes have been made. However, this is a war we must win. The forces of evil (melodramatic, sure but I can't think of a better way to summarize the miriad of groups that we are facing) have chosen to make Iraq their great stand. They are putting everything they can into beating us here. We shouldn't accept the "rainbows and sugar" illusion that we can end the war by pulling out of Iraq. They don't want Iraq. This isn't a war about land or government. They oppose our ideals. They are opposed to everything we represent. Before I left Guam, I got to see the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff speak. I think he summed it up better than I can. http://www.arcent.army.mil/news/archive/2007_news/may/may28_01.asp
Well, that's enough of a soapbox for now. I guess I can sum it up by saying that I believe in what we're doing here and I'm proud to be a part of it. To put everyone's mind at ease I really should point out that our mission here is not really that dangerous. I know, I talk about combat time and all that but we fly into safe areas.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Church
Today being Sunday, I was able to go to church. The last time I was there (a month ago thanks to my alert schedule) there were about 6 people there. Today there were 160. I was floored. I knew that the base was a lot more crowded than usual right now, but I guess in my mind I didn't translate that to meaning anything more than having to wait an insane amount of time to eat. It was nice to have that many people there. Heck, it was nice to just be able to go. I'll have to continue to manipulate the schedule more.
Other than that, nothing happened today. I got home from my watch and immediately fell asleep. Then I woke up and chilled in my trailer until it was time for church. Exciting, eh? Tomorow I'll be on the alert again so I'll get to hang out at the squadron instead. Hopefully, I'll get to fly the next day on a training hop I've got scheduled. I haven't flown in a couple of weeks and it's starting to get to me.
Other than that, nothing happened today. I got home from my watch and immediately fell asleep. Then I woke up and chilled in my trailer until it was time for church. Exciting, eh? Tomorow I'll be on the alert again so I'll get to hang out at the squadron instead. Hopefully, I'll get to fly the next day on a training hop I've got scheduled. I haven't flown in a couple of weeks and it's starting to get to me.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Another Watch
I'm on another night watch tonight. Fun, fun, fun. Actually, tonight's watch is already starting out differently. First off, there is college football on. That always makes for a good night. Secondly, the squadron is holding a Spades tounament. I have no idea how to play Spades, so I'm not participating. There are about 30 people in here right now playing. Add to that the pilot and crewchief behind me playing football on their PSPs and it's a regular arcade in here. Actually PSPs are fairly common here. Every Sunday the squadron has "SoCom Sunday". If you don't know what that means, ask someone who has a PSP.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm no longer having to walk everywhere I go. When I roommate left, I got his bike from him. It's yellow, says "Husky" on the side, and would probably be described by Liberace as "too gay", but it gets me around and sure beats walking.
It's also starting to cool off considerably. Today it only got up to 110. They're measuring us out for our winter gear now. Seriously. Apparently starting around November it gets cold, wet, and generally miserable here. That's in opposition to the hot, dry, and generally miserable that we've been experiencing up to this point.
I've already talked about how they occasionally like to shut off our water. Well, today they got me. I was showering and noticed that the water pressure was slowly dropping. I tried to race the oncoming dry-spell and lost. I got my hair all nice and lathered up when the water stopped completely. Thankfully, as I've already mentioned, bottled water is more than plentiful here. So I was able to go into my room and grab a couple of bottles to rinse off with. It was the closest thing to a cold shower I've had since I got here. Since all the water is stored in outdoor metal tanks, I've been forced to get used to really hot showers. There is a water heater in our bathroom, but I'm pretty sure it's only there as somebody's idea of irony.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm no longer having to walk everywhere I go. When I roommate left, I got his bike from him. It's yellow, says "Husky" on the side, and would probably be described by Liberace as "too gay", but it gets me around and sure beats walking.
It's also starting to cool off considerably. Today it only got up to 110. They're measuring us out for our winter gear now. Seriously. Apparently starting around November it gets cold, wet, and generally miserable here. That's in opposition to the hot, dry, and generally miserable that we've been experiencing up to this point.
I've already talked about how they occasionally like to shut off our water. Well, today they got me. I was showering and noticed that the water pressure was slowly dropping. I tried to race the oncoming dry-spell and lost. I got my hair all nice and lathered up when the water stopped completely. Thankfully, as I've already mentioned, bottled water is more than plentiful here. So I was able to go into my room and grab a couple of bottles to rinse off with. It was the closest thing to a cold shower I've had since I got here. Since all the water is stored in outdoor metal tanks, I've been forced to get used to really hot showers. There is a water heater in our bathroom, but I'm pretty sure it's only there as somebody's idea of irony.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Early Morning
Well, today I was on alert again. This time, though, as an added bonus they let us come in and brief at 0500 so I got to wake up before 0400. For those of you unfamiliar with military time, 0500 translates to "%#&@ early". Those of you who know me will know that I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. Thankfully, we didn't have to launch on anything today (knock on wood, we still have the chicken tonight) and I should be able to catch up on a little sleep tonight. Then tomorow I'll fly a scheduled medevac and a training flight.
Saturday night I'll be on watch again, but do not dispair. I put myself on the watch for Saturday night. It serves two purposes: First it guarantees that I will not have to fly on Sunday so I'll be able to finally get back to church (it's been about a month since I had a Sunday off) and secondly it ensures that I will get to watch some college football. I have no idea what games the Armed Forces TV Network will be showing, but I really don't care, either. It's football and therefore it is good.
Saturday night I'll be on watch again, but do not dispair. I put myself on the watch for Saturday night. It serves two purposes: First it guarantees that I will not have to fly on Sunday so I'll be able to finally get back to church (it's been about a month since I had a Sunday off) and secondly it ensures that I will get to watch some college football. I have no idea what games the Armed Forces TV Network will be showing, but I really don't care, either. It's football and therefore it is good.
Monday, September 3, 2007
New Roommate
Well, yesterday I was on alert once again. Thankfully, it was a quiet day with no launches. Also yesterday my roommate left to head back home. There were actually several of them that left. They'd been here since April. Don't think that that means I've only got two months left here. No, I'm still slated to be here until next spring. My new roommate is named Caleb Lindh. He's been in the squadron about a month less than I have and we get along great.
It has been very quiet out here as of late. In no way am I complaining. I'm glad that guys aren't getting hurt. Besides, it's given me a chance to catch up on reading and TV series and movies. I got my hands on a copy of Spiderman 3 last night and am pretty excited to see that. Of course, I should probably make sure Tricia doesn't want me to wait until I get home to watch that one with her. The latest series making its way around the det is "Entourage".
We're approaching the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Basically for the space of one month they don't eat, drink, smoke or a lot of other things between sunrise and sunset. Pretty big deal around here. Won't really affect us too much unless we go off base during that time.
About the most exciting thing to happen to me recently was that I caught a lizard in the bathroom the other day. He actually looked a lot like the gecko that lives on top of our dresser in our bedroom in Guam (actually, he lives behind the dresser but hangs out on top of it during the day), except he was obviously more adapted to the desert than the jungle. Little tiny lizard about 2 inches long. The poor guy was terrified. I caught him and took him outside to let him go in the sand. Figured that was probably better for him than being cooped up inside a bathroom.
I've gotta stand the midnight watch again tomorow night. Oh joy! Hopefully I'll something a little more exciting than local fauna to type about then.
It has been very quiet out here as of late. In no way am I complaining. I'm glad that guys aren't getting hurt. Besides, it's given me a chance to catch up on reading and TV series and movies. I got my hands on a copy of Spiderman 3 last night and am pretty excited to see that. Of course, I should probably make sure Tricia doesn't want me to wait until I get home to watch that one with her. The latest series making its way around the det is "Entourage".
We're approaching the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Basically for the space of one month they don't eat, drink, smoke or a lot of other things between sunrise and sunset. Pretty big deal around here. Won't really affect us too much unless we go off base during that time.
About the most exciting thing to happen to me recently was that I caught a lizard in the bathroom the other day. He actually looked a lot like the gecko that lives on top of our dresser in our bedroom in Guam (actually, he lives behind the dresser but hangs out on top of it during the day), except he was obviously more adapted to the desert than the jungle. Little tiny lizard about 2 inches long. The poor guy was terrified. I caught him and took him outside to let him go in the sand. Figured that was probably better for him than being cooped up inside a bathroom.
I've gotta stand the midnight watch again tomorow night. Oh joy! Hopefully I'll something a little more exciting than local fauna to type about then.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Movie Selection
So I'm sitting here at about 1AM looking through the squadron's DVD collection looking for something to kill time until the football game starts at 0300. By the way, "Boondock Saints" was quite an entertaining flick. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to list some of the DVDs we have here that you certainly would never expect to see in a military helicopter squadron:
Snow White (the live-action version) - I didn't even know that there was a live-action version.
The Phantom of the Opera - I certainly enjoyed it, but it surprises me to see it here.
Brokeback Mountain - 'nuff said.
The Adventures of Milo and Otis - Cuddly adventures of a cute kittie and doggie.
The Pee-Wee Herman Show - I really have no words for this
The Princess Diaries - I'm sure that all the pre-teen girl helicopter pilots we have enjoy it.
Some DVD entitled "great STREET FIGHTER movies" - Not that something like that surprises me here, it's just that I'm surprised it's pluralized. Can there be more than one? Can there be one?
Monster-In-Law - I think the premier for this one was held in a phone-booth, and still didn't sell out.
Somewhere In Time - Again, good movie, but here?
Now, it isn't all chick-flicks and creepy stuff. There are the "manly man" shows you'd expect - Rambo, a smattering of Bruce Lee flicks, etc. I just wonder who put them there. Oh well, I think I'll put in Armageddon. 1 hour and 40 minutes left to the kickoff of the college football season.
Snow White (the live-action version) - I didn't even know that there was a live-action version.
The Phantom of the Opera - I certainly enjoyed it, but it surprises me to see it here.
Brokeback Mountain - 'nuff said.
The Adventures of Milo and Otis - Cuddly adventures of a cute kittie and doggie.
The Pee-Wee Herman Show - I really have no words for this
The Princess Diaries - I'm sure that all the pre-teen girl helicopter pilots we have enjoy it.
Some DVD entitled "great STREET FIGHTER movies" - Not that something like that surprises me here, it's just that I'm surprised it's pluralized. Can there be more than one? Can there be one?
Monster-In-Law - I think the premier for this one was held in a phone-booth, and still didn't sell out.
Somewhere In Time - Again, good movie, but here?
Now, it isn't all chick-flicks and creepy stuff. There are the "manly man" shows you'd expect - Rambo, a smattering of Bruce Lee flicks, etc. I just wonder who put them there. Oh well, I think I'll put in Armageddon. 1 hour and 40 minutes left to the kickoff of the college football season.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thank you.
First off, I would like to thank everyone for the response to my request for pencils. It is really humbling. Thank you so much!
Last Tuesday I flew another combat mission. Don't get too excited. Like I said before, it's only combat because we crossed the border. We ran some blood from the hospital in Kuwait to a smaller hospital up north. Actually, we didn't run the blood. We flew wing while the blood was in the other helicopter in our formation.
The really exciting news for me on Tuesday was that I sat through, and passed, my Helicopter 2nd Pilot board. There are about 20 Navy publications that are fair game for questions during the board. It's a little bit like getting kicked in the...head...for two hours. I didn't do as well as I would have liked to, but like we say, any landing you can walk away from....(if the passengers of your aircraft don't run away screaming in terror, that's just a bonus).
Anyway, tonight I find mysellf on watch again for 12 hours. Should be pretty exciting. Right now we're watching "Boondock Saints". I've not seen it, but it looks good so far.
Last Tuesday I flew another combat mission. Don't get too excited. Like I said before, it's only combat because we crossed the border. We ran some blood from the hospital in Kuwait to a smaller hospital up north. Actually, we didn't run the blood. We flew wing while the blood was in the other helicopter in our formation.
The really exciting news for me on Tuesday was that I sat through, and passed, my Helicopter 2nd Pilot board. There are about 20 Navy publications that are fair game for questions during the board. It's a little bit like getting kicked in the...head...for two hours. I didn't do as well as I would have liked to, but like we say, any landing you can walk away from....(if the passengers of your aircraft don't run away screaming in terror, that's just a bonus).
Anyway, tonight I find mysellf on watch again for 12 hours. Should be pretty exciting. Right now we're watching "Boondock Saints". I've not seen it, but it looks good so far.
Monday, August 27, 2007
First Post In A While
I realize that I have been neglecting my blog for the last week or so. There are actually a couple of reasons for this. First, until today not much happened this week and second, I have a very important board coming up tomorow that I have been studying intently for. When I said board I mean a bunch of senior pilots will sit and ask me questions for a couple of hours. Glorious! I will be certain to tell you how much fun it is after it's all over with.
Today I am on the First UP crew. We actually hadn't even finished briefing yet when we were called out to spin up the aircraft for a soldier here on base who was suffering from acute appendicitis and needed to be moved to the bigger hospital down south for surgery. That was my first actual "run out to the helicopter and start the APU (auxilliary power unit) before I even put on my helmet and vest" medevac. It was a pretty good rush. Anyway, we got him there in one piece. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he must have been in the back, however. Helicopters in general tend to vibrate quite a bit, but the one we were flying today has a reputation for being able to dislodge fillings.
Anyway, I have received some questions about the infamous chicken suit. I've not yet worn it, but I promise photos when it does happen. Now I have another special request for anyone who might be located near an art supply store. I am now in charge of keeping track of the logbooks for all the pilots here. I need some very fine tipped (preferably mechanical) colored pencils. Blue, red, and green (we use blue lead for NVGs, red for night-time, and green for combat). I tried to look at the limited supply of stuff here to no avail. I asked Tricia about it, but since she is in Guam, which is only slightly better supplied than here. So if anyone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry again about the lack of recent posts, I promise to improve.
Today I am on the First UP crew. We actually hadn't even finished briefing yet when we were called out to spin up the aircraft for a soldier here on base who was suffering from acute appendicitis and needed to be moved to the bigger hospital down south for surgery. That was my first actual "run out to the helicopter and start the APU (auxilliary power unit) before I even put on my helmet and vest" medevac. It was a pretty good rush. Anyway, we got him there in one piece. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he must have been in the back, however. Helicopters in general tend to vibrate quite a bit, but the one we were flying today has a reputation for being able to dislodge fillings.
Anyway, I have received some questions about the infamous chicken suit. I've not yet worn it, but I promise photos when it does happen. Now I have another special request for anyone who might be located near an art supply store. I am now in charge of keeping track of the logbooks for all the pilots here. I need some very fine tipped (preferably mechanical) colored pencils. Blue, red, and green (we use blue lead for NVGs, red for night-time, and green for combat). I tried to look at the limited supply of stuff here to no avail. I asked Tricia about it, but since she is in Guam, which is only slightly better supplied than here. So if anyone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry again about the lack of recent posts, I promise to improve.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Green TIme
Today, the entire area around us became a no-fly zone so because of an excersize that the Kuwaiti's were holding. So we went flew up to another base to hang out in case a call came down while the airspace was shut down. It was very very hot while we were up there. Since the pad we were at wasn't considered secure, I volunteered to stay out by the aircraft with one of the crewmen while everyone else went inside. It actually turned out to be pretty cool. The firefighters from the base we were at came by. These are civilian firemen from the U.S. who come out here as civilian contractors because they make a lot more here than they do out there (they actually make quite a bit more than I do). They're out here for years at a time and go home for 2 weeks every four months.
Anyway, we were able to give them a little tour of the helicopter and explain how they can get to the occupants in case of an emergency. It was a little like being a static display at an airshow. Except that the firefighters didn't try to walk off with everything that wasn't bolted to the airframe. There was also a British EH-101 that pulled onto the pad shortly after we arrived. I won't get too technical, but it's basically the coolest helicopter out there. It can do everything my beloved Knighthawk can do but much, much better. They proved it when they took off by performing a maneuver that, were we to try to duplicate in our bird we would fall out of the sky like a rock. It also proved to me that pilots the world over are the same. We can't help but show off our new toys. I now want to follow my time in Guam with a joint tour in the UK.
Now I am back at Happyland and should have a couple of days off. It will be nice because this was a pretty busy week. I don't know if I'll get away from Happyland to try and enjoy Kuwait City or not during my time off, but if I do I will let you know.
Anyway, we were able to give them a little tour of the helicopter and explain how they can get to the occupants in case of an emergency. It was a little like being a static display at an airshow. Except that the firefighters didn't try to walk off with everything that wasn't bolted to the airframe. There was also a British EH-101 that pulled onto the pad shortly after we arrived. I won't get too technical, but it's basically the coolest helicopter out there. It can do everything my beloved Knighthawk can do but much, much better. They proved it when they took off by performing a maneuver that, were we to try to duplicate in our bird we would fall out of the sky like a rock. It also proved to me that pilots the world over are the same. We can't help but show off our new toys. I now want to follow my time in Guam with a joint tour in the UK.
Now I am back at Happyland and should have a couple of days off. It will be nice because this was a pretty busy week. I don't know if I'll get away from Happyland to try and enjoy Kuwait City or not during my time off, but if I do I will let you know.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Maintenance Check Flight
Yesterday was a very long, busy day for me. I was on the "Functional Check Flight" crew. Basically what that means is that after maintenance is performed on one of our helicopters, they assign a crew to go and fly it and make sure that it's safe to fly. OK, that's a very simplified version of it, but you get the general idea. Anyway, I got into work at 0500 and proceeded to spend the next 13 hours flying the helicopter and taking various readings. To add to the joy, it was about 48 degrees outside. I was soaked with sweat within the first 5 minutes. After we finished getting the bird back up I gave the plane captain a high five and as soon as I raised my arm, small birds fell from the sky dead from the fumes. It was very gross.
I went home and collapsed to watch a movie. Ended up watching "Cinderella Man" starring Russel Crowe. Far and away it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time. Unfortunately, it also has the distinction of having one of the worst titles of any movie in a long, long time. The title makes sense with regards to the movie, but I think that if they had named it anything else it would have done much better than it did in the theaters. I highly recommend checking it out. Even if you don't like boxing (which I don't).
Today I am standing the 2nd up alert. Yesterday the 1st and 2nd up crews launched to medevac a 3 year-old Iraqi child. Everyone who wasn't involved in that was jealous. That's what we all want to do -- save babies.
I went home and collapsed to watch a movie. Ended up watching "Cinderella Man" starring Russel Crowe. Far and away it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time. Unfortunately, it also has the distinction of having one of the worst titles of any movie in a long, long time. The title makes sense with regards to the movie, but I think that if they had named it anything else it would have done much better than it did in the theaters. I highly recommend checking it out. Even if you don't like boxing (which I don't).
Today I am standing the 2nd up alert. Yesterday the 1st and 2nd up crews launched to medevac a 3 year-old Iraqi child. Everyone who wasn't involved in that was jealous. That's what we all want to do -- save babies.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Salty Dog
For those of you who don't know, senior sailors are refered to as "salty" or "old salts" because after you've been out to see so long they say that the salt works its way into your blood. Well, they've got nothing on us.
These are my rank insignia after last night's medevac. The LTjg bars are actually black. All the white on the bars and around them is from the salt that accumulated from sweating like a wh...well, sweating profusely during the flight.
These are my rank insignia after last night's medevac. The LTjg bars are actually black. All the white on the bars and around them is from the salt that accumulated from sweating like a wh...well, sweating profusely during the flight.
The First Medevac
Well, it finally happened. Last night I went out on my first medevac. Here are a bunch of pictures and even a for your enjoyment:
Here I am a little bit after start-up.
Here I am a little bit after start-up.
We had to pop the hood to troubleshoot our navigation systems before we left. I love the eyes painted on our engine air filters.
On deck while they were transferring the patient into the back of our helicopter. I like this picture because you can see the sunset reflecting off my visor.
The sunset when we landed to pick up the patient. The dust around here makes for some really incredible sunsets.
Some oil wells and a refinery in Southern Iraq. They burn off the fumes and the flames can reach hundreds of feet high.
The red cross on the nose of our helicopter. I thought this was a pretty cool photo.
This is a picture our crewchief took of the tail of our helicopter while we were moving the patient over to an Army medevac helicopter so he could go farther north to the bigger hospital. Notice the flames painted on the exhaust ports?
Double checking the charts before we leave to head back home. You can definitely see that the highly reflective tape on our helmets works. Also, in case you're wondering, the other pilot went to Oregon State University so that's an OSU Beaver on his helmet.
Turning my gear back in after the flight. If you look closely, you can see how sweat soaked everything is. That body armor got really uncomfortable.
On deck while they were transferring the patient into the back of our helicopter. I like this picture because you can see the sunset reflecting off my visor.
The sunset when we landed to pick up the patient. The dust around here makes for some really incredible sunsets.
Some oil wells and a refinery in Southern Iraq. They burn off the fumes and the flames can reach hundreds of feet high.
The red cross on the nose of our helicopter. I thought this was a pretty cool photo.
This is a picture our crewchief took of the tail of our helicopter while we were moving the patient over to an Army medevac helicopter so he could go farther north to the bigger hospital. Notice the flames painted on the exhaust ports?
Double checking the charts before we leave to head back home. You can definitely see that the highly reflective tape on our helmets works. Also, in case you're wondering, the other pilot went to Oregon State University so that's an OSU Beaver on his helmet.
Turning my gear back in after the flight. If you look closely, you can see how sweat soaked everything is. That body armor got really uncomfortable. Sunday, August 12, 2007
A Great Night
I was planning on posting this yesterday, but I ended up being extremely busy. Anyway, Friday night, I must say was a great night. We went out to the USS Rushmore to do some boat landings. This time thankfully didn't turn out like last time and we were actually able to do the landings. When we got to the boat, everybody jumped out and all the pilots went to the wardroom (basically the place on the boat where all the officers hang out). I had forgotten how different aviation is from the rest of the Navy. We have enlisted and officers just like everyone else, but because our mission is so specialized, we require the input of every single member of the crew so the line between Os and Es gets a little fuzzy at times. Not so on a boat. Their line is clearly drawn.
The best part about the wardroom was that they fed us. We actually got to eat off of real plates with real silverware. The food was even freshly prepared. After eating in the chow halls here for the past month-and-a-half, I had forgotten that corn-on-the-cob actually had flavor! I was in heaven, but it wasn't over yet. After dinner, the cook (a 3rd class petty officer who had never had any culinary training but could make magnificent food) came out with a plate full of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies! They were still hot and gooey! I could have died a happy man at that moment (well, maybe not, but it was still good). Then, just when I was sure that it couldn't get any better, he came out with a plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries! I was certain that I was going to wake up at any moment chewing on my pillow. Of course, it wasn't until later that I realized that all our enlisted aircrew got to eat were sandwiches that they made themselves. I was a little perturbed at that, but like I said, it's different on the boat.
After my incredible dinner I went back up to the flight-line to await my turn to fly. The ship was darkened to help the pilots out and the stars were incredible! I was able to set my helmet bag on the ground and lie down just staring at the stars for a good hour. For those of you who don't know, I do like astronomy. I even took an astronomy class in college -- OK, I admit that that was only because it was the easiest way to fulfill my physics requirment, but I still liked the class. I hadn't see stars like that in years. I even saw several shooting stars.
So the day after my "great night" (yesterday) I got a knock on my door telling me that there was a helicopter ready for a maintanance test flight. I thought that was nice of them to tell me until I realized that the reason they were telling me was because they wanted me to be the copilot. So for the next 7 or so hours I sat in my own sweat and drank about 5 liters of water while we tested the new blade that they had installed. Thankfully, that only lasted until sundown and I was able to have time to wash the salt out of both my flight suits before I went to bed last night.
Today I am on the alert again. Last night they got called out at about 11PM. We'll see if we go out today. I will keep you posted.
The best part about the wardroom was that they fed us. We actually got to eat off of real plates with real silverware. The food was even freshly prepared. After eating in the chow halls here for the past month-and-a-half, I had forgotten that corn-on-the-cob actually had flavor! I was in heaven, but it wasn't over yet. After dinner, the cook (a 3rd class petty officer who had never had any culinary training but could make magnificent food) came out with a plate full of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies! They were still hot and gooey! I could have died a happy man at that moment (well, maybe not, but it was still good). Then, just when I was sure that it couldn't get any better, he came out with a plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries! I was certain that I was going to wake up at any moment chewing on my pillow. Of course, it wasn't until later that I realized that all our enlisted aircrew got to eat were sandwiches that they made themselves. I was a little perturbed at that, but like I said, it's different on the boat.
After my incredible dinner I went back up to the flight-line to await my turn to fly. The ship was darkened to help the pilots out and the stars were incredible! I was able to set my helmet bag on the ground and lie down just staring at the stars for a good hour. For those of you who don't know, I do like astronomy. I even took an astronomy class in college -- OK, I admit that that was only because it was the easiest way to fulfill my physics requirment, but I still liked the class. I hadn't see stars like that in years. I even saw several shooting stars.
So the day after my "great night" (yesterday) I got a knock on my door telling me that there was a helicopter ready for a maintanance test flight. I thought that was nice of them to tell me until I realized that the reason they were telling me was because they wanted me to be the copilot. So for the next 7 or so hours I sat in my own sweat and drank about 5 liters of water while we tested the new blade that they had installed. Thankfully, that only lasted until sundown and I was able to have time to wash the salt out of both my flight suits before I went to bed last night.
Today I am on the alert again. Last night they got called out at about 11PM. We'll see if we go out today. I will keep you posted.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Here We Go Again
Well, I am once again 1st UP on the alert today. The reason that I haven't been updating the blog for the last several days is that there really hasn't been anything to update. I've been off for a few days which was absolutely glorious. Yesterday was a crazy day weather-wise. It's almost sad because I looked out my window and it looked overcast and foggy. When I stepped out into what I thought might be cool(er) moist air it turned out that it was just extremely dusty. Visibility was less than a mile with sand blowing all over the place. It wasn't a sand-storm like this place is capable of, but it was definitely more than I'm used to.
Hopefully I'll have a bit more to update sometime soon. I watched the movie "Hot Fuzz" the other day. No, it's not that kind of movie. It's a very British comedy about a police officer. If you have any sort of a British sense of humor (I.E. if you don't understand "Mr. Bean" don't bother) then it is definitely a worthwhile film. It's done by the same guy who did "Shawn of the Dead" which was equally worthwhile.
Hopefully I'll have a bit more to update sometime soon. I watched the movie "Hot Fuzz" the other day. No, it's not that kind of movie. It's a very British comedy about a police officer. If you have any sort of a British sense of humor (I.E. if you don't understand "Mr. Bean" don't bother) then it is definitely a worthwhile film. It's done by the same guy who did "Shawn of the Dead" which was equally worthwhile.
Monday, August 6, 2007
2AM and All's Well
As you could no doubt guess from the title, it is 2AM here. I just finished watching "Transformers". If you haven't seen it and you're young enough to care about who the Transformers are, it is definitely worth a look. I'm pretty sure it's still in theaters in the states.
It's a quiet night which is good. I did have to take a Red Cross message for one of the maintainers whose grandfather is dying back home. Not one of the more pleasant things I've ever had to do. Of course, this being the digital age, he knew about it long before the message got to us. We'll probably be putting him on a plane home for a couple of weeks.
The watch is half-way over and kickoff is in about one hour. Hey, I may just make it. Of course then there's another dilemma for me. One of the other pilots and a couple of the aircrew are driving into Kuwait City tomorow and asked if I'd like to come along. I would, but I'll probably need the sleep as much as anything. Then again, going to bed at 9 in the morning is not the best thing to do unless I want to completely screw up my internal clock. We'll see what happens.
It's a quiet night which is good. I did have to take a Red Cross message for one of the maintainers whose grandfather is dying back home. Not one of the more pleasant things I've ever had to do. Of course, this being the digital age, he knew about it long before the message got to us. We'll probably be putting him on a plane home for a couple of weeks.
The watch is half-way over and kickoff is in about one hour. Hey, I may just make it. Of course then there's another dilemma for me. One of the other pilots and a couple of the aircrew are driving into Kuwait City tomorow and asked if I'd like to come along. I would, but I'll probably need the sleep as much as anything. Then again, going to bed at 9 in the morning is not the best thing to do unless I want to completely screw up my internal clock. We'll see what happens.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
A Different Kind of Watch
I find myself on watch again. This time, though, I'm on the 8PM to 8AM watch. Fun, fun, fun. So I get to try to keep myself awake for the next 11 or so hours. The good news is that I probably got a good night to do it. The NFL preseason starts tonight (well, today in the states). So at 3AM we'll get to watch Pittsburgh at New Orleans. I'd probably wake up for that anyway.
I haven't flown since last week. So far I've gone through three alerts with no calls. As has been pointed out, that's not really a bad thing. It means that the guys down in this area are at least doing all right.
I managed to get to church today. Unfortunately, especially with the alert schedules, I don't always get to make it. It was good to make it. It had been a few weeks since I'd gone last. I was the only Navy guy there. I tried not to rub it in. Just kidding. Most of the congregation are going through here on their way to less friendly places up north. I pray that church is the only place I have to see them (as opposed to the back of my helicopter). I've had a lot of people ask what I want. I'm really grateful for the packages that I've received. However, if you know someone pounding the ground in Iraq, send them your packages. I'm living in paradise compared to what those guys go through.
I'll probably be posting throughout the night as stuff occurs to me. That should be interesting. You can experience my mind going downhill as I approach 24 hours awake. I do have DVDs to keep myself awake. I've got the second season of Battlestar Galactica and Transformers. Wow. On the geek scale, I'm about one step away from playing video games in my parents' basement. Of course, I've never claimed that pilots - excuse me, "Naval Aviators" - are anything other than geeks with really, really cool jobs. Oh, did I mention our hot wives? :-D
I haven't flown since last week. So far I've gone through three alerts with no calls. As has been pointed out, that's not really a bad thing. It means that the guys down in this area are at least doing all right.
I managed to get to church today. Unfortunately, especially with the alert schedules, I don't always get to make it. It was good to make it. It had been a few weeks since I'd gone last. I was the only Navy guy there. I tried not to rub it in. Just kidding. Most of the congregation are going through here on their way to less friendly places up north. I pray that church is the only place I have to see them (as opposed to the back of my helicopter). I've had a lot of people ask what I want. I'm really grateful for the packages that I've received. However, if you know someone pounding the ground in Iraq, send them your packages. I'm living in paradise compared to what those guys go through.
I'll probably be posting throughout the night as stuff occurs to me. That should be interesting. You can experience my mind going downhill as I approach 24 hours awake. I do have DVDs to keep myself awake. I've got the second season of Battlestar Galactica and Transformers. Wow. On the geek scale, I'm about one step away from playing video games in my parents' basement. Of course, I've never claimed that pilots - excuse me, "Naval Aviators" - are anything other than geeks with really, really cool jobs. Oh, did I mention our hot wives? :-D
Friday, August 3, 2007
Change of Command
Today was our squadron's change of command. That's where the commanding officer is getting transfered so he hands control of the squadron over to the new CO. I've attended three of these during my time in the Navy (I'm sure I'll attend many more) and they have varied from extremely long-winded and boring (VT-6, thanks to one particular speaker) to extremely short (HT-8). This one was actually pretty short and to the point.
There was one key difference between this one and any other I've seen. Usually the change of command is a good reason for everybody to put on their best dress uniform and generally be very uncomfortable for several hours, albeit while looking quite sharp -- unless you're in the Air Force since their dress uniforms look like they were designed by some 70's lounge singer, but I digress. Anyway, since we're in a combat zone, nobody has any dress uniforms. The uniform of the day was our Desert Camoflauge. Except for the alert flight crews (which I happen to be today). Our uniform was flight suits. This is also perhaps the only change of command that I'll ever go to while carrying my 9mm pistol (alert crews generally have our weapons on us just because it's one less thing that we have to grab on the way out to the helicopter if we get called out). Like I said before, the change of command was short and therefore good. We also had cake afterwards which is always an added bonus.
As I said, I'm on the alert again today (2nd up) so maybe I'll get my first medevac today. The only one the squadron has gotten in the last several days was one that came up at about 0200 this morning (nothing serious). I'd rather not have one of those. We'd probably be about 20 miles away before I even woke up.
There was one key difference between this one and any other I've seen. Usually the change of command is a good reason for everybody to put on their best dress uniform and generally be very uncomfortable for several hours, albeit while looking quite sharp -- unless you're in the Air Force since their dress uniforms look like they were designed by some 70's lounge singer, but I digress. Anyway, since we're in a combat zone, nobody has any dress uniforms. The uniform of the day was our Desert Camoflauge. Except for the alert flight crews (which I happen to be today). Our uniform was flight suits. This is also perhaps the only change of command that I'll ever go to while carrying my 9mm pistol (alert crews generally have our weapons on us just because it's one less thing that we have to grab on the way out to the helicopter if we get called out). Like I said before, the change of command was short and therefore good. We also had cake afterwards which is always an added bonus.
As I said, I'm on the alert again today (2nd up) so maybe I'll get my first medevac today. The only one the squadron has gotten in the last several days was one that came up at about 0200 this morning (nothing serious). I'd rather not have one of those. We'd probably be about 20 miles away before I even woke up.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Still Waiting...
Again, yesterday's alert came and went, but there was no business. Our commanding officer offered to go to the chow hall and start pushing guys down until we had someone injured enough, but we decided that that was a bit too risky. After all, they may just choose to evac him by ground.
Again, responding to comments on the general forum, this one for my brother: Club Med? All right, I will go with that. Compared to what the boys up north are living with, this is practically paradise. I hope that Japan was nice and that the tent they made you live in was at least not drafty. What's that? You stayed in a hotel? Then shuddup.
The "Ambulance Chasers" here, when they're required (which doesn't really happen for us because we don't fly there) are called Apaches, Cobras, or Blackhawk gunships. However, in our case they're there more for our use than for the guy we're picking up.
All right, I hope that you all are doing well and I will continue to keep you informed.
Again, responding to comments on the general forum, this one for my brother: Club Med? All right, I will go with that. Compared to what the boys up north are living with, this is practically paradise. I hope that Japan was nice and that the tent they made you live in was at least not drafty. What's that? You stayed in a hotel? Then shuddup.
The "Ambulance Chasers" here, when they're required (which doesn't really happen for us because we don't fly there) are called Apaches, Cobras, or Blackhawk gunships. However, in our case they're there more for our use than for the guy we're picking up.
All right, I hope that you all are doing well and I will continue to keep you informed.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
The Alert Again
Well, we ended up not getting a medevac on Sunday. So I still haven't gotten my first medevac. That's OK, though because today I am on first up and it's supposed to be hotter than hot today, so there's always hope. Good golly! I've gotten worse than a personal-injury attorney.
I'm having a bit of trouble actually viewing my blog right now so I won't be able to respond to comments received in the comments section. I will respond here until the situation has resolved itself.
My nephews want to know what the "ZOOM" button does on the helicopter (I guess it shows up in the picture I posted of the outside air temperature). Well, step on over to "Uncle Spencer's Answers Corner" and learn, young padawans. The zoom button is what we use when we get into trouble and need to go really, really fast. It directs the thrust from our engines out the back of the helicopter and propells us forward like a jet. Just like Airwolf! OK, that's a complete lie. I'm sorry. The truth is that the zoom button does...are you ready?...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! That's right. I can hit that button all day long and nothing will happen except I might be put on some forced R&R. The Navy used a one-size-fits-all approach when they put the displays into our cockpits so there are actually quite a few buttons that are used in other platforms, but have no use in our helicopter. We can zoom in and zoom out on the display, but we use the page up and page down keys to do that -- why would we use a "ZOOM" key for that, right? Even then, it's not that exciting because we don't have any moving maps or video cameras or FLIRs or anything to zoom in on. Sorry it's not more exciting than that, so I'll just stick with my first explanation -- the supersonic helicopter! Note: if anyone wants an in depth and extremely dry discourse on why a supersonic heliopter is actually impossible you need but ask. I am always here to serve. Not everyone at once, please.
By the way, I would like to thank everyone for their support while I'm out here. Yesterday I walked out of here with 4 packages and a huge grin on my face. I will be mailing thank you letters out later today but wanted to thank you all more publicly and immediately. My Blow-Pop woes have certainly been resolved. Thanks to everyone for the emails and prayers and everything, also.
I've been asked if I have a lot of contact with the local population out here. The truth is that I have almost none (except for the civilians that work on base). If you draw a square and label it "Nowhere" we are quite literally in the middle of it. Granted, in this desert there is quite a bit of nowhere to be had. Kuwait city looks lovely from about 500' up. Eventually hopefully I'll get a somewhat more intimate view.
Well, that's all for this session. Keep those questions coming and I promise to answer truthfully at least 40% of the time. Give or take.
I'm having a bit of trouble actually viewing my blog right now so I won't be able to respond to comments received in the comments section. I will respond here until the situation has resolved itself.
My nephews want to know what the "ZOOM" button does on the helicopter (I guess it shows up in the picture I posted of the outside air temperature). Well, step on over to "Uncle Spencer's Answers Corner" and learn, young padawans. The zoom button is what we use when we get into trouble and need to go really, really fast. It directs the thrust from our engines out the back of the helicopter and propells us forward like a jet. Just like Airwolf! OK, that's a complete lie. I'm sorry. The truth is that the zoom button does...are you ready?...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! That's right. I can hit that button all day long and nothing will happen except I might be put on some forced R&R. The Navy used a one-size-fits-all approach when they put the displays into our cockpits so there are actually quite a few buttons that are used in other platforms, but have no use in our helicopter. We can zoom in and zoom out on the display, but we use the page up and page down keys to do that -- why would we use a "ZOOM" key for that, right? Even then, it's not that exciting because we don't have any moving maps or video cameras or FLIRs or anything to zoom in on. Sorry it's not more exciting than that, so I'll just stick with my first explanation -- the supersonic helicopter! Note: if anyone wants an in depth and extremely dry discourse on why a supersonic heliopter is actually impossible you need but ask. I am always here to serve. Not everyone at once, please.
By the way, I would like to thank everyone for their support while I'm out here. Yesterday I walked out of here with 4 packages and a huge grin on my face. I will be mailing thank you letters out later today but wanted to thank you all more publicly and immediately. My Blow-Pop woes have certainly been resolved. Thanks to everyone for the emails and prayers and everything, also.
I've been asked if I have a lot of contact with the local population out here. The truth is that I have almost none (except for the civilians that work on base). If you draw a square and label it "Nowhere" we are quite literally in the middle of it. Granted, in this desert there is quite a bit of nowhere to be had. Kuwait city looks lovely from about 500' up. Eventually hopefully I'll get a somewhat more intimate view.
Well, that's all for this session. Keep those questions coming and I promise to answer truthfully at least 40% of the time. Give or take.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Standing The Alert
Today is my first time standing the medevac alert. I'm the second-up copilot which means that we get the second medevac of the day (or we go out dual-ship with the first-up helicopter in the event that we go somewhere where people might not like us). There was a medevac earlier today so right now we have the chicken -- the next one is ours. I kind of hope that we don't get called out on one right now because A: that would mean that somebody is hurt; and B: it's nighttime and I'd like to be able to get some pictures from my first evac. We'll see what happens. We've still got the watch for another 12 hours.
The main disadvantage to being on the alert is that my one kilometer triangle world is suddenly reduced to 200 ft. That's how far away from the helicopter we can be at any point during our alert. Thankfully, they have set up a trailer for us that has a sleeping room with beds and a room with a TV and DVD player and books. So the time passes quickly enough. Tomorow is a day off for me, so basically I get to hang out in my trailer. Sounds like fun, eh?
The main disadvantage to being on the alert is that my one kilometer triangle world is suddenly reduced to 200 ft. That's how far away from the helicopter we can be at any point during our alert. Thankfully, they have set up a trailer for us that has a sleeping room with beds and a room with a TV and DVD player and books. So the time passes quickly enough. Tomorow is a day off for me, so basically I get to hang out in my trailer. Sounds like fun, eh?
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Hottest Day...So far.
Those are the outside air temperature guages from the helicopter. The top one is on our windscreen with a little probe that sticks out to measure the temp. The other one is our navigation display. 129 degrees farenheit. That was what it was outside. I can assure you that it was not that pleasant inside. The T-shirt I was wearing when we flew is covered in salt. Luckily we were just doing a maintanance flight to check on some electrical problems so we weren't in the helo for very long. Nonetheless, when we got back I literally was able to wring the sweat out of my helmet liner. At least the wind wasn't blowing the sand into my face today.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
I'm Qualified!
Well, last night I did get out flying. We just went a little bit north of the airfield and did about 30 landings out in the desert. Helicopters are great! We don't need a big corps of engineers to set up landing sites for us. We just need to know if it's flat enough, big enough, and are there any trees or hazards in the area. Luckily for us, we happen to be surround by about a million square miles of such places.
What this means is that now I can stand the medevac alerts. So I can actually go flying on real medevacs instead of just training hops. I'll be sure to update you when I get my first one. Actually, the tradition here is that they make the new pilot dress up in a giant chicken suit the squadron owns (too long to explain) and go out into the base to Starbucks or someplace like that after his first medevac. I'm not really sure how that all started, but I'll roll with it.
Just in case you were wondering, it is 123 degrees outside right now. Fun times.
What this means is that now I can stand the medevac alerts. So I can actually go flying on real medevacs instead of just training hops. I'll be sure to update you when I get my first one. Actually, the tradition here is that they make the new pilot dress up in a giant chicken suit the squadron owns (too long to explain) and go out into the base to Starbucks or someplace like that after his first medevac. I'm not really sure how that all started, but I'll roll with it.
Just in case you were wondering, it is 123 degrees outside right now. Fun times.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The Votes Are In
Well, it looks like my moustache will be short lived. Actually, I'm not that disappointed. Truth to tell, it's a little bothersome. It gets wet when I try to drink, it's a pain to trim, and my room-mate says that it tickles when I kiss him goodnight. Just kidding. It's not that hard to trim. So it will be shaved shortly. There are a couple more things that I need to do with it before it comes completely off. The "Dictactor" picture still needs to happen. Speaking of dictators, what should I do with it for the last day I have it? Several of the aircrew here think I should shave it "toothbrush" style (a la a certain infamous dictator) but I think that might be in somewhat bad taste. So what I'm thinking is maybe shave all but the last 1/8th of an inch or so over my lip (kind of a sleazy latin-lover style). The other idea is to shave the center and then have two very thin halves angling off of my nose (tough to describe, I guess the closest thing would be two check-marks under my nose). Any suggestions?
Anyway, I am scheduled to fly again tonight. Barring some unforseen happening, I should be qualified by the end of the night...hmmm....that sounds familiar, somehow. I'm pretty tired today. Going on about 4 hours of sleep last night. Time to break out the Red Bull. This morning I tried to pass some time by watching "The Thin Red Line". If you haven't seen it, don't. I got about 40 minutes into it and was so bored that I was willing to go attack Guadalcanal just for some action. Wow. What a waste.
Anyway, I am scheduled to fly again tonight. Barring some unforseen happening, I should be qualified by the end of the night...hmmm....that sounds familiar, somehow. I'm pretty tired today. Going on about 4 hours of sleep last night. Time to break out the Red Bull. This morning I tried to pass some time by watching "The Thin Red Line". If you haven't seen it, don't. I got about 40 minutes into it and was so bored that I was willing to go attack Guadalcanal just for some action. Wow. What a waste.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Back to the Heat / Help Needed
Well, the few mild days (temps below 110) last week are now over. Today the wind is blowing at about 40 knots and the temperature is around 115. Walking to the chow hall I felt like Dorothy is some weird re-make of "The Wizard of Oz". "Aunty Em, Aunty Em a twister's a-comin'....and my dress just spontaneously burst into flames!" Thankfully there were no flying monkeys....I hate flying monkeys.
I was planning on writing yesterday since I was standing another one of my beloved 12-hour watches, but we got called on a couple of medevacs that turned into logistical nightmares. We got them done, though. That's what counts. One thing I like about our mission is that we will save whoever needs saving. Since I've been here our helicopters have flown U.S. Soldiers, U.S. civilians, one British woman (the one I was on. Not sure if she was military or civilian), and even suspected insurgents. Our corpsmen (medics) put just as much effort into saving the lives of our enemies as they do into saving the lives of our men. For that they should be commended. The dustoff motto is "When I have your wounded..." They truly live by that.
For those of you wondering if I am a qualified medevac pilot yet, the answer is no. I got my flight knocked out, but they would like me to have a few more unprepared landings at night on NVGs. It takes a little while to get used to landing a helicopter when all you can see for the last 10 feet or so down is blowing dust. Go figure. A little scary. So that should happen in the next couple of nights and by weeks end I'll be moving on up to the majors.
As for the help I need, well it's pretty serious. I was coming off my flight on Saturday night when I realized that I am missing a vital ingredient to my aviation success: my post-flight Blowpops. Ever since I was just a fledgeling flying the T-34C Turbo-Mentor, I have endulged in a Blowpop after my flights. Alas, there are none to be found here. It's amazing I'm even able to get the thing off the ground. Talk about your crises! So if anyone could send me some Blowpops I would very much appreciate it. Flavor doesn't matter (though I think I'll save the watermelon ones for after true medevacs). You may think I'm joking, but I'm not. Pilots in general are somewhat superstitious and helicopter pilots especially. Even aeronautical engineers will tell you that the technical term for how helicopters fly is "magic".
Kind of in combination with that last note, I've had some people tell me that my address is hard to find. So I will post it here for all to see:
LTJG Spencer Allen
2515th NAAD
Camp Beuhring, Kuwait
APO, AE 09330
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Why I Fly Helicopters
Tonight was definitely a night to remind me why I fly helicopters. I went out to the boat to do some landing quals out in the gulf (being as how that's what Navy Pilots do - land on boats). Unfortunately, as we were heading out (I should specify that I was riding in the back out to the boat and not actually flying) we got a call that a girl on one of the nearby ships had appendicitis and needed to be evac'd to a hospital. That's what we do, so my training was off. Bummer there, but when they put her in the helicopter I was reminded of all the good we can do. I even ended up holding the IV bag. Maybe I wasn't on the controls -- this time -- but it still felt really, really good to be there helping out.
Maybe I didn't notice it when I posted it, but when I logged on to the blog this time it struck me. Does anyone else think that the picture of me with the 'stache looks like it should be on some poster of some third-world dictator?
Maybe I didn't notice it when I posted it, but when I logged on to the blog this time it struck me. Does anyone else think that the picture of me with the 'stache looks like it should be on some poster of some third-world dictator?
Le Moustache!
As promised, here it is, the moustache! I will have the poll up until Saturday at which time the stache's fate will be sealed. It's up to you all to decide! Make your vote count!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Starting to Grow on Me
Before you ask, no I'm not talking about some sort of weird desert fungus. Actually, Guam would be a much more suitable spot for strange growths. Actually, I just mean that I think I'm starting to get used to being here. Yesterday I stepped outside to walk to lunch and thought how glad I was that it wasn't as warm as it had been. It was actually rather pleasant. I got to the chow hall and the thermometer outside said it was 110 degrees. Then this morning I left my trailer to walk to work and thought that it was almost chilly outside. I was glad that I was wearing my long sleeve BDU blouse and trousers. When I got to the squadron, it was no wonder I felt cold. It was barely 90.
I haven't seen a cloud since I stopped in Manila on the way here. That isn't to say that the skies are clear here. Not by any means. There is an ever-present dust cloud that just hangs over everything. Almost like fog. It's always there, just sometimes it's more dense than others. In the evenings when the sun is low in the sky, you can look straight at it because of all the dust blocking it out. That's on a good visibility day. On the low vis days you can't find the sun. Still, I haven't seen any of the giant dust storms this place is famous for. I guess we're getting into the season where they become more plentiful so I'll probably be able to tell you about that eventually.
My entire life here is basically lived in about a 1 km triangle between my trailer and the chow hall and work. The only time I get out of that triangle is when I go fly. I guess I'm lucky to get those breaks. A lot of the people stationed here don't ever go anywhere. Eventually I'll hopefully get put on one of the Bahrain trips which makes for a good time.
Speaking of flying, I did get out flying last night and I can finally say that I am....still not qualled. We got about 20 minutes into our flight and started having problems with the intercom we use to talk to each other on. Usually, it would still be OK but we were flying pretty low and it probably wasn't the safest of things so we stopped and came home early. I guess I'll try again later. I'm supposed to fly again tomorow (I'm on watch today) but that's not for the qual. It's a different training flight. Someday I'll start doing medevac. Maybe then I'll have cooler things to talk about than the food and my hygiene issues.
I haven't seen a cloud since I stopped in Manila on the way here. That isn't to say that the skies are clear here. Not by any means. There is an ever-present dust cloud that just hangs over everything. Almost like fog. It's always there, just sometimes it's more dense than others. In the evenings when the sun is low in the sky, you can look straight at it because of all the dust blocking it out. That's on a good visibility day. On the low vis days you can't find the sun. Still, I haven't seen any of the giant dust storms this place is famous for. I guess we're getting into the season where they become more plentiful so I'll probably be able to tell you about that eventually.
My entire life here is basically lived in about a 1 km triangle between my trailer and the chow hall and work. The only time I get out of that triangle is when I go fly. I guess I'm lucky to get those breaks. A lot of the people stationed here don't ever go anywhere. Eventually I'll hopefully get put on one of the Bahrain trips which makes for a good time.
Speaking of flying, I did get out flying last night and I can finally say that I am....still not qualled. We got about 20 minutes into our flight and started having problems with the intercom we use to talk to each other on. Usually, it would still be OK but we were flying pretty low and it probably wasn't the safest of things so we stopped and came home early. I guess I'll try again later. I'm supposed to fly again tomorow (I'm on watch today) but that's not for the qual. It's a different training flight. Someday I'll start doing medevac. Maybe then I'll have cooler things to talk about than the food and my hygiene issues.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Laundry Day
I know that the title sounds absolutely enthralling. Unfortunately unlike last night's blog, the title this time does have bearing on the content of this post. There's really not much else to talk about today. I tried to go flying last night, but never got higher than 13 feet off the ground. It was kind of a crazy night. Anyway, I get to try tonight -- again! Hopefully this time I'll be able to actually get it done.
As the title says, I did laundry today. One advantage to everything I own being some shade of brown (except my towel - that's green, but used to be white) is that I don't have to sort laundry. Everything just gets thrown in together. If I was a more philosophical sort, I might be able to draw some parallel between that and life. As it stands, however, that would require too much effort so I'll just say that I toss all the laundry into warm water, add two of my 3-in-1 laundry sheets that I bought out here and let-r-rip. Somehow they all come back and even smell nice. Actually, last week I put them in to the washer before work and came back to find that not only had somebody moved them from the washer to the dryer while I was gone (to free up the washer), but had also started the dryer and then someone else had moved my dry clothes up on top of the dryer for me to free up the dryer. And still, I had all my socks. I can't even do that at home. It's miraculous!..?..mirracoulous!..?..miraculus!..umm..Amazing!
As the title says, I did laundry today. One advantage to everything I own being some shade of brown (except my towel - that's green, but used to be white) is that I don't have to sort laundry. Everything just gets thrown in together. If I was a more philosophical sort, I might be able to draw some parallel between that and life. As it stands, however, that would require too much effort so I'll just say that I toss all the laundry into warm water, add two of my 3-in-1 laundry sheets that I bought out here and let-r-rip. Somehow they all come back and even smell nice. Actually, last week I put them in to the washer before work and came back to find that not only had somebody moved them from the washer to the dryer while I was gone (to free up the washer), but had also started the dryer and then someone else had moved my dry clothes up on top of the dryer for me to free up the dryer. And still, I had all my socks. I can't even do that at home. It's miraculous!..?..mirracoulous!..?..miraculus!..umm..Amazing!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Love In The Desert
Actually, the title has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but I knew it would get your attention. I mean don't get me wrong, LT Schaub is cute and all, but he's not really my type. Anyway, there's not much to write about today. Yesterday was more or lest a day off for me. I was able to go to church. Again, church is interesting when you have to take care to not accidently kick the M-16 of the guy sitting in front of you. It's a fairly small congregation out here. I think that yesterday we had 12 or so. There is our flight doc (a Navy O-5), another O-4 Navy doc, an O-4 Seabee, a couple of Army Infantry Officers (who, by the way just tuck their trousers into their boots as opposed to blousing them. Makes them look like their wearing friggin' moon boots, but I digress), a CWO2 Blackhawk pilot, me, three enlisted Army grunts, and the civilian and his wife that run things. We few. We happy few. We band...oh nevermind.
I had a new experience this last week (and no, this too has nothing to do with my roommate or love in the desert). I was in the chow line and asked for chicken livers (which they have on a weekly basis) and the guy in line behind me muttered "I didn't know they had chicken livers at college." Obviously he was enlisted army. I've heard that some of the enlisted guys could be bitter toward officers, but I had never seen it expressed so openly. I guess being a pilot in the Navy is just a different environment since our mission requires that the entire crew from the senior pilot to the most junior crewman be able to direct the flight if it becomes necessary. So I kindly told him that I didn't have chicken livers in college. I had them at his mother's house. Just kidding. I didn't say anything to him. I just was surprised.
Anyway, tonight I am going to try and fly again. Hopefully I'll finally get myself qualled so I can be put on the alerts. I'll let you know how it goes.
I had a new experience this last week (and no, this too has nothing to do with my roommate or love in the desert). I was in the chow line and asked for chicken livers (which they have on a weekly basis) and the guy in line behind me muttered "I didn't know they had chicken livers at college." Obviously he was enlisted army. I've heard that some of the enlisted guys could be bitter toward officers, but I had never seen it expressed so openly. I guess being a pilot in the Navy is just a different environment since our mission requires that the entire crew from the senior pilot to the most junior crewman be able to direct the flight if it becomes necessary. So I kindly told him that I didn't have chicken livers in college. I had them at his mother's house. Just kidding. I didn't say anything to him. I just was surprised.
Anyway, tonight I am going to try and fly again. Hopefully I'll finally get myself qualled so I can be put on the alerts. I'll let you know how it goes.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Another Day, Another Watch
Part of the big disadvantage of not having my quals done yet is that I get to sit an unusual amount of these watches. Some of them are more exciting than others. Today was not one of those days.
I did manage to get up flying last night, but unfortunately we had to end the flight early because of some electrical problems so I wasn't able to finish getting qualified. Hopefully that will happen sometime this week. Today we had an all officer meeting where we watched "Team America: World Police". Definitely not a family-friendly flick, but we enjoyed it, nonetheless. It was certainly a more jovial mood than the last Movie AOM we had back on Guam where we watched "Blackhawk Down". That movie was so that we could learn about "interpersonal relationships in times of crisis." I think that the learning objective today was "America's changing roll in a continuosly evolving worldwide political landscape." At least, that's what I pulled out of it.
I did manage to get up flying last night, but unfortunately we had to end the flight early because of some electrical problems so I wasn't able to finish getting qualified. Hopefully that will happen sometime this week. Today we had an all officer meeting where we watched "Team America: World Police". Definitely not a family-friendly flick, but we enjoyed it, nonetheless. It was certainly a more jovial mood than the last Movie AOM we had back on Guam where we watched "Blackhawk Down". That movie was so that we could learn about "interpersonal relationships in times of crisis." I think that the learning objective today was "America's changing roll in a continuosly evolving worldwide political landscape." At least, that's what I pulled out of it.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Entertainment in the Desert
Well, yesterday I was on another exciting 12 hour watch. It actually was pretty exciting because during the twelve hours I was on watch we moved 7 patients from various locations throughout our AO (area of operations). It's a pretty rewarding thing to take part in. I'll fly again tonight and then hopefully will be fully qualified to fly on the medevac missions.
Anyway, after my watch I went through my squadron's collection of DVDs trying to decide what to watch. We have quite the collection, actually. Pretty much every genre you can imagine, from action to comedy to drama. There is even a copy of "Brokeback Mountain" in there, though I'm not sure who would be brave enough to have that movie next to their name on the squadron check-out list. Regardless of how good of a movie it's supposed to be. There are also some pirated movies out here (though not in the squadron's collection). By pirated movies, I don't mean copied DVDs. I mean current films in theaters (people bought them in various places where copywrite laws are not...strictly enforced). Though I don't think that the film industry has much to fear from these. Apparently some of them are just comical in their quality. We're talking the DVD is not a transfer from the film, but a guy with a camcorder sitting in the theater. Right down to people getting up in the middle to go get snacks or whatever. There is a movie theater on base and I think I'll have to go catch a flick their tomorow. Unfortunately, Jeremy, I'm pretty sure Popcorn Penny will not be there (inside joke). As it turned out, it was a moot point since I got a box from Tricia that had the first two seasons of "King of the Hill" in it. Classic stuff. By the way, for those of you wondering what I would like in the desert -- WARNING: SHAMELESS PLUG TO FOLLOW -- I have a wish-list up on Amazon.com. It's under my email address flynavy03@ureach.com
Anyway, after my watch I went through my squadron's collection of DVDs trying to decide what to watch. We have quite the collection, actually. Pretty much every genre you can imagine, from action to comedy to drama. There is even a copy of "Brokeback Mountain" in there, though I'm not sure who would be brave enough to have that movie next to their name on the squadron check-out list. Regardless of how good of a movie it's supposed to be. There are also some pirated movies out here (though not in the squadron's collection). By pirated movies, I don't mean copied DVDs. I mean current films in theaters (people bought them in various places where copywrite laws are not...strictly enforced). Though I don't think that the film industry has much to fear from these. Apparently some of them are just comical in their quality. We're talking the DVD is not a transfer from the film, but a guy with a camcorder sitting in the theater. Right down to people getting up in the middle to go get snacks or whatever. There is a movie theater on base and I think I'll have to go catch a flick their tomorow. Unfortunately, Jeremy, I'm pretty sure Popcorn Penny will not be there (inside joke). As it turned out, it was a moot point since I got a box from Tricia that had the first two seasons of "King of the Hill" in it. Classic stuff. By the way, for those of you wondering what I would like in the desert -- WARNING: SHAMELESS PLUG TO FOLLOW -- I have a wish-list up on Amazon.com. It's under my email address flynavy03@ureach.com
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Night Flying
Well, I got to fly again last night. I was flying on NVGs in formation with another helicopter when it occured to me how cool that really is. There I was flying an $18 million piece of machinery over the Persian (or Arabian or whatever) Gulf about 200 yards away from another helicopter. It was a very cool feeling. And I was getting paid for it.
I hope that my posts up to this point haven't been too negative. The truth is, as far as deployments go, this one's not at all bad. The main negative is that I'm away from Tricia and Michenna, which does suck. On the other hand, the food's not bad, I can get online pretty much whenever I want to, I even get to call Tricia once or twice a week. Compared to what the guys up North are going through, I'll take this any day.
I hope that my posts up to this point haven't been too negative. The truth is, as far as deployments go, this one's not at all bad. The main negative is that I'm away from Tricia and Michenna, which does suck. On the other hand, the food's not bad, I can get online pretty much whenever I want to, I even get to call Tricia once or twice a week. Compared to what the guys up North are going through, I'll take this any day.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Groundhog Day
You know in the Movie Groundhog Day how Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again and much hilarity ensues? I realize now that it really isn't that funny. I think I'm living that out here. OK, so I don't wake up to "I Got You Babe" every day and the fine timekeeping piece on my wrist (Casio $19.95) tells me that the days are progressing, but I'm not sure that I believe it anymore. Of course, the Army does try to do little things to break up the monotony a bit. For instance, on Saturday (or was it Friday?) the power went out for several hours thus ensuring that our cozy air-conditioned trailers reached the triple-digits. And just today the water in my trailer is turned off. Since I flew yesterday I really don't want to imagine how horribly I smell right now. Again, though, I did fly yesterday which is always nice. We accomplished the training that I needed to and then spent some time just flying around the desert having fun. It was a good flight. It did cost me a Coke because I lost a bet that no one who's not a helicopter pilot would understand, but it was well worth the Coke. Tonight I should be flying again. Hopefully by the time I get home the water will be back on. I need to do some laundry. I went to get my flight suit out of the closet today and realized that I hadn't hung it up, it was just standing on its own. Just kidding. Sort of.
I went and got a haircut today. Isn't that exciting? Actually it kind of caught me off guard. The barbers here are Kuwaiti. The haircut was nice and then he finished off and started massaging my shoulders. I guess that's just part of the haircut here. Nice, yes, but unexpected. At first I thought he was just hitting me in the back of the neck. Good thing I resisted the urge to use my highly honed kung-fu skills on him, eh?
Speaking of hygiene, I have to admit that I jumped on the pilot bandwagon out here and grew a mustache. I promise that I'll get pictures up here as soon as I can. We'll take a vote. Granted, Tricia's vote pretty much trumps all. I'm waiting a bit until it gets a bit thicker. Right now I just look like a creepy pedophile. No, you can't get pictures of Spencer the creepy pedophile. Requests will be returned along with my collection of photos documenting the progression of the smallpox vaccine sore on my arm.
I went and got a haircut today. Isn't that exciting? Actually it kind of caught me off guard. The barbers here are Kuwaiti. The haircut was nice and then he finished off and started massaging my shoulders. I guess that's just part of the haircut here. Nice, yes, but unexpected. At first I thought he was just hitting me in the back of the neck. Good thing I resisted the urge to use my highly honed kung-fu skills on him, eh?
Speaking of hygiene, I have to admit that I jumped on the pilot bandwagon out here and grew a mustache. I promise that I'll get pictures up here as soon as I can. We'll take a vote. Granted, Tricia's vote pretty much trumps all. I'm waiting a bit until it gets a bit thicker. Right now I just look like a creepy pedophile. No, you can't get pictures of Spencer the creepy pedophile. Requests will be returned along with my collection of photos documenting the progression of the smallpox vaccine sore on my arm.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Shooting in the Desert
Yesterday we went out to the range and shot off our M-16s. It's a little different shooting out here than elsewhere. You see, Kuwait is in many ways a modern society. Large cities, computers, satellite television, the works. In other ways, however, the culture here has remained mostly untouched for centuries. When we fly around, I still see caravans of camels using centuries-old trails through the desert. Sometimes even within spitting distance of modern paved roads. Also scattered throughout the desert are nomad camps of camel and sheep herders. Yesterday, we had to change our firing range because there was a nomadic camp downrange of where we were supposed to be shooting. So we moved over to a new range and had to wait as a camel herder moved his camels right through the middle of the range. I guess that they've been herding camels through that area a lot longer than we've been shooting there.
It was also very, very hot. No air-conditioned buildings out there. Just big pavilion-style sunshades. I know that I lived in St. George, Utah for a while and I thought that was desert. It gets well into the triple-digits during the summer and it is mostly dry. I hadn't seen anything. Yesterday was the first time I can remember that things I left in the shade became hot to the touch. When we went to actually shoot, that was out in the sun and the rifles were almost unbearably hot. One other thing I learned yesterday is that I'm not a huge fan of automatic weapons. Maybe I'm not red-blooded enough, but I really didn't get anything out of shooting the M-16 on full auto. Except maybe a sore shoulder. I love shooting it in semi-auto.
Got to go up flying again today. That always makes for a great day. I can't stress enough how different the climate is here. In a lot of ways it is like living on the moon. Case in point: on the moon there are footprints and such left over from the first astronauts in 1969, right? Well here there are still tank pits (areas dug into the earth to use to conceal a tank) that the Iraqis dug during the first gulf war in 1990. They still look much the same as they did back then (minus the tanks, of course). These are not concrete reinforced structures or anything, just holes dug into the ground that slope up on one side to aim the turret. It's kind of cool.
I'm getting ready to go to dinner now. I'm not sure what's on tonight's menu. This afternoon they had bacon-cheeseburgers for lunch. I found myself wondering if that presents a dilema to the locals who work in the chow hall since Muslims do not eat pork and consider anything to do with pork to be unclean. Maybe they don't tell them or maybe it was turkey bacon or something. Or maybe it was real bacon and they just told the guys it was turkey. How would they know? OK, so that might, just might be considered unethical in some circles. Maybe.
It was also very, very hot. No air-conditioned buildings out there. Just big pavilion-style sunshades. I know that I lived in St. George, Utah for a while and I thought that was desert. It gets well into the triple-digits during the summer and it is mostly dry. I hadn't seen anything. Yesterday was the first time I can remember that things I left in the shade became hot to the touch. When we went to actually shoot, that was out in the sun and the rifles were almost unbearably hot. One other thing I learned yesterday is that I'm not a huge fan of automatic weapons. Maybe I'm not red-blooded enough, but I really didn't get anything out of shooting the M-16 on full auto. Except maybe a sore shoulder. I love shooting it in semi-auto.
Got to go up flying again today. That always makes for a great day. I can't stress enough how different the climate is here. In a lot of ways it is like living on the moon. Case in point: on the moon there are footprints and such left over from the first astronauts in 1969, right? Well here there are still tank pits (areas dug into the earth to use to conceal a tank) that the Iraqis dug during the first gulf war in 1990. They still look much the same as they did back then (minus the tanks, of course). These are not concrete reinforced structures or anything, just holes dug into the ground that slope up on one side to aim the turret. It's kind of cool.
I'm getting ready to go to dinner now. I'm not sure what's on tonight's menu. This afternoon they had bacon-cheeseburgers for lunch. I found myself wondering if that presents a dilema to the locals who work in the chow hall since Muslims do not eat pork and consider anything to do with pork to be unclean. Maybe they don't tell them or maybe it was turkey bacon or something. Or maybe it was real bacon and they just told the guys it was turkey. How would they know? OK, so that might, just might be considered unethical in some circles. Maybe.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Another Day, Another Watch
I think I need to find a different way to refer to this place. Camp Beuhring just sounds too formal (besides it makes me think of President Martin van Burin who has nothing to do with the name). Calling it "a really hot, sandy place in the middle of nowhere in the Arabian desert" is kind of redundant and way too long to type. So I think I'll just call it Happyland!. Anyway, life here in Happyland! is not too bad. I already mentioned the food so I won't go into that more.
I went to church on Sunday. It was strange to be in a church service with only about 10 other people. Especially when 2/3 of them are armed. I have to say that if they did it that way back in the states, you would have a much smaller noise problem. Sunday best dress here is pretty much the same as everyday best dress. Since I had to go fly right after the service I was in my flightsuit. Not really fancy, but I'm pretty sure that God understands. You see, on any given day you can find me wearing either my flight suit if I'm going to be flying or my camoflauge BDUs (or DCUs as the Navy calls them) if not. The only other outfit I even have out here is one pair of jeans and a polo shirt. So my wardrobe is certainly not what you might call "varied".
All things considered, though, I really can't complain about Happyland!. Yeah it gets hot, but all of the buildings have air conditioning so it's not really like I'm out in the heat all day. We also have pretty free access to computers when we need it and I can even use the phone to call Tricia every once-in-a-while. Not a bad gig at all. I appreciate the comments and emails from everybody. I try to get back to them when I can. Looks like this is shaping up to be one heck of an adventure.
I went to church on Sunday. It was strange to be in a church service with only about 10 other people. Especially when 2/3 of them are armed. I have to say that if they did it that way back in the states, you would have a much smaller noise problem. Sunday best dress here is pretty much the same as everyday best dress. Since I had to go fly right after the service I was in my flightsuit. Not really fancy, but I'm pretty sure that God understands. You see, on any given day you can find me wearing either my flight suit if I'm going to be flying or my camoflauge BDUs (or DCUs as the Navy calls them) if not. The only other outfit I even have out here is one pair of jeans and a polo shirt. So my wardrobe is certainly not what you might call "varied".
All things considered, though, I really can't complain about Happyland!. Yeah it gets hot, but all of the buildings have air conditioning so it's not really like I'm out in the heat all day. We also have pretty free access to computers when we need it and I can even use the phone to call Tricia every once-in-a-while. Not a bad gig at all. I appreciate the comments and emails from everybody. I try to get back to them when I can. Looks like this is shaping up to be one heck of an adventure.
A Few Pictures
Well, as promised, I have gotten a few pictures ready to be posted. Finally. I can't say that they're the most exciting pictures ever, but since the most exciting thing to happen here is the big smallpox vaccine sore growing on my shoulder (Quit the sight, actually. I also have pictures of that, but I'll avoid posting them here) there isn't a whole lot to post. I'll have more up as they become available.
Here I am in the Abu Dhabi Airport. Don't let the smile fool you. I had been up for about 26 hours at that point and am probably pretty lucky that I didn't accidently take a header right over that railing.
The other part of my room. Isn't it exciting? Actually just up and to the left of the frame is the most important feature of the room: the A/C which keeps the room at about 70 degrees even when it's 130 outside. In retrospect, I guess I could have at least tucked in the corners of my sheet before I took this picture...
Here I am in the Abu Dhabi Airport. Don't let the smile fool you. I had been up for about 26 hours at that point and am probably pretty lucky that I didn't accidently take a header right over that railing.My little home away from home. It was sure nice of the Army to give us a television that is hooked up to neither satellite or a DVD player. Good thing I brought my laptop. By the way, that refrigerator is stocked from top to bottom with bottled water. That, thankfully is free and more than abundantly available.
The other part of my room. Isn't it exciting? Actually just up and to the left of the frame is the most important feature of the room: the A/C which keeps the room at about 70 degrees even when it's 130 outside. In retrospect, I guess I could have at least tucked in the corners of my sheet before I took this picture...
I know, I know. This is what you've all been breathlessly anticipating seeing. The helicopters. To be fair, I'm not flying the helicopter in this picture. I was flying the helicopter that this photo was taken from. Notice the red cross on the side. Beautiful birds, ain't they?
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Independence Day
Well, here I sit on the Fourth of July. I find myself pondering freedom and the general blessing that is living in the U.S.A. This is easy to do since I also find myself sitting behind a desk on a twelve-hour watch.
The other day, we had a Syrian instructor come in to teach us about Arabian and Islamic culture. I have to admit that I was one of those ignorant Americans who never made a distinction between Arab and Muslim. Turns out that there is, but that's a subject for another time. The part of the brief that really got to me was when he talked about his time at the begining of OIF when he worked as a translator for some American Special Ops units in Iraq. The question he says that he continuously had to translate was "Why did you leave us in 1991?" I only hope that this time we can stay the course long enough to give these guys a fighting chance at real freedom.
I know that sometimes it can be seen as hokie, but I truly believe that the U.S. is the greatest nation on the face of the planet. I believe that liberty is the single greatest human need on earth. Food, water, even love can only be partial joys if one is not allowed the liberty to enjoy them. Unfortunately, throughout history there have been many men who have believed that freedom is a benefit that they and their closest allies should enjoy at the cost of all others. When this happens it becomes necessary for men who would much rather be living their lives in peace surrounded by family and friends to take up arms, say goodbye to loved ones, and become warriors. Not all of them will return home. Such is the cost of freedom and it will never be reduced.
I am here because I truly believe in what we are doing. I became a helicopter pilot specifically because I wanted the opportunity to pull somebody out of a bad situation to give them a chance to get back home. Sure, there are dangers involved in that mission, but that's part of the job. I pray everyday that nobody will get hurt; but if they do, then God willing I want to be there to help. So tonight as you drink in good times with friends and family, take just a moment to remember your fellow Americans who are not there with you because they are currently deployed in the cause of freedom. Take two moments for those who will never come back.
The other day, we had a Syrian instructor come in to teach us about Arabian and Islamic culture. I have to admit that I was one of those ignorant Americans who never made a distinction between Arab and Muslim. Turns out that there is, but that's a subject for another time. The part of the brief that really got to me was when he talked about his time at the begining of OIF when he worked as a translator for some American Special Ops units in Iraq. The question he says that he continuously had to translate was "Why did you leave us in 1991?" I only hope that this time we can stay the course long enough to give these guys a fighting chance at real freedom.
I know that sometimes it can be seen as hokie, but I truly believe that the U.S. is the greatest nation on the face of the planet. I believe that liberty is the single greatest human need on earth. Food, water, even love can only be partial joys if one is not allowed the liberty to enjoy them. Unfortunately, throughout history there have been many men who have believed that freedom is a benefit that they and their closest allies should enjoy at the cost of all others. When this happens it becomes necessary for men who would much rather be living their lives in peace surrounded by family and friends to take up arms, say goodbye to loved ones, and become warriors. Not all of them will return home. Such is the cost of freedom and it will never be reduced.
I am here because I truly believe in what we are doing. I became a helicopter pilot specifically because I wanted the opportunity to pull somebody out of a bad situation to give them a chance to get back home. Sure, there are dangers involved in that mission, but that's part of the job. I pray everyday that nobody will get hurt; but if they do, then God willing I want to be there to help. So tonight as you drink in good times with friends and family, take just a moment to remember your fellow Americans who are not there with you because they are currently deployed in the cause of freedom. Take two moments for those who will never come back.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Kuwait As I See It From The Air
Well, yesterday I got to fly down to Kuwait City in the daylight. That was pretty cool. We took basically the same loop that I did on Sunday, only this time I could see everything around me. Kuwait City looks a lot like most other big cities I've been to in the U.S. with a couple of differences.
First, everything is brown. They had parks with playgrounds and benches and such but no grass would grow out here so the ground is just dirt. The only green that was to be seen came in the form of some bushes and trees that people had planted.
Second, there do not seem to be any single-family dwelling neighborhoods. None. Every residential area that I saw was made up of apartment buildings. Some of them were quite nice, and others weren't, but nowhere did I see what looked like what we Americans think of as regular houses. The apartment buildings here seem to follow the style I saw in Bolivia quite a bit. That is, they were multi-story buildings built around a central courtyard. Some of the nicer ones had fountains in the middle of the courtyard. Out in the northern desert I saw a couple of very large...I guess the closest thing I can think of is a ranch...where there was a very large house and then a couple of acres of beautifully landscaped land. One of the properties we flew over had about 3 acres covered in what appeared to be very plush grass and a little man-made pond in the middle. The entire area was surrounded by walkways and there was even a little island in the pond that had a gazebo on it. It was gorgeous! Especially since it was surrounded by some of the most barren desert you can imagine.
In my opinion, Kuwait City is a lot like most other cities I've seen in that I prefer it at night. There's something almost mystical about a city when the lights come on. Everything sparkles. The ugly scars that civilization leaves behind are mostly invisible. Look at pretty much any city and you'll see the same thing. No matter how beautiful it is during the day, it gets even prettier at night.
First, everything is brown. They had parks with playgrounds and benches and such but no grass would grow out here so the ground is just dirt. The only green that was to be seen came in the form of some bushes and trees that people had planted.
Second, there do not seem to be any single-family dwelling neighborhoods. None. Every residential area that I saw was made up of apartment buildings. Some of them were quite nice, and others weren't, but nowhere did I see what looked like what we Americans think of as regular houses. The apartment buildings here seem to follow the style I saw in Bolivia quite a bit. That is, they were multi-story buildings built around a central courtyard. Some of the nicer ones had fountains in the middle of the courtyard. Out in the northern desert I saw a couple of very large...I guess the closest thing I can think of is a ranch...where there was a very large house and then a couple of acres of beautifully landscaped land. One of the properties we flew over had about 3 acres covered in what appeared to be very plush grass and a little man-made pond in the middle. The entire area was surrounded by walkways and there was even a little island in the pond that had a gazebo on it. It was gorgeous! Especially since it was surrounded by some of the most barren desert you can imagine.
In my opinion, Kuwait City is a lot like most other cities I've seen in that I prefer it at night. There's something almost mystical about a city when the lights come on. Everything sparkles. The ugly scars that civilization leaves behind are mostly invisible. Look at pretty much any city and you'll see the same thing. No matter how beautiful it is during the day, it gets even prettier at night.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Flying in Kuwait
Well, last Saturday I had my first flight in Kuwait. We flew up to the north near the Iraqi border. Pretty much all my flights for now will be training flights until I get my quals. Then I will start to stand the duty and actually be flying Medevac missions. To be honest, there really isn't a whole lot to see up north. There is a huge ditch that runs along the entire length of the Kuwaiti border about 5 km inside Kuwait. Other than that, I saw a whole bunch of sand and rocks. We did some landings into unprepared areas which is actually a lot of fun. At one point, we realized that the unprepared area we were landing in was actually full of trash and kicked up pieces of plywood about the size of small cars when we touched down. One of them even broke our wind screen. Then it got dark so we put on Night Vision Goggles and it got even more boring. Now instead of brown sand, it was green. Yeah!
Last night we flew over Kuwait City. That was pretty cool. We have to be careful not to overfly mosques (sp?) because they tend to get a bit perterbed. That was a lot better than flying north because there was actually something to see. A lot of Kuwaitis put Christmas lights on their houses year round. I'm not talking little strands of light, I mean the entire house covered with white lights (think "National Lampoons' Christmas Vacation") . From the air it was quite a sight. I'll be flying down there again today in the daylight. I'll let you know how that goes in my next update.
Last night we flew over Kuwait City. That was pretty cool. We have to be careful not to overfly mosques (sp?) because they tend to get a bit perterbed. That was a lot better than flying north because there was actually something to see. A lot of Kuwaitis put Christmas lights on their houses year round. I'm not talking little strands of light, I mean the entire house covered with white lights (think "National Lampoons' Christmas Vacation") . From the air it was quite a sight. I'll be flying down there again today in the daylight. I'll let you know how that goes in my next update.
Welcome to Camp Beuhring
So we arrived in Kuwait at about 3 AM. We were met there by a couple of guys from the squadron who then drove us to Camp Beuhring. It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive here. Camp Beuhring is actually not that bad of a place. My room is basically a trailer that has been divided into two equal halves with a bathroom in the middle which is shared among the four guys that live in the trailer. We're actually really lucky compared to other waves that have come out here before us in that our trailers have showers and bathrooms. I guess before they had to go to central facilities to do all that. My roommate is another pilot named Aaron Schaub from Nacagdoches, TX. There is a giant Texas flag on the wall of our trailer. Tricia would be so proud.
The only way to get around here is on foot. Everywhere. I probably walk about 5 to 10 km per day. Somebody told me that to prepare for Kuwait, I should stand in front of my hair dryer at home for about an hour a day. They were close. The other thing they forgot was that you need to add sand to the hot air. Lots and lots of sand.
As most people know, I enjoy really good food about as much as the next guy. Unfortunately here we don't have really good food. We do, however, have decent food and lots of it. The chow hall serves a lunch and dinner menu that rotates weekly and is all you can eat. There is a fresh salad bar, fruit, soft drinks, milk, even ice cream bars. I certainly can't complain.
The base PX (store) is a lot like a really small Wal*Mart. It has most everything for sale, including a lot of stuff that I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy out here. In addition to the PX there is also a Burger King, Taco Bell, Great American Steak and Potato, Nathan's Hotdogs, and even a Starbucks.
The only way to get around here is on foot. Everywhere. I probably walk about 5 to 10 km per day. Somebody told me that to prepare for Kuwait, I should stand in front of my hair dryer at home for about an hour a day. They were close. The other thing they forgot was that you need to add sand to the hot air. Lots and lots of sand.
As most people know, I enjoy really good food about as much as the next guy. Unfortunately here we don't have really good food. We do, however, have decent food and lots of it. The chow hall serves a lunch and dinner menu that rotates weekly and is all you can eat. There is a fresh salad bar, fruit, soft drinks, milk, even ice cream bars. I certainly can't complain.
The base PX (store) is a lot like a really small Wal*Mart. It has most everything for sale, including a lot of stuff that I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy out here. In addition to the PX there is also a Burger King, Taco Bell, Great American Steak and Potato, Nathan's Hotdogs, and even a Starbucks.
ARRIVING IN COUNTRY
We flew out to Kuwait on June 26. Long, long flight. We flew Continental from Guam to Manila, Phillipines. We had about 6 hours in the Manila airport. Not as bad as it sounds, actually. You see, in Manila you can go to a connecting flights lounge and pay about 8 bucks for a little room to sleep in, a place to connect your computer, even little sandwiches and free drinks. If you're so inclined you can even get an hour massage for about $20.
Then we flew to Abu Dhabi, UAE on Etihad Airways (the official airline of the United Arab Emirates). It is important to remember that the UAE is the wealthiest Arab nation in the world. It certainly showed in their airline. The aircraft was a new Boeing 777-300 with seatback televisions in every class and good food. During that 8 1/2 hour flight I was able to watch four movies:
1. The Shooter - an entirely forgetable Mark Wahlberg production in which he plays a Marine Sniper who is accused of trying to assassinate the president. Not really thrilling or suspensful. Just dumb and political.
2. Wild Hogs - I must admit that I was surprised by this little flick starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy, and Martin Lawrence. It was a bit hokie at times, but certainly had some funny moments and would be well worth renting.
3. The Number 23 - Jim Carrey. One of those "So what?" movies. Not really great, not really bad. Decent way to kill a couple of hours over the Indian Ocean, I guess.
4. The Grudge 2 - This is a modern precautionary tail in which we learn that, no matter how much fun it may seem like at the time, DO NOT GO INTO THE SCARY HOUSE WHERE PEOPLE WERE GRUSOMELY KILLED. In all fairness, I never saw the first one or its Japanese counterpart "The Gludge". Maybe if I see that, I'll understand a bit more.
Sorry about that. I guess long story short, Etihad Airways was quite impressive. Abu Dhabi airport was pretty cool as well. I will post a picture of it later. We also had 6 hours there, which unfortunately was more like a normal airport (other than the fact that it looked like a Vegas casino). Then we flew to the main event - Kuwait.
Then we flew to Abu Dhabi, UAE on Etihad Airways (the official airline of the United Arab Emirates). It is important to remember that the UAE is the wealthiest Arab nation in the world. It certainly showed in their airline. The aircraft was a new Boeing 777-300 with seatback televisions in every class and good food. During that 8 1/2 hour flight I was able to watch four movies:
1. The Shooter - an entirely forgetable Mark Wahlberg production in which he plays a Marine Sniper who is accused of trying to assassinate the president. Not really thrilling or suspensful. Just dumb and political.
2. Wild Hogs - I must admit that I was surprised by this little flick starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy, and Martin Lawrence. It was a bit hokie at times, but certainly had some funny moments and would be well worth renting.
3. The Number 23 - Jim Carrey. One of those "So what?" movies. Not really great, not really bad. Decent way to kill a couple of hours over the Indian Ocean, I guess.
4. The Grudge 2 - This is a modern precautionary tail in which we learn that, no matter how much fun it may seem like at the time, DO NOT GO INTO THE SCARY HOUSE WHERE PEOPLE WERE GRUSOMELY KILLED. In all fairness, I never saw the first one or its Japanese counterpart "The Gludge". Maybe if I see that, I'll understand a bit more.
Sorry about that. I guess long story short, Etihad Airways was quite impressive. Abu Dhabi airport was pretty cool as well. I will post a picture of it later. We also had 6 hours there, which unfortunately was more like a normal airport (other than the fact that it looked like a Vegas casino). Then we flew to the main event - Kuwait.
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