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.
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