Hello southern Afghanistan!

Ok, ok, I know I should've written sooner but things have been really hectic, with getting moved into my barracks room and all the classes and briefs we had to go through once we got in country. Didn't do much besides that the first few days I was here, but finally got to flying on the 19th of March and completed my CCT (not completely sure what that literally means, but it's like a local area orientation and flight training on the conditions out here). I flew day and night, and I was all done. Me and some other guys found out then that we were going to fly out to FOB Dwyer and work Med chase for about a week. We left on the 22nd of March and I just got back yesterday.

I had a great time out there; of course in the back of your mind you know that whenever you go fly it means there was someone hurt or killed, but the experience I gained (both mentally and physically) was insurmountable. I saw a few bad things, but it's all part of what we do. The living conditions there were ok; slept in a tent on a cot and had DSN phones in the CP (command post) and all the food and drinks you could imagine. No internet but that was alright. We were on 1st up for 24 hours, then went on 2nd up for the next 24. That means, every other night I could take a shower; you don't really want to get called on the radio in the midst of showering and have to hurry out to the helicopter. So that was kind of inconvenient but that was pretty much it. You could sleep whenever you wanted but always had to have a radio with you. I got 20.6 flight hours out there, and hopefully will be going back soon.

So now I'm back in my barracks in Kandahar (not sure for how long lol) and had the day off today, but it's back to work tomorrow. See, the best thing about being away from here WAS BEING AWAY FROM HERE. No stupid rule enforcements and nobody bugging you about retarded crap if you're apart from the commanders and sergeant majors and everybody like that. But, that kind of stuff happens when you're stationed at the same place as the battalion and brigade headquarters. Yeah it's the Army but you really can never fully get used to putting up with it.

I promise I will keep up with writing as I have more interesting experiences.....until then...

AIRMOBILE!

24 Hours In The PPC And Beyond!!

Alright, so we deployed Monday and said our goodbyes, yada yada yada....and boy they weren't lying when they said to prepare to spend 24 hours in the Passenger Processing Center. We get on the plane, then have to get off because they can't get an engine started. So we leave all our stuff on there and they say it will only be 3 hours. Alright, fine. So we are sitting in there, 4 hours go by and they say it will be another 8+ because now they fixed it but the flight crew is out of duty day! Soooo...we bust out the cots and linen and sleep in the terminal at Campbell. And by the morning everyone is startin to not smell so great, of course.

We wake up and get chow and then get back on, and still have to fly to Indy to get some Guard guys. That takes all of about 30 minutes, then sittin on the tarmac there for another hour. Then comes the 8 hour flight to Germany....which was complete torture. Get off in Germany for about an hour, I buy a Red Bull and cigarettes. And of course they (the brass) are watchin us like hawks to make sure we don't buy booze.

We get into Manas, Kyrgyzstan at I don't even know what time, but the time change really messes with you, it's like someone is hittin a fast forward button. So now I'm not tired but luckily we're gettin outta here this afternoon; it's like almost 5 AM here. Got a shower, which I desperately needed, but it was cold and there was like 3 feet of water in it by the time I was done, but I got clean socks, t-shirt, and underwear so that doesn't really matter, haha. Chow hall is good here, but of course there's stupid rules abound. Got to rip the zip tie off my weapon though, which is good. I guess they figured since we're in a hostile area now we can do that (sarcasm). Stupid regulations....oh well. So, that's the story of my week so far in a nutshell....I can't believe it's Thursday already and I just left Tuesday morning...that time change really screws things.

Will continue in Kandahar....

AIRMOBILE!

Some Great Leave Time...

They say all good things must come to an end....time to get back to Campbell and focus on packing my things up for storage and getting things together for deployment. Buying a large Pelican case for my flight gear, Xbox, and laptop is a must, considering I got hosed on an issued one from my unit. Oh, and finishing up the Stanley Cup Finals on NHL '10 for Xbox. That, and just enjoying my last full month in the States. Seeing family was great, and I will see some of them again at Campbell on my deployment date. I promise more will be written on (at least) a semi-daily basis once I get in country and start the fun stuff.

AIRMOBILE!

Party Like A Rock Star...

Hey all....been sick/busy/tired and haven't had a chance to post. Well, I'm sure I've had a few free minutes but kinda lazy. Those who know me shouldn't be surprised. Anyways...went to the 101st Aviation Brigade ball, then two weekends ago partied with Chris Henderson of 3 Doors Down at his house in Nashville. Got crazy drunk and left some evidence behind, if you catch my drift haha. Had a great time doing stuff with Mandie and Emeory and after a bit of a break from work, got back at it. Got real sick over last weekend but I'm gettin back to normal.

Done with deployment briefs (for now) but unfortunately I can't go into detail about what they were about (for those that are in the service you understand why completely) but let's just say they were long and drawn out and eye-opening. Been catching up on the Rangers lately too, enjoying that immensely. I still wish I had pursued the hockey route instead of looking towards college and a job. I'll be too old to play professionally after I get out of the Army, so all I can do is watch and follow the players on Twitter and wish I was the one getting on private jets and ordering room service and going out on the town after a big game. But hey, at my job you get to play with machine guns, night vision goggles, and helicopters--so I guess every job has its perks, right?

AIRMOBILE!

Happy New Year everybody....

Ok, so I don't have any major plans for New Year's...I know I'm a loser. But, the good news is that on Monday, my compatriots from the Lancers will all be back to work, so I won't have to deal with these new guys by myself. Hopefully I get to fly again soon, tho I'm hoping to take some leave on the 30th thru February 11th to see family before deployment. Here's to a lazy weekend filled with Forza 3, Modern Warfare 2 and NHL '10! I hope everyone out there has a great weekend and an awesome New Year's, good luck in 2010!

AIRMOBILE!

My first week with 6th battalion....

Here's the deal. Apparently, A/6-101 needed a couple of crews to be attached to them and their task force when we deploy to Kandahar. Sooo....me and 7 other crew chiefs (and 8 pilots) were whored out and are now officially a part of TF Shadow, which means we will not be operating with the rest of B/5-101 (The rest of Bravo company is deploying with 2-17 Cav, as TF Saber). They have also decided that up until we deploy, we will be reporting to PT and work with them as well. I cannot honestly say I'm happy about this, because I was looking forward to deploying as a crew chief for the first time with Bravo company; I've known the guys since 2007 because when I deployed with Delta company I had to work with them very closely, and I've been in the company now since May of this year. So I'm used to the guys and how they operate things. Alpha company 6th battalion is retarded; they do things completely out of whack and they are a GSAB unit, which means they are support, not directly an assault helicopter battalion like 5-101. All their hawks are painted nice and fresh and they cart around VIP's all the time. And, I've been doing organized PT every morning which I wasn't used to with Bravo company.

As well as the new workplace and new schedule, I haven't been flying nor do I know if I will be flying as much now, I'm assuming we will be once everyone gets back from block leave, but I really don't know. All in all, I'm suckin now and it's probably only gonna get worse. I went to JRTC and Colorado for training with Bravo and now I won't even be operating with them in Afghanistan. The only good thing is that we're going to be in Kandahar together-that's it. I highly doubt we'll be flying with the rest of the company, rather we will be flying support operations with 6th battalion. I have a feeling this fact will be a recurring storyline in my upcoming posts once I am deployed. Get ready for some bitching sessions, people.

Hating life, going to bed because hey look at me I have PT at 0645 tomorrow. I just love my new company. Thank God it's temporary (until we redeploy, that is...about a year and change from now). I will always think of myself as a Lancer though.

AIRMOBILE!

My Little Introduction

Whether you are in the service yourself or just a lowly civilian (kidding) I hope you will enjoy this little blog I'm putting together. It's a place to put my stories of every day life as a Blackhawk crew chief in the US Army, and the upcoming deployment to OEF 11 in Afghanistan. If you have any suggestions or input or just general comments, rants, or bitchings about what I write, feel free to leave it on here. I don't mind. Seriously, try me.

AIRMOBILE!