3 days later and this is where I stand: (after thought...this one is kinda PG13 or not for the squeamish...maybe)
Face blown off and you can't breathe? I'll keep you alive by making a hole in your wind pipe so you can breathe. Yes, just like you've probably seen on some TV show at one time or another.
Lung collapsed? I've got a few choices of ways to let out the pressure to let you breathe easy. All involve a sharp implement through your chest/ribs. Sound like fun? :-)
Missing a limb or two? Artery pumping out blood like a fire hose? Straight to a tourniquet baby! No problem.
Need some fluids to keep you out of shock? There's this cool new stuff that expands in your blood stream keeping you alive longer. Where in your body are you going to get this? Straight into your sternum! (breast bone)
Bleeding badly but don't need a tourniquet? How about a pad made from chitosan? Even though this stuff was first (as far as I know) sold as a weight loss supplement because of it's binding properties (it'd bind to stuff so it wouldn't get absorbed/digested) someone found out it'll bind to blood really well making a barrier to keep your blood where it belongs...inside of you!
Chitosan failing? No problem! I'll dump some cool powder into your wound that will duplicate what used to be done in the olden days. You know, heat up a metal rod, jam it into the wound and burn it shut! Yup, chemical cauterization.
Fallen and you can't get up? I know half a dozen ways to help you up or at least drag you somewhere. :-)
And what am I supposed to be doing durring all of this? Firing an M4 machine gun at the enemy with the idea that the quicker we kill them the less work for me to do!
Well this one wasn't as much fun as melting or imitating a hibernating bear now was it?
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we'll be setting up and packing up for the trip which is set to get under way with loading up 500 or so seabags Thursday at...0330. Yes, that's 3:30 AM for you non-military types. :-)
I don't imagine I'll have either the time or anything worth while to write about, so don't plan on anything until I get to an internet connection is southwest Asia!
Hasta-le-bye-bye! "-)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
My impression of the Wicked Witch of the West
Well shooting didn't go as well as I had hoped. The sequence is 2 shots in 4 seconds, repeat, 4 shots in 8 seconds with a magazine reload in the middle, 4 shots in 10 seconds with a swap from strong hand to weak hand in the middle. This is done at both 3 and 7 yds. Then back at 15 yds we do 4 in 8, repeat, 8 in 20 with a reload in the middle, 8 in 20 from kneeling position.
So I'm in the first group, lane 7. I'm blasting the crap out of this target's chest from both 3 and 7 yds. It wasn't as good as I did on the simulator, but it was still good enough to get me the highest rank, expert. But then came the 15 yd line. The line coach (the guy standing next to/behind us making sure we don't do anything stupid) wouldn't let me stand the way I wanted. Since I shoot righty but am left eye dominant, I stand with my left shoulder facing the target and shoot across my body. I'm most comfortable standing so that my outstreched right arm is pointed directly at the middle of the target's chest. But for some reason, I was made to stand directly in front of if so I had to stand a little more twisted than is comfortable. So from the 15 yd line, instead of blowing a hole in the target's chest I shot the crap out of his left side. Being uncomfortable and going a bit too fast led me to a score of 171. I also, probably due to stress, didn't adjust my aim and kept shooting for the middle but hitting the left. So, on to try two. (180 is minimum passing)
For try 2 I ensured I was in lane 1. This way I could stand all the way to the left and be more comfortable. Again 3 and 7 yds = lots of holes in the target's chest. from the 15 yd line I still was fading to the target's left but I took time and adjusted so I got more into the left chest and less in the left side. My final score was 199. Not fabulous but ok.
Today we got to learn about the suit we wear if chemical/biological/nuclear weapons are used against us. I'll get pictures up sooner or later, but suffice it to say it's big, bulky, hot, rubber booties and rubber gloves topped off with a gas mask and a hood to make sure no heat escapes. :)
And what were the odds that the warmest day of training is this day? 100% of course! Even though it didn't quite hit 70 (I don't think) after putting it all on it might as well have been 100. After making sure the equipment we were issued for training purposes (not the real stuff) fit, we proceeded with the drill; 8 minutes to get it all on. But they changed up the order of how we put the gear on in that they hit a siren which only goes off if it's necessary to get into the gear. In that case, you put your gas mask on first instead of 4th. Putting on all the gear while trying to see through fogging lenses and without my glasses (my training gas mask didn't have the special glasses holder in them) proved a bit more difficult. In 7 min 52 seconds, my partner and I were sealed in our own personal ovens! So what next? Why a forced march of course!!!!! :)
Around the block twice we marched. Probably not more than 1/2 mile, but let me tell you my pulse must've been around 150 and all the perspiration and moisture from my breath, was building up in my mask so much that I was breathing it in along with my air. And breathing through this thing is like breathing through a snorkel. Not difficult, but not normal either.
So we finished our jaunt and got to lose the gear. I dumpped out enough sweat and moisture out of my gloves and mask to overflow a shot glass. Up until then I hadn't been using the camel back (Twenty First century canteen) at all. But after that fun I filled it up and drained it and filled it up again. Needed a shower and change of uniform too! What fun!
With that over, we finished our day with how to move patients in and out of different ambulances and how to talk over radios in the field.
For the next 3 days we'll be doing Tactical Combat Casualty Care. Real Corpsman stuff. For the officers and people who've already had the course, they get 2 days off with overnight liberty (bastards) while those left behind condense into 2 duty sections and play the straw game...suck it up.
Yes dad, I know.... ;-)
More when I can-
So I'm in the first group, lane 7. I'm blasting the crap out of this target's chest from both 3 and 7 yds. It wasn't as good as I did on the simulator, but it was still good enough to get me the highest rank, expert. But then came the 15 yd line. The line coach (the guy standing next to/behind us making sure we don't do anything stupid) wouldn't let me stand the way I wanted. Since I shoot righty but am left eye dominant, I stand with my left shoulder facing the target and shoot across my body. I'm most comfortable standing so that my outstreched right arm is pointed directly at the middle of the target's chest. But for some reason, I was made to stand directly in front of if so I had to stand a little more twisted than is comfortable. So from the 15 yd line, instead of blowing a hole in the target's chest I shot the crap out of his left side. Being uncomfortable and going a bit too fast led me to a score of 171. I also, probably due to stress, didn't adjust my aim and kept shooting for the middle but hitting the left. So, on to try two. (180 is minimum passing)
For try 2 I ensured I was in lane 1. This way I could stand all the way to the left and be more comfortable. Again 3 and 7 yds = lots of holes in the target's chest. from the 15 yd line I still was fading to the target's left but I took time and adjusted so I got more into the left chest and less in the left side. My final score was 199. Not fabulous but ok.
Today we got to learn about the suit we wear if chemical/biological/nuclear weapons are used against us. I'll get pictures up sooner or later, but suffice it to say it's big, bulky, hot, rubber booties and rubber gloves topped off with a gas mask and a hood to make sure no heat escapes. :)
And what were the odds that the warmest day of training is this day? 100% of course! Even though it didn't quite hit 70 (I don't think) after putting it all on it might as well have been 100. After making sure the equipment we were issued for training purposes (not the real stuff) fit, we proceeded with the drill; 8 minutes to get it all on. But they changed up the order of how we put the gear on in that they hit a siren which only goes off if it's necessary to get into the gear. In that case, you put your gas mask on first instead of 4th. Putting on all the gear while trying to see through fogging lenses and without my glasses (my training gas mask didn't have the special glasses holder in them) proved a bit more difficult. In 7 min 52 seconds, my partner and I were sealed in our own personal ovens! So what next? Why a forced march of course!!!!! :)
Around the block twice we marched. Probably not more than 1/2 mile, but let me tell you my pulse must've been around 150 and all the perspiration and moisture from my breath, was building up in my mask so much that I was breathing it in along with my air. And breathing through this thing is like breathing through a snorkel. Not difficult, but not normal either.
So we finished our jaunt and got to lose the gear. I dumpped out enough sweat and moisture out of my gloves and mask to overflow a shot glass. Up until then I hadn't been using the camel back (Twenty First century canteen) at all. But after that fun I filled it up and drained it and filled it up again. Needed a shower and change of uniform too! What fun!
With that over, we finished our day with how to move patients in and out of different ambulances and how to talk over radios in the field.
For the next 3 days we'll be doing Tactical Combat Casualty Care. Real Corpsman stuff. For the officers and people who've already had the course, they get 2 days off with overnight liberty (bastards) while those left behind condense into 2 duty sections and play the straw game...suck it up.
Yes dad, I know.... ;-)
More when I can-
Friday, January 25, 2008
Must...fight....stay...awake....
Another day of "death by power point and video". We learned land navigation and how to find spots on a map and how to convert compass readins to headings on a map so you can succesfully get to where you need to go. I was grouped together with (don't know who might read this so...) two people who did well after I explained to them how it all worked. (was that a nice way of putting it?) After that we did a personal pace count. This is a drill where you walk normally along a 100 meter stretch of ground to see how many steps it takes you to get there. Once you've walked the distance once you about face and go back. Average the two and that's your pace count. It takes me 62.5 paces to cover 100 meters walking normally over even ground.
The afternoon was all about sexual assault victims advocates and how the system works when someone is assaulted in that way. The Navy has a great program to take care of the victim in this circumstance and the information is very important. However, since important material is covered OFTEN, it is a struggle to keep awake and pay attention when you're hearing the exact same thing for the 20th time.
The highlight of yesterday was our barbecue. 2 guys took point and collected money from those interested, bought and cooked $500 worth of ribs, brats, kielbasa, steak, chicken, tri-tip, corn, home made potato salad and coleslaw, beans...the works. And it was a great success. 70 or so people took part and we stuffed ourselves full to the brim. When it was winding down and it was time to stark taking care of the mess, lots of us stayed there to clean, sweep, mop, do dishes and all that. It's amazing how much people are willing to help when they aren't ordered to do so. There must've been 12 of us first classes that stayed and cleaned up. It was a good time.
Today is live fire day on the range. I leave in an hour to see if I can duplicate my results from the simulator earlier this week. So keep your fingers crossed for me!
If I can I'll post my results later today.
Untill then....
The afternoon was all about sexual assault victims advocates and how the system works when someone is assaulted in that way. The Navy has a great program to take care of the victim in this circumstance and the information is very important. However, since important material is covered OFTEN, it is a struggle to keep awake and pay attention when you're hearing the exact same thing for the 20th time.
The highlight of yesterday was our barbecue. 2 guys took point and collected money from those interested, bought and cooked $500 worth of ribs, brats, kielbasa, steak, chicken, tri-tip, corn, home made potato salad and coleslaw, beans...the works. And it was a great success. 70 or so people took part and we stuffed ourselves full to the brim. When it was winding down and it was time to stark taking care of the mess, lots of us stayed there to clean, sweep, mop, do dishes and all that. It's amazing how much people are willing to help when they aren't ordered to do so. There must've been 12 of us first classes that stayed and cleaned up. It was a good time.
Today is live fire day on the range. I leave in an hour to see if I can duplicate my results from the simulator earlier this week. So keep your fingers crossed for me!
If I can I'll post my results later today.
Untill then....
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Today I'm a hero. The bear is dead.
It worked! Sleeping on my belly with some less than optimal use of my sleeping bag liner and not using any zippers for more fredom of movement allowed my 17 would be assassins to sleep more soundly, fall asleep more quickly and avoid frequent bouts of waking due to sonorous eminations. I actually got a few votes for president and a hearty round of "you da' man!" I now feel much safer from friendly fire. :-)
Since then, I've gotten to tour a good size chunck of Camp Peldleton by way of visiting a branch medical clinic to refill my antibiotics for my ear. Holy crap is this place huge! And, I've gotten to play with the things that go BANG, if only in a simulator. But even that was a blast. We shoot from 3, 7 and 15 yards, 12/12/24 rounds respectively. We don't get to see a running score but if you're quick you can look into the corner of the screen and see where you hit. The target you're shooting at doesn't change so you can't adjust your aim based on a previous shot. After the first 2 rounds I had only seen 3 scores that weren't 5's (bulls-eye). Unfortunately, the guy running the computer accidentally cleared our scores when we finished the second round, 1/2 way through the shoot. So we got an officialscore from the 15 yard line only. Of a possible 120 I got 115. 5 shots weren't bulls-eye's. So even if I did only that well at the closer ranges that equals 230 of a possible 240. It was really cool to have the instructors tell me "nope, you don't need any more training Doc. You're good." So now we just have to see how well the simulator translates to the real thing Friday. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :-)
Other than that, I'm convinced that the cooks here are in cahoots with cholesterol medication making pharmecutical companies. Pizza and wings, hot dogs and hamburgers, ribs and 'crabby cakes' (I imagine imitation crab stuffed deep fried....things), meatballs and chicken nuggets, lasagna (with undisguised leftover meatballs on top and leftover hotdog roll/garlic bread. Since they had leftover hot dog rolls for garlic bread, I knew we would soon see hamburger rolls in another context. Sure enough, lunch today was crabby patties or pork barbecue. At the end of the chow line, there were the conspicuous rolls. Funny thing about the pork though, was that instead of being served by a form of ice cream scoop as usual, some one grabbed a mellon baller instead. I could have EASILY (more believable for some of you than others) made it a one bite apettizer without even trying. Thank god my wonderful wife once mentioned PB&J is never far away as all the ingredients are readily available at each meal. You just need to take a few minutes to knead the peanut butter or else you get a spurt of oil followed by a clump of completely unswallowable peanut...stuff. Mmmmmm mmmmmm good! :)
When I was reading the welcome aboard package about this place and the info on their web site, they made it very very clear that we would have virtually no contact with people who weren't on my side of the barbed wire. How untrue this has become! Luckily, the non-functionality of cell phones had been greatly exaggerated (or there's been a mysterious atmospherical event allowing cell signals through) and all of us have connections in at least 50% of the base. Instead of praying that we might be able to get a trip to the exchange, since it was left up to our OIC (officer in charge) to set our liberty policy (what you can do when you're 'off the clock'), she's decided to let us roam free as long as we have a buddy, sign out and back in letting someone know where we're going and are back by 2000 (8PM). It like being 13 again! :-)
So all's going much better than I expected.
This morning however, we awoke to cold more intense than I would have thought possible for "southern California". There isn't a thermometer anywhere around here, but one of the guys was shocked to find ice crystals in his toothpaste. Needless to say, I decided to try out the gloves, ski cap and cold weather jacket we were issued that 1/2 the people here had been wearing daily since we got them. I don't know what the Navy put in this jacket, but what looks and feels like nother more than a wind breaker, no lining of any kind, must've held in my body heat because unlike 5 or 6 people standing around me in formation this morning, I wasn't shivering. :-)
Since then, our day has been "death by video tape." 3.5 hrs of 80's (complete with mullets) videos about the law of armed conflict and what we can and can't do to prisoners etc. Of all the days they picked to get the heat working in that room they pick the day we would have been struggling to stay awake due to content alone! I guess there's just no pleaseing everyone eh?
While we're here, one person is in charge of scheduling fun things to do in the evenings. One thing Sailors are famous for is playing spades. So tonight there will be a spades tournament. When the LT in charge asked if anyone knew how to run a card tournament, I had to fight back a big smile. "Well Sir, I've run a few. As a matter of fact I've run about 90-100 events and awarded well over $100k in prizes too." If I could have taken a picture of his face at that moment, Funk and Wagnells would have used it to illustrate "holy crap!" And when I told him I have a program on my lap top that can run and score a tournament, he couldn't write my name down fast enough. So it looks like I'll be doing that tonight.
Lastly for now, with our available liberty and one of my friends from Okinawa stationed here, it looks like I've got someplace warm, dry and homey to visit too! Thanks Jenn :-)
Take care all!
Since then, I've gotten to tour a good size chunck of Camp Peldleton by way of visiting a branch medical clinic to refill my antibiotics for my ear. Holy crap is this place huge! And, I've gotten to play with the things that go BANG, if only in a simulator. But even that was a blast. We shoot from 3, 7 and 15 yards, 12/12/24 rounds respectively. We don't get to see a running score but if you're quick you can look into the corner of the screen and see where you hit. The target you're shooting at doesn't change so you can't adjust your aim based on a previous shot. After the first 2 rounds I had only seen 3 scores that weren't 5's (bulls-eye). Unfortunately, the guy running the computer accidentally cleared our scores when we finished the second round, 1/2 way through the shoot. So we got an officialscore from the 15 yard line only. Of a possible 120 I got 115. 5 shots weren't bulls-eye's. So even if I did only that well at the closer ranges that equals 230 of a possible 240. It was really cool to have the instructors tell me "nope, you don't need any more training Doc. You're good." So now we just have to see how well the simulator translates to the real thing Friday. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :-)
Other than that, I'm convinced that the cooks here are in cahoots with cholesterol medication making pharmecutical companies. Pizza and wings, hot dogs and hamburgers, ribs and 'crabby cakes' (I imagine imitation crab stuffed deep fried....things), meatballs and chicken nuggets, lasagna (with undisguised leftover meatballs on top and leftover hotdog roll/garlic bread. Since they had leftover hot dog rolls for garlic bread, I knew we would soon see hamburger rolls in another context. Sure enough, lunch today was crabby patties or pork barbecue. At the end of the chow line, there were the conspicuous rolls. Funny thing about the pork though, was that instead of being served by a form of ice cream scoop as usual, some one grabbed a mellon baller instead. I could have EASILY (more believable for some of you than others) made it a one bite apettizer without even trying. Thank god my wonderful wife once mentioned PB&J is never far away as all the ingredients are readily available at each meal. You just need to take a few minutes to knead the peanut butter or else you get a spurt of oil followed by a clump of completely unswallowable peanut...stuff. Mmmmmm mmmmmm good! :)
When I was reading the welcome aboard package about this place and the info on their web site, they made it very very clear that we would have virtually no contact with people who weren't on my side of the barbed wire. How untrue this has become! Luckily, the non-functionality of cell phones had been greatly exaggerated (or there's been a mysterious atmospherical event allowing cell signals through) and all of us have connections in at least 50% of the base. Instead of praying that we might be able to get a trip to the exchange, since it was left up to our OIC (officer in charge) to set our liberty policy (what you can do when you're 'off the clock'), she's decided to let us roam free as long as we have a buddy, sign out and back in letting someone know where we're going and are back by 2000 (8PM). It like being 13 again! :-)
So all's going much better than I expected.
This morning however, we awoke to cold more intense than I would have thought possible for "southern California". There isn't a thermometer anywhere around here, but one of the guys was shocked to find ice crystals in his toothpaste. Needless to say, I decided to try out the gloves, ski cap and cold weather jacket we were issued that 1/2 the people here had been wearing daily since we got them. I don't know what the Navy put in this jacket, but what looks and feels like nother more than a wind breaker, no lining of any kind, must've held in my body heat because unlike 5 or 6 people standing around me in formation this morning, I wasn't shivering. :-)
Since then, our day has been "death by video tape." 3.5 hrs of 80's (complete with mullets) videos about the law of armed conflict and what we can and can't do to prisoners etc. Of all the days they picked to get the heat working in that room they pick the day we would have been struggling to stay awake due to content alone! I guess there's just no pleaseing everyone eh?
While we're here, one person is in charge of scheduling fun things to do in the evenings. One thing Sailors are famous for is playing spades. So tonight there will be a spades tournament. When the LT in charge asked if anyone knew how to run a card tournament, I had to fight back a big smile. "Well Sir, I've run a few. As a matter of fact I've run about 90-100 events and awarded well over $100k in prizes too." If I could have taken a picture of his face at that moment, Funk and Wagnells would have used it to illustrate "holy crap!" And when I told him I have a program on my lap top that can run and score a tournament, he couldn't write my name down fast enough. So it looks like I'll be doing that tonight.
Lastly for now, with our available liberty and one of my friends from Okinawa stationed here, it looks like I've got someplace warm, dry and homey to visit too! Thanks Jenn :-)
Take care all!
Monday, January 21, 2008
I've been lied to....that NEVER happens!!!!
Well lookie lookie...I found a computer I can access while here at Pendleton. Only have a few minutes though, so here's an update:
Sunday we traveled by bus down the coast through Malibu and some other "famous" type place with gajillion $$ homes on the bluffs overlooking the ocean.
When we got here, the driver of the lead bus bottomed out his rear end while pulling into the compound. You should have heard the jokes about "all the nurses on the first bus." hehehe
Upon getting settled in, I found myself in a 24 person plywood "SEAHUT" that really is just a big shack. No heat, 2 flouresent lights and lots of cots and foot lockers. Luckily, there are only 18 of us in there so we've got a little extra room to spread out.
Unfortunately for all my roomies, the sleeping bags we're in are the mummy type and are rediculously (did I spell that right?) narrow. Why was this unfortunate for my roomies? Because I was pretty much forced to sleep on my back. And you know what that means, don't you Connie? In the AM I was informed by a half dozen guys that I was the big bear in the hut. I was king snore-er! I've since found out that I can probably sleep on my belly, but you really can't go from back to belly if you start on your back because there just isn't enough room. Can't bend my knee or even get remotely near what would be considered my "sleeping position".
Revilie was at 0500 and we had an hour before chow. Since most of us showered the night before, fearing a hot water shortage as we had been warned, we had plenty of time to square away the mess we made the night before trying to keep warm by staying in the rack but putting things away that we used to entertain ourselves.
The sleeping bags are rated as "intermediate cold". No specifics on what temp they're good to. Since it got down to the 30's and pretty much everyone was covered up so that you couldn't identify who was who, they were kind enough to issue us sleeping bag liners today so that we'll be warmer tonight.
So far chow as been bad for my cholesterol: pizza and wings, eggs and fried potatoes, beans and hot dogs.
As far as the plan for the next few days/weeks, it appears to be a bit different that we were told originally. We'll have a day of small arms training, 1/2 day of things that go BOOM training, 3 days of combat medical training, a day and a half of admin stuff, 1/2 day of land nav and another 1/2 or full day of make up.
At the moment, I'm waiting to use the small arms simulator and everyone that's coming out so far insists that "all the sights ar off!" LOL!!
If/when anyone reads this, could you please "reply to all" to the email I sent out letting y'all know that I was doing this? I've got internet access, but not email access....yet. :)
More when I can!
Sunday we traveled by bus down the coast through Malibu and some other "famous" type place with gajillion $$ homes on the bluffs overlooking the ocean.
When we got here, the driver of the lead bus bottomed out his rear end while pulling into the compound. You should have heard the jokes about "all the nurses on the first bus." hehehe
Upon getting settled in, I found myself in a 24 person plywood "SEAHUT" that really is just a big shack. No heat, 2 flouresent lights and lots of cots and foot lockers. Luckily, there are only 18 of us in there so we've got a little extra room to spread out.
Unfortunately for all my roomies, the sleeping bags we're in are the mummy type and are rediculously (did I spell that right?) narrow. Why was this unfortunate for my roomies? Because I was pretty much forced to sleep on my back. And you know what that means, don't you Connie? In the AM I was informed by a half dozen guys that I was the big bear in the hut. I was king snore-er! I've since found out that I can probably sleep on my belly, but you really can't go from back to belly if you start on your back because there just isn't enough room. Can't bend my knee or even get remotely near what would be considered my "sleeping position".
Revilie was at 0500 and we had an hour before chow. Since most of us showered the night before, fearing a hot water shortage as we had been warned, we had plenty of time to square away the mess we made the night before trying to keep warm by staying in the rack but putting things away that we used to entertain ourselves.
The sleeping bags are rated as "intermediate cold". No specifics on what temp they're good to. Since it got down to the 30's and pretty much everyone was covered up so that you couldn't identify who was who, they were kind enough to issue us sleeping bag liners today so that we'll be warmer tonight.
So far chow as been bad for my cholesterol: pizza and wings, eggs and fried potatoes, beans and hot dogs.
As far as the plan for the next few days/weeks, it appears to be a bit different that we were told originally. We'll have a day of small arms training, 1/2 day of things that go BOOM training, 3 days of combat medical training, a day and a half of admin stuff, 1/2 day of land nav and another 1/2 or full day of make up.
At the moment, I'm waiting to use the small arms simulator and everyone that's coming out so far insists that "all the sights ar off!" LOL!!
If/when anyone reads this, could you please "reply to all" to the email I sent out letting y'all know that I was doing this? I've got internet access, but not email access....yet. :)
More when I can!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
One last thing...36+ lbs
Ah Saturday, the first day of the weekend and we get to sleep in late since we don't need to get fitted for our gas masks until 1100. Oh happy day! Then I've got the rest of the day to do laundry, pack, return movies and go buy some travel food.
You don't really think it was that easy, do you? Of course not...
1045: Meet in the parking lot to load up in the van.
1050: Standing by to get fitted.
1105: "May I have your attention please. We're running about 20 minutes behind, so it'll be a few more minutes before we get to your group. (then to the 10 people sitting around that aren't from our group) "Give me 3 more."
1140: Me- "Hey Chief, we're not all going to get in there all at once, so how about we let people make a run to the chow hall since it closes at 1230?" Chief- "Good idea. Anyone want to eat?" Nope. Well it was a good idea anyway.
Speaking of lunch, do you know what goes in a Ruben? I do, and I love them! And guess what was on the menu for lunch today? Rubens! How'd you guess? :) When I got my grilled delight to my lunch table and gave it a closer look, know what I found? 2 hunks of corned beef that when put together were about = to 3/4 of a deck of cards, a melted piece of American cheese (I think) and less sauerkraut than I leave in the bottom of the can when I use sauerkraut at home!
And no Thousand Island dressing. Anyway, back to today...
1150: Chief- "Hey everybody, they want us to come back at 1300."
1155: Back to the barracks. Luckily I had time to return movies and get snacks, so it wasn't time wasted (like the last hour had been).
1300: 12 of us go to the fitting area and what we were told was a gas mask fitting turns out to be a full CBR suit, kevlar helmet and body armor. I start with the gas mask. Once it's on we're seated and get a clear plastic 1/2 bubble over our head/shoulders so they can pump something into the air around us and measure through a tube if any of it is getting into the mask. No problem. 10 minutes later my mask passes. I ask the guy running the machine what all the numbers mean that he wrote down during my session, and he replies "It meas you pass." I say "I pass? What do you mean I pass? Does it keep out the nasties or doesn't it?" He says, "Well there's always a little that gets in and this one is within limits."
Within limits????? Um...I think zero is about as high a limit I'm willing to go to!
So I say, "Uh-huh...and what's your name? I think I'd like to leave it with my wife so she can find you if this thing doesn't work!" He chuckled, but only a little. :-O
Next was a fitting for a kevlar helmet. The nice head measure-er measured me and as I asked what size I was he said, "Wow! You've got a big head." I said I didn't know they came in that size. Turns out 'wow' = extra large.
From there it was on with the biggie; body armor. 36 pounds of protection from collar bone to groin.
After that I got to try on what resembled fire fighter pants and coat. Really big, big enough to fit over the 36 pound body armor, but not heavy at all. With gloves and booties I'll be a virtual Great Wall of China to CBR nasties.
The rest of the day went to plan; laundry, packing (I did a great job honey, now that I mailed back 20 pounds of stuff!) and gathering up all my stuff.
Tomorrow it's on to the bus to get down to some real training.
Until I get internet access again...sayonara!
You don't really think it was that easy, do you? Of course not...
1045: Meet in the parking lot to load up in the van.
1050: Standing by to get fitted.
1105: "May I have your attention please. We're running about 20 minutes behind, so it'll be a few more minutes before we get to your group. (then to the 10 people sitting around that aren't from our group) "Give me 3 more."
1140: Me- "Hey Chief, we're not all going to get in there all at once, so how about we let people make a run to the chow hall since it closes at 1230?" Chief- "Good idea. Anyone want to eat?" Nope. Well it was a good idea anyway.
Speaking of lunch, do you know what goes in a Ruben? I do, and I love them! And guess what was on the menu for lunch today? Rubens! How'd you guess? :) When I got my grilled delight to my lunch table and gave it a closer look, know what I found? 2 hunks of corned beef that when put together were about = to 3/4 of a deck of cards, a melted piece of American cheese (I think) and less sauerkraut than I leave in the bottom of the can when I use sauerkraut at home!
And no Thousand Island dressing. Anyway, back to today...
1150: Chief- "Hey everybody, they want us to come back at 1300."
1155: Back to the barracks. Luckily I had time to return movies and get snacks, so it wasn't time wasted (like the last hour had been).
1300: 12 of us go to the fitting area and what we were told was a gas mask fitting turns out to be a full CBR suit, kevlar helmet and body armor. I start with the gas mask. Once it's on we're seated and get a clear plastic 1/2 bubble over our head/shoulders so they can pump something into the air around us and measure through a tube if any of it is getting into the mask. No problem. 10 minutes later my mask passes. I ask the guy running the machine what all the numbers mean that he wrote down during my session, and he replies "It meas you pass." I say "I pass? What do you mean I pass? Does it keep out the nasties or doesn't it?" He says, "Well there's always a little that gets in and this one is within limits."
Within limits????? Um...I think zero is about as high a limit I'm willing to go to!
So I say, "Uh-huh...and what's your name? I think I'd like to leave it with my wife so she can find you if this thing doesn't work!" He chuckled, but only a little. :-O
Next was a fitting for a kevlar helmet. The nice head measure-er measured me and as I asked what size I was he said, "Wow! You've got a big head." I said I didn't know they came in that size. Turns out 'wow' = extra large.
From there it was on with the biggie; body armor. 36 pounds of protection from collar bone to groin.
After that I got to try on what resembled fire fighter pants and coat. Really big, big enough to fit over the 36 pound body armor, but not heavy at all. With gloves and booties I'll be a virtual Great Wall of China to CBR nasties.
The rest of the day went to plan; laundry, packing (I did a great job honey, now that I mailed back 20 pounds of stuff!) and gathering up all my stuff.
Tomorrow it's on to the bus to get down to some real training.
Until I get internet access again...sayonara!
Friday, January 18, 2008
And for my next trick...
Well, since I'll be incommunicado for the next 2 weeks or so I thought I'd give y'all an idea of what's in store for me. Remember, this is the plan and we all know how much one of the Navy's plans can be counted on! :)
Day 0: Get there and move in to my new diggs with 19 of my new closest friends. No heat, no insulation, no phone, no internet, hot water iffy. Sleeping bags and cots provided.
Day 1: Paperwork of course. The 6 lbs of paperwork I'm carrying around isn't enough don't you know.
Day 2: Get our spiffy new uniforms and listen to people tell us about what we'll be doing when we get there. Lastly, we'll get the gear we'll be using during training.
Day 3: Land nav. This is where I hope to not repeat my woodland adventure of 30 years ago. Not sure how many landmarks we'll have when we're surrounded by gazillions of specks of sand, rattle snakes, scorpions and deadly spiders. Yeah! :)
Day 4: More death by powerpoint (modern slide show) including listing our "hometown news source" so all the good things I do can be written about and sent home for friends and family to fawn over.
Day 5: Nuclear/Chemical/Biological warfare brief and learning how to wear the gear that keeps us from being harmed by such nasties. Well, except for nuclear stuff...
Day 6: Day one of keeping people alive in combat.
Day 7: Day two of keeping people alive in combat.
Day 8: Day three of keeping people alive in combat followed by how to talk over a radio. (breaker breaker...)
Day 9: Things that go BOOM!, driving AROUND the things that go boom and how to use little things that go BANG.
Day 10: Actually using the little things that go BANG.
Day 11: What to do if the bad guys get you and how to deal with things that shoulda gone BOOM but didn't.
Day 12: I'm leeeeeeeeeea-ving...on a jet plane..can't wait till I come home again.... :)
Day 0: Get there and move in to my new diggs with 19 of my new closest friends. No heat, no insulation, no phone, no internet, hot water iffy. Sleeping bags and cots provided.
Day 1: Paperwork of course. The 6 lbs of paperwork I'm carrying around isn't enough don't you know.
Day 2: Get our spiffy new uniforms and listen to people tell us about what we'll be doing when we get there. Lastly, we'll get the gear we'll be using during training.
Day 3: Land nav. This is where I hope to not repeat my woodland adventure of 30 years ago. Not sure how many landmarks we'll have when we're surrounded by gazillions of specks of sand, rattle snakes, scorpions and deadly spiders. Yeah! :)
Day 4: More death by powerpoint (modern slide show) including listing our "hometown news source" so all the good things I do can be written about and sent home for friends and family to fawn over.
Day 5: Nuclear/Chemical/Biological warfare brief and learning how to wear the gear that keeps us from being harmed by such nasties. Well, except for nuclear stuff...
Day 6: Day one of keeping people alive in combat.
Day 7: Day two of keeping people alive in combat.
Day 8: Day three of keeping people alive in combat followed by how to talk over a radio. (breaker breaker...)
Day 9: Things that go BOOM!, driving AROUND the things that go boom and how to use little things that go BANG.
Day 10: Actually using the little things that go BANG.
Day 11: What to do if the bad guys get you and how to deal with things that shoulda gone BOOM but didn't.
Day 12: I'm leeeeeeeeeea-ving...on a jet plane..can't wait till I come home again.... :)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
After 2 days of sitting around, Charlie Foxtrot paid me a visit
The plan: Meet @ 0945, get paperwork, go to medical appt @ 1030, get final medical clearance, attend a series of MANDATORY briefs from 1230-?.
What really happened:
Meet @ 0945, arrive to get paperwork @ 0950. Can we have our paperwork? No. "It's too early. You can have your paperwork at 1010."
OK, no biggie, wait here or wait there, what's the difference? Right?
Get paperwork at 1010, leave for medical.
Arrive at medical @ 1020. I'm first in line since I know I've got a few things to get done here that I thought were ok, but this place want's annual medical requirements (things you need to do once a year) done no more than 6 months ago so that no requirements will be required while over there. Ok, I can accept that and it even makes sense. So I'm first in line to ensure I can get chow before the MANDATORY briefs.
First off, vital signs. No problem.
Next, anthrax vaccine. Can you say ou-freaking-ch?
Then, time to see the provider.
I find that my provider is already looking for me, so I find him and we get started. Great!
Except for one thing...
The questionaire I filled out Monday isn't in my record.
10 minutes later and after talking to 3 people (one very condecending who really wanted it to be my fault that the paperwork was missing when it wasn't) it's determined that I have to return to the other side of base to get another copy and fill it out again. Because these brain children don't have a copy that I can fill out here. It's the first crucial piece of paperwork but it's not kept on hand where it's needed. Brilliant eh?
It's 1100 and I'm off to get what I need and get back as fast a possible.
1115 and I'm back. There's only 4 people from my group that aren't done but only one provider left at this hour. Christ all mighty......
Luckily, 2 considerate providers take 2 of the 4 of us so we can get done in a reasonable amount of time. I'm still last.
I get to tak to my provider, and the first question: Have you done you're (other paperwork related to talking to one specific person who goes over your family history, personal medical history etc. Something that takes 30+ minutes)? Didn't know until today that I'd need to do it, but since I do have to do it again I get "come back at 1300 to have it done."
Um, see a problem here?
It's now 1200 and I'm not going anywhere until I eat!
Reach the galley at 1210, eat and get back to the van at 1219. The galley's 2 minutes away and it took another 2 minutes to get through the chow line. No, I didn't taste a thing. :)
1230 I'm there for the first brief so at least I'll get one of 4 done as it's been decided that the unmissasble MANDATORY briefs can take a back seat to getting medical clearance. But does the brief happen on time? Of course not! Talk about this and that and blah blah blah, and now it's 1250 and I'm leaving without receiving any of the MANDATORY briefs.
1300 and one other guy and I are standing by for out appt. But did anyone tell the person we had our appoint ment with that we'd be ther at 1300? Of course not! She already had someone booked for 1300. :)
1345 and now It's my turn. Within a few minutes of getting started with this paperwork, "Did you get your hearing test?"
Nope.
1400 and I'm in the booth.
1415 and I'm done.
Minutes later I'm back, but she's finishing up with someone else, so it's back to waiting.
By the time I'm done it's just after 1500 thanks to her very, very, very thourough appointment.
Am I now done? No.
Remember that provider I saw 4 hrs ago? I still need to finish up with her. But is she here? Hell no! 1500 = quitting time you silly!
Luckily there's another provider (one of the nice ones that took 1 of the 4 of us way back when) is still here so she agrees to finish up with me. But she's seeing someone at the moment, so stand by.
When I'm finally done, it's 1520. But am I done? No.
Back to find someone (one of the 2 approved persons) to sign on my bottom line and state for the record that I really am done. But where the hell is one of them?
My compatiriot through all of this is still here and knows where to find one of them. Sure enough he's there and I get signed off. Thanks Chief Morse. :)
It's now 1530 and I'm done.
Back to the processing station where the brains of this operation are and the other 198 personnel leaving with me are walking out. So much for those MANDATORY briefs!
And how do we top off this fantastic day? The power is out. No finishing this evolution for me! Come back in the morning to do the last step. Luckily, I had to be there at 0800 anyway so it's all good.
And what's in store for tomorrow? A brief letting us know what to expect when we get to our training site (30 minutes maybe) followed by...nothing until 1100 Saturday!
Freaking brilliant eh?
What really happened:
Meet @ 0945, arrive to get paperwork @ 0950. Can we have our paperwork? No. "It's too early. You can have your paperwork at 1010."
OK, no biggie, wait here or wait there, what's the difference? Right?
Get paperwork at 1010, leave for medical.
Arrive at medical @ 1020. I'm first in line since I know I've got a few things to get done here that I thought were ok, but this place want's annual medical requirements (things you need to do once a year) done no more than 6 months ago so that no requirements will be required while over there. Ok, I can accept that and it even makes sense. So I'm first in line to ensure I can get chow before the MANDATORY briefs.
First off, vital signs. No problem.
Next, anthrax vaccine. Can you say ou-freaking-ch?
Then, time to see the provider.
I find that my provider is already looking for me, so I find him and we get started. Great!
Except for one thing...
The questionaire I filled out Monday isn't in my record.
10 minutes later and after talking to 3 people (one very condecending who really wanted it to be my fault that the paperwork was missing when it wasn't) it's determined that I have to return to the other side of base to get another copy and fill it out again. Because these brain children don't have a copy that I can fill out here. It's the first crucial piece of paperwork but it's not kept on hand where it's needed. Brilliant eh?
It's 1100 and I'm off to get what I need and get back as fast a possible.
1115 and I'm back. There's only 4 people from my group that aren't done but only one provider left at this hour. Christ all mighty......
Luckily, 2 considerate providers take 2 of the 4 of us so we can get done in a reasonable amount of time. I'm still last.
I get to tak to my provider, and the first question: Have you done you're (other paperwork related to talking to one specific person who goes over your family history, personal medical history etc. Something that takes 30+ minutes)? Didn't know until today that I'd need to do it, but since I do have to do it again I get "come back at 1300 to have it done."
Um, see a problem here?
It's now 1200 and I'm not going anywhere until I eat!
Reach the galley at 1210, eat and get back to the van at 1219. The galley's 2 minutes away and it took another 2 minutes to get through the chow line. No, I didn't taste a thing. :)
1230 I'm there for the first brief so at least I'll get one of 4 done as it's been decided that the unmissasble MANDATORY briefs can take a back seat to getting medical clearance. But does the brief happen on time? Of course not! Talk about this and that and blah blah blah, and now it's 1250 and I'm leaving without receiving any of the MANDATORY briefs.
1300 and one other guy and I are standing by for out appt. But did anyone tell the person we had our appoint ment with that we'd be ther at 1300? Of course not! She already had someone booked for 1300. :)
1345 and now It's my turn. Within a few minutes of getting started with this paperwork, "Did you get your hearing test?"
Nope.
1400 and I'm in the booth.
1415 and I'm done.
Minutes later I'm back, but she's finishing up with someone else, so it's back to waiting.
By the time I'm done it's just after 1500 thanks to her very, very, very thourough appointment.
Am I now done? No.
Remember that provider I saw 4 hrs ago? I still need to finish up with her. But is she here? Hell no! 1500 = quitting time you silly!
Luckily there's another provider (one of the nice ones that took 1 of the 4 of us way back when) is still here so she agrees to finish up with me. But she's seeing someone at the moment, so stand by.
When I'm finally done, it's 1520. But am I done? No.
Back to find someone (one of the 2 approved persons) to sign on my bottom line and state for the record that I really am done. But where the hell is one of them?
My compatiriot through all of this is still here and knows where to find one of them. Sure enough he's there and I get signed off. Thanks Chief Morse. :)
It's now 1530 and I'm done.
Back to the processing station where the brains of this operation are and the other 198 personnel leaving with me are walking out. So much for those MANDATORY briefs!
And how do we top off this fantastic day? The power is out. No finishing this evolution for me! Come back in the morning to do the last step. Luckily, I had to be there at 0800 anyway so it's all good.
And what's in store for tomorrow? A brief letting us know what to expect when we get to our training site (30 minutes maybe) followed by...nothing until 1100 Saturday!
Freaking brilliant eh?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
It starts
Stop #1 = processsing. For this week I'm listening to briefs, getting shots, medical check ups and dental check ups, ordering my gear and getting fit for a gas mask. Oh, and doing lots of sitting around! Thank goodness for free wireless internet and cable TV! :-) And instead of an open bay barracks like I was anticipating, I'm in a one man room sharing a bathroom. NICE! Not only that but it's like a motel so housekeeping comes by to clean up too. :-) Thanks for the $28 per day NHCA.
With that and the galley just across the street and plenty of transportation available, this is sweet. Connie thinks they're just being nice because next week the real stuff starts...
With that and the galley just across the street and plenty of transportation available, this is sweet. Connie thinks they're just being nice because next week the real stuff starts...
testing...testing....
Since I'm off on a new type of adventure and there are a few people who'd be interested in how I'm doing, I figured this'd be easier than sending tons of email. These first few posts will just be me figuring out how to use this thing. :)
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