Day 48

There’s a phrase out there of which I only know the first part, “The best laid plans,…”.
So, I am not in Germany on my layover. We didn’t stop in Bangor, Maine for refueling. I am in fact at the airport in Shannon, Ireland. We left McChord Air Force Base, just outside of Ft. Lewis, with our wheels up time at 0610 and landed here at 1400 Pacific Time. Ah, eight hours on a DC10 with 260 of my newest best friends, our equipment, and not much sleep on top of it. We're hanging out in the airport for 4-1/2 hours total time before moving on to our next destination; Kuwait. We're here longer than scheduled because we bypassed the layover in Maine and the next flight crew has not yet arrived. One good thing about leaving Ft Lewis is that at least there's no fog here. Nothing like the Pacific Northwest's answer to smog to brighten your day. I don't know how many more hours we have on plane, but whenever it stops, I'll disembark and be there.

Day 44

Did you know it rains in the Pacific Northwest? Me neither. The day after election day the local radio stations announced that the citizens of Washington state voted to allow physician assisted suicide. I don't know why they bother. This is the most depressing place I've ever been. With all of the constant rain and clouds it's a wonder people aren't taking care of that issue themselves on a regular basis.
My oh my, how the time has just flown by. It's hard to believe it's day 44 already. Where has the time gone? Input all of the sarcasm you've ever heard in my voice and turn up the volume. It's been ok, just a bit of an arduous trek getting here.
I've finished training (yeah me) and am at my sisters place outside of Sacramento enjoying my pass days with her. First night; 14 hours of sleep and a nap the next day; and last night, 11 hours of sleep, and I'm writing this before I nod off for my mid-day nap.
I have to report back to Ft. Lewis, in the rainy Pacific Northwest, tomorrow, the 14th, do some administrative stuff, and we leave at Oh-Dark-Thirty the morning of the 17th. I'm thinking that my next posting will take place from a hallway in an airport in Germany. (I'd have a cold one for all you all, but sorry, we're not allowed to drink.) It is what it is.

Day 35

I'm here in the computer lab on election night. Ah, let me tell you, one of the perks about being here now is that I haven't had to listen or watch or hear any political ads for the last month. It does a body good. I started training again this past Saturday. After receiving many much more Army gear, I went to the Land Navigation course. Not that difficult to find your way through an abandoned gravel pit. Hey, at least I passed. Then Sunday we started training on how to defeat IED's, from a walking and from a driving posture. Yesterday I got into the HEAT trainer. They have a HUMVEE body hooked up to a motor and pivot and they turn you around and flip you and then you have to get out. I get sick on a swing set so you can imagine how much fun I had in a blacked-out vehicle with my weapon and three other people getting tossed around like croutons on a salad. The second time we did it the control valve on my Camelback broke off and leaked into my crotch. I woke up quickly when the cold water hit my warm innards. Then as we were being spun around like yesterday's laundry, it started spraying everybody else with water. I have more and a half more days of training, then a few days on pass, and then we fly out. I can't come home until I leave, so now I just need to leave. It is what it is.