11 - 19 Apr 08 - Validation

For a bit more than the past week I've been away from my computer. I've been doing what's called validation. Validation is the last stage of your mobilization training. It's like your final exam at the end of a semester of school.

We were tested on everything from the simplest of tasks (shooting, physical fitness, driving) to more complex battle drills and our various job related tasks. Honestly, it was the best part of all the training I've had here. Rather than deal with an hour of training preceded and followed by 4 or 5 hours of waiting we were basically doing a giant simulation of a realworld mission. We were generally busy, and always applying our skills and training.

I learned more over the last week than I've probably learned over the previous month.

On a different note, I'm getting really excited about seeing my wife. I get to come home for a bit of time off before I head off to the big "sandbox" of the middle east. All I can say is that it's been a long time coming.

08 Apr 08 - SRM

Today we conducted SRM, Short Range Marksmanship. Talk about some real useful training. Though the drills and training are simple, they are definitely crucial to a soldiers duties. The training drills are designed to create a soldier who can effectively engage an enemy at short range while walking, turning, kneeling, standing, ect. Considering the urban environments in which the conflicts in the middle east take place, the ability for a soldier to engage targets at short range is more vital than ever.

The training was great. I learned some new tricks of the trade and was able to work out some minor kinks.

I'm getting more and more excited for the time off that I'll have in a couple weeks. I haven't seen Nikki for over a month and am missing her tons. We talk on the phone every day, but it's just not the same (especially for one who is as worthless in a phone conversation as I).

07 Apr 08 - FOB Defense

For the past few days we've been learning the basics of FOB Defense. A FOB is a Forward Operating Base. It's basically a small military base.

The training was really good, which is really nice. We learned about checkpoints, traffic control points, vehicle and personnel searches, etc. They're all things that I'd learned in the past, but it's nice to have a good review.

I'm definitely gaining an appreciation for the reality of the upcoming deployment. It's finally really sinking in that I'm going overseas to a war zone.

03 Apr 08 - IED Training

Today we had IED training. An IED is an Improvised Explosive Device or as the civilian world calls them, roadside bombs. The training was pretty good, and it really heightened my awareness of IED's. In the end, there's not a lot you can do to control your exposure to IED's. If a terrorist is good at what he does, then you probably won't spot it. I guess it makes you realize that your job as a soldier is serious and that there are certain risks that every soldier takes when he volunteers for the job. Sometimes we soldiers try to make believe that we can control every situation that we get into. But the truth is that we can't control everything. We do all we can to mitigate the risks that are associated with the business, but we must admit that sometimes there are things that are just out of our control.

Even if there are certain risks that we can't control, we still have to press on and do our job. I guess that's what they pay us the big bucks for. (I'm kidding, we're grossly underpaid)

2 Apr 08 - Language Training

Today the absurd happened.

Last night we had our daily review of the following day's plans. At the meeting we were told that today we would be participating in the second part of our two-part language training. (Language training is where we learn a bit of the language of the country that we'll be visiting.) Several soldiers, including myself were a bit disconcerted about this training. You see, we'd already been to both parts of the training and were not excited about repeating the same boring thing twice. We mentioned that we'd already received day 2 of language training but were quickly shot down. We were told that this was totally different than the training we'd received and that we'd go.

Well we went. And as soon as roll was called we discovered that we were not on the roll and were not supposed to be in attendance (we'd already received that training, you see). A bit upset, but not to distraught, we attempted to arrange transportation back to the barracks. We called the commander, who, oddly enough, told us that we were not to return. He said that since we were scheduled for the training, even if we had already received it and were not allowed to attend, we still had to be there, and therefore denied us transportation the 10 miles or so back to the barracks. Now I know this makes no sense to the average civilian, but it makes perfect army logic. So, my comrades and I just sat outside (since we couldn't attend the class that we were ordered to attend). Eventually a high ranking individual showed up and asked us why we were sitting on his lawn. After we explained the situation to him he exclaimed, "Why that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" and ordered us to leave. So we embarked on a 10 mile walk back to the barracks.

Luckily only 1/2 mile into the journey we spotted a van that was driven by a guy from our company. We flagged him down, explained the situation and got a ride back to the barracks.

Typical day in army training.

1 Apr 08 - Convoy ops

Sorry about the huge gap in my blog. The last 2 weeks have been just plain hectic. We went to a different training site where we conducted convoy operations (conops). Conops is a really important part of any soldiers training. If you plan on ever driving anywhere in a war zone you had better understand conops. The training was some of the best that I've received here. Usually, we have a bunch of down time and don't get much done, but for this block we were more than busy.

To be honest, there wasn't a ton going on worth special note, we just kept busy. One thing's for certain, though. I am glad to be eating at a cafeteria and away from MRE's, even if it is for just a while. MRE's are Meals Ready to Eat. It's the army's idea of a sack lunch. Except this sack lunch never goes rotten. You'll find bread, meat and fruit that lasts for 2 years. I wonder what they put in the things to make them last that long (nothing good for you, I'm sure). The best part about MRE's is what they do to your digestive system. Everybody reacts differently, but everybody certainly reacts.

So, as I previously stated, it's great to have some real food.