So I haven't exactly been blogging much over the past month if you can’t tell. That's because I've been here in Kuwait for exactly one month busting my butt learning my, and my units new job.
Shortly after my last post, myself and about 50 of my fellow cavalrymen boarded a charter jet at Ft Hood to fly to Kuwait. Along with about 200 other soldiers from the 37th Brigade Combat Team, we were the Advanced Party for our unit. Our job was to get to Kuwait, tie in with the unit we're replacing and set the conditions for success for the main body of the Brigade as they followed up 10 days later.
Life here in Kuwait over the last month has been interesting. On my first day here the thermometer reached 112 degrees, in March. Ouch. One of the first things I did as soon as I got settled into my own quarters (3 of us Captains shared a room for 2 weeks) was to go buy some rugs to liven the place up. Really all they do is serve as a dust/dirt collectors. An interesting fact about life here, no vacuums. I haven't seen one yet. Except for the one in the motor pool for cleaning out the trucks. But something tells me that one isn't used much.
So we had about 10 days here before the other 500 some odd people in our unit caught up to us. Honestly, it was kind of nice having the place to ourselves. But its nice having the rest of the unit here too. (It also means we're that much closer to going home).
One of the things I did before the rest of the unit got here, was go on
a convoy up into Iraq. You might
think that's not a very safe thing to
do since I'm living life down here in nice cozy Kuwait. But you're
wrong. It's the right thing to do. oh, maybe I haven't put this out
there yet, my soldiers will be escorting convoys into Iraq. So that's
why I went. So i could see the dangers they'd be facing. That's what
leaders do. It's a military thing.
I'm gonna apologize now. This post is skipping all over the place. I've had lots of thoughts in my head over the last month. Many of which don't really go together well.
There is one truism about when Army unit pick up and move somewhere. Somebody is going to loose their rucksack. I don''t care how well marked it is. It'll get tossed into the wrong truck, the tag will come off or some Private will carry it off because he thought it was his. Hey, they are all camouflaged you know.
So we've had a crap-ton of sandstorms while I've been here. It's been
really bad. The unit we're replacing (1st battalion 160th Infantry from
the CA National Guard) said they never had sandstorms this bad until we
got here. Hell, last week it even rained on us. The 1-160th guys said
it hadn't really done that while they were here either. Looks like this
could be a fun tour.
One of my fellow Officers is blogging now too. Read here ( http://networker2000.blogspot.com/ ) on what its like to be a Second Lieutenant in the Army. This site also gives you a good idea of what it takes to make new Lieutenants in the Army today. And he posts more often than me.
CM, Micah
"News From Your Rear"
Community:
Soldiers from the latest ETT deployment are returning from Afghanistan mid May, I will be in Lansing representing the 126 to welcome them home from their deployment.
NCO club held elections, SGM Shipley is President, Ret. SGT Dave Pitch is the VP, and SFC Moore is the Bar manager. SFC Moore reminds you that your family is always welcome at the NCO club and can become Auxiliary members or leaders in the club.
It appears Jeff Foxworthy has targeted Michigan for his latest “You Might Be” material:
1. If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through
18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Michigan .
2. If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights
each year because Pellston is the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Michigan .
3. If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you
might live in Michigan .
4. If you instinctively walk like a penguin for five months out of the
year, you might live in Michigan .
5. If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you might live in
Michigan .
6. If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of
his forehead, you might live in Michigan .
7. If you have worn shorts and a coat at the same time, you might live in Michigan .
8. If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might
live in Michigan .
9. If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who
dialed a wrong number, you might live in Michigan .
Economy:
Stock market, Dow closed for the first time over 13,000, S&P 500 over 1400, the trading through 1400 on the S&P is said by many economists to be a signal for a rebound in the stock market. Beware it is likely as reliable as an S-2 estimate.
Housing, market in Michigan is no better than the market in your neck of the woods, only difference is running water, electricity and sewer, who cares though, with the exchange rate going the way it is Sand looks like a better investment than waterfront.
Gas, average price at the pump is $3.62 a gallon with the price of crude oil at $117 a barrel if you don’t like Exxon making 10 Billion a quarter, quit bitching, buy stock and use your return to offset the price, nothing more capitalist than that. Also, quit blowing up oil depots with your celebratory fire, your driving down supply and raising prices too.
Gold, is off of it’s high of $1,000 ounce down to 830 and change.
Foxworthy Part 2 - You know you're a true MICHIGANDER when . . .
1. "Vacation" means going up north on I-75
2. You measure distance in hours.
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
4. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging
blizzard, without
flinching.
6. You see people wearing camo uflage at social events (including
weddings).
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
9. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled
with snow.
11. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and
road construction.
12. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
13. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to
your blue spruce.
14. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
15. Down South to you means Ohio .
16. A brat is something you eat.
17. Your neighbor
throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
18. You go out to fish fry every Friday.
19. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
20. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
21. You find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
22. You drink pop and bake with soda.
23. Your doctor tells you to drink Vernors and you know it's not
medicine.
24. You can actually drink Vernors without coughing.
25. You know what a Yooper is.
26. You think owning a Honda is Un-American.
27. You know that UP is a place, not a direction.
28. You know it's possible to live in a thumb.
29. You understand that when visiting Detroit , the best thing to wear is a Kevlar vest.
Thank you for your duty and continuance of the 126 tradition of service.
Sincerely,
CPT. ERIC F DEUKER
Look for the 2nd edition in the months to come.
Posted by: CPT Eric F Deuker | June 09, 2008 at 02:34 PM