Rock Steady

Well, you probably didn't hear it here first, but I'm going from 696th FSC to Charlie Battery, effective Monday morning. This should be a job, but a good one. Charlie is getting ready to deploy, and now so am I. The mission will be one of several- perhaps route clearance, AKA not getting you or anyone else blown up, perhaps convoy security, or perhaps regular old infantry mission- kicking doors, detaining combatants. Not shooting combatants, however. This seems to be a popular misconception- the people our troops encounter in the Middle East are really not that gung-ho; actually, the encounter usually runs a little something like this- they see they are outgunned, they surrender, are detained as gently as possible, asked questions, and the Army will do their level best to ensure their security and the security of their loved ones. The whole thing is a big mess, it's true. But it's getting to be a workable mess, and hopefully a recovering mess.

But at any rate- what does all this mean? Well, on a mercenary note, it means extra pay- combat pay and hazardous duty pay, possibly separation pay as well. In addition to my everyday salary. It also means a 12-month deployment, meaning I'll be in a war zone for 12 months, doing this mission or that mission. This works for me. The worst thing about the Army, garrison or deployed, is sitting around doing nothing. Running life-risking missions is much preferable to that. I'd like to think I have a little bit of an edge, assuming I can dig back into the far-gone days of basic training and remember all the 'extracurricular' stuff our former Special Forces drill sergeants taught us. In other words, the odds of me coming back in one piece, perhaps a little more dinged up, are extremely high. Should I be worried? Well, in all honesty, I am. I'm leaving behind loved ones, and though this is motivation to stay alive, it's also not an easy thing to do. But I did get a little pep talk from my first sergeant- in a nutshell, go over there to Charlie, train as hard as you can, and once you've given everything you've got, give more until the mission is done.

Now, having said that, please everyone note- the order to deploy HAS NOT come through yet. We're on standby for the time being. It looks like more than likely we'll be heading out in a manner of several months, but this is not a definite yes yet. But at any rate, it'll be good to get out there and do some real training! It may sound odd, (long time readers are no doubt used to weirdness on here by now) but some of the training is actually pretty darn cool. Fun? I don't know if that's quite the right term. But I went to training and shared a room in AIT with a guy who was a self-confessed adrenaline junkie. This is actually a real term, and most military develop the condition to some extent or another. This does not mean go out and do something stupid, like get yourself or your team killed! It does mean you come to almost enjoy either real or simulated danger. Training provides a good outlet for this- this is why after a mission, sitting around base camp or on the truck ride back, people always joke, BS or come up with bizarre stories, some of which may actually be true. It's important to come down from the state of mind required for military operations. There is a high instance of substance abuse in the military, which may be related to this. Not that I view this as an inevitable consequence, and I don't believe the brass does either; rather, it's a call for people to find an outlet. It could be just a game of Spades, could be a workout or run on your free time, or even just letting yourself unwind at the end of the day. Some people actually do not know how to do this, and I'm glad to say resources are available in the military to educate people on how to do just that.

But I'm going off topic. We'll more than likely be going to Afghanistan, assuming all goes through. Out in the desert? Well, I've already been to the desert, though admittedly not in Afghanistan, but have weathered a sandstorm of biblical proportions. Depending on the mission, we may well be up in the mountains. The mountains are not like the desert, that is, apart from the fact that they're mountains. Actually, it's much much colder in the mountains. Given the option, I'd rather go there- I'd prefer the cold to the heat! Speaking of which, we have our epic heat continuing here. It's been in the hundreds for the past month, with no rain in the past two months. It makes me wonder, as weather fronts seem to change course to avoid Lawton- they'll come down from Missouri or central Oklahoma, or up from Texas, heading straight for south central here, and veer off to one side. Given the option, I would do the same- too much ghetto around here, not enough fabulous. So a deployment will be a nice way to get the Lawton out of Hell for a few. At that point, I'll be looking at reenlistment- I guess it'll depend on how the deployment goes- if the deployment goes. Here's hoping! But to all my family and loved ones out there- guys, I won't be leaving any orphans or a widow behind. That much I promise, no matter where the road leads.

I'm coming home, so keep a bottle of Mad Dog in the fridge for me, and avoid that Tenafly Viper! Okay, actually you can skip the Mad Dog too- I'll just mix some Kool-Aid in with the transmission fluid in my truck and call it good. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!