Hello from Kuwait

We are one step closer to getting to Iraq, good news is our one year clock has started. The team has made it to Kuwait without incident. After leaving Kansas we flew for a solid 20 hours - Topeka, KS to Bangor, Maine, to Germany (not sure where but we spent a couple of hours on the ground there) then to Kuwait. We got in about midnight in Kuwait, then took a bus to our training FOB. The folks in Bangor are awesome: We arrived there shortly after midnight, and there were probably 10 folks there to shake our hands and greet us as we got off the plane and back onto the plane. They had a little welcome center with cookies, pretzels, other munchies, a couple of cell phones for folks to use, I had heard they were friendly to US soldiers, but wow, that was going the extra mile to be friendly.

We have knocked out some ranges here in Kuwait (HOT, BROWN and DUSTY) - - re-confirming the zero on our rifles (good to go for me), did some advanced, close quarters marksmanship (fired a ton of ammo, it was fun, of course) and today we did some urban operations (room clearing, building clearing). Overall, good training for the team. The camp here is ok, it is literally in the middle of the desert, nothing at all around it, so, what can you really expect? There is a nice chow hall, our building is air conditioned and we have a warm shower, so, no real complaints. Superman has been taking pictures on the ranges and of the camp, as soon as I get them from him I will post them to the web page and put a link in the blog.

Couple of nickname updates: CPT F who was previously Spooky or Specter or something has earned a nickname change: 6.5. Even though it is a number, it starts with an S and fits the bill for the nickname. Why 6.5? Traditionally in a unit, the commanders radio call sign is 6. For example, my call sign is SWATT 6. Whenever you hear a 6 on the radio, you know that a commander is talking. 6.5 is actually the number 4 in the chain of command, but has made it known that anytime I want to abdicate my authority, he is more than willing to take charge. I am closely monitoring the team for any coup attempts, especially when me, the XO and Superman (the first three in the chain of command are not around). 6.5 has also been selected for promotion to major, so he has a little extra motivation for taking over.

The XO has also earned a nickname: Soapman or Soap for short. He was pretty concerned that he would not be able to get his specific brand of soap in Iraq so he brought a ton of it. He packed about 10 bars of Dove, extra smooth in his duffle bag, which now smells very nice. According to him he wants to remain extra pretty and exfoliate his skin well while he spends the year with the team. The team is carefully monitoring him for other signs of lessening his manhood.