Well, the rumors of Kuwait being frustrating are far from true. We arrived here this morning about 0430, had a couple of briefings and folks are pretty much making stuff easy for us. The travel folks helped me out with a visa for Australia (who knew you needed one?) and country clearance (once again, who knew?). I had brought my passport which made things a whole lot easier. There are a couple of more appointments, then I am off to Kuwait International Airport for the 17 hour flight to Australia.
The trip to FOB Striker was very surreal. In order to go on leave you have to leave your weapons and ammo with the team, and I had to go on a convoy with another unit. That was the strange part - - no weapon, getting into someone else's truck. When I looked around at the soldiers in the convoy I got that really old feeling - - they were all about 19 or 20ish. Once we got rolling we heard that there were two "significant events" (translation: IEDs) on our route, one detonated with no damage or injuries, the other was found by the Iraqis. That added to the strangeness.
The platoon leader was also a female. The myth that females only do combat support jobs safe in the rear has been thrown out during this one. She led the platoon through a route that had two IEDs on it in less than 12 hours, no problems at all. She also was a SCUBA diver, so when she heard where I was going she was very jealous. The MRAP driver was from NC, down near Maxton and Laurinburg (literally Indian country - - that is where a lot of Cherokee Indians settled, as well as Lumbee Indians). He was mostly Cherokee and chatted away the whole time once he found out I was from FT Bragg. Conversations in an MRAP or HMMWV are kind of strange: Everyone wears a headset with a microphone and there is an intercom for internal conversations and everyone monitors 2 radio nets. So, when you are chatting away and a call comes over the radio, all chatter stops, everyone listens to the radio call, then the conversation picks right back up.
Nothing else is really blogworthy, just the fact that I am here and getting ready for the flight out of here.
1 comment:
Have fun down under. Don't forget the VeggieMite. Syd says it a true phenomenon to try it.
I am jealous thinking of diving...Wish I were there too. Take care...I have a surprise for you when you get back. I do need a new address for you if you have moved...
j
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