Deirdre's Blog

Everyone except a paralegal and some docs and I had to draw weapons at 0400 and go to a range and then play in the dirt all afternoon and shoot blanks (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?) , even the officers had to shoot 10 blanks through M-16s even though they are all taking M9s.  Really dumb, fortunately for me, the paralegal talked to the Commander and ensured that she and I would report at 1000 to check in and do none of that stuff.  The rest of the day there was nothing except a check-in again at 1500.   Way to take care of the LT and I may be working with this paralegal again in Germany.  Squared away!

Classes all day on IEDs, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), and first aid.  Not at all exciting.  Some time outside with simulated IEDs/UXOs which was fine for what it was but particularly useless for Germany.   This afternoon the CRC informed me that they couldn’t get me a flight because of a problem with the accounting classification on my orders.  I called my branch manager and he called Human Resources Command who insisted everything was fine but before that got sorted out of course the day ended, early for some probably, and it’s a long weekend so the matter won’t even be addressed further until Monday morning.  The only good news, a paralegal NCO in the group who is also going to Germany spoke to the Commander and got us out of going to the range.  I guess I’m spending the weekend at least in Georgia.  Maybe I’ll have time to figure out how this blog is supposed to work and get it formatted pretty.

Medical today, I had to have  typhoid shot which is kind of odd, but otherwise my unit had taken good care of me and I sped though all the stations.  Then to uniform issue, but wait, I don’t get any.  Then to CIF for equipment, they issued me a MOPP suit and mask, I guess they don’t differentiate between soldiers who are likely to go to the field and those who aren’t.  They gave me nothing else.

Yes, this is as boring for me as it is for you, probably much more so.  I wish I’d had this ability in Iraq four years ago though.

Out to the Admin Soldier Readiness Processing, they got my pay started – so that was worthwhile.  Everything else was just having them check off on forms and lists to say I’d done what I was supposed to do.  Then to CIF to get our Rapid Fielding Initiative items.  I was told before hand that I wouldn’t be issued any and now I’m told I am to be issued everything, MOLLE pack, sleep system, etc. etc.   But it’s all optional so I’ll just take the non-recoverable items and a new ACH helmet and leave the rest (Oh, and the extreme cold weather kit, it’s pretty neat and the long johns are keepers).  Back to CRC and wait for five hours so we can go to an office where they will check once more to ensure we did the mandatory training that they checked the first day and had us sign a list about the second day.   Continuing to have fun, well maybe not.

The day started by them taking us all out to big tent by bus and asking us after we got there “Just to make sure, you’re all going to Iraq, Afghanistan, or Kuwait, right?” – Wrong, they sent us back to the CRC and kicked us (myself and a couple people going to Egypt, etc) off the bus without further instruction.  We learned that we weren’t getting any uniforms so we could go back to our rooms and wait until late morning.  Then we went to some breifings, none of which applied to Europe and then stood in  a line at the end of which we signed a list for people they had checked the night before to see if we had done our mandatory training.  Not sure why they didn’t have us sign the list when they checked the night before, probably just so we’d have a line to stand in.  In the evening we went out to the airport to bother the Delta reps about our luggage.  “I believe all of your bags will be on this incoming flight, just wait and check it and come back if there not” the man said.  The flight came in late, one of my bags was there.  The man was gone, but a lady had replaced him so I filed my claim.  So, now I have my uniforms and equipment but no civilian clothes, no shower or shaving gear, no vitamins, etc.

Left Portland at 0530 on Delta, arrived in Atlanta later in the morning and went to the Delta Military Holiday Lounge.  Very nice, free food and coffee, etc. No wireless unless you want to pay a bunch, but otherwise very nice.  However, Delta lost a lot of points later in the day when they canceled my flight to Columbus.  They tried to rebook me for Sunday but that’s not happening.  I took a shuttle but when I tried to pull my bags they told me I’d be somewhere past 2600 in line to get my bags, best to let them go on tomorrows flight.  So, I’m at Benning without my bags.