It's official. I'm going to EYE-RACK

[tussey]

400 day INVOLUNTARY deployment begins June 22, 2007.

I'm Combat Engineer. Am I going as combat engineer? Noooooo, that would make too much sense instead, get this...

I'm going as Civil Affairs....with a Chemical Unit....that is transitioning to Civil Affairs.

Here's an idea. Lets give a bunch of soldiers a job none of them know how to do. f%$k it, then lets send them to war. BRILLIANT!

From Jan - March I'll be in Fort Bragg, North Kakalaka learning how to be a CA officer. Fun Fun.

Buddha you still live on the East Coast?

[wladziu]

That's too bad.  CE's have a fun time over there, with the air conditioned Buffalo's and all. 

Here's a smiley-face butt to help you feel better.   

[frankieG]

don't complain about not doing the CE job..it is very dangerous.

[wladziu]

 

Used to be dangerous.  Now they've got Buffalos and ROV's.  CE's get nowhere close to ordinance anymore, without 4 inches of ballistic glass between it and them. 
Insurgents don't even bother with them, anymore.  Higher payout elsewhere.   


Civil Affairs will get you WAY more chill-time, though.  Plus lots of trim, if you're of that persuasion.

[yamahonkawazuki]

Thank you sir, and the best of luck

[spc]

You aren't seriously surprised that you're doing something entirely different from what you were trained for, right?  We had a ranger qualified 11B in my unit that got shoved in the kitchen

The biggest players I've met in the Army tend to be CA and rank seems to come pretty quick for em too. (friend of mine was ca and made E-7 in 8 years, eligible for 8 as soon as he hits 12 TIS)

Stay safe and keep your head down.

[wladziu]

Wait to buy a digital camera until you're over there:  local Haji shops have cheap hardware and lots of pirated software.
Unless you want to document the trip over, of course.  Their quality isn't exactly top-notch, but the stuff's cheap enough to cram into your vest without worrying about breaking it.  

The chow is outstanding, unless you're in the boonies.  As Civil Affairs, they should stick you somewhere pretty nice.  Workout facilities, you name it.  
There's cable in the rooms, now.  Satellite, I think.  Internet service in your room, too, unless you're unlucky.  It's gotten pretty civilized nowadays.

Big tip:
When you initially meet up with the unit you'll be replacing, move quick!  They'll be moving faster than sound, trying to get everything signed over so they can relax.  There'll be lots of quick deals on mini-fridges/Xbox's/quality bunks/you name it!!  Move quick on it, and you can get some really good stuff really cheaply.  Games, DVD's, video cameras, bicycles to get to chow quicker (command sometimes won't let you use those, so watch out with that), civilian clothes to relax in, you name it - they've got it.  Lots of shady deals that can come in really handy, really quickly.
But, everybody will be doing the same thing at the same time.  Unfortunately, this'll be at the same time as equipment signover.  If you've got alot of responsibility with that, then weigh your options.  
There'll be alot of flyers up, especially around the chow hall (sorry, "DFAC") and the living quarters, if you don't have time to mess with that stuff.  Plus, the people you'll be signing the rooms over will have stuff, anyway.  

If you've got alot of responsibiilty in the equipment signover:
PAY ATTENTION to what's wrong with the CRAP they're giving you!!!!!
Every part that's missing, every deficiency, you'll be responsible for when it's your turn to transition.  
The vehicle parts supply over there is horrendous!  If it's not fixed by the time they're signing it over, it means it's unfixable!  And that applies to not only vehicles.  Sensitive equipment, radios, maps, even filing cabinets!  
Their command pushes them really hard before transition, to make sure that everything is as complete as absolutely possible.  So, beware when they act like it's "just a little piece that's missing".  If they say "oh, it's just that one thing.  I know where it's at, I'll go find it.  You just go ahead and sign it over."  It's an outright lie, and you will be responsible for it to your command in your transition later.  
You don't have to refuse to sign over.  Just annotate it, and make them sign it.  If they don't want to comply, then do the chain of command thing.  You'll see....


I really, really feel for you, though.
I can't stress that enough.
I was involuntarily extended for a second tour, 3 months before my ETS date.  I was already showing PTSD symptoms, and the Army refused to treat my bipolar disorder.  I spent that year and a few months trying not to kill myself, and I'm not saying that for sympathy. 

The hardest thing you're gonna fight is the sheer, utter boredom and the backstabbing.  You need to make connections very, very quickly with as many higher-ups as possible.  There will be serious, serious backstabbing once people start getting bored.  It never fails.  Nobody comes out of it unscathed.  The more connections you have, the better off you'll be.  They're gonna pick a select few on which to take out their frustations, don't be the weak one without any connections. 


Don't be the guy that gets hit with a mortar round, coming out of the porta-john.  (Happened to the 1SG that we replaced)

So much to tell, such short attention span....

[wladziu]

If you're not an NCO:
To the best of your human ability, DO NOT, DO NOT sign for anything other than your personal weapon. 
Signing for something isn't cool.  It's not a reflection of your responsibility.  It's not gonna get you promoted, or earn you respect. 
It's simply laziness on the part of your NCO, so he doesn't have to be accountable during transfer. 
You don't want to be tracking down crap when it's time for you to go home.
If you're threatened with something if you don't sign, then it's more than likely a bluff.  The first one to fall is just the runt of the litter, and has to do the b!tch work. 
Not saying you shouldn't work your butt off, just don't let someone make you take his responsibilities. 

That said, if you're an NCO:
make your joe's sign for everything! 

Early on:
Pick something (a particular task, preferably slightly beyond your normal range of duties) that is solely yours.  I'm not sure what tasks are assigned to Civil Affairs, but the goal is to pick something that your boss would normally do and make it your own.  Make it a religion to stay on top of that task, and it really does wonders to keep away the boredom.  It helps you earn a great reputation. 
In the desert, you don't have a family or a dog or a hobby; nothing.  You only have your reputation.  Once it's gone, your life is hel!.  Most of the people out there will be trying to find people with reputations to destroy in order to keep the dogs off their own back.   It's utterly dog eat dog.  Doing your own duties really well is simply not enough.  Try to pick off your boss's duties one by one, while still maintaining your own.  It'll gain you the ability to do things on your own, without somebody on your back.  It's about the only way to gain respect and autonomy out there, besides catching shrapnel. 
Make these tasks your mantra!  Just like an old lady going to church!  Nobody's gonna stop you from completing a necessary task, unless they have one of greater importance.  It's really hard for your boss to give you a more important task, though, if you're doing one of his jobs. 

A smart NCO won't let you do something like that.  They already know the deal.  But, keep at it.  He'll break eventually.  There'll be something that he's lacking at, so jump on it and do it yourself.  It'll really gain you recognition from command (if you do enough), and takes away some of the backstabbing abilities. 

[wladziu]

Beware of the Chem guys.  They're not as dumb as they act.  One of the most socially manipulative people I've ever met was a Chem guy.  You'd better believe that there's more than one of him...

The Chem units are unique:
Smart enough to get into most MOS's
Weird enough to think that gassing people earns them respect
Even weirder enough to think that this makes them more hardcore than any other MOS
Many of them have held positions of power in combat-arms units, as mask supplier and company HQ personnel
They'll stab your @ss in the back in the blink of an eye, to get a slice of that power again

You probably won't listen to me about it.  But, I'm telling you... these guys aren't like you or me.  Most of the guys in chem units are pissed because they're not in college.  They'll do anything they can to pretend like they actually have a degree, whether by being incredibly lazy just to piss you off or by being miniature CSM's. 

I once had a Chem guy try to teach me how to conduct building clearance procedures, for example.  I've had one try to inspect my tank for readiness on many occasions, even though I report only to the troop commander (as his gunner).  I've had another try to conduct LZ clearing procedures for two Apaches in the middle of an insurgency operation (which was hilarious).  Those are just tiny examples.



Chem units are (95%) strictly administrative.  They're glorified supply.  They serve only to facilitate the movement of ordinance, which can't happen under the current regulations.  They know it.  They don't want you to know it.  If you fail to treat them as such, then you're automatically become their b!tch. 
Just a friendly warning from one combat-arms guy to the next.   My last chem guy played poker with the 1SG, CO and all the LT's every Friday night over there.  The guy was untouchable, and he took advantage of it every day we were there.  Unless you like a SPC making your joe's get his chow for him because he's too lazy to walk...

[wladziu]

Skype is your friend. 
If you have a laptop, just use it to talk to your family, instead of paying to use the Haji phone booths.  The wait line for the free military phones is crazy long, and you've gotta walk pretty far to use them. 
If you dont have a laptop, you may be able to buy one off of an out-going instead of lugging it in your ruck. 

You don't want a top-end laptop, unless you buy the warranty service.  Alot of fans quit, because the sand gets in the bearings and motors.  It gets everywhere.  I became pretty adept at taking mine apart. 

iPods do pretty well over there, though.  Their cases are tight enough to keep out the sand, and they're fairly rugged.  Invest in a few of those cheap clear, plastic covers, or else it'll get scratched on a buckle or something.

Keep your weapon dry. 
Get a bottle of militec for it.  You just heat up the weapon, put on the militec, and wipe it back off.  Works a million times better than CLP, even dry. 
Don't expect your 9mm magazine to work, if you have one.  Within a few weeks, the sand will seize the spring.  You can turn the magazine upside down and all the rounds will fall out.  Nothing you can do about it. 
But, you'll probably have an M4 or M16.  Pray to Christ that you get the former.  D@mn things are a pain in the @ss to lug around every day. 

[wladziu]

The Haji's sometimes run a cell-phone business.  I would advise against buying into it.  We had a SFC get knocked down pretty far because of it.  It was ugly. 

The Haji's will rat you out for it.  Seems weird, because they're losing business that way, but they do it.  Apparently it draws more business when the word gets spread.  Doesn't happen alot, though.  Most of the time it's just normal Joe that'll rat you out, like always.

You'll probably hear about prostitution rings.  Good luck with that...

They were setting up college courses while I was there.  I'd recommend that you take advantage.  You're gonna have nothing on your hands anyway, except time and your weiner.

I'm not sure how condescending I sound, so I'll stop.  Just don't worry about taking crap with you (except maybe a laptop), although you invariably will.  Everybody does.  Just trying to be prepared, which is great. 

If you have any questions, just ask.  I've been twice, and I'd like to pass on stuff that I've learned.  Welcome to the fraternity! 



MAKE SURE YOU GET A MINI-FRIDGE!!!
DON'T DRINK THE HAJI BOOZE!!

[yamahonkawazuki]

TBH ive heard nothing good about anythign rlated to anything involving HAJI, would it be wise to avoid altogether?

[makenzie71]

I'd wish you luck but, from the date you've supplied, it seems more appropriate to ask how it went?

[loki7714]

Lol subscribed

[The Buddha]

Yup, buddha is here, in central southern NC ... charlotte. Fayetteville is near fort bragg ... or jax ?
Cool.
Buddha.

[wladziu]

Bragg


If you get buddy-buddy with supply:
http://www.nextag.com/mister-fan/compare-html

Otherwise, get yourself one of the little personal ones, but wait until the summer hits (so it won't get messed up under your junk).

The heat out there is BRUTAL.  The wind will stop blowing for weeks, and it'll be 120 in the shade. 
If you're in an office, it's not so bad. 
Don't waste your money with those stupid necktie things that soak up water.  They make your collar all wet and just get irritating. 
The PX's sell coolers over there, and there's ice supply units set up to give you as much as you need (it's a good place to find). 
Those brown Underarmor t-shirts are undeniably the shiz-nit!!!   Some guys like the loose-fitting ones, but I loved the tight ones.  Every time you move in them, if feels like a little breeze under your shirt.  Get yourself about a week's worth of those.

Bragg itself is hot.  But wait till you get to the sandbox....
You'll basically stay at Level II heat injury for the entire summer (heat exhaustion), unless you're sitting around in the A/C.  I've seen guys drink a gallon a day, and still need a 2 liter Ringers IV.  You don't even get the heat cramps, you just jump straight to exhaustion.  They wont send you home after a heat stroke, either, they'll just reassign you a new position. 

The laundry service isnt so bad.  We never had a problem with them stealing stuff.  Don't know about other posts, though. 

[spc]

1 Gallon per day is pretty light overall.  I tend to drink more than that in South Carolina.
Wladziu: you sound like an old salty SFC (yeah, that's a compliment) but I either missed it or I'm appalled that you didn't remember canned air like you use to clean computers.  The shaZam! is perfect for clearing sand out of hard to reach crevices on your weapon.

[loki7714]

Better than canned air is CO2 cartridges you can buy in bulk from paintball sites for cheap then buy the plugin thing that sprays... Wouldnt want one of those in my vest in a combat situation though, talk about explosive decompression

[spc]

Co2 cartridges don't get along very well with the temperatures over there.

[tussey]

Yup, buddha is here, in central southern NC ... charlotte. Fayetteville is near fort bragg ... or jax ?
Cool.
Buddha.

I'm definitely stopping at your place and drinking a few beers. Maybe on the way up.