Well the last plan you'll may have heard was I was heading to Field Artillery BOLC (Basic Officer Leader Course). That happened already. It was a 5.5 month long course in Ft. Sill, OK. A shitty place. It was a fairly hard course. Supposedly the hardest of the Officer Branch courses. I made it through smack in the middle of my class. There was quite a few sharp individuals in class 02-11. That's how they name the classes. We where the second class to graduate in the year 2011. Makes since I guess. Anywho... I'm going to breeze through the last 8 months to get back to the now. About a week after I graduated FA-BOLC (May 17th) I headed to Camp Shelby, MS... another awful place. That is where the unit I deployed with did pre-mobilization training. This whole time we were slotted to go to Afghanistan. I'll get to that... I was a "late mober" because of the course I had to complete. Everyone else in my unit mobilized April 6th and I didn't actually get with my organic unit until June 7th... I think. I had to complete basic soldiering skills training with a "warrior platoon" GAY!! Then I was able to be with my unit. Just prior to moving down the road with B Battery we found out that we were not going to Afghanistan anymore. At least the guys slotted to be Police Mentors... the guys that were going to shoot artillery were still going. Well some where bummed and some were happy. We took it in stride and moved on. Well not 2 weeks late the artillery guys got the same news. We (the whole battalion) was headed to Kuwait. If you'll don't know what Kuwait is like fill the bottom of your oven with sand, turn it on 200 deg, stick your head in the oven and have someone hold blow dryers on your head. It's hot as shit and windy... pretty much all the time. I digress.
Afghanistan would have been one hell of an experience. For the good or for the bad.. we'll never know now. Kuwait is at least safe(r). There is a much much better chance I make it home in one piece after this place is done with me. That being said... two infantry battalions from the 45th IBCT did go to Afghanistan. They are taking a pretty bad beating. I think to date we have lost 8 soldiers. Two of which I knew personally. War is as real as it gets, and it is no joke in eastern Afghanistan. Those guys and gals are giving their all for God and Country and words can't describe the feelings one has when you are part of a unit and can't do anything about it. We are miles and miles away feeling guilty and helpless at the same time. They need daily prayers and gratitude. We are going to start sending care packages that we get to those soldiers. We don't really "need" stuff like they need it. We have running water and porcelain shitters. They aren't able to shower for weeks on end!
Moving on... We have been in Kuwait for 45 days now. Pretty well settled in and acclimated. Myself and my platoon lucked out. We are at Camp Virginia (VA)... probably 30 miles outside Kuwait City in the middle of the desert. Nothing but sand and rocks for miles. The only thing this place has going for it is oil. VA is one of the smaller camps in Kuwait. It's actually still considered an outpost, and it's just hanging on by a thread. If and when the Army starts shutting down camps this will be one of if not the first to go. But its great here because there is not a lot of people here. Unlike Camp Beuhring... it's about 23 miles up the road toward Iraq. It is loaded down with all kinds of people, that place it absolutely packed. That just so happens to be where my battalion and battery is. So we are lucky enough to have a 30 km buffer between us and our next two echelons of command. It's great. But, unfortunately I have to leave now to head up there for a meeting. I'll continue the saga manana. I'll leave you with a picture, and explain it later.
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