Velcro

Good news... I got my Nativa back!  No more walking, at least for the time being.  This one is silver.  It's actually fairly clean inside too.  The other one was pretty dirty.  For some reason, even though this whole country is made of dirt and dust that constantly blows around, I can't find a vacuum.  Well I have a little one that sucks, but we need like a ligget shop vac.  I opened my window that’s in my office the other day and sand that was piled up on the outside poured into the track preventing me from closing the window.  A vacuum would have helped in this situation.  Oh yea and I also found a 9mm pistol round in the track as well.  I've found 3 or 4 unspent rounds since I've been here.  It's really quite crazy because I signed for some 2 or 3 thousand rounds and whenever it comes time to turn that stuff in and I don't have every last round... it's pretty much my ass.  I know the rounds I've found aren't mine but I wonder what happened to the people that came up missing things such as this.  
So yesterday was September 11th.  Ten years after the attack on the world trade centers.  In my DABN's infinite wisdom yesterday was a good day for our patch ceremony.  I don't know if I've already said something about this but on the right sleeve of the ACU (army combat uniform) there is a sizeable piece of Velcro it is sewn to a pocket and the pocket flap has Velcro as well.  Yea I don't know why they chose Velcro... it looks like smashed ass.  Various items stick to it and then it wears out and won't hold on to whatever you stick to it.  Velcro is the lazy man's thread and needle or shoe laces... depending on the situation.  Anyway the Velcro on the pocket flap holds an American flag.  The larger Velcro portion is where the combat patch is placed.  It is reserved for soldiers that have been deployed to a combat zone or deployed to a location in support of a combat zone (that's us).  Now you know the meaning and purpose.  Well we had a ceremony to put this $0.65 patch on our right arm.  A waist of 4 hrs... seriously 4 hrs!  The ceremony was at Beuhring so 16+ of us down here had to make the trip up there with 5 Humvees.  It started at 0900... So I thought.  We got there at like 08:57, got into formation and began.  We went through about 20 minutes of bullshit until I realized... this is a rehearsal!  We not only drove 45 minutes to put a damn patch on our arm we rehearsed it as well.  I was furious.  After the "rehearsal" we took a 20 minute break to waste more time.  Then it was time for the real deal.  They had about 15 chairs set out for guests and everything... it was really quite funny.  I don't know if they invited people or what but NO one came that didn't have to except SSG York, but that's because he is a good guy and probably didn't have anything better to do.  Alright well the time finally came to begin the actual ceremony.  It wasn't all that bad besides two very painful portions.  One was the BN XO's embarrassing drill and ceremony screw-ups and the other was the BN Commander's painfully boring and meaningless speech.  I think in some roundabout way he tried to compare the patch ceremonies significance to the happenings of 9/11 10 years ago.  For one thing we aren't even in a combat zone and frankly I feel guilty for putting the ole Dirty Bird on my shoulder when we got guys in Afghanistan giving their life for it.  I could go on but I'm going to stop beating this horse... he's dead. 

Well not so sure if I can divulge this information but our QRF mission will be turned over to an incoming unit within the next month or two.  Apparently the big dogs are moving chess pieces around again and we are merely a pawn.  I think some of these "leaders" are better suited for "Go Fish", something that requires no thought or strategy but will still make them feel like they've accomplished something.  I don't think I could do a better job by any means, but I am great at bitching about it.  I'm bitter because this means that we may have to move.  I have expressed my hatred and discontent for Camp Beuhring and now it is a great possibility I will be moving there.  I am settled in my room, I'm happy here, the gym isn't crowded, the DFAC isn't busy and the Command Cell is way better here.  Most of them are actually tolerable in conversation.  The silver lining is that I'll be back with the dos amigos and yorkie.  Then when Austin is finished with his ARPAT mission and done burning the bridge between him and his racist/sexist commander he will join us as well.  Same with the one and only Corey Clowers.  There is a possibility that if they put us all together it will equal trouble in some way.  One way or another we will have fun for the rest of our time in Kuwait. 

Well no workout to share (I've been slacking off the last week) but we did run a 5k last night.  Another t-shirt run.  It was for Patriot's Day.  I didn't know they made 9/11 a holiday but I guess I do now.  Austin beat me by about 10-15 seconds and ended up winning 3rd for his age group.  My time was 23:17.  Best yet since I've been here... Probably my best time ever.  Never really did many 5k runs.  Along those lines there is another 5k next weekend for the Air Force's Birthday, a Marathon/half-marathon/10k on the 17th and then a 10 mile run the 2nd of October.  I think I'll do the half-marathon...  Austin and I talked about doing the full monty but neither one of want to be laid up for several days afterwards.  I don't want to die either.  I wouldn't be surprised if my sister talked me into it because if I were to die she gets a $400,000 life insurance check.  I'm actually kind of pissed about that.  Am I really only worth $400,000?  I would think it would be at least half a million.  $400,000 seems rather cheap when compared to some of things the military wastes money on...

I don't really know how to explain this one...