Logic

Got somewhat of a sandstorm going on today and I was just becoming content with the weather.  It’s been nice and cool (high 90’s).  It actually got down below 80 the other night!  Unless it warms back up a little bit I can kiss the pool day’s good bye.  I wanted to try and get down there once more before we moved to Beuhring.  With the temperate weather moving through the flies are coming out.  I didn’t realize Kuwait had such crazy flies.  They are the most persistent, annoying and quickest flies I’ve seen.  They will just constantly fly around your head landing for half a second then move on to another spot on your head or body.  Very annoying!      

Good news… I’ll be heading home for leave in exactly one month.  It’ll be nice to go home for a bit.  I figured it up and I’ve only been home for about 40 days this year.  That’s just cold calculation too… probably a little less than that.  I’m sure the 15 days I’m home will fly by super fast but it’s to be expected. 

Well the unit coming to take over our mission is going to be a little later than forecasted and I’m not complaining.  When we got here we took a bus from Kuwait City International Airport to Camp Beuhring and then almost immediately got back on a bus and came to Camp Virginia.  Then all the training we had to do was at Beuhring so we were driving up there every day or every other day completing all these required tasks prior to starting the RIP (relieve in place) process.  This unit seems to have some sense about them.  They are going to just stay at Beuhring and complete all these tasks and then move to their respective camps… GENIUS!  Completely logical ideas such as that seem almost non-existent anymore.  It’s refreshing to hear some people still “think” from time to time.  The Army has been around since 1775, arguably, that is 236 years, plenty of time to get these things figured out. 

Another problem that has slowly festered over the years of deployments…   all the equipment (shit) they give us.  WWII the soldiers had what they were wearing, a ruck sack and probably one other bag, of course their weapon and helmet etc.  What I brought / had to bring to Kuwait… 1 full ruck sack, 2 full duffle bags, 1 ¾ full duffle, 1 tough box (foot locker) and a back pack.  Plus weapon and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) suit complete with gas mask.  I don’t use 5% of what I brought.  I was issued a 7-layer cold weather system which contains silk weight underwear, waffle weight underwear (little thicker than silk weight), polar weight and then the bear suit.  The bear suit is a thick down filled suit that makes you look like the stay puff marshmallow man.  The other layers are different wind breaking jackets and pants along with rain suit(s).  Don’t get me wrong I would love to have all that stuff to keep… It would make preparing for a ski trip or excursion through the Alaskan Yukon much easier, but WE ARE IN KUWAIT.  On the coldest days you might need a light wind breaker.  All that stuff I just described along with my 4 piece sleeping system (sleeping bag) takes up one whole duffle bag.  That’s one more duffle I don’t need, that’s one more duffle I have to haul around and that’s one more duffle the tax payers have to pay to ship over here.  Not to mention how much that stuff costs.  I’m glad we have that stuff but just don’t issue it to people going to Kuwait.  You might need it in Afghanistan… but not Kuwait, Iraq or anywhere around the Sinai. 

In other news…  Austin has his own M4 Sherman Tank now (pictures to come).  It was in Iraq and they brought it down for whatever reason.  The Sherman Tank was used in WWII.  How it got to Iraq I’ll never know but it has probably been over here since WWII.  It may have been in Northern Africa with Patton or maybe made its way down from Europe somehow.  Either way it’s just a big yard ornament now.  It doesn’t have tracks which is a bummer but most everything else seems to be intact.  It’s pretty sweet. 

No crazy workouts recently we’ve just been going through the motions… still lifting and working out just not real motivated to bust hard like we were. 

Until next time…