Learned alot on Saturday.
#1- The city of Tacoma has some really cool stuff
#2- The train that runs down there is free
#3- The monster truck jam WILL sell out...and then double in price the next day if you didnt buy your tickets a week ahead of time
#4- It is possible to build a Millennium Falcon out of legos that is 2 feet across!
So yea..it was a bummer, but coop is still young enough not to freak out. To be honest I was more upset than he was! Tiff put up pics of our adventure with the Hewitts on the flickr site. Check it out!
This will probably be my last post till after I get back from Yakima.
L8r!
21 January 2008
19 January 2008
Back to Yak.
Next week our battalion is going back up to Yakima for Platoon Exvals. Its basically a progress test for the platoon. We will be doing to live fire shoot houses, patrols, and some raids and maybe some recon missions. It should be pretty sweet.
My current job in the platoon is RTO. I am the radio guy that is attached to the PLs (Platoon Leader..a Lieutenant) hip. Ugh. Basically I dont get to do any of the fun stuff. Like clearing the buildings....shooting. I am the link between the platoon and "Higher". (Company level leadership) It is an important role...and you don't want a moron doing it.
Its a bit of a bummer because we have not needed an RTO until now. I have always been slated to do it, but I have been a team leader for the better part of 3 months now...and have fallen in love with that job. I have been pretty successful at it too. But there is nobody to fill my role as RTO now...so that is what I am going to do. The leadership in the platoon knows that it is temporary, as do I...but the experience as team leader in Yak is priceless. I really wanted another shot.
RTO is where the Lord wants me now. That's cool. I'll be the best RTO in the company. Keep me and my guys in your prayers this next week. We will be cold...real cold. Although it looks like we will be staying in the barracks up there! WOOHOO!!! So it wont be that bad. But..it does not get above 30 during the day...so it will still be dang cold.
Also lift up Tiff. This will be the longest she will be without my help since I have joined. (That is without family around too) Coop can be a challenge when I am gone for more that 1 or 2 nights. And I am going to be out for 11.
I will probably throw up another post today or tomorrow.....We are going to MONSTER JAM!!!! (monster truck show)
My current job in the platoon is RTO. I am the radio guy that is attached to the PLs (Platoon Leader..a Lieutenant) hip. Ugh. Basically I dont get to do any of the fun stuff. Like clearing the buildings....shooting. I am the link between the platoon and "Higher". (Company level leadership) It is an important role...and you don't want a moron doing it.
Its a bit of a bummer because we have not needed an RTO until now. I have always been slated to do it, but I have been a team leader for the better part of 3 months now...and have fallen in love with that job. I have been pretty successful at it too. But there is nobody to fill my role as RTO now...so that is what I am going to do. The leadership in the platoon knows that it is temporary, as do I...but the experience as team leader in Yak is priceless. I really wanted another shot.
RTO is where the Lord wants me now. That's cool. I'll be the best RTO in the company. Keep me and my guys in your prayers this next week. We will be cold...real cold. Although it looks like we will be staying in the barracks up there! WOOHOO!!! So it wont be that bad. But..it does not get above 30 during the day...so it will still be dang cold.
Also lift up Tiff. This will be the longest she will be without my help since I have joined. (That is without family around too) Coop can be a challenge when I am gone for more that 1 or 2 nights. And I am going to be out for 11.
I will probably throw up another post today or tomorrow.....We are going to MONSTER JAM!!!! (monster truck show)
15 January 2008
So cold....and not dry
So...I was in the field on thursday night. We left on wednesday at noon to go on a mission. We were to take down a house...and secure the area. It was awesome!!
As an infantry guy...I LOVE M.O.U.T. (Military operations in urban terrain) And we are in Leschi Town. It is like disney land! It is an urban training town. Yes...town. It is huge. Every kind of building you could think of is there...and there is a video camera in every room! It is really cool. A great place to train.
So..we hit the house. I took my team up stairs to clear it. I got 3 kills. It was REALLY intense. But...so fun!
After we hit the house we moved back into the woods and moved about a mile or so. at this time is was 4 in the afternoon. No rain. Kinda cold...but we were moving..no big deal.
It started raining at 4:30. And we set up our patrol base shortly there after. That is where we get in a circle....guns facing out...not talking...not moving much. You eat in shifts....pull guard in shifts...sleep in shifts. It can be rough. It was rough. I have never been colder. No kidding...it was probable the most miserable I have ever been. So there we are...25 guys...rough tough infantrymen...sucking. We were all shivering...and kinda wet.
I say kinda because we did have our gortex. It is ALOMOST water proof. Some of us were soaked. I was not...but...man...the ground I was laying on was so cold.
We lay there for 5 hours before we got up. We moved to our ambush point. We got intel that a 3 vehicle convoy was going to come our direction...sometime in the night. So we sat there, on the side of the road...hidden, ready to open fire as soon as they got into our "Kill Zone". We were ready for sure. Had our big guns set in...and all my guys were ready to shoot.
The convoy did not show until 3 am!!!! Oh yea...it was still raining and getting colder. We shot up the vehicles (with blanks) and "killed" all of the bad guys in them. Searched the vehicles for intel...weapons...and we were out. From the first shot...to our whole platoon leaving the area......12 minutes. It was very fast. And thats how ambushes should be. Very fast...VERY deadly.
We were then supposed to go back to the town to get on a Warm bus and go to a Warm home. But we took the short but LONG way home. It was the most rough terrain I have been through! A toddler would have had a rough time getting through some of the places we were goiong through....with weapons....packs....in body armor. Ugh...it was terrible!!!!!
But we made back....were wet...cold...but it did not last forever. It never does. And I am better for it. We all had to suck it up...and did. Looking back...i.t was actually kinda cool. Not too many get to do what I do.
As an infantry guy...I LOVE M.O.U.T. (Military operations in urban terrain) And we are in Leschi Town. It is like disney land! It is an urban training town. Yes...town. It is huge. Every kind of building you could think of is there...and there is a video camera in every room! It is really cool. A great place to train.
So..we hit the house. I took my team up stairs to clear it. I got 3 kills. It was REALLY intense. But...so fun!
After we hit the house we moved back into the woods and moved about a mile or so. at this time is was 4 in the afternoon. No rain. Kinda cold...but we were moving..no big deal.
It started raining at 4:30. And we set up our patrol base shortly there after. That is where we get in a circle....guns facing out...not talking...not moving much. You eat in shifts....pull guard in shifts...sleep in shifts. It can be rough. It was rough. I have never been colder. No kidding...it was probable the most miserable I have ever been. So there we are...25 guys...rough tough infantrymen...sucking. We were all shivering...and kinda wet.
I say kinda because we did have our gortex. It is ALOMOST water proof. Some of us were soaked. I was not...but...man...the ground I was laying on was so cold.
We lay there for 5 hours before we got up. We moved to our ambush point. We got intel that a 3 vehicle convoy was going to come our direction...sometime in the night. So we sat there, on the side of the road...hidden, ready to open fire as soon as they got into our "Kill Zone". We were ready for sure. Had our big guns set in...and all my guys were ready to shoot.
The convoy did not show until 3 am!!!! Oh yea...it was still raining and getting colder. We shot up the vehicles (with blanks) and "killed" all of the bad guys in them. Searched the vehicles for intel...weapons...and we were out. From the first shot...to our whole platoon leaving the area......12 minutes. It was very fast. And thats how ambushes should be. Very fast...VERY deadly.
We were then supposed to go back to the town to get on a Warm bus and go to a Warm home. But we took the short but LONG way home. It was the most rough terrain I have been through! A toddler would have had a rough time getting through some of the places we were goiong through....with weapons....packs....in body armor. Ugh...it was terrible!!!!!
But we made back....were wet...cold...but it did not last forever. It never does. And I am better for it. We all had to suck it up...and did. Looking back...i.t was actually kinda cool. Not too many get to do what I do.
12 January 2008
The view from the band wagon
OK....so I am on it now. I am no where near the writer my wife is. http://www.quietgardens.wordpress.com
I have no idea what this is going to be...I guess there really wont be a theme other than my life. Whats going on...what I am feeling, doing, not doing. We will see. Yes...there will be Army stuff. Hope you all enjoy it...maybe even *gasp* get something out of it! Or...maybe I will get something...we will see!
Jerm
I have no idea what this is going to be...I guess there really wont be a theme other than my life. Whats going on...what I am feeling, doing, not doing. We will see. Yes...there will be Army stuff. Hope you all enjoy it...maybe even *gasp* get something out of it! Or...maybe I will get something...we will see!
Jerm
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