Over here again

Well, I'm back, doing it one more time. It was a helluva trip getting over here this time. I reckon I will start with Memorial Day...

We reported in at 0700. Families and friends showed up, the 1st Shirt brought sausage biscuits for everyone.. it was a great send-off. We mounted the bus, drove to Jacksonville International where we caught our flight to Baltimore with a 2 hours layover in Atlanta. We had a few hours layover in Baltimore. I received my seat assignment, asked for a window seat and was given one. I went on my way to hang out in the USO and drink coffee, and then went through security to wait to board the plane. Now here’s the funny thing, I showed my boarding pass to the TSA folks along with my identification, was waved through then paged to the gate shortly thereafter. When I got to the gate, we found that I had somebody else’s boarding pass. Great security… Anyway, what really made me angry was I had been put into the inside aisle seat where the cart continued to bash my knee and arm for 12 hours….

Anyway, we traveled to Ramstein AB, Germany, stayed there for about an hour and a half, and then flew to Aviano AB, Italy. When we arrived there, we found a greeting party from the residents of the base and it was truly amazing. They grilled out enough food and provided enough drinks for all 187 people on the plane. Then the terminal makes the announcement that weather has rolled in and the plane cannot take off due to heavy fog over the mountains. At this point everyone is cheering but a select few including myself. What this means is all our scheduled flights to get us to our destination are now shot. Whatever, nothing I can do about it but report it up the chain and enjoy myself. The base didn’t have room for us so they called every hotel in the area to put us up and the only one with room was the Hilton in Venice.

After a 2 hour bus ride and ferry ride to Venice, we were finally checked in and fed and bedded down at around 1am. Of course, we were all up in time to eat and catch a water taxi to San Marco Square. Since we didn’t have to be back for the ferry until 10 am, we had plenty of time to get lost. And lost we got but the cool thing about Venice, you can always spot a landmark to guide yourself by we found.

Back to the Air Base and back on the plane, we finally took off around 6pm and arrived at Al Udeid, Qatar around 1am. Once there, we received the usual hassle we get for not travelling on normal Air Force orders and threatened to be arrested and deported. We just laughed and said “Ok, sure thing”. I mean really, what kind of threat is that to some people going into combat?

Of course, our connecting flight into Iraq was long gone and no way to schedule another. So we got a couple of hours of sleep in a tent full of Brits, got up, headed to the PAX (passenger) Terminal and waiting Space Available (Space A). We finally caught a flight into Balad AB Iraq and once again had to spend the night in an open bay building. While there we found that just that morning 2 of our troopers had been KIA by an IED in a convoy. I don't have the links to the press release but please keep their families in your prayers. And no less than 2 or 3 mortars came into Balad. It was just enough to make it feel like we’d never left and be just as irritating as before. The next evening, we get carried to the terminal for rotary wing transportation (Helicopter).
Once there we’re informed that we’re on a waiting list and must wait around until 5am to catch a flight Space A. No problem, we wait…. And wait…. And wait. Then about 11pm they call up “everyone wanting to go where we’re going, grab your shit and let’s go!” Out we go into the dark… dragging our stuff for several hundred yards down the flight line to an empty spot. There the guy tells us that we have to wait. Then about the time we catch our breath, we are told that our bird is actually at the OTHER end of the flight line… so off we go again! We charge up onto a CH-47 Chinook and moments, later off it goes. Two hours later, we land at our new FOB out in the middle of nowhere and of course the bird parks at the far end of the LZ (landing zone). So we’re dragging our bags again.

But it’s all good, we’re finally here and this place is so desolate and quiet and boring. I know most of you at home love to hear that but for us who like to be doing something, it’s a nightmare. But at the same time… it’s nice to catch our breath for the moment. I’ll have pictures up in a day or so and all will be right with the world.

Thank you everyone for your support and if you’re looking for ways to help and support us all, please keep in mind that the USO is always looking for volunteers and check out http://desertwarriors.org/