Out Come the Big Guns

Today was great!!! We got to play with the big toys. Out came the 249 S.A.W, 240B, and 50 cal machine guns. We spent the morning learning each weapon system inside and out. I can break down a 240 and have it back together and function checked in a minute 30 seconds. Not too bad for an Air Force guy. We have these weapons mounted on our Humvees so it's nice to know how to use them and take care of them. After we spent enough time on those we moved our focus to the AK family. That is pretty common weapon system over there so we needed to be familiar with those too. The afternoon was time set a side for the gunners and assistant gunners to go play in the simulator. I'm an assistant gunner so I got to go have fun. I felt really comfortable with the 240B. The sights on the 50 cal take some getting used to. After I got the hang of it I was splashing targets at 900 meters. Hopefully all of this training will help because tomorrow we spend the day and night out on the range qualifying. This will also be a first because we will convoy out to the range. The staff has already said they will try to ambush us and hit us with I.E.Ds. We had our I.E.D class yesterday, so it's all coming together. Our instructor was very informative. He used clear roads before mounted combat patrols went out so he has some experience with the subject. He doesn't have a lot of love for the people that place them strangely enough...funny how that works.

Another day on the range

Now that the M-4 qualification was a success it was time to move onto the M-9. I use the term success loosely. Nobody got shot and everyone qualified, even if some people needed their magazines over loaded to do it. I was more worried about the M-9 because pistols usually tend to be harder. Normally not everyone shoots with a pistol, just the M-16 or the M-4.
The course was pleasantly different with pop up life like targets. In the Air Force paper targets are the norm. The targets pop up in ranges from 5 to 25 meters. In the qualifying round they actually line us up in our lane and have us move in on our targets shooting as we progress. It was really cool, but kind of unnerving at the same time because you have no idea what the skill level is of the people shooting beside you. It ended well with over 150 people qualifying in less than 4 hours.
The rest of the week was spent learning about detainees. We had some classroom time and then we got to practice our newly learned skills in a mock Afghani village scenario with an interpreter. It was a very eye opening experience.
It’s amazing to think I have been here for over a month now. I look back at what I’ve learned and feel confident about the progress our team has made in some areas. I also see how we have regressed in other areas. I am doing my best to keep us all on the same sheet of music. We are over half way done and I look forward to the challenges the Army has for me. I really look forward to shooting the 240, 249, MK-19, and the 50 cal at vehicles out on the range. I get paid to blow things up. I love this job!

Getting Army Qualified

This week was all about qualifying with our weapons the M-4 and the M-9. We learned everything we need to know about the how they function and how to care for them. We also concentrated on shooting fundamentals. Everything was really great except the class size. They really squeezed us in and that made it difficult when we bore sighted our M-4s with our PEQ-2 and M-68.
The day before we hit the range we all had to shoot on the simulator to check our grouping. It’s all computerized and was like a very expensive arcade game. You have to get your grouping within a certain area to make sure our fundamentals are strong. Some people had breathing issues and others had pull issues. I got a good grouping with the first round and felt pretty confident going to the range.
We had to qualify day fire and night fire with the M-4 so that was first on the range schedule. Any time I get to go to the range and fire I feel guilty for getting paid. I could have spent the whole day on the line. I was in the first group to zero in and got done pretty quickly. I zeroed with iron sights first and then with my M-68.From the zero line I got to go up the hill to the qualification line.
Army ranges are much different than Air Force ranges on so many levels. I got to do things on the Army range that would have shut down an Air Force range. And the language is much more colorful on an Army range. The target system is different too, but in a good way. We got to shoot at life like pop up targets that ranged from 50-300 meters in three different firing positions. I felt pretty good about shooting on a range I wasn’t familiar with and scored sharp shooter. I was done with day fire. Unfortunately, being in the first group means you have to wait for the rest of the people to go through. I was on the bench by 1000 and I was there until the last person qualified at 1530. It took the last person 11 times to finally get a qualifying score. After everyone was done we came back to Camp Funston to eat and get ready for night fire.
We headed back out to the range at 2000 to get night qualification done. Again, I got into the first firing group. Night firing was unlike anything I had ever done before. The targets popped up with a blinking light on the top. We wore our N.O.D.S (night vision) and lined up the laser on the targets and fired. There wasn’t any looking through a scope or sights. I could have used this system deer hunting several years ago! By 0030 everyone was qualified and we headed back to the dorms. It was a long day and we had formation at 0730 followed by a full day of classroom lecture. This was one of the hardest days to date to stay awake.
The class was Basic Fire Support which was very interesting. We learned the radio procedures for ground artillery and airstrikes. We got to play with another video game and call in fire to bomb strategic interactive targets. Zac would have loved it because it actually blows up your target and destroys it. Not your average day working in a pharmacy so I’m still having fun playing Army.

To be continued...

I will catch up either Thursday or Friday. We have been busy this week firing and time is not a friend. Stay tuned for recap of this week...

Camp Mike Spann

We are falling like flies. Having forty guys in one bay means you share everything. We call it the CDC. If you have ever taken your children to daycare you know they can’t go a week without getting sick. Whatever “it” is “it” starts off as a cough and then settles in your chest. It’s very stubborn as it took me two weeks to feel normal again after I got it. I lived on Nyquil and Dayquil. This morning we had three people go to sick call and we have five people that are getting over “it”. I’m just glad I got it early and got it out of the way. That would be miserable out on the range.
Our training covers a lot of information, which is good for us. Unfortunately, it is not good when you are trying to blog about it. There are some things that are not sensitive and can be shared. I try to hit the high points without crossing the line. The last couple days I have been in a military intelligence class (I can already hear the jokes) and most of that is classified so I’m not able to tell you about it. I can tell you it was some really cool stuff and I have more toys to play with.
I found out some good information about where I will be heading in Afghanistan. I will be calling Camp Mike Spann home for the next six months. I have been in email contact with the person I am replacing and it sounds ok. The FOB is small and it’s in northern Afghanistan. I will be a RTO or a radio guy. It makes me glad I paid attention in com class. I did some research on it and the person it was named after. Mike Spann was the first person killed in the Afghanistan invasion. He was a former Marine Captain and a CIA guy. If you Google Arlington National cemetery Mike Spann you will find a story about a true American hero.

Driver's Training 101

I came to this training knowing that the Army has a different way of doing things. Since I have been here I have been reminded of this several times and that’s okay. Thanks to my wife, the info I gathered before departing Elmo has prepared me. It would be easy for me to get wrapped around the axle about the training schedule, but in some cases you just have to go along with it. This week was not any different.
We came back from our four day pass and jumped into driving training. It was broken up into a morning session and an evening session. During the morning session we learned about the 1151, or the up armored humvee. It may look big from the outside, but gear up a 6’2”, 200lb guy and shove him in a seat and it gets tight really quick. After we learned the ins and outs we took our turn with the HEAT. That stands for a roll over simulator somehow. We get strapped into the simulator and get spun around a couple times and end up upside down. The goal is to undo your seat belt, right yourself and open the door and get out. Being tall helped because I wedged my head against the roof to hold myself in place. I was always one of the first ones out. After that fun we got to go out on the tank trails and drive for awhile. I got to drive through a pretty good sized creek. I was thinking about Zac the whole time. Everyone managed to get through the daytime driving okay and we were released until 1900 that night. We all returned after our small hiatus to get acquainted with our NODS (night vision goggles) to take our night drive. We had a lot of fun with that training and then came the waiting. We drove the same trails, but it took 2 hours longer than the day drive. Nobody drove off the trails so I consider it a successful night anyway. And what do we get for a successful night of driving? We got a long walk home to the dorms. And as strange as it may sound it’s getting easier to carry around that extra gear weight.

Four Day pass

I am back. We all survived our first four day pass. I got to see most of my family. I got to meet my nephew and niece for the first time. My brother and I took his Mustang out for a spin. We have to make that a tradition, Brian. I ate some great food (thanks for the cookies, Jamie). I had an awesome weekend. I miss Jill and the kids terribly, but it was nice to go home. Mom and Dad thank you for everything. You’re the best. I only wish I would've been able to catch up with the Schwenkers. Hopefully next time. Now it’s time to get back into the training mindset. It’s back to business at 0600 tomorrow.

P.S. Thanks for the text, sweetheart. Six more weeks.

Slowly becoming an Air Force soldier

Our 40 bedroom apartment

Practicing inserting a Nasopharyngeal tube, or nose hose.
Com class final


My MOLLE vest

Yesterday we finished our com section. We set up our radios based on a set of instructions so we could talk to other groups. We were one of the first groups done thanks to the intel and space ops guys on our team. We put the Navy and Army to shame so we are pulling our own weight thus far. Go Air Force…and our two Army team members.
Today we started our Combat Life saving course. It is pretty close to the Self Aid Buddy Care class the Air Force teaches. The Army’s version is a little more hard core. It’s explained as a bridge between a combat medic and a soldier. I’m fine with that part. I do have an issue with one area of the course. We have to start IV’s on each other. Anyone that knows me is aware of my anti-love of needles. I don’t like to give blood and I despise getting labs drawn. So tomorrow I have two things to look forward to. We have a four mile hike with all our field gear after formation and I get to be on the receiving end of a needle. If I can make it through that we’ll pick up our rental car and get ready to head east.
I can’t wait to drive. It’s amazing how you miss the little things that you do on a daily basis. I think the biggest thing that I miss is having my kids meet me when I come home from work. Most of the time I don’t even get out of the truck before one of them comes running out the door to greet me. I take that for granted when I’m home. I guarantee you I won’t anymore. I love my kids…from Arizona to Alaska.

Week One under Our Belt

There is a saying all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. As a team we took that to heart this weekend and decided to checkout Manhattan. Downtown there is a place called Aggieville and it is the local hangout for KSU. We piled into two vehicles and headed of post for the first time since we got here. I have to say it was nice to get out. Between the two cars we had three DD’s so we were covered. We ended up at a place called Tubby’s which was a sports bar. That worked out good because the final four was on and during a normal week we don’t watch TV. We ate and shared each other’s company in a more laid back setting. Nobody got arrested, nobody got hurt, and we all made it back to post safely.
We are starting our second week at Camp Funston which means one thing; we survived our first week in Camp Funston. And the second week started off with a bang. We started off with formation at 0600 and ended the day at 2000. Today we started our communication class. We are learning the basics of four different radios. Today we covered how to load them so we can use them. Our instructor said we will probably have to dig most of the equipment out of a connex when we get to our location because most people won’t use it. I didn’t think it was that bad. Some of the equipment even had Rockwell Collins on it. It was almost like playing with a little piece of home because I imagine my dad has worked on something just like it in his 40+ years with the company. Tomorrow will be a repeat of today.
I am looking forward to this weekend. We get a four day weekend and we will be on pass. A group of us are getting a rental car and taking off to see our families. I’m dropping off four people at the Kansas City airport and then I’m heading for Iowa. It’s been over two years since I’ve been home, so it’ll be nice to see everyone before I head over. I was planning on going after my training, but we were told our load dates may change. If mine changes I’ll go straight over and won’t have the opportunity to see my folks. My mom might write some nasty letters to the commander of Ft Riley if that happened. It will also be good to get behind the wheel and drive for awhile. I miss that about the lower 48.

What do you mean no forks???

The gentleman seated is Doc.

My team enjoying our meal.

The last couple days have really ramped up and we’ve had more exposure to the cultural items and events. On Wednesday we had our first staged meeting with Afghan natives. The meeting has a prearranged agenda and it gives us a chance to use our Dari and work through an interpreter. This will be a skill that will be very valuable in a couple months. Working through the interpreter we all agreed we would do some hunting…of Taliban and do some fishing with some RPGs. We had some laughs and drank some tea. It went well for our first meeting and I look forward to our future engagements.
The next night we were in for a treat. We got to experience a native meal and the company of the many good people that prepared it. It was kind of hard for an old guy like me to sit on the floor. The hardest part by far was eating without silverware. But boy was the food good and it was even better talking to our hosts. The more I talk to them and learn about them the more I understand them. Some of them are included in the photos I’ve posted.
One of favorite natives is a guy we call Doc. We call him this for a couple reasons. First, his real name is too hard for us to pronounce and secondly, he is actually a doctor. He was a practicing physician in Afghanistan and he made more as an interpreter.
Today we did a two mile team march in field gear. We averaged 20 min/mile which isn’t terrible. Our goal is to get in the 15 min/mile range. Our first company field march will be next week and I wanted to see where everyone was at. The PT is paying off and the 1st Sgt will have to make someone else cry. I like the way that sounds.

Air Force smart Army strong

I'm still here. Our days have been getting busier and busier so something had to give. On top of the training I'm busy working with my team leader to make sure we don't give the Army anything to laugh at. Anyone that has been in the service knows the rivalry. I did hear a new one the other day. An Army instructor called us "Chair Force." I gave him credit for being original. The language class is going better and we are all getting a little more comfortable with it. Today we got a surprise and had a guest visitor. An Air Force Senior Master Sergeant was back on R&R and came to talk to us about our mission. He had some pictures and some video footage he talked to. For some it was a sobering moment. I guess if you're not a little nervous there's something wrong with you. I also had my initial counseling session with my Army 1st Sgt. He's the one with the colorful vocabulary. He promised to make any of my team cry that fell out of his marches when we start doing field training. I told him I look forward to it. So to recap training so far I've kept my Lt from shooting himself, my team hasn't gotten any DUIs, they also call me grandpa, and the 1St Sgt hasn't made anyone cry. Life is good.