Let's Go Play In The Sandbox!

So I found out today, that the state of Ohio transferred me back to my original home unit.  That's awesome, considering I hated the 148th.  Sadly, that means that I might have to cut this deployment short.  According to my home unit, the 811th Sapper Co., I am only allowed to be with this Hawaiian unit for 180 days or less, and "demobilize" before that 180 days.  That means I might have to be home by mid-May.  We'll see. 

Don't get your hopes up, people.  I would rather stay here, but that means that I would have to do an interstate transfer to the Hawaiian National Guard.  As much as I love these guys, I'm not interested in transferring.

So, that's that.  I'll let you know where we land.

Ummm....

...it's coooooold in the desert at night. 

Really cold.

I have windburn on my face, like when I used to go skiing as a kid.

Cold.

So, I have nothing to say as to why I didn't post since last July, suffice to say that it's not really a time that I want to remember.  Alot of stupid things went on, mostly thanks to the fact that the unit I was with SUCKED.  The higher's had no idea how to treat their soldiers, and the senior leadership treated the junior leadership like idiots.  I have never seen such widespread lunacy throughout a battalion, as I did with the 148th Infantry. 

That being said, and trying to lump the last 7 months into one paragraph, I have moved on.

I chose to extend here in the middle-east, and continue running missions in Iraq with the replacement unit, the 29th IBCT out of Hawaii.  When the 148th went home in December, I joined up with B Troop, 1-299th CAV.  They immediately welcomed me to the "Ohana", or "family".  These dudes are professional, dedicated, and best of all, they give a damn about their soldiers.   They are the closest bunch of guys in the world, and it truly is like a family.  We barbeque at least once or twice a week, and the entire company is invited to our living area to eat, talk, play sports (usually soccer or football), or sit down with a guitar or "ukulele" (seriously) and jam out to some island tunes.

This has been like therapy.  The 148th drove me insane, and the 299th is quickly unwinding the knots.

I'll post pictures/videos soon.  Now that I have things that I WANT to post.

Peace.

We're headed North today, for a mission that is supposed to last a minimum of two and a half weeks, if everything goes well.  It's to a base in Northern Iraq, near Mosul.  I'll write when I get back.  Take care, everyone.

-Ryan

Ok, so there was no barbeque.  And I was in the middle of Iraq.  But the fireworks this year, were the coolest I've ever seen.  Granted, it's an anti-mortar/rocket weapon, but if you disregard the danger, it was pretty sweet.  This video isn't the same from the 4th of July, 2008, but it shows you what this thing can do.

It's called the C-RAM: Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar.  It's basically a HUGE 20mm Gatling gun, who's sole purpose is to detect, fire on, and destroy any airborne weaponry that the enemy can get ahold of. 

It's loud, bright, and accurate.  Here's my experience with it.

We were at JBB (Joint-Base: Balad)  aka: Anaconda, and were sitting outside of the billets, enjoying some fine Iraqi tobacco, and swapping stories.  All of the sudden, everything around us was illuminated with an eerie, red glow.  I looked up, to see what I can only describe as something out of StarWars.  Then the sound came.  It sounded like there was a chainsaw ripping next to my head.  No kidding, it was so loud, that if I hadn't just visited the latrine a few minutes prior, I might have soiled myself.  This laser-looking thing was no more than 25 feet over our heads.  Most of us instictively hit the ground.  As I was diving to the gravel, another soldier was off like a shot, running right into me.  I tackled him.  When the crazyness finally calmed down, we stood up, and all looked at each other, as if to say, "did ya see that?".  Everyone else came running out of the billets, asking what the hell just happened.  I had no answer.  And I didn't need one.  Two minutes later, it happened again.  This time, we didn't freak out.  But I did feel my heart skip a beat.  Four or five minutes later, it happened again.  We decided to get to our trucks, since we were supposed to roll out in a couple of hours, anyway.  Freaky.

This video is a pretty close example of our experience, but picture it happening directly over your damn head. 

Sweet. 

  I know I haven't updated this in a while.  Like 24 days, or something.  Let me bring you up to speed:

Nothing new to report.  We went on a 10 day mission on 04June, and it was uneventful.  When my CET got back, the company commander, and the battalion commander wanted to go outside the wire.  So, my truck was bumped off of the next mission.  I've been sitting here for almost 2 weeks.  The above video is the fruit of that boredom.  Could have been worse, though.  I could've gone, and had to listen to the ridiculous amount of micromanaging that took place on that trip.  My CET leader is good.  He knows us, and for the most part, trusts us to get the job done on our own, without constant supervision.  Unfortunately, not everyone shares his beliefs.  Ah, well.  Like I said, I wasn't there.  And I have mixed feelings about it. 

Anyway, we're heading back out in three days, and should be gone for a week.  We're only heading about 45-50 minutes North of Baghdad, but weather/enemy activity will be the judge of how long we're really out.  My camera being broken, I wasn't able to get any pics from my last mission, and this one's not looking too promising camera-wise, either.  Sad.  I shall beg/borrow/acquire whatever pictures I can, to make future videos. 

Peace.  OUT.

 We got back two days ago, and we're already heading back out tomorrow.  Same mission/places.  The mission went well, and it was actually kind of fun.  My sleep schedule is all kinds of screwed up now, so I'm going to take a nap. 

Later.

I'm leaving on a mission again, today.  We're heading north of Baghdad, and bouncing from FOB to FOB up there.  We should be gone for almost two weeks, but may have limited internet access on the road.  I'll try to post while I'm out, but I'll definitely take some pictures. 

Wish us luck!

Peace.

-Ryan

My friend Erin asked me if I had seen any camels.  Here's my proof.  They are herded like cattle.  I have more pics of them, but they take forever to upload.  Enjoy, Erin.

DSCN0508

Anyone who has ever seen the movie, "Team America, World Police", will definitely appreciate what I have found. 

But you might appreciate it, even if you haven't seen that movie.  This kid is really talented.  Click on this link.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2095006023

I was impressed by his talent, but laughing my freakin' head off.