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Crunch Time

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Mar 242008

When we last left our intrepid heroes from the All-American Division, they had just arrived at Kuwait Naval Base (KNB) expecting to see their equipment (vehicles and trailers) only to find nothing waiting for their attentions. Not to be discouraged, the brazen paratroopers immediately set about familiarizing themselves with the surrounding area. They were greatly surprised to find amenities abound the base. Real mattresses for their weary souls! A beach to erase the dreaded ACU Tan! Indoor swimming pool and gym to condition their bodies! A DFAC to nourish their rumbling stomachs! A library to edify their minds! And free internet to get back in touch with far away family! And this was no mirage in the desert.

Really, KNB was a good base to live for a short time. The worse thing was that the showers were all the way across the compound and we had to go through an access point and show our ID to pass. Having a clean, fully functional bathroom right next to your bedroom is a luxury we take for granted in the States. But that was the only downside to living there for that short time.

However, when we didn’t get the majority of our stock in the first week, we grew a little concerned. We helped at another wash rack because we didn’t have anything to do at KNB. We also knew we could use the extra help when our stock did arrive. Unfortunately, that wasn’t until two days before we were supposed to leave KNB. So we got into gear and started cleaning as much as we could. Now, we started off very nice. The trucks were beyond dirty. I don’t know what they (drivers up at Taji) did to them, but I think they were just out to give us as much work as possible. Continue reading »

Where the News Takes Their Cues…

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Mar 092008

Well, I’ve done it again. I’ve successfully predicted a future news story. I posted about how the showers have affected my skin here at Taji, and now there is an article here about it.

Okay… so the affected areas are actually bases other than mine. But it’s still funny that I post about this issue and then a news article pops up the next day or two describing the problem. Basically, the news looks to me to decide what to write about.

I’ve done this other times in the past as well. I’ll think about an issue and the next day or so an article pops up in the news covering the same points about that specific issue. I’m pretty sure my mother remembers one time that happened to me back home, when I was probably ten years old (or around there).

Yeah, this kind of stuff does make me think a lot about precognition. Have you ever had deja vu? It’s the same thing. And I get that a lot.

Hmmmm… could be a useful trait for a Soldier to have, no? See an ambush before it happens.

2 LT Adam Ochylski

Just a small taste

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Mar 062008

So it’s begun to warm up over here. Normally I’ll take long, quick strides when I’m walking between places. But now I’ve noticed that I’ll actually walk a good bit slower now to try and keep cool. I am glad that I’ll be coming home in the next month or so. I definitely came to Iraq at a good time. It can get pretty cold out there, but I’ve always preferred the cold. Still got that Michigan blood in me.

This heat really is no joke though. I can only imagine the grunts having to do foot patrols with IBAs on (they add ten degrees to your core temperature). The Army is looking at some high-tech clothing to combat heat stress. More breathable and yet fire-resistant gear to wear underneath the IBA has been very well received by Soldiers I’ve talked to who have used it.

Something else that may have helped Soldiers is the upgraded vehicles. HMMWVs usually are viewed with no doors, which would make A/C impractical. Now that they are all up-armored, they also have air and heat. The heat, I know, has been good for those cold night patrols when wind chill would freeze us. The air, I’m sure, has probably kept some Soldiers from passing out and becoming a heat casualty. Continue reading »

Block Leave

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Feb 292008

Well, I’m having to assert my position a little more now. My Soldiers have had time to get used to me, so now I feel like getting more hands-on. I usually go for this method. I come in easy and establish a rapport. Having achieved that, I step up my involvement to earn their respect and learn their job. It can get exhausting, having to pick up on the different jobs and work through the proper channels. People can be very territorial.

The weather here is warm… so the main roads are dry. But there’s still the side roads that are muddy. Hot water in the showers are still off and on. I need to hit up the gym more often. And I still need to find a house back at Bragg. Should be a buyer’s market out there, from the sound of the news that I do get.

I’m also considering what to do with Block Leave. I’ll have a whole month free… though I’m not sure if I do have the time for that. Being young and single with officer’s pay (untaxed when deployed), I do have a little bit I’d like to enjoy. One thing I’ll have to do is take some time off in a spa. I have to concede that I do have take care of my body. I’m getting old! I’m not as robust as I used to be! And being over here, I have had a couple of issues with my skin. I need to get back to that “dashing” standard. Continue reading »

Military Jargon

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Feb 262008

ALCON,

When I went outside my Consolidated Housing Unit (CHU) this morning, things were all FUBAR. Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) had hit the Entry Control Point (ECP) and the Dining Facility (DFAC) had been bracketed (by indirect fire, i.e. mortars). My Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) should have Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) and Hazardous Fire Pay (HFP) tacked on to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) now. Glad for Service member Group Life Insurance (SGLI). Need to get that Loan Repayment Program (LRP) done. So in accordance with (IAW) the Forward Operating Base’s (FOB) policies, I went to get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to (IOT) comply with Army Regulation (AR) 670-1. I grabbed my Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) and hopped in the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) to get my Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) at the motor pool (MP). I thought about the other Lieutenants (LT) at the Brigade Medical Supply Office (BMSO) as I passed Casualty Collection Points (CCP). Military Police (MP) and Security Forces (SF) were busy elsewhere.

My platoon (PLT) was at the MP with the Platoon Sergeant (PSG), so I took Command and Control (C2) and had them use Individual Movement Technique (IMT) to the Command Post (CP). More service members (SM) joined at Service and Recovery (S&R). I had some wait by the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactile Truck (HEMTT) in case any Heavy Equipment Transports (HET) or Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) need help. At the CP, the Commanding Officer (CO) was gone… over at the Battalion Tactical Operations Center (BN TOC) getting the Battle Update Brief (BUB), but the Executive Officer (XO) had C2. He used to be on a MIlitary Transition Team (MITT) at War Eagle (WE) as Personal Security Detachment (PSD). We had ICOMs (name of handheld radio) to supplement the DSN (Digital Secure Number). I use SIPR lines since NIPRs are a no-go now (internet protocol routers). Continue reading »

A New “Surge” of Visitors?

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Feb 262008

Sunday was a pretty slow day. So I took the time to e-mail a few people. So, I greet you to this blog. I do have to apologize, I am very good at not talking to someone for a good few months… and then randomly popping up to say hello.

I think that’s part of what I like about military though. You live the day in and out with a group of Soldiers that you grow very tight to, but then at the end of the mission you get reassigned or drift apart. Then you may not see the person for several months or years later. But that reunion, when it does come, is a very happy event because you’ve developed such close bonds with the people. And that regardless of the time spent apart afterwards.

It’s similar to “Fellowship of the Ring” or any other sort of saga where a group of warriors travel together to accomplish a common goal. You each fight for one other and develop those strong bonds. At the end, you go your separate ways. But you still remember the hardships and the good times with those comrades. It’s a bond that never breaks.

I guess I like to spend long, unbroken amounts of time with friends… but then take a break. Until I return and do it again. In other words, despite the lapses between communications with my friends, I do still remember all of you. I just seem to operate in those batches of times.

Well, that’s my excuse for why I tend to drop off the radar from time to time… why I am very bad at keeping constantly in touch.

Military Cliques

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Feb 252008

So I thought it over a little bit about Army life and I thought of another aspect of the Army. They love to set up cliques. There are the obvious splits between services, but it happens by rank as well, of course. There’s the division between enlisted and officers. Then each of those has divisions between senior and junior. Some of it is by regulations; where officers cannot legally have a relationship with enlisted personnel, to avoid conflict of interests.

Right now I’m at the time where we have the “Lieutenant Mafia.” It was also called the LPA (Lt. Protection Agency). We know we need to roll deep with an entourage.

Then there are pairings that go beyond rank. LTs have their Platoon Sergeant, CPTs have First Sergeants, LTC-CSM (Command Sergeant Major). So the Army definitely does like to classify people into groups. Part of it is to facilitate command, as with those teams between officers and NCOs (Noncommissioned Officers). Otherwise, it’s also just part of a standard hierarchical organization to maintain good order and discipline. Continue reading »

An Orange Glow in the Air

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Feb 192008

Well, this is the first dust storm I’ve been in. It’s all an orange color outside with the sand filling the air and each breath.

You know, I’ve always tried to rock the boat as little as possible. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to do that at work, and even more so as a leader. Sometimes you have to give them news they don’t like or a task they consider too hard.

It’s also reflects a lot better on you when you get to work on the task instead of belly-aching. We know it sucks, but what we ask for is accomplishable. If it isn’t, at least we’ve seen that you’ve been putting forth the effort and we don’t have to take any further action. In the end, it makes us both happier people. Continue reading »

In Memoriam

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Feb 102008

Unfortunately, I received a Red Cross message this morning notifying me that my father’s mother has passed away. My family had already sent me e-mails about her passing away, but Red Cross is delivered through a Soldier’s chain of command and takes a couple extra hours, but will reach the Soldier. It’s good since I didn’t have access to internet that day and I know I can count on the Red Cross to notify my family if anything happens to me.

In memory to my grandmother, I’ve decided to collect some thoughts about her. This allows me to express myself and proves cathartic.

Virginia Ochylski passed away Tuesday, February 5, 2008. She is survived by her son, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. She married Henry Ochylski, who served stateside in the Army during WWII. Continue reading »

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An Orange Glow in the Air

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