Well, I have finally been transferred away from Texas. I hated my time at that base, but I didn't mind the area around it too much. I would never choose to live there again, but then, I didn't choose to live there to begin with.
I got to Okinawa Japan just under a month ago. I've finished all my in-processing and moved into my house, and bought a little Micro Machines car. Well, I guess the car is a little bigger than that, maybe a Hot Wheals car. I get my house hold goods, like my furniture and stuff, next week, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again.
The trip over was uneventfull, with the exception of the 55 hour delay in Seattle... They could have flown a replacement aircraft there from any where in the ENTIRE WORLD, twice! Instead, we had to wait for 55 hours to finally get on the plane.
The vet at Dyess held on to the blood sample from our dog, Freedom for about a week before sending it to the lab for the FAVN test that is required. As a result, the test wasn't done in time for us to get on the plane, so we had to leave the dog with the in-laws. Now I have to spend hundreds of dollars of my own money to send my wife back to get our 4 legged family member. Personally, I think the vet at Dyess should reimburse us for the cost, but I'll be stuck paying for that myself.
Anyway, I look forward to my stay here in Okinawa and I'll try to remember to keep up with this blog. I don't get many readers, so my motivation to keep up suffers from that, but I try anyway.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
You could pay less, but why?
I was informed the other day that I could get a plane ticket for myself and my wife from Dallas to Seattle, curtesy of the U.S. Air Force. On the other hand, if I drive to L.A., and then fly to Seattle, they won't pay for it, even though it would cost them less. So instead, they have to pay me for the whole trip to Seattle, when they could pay a few hundred dollars less just by buying me a ticket out of L.A. How's that for a waste of tax payers dollars. I know, a couple hundred dollars isn't much, but when you multiply that by the thousands of military members that get transferred from one base to another, you can see how fast that figure can add up. Kind of stupid, don't ya think?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
No One Does It Better
On my last deployment, I was part of an Air Force Civil Engineer detachment attached to the Army. We got all our orders as far as what work we were going to do and where we are going to do it from the Army, but we got our orders as to which uniform we were to where and how we were to where it, and everything other than the actual work we did from the Air Force.
No, we were attached to an Army Engineer Brigade, our construction capabilities far exceeded the Army's. They didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to devote to improving their construction abilities while they were there though, they weren't lazy, its just the the construction portion of their job took a back seat to their road clearance missions. Believe me, I'd rather they stick to the road clearance missions, that way I am more likely to have a safer convoy to my next job site. They were our rides, they were our leaders should it actually come to combat, and they were serious about keeping us safe by keeping the roads as clear of IEDs as they could. I have nothing but respect for the Engineer Brigade we actually worked for, and for all the other units we actually built things for.
I don't know how they handled 15 month deployments. I was at my wits end at the end of my 4th month, and I was lucky enough not to be directly involved in any actual combat. Oh, I had my share of rocket and mortar attacks while I was on the base at Balad, and we even had a few IED scares, but I didn't actually have to duck from enemy fire or return fire. So I'll call my deployment smooth and lucky. I've seen the remains of vehicles after they've been hit with those IEDs, and its not a pretty site.
Be extremely grateful that we are fighting them over there instead of having to worry about IEDs on the roads here in America. I couldn't imagine how terrible it would be to have one of these things go off on a school bus on some highway, or even in a residential area, because these bad guys over there really don't care who gets hurt by these things.
Anyway, back to my original point. During the 6 months I was in Iraq, we built more than 40 facilities, and given the proper care and maintenance, they can last for ten years or more. We built office space, living quarters, bathrooms, communal showers with individual stalls, kitchens, guard towers, guard shacks, we poured concrete and improved defenses at entry control points, built fences and gates, improved levies to protect local farms from flooding along the canals and allowed for better irrigation of their crop fields, and built storage facilities for over $800,000 worth of parts and equipment so that the next rotation would have everything they needed to hit the ground running. We convoyed over 1200 miles, and work in an area covering more than 2000 square miles of battle space.
When I say that no one does it better, I mean it. Here at home it took a contractor over 18 months to build a department store and a parking lot, and it took another contractor more than 14 months to remodel a grocery store and parking lot and they still aren't done. In a 6 months time period, we got more construction done than they did combined, and we had about half the people working on it. We also had to deal with all the issues that go along with supply and demand in a combat zone, and in an area that was extremely susceptible to dust storms that would literally shut you down, where you couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of your truck, even lighting didn't help. The Army personnel we came in contact with were amazed at what we did, how fast we did it, and the quality of the product we left for them. We built one base from the ground up over a 2 and a half month period. 9 bathroom/showers, and over 20 other buildings for command and control, living quarters, recreation areas, a small gym, a PX (that's post exchange, which is the military version of a department store), a kitchen and cafeteria (otherwise called a chow hall), guard stations and towers, complete with bullet proof glass, and more. We started with a flat piece of dirt real estate, and when we left, they had a well to provide them with fresh water, a huge septic tank and a contract to have it emptied regularly, running water, heated water, air conditioning, heaters, an electrical grid with additional room for expansion, and all done in a 2 and a half month time period. We bedded down more than 100 Army personnel there, and that doesn't even start to count the Iraqi Army and police personnel, or the other allied nation troops that were there, or the civilian contractors that are getting 4 and 5 times my annual pay to work a heck of a lot less than I did.
You won't find a better construction organization than the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineers. Am I proud of what I did? Hell yes! Am I glad I did it and would I volunteer to do it again? Hell Yes! Did I make a difference and make a measurable contribution to the war effort in Iraq? Hell Yes! I helped improve the quality of life for over 2000 U.S. and allied nation personnel. I made the battle space for the units I did work for a safer, more comfortable place to be stuck. I made it possible for American personnel to consolidate and turn over part of the battle space to the Iraqis, minimizing our footprint there and preparing the way for our troops to come back home.
I talked to some of the Iraqis, I saw the looks on their faces, and I gave Gatorade and cookies and other treats to the children there. By and large, they are glad we came to Iraq. They are a free people now, and while things are by no means safe, they are safer than they were before we went there. If you don't believe me, just ask the 200,000 plus Kurds that Saddam killed with his chemical weapons. We didn't find any WMDs there, but we know he used them on his own people. There is a lot of desert over there, and there is no way we can search it all, dig it all up, and eliminate and and all possible hiding places for any WMDs that may have been there. I can't prove that there were any there, but no one can prove that there weren't any there either. It wouldn't take long for a dozen men to take an excavator, a bulldozer, and a dump truck full of canisters of chemical and biological weaponry and bury them in the desert. There is a LOT of space out there, so no, you can't prove that that didn't happen.
Sleep better at night knowing that we, the American Soldier, Airman, Sailor, and Marine are at our posts. We are watching over you, we are protecting you, and we are constantly vigilant. I'm sorry for the few pot shots that make it past us, but be assured that without us standing on this wall, ship, flight line, or ditch, there would be a lot more dead and dying people here at home. Then there is the very real probability that there wouldn't even be a country called the United States of America either. We are your sword, and we are your shield.
I say again, "No one does it better." Yes, I'm proud of what I do.
No, we were attached to an Army Engineer Brigade, our construction capabilities far exceeded the Army's. They didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to devote to improving their construction abilities while they were there though, they weren't lazy, its just the the construction portion of their job took a back seat to their road clearance missions. Believe me, I'd rather they stick to the road clearance missions, that way I am more likely to have a safer convoy to my next job site. They were our rides, they were our leaders should it actually come to combat, and they were serious about keeping us safe by keeping the roads as clear of IEDs as they could. I have nothing but respect for the Engineer Brigade we actually worked for, and for all the other units we actually built things for.
I don't know how they handled 15 month deployments. I was at my wits end at the end of my 4th month, and I was lucky enough not to be directly involved in any actual combat. Oh, I had my share of rocket and mortar attacks while I was on the base at Balad, and we even had a few IED scares, but I didn't actually have to duck from enemy fire or return fire. So I'll call my deployment smooth and lucky. I've seen the remains of vehicles after they've been hit with those IEDs, and its not a pretty site.
Be extremely grateful that we are fighting them over there instead of having to worry about IEDs on the roads here in America. I couldn't imagine how terrible it would be to have one of these things go off on a school bus on some highway, or even in a residential area, because these bad guys over there really don't care who gets hurt by these things.
Anyway, back to my original point. During the 6 months I was in Iraq, we built more than 40 facilities, and given the proper care and maintenance, they can last for ten years or more. We built office space, living quarters, bathrooms, communal showers with individual stalls, kitchens, guard towers, guard shacks, we poured concrete and improved defenses at entry control points, built fences and gates, improved levies to protect local farms from flooding along the canals and allowed for better irrigation of their crop fields, and built storage facilities for over $800,000 worth of parts and equipment so that the next rotation would have everything they needed to hit the ground running. We convoyed over 1200 miles, and work in an area covering more than 2000 square miles of battle space.
When I say that no one does it better, I mean it. Here at home it took a contractor over 18 months to build a department store and a parking lot, and it took another contractor more than 14 months to remodel a grocery store and parking lot and they still aren't done. In a 6 months time period, we got more construction done than they did combined, and we had about half the people working on it. We also had to deal with all the issues that go along with supply and demand in a combat zone, and in an area that was extremely susceptible to dust storms that would literally shut you down, where you couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of your truck, even lighting didn't help. The Army personnel we came in contact with were amazed at what we did, how fast we did it, and the quality of the product we left for them. We built one base from the ground up over a 2 and a half month period. 9 bathroom/showers, and over 20 other buildings for command and control, living quarters, recreation areas, a small gym, a PX (that's post exchange, which is the military version of a department store), a kitchen and cafeteria (otherwise called a chow hall), guard stations and towers, complete with bullet proof glass, and more. We started with a flat piece of dirt real estate, and when we left, they had a well to provide them with fresh water, a huge septic tank and a contract to have it emptied regularly, running water, heated water, air conditioning, heaters, an electrical grid with additional room for expansion, and all done in a 2 and a half month time period. We bedded down more than 100 Army personnel there, and that doesn't even start to count the Iraqi Army and police personnel, or the other allied nation troops that were there, or the civilian contractors that are getting 4 and 5 times my annual pay to work a heck of a lot less than I did.
You won't find a better construction organization than the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineers. Am I proud of what I did? Hell yes! Am I glad I did it and would I volunteer to do it again? Hell Yes! Did I make a difference and make a measurable contribution to the war effort in Iraq? Hell Yes! I helped improve the quality of life for over 2000 U.S. and allied nation personnel. I made the battle space for the units I did work for a safer, more comfortable place to be stuck. I made it possible for American personnel to consolidate and turn over part of the battle space to the Iraqis, minimizing our footprint there and preparing the way for our troops to come back home.
I talked to some of the Iraqis, I saw the looks on their faces, and I gave Gatorade and cookies and other treats to the children there. By and large, they are glad we came to Iraq. They are a free people now, and while things are by no means safe, they are safer than they were before we went there. If you don't believe me, just ask the 200,000 plus Kurds that Saddam killed with his chemical weapons. We didn't find any WMDs there, but we know he used them on his own people. There is a lot of desert over there, and there is no way we can search it all, dig it all up, and eliminate and and all possible hiding places for any WMDs that may have been there. I can't prove that there were any there, but no one can prove that there weren't any there either. It wouldn't take long for a dozen men to take an excavator, a bulldozer, and a dump truck full of canisters of chemical and biological weaponry and bury them in the desert. There is a LOT of space out there, so no, you can't prove that that didn't happen.
Sleep better at night knowing that we, the American Soldier, Airman, Sailor, and Marine are at our posts. We are watching over you, we are protecting you, and we are constantly vigilant. I'm sorry for the few pot shots that make it past us, but be assured that without us standing on this wall, ship, flight line, or ditch, there would be a lot more dead and dying people here at home. Then there is the very real probability that there wouldn't even be a country called the United States of America either. We are your sword, and we are your shield.
I say again, "No one does it better." Yes, I'm proud of what I do.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Red Tape BS!
Well, we just haad another exercise/inspection on base. The base as a whole failed it while I was deployed, so we had to do it again. Instead of making the people who did it before and failed do it to make sure they finally got it right, they make those of us that were deployed do it. Talk about wrong.
Anyway, there is so much red tape for everything in the military. I got orders to Japan, so I'll be leaving in a few months. I was selected for my new assignment on 24 November, they notified me of it a week and a half or so later. Then I get my checklist of stuff I'm supposed to do in order to get my orders and actualkly leave, and they have a briefing that I'm already overdue on. How am I supposed to go to a briefing for my transfer on 20 November, if they didn't even select me for the transfer until the 24th? Talk about garbage.
I can't take my car or truck, I have to get a passport for my wife, and I have to make arrangments for my dog to go with me. I have to get medical clearnaces for my wife, which takes forever because paperwork has to be done and if the civilian doctor puts something the military doctor doesn't like, I have to get the civilian doctor to change what he/she wrote, eiother by explaining to them what the military doctor needs/wantas, or by getting an appointment for my wife to have surgery, or a checkup or whatever the cilvilian doctor requires before he/she will change what they wrote. This goes for dentists too.
Then, there is the exercise that I spoke of. I have to do it at the same time I'm doing my outprocessing stuff. People aren't in their offices to sign my papers, or no one answers the phones to answer questions or make appoinments, and there is no such thing as having any of it waived for reasons that are beyond my control, like these people making themselves unavailable.
The Air Force has gone electronic with everything. Our records are all online now. Our personnel flight that is supposed to be there to answer questions about our records are online. All in/out-processing is online for paperwork, but we still have to go around and get physical signatures on our checklists. So, we take tests on computers over the internet to cut down on paperwork, then they do something incredibly stupid. you see, they set up the syustem so that no one can access the training certificates, or the electronic out processing paperwork, or practically anything else anymore, except for the person who the records and information actually pertains to. Which means I now have to print out 6 copies of the certificate or other confrimation paparwork, and hand deliver to the different agencies on base, there by using more paper than we would have used had we still been doing everything by hand. What is the point of going high-tech and doing everything on the computer, if we don't give access to the agencies that need that paperwork? Its rediculous. Oh, and don't let the power go out, because doing the paperwork by hand is unacceptable for any reason. I'm telling you, if there is a big storm that knocks the power out, or a major EMP event, then the Air Force, or at least my base, is going to come to a screeching halt. No work orders get done, no in/out-processing gets done, no training gets done, nothing gets fixed, no planes fly, we are simply shut down! How stupid is this?
Anyway, That is all I want to rant about today. I know I do a lot of griping here. It makes it sound like I hate my job. I'll be honest, I do. I hate it because of where I'm currently stuck, and the garbage that I have to go through that I shouldn't have to deal with. I've been deployed to a combat zone on three seperate occasions, and if the people running my base were running those deployments, I have no doubt that half my squadron would be lying in graves somewhere with little white tombstones honring their service.
That being said, I am very proud of what I do. My next few posts will talk more about that. I am glad to be in service of my country.
I re-enlisted on 2 Jan 2009 for another 5 years. I must like something about what I do if I keep re-upping with the military. I will shed some good light in my next few posts to counter act the bad that I have been shining in these last few posts.
Anyway, there is so much red tape for everything in the military. I got orders to Japan, so I'll be leaving in a few months. I was selected for my new assignment on 24 November, they notified me of it a week and a half or so later. Then I get my checklist of stuff I'm supposed to do in order to get my orders and actualkly leave, and they have a briefing that I'm already overdue on. How am I supposed to go to a briefing for my transfer on 20 November, if they didn't even select me for the transfer until the 24th? Talk about garbage.
I can't take my car or truck, I have to get a passport for my wife, and I have to make arrangments for my dog to go with me. I have to get medical clearnaces for my wife, which takes forever because paperwork has to be done and if the civilian doctor puts something the military doctor doesn't like, I have to get the civilian doctor to change what he/she wrote, eiother by explaining to them what the military doctor needs/wantas, or by getting an appointment for my wife to have surgery, or a checkup or whatever the cilvilian doctor requires before he/she will change what they wrote. This goes for dentists too.
Then, there is the exercise that I spoke of. I have to do it at the same time I'm doing my outprocessing stuff. People aren't in their offices to sign my papers, or no one answers the phones to answer questions or make appoinments, and there is no such thing as having any of it waived for reasons that are beyond my control, like these people making themselves unavailable.
The Air Force has gone electronic with everything. Our records are all online now. Our personnel flight that is supposed to be there to answer questions about our records are online. All in/out-processing is online for paperwork, but we still have to go around and get physical signatures on our checklists. So, we take tests on computers over the internet to cut down on paperwork, then they do something incredibly stupid. you see, they set up the syustem so that no one can access the training certificates, or the electronic out processing paperwork, or practically anything else anymore, except for the person who the records and information actually pertains to. Which means I now have to print out 6 copies of the certificate or other confrimation paparwork, and hand deliver to the different agencies on base, there by using more paper than we would have used had we still been doing everything by hand. What is the point of going high-tech and doing everything on the computer, if we don't give access to the agencies that need that paperwork? Its rediculous. Oh, and don't let the power go out, because doing the paperwork by hand is unacceptable for any reason. I'm telling you, if there is a big storm that knocks the power out, or a major EMP event, then the Air Force, or at least my base, is going to come to a screeching halt. No work orders get done, no in/out-processing gets done, no training gets done, nothing gets fixed, no planes fly, we are simply shut down! How stupid is this?
Anyway, That is all I want to rant about today. I know I do a lot of griping here. It makes it sound like I hate my job. I'll be honest, I do. I hate it because of where I'm currently stuck, and the garbage that I have to go through that I shouldn't have to deal with. I've been deployed to a combat zone on three seperate occasions, and if the people running my base were running those deployments, I have no doubt that half my squadron would be lying in graves somewhere with little white tombstones honring their service.
That being said, I am very proud of what I do. My next few posts will talk more about that. I am glad to be in service of my country.
I re-enlisted on 2 Jan 2009 for another 5 years. I must like something about what I do if I keep re-upping with the military. I will shed some good light in my next few posts to counter act the bad that I have been shining in these last few posts.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Hello everyone. I just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas. I'll have another post up sometime this weekend, but I don't want to rant on christmas Eve. So, I'll talk to you all in a few days at which time I'll talk about red tape, and I don't mean Christmas ribbons.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Practicing for Unreality
Well, I just got done with another exercisew. An excercise is where we practice what we would do if we had to deploy. There are two types called Phase 1 and Phase 2. The Phase 1 concentrates on the deployment process; what we do to actually leave here to go to our deployment. The Phase 2 concetrates on what we would do once we were deployed and arrived in country. A great process... in theory.
You see, we still practice for what we would have done in the Cold War, not for what we would do and are doing today. So, all the training we're doing is worthless because it doesn't pertain to reality.
We just did a phase 1 at my base. I wish we actually did our deployment process the way we practice it. It would make the departure easier and less stressful than they way we actually do go about it.
It's really quite annoiying that we go through all this practice, and then don't do it this way for real. It's like have basketball practice in order to prepare us for a baseball game. You see how it would help us, right?
Oh well, I guess life just isn't supposed to make sense.
My life is full of oxy morons like, "Military intelligence," "Microsoft Works," and as you can see from what I've said above, "Practice makes perfect."
I just wish that some of the decisions that get made are actually thought out. It's scary who they put in charge of all this multi-billion dollar equipment, and frankly, I don't know how we manage to win wars when we don't prepare for them properly...
You see, we still practice for what we would have done in the Cold War, not for what we would do and are doing today. So, all the training we're doing is worthless because it doesn't pertain to reality.
We just did a phase 1 at my base. I wish we actually did our deployment process the way we practice it. It would make the departure easier and less stressful than they way we actually do go about it.
It's really quite annoiying that we go through all this practice, and then don't do it this way for real. It's like have basketball practice in order to prepare us for a baseball game. You see how it would help us, right?
Oh well, I guess life just isn't supposed to make sense.
My life is full of oxy morons like, "Military intelligence," "Microsoft Works," and as you can see from what I've said above, "Practice makes perfect."
I just wish that some of the decisions that get made are actually thought out. It's scary who they put in charge of all this multi-billion dollar equipment, and frankly, I don't know how we manage to win wars when we don't prepare for them properly...
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Orders, Finally!!!
Well, as I mentioned on my last post, I finally got orders. It's not that I don't like Texas, but out of the 50 states in this country, Texas would have to be my... 50th favorite one. It's the armpit of America in my opinion. I can't stand it here. Now, after more than four years of being stuck in this miserable place, I finally get to leave.
Where am I going? Japan! It only took four base assignments for the Air Force to finally give me something I wanted. I have asked for the East Coast of America since I joined up more than 9 years ago, and I have also asked for one of the bases in England or Japan. They sent me to New Mexico instead. They followed that assingment with a 3 year stint in Alaska, which turned out to be good, but still not what I had asked for. Then, after giving every plumber that left Alaska while I was there the base they asked for, they send me to Texas. From the desert, to the tundra, and back to the desert.
Who did I tick off anyway? They had a list of bases where someone of my career field was needed and I picked six of them and put them on my "dream sheet." And what do I get? the number two place on my list of bases I DON'T want to go to. Talk about a bum deal. Now, after being here for four years, they wait until I apply for a special duty assignment and then drop this on me. Yeah, its a place I wanted to go to, but I was the number one choice for the special duty I applied for, and these new orders disqualify me from it. I know I asked to go there, but did they have to wait until I went through all the trouble and paper work to apply for something else?
Anyway, so I am off to Japan. For OPSEC reasons, I am not going to say when I am leaving, just be assured that this is my last Christmas in Texas... hopefully forever.
My father is living in Japan at the moment as well, but not at the same location. I will still be able to visit him regularly because after all, the country of Japan is only about the size of California.
So there you have it. I'm glad to be leaving though, really glad.
Where am I going? Japan! It only took four base assignments for the Air Force to finally give me something I wanted. I have asked for the East Coast of America since I joined up more than 9 years ago, and I have also asked for one of the bases in England or Japan. They sent me to New Mexico instead. They followed that assingment with a 3 year stint in Alaska, which turned out to be good, but still not what I had asked for. Then, after giving every plumber that left Alaska while I was there the base they asked for, they send me to Texas. From the desert, to the tundra, and back to the desert.
Who did I tick off anyway? They had a list of bases where someone of my career field was needed and I picked six of them and put them on my "dream sheet." And what do I get? the number two place on my list of bases I DON'T want to go to. Talk about a bum deal. Now, after being here for four years, they wait until I apply for a special duty assignment and then drop this on me. Yeah, its a place I wanted to go to, but I was the number one choice for the special duty I applied for, and these new orders disqualify me from it. I know I asked to go there, but did they have to wait until I went through all the trouble and paper work to apply for something else?
Anyway, so I am off to Japan. For OPSEC reasons, I am not going to say when I am leaving, just be assured that this is my last Christmas in Texas... hopefully forever.
My father is living in Japan at the moment as well, but not at the same location. I will still be able to visit him regularly because after all, the country of Japan is only about the size of California.
So there you have it. I'm glad to be leaving though, really glad.
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